Source: Daily Star (Lebanon)

Syrian antiquities experts expressed shock Monday at the destruction Daesh (ISIS) wrought inside Palmyra’s museum, where scores of artifacts were smashed before troops drove the extremists out of the historic town. Syria’s head of antiquities and museums Maamoun Abdel-Karim, said he would go to Palmyra once bomb squads finish removing explosives planted by the militants before they lost the town.

The recapture of Palmyra by Syrian government forces Sunday was an important victory over Daesh fighters who had waged a 10-month reign of terror there. It also marked the first major defeat for the militant group since an international agreement to battle terrorism in the fractured nation took effect last year.

During their rule of Palmyra, the militants demolished some of its best-known artifacts and monuments, including two large temples dating back more than 1,800 years and a Roman triumphal archway. The sprawling outdoor site was one of Syria’s main tourist attractions before the civil war.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Mar-29/344469-experts-shocked-by-damage-inside-palmyras-museum.ashx

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So very sad.

Source: CNN

In what appears to be a case of "sport killing," a pack of wolves slaughtered a herd of elk in one night, Wyoming wildlife officials said Friday.

Nineteen elk, mostly calves, were found dead several days ago at a feeding ground near Bondurant, a town southeast of Jackson, said John Lund of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. A contractor delivering feed to the herd discovered the dead animals.
Lund said wildlife officials are concerned because wolves usually eat what they kill or come back later to feed.

There are about 1,100 elk in the area, he said, and about 7% of the population has been lost to wolves this winter.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/25/us/wyoming-wolf-pack-elk-slaughter/index.html

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Had no idea this kind of thing happened.

Source: Huffington Post

Cesar Millan, the self-described “Dog Whisperer,” is under investigation for possible animal cruelty following a controversial encounter that was filmed for his TV show between a “pig-killing” dog and a pig.

According to KNBC, sheriff’s deputies and investigators with the LA County Animal Control visited Millan’s Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita on Thursday evening. Millan was not there at the time and authorities have yet to make contact with the TV host, TMZ reported.

...

The investigation was sparked by a recently-broadcast “Cesar 911” segment in which the self-taught dog behaviorist introduced a dog named Simon to a group of pigs. Simon had killed his owner’s two pet pigs, but Millan thought exposure to the animals in a “new environment” would help train the dog to see pigs in a more “positive” light.

Once the host took Simon off his leash, however, the dog lunged at one of the pigs and bit off a chunk of its ear. Simon then charged at the group of pigs “again and again … biting and tearing at the cowering animals,” The Dodo reported.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cesar-millan-animal-cruelty_us_56e26f5de4b0b25c91818287

Source: Politico

Attorney General Loretta Lynch has asked the White House not to consider her for the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death last month of Justice Antonin Scalia, a Justice Department spokeswoman said Tuesday.

"As the conversation around the Supreme Court vacancy progressed, the Attorney General determined that the limitations inherent in the nomination process would curtail her effectiveness in her current role, Given the urgent issues before the Department of Justice, she asked not to be considered for the position," Justice spokeswoman Melanie Newman said in a statement.

Lynch had been mentioned on various lists of potential Supreme Court nominees for President Barack Obama, but reports in recent days suggested she was no longer under active consideration.

"While [Lynch] is deeply grateful for the support and good wishes of all those who suggested her as a potential nominee, she is honored to serve as Attorney General, and she is fully committed to carrying out the work of the Department of Justice for the remainder of her term," Newman added.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/lynch-out-of-running-for-supreme-court-slot-220451

Source: Washington Post

The Justice Department has granted immunity to the former State Department staffer who worked on Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private email server as part of a criminal investigation into the possible mishandling of classified information, according to a senior law enforcement official.

The official said the FBI had secured the cooperation of Bryan Pagliano who worked on Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign before setting up the server in her New York home in 2009.

As the FBI looks to wrap up its investigation in the coming months, agents will likely want to interview Clinton and her senior aides about the decision to use a private server, how it was set up, and whether any of the participants knew they were sending classified information in emails, current and former officials said.

The inquiry comes against a sensitive political backdrop in which Clinton is the favorite to secure the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-clinton-email-investigation-justice-department-grants-immunity-to-former-state-department-staffer/2016/03/02/e421e39e-e0a0-11e5-9c36-e1902f6b6571_story.html

Source: Washington Post

The Supreme Court refused on Monday to disturb a ruling from New Jersey’s top court that sided with Gov. Chris Christie in a legal fight with public worker unions over pension funds.

The justices did not comment in rejecting the unions’ appeal. The high court order came less than three weeks after Christie ended his run for the Republican presidential nomination.

New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled last year that the state is obligated to pay individual retirees their pensions, but it overturned a lower court ruling that would have forced the state to come up with billions to pay promised pension benefits. New Jersey’s pension fund has nearly $75 billion in unfunded liabilities, stemming from underpayment by previous governors, both Democratic and Republican.

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The state ruling last year allowed Christie to propose making a roughly $1.9 billion payment to the pension fund in his 2017 fiscal year budget, well below the roughly $3.8 billion payment he and the Legislature agreed to in 2011 legislation.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-rejects-nj-employees-appeal-over-pension-fund/2016/02/29/c33ec8ea-def2-11e5-8c00-8aa03741dced_story.html