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Al Qaeda affiliate mining uranium to send to Iran, Somali official warns US ambassador

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An Al Qaeda affiliate has seized control of uranium mines in Africa with the intent of supplying the material to Iran, according to a diplomatic letter from a top Somali official appealing to the U.S. for "immediate military assistance."

The letter, reviewed by Fox News, was addressed to U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Stephen Schwartz. Somalia's Ambassador to the U.S. Ahmed Awad confirmed to Fox News on Thursday that the letter "has indeed been issued" by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Garaad Omar, whose signature is on the document.

The Aug. 11-dated letter delivered an urgent warning to the U.S. that the al-Shabaab terror network has linked up with the regional ISIS faction and is "capturing territory" in the central part of the country.

"This issue can be summed up in a single word: uranium," the letter said. "Al-Shabaab forces have captured critical surface exposed uranium deposits in the Galmudug region and are strip mining triuranium octoxide for transport to Iran."

'Every day that passes without intervention provides America's enemies with additional material for nuclear weapons.'
- Letter from Somalia's foreign minister to U.S. ambassador

For the Trump administration, the warning represents yet another potential security threat, as the U.S. government simultaneously grapples with a nuclear standoff with North Korea, the prospect of a stalemate in Afghanistan and ISIS activity across the Middle East and North Africa.

But the letter said "now is not the time to look away," urging the U.S. ambassador to consider the request for intelligence and military assistance.

"Only the United States has the capacity to identify and smash Al-Shabaab elements operating within our country. The time for surgical strikes and limited engagement has passed, as Somalia's problems have metastasized into the World's problems," the letter said. "Every day that passes without intervention provides America's enemies with additional material for nuclear weapons. There can be no doubt that global stability is at stake."

The State Department would not comment on the diplomatic letter, but did not dispute its authenticity. Iran was supposed to pull back on its nuclear program under the terms of the agreement struck with the Obama administration.

Catherine Herridge is an award-winning Chief Intelligence correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) based in Washington, D.C. She covers intelligence, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Herridge joined FNC in 1996 as a London-based correspondent.

Jake Gibson is a producer working at the Fox News Washington bureau who covers politics, law enforcement and intelligence issues.

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Al Qaeda affiliate mining uranium to send to Iran, Somali official warns US ambassador

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An Al Qaeda affiliate has seized control of uranium mines in Africa with the intent of supplying the material to Iran, according to a diplomatic letter from a top Somali official appealing to the U.S. for "immediate military assistance." The letter, reviewed by Fox News, was addressed to U.S.

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Community rallies around man whose car broke down while spreading wife's ashes

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After Keith Smith's wife died unexpectedly last year, he made it his mission to spread her ashes along the Maine coast, a place she always wanted to visit.

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Hurricane Irma is a category 3 Hurricane in the Atlantic now and could potentially hit the US as a category 4.

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A new storm is strengthening in the Atlantic Ocean even as much of the southern United States continues to deal with the lingering effects of Hurricane Harvey.

Hurricane Irma is officially a Category 3 storm as of Thursday evening, and it is expected to continue to strengthen as it moves west-northwest at 12 mph. It currently has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

ABC NEWS

It doesn't currently pose a threat to land, and it's too early to say exactly what track the storm will take.

Irma is expected to become a Category 4 storm by Monday.

ABC NEWS

Even though the storm is a week or more away from threatening the United States -- if at all -- Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards was asked about the storm on Thursday. He said simply "we don't know where it's going to go," but a Federal Emergency Management Agency official with Edwards said they will start planning for the storm.

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Hurricane Irma strengthens in Atlantic, threat to US still uncertain

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A new storm is strengthening in the Atlantic Ocean even as much of the southern United States continues to deal with the lingering effects of Hurricane Harvey. Hurricane Irma is officially a Category 3 storm as of Thursday evening, and it is expected to continue to strengthen as it moves...

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The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has launched an investigation into the fire at the chemical plant owned by Arkema Inc. in Crosby, Texas, after explosions and fires rocked the plant during the early hours of Thursday in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

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If you are a nurse and go to Help with hurricane harvey you can make $5,000 and if you are a nicu nursr you can make $8,000

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FDA announces first US gene therapy approval for cancer treatment

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The treatment, called Kymriah, aims to give some patients a second chance after first-line drugs have failed. This may happen in up to a fifth of patients, according to the FDA.

Each dose of Kymriah contains a patient's own immune cells, which are sent to a lab to be genetically modified using a virus. This therapy -- known as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR-T -- gives the cells the ability to recognize and kill the source of the cancer.

"We're entering a new frontier in medical innovation with the ability to reprogram a patient's own cells to attack a deadly cancer," FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

"We've never seen anything like this before and I believe this therapy may become the new standard of care for this patient population," said Dr. Stephan Grupp, director of cancer immunotherapy at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which spearheaded this research.

An FDA advisory committee had recommended the therapy for approval in July to treat the relapse of a blood cancer known as B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL.

Based on available data, patients on the treatment have had an 89% chance of surviving at least six months and a 79% chance of surviving at least a year, with most being relapse-free at that point.

Almost 5,000 people were diagnosed with ALL in 2014, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half were children and teens. ALL is the most common type of cancer among children, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Most patients with ALL recover through other treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy and stem cells. But if the cancer recurs, the prognosis is poor.

"There has been an urgent need for novel treatment options that improve outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor ALL," Novartis, the drug company that makes Kymriah, said in a statement.

