News

S.C. teacher on administrative leave after KKK-themed homework assignment

LEXINGTON, S.C.-- An elementary school teacher is on administrative leave after giving fifth grade students an assignment that asked them to imagine being a member of the KKK in the period after the Civil War.<p>The assignment was given to students in a class at Oak Pointe Elementary in …

Russian helicopter accidentally fires rocket at onlookers

Three people injured after rocket from passing rotorcraft explodes near group of men during Zapad war games in Luzhsky<p>A Russian attack helicopter accidentally fired at least one rocket into a group of people during large-scale military exercises close to Nato’s borders, Russian media has …

Israel: 'We have shot down Iranian-supplied Hezbollah drone'

Military sources say device took off from Damascus hours before Netanyahu is to address UN on the threat to Israel from Iran<p>Israel has shot down what it claims was an Iranian-supplied Hezbollah reconnaissance drone over the Syrian border only before a speech at the UN by the country’s prime …

The Latest: UN head says nuclear threat at high level

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Latest on the U.N. General Assembly (all times local):<p>9:15 a.m.<p>U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning the world's leaders that the threat of a nuclear attack is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War and "fiery talk can lead to fatal …

Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh: Pictures

Laundromat scandal: Merkel ally 'received cash from Azerbaijani regime'

Revelations over payments to European politicians reaches the German elections with allegations against Karin Strenz<p>Revelations over payments by Azerbaijan to European politicians have seeped into the German election when it emerged that a close ally of Angela Merkel had allegedly received money …

Angela Merkel's confidence alone won't mend Germany's problems

<b>(CNN) —</b> All over Berlin, Angela Merkel greets passers-by with a tender smile.<p>Written next to her soothing, familiar face are the words: "For a Germany in which we live well and happily." She is inviting Germans to surrender and be led into a bright future.<p>At the moment, that future remains somewhat …

30ft-high statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov unveiled in Moscow

Russian creator of the AK-47, used to kill an estimated 250,000 people a year, celebrated in controversial ceremony<p>A statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, has been unveiled in central Moscow in a controversial ceremony that merged military pomp with religious …

At least 65 skulls found so far at a mass grave in Bosnia

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Forensic experts say they have retrieved the remains of at least 65 victims from a mass grave in central Bosnia, the site of one of the most gruesome crimes of the country's 1992-95 war.<p>Lejla Cengic from Bosnia's Missing Persons Institute says Tuesday that …

Grenfell death toll 'may be below 80'

<b>The number of people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire may be a little lower than the previous estimate of 80, police have said.</b><p>The police say the estimate "may come down a little bit" because of some potential cases of fraud.<p>In the initial weeks following the fire on 14 June, police were …

Forgotten people stranded for years by South Sudan's war

RENK, South Sudan (AP) — "They told us we'd only be here for six days, and that was six years ago," Ramadan Wani says.<p>Anxiously rubbing his hands together, the 46-year-old sits hunched on a makeshift stool in his tattered house in Payuer, a displaced persons' camp in South Sudan's border town of …

Arrests as policeman seriously hurt in Doncaster attack

<b>A police officer is in hospital after being seriously injured in an attack in Doncaster.</b><p>South Yorkshire Police said they were called to reports of a vehicle crash on Cleveland Street at about 07:30 BST.<p>The officer was assaulted when three people fled the area, running towards Cherry Tree Lane.<p>The …

Teens are becoming adults later than they used to

Teens are growing up more slowly than they did two decades ago, and today's 18-year-olds act like the 15-year-olds of the 1990s, per a new study. …

China is retaliating against a US university for inviting the Dalai Lama to speak at graduation

Beijing has a lesson for overseas universities: Don’t invite speakers who oppose the Communist Party to big events.<p>A branch of the Chinese government has barred Chinese scholars from receiving state funding to study at the University of California, San Diego, according to people at the school. The …

40 million slaves in the world, finds new report

<b>London (CNN) —</b> More than 40 million people were estimated to be victims of modern slavery in 2016 -- and one in four of those were children.<p>Those are the findings of a new report produced by the International Labor Organization (ILO), a U.N. agency focusing on labor rights, and the Walk Free …

