The first of two congressional hearings with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has begun.
Zuckerberg is testifying in the Senate on Tuesday and the House on Wednesday. He agreed to testify after revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a data-mining firm affiliated with Donald Trump's presidential campaign, gathered personal information from 87 million users to try to influence elections.
Senators are expected to also ask him about Russian interference on his company's platform in the 2016 election.
In testimony released Monday, Zuckerberg apologizes for the privacy scandal and for not recognizing Russian interference sooner.

Facebook hearing is under way

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Myanmar's military today sentenced seven personnel to 10 years in prison and hard labour as alleged accomplices in the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslims in troubled Rakhine state, where the country's security forces carried out a brutal crackdown against the minority group, officials said.
The military personnel also were permanently expelled from the army, according to a statement released by the army chief on an official Facebook page.
The army in January made a rare admission that its soldiers had killed 10 Rohingya villagers who were captured and accused of being "terrorists" during insurgent attacks last year in Inn Din village in northern Rakhine. The military said its soldiers confessed to carrying out the slayings.
The army's statement Tuesday said an investigative group under the military had interrogated 21 military personnel, three police officers, 13 security forces, six civil servants and six Inn Din villagers. It said the investigation proved that the soldiers violated the .

Myanmar military members get prison after Rohingya slayings

Facebook has begun alerting some users that their data was swept up in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.
Anthony Bagnetto was one of many people who woke up Tuesday morning to a notification on his Facebook feed informing him that "one of" his friends used Facebook to log into a now-banned personality quiz app called "This Is Your Digital Life."
The notice says the app misused the information, including public profile, page likes, birthday and current city, by sharing it with the political data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica.
"Anybody can be taken by this," said Bagnetto, 38, a triathlon coach who lives in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and said he didn't blame whichever of his friends took the quiz for exposing his data.
"It shouldn't take the pressure off Facebook because people cannot be expected to be that aware of what they're signing up for," Bagnetto said.
As many as 87 million users who might have had their data shared were supposed to get the detailed message on their news ..

Facebook sends privacy alerts to affected users

Some National Guard members have started arriving at the US-Mexico border with more expected as federal government officials seek ways to curtail illegal immigration.
The Republican governors of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico yesterday committed 1,600 Guard members to the border, giving President Donald Trump many of the troops he requested to fight what he's called a crisis of migrant crossings and crime.
The only holdout border state was California, led by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, who has not announced whether troops from his state's National Guard will participate and has repeatedly fought with Trump over immigration policy.
Under the federal law Trump invoked in his proclamation calling for National Guard troops, governors who send troops retain command and control over their state's Guard members and the US government picks up the cost.
Brown's spokesman, Evan Westrup, said California officials still are reviewing Trump's troop request.
Trump said last week he wants to send ...

Some Guard members start arriving at US-Mexico border

The two aid workers have been killed in separate attacks over the weekend in civil war-torn South Sudan, the United Nations said today.
A statement says armed men shot at a "clearly marked" aid vehicle near Bentiu town in Unity state, killing a local worker with the Hope Restoration organisation. And a local worker with the UNIDO organization was killed near Leer town in Unity state.
They are the first two aid workers to be killed this year in South Sudan, which is one of the world's most dangerous places for aid workers. At least 98 have been killed since the fighting began in December 2013, most of them local workers.
The UN also says seven local workers with the SSUHA aid organization were abducted March 25 by opposition forces while delivering health supplies in Morobo county in Central Equatoria.
The UN is demanding their unconditional release.
The opposition says the aid workers weren't abducted but were taken because they didn't have "proper clearance." "Our investigation says .

UN says 2 local humanitarian workers killed in South Sudan

President Donald Trump is welcoming the ruling emir of Qatar to the White House.
Trump greeted Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani today.
Trump once accused the tiny gas-rich nation of funding terrorism at a "high level."
The leaders are set to hold a meeting and working lunch that the White House said would focus on strengthening ties, including security and economic issues.
America's allies in the Persian Gulf are feuding with Qatar. When the dispute began 10 months ago, Trump sided with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and neighbors who accused Qatar of spreading extremism, fomenting regional unrest and allowing funds to flow to terror groups. Qatar denies all those charges.
Trump hasn't repeated that charge recently and Qatar has since taken steps to address U.S. concerns.
President Donald Trump is hosting the ruling emir of Qatar, the tiny gas-rich nation he once accused of funding terrorism.
Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will be at the White House on Tuesday. 

Trump welcomes emir of Qatar to White House

Police in suburban Phoenix say all six people aboard a small plane were killed when it crashed on a golf course shortly after taking off from a nearby airport.
The identities of those killed in the Monday night crash in Scottsdale haven't been released. Nobody on the ground was hurt.
The plane went down on the TPC Scottsdale Champions Golf Course.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Investigators were at the site Tuesday morning, examining the burned wreckage next to a tree on a dirt area, with seven vehicles parked on nearby turf and others nearby.
TPC Scottsdale Champions is the sister course to the Stadium Course where the Waste Management Phoenix Open is held each February.
Authorities say no one survived a fiery plane crash Monday night on a suburban Phoenix golf course adjacent to the grounds where the PGA Tour holds a popular tournament.
ABC15 reports that emergency crews responded to the TPC Scottsdale Champions ...