"Kymriah is a first-of-its-kind treatment approach that fills an important unmet need for children and young adults with this serious disease," Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

The one-time treatment has a boxed warning for cytokine release syndrome or CRS, a life-threatening side effect that can cause blood pressure to drop dangerously low. It is caused by overactive genetically modified immune cells. The FDA said hospitals and clinics must become certified to distribute the treatment, meaning they are prepared to recognize and treat CRS and other potentially fatal neurological events. Novartis said it hopes to have an initial network of 20 treatment centers within a month with plans to expand that to 32 by the end of the year.

Kymriah has a $475,000 price tag; however, patients who do not respond within a month of treatment will not be charged, according to Novartis.

"Novartis is collaborating with (Centers for Medicaid Services) to make an outcomes-based approach available to allow for payment only when pediatric and young adult ALL patients respond to Kymriah by the end of the first month. Future potential indications would be reviewed for the most relevant outcomes-based approach," the drug company said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the FDA also expanded approval for another drug, tocilizumab, to treat CRS in patients 2 and older.

In the main study that informed the advisory committee's decision in July, roughly half of 68 patients experienced high-grade CRS, though none died from it. Slightly fewer patients experienced neurological events, such as seizures and hallucinations.

Novartis is required to conduct followup study to assess the safety of the treatment long-term.

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fda announces first us gene therapy approval for cancer treatment - cnn

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FDA announces first US gene therapy approval

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The treatment, called Kymriah, aims to give some patients a second chance after first-line drugs have failed. This may happen in up to a fifth of patients, according to the FDA. Each dose of Kymriah contains a patient's own immune cells, which are sent to a lab to be genetically modified using a virus.

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Chicago's Field Museum replacing T. rex named Sue

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In October 1977 a Memphis woman was raped in her home by two intruders. She later identified one of them as her neighbor, Lawrence McKinney, who was 22 at the time. He was convicted on rape and burglary charges in 1978 and sentenced to 115 years in jail.

DNA evidence cleared him of the charges in 2008, and when he was released in 2009, the Tennessee Department of Corrections gave him a $75 check to restart his life.

"Because I had no ID it took me three months before I was able to cash it," McKinney told CNN.

Now the 61-year-old is asking Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam to exonerate him. The Tennessee Board of Parole, which makes recommendations to the governor, denied McKinney's request by a 7-0 vote at a hearing in September.

Board voted against McKinney's exoneration

A formal exoneration could open a pathway to $1 million in compensation from the state Board of Claims for the decades McKinney was wrongfully imprisoned.

"The (parole) board reviewed all relevant information related to the crime, conviction and subsequent appeals, as well as all information provided by the petitioner," said Melissa McDonald, spokesperson for the Tennessee Board of Parole. "After considering all of the evidence, the board did not find clear and convincing evidence of innocence and declined to recommend clemency in this matter."

One of McKinney's attorneys, Jack Lowery, believes the decision should rest solely with Haslam.

"The parole board is not qualified to make these decisions and should not," he said. "For the parole board to step in when many (of them) are not trained in the law is ridiculous."

'Only the strong survive'

According to John Hunn, McKinney's pastor and most ardent supporter, the board cited a list of 97 infractions that McKinney incurred while he was in jail, including the alleged assault of a fellow inmate, who testified against McKinney at the hearing. McKinney told the board he'd been in prison for years, and that "only the strong survive," Hunn said. Hunn testified at the hearing on McKinney's behalf.

"Lawrence has told that story at our church," Hunn said. "He doesn't deny that story. He was in prison, man."

The parole board also knew that 28 years into his sentence, McKinney admitted to the burglary charge he was convicted of. McKinney said his lawyers at the time told him that if he wanted any chance of being released early, he would need to admit to something.

His last chance

While he and his team are optimistic, McKinney knows this is his final opportunity for exoneration. This is his second attempt; he initially tried in 2010, but then-Gov. Phil Bredesen never acted on the board's recommendation against exoneration before leaving office. When Haslam became governor, McKinney was given the opportunity to apply again.

According to McDonald, Tennessee's governors have granted two exonerations in the past 16 years, and both were in January 2011, just over a week before Bredesen vacated the governor's mansion.

'I just want to be treated right and fair'

Since his release, Hunn said, McKinney has worked hard to put his life back together and salvage the time he has left. In 2010 he married a pen pal with whom he corresponded during his time in jail. The two attend Immanuel Baptist Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, where McKinney participates in a Bible study five nights a week and where he has found a supportive community that has rallied around him time and time again.

"Although I've spent more than half of my life locked up for a crime I did not do, I am not bitter or angry at anyone, because I have found the Lord and married a good wife," McKinney said. "All I ask is that I be treated right and fair for what has happened to me. I didn't do nothing, and I just want to be treated right."

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man gets $75 after being wrongly imprisoned 31 years 
 - cnn

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Man gets $75 after being wrongly imprisoned for 31 years

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In October 1977 a Memphis woman was raped in her home by two intruders. She later identified one of them as her neighbor, Lawrence McKinney, who was 22 at the time. He was convicted on rape and burglary charges in 1978 and sentenced to 115 years in jail.

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Al Qaeda has recently attained uranium mines in Africa and plans to send supplies to Iran.

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An Al Qaeda affiliate has seized control of uranium mines in Africa with the intent of supplying the material to Iran, according to a diplomatic letter from a top Somali official appealing to the U.S. for "immediate military assistance."

