• 1

  3 hours ago

  Syria Blames "Terrorists" for Massacre

  

  AFP/Getty Images
  Syria on Sunday blamed rebels for a massacre that killed at least 109 civilians, many of them children, in the town of Houla. "Women, children and old men were shot dead. This is not the hallmark of the heroic Syrian army," said foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdesi. But activists said the victims died during an artillery barrage by government forces following skirmishes between troops and fighters from the Sunni Muslim-led insurgency. Syrian forces shot and killed at least two men Sunday as protests broke out after the massacre, opposition activists said. One of the dead, Riad Mahmoud, was among a crowd of 2,000-3,000 demonstrators who were confronted by armed members of a secret police division. "The people want the downfall of the regime," hundreds shouted at Mahmoud's funeral. Get More at MSNBC
• 2

  May 27, 02:18AM

  NATO Air Strike Kills 8 Afghan Civilians

  

  AP
  Eight civilians in one family, including six children, were killed in a NATO air strike Saturday following a field operation in Paktia province, local government officials told NBC News. Paktia government spokesman Rohullah Samoon said the air strike, which occurred at 8 p.m. Saturday, was not coordinated with Afghan security forces on the ground in the surrounding area. NATO told NBC News it was taking the reports of the incident seriously, and that an investigation is currently underway. Civilian casualties have been a major source of friction between President Hamid Karzai's government and U.S. - led NATO forces in Afghanistan, Reuters reported. Get More at MSNBC
• 3

  May 26, 06:27PM

  Sandy Dahl, Wife of 9/11 United Flight 93 Pilot, Dies at 52

  

  Getty Images
  Sandy Dahl, the wife of Captain Jason M. Dahl, the pilot who captained United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, passed away on Friday, MSNBC reported on Saturday. After the national tragedy, the former United flight attendant started a scholarship fund in her husband's honor and was dedicated to let the world know that United 93 would never be forgotten. "They did what would almost never be asked of anyone,” she once said. United Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field after it was taken over by terrorists on September 11, 2001. Jefferson County coroner's officials have confirmed Dahl's death, but the exact cause has not been released, the Denver Post said. Get More at MSNBC
• 4

  1 minute ago

  Tropical Storm Beryl to Drench Southeast Coast

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• 5

  May 27, 01:27AM

  Chinese Official Detained for Raping Underage Girls

  

  Getty Images
  Police in Central China detained a former Communist Party official Sunday on suspicion of raping underage girls, Reuters reported. Li Xingong, the Communist Party's former deputy head in Yongcheng city, is accused of assaulting more than ten girls during police interrogations, according to Xinhua news agency. Reports about the rapes identifying Li as the perpetrator began circulating online over the past week, the latest in a string of abuse of power cases. The case has since been widely discussed on China's popular Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo. While the government has encouraged people to expose corruption and abuse of power via the internet, it still keeps a tight rein on what can be said regarding more senior party officials. Get More at MSNBC
• 6

  May 27, 12:56AM

  Afghan Drug Trade Persists as U.S Nears Exit

  

  Getty Images
  Afghanistan's opium industry continues to help finance the insurgency and fuel corruption, and as NATO troops near their 2014 withdrawal, The New York Times reported that some officials are conceding that there is little chance for a successful anti-opium effort. Although the start of American and British counternarcotics campaigns have coincided with a 33 percent decrease in opium poppy cultivation in the Helmand River Valley, the heart of Afghanistan's opium production, once the troops leave many of the incentive programs will close down. The dwindling of Western aid, coupled with a troubled formal economy, will result in many Afghans turning to cash crops and the illicit economy. "Some money is available through the licit economy, but less than in the past as the Western contracts dry up," said Jean-Luc Lemahieu, the director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan. "The importance of the illicit, informal economy will increase ... and of course narcotics is a huge chunk of it." Get More at MSNBC
• 7

  5 hours ago

  Pope's Butler Arrested in Connection With Leaks

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• 8

  May 27, 06:21AM

  2 Americans Detained Over Death of Student in Japan

  
  Two American males have been arrested in connection with the death of a female Irish exchange student in Japan Sunday. According to the Irish Times, Nicola Furlong, 21, was found unconscious in a hotel room on Thursday with one of the suspects, hours after attending a concert by rapper Nicki Minaj. Furlong was later pronounced dead at a hospital, where an autopsy indicated that she may have been strangled. The two American suspects - a musician, 19, and a dancer, 23 - were arrested on suspicion of making inappropriate physical contact with one of Furlong's friends during a taxi ride on Thursday. Get More at MSNBC
• 9

  May 25, 11:19PM

    Schools that are the highest performing in the world, their classroom sizes are about the same as in the United States. So it's not the classroom size that is driving the success of those school systems.   — Mitt Romney speaking at the Universal Bluford Charter School in Philadelphia, where he dismissed the impact of class sizes on student achievement.
• 10

  May 26, 06:33PM

  Patz Confession Not Final Word for Police

  

  AP
  Pedro Hernandez, suspected in the death of 6-year-old Etan Patz, was arraigned Friday on second-degree murder charges and police must now try to corroborate Hernandez's version of events, which occurred 33 years ago. "Time is an enemy here," Vernon J. Geberth, a retired New York City police lieutenant commander, told The New York Times. In 1979 street cameras and cell phone logs were nonexistent, and the the SoHo bodega where Hernandez worked is now an eyeglasses shop, making it difficult for police to prove the veracity of Hernandez's confession. In such circumstances, looking into the suspect's background, prying for more details, re-interviewing friends and family members and revisiting the scene with the suspect are a few ways to tackle this hurdle, The New York Times reported. Get More at MSNBC
• 11

  May 26, 01:06PM

  Japan: Weakened Fukushima Nuclear Pool Is Not Unstable

  

  AP
  Japan on Saturday took journalists on a tour of Fukushima's Reactor No. 4 and declared the situation manageable. Despite concerns of an earthquake that could ruin the pool cooling down radioactive nuclear fuel rods, Japan's environment minister, Goshi Hosono, said, "I don't think the situation is unstable." Hosono, who is in charge of the cleanup, said that workers will likely begin removing fuel from the reactor's storage pool next year. Work began last month to raise a giant tent over the building to prevent radioactive dust from scattering while the fuel rods are transported. Get More at MSNBC
• 12

  May 26, 04:36AM

  Kan. Governor Signs Bill to Ban Islamic Law

  

  AP
  Republican Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill that would prevent state courts and agencies from using Islamic and other non-U.S. laws when making decisions, his office announced Friday. Supporters say the state laws and the U.S. constitution would protect foreigners in Kansas, while opponents say the law, dubbed the "Shariah bill," singled out Muslims and was unnecessary because American laws prevail on U.S. soil. The Council on American-Islamic Relations denounced the Kansas law and said it is considering legal action. About 20 states have considered enacting similar legislation, but the Kansas law is the only one signed in recent weeks. Get More at MSNBC