Pentagon reporters frustrated by Mattis

Trump's war on the press may be spilling over into the Defense Department, journalists fear.<p>Pentagon reporters are complaining of decreased access to Defense Secretary James Mattis, as well as a reduction in journalists allowed to travel on official trips, at a time when the Trump administration is …

Dylann Roof Calls Indian And Jewish Attorneys 'Biological Enemies,' Petitions To Replace Them

The court-appointed attorneys are working with Roof, who killed nine people in a Charleston church in 2015, to appeal a federal death sentence.<p>White supremacist and convicted mass murderer Dylann Roof has petitioned to remove two lawyers from his defense team.<p>In a handwritten letter filed with the …

Hillary Clinton says Kenya’s annulled election was a “project” of controversial US data firm

Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Kenya’s annulled election was “a project” of Cambridge Analytica, a data company at the center of a growing controversy over the use of personal data to influence both the Brexit vote in the UK and the Donald Trump election in the US.<p>Speaking to …

GEORGIA TECH: 3 arrested as protest turns violent after police shooting

Three people were arrested when protests turned violent at Georgia Tech Monday night in the wake of a fatal shooting days ago by campus police.<p>The three were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and battery of an officer.<p>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that two police officers …

Spain becomes fourth country to expel North Korean envoy over nuclear program

TOKYO — Spain has given the North Korean ambassador assigned to Madrid until the end of September to leave, becoming the fourth country this month to expel Pyongyang’s representative in the wake of the regime’s sixth nuclear test.<p>The Spanish government announced that it had ordered the North Korean …

Fugitive mom captured after 'The Hunt' feature

Maria Cabrera-Gutierrez, accused of abducting her son nearly three years ago, was captured the day after her case was profiled on HLN's "The Hunt with John Walsh."

New details emerge in tea party suit against IRS

CINCINNATI — The IRS used the political views of conservative "tea party" groups trying to get non-profit status as a reason for extra scrutiny and continued delaying applications until 2013 — long after they said they'd stopped — new federal court filings allege.<p>The new accusations counter …

Cuba Embassy ‘Attacks’ Baffle U.S., Frustrate Victim

Staffers at the U.S. embassy in Cuba who have been victims of suspected health attacks include both top officers and lower-level employees whose duties range from diplomacy and security to medical services and maintenance, according to a list of the personnel obtained by NBC News.<p>At least 21 …

Hong Kong leader demands end of independence talk, warns ties with Beijing at risk

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's leader urged an immediate end to independence debates in the Chinese-ruled global financial hub on Tuesday, warning that the issue was harming the city's relationship with Beijing's Communist Party leaders.<p>Insisting that the government did not want to intervene on …

US blocks weapons sales to Turkish president's security guards

The US has voted to freeze arms sales to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security guards. The move comes after Erdogan's bodyguards were …

Iraqi Kurds set to vote on independence, panicking neighbors and Washington

KIRKUK, Iraq — Iraqi Kurds are set to vote next week on independence from Iraq in what many say is a popular expression of their desire for self-determination after suffering for a century under war and dictatorship.<p>But their staunchest ally, the United States, opposes the move, as do Iraqi rivals …

Common Core used widely, despite continuing debate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of the states that first endorsed the Common Core academic standards are still using them in some form, despite continued debate over whether they are improving student performance in reading and math.<p>Of the states that opted in after the standards were introduced in 2010 — …

Boris Johnson would normally be sacked by now, says Ken Clarke

Senior Tory accuses foreign secretary of exploiting parliamentary minority to make ‘dishonest’ claims in apparent leadership bid<p>Boris Johnson would have been sacked from the cabinet by now if the Conservatives had a parliamentary majority, a senior Tory has said.<p>Ken Clarke warned Johnson to stop …

Commons committee asked to examine Boris Johnson's £350m claim

Labour MP asks Pacac to urgently launch an inquiry into the foreign secretary’s row with statistics chief Sir David Norgrove<p>Boris Johnson’s row with the statistics watchdog over his repeated claim that up to £350m a week extra might be made available after Brexit could be examined by a …

Veteran who fought library attacker among 18 Carnegie Heroes

PITTSBURGH (AP) — An Army veteran who fended off a mentally ill man who tried to attack a chess class the veteran was teaching at an Illinois public library is one of 18 people being honored with Carnegie medals for heroism.<p>The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, based in Pittsburgh, announced the …