On this Thursday, these are the biggest news stories.
Trump taunts Russia, says US military response coming in Syria
“Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’,” Trump wrote. “You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”
Syria ‘chemical attack’: 500 people affected, says WHO
It remains difficult to place an exact figure on the number of people killed and wounded in Saturday’s alleged attack on the outskirts of Damascus, which has pushed the US and its allies to the verge of military confrontation in Syria.
Live updates: Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress
Facebook shares gave back some of their gains on Wednesday while Zuckerberg was fielding questions from House members. The stock was down 0.2%, following a 4.5% surge Tuesday – the stock’s best day since 2016. Shares of other social media companies were mixed. Snap was up nearly 3%. Twitter fell 2.5%.
Senate fails its Zuckerberg test
Mark Zuckerberg emerged unscathed from Tuesday’s Senate committee hearing, and he did so in large part because most of the senators who asked him questions had no clue how Facebook worked, what the solutions to its problems are, or even what they were trying to achieve by calling its CEO to testify, other than getting some good soundbites in.
House Speaker Paul Ryan won’t seek re-election
“You realize something when you take this job,” Ryan told reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning. “It’s a big job with a lot riding on you … but you also know this is not a job that does not last forever. … You realize you hold the office for just a small part of our history.
Trump considering firing Rosenstein to check Mueller
Such an action could potentially further Trump’s goal of trying to put greater limits on special counsel Robert Mueller. This is one of several options — including going so far as to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions — Trump is weighing in the aftermath of the FBI’s decision Monday to raid the office of Michael Cohen, the President’s personal lawyer and longtime confidant.
Tanzania takes historic step to save dwindling elephant population
In Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve the population has been under threat for decades, and numbers are dwindling. Almost 90% of the park’s elephants have been lost over the past 40 years. “Tanzania has been extremely hard hit by the latest elephant poaching crisis that has hit the African continent for 10 years,” Bas Huijbregts, WWF’s African species manager, told CNN.
A sperm whale that washed up on a beach in Spain had 64 pounds of plastic and waste in its stomach
The discovery has prompted authorities in Murcia, Spain, to launch a campaign to clean up its beaches. “The presence of plastic in the ocean and oceans is one of the greatest threats to the conservation of wildlife throughout the world, as many animals are trapped in the trash or ingest large quantities of plastics that end up causing their death,” Murcia’s general director of environment, Consuelo Rosauro said in a statement.
Tributes paid to Winnie Mandela at memorial service
The memorial in Soweto comes ahead of a funeral service to be held on Saturday. Madikizela-Mandela died in a Johannesburg hospital on April 2 at the age of 81, after what her family said was a long illness. She was known as the “Mother of the Nation” because of her struggle against white minority rule in South Africa.
Deadly military plane crash in Algeria
Many feared dead as military plane crashes in Algeria – media reports
Nazi legacy found in Norwegian trees
The relentless campaign to find and sink Germany’s WWII battleship, the Tirpitz, has left its mark on the landscape that is evident even today. The largest vessel in Hitler’s Kriegsmarine, it was stationed for much of the war along the Norwegian coast to deter an Allied invasion.
‘Don’t forget to drink the water, humans like water’
Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal Mark Zuckerberg appeared in front of US senators on Tuesday and at times looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. And, of course, it was something that was picked up on by social media. The Facebook CEO’s at-times awkwardness saw him being compared to Star Trek’s Data – an android who struggles with human behaviour and emotions.
German billionaire missing in Swiss Alps
Rescue teams are searching for one of Germany’s richest men, who has gone missing while skiing in the Swiss Alps. Karl-Erivan Haub, heir to the Tengelmann supermarket chain, did not return from an off-piste skiing expedition near the Matterhorn on Saturday. A Tengelmann spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday that a “full-speed” search was underway for Mr Haub.
Protesters lay corpses at UN’s door
Protesters have put at least 16 corpses in front of the headquarters of the UN in the Central African Republic (CAR). They called for an end to violence, saying the corpses were of civilians killed on Tuesday in clashes between UN troops and armed groups in a neighbourhood of the capital, Bangui.
Singing road closed over ‘maddening’ noise
It was an idea to improve road safety: special strips on the asphalt would play a tune when cars drove over them at the correct speed. But residents of a nearby village in the Netherlands said the constant noise was driving them mad. One called it “psychological torture”.
What You Need To Know About The Suspected Syrian Chemical Attack
President Donald Trump is weighing his options to retaliate against Syria and the regime of President Bashar Assad for a suspected chemical attack that killed dozens on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know about the reported atrocity, and how the U.S. might respond.
Trump Warns Russia: Syria Strikes ‘Coming’
President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that American airstrikes on Syria, in retaliation for a deadly chemical attack, were imminent. Trump directed a morning tweet at Russia, the Syrian government’s primary ally in the years-long civil war President Bashar Assad has waged against rebel groups. The Kremlin has warned the U.S.
‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Fail Hurts More Because Player Just Had To Read Answer
That was wheel unfortunate. A contestant on ” Wheel of Fortune” Monday had every letter of the puzzle revealed ― and still got the answer wrong. With $7,100 at stake, all Jonny had to do was read “Flamenco dance lessons.” Only he pronounced “Flamenco” as “flamingo” and got buzzed for being incorrect.
Mariah Carey Reveals Her Bipoloar II Diagnosis In Candid Interview
Mariah Carey opened up about living with bipolar II disorder in a revealing new interview with People magazine published Wednesday. Carey said she was first diagnosed in 2001, but only recently began seeking treatment. “Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” the 48-year-old said.
5 Netflix Shows To Watch If You Like ‘Game Of Thrones’
“Game of Thrones” just wrapped a 55-night production schedule for a single battle scene you’ll be able to watch in the upcoming final season. But, as you’re probably well aware, you still have a long wait for Season 8, which isn’t debuting until 2019.
Mark Zuckerberg admits his personal data was compromised by ‘malicious’ actors
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a second day of congressional testimony over the social network’s handling of user data. The hearing opened with members of the House of Representatives asking Mr. Zuckerberg questions during allotted four-minute segments.
Inmate tweeting from jail calls himself an ‘eGod’ and threatens to swat again
A software upgrade allowed an inmate in Kansas to tweet from jail. Tyler Barriss, who is currently in jail for a fake emergency call that led to someone dying, was able to access Twitter from jail on Friday because of a software fluke.
Mark Zuckerberg to Congress: Someone, not me, will be in touch
Mark Zuckerberg promises someone will be in touch. The Facebook CEO answered questions Tuesday from members of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and in the process made it clear to elected officials that someone – but not him – would eventually get back to them.
‘Mr. Zuckerberg’ explains the internet to elderly senators
In what will probably be the premise of The Social Network 2,Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by members of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Zuckerberg answered questions about digital privacy in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. And a lot of the senators asking the questions were old.
Reddit and Pornhub hosted fake Hillary Clinton porn linked to Russian accounts
As we found out in March, Facebook, Twitter and Google aren’t the only online platforms where Russian interference with the 2016 U.S. election has proved a problem. Now, NBC News reports that Russian-linked accounts on Reddit, Pornhub, Spankbang and Imgur pushed a fake pornographic video of Hillary Clinton.
