world news: 2018-08-19

Saturday 25 August 2018

NASA spacecraft approaches asteroid, snaps first pic

Two years after launching from Florida, a NASA spacecraft is closing in on an ancient asteroid, Bennu, for a sample of space dust that could reveal clues to the start of life in the solar system. The spacecraft, OSIRIS-REx, has even snapped its first, blurry pic of the cosmic body, which is about the size of a small mountain, about 500 yards (meters) in diameter. The spacecraft is designed to circle Bennu, and reach out with a robotic arm to "high-five" its surface, then return the sample it collects to Earth in 2023.

Suicide attack near election office in Afghanistan's east kills three, official says

A suicide attacker killed at least three people on Saturday by detonating explosives near the office of Afghanistan's election commission in the eastern city of Jalalabad, where dozens of protesters had gathered, an official said.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2w9nOZa

Omarosa Manigault Newman says she's ready to testify at Trump's impeachment trial

The fired White House staffer says she is ready to appear as a witness against the president.

Irish church's fall from grace haunts pope's Ireland trip

BLESSINGTON, Ireland (AP) — When St. John Paul II visited Ireland in 1979, the Catholic Church wielded such power that homosexuality, divorce, abortion and contraception were barely spoken of, much less condoned. Catholic bishops had advised the authors of Ireland's constitution, and still held sway.

Thomas Frieden, Former Head of CDC, Arrested on Sex Abuse Charge

He is facing multiple charges in connection with the allegations

It's Time for Tesla to Replace Elon Musk

Musk is an undeniable genius and visionary. But the job of automaker CEO requires a different set of skills, says industry veteran Bob Lutz.

Catholic conference hears appeal for Church to welcome gay people

At the first major speech on the issue at the World Meeting of Families, which is organized by the Vatican every three years and is being held in Dublin this year, U.S. Jesuit priest James Martin told delegates that excluding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics violated the teachings of Jesus Christ. "By excluding LGBT Catholics, you are breaking up God's family," he added. The Church teaches that homosexual tendencies are not sinful but homosexual acts are, and that homosexuals should try to be chaste.

WATCH LIVE: Hurricane Lane brings catastrophic flooding to Hawaii

The Category 2 storm has winds of about 110 mph, with stronger gusts. It was unclear when the system would make an expected turn west and barrel toward Hawaii.

Weekly News Roundup: Trump Legal Troubles, Hurricane Lane, Me Too Bombshell

This week's headlines saw some serious legal woes for President Donald Trump,

Elon Musk Hires Morgan Stanley to Help Take Tesla Private

Musk tweeted about the plan to potentially go private on Aug. 7

The Latest: Woman gets 5 years for leaking secret report

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Latest on a woman accused of leaking a classified report on Russian hacking (all times local):

