North Korea on Wednesday called a threat from President Trump a "load of nonsense" and detailed plans to fire missiles into waters near the U.S. territory of Guam. President Trump on Tuesday said North Korea would be met with "fire and fury" if it continued threatening the U.S. The country has responded by saying it wants to launch four intermediate range ballistic missiles that would fly over Japan before striking waters some 30 to 40 km from Guam. Pyongyang said concrete plans to launch the Hwasong-12 rockets toward Guam will be finalized by mid-August. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that North Korea "should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people." – REUTERS

The U.S. has expelled two Cuban diplomats amid an investigation into unexplained health issues that have affected U.S. diplomats in Cuba. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert declined to give details about the symptoms that some American diplomats in Havana have been suffering from. However, a person familiar with the investigation said the Cuban government may have placed sonic devices with the aim of causing hearing loss to approximately five American diplomats. All U.S. diplomats on the island live in housing provided by the Cuban government. The Castro government has launched an investigation into the allegations. – GUARDIAN

The five-bedroom house where President Trump grew up in Queens, New York, is available for rent on Airbnb for $725 a night. "Not much has been changed since the Trumps lived here, the kitchen is original and the opulent furnishings represent the style and affluence in which the Trumps would have lived," the listing reads. In March, a limited liability corporation named Trump Birth House bought the house at auction for $2.14 million. – AP

The U.S has refrained from banning oil imports from Venezuela amid industry concerns that such a sanction would hurt the U.S. economy. Citing data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, AP said that around 20 refineries run by companies including Chevron, Valero and Citgo process Venezuelan oil. Many of these plants were specifically set up to refine the type of heavy oil that Venezuela produces, and they would struggle to find similar crude supplies if the U.S. were to ban Venezuelan oil imports. An industry group that includes the oil companies that control these refineries wrote a letter to Trump saying that banning Venezuelan oil could "harm the U.S. economy, impair the global competitiveness of our energy business and raise costs to consumers." – AP

Oprah Winfrey will launch a line of refrigerated soups and side dishes next week. The products, which will be marketed under a brand called "O, That’s Good!," will include a meal of mashed potatoes with cauliflower and a broccoli and cheddar soup. Winfrey said she was personally involved in the development of some of the recipes. The line of products will include four soups and four side dishes. They will be produced by Kraft Heinz and will retail at under $5 each. – USAT

Fox News host Eric Bolling has sued a journalist for defamation following a report that he sent lewd pictures to colleagues. Bolling is seeking $50 million in damages from Yashar Ali, who last week wrote a story in the Huffington Post claiming that Bolling had sent the unsolicited pictures to three colleagues several years ago. Ali’s story cited 14 anonymous sources. In a statement, the HuffPost said: "Yashar Ali is a careful and meticulous reporter. We stand by his reporting." Ali is a paid freelancer under contract with the HuffPost. On Saturday, Bolling was suspended from his job at Fox News – where he recently hosted the "Fox News Specialists" and "Cashin' In" talk shows – amid an internal investigation into the allegations. – HR

According to the United Nations, smugglers deliberately let some 50 immigrants drown off the coast of Yemen. The smugglers forced some 180 immigrants from a boat on Thursday and those who survived may have buried some of the deceased on a beach in Yemen, the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement. IOM staff found 29 shallow graves and provided medical care to 27 surviving immigrants. The immigrants were mostly teenagers and they hailed from Somalia and Ethiopia. IOM estimates that about 55,000 immigrants may have fled the Horn of Africa so far this year in search for a better life in the Gulf countries. – CNN

Canada plans to set up an immigration camp near the U.S. border to host asylum seekers. Around 100 soldiers will be deployed to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle on the Canadian side of the border to set up heated tents that would offer temporary accommodation to up to 500 people. Fearing deportation from the U.S., some 250 asylum seekers a day are arriving in Montreal. The asylum seekers are mostly from Haiti. Following the 2010 earthquake, some 50,000 Haitians were allowed to stay in the U.S. under a "temporary pro...

President Trump has told North Korea to stop threatening the U.S. or else the country "will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." The warning comes after The Washington Post published a news story saying that, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency, North Korea might have developed a nuclear warhead to be mounted on an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). The country has fired two ICBMs in recent weeks that could potentially reach the U.S. mainland. Pyongyang responded saying that it was studying a plan to strike the U.S. territory of Guam. – LAT

At least 19 people have been killed and some 250 injured by an earthquake in China. The 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the southwestern province of Sichuan on Tuesday evening and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks, China's Earthquake Administration said. Around 130,000 homes were damaged by the tremor and approximately 60,000 people have been evacuated from the area. A powerful earthquake hit the Sichuan region in 2008 killing some 87,000 people. – BBC

Scientists have published a study about the Patagotitan, the largest dinosaur ever discovered. Six fossils found in Argentina belonged to a Patagotitan mayorum, a newly-described dinosaur that is part of a group of large dinosaurs called titanosaurs. The P. mayorum weighed around 75 tons and measured some 120 feet (37 meters) in length and over 20 feet (6 meters) in height, the study says. It lived about 100 million years ago. Paleontologist Diego Pol, the co-author of the paper, said these herbivores probably got to be so big because there was an abundance of flowering plants at the time. – AP