The letter, reviewed by Fox News, was addressed to U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Stephen Schwartz. Somalia's Ambassador to the U.S. Ahmed Awad confirmed to Fox News on Thursday that the letter "has indeed been issued" by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Garaad Omar, whose signature is on the document.

The Aug. 11-dated letter delivered an urgent warning to the U.S. that the al-Shabaab terror network has linked up with the regional ISIS faction and is "capturing territory" in the central part of the country.

"This issue can be summed up in a single word: uranium," the letter said. "Al-Shabaab forces have captured critical surface exposed uranium deposits in the Galmudug region and are strip mining triuranium octoxide for transport to Iran."

'Every day that passes without intervention provides America's enemies with additional material for nuclear weapons.'
- Letter from Somalia's foreign minister to U.S. ambassador

For the Trump administration, the warning represents yet another potential security threat, as the U.S. government simultaneously grapples with a nuclear standoff with North Korea, the prospect of a stalemate in Afghanistan and ISIS activity across the Middle East and North Africa.

But the letter said "now is not the time to look away," urging the U.S. ambassador to consider the request for intelligence and military assistance.

"Only the United States has the capacity to identify and smash Al-Shabaab elements operating within our country. The time for surgical strikes and limited engagement has passed, as Somalia's problems have metastasized into the World's problems," the letter said. "Every day that passes without intervention provides America's enemies with additional material for nuclear weapons. There can be no doubt that global stability is at stake."

The State Department would not comment on the diplomatic letter, but did not dispute its authenticity. Iran was supposed to pull back on its nuclear program under the terms of the agreement struck with the Obama administration.

Catherine Herridge is an award-winning Chief Intelligence correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) based in Washington, D.C. She covers intelligence, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Herridge joined FNC in 1996 as a London-based correspondent.

Jake Gibson is a producer working at the Fox News Washington bureau who covers politics, law enforcement and intelligence issues.

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Al Qaeda affiliate mining uranium to send to Iran, Somali official warns US ambassador

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An Al Qaeda affiliate has seized control of uranium mines in Africa with the intent of supplying the material to Iran, according to a diplomatic letter from a top Somali official appealing to the U.S. for "immediate military assistance." The letter, reviewed by Fox News, was addressed to U.S.

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U.S. retaliates against Russia ordering closure of consulates and annexes

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The move comes one day before Moscow's deadline for US personnel to leave their positions and will take effect Saturday.

"The United States has fully implemented the decision by the Government of the Russian Federation to reduce the size of our mission in Russia," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement announcing the decision. "We believe this action was unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries."

"In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians," she continued, "we are requiring the Russian government to close its Consulate General in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington, DC, and a consular annex in New York City."

The move is the latest in a series of escalating diplomatic penalties between the United States and Russia that began in the aftermath of last year's US presidential election.

In July, the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered the United States cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by nearly half and announced it would seize two US diplomatic properties in response to expanded sanctions passed by Congress.

In late 2016, former President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, and the seizure of two Russian government compounds in response to alleged Russian meddling in the US presidential election. At the time, the Kremlin announced it would not retaliate immediately, but rather, consider further action "based on the policies of the Trump administration."

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us retaliates with russia on embassy staff cuts ahead of deadline - cnnpolitics

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US retaliates against Russia ordering closure of consulate and annexes

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The move comes one day before Moscow's deadline for US personnel to leave their positions and will take effect Saturday. "The United States has fully implemented the decision by the Government of the Russian Federation to reduce the size of our mission in Russia," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement announcing the decision.

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Hurricane Harvey has confirmed 39 people dead. The area is very low on water and food. People are still recovering from the damage. And Alligators almost go out

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2 friends were electrocuted while trying to rescue other people from Houston's flooding.

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Hidden health problems in risky flood waters.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Tom Price declared a public health emergency in Texas on Sunday. That means the department has put additional medical personnel from across the country on alert, ready to provide help when they are needed.

The health concerns that floodwater can bring include physical and mental challenges.

Unhealthy floodwater

Floodwater is more than simple rain. It's often contaminated with sewage and chemicals and can hide sharp objects made of metal or glass. Sewage can cause boils or rashes on parts of the body that are submerged for extended periods of time, such as legs, according to environmentalist Wilma Subra. Chemicals can cause rashes and burning of the skin and eyes after exposure.

Floodwater can also carry disease. That's a serious problem in developing countries where cholera, typhoid or yellow fever are present, according to the World Health Organization. None of those diseases is common in Texas, so an outbreak is highly unlikely.

What may be more common will be bouts of diarrhea or other stomach problems if people come into contact with contaminated water or consume food or drink that has. Using items that have been submerged can also cause stomach problems. To cut down on infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reminds parents not to let children play with toys that have been in the water unless then have since been thoroughly washed.

Exposure to floodwater can increase risk for skin rashes, ear, nose and throat problems and conjunctivitis, but the World Health Organization says that none of these is epidemic-prone. Of 14 major floods between 1970 and 1994, the WHO said, the only major epidemic of diarrheal disease was in Sudan in 1980. American disease control is much more advanced than Sudan's. The other major risk is drinking contaminated water -- but again, US disease surveillance is likely to minimize that risk.

The occasional stomach bug or respiratory infection may be more likely, people having to stay in close quarters with large groups. With a flood, it is hard for people to keep up healthy hygiene standards. When people stay together in shelters with large groups, it's easy to spread germs.

The CDC highly recommends that people who are staying at shelters be extra careful to wash their hands or to use an alcohol hand gel to prevent the spread of disease. People with open wounds also need to take extra care to keep them covered. Floodwater can easily cause a wound to become infected.