'I did not want Manafort to be guilty - but he was', says Trump-supporting juror

A juror in the trial of Donald Trump's former campaign chairman has revealed a lone holdout prevented the jury from convicting Paul Manafort on all 18 charges. Manafort was convicted on eight charges of financial crimes, but the judge declared a mistrial on the remaining 10 charges after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Jurors repeatedly tried to persuade the holdout to "look at the paper trail" but she insisted there was reasonable doubt, juror Paula Duncan told Fox News. "We didn't want it to be hung, so we tried for an extended period of time to convince her," Ms Duncan said. "But in the end, she held out and that's why we have 10 counts that did not get a verdict." Manafort is facing a lengthy prison sentence Credit: Reuters She revealed that the discussions became so heated during the four days of deliberations that there were "tears" at times among the 12 men and women. The Manafort trial was the first to stem from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Ms Duncan, who says she is an ardent Trump supporter, referred to the probe as a "witch hunt" - a frequent refrain from the president. However, she said the charges brought by Mr Mueller's team were legitimate and considered the evidence "overwhelming". “Every day when I drove [to court], I had my Make America Great Again hat in the backseat,” said Ms Duncan, who said she plans to vote for Mr Trump again in 2020. “Just as a reminder.” "I did not want Paul Manafort to be guilty, but he was," Ms Duncan said. "And no one is above the law." "There was one holdout." In an exclusive interview on @foxnewsnight, Paul Manafort juror Paula Duncan said Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team was one holdout juror away from convicting Paul Manafort on all 18 counts of bank and tax fraud. https://t.co/IPeZ46buVLpic.twitter.com/vNMFMBUuiz— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 23, 2018 Ms Duncan said the Trump administration did come up during deliberations because of testimony that Manafort had tried to secure a White House position for a banker who authorised millions of dollars in loans for him and had lobbied Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. "The charges were legitimate but the prosecution tried to make the case about the Russian collusion right from the beginning and, of course, the judge shut them down on that," she said. Ms Duncan also said she would have liked to have heard more from Manafort's defence team. The political consultant did not testify at his trial and his lawyers conducted mostly limited questioning of the government's witnesses. The juror's comments came the same day that the Judge TS Ellis, who presided over the trial, unsealed several transcripts of closed bench conferences. Read more | Trump's legal woes One transcript showed that the defence had privately sought a mistrial because of comments a juror was quoted as making about the weakness of Mr Manafort's defense. Mr Ellis denied Manafort's motion, saying he was confident a mistrial was not warranted after considering the circumstances carefully and questioning each juror about their ability to be impartial. After the jury's verdict, Manafort's lawyer Kevin Downing took care to praise Mr Ellis for a fair trial and the jury "for their very long and hard-fought deliberations".

Majority-Black Georgia County Rejects Plan To Close Nearly All Its Polling Places

Officials in a rural southwest Georgia county on Friday voted down a proposal

US priest speaks up for Church's gay 'parish pariahs'

Gay people in the Catholic Church are sometimes "treated like dirt", according to a priest invited by the Vatican to address a conference on families in Dublin on Thursday ahead of a visit by Pope Francis. US Jesuit priest James Martin preaches openness towards gay Roman Catholics -- in the face of some traditionalists who have tried to shut him down. "It is a sign to all Catholics that the Vatican considers LGBT Catholics part of the Church," said the author of a bestselling book which reaches out to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians.

Haunting Photos Show the Watts Family's Last Vacation Before Murders

Chris Watts is accused of killing his pregnant wife and daughters.

Georgia County Fires Consultant Who Recommended Closing Almost All Its Polling Places

A Georgia county has fired a consultant who had recommended closing almost all

Sessions fires back at Trump, vowing to keep politics out of DOJ

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a striking statement Thursday hours after President Trump questioned his loyalty in a “Fox & Friends” interview while disparaging the Justice Department that Sessions oversees.

Cohen’s lawyer says senators failed to ask the right ‘follow-up questions’ in collusion probe

Michael Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis says that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee failed to ask the right “follow-up questions” when his client appeared before the panel last year and therefore failed to elicit crucial answers about President Trump’s prior knowledge of Russian hacking of Democratic emails during the 2016 election.

Scott 'Stop the boats' Morrison: Australia's latest PM

Evangelical Christian Scott Morrison, who emerged as prime minister Friday after a ruling party bun fight, is a key architect of Australia's controversial "stop the boats" policy to halt the arrival of seaborne asylum-seekers. Morrison, an ambitious man who has always dreamed of the top job, snatched the leadership from the hands of hardline conservatives who had engineered the ouster of incumbent moderate Malcolm Turnbull. Morrison, who was immigration minister before becoming treasurer, was reportedly quietly canvassing support among his colleagues as Turnbull feuded with his rivals during the week.

Photos of the week: 8/17 - 8/24

The body of missing college student Mollie Tibbetts was found this week in

Ex-Facebook Security Chief: 'It's Too Late To Protect The 2018 Elections'

Facebook's former security chief warned that attacks on the American electoral

Donald Trump Sparks Outrage By Tweeting White Nationalist Talking Point

President Donald Trump faced more accusations of racism late Wednesday after

Fidelity fund votes backed Tesla, potential sign of more support

12 Non-Alcoholic Summer Drinks That'll Get Any Party Started

US priest speaks up for Church's gay 'parish pariahs'

Trump congratulates new Australian PM after week of political chaos

New Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday he had spoken with President Donald Trump and been congratulated by the U.S. leader, who got off to a famously rocky start with former premier Malcolm Turnbull.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2o8eFLZ

Pope to pay tribute to Ireland's 'holy drinker' who may become saint

Now, he is on his way to sainthood. On Saturday, Pope Francis will pay tribute to him, but not by raising a glass. Francis will instead pray before the relics of the man sometimes called the "Holy Drinker" and who is known as the patron of those struggling get or stay on the wagon.

