"Those who carried out the attack that targeted citizens belonging to the alliance countries and Christians in Sri Lanka are fighters with the Islamic State," according to a statement on IS news agency Amaq carried by SITE, which tracks jihadist groups. Alliance countries refers to those involved in the U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State in Syria, which includes 79 nations from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, although Sri Lanka is not among them. Just last month the U.S. declared the last swath of territory once held by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been liberated.
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 09:34:48 -0400

Iran's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday requiring the government take firm steps to respond to "terrorist actions" by U.S. forces, state TV reported, retaliating against Washington's blacklisting of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards. President Donald Trump on April 8 designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist group, in an unprecedented step that drew Iranian condemnation and raised concerns about retaliatory attacks on U.S. forces. Tehran reacted to the designation, which took effect on April 15, by naming the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) a terrorist organization and the U.S. government a sponsor of terrorism.
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 06:05:58 -0400

A beautiful spring morning at the Topeka Zoo in Kansas turned tragic when a male Sumatran tiger attacked a keeper, inflicting wounds that sent her to a hospital.Although keepers are never supposed to be in the same space as the tigers, they found themselves together in the outdoor habitat that morning for reasons under investigation."There's some sort of error that occurred here," said Brendan Wiley, the zoo's director, told a news conference. He confirmed that several visitors to the zoo had witnessed the attack.The employee is the zoo's primary tiger keeper and had worked there for years, according to Mr Wiley, who noted that part of her job is to clean and maintain the enclosure. He said that the keeper was in stable condition and that the zoo was reviewing its safety protocols.The zookeeper, whom Mr Wiley declined to name, citing her family's need for privacy, suffered "lacerations and punctures" to the back of the head, neck, back and arm. She was awake and alert when she was transported to a hospital.The attack occurred about 9:15 am and the zoo's safety protocols immediately went into effect, Mr Wiley said. A radio call alerted the staff that there was an emergency, and the zoo called 911. Nearby staff members responded to the scene to secure the tigers, and an official made the decision to temporarily close the zoo. A firearms response team also was dispatched to the tiger exhibit, but zookeepers had successfully lured the tiger away by the time it arrived."Some of our staff witnessed some things that you hope you go through a career without witnessing," Mr Wiley said.The zoo has two adult Sumatran tigers: Jingga, a female, and Sanjiv, who was brought to the zoo in August 2017. Shanna Simpson, animal care supervisor, told the Topeka Capital-Journal then that Sanjiv "is the sweetest cat I have ever met."In October, Jingga gave birth to four cubs - three males and one female.The Topeka Zoo allowed Jingga and her cubs back into their enclosures Saturday afternoon, but Sanjiv would remain in holding overnight, Mr Wiley said.City spokeswoman Molly Hadfield said in an email that "nothing will happen to the tiger; he is a wild animal and was acting on instinct."Sanjiv is too valuable to conservation efforts to euthanise. Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, and only about 400 remain in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They are native to Indonesia, where deforestation, human encroachment and poaching have whittled their numbers to the brink of extinction.Some zoos participate in Sumatran tiger conservation programs designed to save the species, but these efforts are not always successful. In February, a male tiger brought to the London Zoo to mate attacked and killed its prospective female partner.The Washington Post
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 04:13:52 -0400

It's been more than two years since the Delphi murders. Here's what we know now about the unsolved killings of Abigail Williams and Liberty Germany.
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 17:16:02 -0400

Turkish police on Monday were holding six people, including a member of the ruling AKP party, after a mob attack on opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu that sparked widespread criticism. Kilicdaroglu, 70, of the Republican People's Party (CHP) was assaulted on Sunday in a crowd as he attended a funeral in Ankara for a soldier killed fighting Kurdish militants in the southeast. The attack came days after the opposition CHP won Ankara and Istanbul from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP in March 31 local elections, seen as a major setback for the ruling party after a decade-and-a-half in power.
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 12:52:26 -0400

The SS Iron Crown, an Australian freighter sunk by a Japanese submarine during World War II, has been discovered.
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 09:00:00 -0400

Samsung's foldable smartphone has been making lots of headlines over the past week, and for all the wrong reasons. After several prominent technology blogs revealed that their review units broke within days (and sometimes hours) of use, it quickly became clear that the nearly $2,000 phone isn't ready for prime time just yet. Now, a new report from The Wall Street Journal suggests Samsung is poised to delay the phone's launch for at least another month.The outlet cites unnamed sources within Samsung who claim that the high-profile device failures have forced the company to rethink its launch plans. Most of the reviews have been decidedly lukewarm, especially when considering the phone's incredibly high price point, and very few reviewers are recommending that anyone even consider taking the leap.One particular point of emphasis is on the device's built-in screen protector that is not designed to be removed, but which several early reviewers attempted to pull off anyway. Many smartphones come with a removable layer of film on the display which is typically removed within seconds of opening the box. The Fold is different, and the plastic layer is apparently a vital component of the display.Some of the journalists who spoke openly about their broken devices admitted that they removed that plastic without knowing what it was, while others claim they never touched it but that their phone screens died within days anyway.Samsung devotees have been quick to rush to the company's defense, noting that this is a low-production device and essentially a first-run attempt at an entirely new type of smartphone. That's true, but it's also $2,000 and probably shouldn't die within two days. It's clear that Samsung will need to do something to mitigate the number of device failures within days of launch.This report of a planned launch delay comes just hours after Samsung began cancelling launch events in China and elsewhere, citing issues with the venues rather than a problem with the device or a delay that may be in the works. Samsung has yet to confirm the delay, and sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal did not reveal a potential alternative launch date.
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 11:21:09 -0400

The B-21 has disappeared into the black world of military technology, and will only reemerge when the bomber is ready.On October 27, 2015, nearly thirty-four years to the day after Northrop Grumman was awarded the contract to develop the first stealth bomber, the U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop a contract for a new bomber: the B-21 Raider. While many of the details of the Raider are shrouded in mystery, we do know a few things about it, and can infer others.(This first appeared in 2017.)The B-21 Raider bomber takes its name from both the twenty-first century and the legendary 1942 raid by Gen. James Jimmy Doolittles force of B-25 Mitchell bombers against targets in and around Tokyo, Japan. In invoking the Doolittle Raid, the Air Force is drawing attention to attacks audacious nature, the strategic and tactical surprise, and the epic distances General Doolittle and his raiders flew to accomplish their mission.Recommended: Why Doesn't America Just Kill Kim Jong-un?
Sun, 21 Apr 2019 22:00:00 -0400

U.S. stock index futures dipped on Monday as investors returned from their Easter break and took a cautious stance at the beginning of what is expected to be the busiest week of the first-quarter earnings season. The S&P 500 closed slightly lower last week, ending its three-week winning streak, but hovered about 1% away from a record high hit in September on U.S.-China trade hopes and a largely upbeat earnings season. More than a third of the S&P 500 companies, including Boeing Co, Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc, will report this week determining whether investors should be concerned about the start of an earnings recession or whether back-to-back quarters of negative growth can be avoided.
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 07:56:07 -0400

Sri Lankan officials have said the Islamist militant group National Thowheeth Jama'ath is responsible for the Easter Sunday bombing attacks. Here's what to know about the group.
Mon, 22 Apr 2019 14:58:18 -0400