Health-related cleanup challenges

Doctors often see more people with respiratory infections after floodwaters recede and people are allowed to return to their homes. Contamination from floodwaters and the mold that quickly grows in a warm environment like Texas can exacerbate asthma or trigger allergies.

The CDC advises people to wear rubber boots and gloves when they clean their homes, to avoid direct contact with any item that has come into contact with floodwater. Subra also recommends a mask or respirator.

Walls, floors and anything with a hard surface that has come into contact with floodwater -- like appliances, countertops or children's play areas -- need to be cleaned with soap and water and disinfected with a bleach solution. Fabrics should be washed in hot water or dry-cleaned. Furniture like beds and upholstered sofas and chairs that can be saved should be dried in the sun and then sprayed with a disinfectant. Carpets should be steam-cleaned.

Food and beverages that have come into contact with floodwater should be thrown away. The Food and Drug Administration suggests that people should also throw away prescription drugs, even those that are in their original containers or with screw tops, as they may no longer be safe if they've come into contact with contaminated water.

Standing water

Floods typically flush out mosquitoes and interrupt their breeding cycle, but when the flooding stops, there is an increased risk of infection from a mosquito-borne illness like Zika or West Nile. Mosquitoes that carry disease thrive in standing water and breed quickly when there is a lot of it.

After Hurricane Katrina, studies showed, areas that were directly impacted saw an increase in cases of West Nile.

The CDC suggests that people who are near standing water should take extra care to use bug spray with DEET.

Mosquitoes aren't the only insect, or even animal, to worry about after a storm. Creatures including ants, rodents, reptiles and house pets are displaced. The CDC recommends keeping your distance to avoid being bitten.

Standing water can be electrically charged due to fallen power lines that are submerged or those that are underground but still live. With this comes a risk of electrocution.

Mental health concerns

The biggest health concern from a flood, other than the immediate dangers of rushing waters, may be mental, studies show.

Hurricanes and flooding generate additional anxiety, depression and stress. The storms can exacerbate existing mental health problems or lead to new ones.

Stress is common both during and after any natural disaster. Tears may come easier, sleep may be a challenge, worry or a desire to be alone may be especially strong, thinking may become muddled, and it may be hard to remember things or to listen to people. And it may be hard to even accept help, experts say.

Some people may develop problems related to the lingering challenges associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, but the majority of those affected should recover in time. People who have strong bonds with family, friends and co-workers tend to recover best, so experts suggest paying close attention to those relationships to help speed recovery.

For those with lingering mental challenges, counseling is recommended. If people need immediate help, the Health and Human Services Department offers a Disaster Distress Helpline to help those struggling with mental health problems resulting from the storm. That toll-free number, staffed by mental health professionals, is 1-800-985-5990.

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the hidden health dangers of flooding - cnn

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Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Tom Price declared a public health emergency in Texas on Sunday. That means the department has put additional medical personnel from across the country on alert, ready to provide help when they are needed. The health concerns that floodwater can bring include physical and mental challenges.

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There is a flooded chemical plant in Crosby, Texas that has been breaking out with fires.

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The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has launched an investigation into the fire at the chemical plant owned by Arkema Inc. in Crosby, Texas, after explosions and fires rocked the plant during the early hours of Thursday in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

But at 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Arkema announced that the fires were out. "At this writing, one of the trailers at the Crosby plant containing organic peroxides caught fire early Thursday morning and burned," the statement read. "Some of the area surrounding the trailer was burned or charred, but any adjacent fires burned themselves out."

The statement continued, "We continue to monitor the temperature in the remaining trailers and there is evidence suggesting that other trailers will soon burn, but there have been no reports of any fires or smoke."

The chemical plant -- which sits about 15 miles east of Houston's city center -- was compromised by the record flooding in the area. While Arkema executive Richard Rennard said in a press conference Thursday morning that the plant was emitting "noxious" smoke, he would not respond to a question as to whether the smoke from the burning substances was toxic.

But later in the day, the EPA said its aerial surveillance aircraft did not detect toxic concentrations of chemicals at the site. "Following this fire, EPA sent aerial surveillance aircraft to test resulting smoke and did ground-level air quality monitoring," read a statement. "EPA's plane instrumentation is capable of measuring 78 different chemicals, including peroxides. Neither testing methods found toxic concentration levels in areas away from the evacuated facility."

AP

"The smoke and loud 'popping' noises came from one of nine containers on site holding liquid organic peroxides that must remain cold, or the chemicals will become unstable and will start to break down as they warm up," Rennard said.

The plant lost its ability to keep the products refrigerated because of the storm's floodwaters and power loss in the area.

"It's not a chemical release that's happening and I want to be clear about that," Rennard added. "What we have is a fire."

Adrees Latif/Reuters

Although a smaller agency, the CSB conducts investigations in a similar manner to the National Transportation Safety Board.

ABC News' David Kerley and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.

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Texas chemical plant fire is out, federal investigation launched

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The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has launched an investigation into the fire at the chemical plant owned by Arkema Inc. in Crosby, Texas, after explosions and fires rocked the plant during the early hours of Thursday in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. But at 5:30 p.m.

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Hurricane aftermath, the waters left behind are possibly toxic because of house chemicals and sewage waters. Misquote populations will also rise because of all the standing water

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Alligators, toxic waters, mold and risk of electrocution are just a few of the myriad dangers greeting Houston residents returning to their flood-ravaged homes on Friday, as the toll of Hurricane Harvey continues to be felt long after the rains have subsided.