Thomas Frieden, Former Head of CDC, Arrested on Sex Abuse Charge

He is facing multiple charges in connection with the allegations

Manafort juror says 1 holdout prevented 18-count conviction

WASHINGTON (AP) — A juror in Paul Manafort's financial fraud trial says a lone holdout prevented the jury from convicting the onetime Trump campaign chairman on all 18 counts.

This Is How Powerful Hurricane Lane Looks From Space

These stunning images capture the terrifying power of Hurricane Lane, which is

Pope to visit a changed Ireland during 'perfect storm' of abuse crises

By Philip Pullella and Padraic Halpin VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - When Pope John Paul II made the first visit by a pontiff to Ireland in 1979, contraception and divorce were still illegal and the Catholic Church's influence on a deeply conservative society was near-total. Pope Francis, who arrives in Dublin on Saturday for a two-day visit, will find an Ireland his predecessor would not have recognized as Catholic. Ireland is now led by a gay prime minister. Three years ago, it became the world's first country to adopt gay marriage by popular ballot. ...

It's Time for Tesla to Replace Elon Musk

Musk is an undeniable genius and visionary. But the job of automaker CEO requires a different set of skills, says industry veteran Bob Lutz.

Death Of Mollie Tibbetts Caused By 'Sharp Force Injuries'

The death of Mollie Tibbetts, a college student whose body was found hidden in

NASA spacecraft captures first images of the asteroid it will soon land on

A NASA probe speeding through the solar system has captured its first image of the asteroid Bennu, which the space agency will try to land on in 2020. Once that happens, the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is designed to collect up to 4.4 pounds of ancient space rock, seal the minerals in a capsule, and blast the capsule back to Earth. If all goes as planned, the canister will drop down into the Utah desert in 2023. SEE ALSO: A 12-mile, underground lake may have been found on Mars. What could live there? The space probe captured its first image of Bennu from 1.4 million miles away, which is pretty close as far as space distances go (this is about six times the distance between the Earth and moon). But as shown below, the asteroid is still too distant to make out any features or details. It looks like a fuzzy, spinning white dot. Asteroid Bennu speeds through space.Image: nasaIn early December, the probe will begin to orbit quite close to the small asteroid, 4.5 miles (7 kilometers) from the surface. As the craft slowly circles Bennu at just 0.1 mph, NASA scientists will map its rocky surface, scouring the terrain for a suitable landing spot Why is NASA visiting this small asteroid? Compared to many of the 780,000 known asteroids in our solar system, Bennu is pretty small. But it's quite interesting. For one, Bennu might contain valuable resources that can be used for future deep space exploration, Dante Lauretta, the OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson, said in a press call. A conception of the probe collecting samples from BennuImage: nasaLauretta is interested in whether Bennu holds clay deposits, because embedded in clay is water. And water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, two necessary components for rocket fuel. One day, perhaps, Bennu may serve as a "fuel depot" in space, said Lauretta. Bennu is also believed to be a well-preserved, ancient asteroid, containing cosmic fragments older than our solar system. Understanding how Bennu formed, and the mish-mash of space materials it's made of, will likely improve astronomers' understanding of how the solar system came to be some four billion years ago. Bennu, at center, compared in size to other solar system asteroidsImage: nasaFinally, Bennu has the slight potential to travel dangerously close to Earth in 2175 and 2195. "Bennu is one of the ones we are watching," said Lauretta, noting that it has a 1 in 2,700 chance of coming too close for comfort. Knowing what Bennu is composed of gives NASA better information about how to potentially deflect the large space rock, should it ever veer toward our humble blue planet. WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end?