Police: All 6 on small plane killed in crash

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is promising to consider the impact of a new Russian-German gas pipeline on Ukraine as plans progress.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline would pump Russian gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. It is viewed suspiciously in some eastern European countries which fear losing transit revenue if Russian gas supplies no longer cross their territory once the pipeline is built.
Merkel said she listened carefully to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's concerns at a meeting today.
She said Ukraine must retain a role in gas transit, adding: "A Nord Stream 2 project without having clarity about how things continue with the Ukrainian transit role is not possible."
She acknowledged that "it is not just a business project; of course political factors have to be taken into account.

Germany's Merkel seeks to assure Ukraine on Russian gas link

Volkswagen Group says it is contemplating a management reshuffle that raises questions about CEO Matthias Mueller's future with the company.
The company said today that it "considers a further development of the management structure of the group" and that "this could include a change in the position of the chairman of the board of management," the German term for CEO.
The statement said board of directors head Hans Dieter Poetsch was in discussions with top managers about how their responsibilities are divided.
It said the result of the talks was "currently open" and that Mueller "showed his willingness to contribute" to the changes.  Mueller took over suddenly in 2015 when predecessor Martin Winterkorn fell victim to the company's scandal over cars rigged to cheat on diesel emissions tests.

Volkswagen contemplates shakeup; Mueller's future uncertain

China's military says it's entitled to strengthen its defences on islands in the disputed South China Sea but says those measures aren't directed at any specific countries.
Defence ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang's statement today follows the US Navy's deployment of three aircraft carriers to the strategically vital sea body, claimed largely by China.
The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported yesterday that China has installed military jamming devices in the area.
Ren was quoted as saying on the ministry's website that it was China's right to take such measures, which he said help protect its sovereignty and security along with regional peace and stability.
China's military buildup has focused on islands in the Paracel group and seven that it built atop reefs in the highly contested Spratly group.

China defends South China Sea military buildup

A Swedish newspaper says the husband of a member of the academy awarding the Nobel Literature Prize violated century-old Nobel rules by repeatedly leaking the names of winners of the prestigious award - including 2016 recipient Bob Dylan.
One of Sweden's biggest dailies, Dagens Nyheter, cited an internal Academy probe to report today that Jean-Claude Arnault leaked winners' names seven times, starting in 1996. It was not clear who the names were disclosed to.
Arnault has separately been embroiled in sexual misconduct allegations. Three Academy members resigned Friday after the body voted against removing author Katarina Frostenson, a fellow member and Arnault's wife. The trio had called for her exclusion.
The 18-member secretive academy keeps names secret, never discusses potential winners and has kept nominations secret for half a century.

Report: Man tied to Nobel body leaked winner names

Pope Francis is calling for unity in the Catholic Church and blamed its divisions on the devil.
It was the second time in as many days that Francis has warned about the destructive work of the devil after making headlines recently by seemingly denying the existence of hell.
Francis made the comments during a Mass he celebrated today along with 550 "missionaries of mercy," the army of priests he formed during his 2015-2016 Jubilee of Mercy to highlight the sacrament of reconciliation around the globe.
In his homily, Francis said the church and the world need mercy today "so that the unity desired by God in Christ prevails over the negative action of the devil."
Francis has been accused by some conservatives of dividing the church with his mercy-over-morals priorities.

Pope urges church unity, blames divisions on work of devil

Spanish authorities have detained seven people in Catalonia as part of a crackdown on disturbances associated with the region's attempts to secede from Spain.
Spanish news agency Europa Press says the Catalan police force Mossos d'Esquadra has detained six people on suspicion of public disorder offenses during tense protests outside the region's parliament in January.
A large crowd gathered outside when lawmakers attempted to elect Carles Puigdemont, a pro-independence leader who is now a fugitive, as Catalan president.
The Guardia Civil says it arrested today a woman believed to be a leader of Catalonia's so-called Committees for the Defense of the Republic - a grassroots group that organizes protests.
Those groups have been behind the blocking of road and train lines in Catalonia to press their demand for independence.

Spanish police arrest 7 in connection with Catalan secession

Three bombs that injured 12 people in a town on Thailand's border with Malaysia were likely planted by Muslim insurgents, police said today.
Police Lt. Traipop Donprailao said the bombs, connected to timers and concealed in parked motorcycles, exploded Monday near a small restaurant, a karaoke bar and a hotel in Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province.
Four of those injured in the attack remained hospitalized Tuesday, said one of his colleagues, police Cpl. Ratt Chanthachalee.
Sungai Kolok has been the target of previous attacks. Its nightlife, including prostitution, makes it a "sin city" for visitors from across the border in Malaysia, where such activities are prohibited as un-Islamic.
A low-level insurgency carried out by shadowy Muslim separatists in Thailand's three southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani has left about 7,000 people dead since 2004. The three provinces are the only ones in predominantly Buddhist Thailand with Muslim majorities, who complain that they .