Even as the Lone Star State began to dry out, the stagnant water pooled in streets and drenched into carpets continued to make life perilous.

"There's no need to test it," Houston Health Department spokesperson Porfirio Villarreal told The New York Times. "It's contaminated. There's millions of contaminants."

Simply stepping in the water posed risks.

"We're telling people to avoid the floodwater as much as possible," Villarreal said. "Don't let your children play in it. And if you do touch it, wash it off. Remember, this is going to go on for weeks."

Other officials warned household chemicals stored under sinks and in cabinets would now be mixed in with the several feet of flood waters that flowed into homes, further contaminating the area.

In many areas, streets had begun to dry out but remained clogged with soggy furniture, carpet and wood.

Health experts warned that sewage in the floodwater could make people sick and that mosquito populations could explode in the coming weeks because stagnant water offers abundant breeding grounds.

The residents of Beaumont, near the Texas-Louisiana line, lost their public water supply, and Texas' abundance of private wells supplying drinking water also posed another problem.

Dr. David Persee, Houston's director of Emergency Medical Services, told The New York Times, though officials were monitoring the drinking water, the well owner was ultimately responsible for ensuring the water was safe for drinking.

"In the City of Houston, we have folks that use well water but we strongly recommend against it - and this will sound awful - we don't take responsibility for it," Persse said.

Electrical dangers also loomed.

On Tuesday in Houston, Andrew Pasek died after he stepped into a yard where a landscape light had electrified the flood water, KTRK reported.

"They couldn't even help my son. They couldn't resuscitate him. He was in electrified water," Andrew's mother, Jodell Pasek, said.

Harvey has already claimed at least 39 lives, and rescue workers searching door-to-door knew that figure could still rise.

"We don't think we're going to find any humans, but we're prepared if we do," said District Chief James Pennington of the Houston Fire Department.

After electricity and backup generators failed at a Crosby chemical plant, temperature controls ceased to work and explosions began to spontaneously occur.

The Environmental Protection Agency and Texas environmental regulators called the health risks minimal in Crosby, but urged residents downwind to stay indoors with windows closed to avoid inhaling the smoke.

The Texas environmental agency called the smoke "especially acrid and irritating" and said it could impair breathing and inflame the eyes, nose and throat."

In Anahuac, armed alligator farm employees took to boats to guard their flooding business, ready to stop the 350 alligators inside from making their way out, The Washington Post reported.

Meanwhile, despite food drives and donations, a Port Arthur police sergeant told The Washington Post his city was running out of food and people were continuing to pour into its shelters.

With temperatures likely to climb to the low 90s over the weekend, residents were warned about the dangers of heat exhaustion, especially for people who lost power or must toil outdoors.

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As Texas floodwaters recede, dangers abound

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Alligators, toxic waters, mold and risk of electrocution are just a few of the myriad dangers greeting Houston residents returning to their flood-ravaged homes on Friday, as the toll of Hurricane Harvey continues to be felt long after the rains have subsided.

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6,000-year-old wine residue found in Sicilian cave

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Researchers have found traces of 6,000-year-old wine on ancient pottery recovered in a cave in Sicily, in a discovery could rewrite the beginning of the Italian penisula's wine-making history.

Traditionally it was thought that wine production developed in the region in the Middle Bronze Age, between 1300 and 1100 BC.

The new findings, published in Microchemical Journal, would change that date by three millennia.

An international team of scholars led by Davide Tanasi of the University of South Florida (USF) ran chemical analysis on residue on a storage jar dating from the Copper Age. The pottery was recovered in Agrigento, off Sicily's southwest coast.

The results showed traces of tartaric acid and its sodium salt, which occur in grapes and the wine-making process, meaning that the region's wine production possibly began in the early fourth millennium BC.

Tanasi told CNN that the wine may have been left as an offering to underground deities.

"The cave site of Monte Kronio is also a cult place used for religious practices from prehistory to Classical times," Tanasi said. "This discovery has important archaeological and historical implications."

The researchers' next move is to work out whether the wine was red or white, according to a USF statement.

Tanasi told CNN that a different sample would have to be used and that the work would be part of a more general project on diets in prehistoric Sicily and Malta.

Experts from the USF, University of Catania, Institute of Chemical Methodologies (CNR) and Superintendence of Agrigento were involved in the discovery.

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000-year-old wine residue found in sicilian cave  - cnn

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6,000-year-old wine residue found in Sicily

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Researchers have found traces of 6,000-year-old wine on ancient pottery recovered in a cave in Sicily, in a discovery could rewrite the beginning of the Italian penisula's wine-making history. Traditionally it was thought that wine production developed in the region in the Middle Bronze Age, between 1300 and 1100 BC.

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Americans are paying more in taxes than in food or clothing. The average bill for federal, local and state taxes was at as average of $10,489. The average bill for food and clothes was $9006.

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Americans spent more money on taxes than they did on food and clothing last year, according to data released earlier this week.

In an assessment of "Consumer Expenditures" for 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the average bill for federal, state and local taxes was $10,489.

By comparison, Americans spent $9,006 on food and clothes, with most of that going toward food.

CNSNews.com first pointed out the findings. While it may not come as a surprise that American households are shelling out to Uncle Sam, the data showed that bill has risen sharply in recent years -- the average tax bill rose 41 percent overall since 2013.

According to the BLS, federal income taxes rose from $5,743 to $8,367 in that period. State and local income taxes rose from $1,629 to $2,046.

The stats come as President Trump prepares to pressure Congress to pass tax reform. In a Missouri speech on Wednesday, he called for simplifying the system and lowering rates.

"This enormous complexity is very unfair," the president said. "It disadvantages ordinary Americans who don't have an army of accountants while benefiting deep-pocketed special interests."

According to BLS, the largest expense for Americans in 2016 was on "housing," costing an average consumer unit $18,886 during the year.

Brooke Singman is a Politics Reporter for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @brookefoxnews.

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Americans paying more in taxes than for food, clothing

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Americans spent more money on taxes than they did on food and clothing last year, according to data released earlier this week. In an assessment of "Consumer Expenditures" for 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the average bill for federal, state and local taxes was $10,489.

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A nearly 3-mile wide asteroid will make a close call to earth on Friday.

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The asteroid, named Florence, is an almost 3-mile-wide rock that passed about 4.4 million miles from Earth (7 million kilometers) early Friday, NASA says.

And while a few million miles sounds like a lot of room, it's actually a pretty close pass when you're talking about the vastness of space. Other asteroids have passed closer to Earth than Florence, but few have been this big.

"Florence is the largest asteroid to pass by our planet this close since the NASA program to detect and track near-Earth asteroids began," Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, said in a statement.

It was Florence's closest flyby of Earth since 1890 -- and the closest it will get until after 2500.

But there's no need to get Bruce Willis and his crew involved. Florence doesn't pose any immediate threat, Chodas told CNN in an email interview.

"Certainly not for the next several centuries, and not likely over the next many millennia either," he said. "It's possible this asteroid could threaten our planet in the far distant future, but it's unlikely."

A learning opportunity

Florence -- named to honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing -- does offer a great opportunity. Scientists think any asteroid larger than half-mile to a mile (1 to 2 kilometers) in size could have worldwide effects if it hit the planet, so they studied Florence as it zipped by.

Radar images snapped by the Goldstone Solar System Radar in California and the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will help scientists learn more about the asteroid's composition, shape, surface properties and roughness and the presence of boulders, Chodas said. They also may learn whether Florence has a satellite.

Having Florence do a flyby is a lot easier than chasing down an asteroid in space -- though NASA is doing that, too, with its OSIRIS-REx mission. The spacecraft was launched in September 2016 to chase down a potentially dangerous asteroid called Bennu. It will take a sample of the asteroid and -- in a US space first -- bring the sample back to Earth.

The asteroid that does pose a threat

About once a year, a car-sized asteroid hits Earth's atmosphere and creates a big fireball, NASA says. These don't usually cause damage. But in February 2013, an asteroid streaked through our atmosphere and exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia.

The rock was about 59 feet (18 meters) wide and weighed 11,000 metric tons, according to NASA. It exploded about 14.5 miles (23.3 kilometers) above Chelyabinsk, injuring hundreds of people and shattering glass in buildings.

The asteroid that currently poses the biggest threat to Earth, according to Chodas, is Asteroid 1950 DA. It could "impact in the year 2880," he said. That asteroid is about 1 mile wide (1.3 kilometers), and the chances for an impact with Earth are 1 in 8,000.

So, what is NASA doing about all these dangerous space rocks? They created an office in 2016 that sounds like something out of "Star Wars": the Planetary Defense Coordination Office. It's tasked with helping find dangerous asteroids and comets, and it's leading US government efforts to develop a plan to respond to an actual impact threat.

Early plans are focused on finding threatening space objects and -- one day -- being able to break them apart or deflect them from Earth.

A rock star and space rocks

And NASA scientists aren't the only ones interested in asteroids. Astrophysicist Brian May, better known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Queen, helped create Asteroid Day in 2015 to educate the public about the dangers of asteroids.

May's co-founders include astronaut Rusty Schweickart, film director Grigorij Richters, and Danica Remy, chief operations officer of the B612 Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to protect Earth from asteroids through early detection. The United Nations has sanctioned the holiday as a global day of education to raise awareness. The next Asteroid Day is Saturday, June 30, 2018.

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A nearly 3-mile-wide asteroid makes a (relatively) close call with Earth

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The asteroid, named Florence, is an almost 3-mile-wide rock that passed about 4.4 million miles from Earth (7 million kilometers) early Friday, NASA says. And while a few million miles sounds like a lot of room, it's actually a pretty close pass when you're talking about the vastness of space.

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Another storm starts, Hurricane Irma could possibly hit the

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Powerful Hurricane Irma could be next weather disaster - CNN

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On the heels of Hurricane Harvey, a rapidly intensifiying Hurricane Irma treks westward in the Atlantic, posing a major threat to the Caribbean and US next week.

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On August 31st, 1997, Princess Diana tragically died in a car crash. Xavier Gourmelon was the original firefighter who attempted to save her life. He reveals that no one really knew it was the princess. She had lost consciousness but briefly had awaken to say, "Oh my god, what's happened". She was a bit agitated according to Gourmelon. Shortly she fell back into a coma and then wasn't able to wake up and survive due to the nature of her injuries.

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Even though she died 20 years ago on this day, Princess Diana is still the beloved "People's Princess." This sad August 31st anniversary is a day of remembrance not only by the people who loved her, but also by the people who were there during her final moments. For the first time, the French firefighter who attempted to save Princess Diana from her fatal car crash, Xavier Gourmelon, spoke on the 20th anniversary of her death to Good Morning Britain about what Diana's last words were.