Motorcycle bombs injure 12 in southern Thailand

Police say a seven-month-old infant has died after being bitten in the head by the family's dog in southern Germany.
Police in Hesse state said today that it's unclear why the dog attacked the child. The dog has been taken to an animal shelter.  The incident in Bad Koenig, about 45 kilometers southeast of Frankfurt, took place almost a week after two people were killed by a dog in northern Germany.
A 52-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son were killed by a Staffordshire terrier they owned on April 3 in Hannover.

Police: Dog kills 7-month-old boy in Germany

The results of the latest Nation's Report Card are in and the news isn't good.
Fourth-graders made no improvements in math or reading, while eighth-graders' scores were flat in math and only slightly improved in reading, according to results released today on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Overall, only roughly a third of American eighth-graders are proficient in reading and math along with about 40 per cent of fourth-graders.
The figures are in line with recent trends. Students made big gains in the 1990s and early 2000s, but there have been no major improvements since then.
The results show that racial disparities persist. African-American students were out-performed by their white peers at both grade levels.
"There is still much work to be done to close achievement gaps and ensure that our young people are ready for success in college, careers and life," said Carissa Miller, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. "It is clear we as a ...

Flat math and reading results in national report card

"The Simpsons" has briefly addressed criticism of its portrayal of its Indian shop owner, Apu. But a comedian who helped spark a conversation about the character calls the show's response "sad" and attacked the show on Twitter for reducing a discussion about racism to political correctness.
Sunday's episode featured Marge sharing her favorite childhood book with her daughter, Lisa. Marge realises the book is more racist and offensive than she remembered and attempts to edit it as she reads.
The story, titled "The Princess in the Garden," contains stereotypes about people of Irish and Latin American descent.  Lisa reacts to the story by saying, "Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?" A photo of Apu appears and Marge says, "Some things will be dealt with at a later date" and Lisa adds, "if at all."
Comedian Hari Kondabolu, who wrote the documentary "The Problem With Apu" about how marginalised groups are ...

'Simpsons' reference to Apu criticism sparks backlash

A 4.7-magnitude quake has hit an area of central Italy near Macerata which was struck by a series of powerful quakes in 2016. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
Mayors in towns affected are reporting some damage from the temblor, which struck around dawn, and said that checks were under way. Schools in many towns have been closed for the day, as was a local train line.
The mayor of the town of Muccia, Mario Baroli, where the quake was centered, told Sky News24 that the quake appears to have damaged structures that already had suffered previous damage. He said it was the strongest of the quakes to strike the area since a series of quakes in October 2016.
The mayor in Pieve Torina, Alessandro Gentilucci, told RAI News24 that authorities were checking structures.

4.7-Magnitude quake hits temblor-prone central Italy

International condemnation grew over a suspected poison gas attack in a rebel-held town near Damascus said to have been carried out by the Syrian government, while Syria and its main ally, Russia, blamed Israel for airstrikes on a Syrian air base that reportedly killed 14 people, including four Iranians.
The timing of the airstrikes in central Homs province, hours after President Donald Trump said there would be "a big price to pay" for the chemical weapons attack, raised questions about whether Israel was acting alone or as a proxy for the United States.
Israel did not comment on today's missile strike. The Jewish State typically does not comment on its airstrikes in Syria, which have been numerous in Syria's civil war.
The fast-paced developments threatened to further hike tensions between the US and Russia, which has in the past warned against any US military action against President Bashar Assad's government.
Iran, a key ally of Assad, condemned the airstrikes, which it said ...

Israel blamed for Syria missile strike; 14 reported killed

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will apologize for his company's role in a data privacy scandal and foreign interference in the 2016 elections when he appears before Congress this week, saying the social network "didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility," according to prepared remarks released today.
Zuckerberg will appear before lawmakers today and tomorrow to try to restore public trust in his company and stave off federal regulation that some lawmakers have floated.
His company is under fire in the worst privacy crisis in its history after it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica, a data-mining firm affiliated with Donald Trump's presidential campaign, gathered personal information from 87 million users to try to influence elections.
In the testimony released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which he is expected to deliver Wednesday, Zuckerberg apologizes for fake news, hate speech, a lack of data privacy and foreign interference in the 2016 elections on his ...

Zuckerberg prepares another apology -- this time to Congress

Yemeni tribal and rebel officials said Saudi-led coalition airstrikes killed at least 17 people today, including children, in the southwestern city of Taiz and the northern rebel stronghold of Saada.
They said the Taiz airstrike hit a house in the Dimnat Khadir district, an area that has seen heavy fighting between Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-allied Houthi rebels.
At least 15 people were killed, the tribal officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Another airstrike hit a workshop in Saada, killing at least two people and wounding eight others, including several schoolgirls, said Aliaa Al-Shabby, the rebels' minister for human rights.
She urged an independent commission to be formed to investigate what she called "massacres committed against civilians and unarmed Yemeni people."
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war pitting the Saudi-led coalition backing an internationally recognized government against the Iran-backed Houthis since March ..

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