On August 31st, 1997, Diana was in Paris, France with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, when their driver Henri Paul lost control of their car and crashed. Diana, Fayed, and Paul all died in the accident with Diana's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, being the only survivor.

But when Gourmelon approached the accident, he said that no one recognized Diana as the former British princess.

Although she was unconscious when he first approached, she regained consciousness with Gourmelon saying, "She looked at me and said, 'Oh my God, what's happened?' - a bit agitated."

"I tried to calm her down and tell her we'd look after her, and she fell into a coma again," Gourmelon said. He explained how they then removed her from the wreckage on a stretcher. "At that moment, the doctor said she was in cardiac arrest. So we gave her CPR and after 20 seconds, she regained consciousness and we transferred her to the ambulance."

However, her injuries were so significant that she later died at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris.

Every detail about Prince William and Prince Harry's mother's death has been exhausted over the last 20 years, but Gourmelon offered new insight about her final moments. And while August 31st is a reminder of this tragedy, it's more important to honor and celebrate the life of Princess Diana.

Related gallery: 50 iconic pictures of Princess Diana [via Photo services]

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Princess Diana's last words were just revealed by the firefighter who tried to save her

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Even though she died 20 years ago on this day, Princess Diana is still the beloved "People's Princess." This sad August 31st anniversary is a day of remembrance not only by the people who loved her, but also by the people who were there during her final moments.

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The U.S. is holding $255 million from Pakistan until they start to take action against neighboring terrorists.

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The United States will hold up $255 million in military assistance for Pakistan until it cracks down on extremist groups that threaten neighboring Afghanistan, officials said Thursday, in the first concrete step since President Donald Trump vowed to ramp up pressure on Pakistan.

In his new strategy for the 16-year Afghan war, Trump singled out Pakistan for harboring Taliban leaders and other militants that are battling American troops in Afghanistan. Trump's tough words about Pakistan, a troubled U.S. security partner, infuriated Islamabad and triggered anti-U.S. protests that Pakistani police have had to use tear gas to disperse.

Although the Trump administration had floated the possibility of curtailing aid, hitting Islamabad with sanctions or severing its status as a major non-NATO ally, it had been unclear until Thursday exactly what types of measures the administration would pursue, or how quickly.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," Trump said in his Afghanistan speech. "But that will have to change."

Trump's administration had faced a Sept. 30 deadline either to say that it planned to spend the $255 million, or lose it. Ahead of that deadline, the administration told Congress that it will indeed use the money, but is putting a "pause" on spending it or on assigning any funds to specific sales of military equipment to the Pakistanis.

State Department officials said the funds won't be released until the U.S. sees that Pakistan is more successfully addressing U.S. concerns about safe havens in the country for groups including the Haqqani network, which is allied with the Afghan Taliban and has been blamed for some of Afghanistan's worst attacks. The officials weren't authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.

But Pakistan has long maintained that its purported Taliban ties and tolerance of extremists groups are overblown, arguing it is already doing its best to help the U.S. stabilize Afghanistan. And American officials wouldn't describe any specific steps they were demanding that Pakistan take, nor would they say whether they'd even communicated such steps privately to the Pakistanis.

The vague nature of the U.S. demands on Pakistan, coupled with the split-the-difference approach of putting the promised funds aside indefinitely, suggested the Trump administration was still struggling to settle on its Pakistan policy even after the president unveiled it with fanfare in a prime-time address. On Afghanistan, too, the plan is a work in progress, with Pentagon officials still determining a final number for how many more U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan.

"This is symbolic more than significant, on both sides," said Ambassador Jim Jeffries, a former longtime diplomat now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "The Pakistanis will push the usual buttons of protests and complaints and diplomatic anger, but they will also think, 'Boy, what else will Trump do?'"

Islamabad has already reacted angrily to Trump's allegation that the country harbors extremists, with the country's lower house of parliament passing a resolution this week denouncing his claim. Security analyst have also warned that isolating Pakistan could lead it to seek closer ties with Russia, Iran and China - rival powers whose influence in the region is a longstanding concern for the U.S.

The U.S. has sought before to use aid to Pakistan as leverage to secure its cooperation on Afghanistan, previously withholding Coalition Support Funds. To Pakistan's dismay, Trump has also dangled the possibility of bringing India - Pakistan's archenemy - deeper into the Afghanistan process unless Pakistan is more cooperative.

Pakistan has fought for years with the Pakistani Taliban and homegrown extremists, but at the same time has tolerated the Afghan Taliban and the related Haqqani network. It's widely accepted that Afghanistan's Taliban leaders are living in Pakistan and that Pakistani hospitals treat the group's wounded.

___

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

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Seeking help with Afghanistan, US holds up $255M to Pakistan

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The United States will hold up $255 million in military assistance for Pakistan until it cracks down on extremist groups that threaten neighboring Afghanistan, officials said Thursday, in the first concrete step since President Donald Trump vowed to ramp up pressure on Pakistan.

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A nearly 3-mile-wide asteroid will make a (relatively) close call with Earth on Friday

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The asteroid, named Florence, is an almost 3-mile-wide rock that passed about 4.4 million miles from Earth (7 million kilometers) early Friday, NASA says.

And while a few million miles sounds like a lot of room, it's actually a pretty close pass when you're talking about the vastness of space. Other asteroids have passed closer to Earth than Florence, but few have been this big.

"Florence is the largest asteroid to pass by our planet this close since the NASA program to detect and track near-Earth asteroids began," Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, said in a statement.

It was Florence's closest flyby of Earth since 1890 -- and the closest it will get until after 2500.

But there's no need to get Bruce Willis and his crew involved. Florence doesn't pose any immediate threat, Chodas told CNN in an email interview.

"Certainly not for the next several centuries, and not likely over the next many millennia either," he said. "It's possible this asteroid could threaten our planet in the far distant future, but it's unlikely."

A learning opportunity

Florence -- named to honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing -- does offer a great opportunity. Scientists think any asteroid larger than half-mile to a mile (1 to 2 kilometers) in size could have worldwide effects if it hit the planet, so they studied Florence as it zipped by.

Radar images snapped by the Goldstone Solar System Radar in California and the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will help scientists learn more about the asteroid's composition, shape, surface properties and roughness and the presence of boulders, Chodas said. They also may learn whether Florence has a satellite.

Having Florence do a flyby is a lot easier than chasing down an asteroid in space -- though NASA is doing that, too, with its OSIRIS-REx mission. The spacecraft was launched in September 2016 to chase down a potentially dangerous asteroid called Bennu. It will take a sample of the asteroid and -- in a US space first -- bring the sample back to Earth.

The asteroid that does pose a threat

About once a year, a car-sized asteroid hits Earth's atmosphere and creates a big fireball, NASA says. These don't usually cause damage. But in February 2013, an asteroid streaked through our atmosphere and exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia.

The rock was about 59 feet (18 meters) wide and weighed 11,000 metric tons, according to NASA. It exploded about 14.5 miles (23.3 kilometers) above Chelyabinsk, injuring hundreds of people and shattering glass in buildings.

The asteroid that currently poses the biggest threat to Earth, according to Chodas, is Asteroid 1950 DA. It could "impact in the year 2880," he said. That asteroid is about 1 mile wide (1.3 kilometers), and the chances for an impact with Earth are 1 in 8,000.

So, what is NASA doing about all these dangerous space rocks? They created an office in 2016 that sounds like something out of "Star Wars": the Planetary Defense Coordination Office. It's tasked with helping find dangerous asteroids and comets, and it's leading US government efforts to develop a plan to respond to an actual impact threat.

Early plans are focused on finding threatening space objects and -- one day -- being able to break them apart or deflect them from Earth.

A rock star and space rocks

And NASA scientists aren't the only ones interested in asteroids. Astrophysicist Brian May, better known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Queen, helped create Asteroid Day in 2015 to educate the public about the dangers of asteroids.

May's co-founders include astronaut Rusty Schweickart, film director Grigorij Richters, and Danica Remy, chief operations officer of the B612 Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to protect Earth from asteroids through early detection. The United Nations has sanctioned the holiday as a global day of education to raise awareness. The next Asteroid Day is Saturday, June 30, 2018.

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A nearly 3-mile-wide asteroid makes a (relatively) close call with Earth

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The asteroid, named Florence, is an almost 3-mile-wide rock that passed about 4.4 million miles from Earth (7 million kilometers) early Friday, NASA says. And while a few million miles sounds like a lot of room, it's actually a pretty close pass when you're talking about the vastness of space.

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Student accidentally given $1 m dollars in financial aid, spends thousands

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The oversight occurred at Walter Sisulu University in Eastern Cape province when a massive over allocation of funds was accidentally loaded onto the student's financial aid debit card.

The money, which was supposed to be a $100 stipend for food and books, was immediately available to the student, according to Intellimali, the company responsible for issuing the student cards. Four extra zeroes were added to the direct deposit.

University officials were alerted to the mistake by another WSU student who noticed the young woman's newly found spending habits.

Several local media outlets identified the student through social media, creating an uproar throughout WSU's student community. In compliance with South African law, university officials declined to release the student's personal details but have confirmed she is not responding to media inquiries and has made no official statement at this time.

Intellimali and WSU claim the student spent tens of thousands of dollars in just a few weeks and have begun examining her full transaction records to determine the extent of the spending spree.

The student's account has since been blocked and the remaining balance has been retracted, WSU spokeswoman Yonela Tukwayo said in a statement.

"The student will be liable for the money she has already spent," Tukwayo added.

Intellimali took full responsibility for the extraordinary oversight and claimed new policies already have been implemented to ensure such an incident never gets repeated.

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme, which provides a lump sum for universities to distribute to financial aid recipients, has demanded a full report from Intellimali and WSU.

"When a mistake occurs in these processes, it is in the hands of the university," NSFAS said a statement. "NSFAS is not involved, except to get an official report from the university detailing what happened."

Intellimali has "appointed a forensic auditor to investigate this incident which can only be described as unprecedented in our 10-year history," said the company's CEO Michael Ansell.

The formal investigation is underway and Intellimali claimed legal action will be taken against the student for the misappropriation of funds.

The gross oversight drew swift condemnation from the South African Parliament.

"This is unacceptable that such a grave mistake as this one could occur undetected on money appropriated by Parliament," said MP Connie September, who chairs the Committee on Higher Education and Training.

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student accidentally given $1m in financial aid - cnn

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Student accidentally given $1M in aid, spends thousands

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The oversight occurred at Walter Sisulu University in Eastern Cape province when a massive over allocation of funds was accidentally loaded onto the student's financial aid debit card. The money, which was supposed to be a $100 stipend for food and books, was immediately available to the student, according to Intellimali, the company responsible for issuing the student cards.