Police are searching for a man who apparently pushed a woman into the path of a moving bus when he was running on a bridge in London. The bus is seen in CCTV footage swerving to one side to avoid running over the woman. The jogger continued running after the incident but, according to police, when he ran back across the bridge, and the woman attempted to speak with him, he ignored her. – GUARDIAN

Starting in 2019, Disney will pull its content from Netflix and will instead launch its own streaming service. Disney said it will buy an additional 42 percent stake in BAMTech, increasing its total ownership in the video streaming platform to 75 percent. The company plans to use BAMTech to build its own streaming service. The service will give Disney "much greater control over our own destiny in a rapidly changing market," CEO Bob Iger said. – VERGE

Country singer, guitarist and television host Glen Campbell has died at age 81 following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Campbell sold some 45 million records over a 60-year career. Born in 1936 in Billstown, Arkansas, he began playing guitar at rural bars with his uncle when he was in his teens. His first major hit came in 1967 with "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." From 1969 to 1972 he presented his own variety show, "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour," and in 1969 he acted in John Wayne’s "True Grit." After a slowdown in his career he released the best-selling song "Rhinestone Cowboy" in 1975. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011 and that year he announced his retirement. – RS

President Trump says that a crackdown on drug use is needed to fight the opioid epidemic. He complained that the number of people prosecuted for drug use has decreased in recent years, while the average sentence for the offense has also gone down. Bill Piper, senior director for the Drug Policy Alliance, said the government should focus on treatment to fight the opioid crisis because a clamp down on drug use "has never worked." Around 90 people die from an opioid overdose every day in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. – CNN

A wildfire has broken out in Greenland, NASA said. The fire consists of several blazes, one of which covers about 3,000 acres, Climate Central reports. NASA describes the fire as a very "unusual" event, in large part because most of Greenland is covered in ice or permafrost. "These fires appear to be peatland fires, as there are low grass, some shrub, and lots of rocks on the western edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet," Jessica McCarty, an assistant professor of geography at Miami University, told Wildfire Today. – NPR

Mazda has developed a new combustion engine that is between 20 percent and 30 percent more fuel efficient than standard car engines. The Japanese automaker says it will start selling cars powered by the new engine in 2019. Mazda said it does not plan to supply its new engine, which has been named SKYACTIV-X, to other carmakers. – REUTERS

South African President Jacob Zuma survived a no-confidence vote yesterday, but he emerged weakened from the challenge as more than two dozen ruling-party lawmakers supported the measure. Zuma, 75, has now won six no-confidence votes. Following the 198-177 vote, he thanked supporters of the ruling ANC party gathered outside parliament. "We represent...

Scientists from 13 government agencies have produced a report that states that the effects of climate change are being felt in the United States. The unpublished report says that thousands of scientific studies have tracked changes caused by global warming on land and the atmosphere. "Evidence for a changing climate abounds, from the top of the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans," the draft report says. The document also states that greenhouse gases are responsible for climate change. One of the scientists who wrote it told the NYT that he and other authors fear the study will be suppressed by the government. President Donald Trump has said that he does not believe in man-made climate change. – NYT

Netflix has bought comic book publisher Millarworld. The streaming company wants to develop films and shows about the characters in Millarworld’s portfolio. Millarworld has produced 18 comic book series, including 'Wanted' and 'Kick-Ass,' which have previously been developed into theatrical films. The comic book company is controlled by Mark Millar – who earlier in his career worked at Marvel and DC Comics – and his wife Lucy. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. This was Netflix' first ever acquisition. – VARIETY

South African President Jacob Zuma faces a no-confidence vote over allegations of corruption. Protesters gathered outside parliament on Tuesday as lawmakers debated before they cast their votes in a secret ballot. Zuma, 75, faces nearly 800 allegations of corruption related to a 1990s arms deal. He denies the accusations. If he loses the vote he will have to step down and the speaker of Parliament will be named South Africa’s interim president for 30 days. Zuma first assumed office in 2009 and was re-elected in 2014. – CNN

A British woman was shot twice in a Brazilian favela when she and her family got lost while looking for water. Eloise Dixon, 46, was shot in the abdomen and the thorax and she’s expected to make a full recovery. Dixon, her husband and their three kids were driving from Angra dos Reis, a popular beach town, when they took a turn from the main road while looking for water, local media reported. They accidentally drove into a shanty town near Rio de Janeiro where they were confronted by a group of people who shot at their vehicle. The neighborhood is controlled by a violent drug gang known as the Red Command, a local police detective said. – GUARDIAN

Congolese security forces have killed at least 14 members of a separatist group. Clashes in the capital, Kinshasa, left 12 assailants from the Bundu dia Kongo (BDK) sect and one policeman dead. Two other BDK members were killed in the southwestern city of Matadi. BDK’s leader Ne Muanda Nsemi, who escaped from prison in May, called on his supporters to revolt against President Joseph Kabila on Monday. Violence has increased in the Democratic Republic of Congo since Kabila refused to step down from office after his mandate ended in December. – REUTERS

A 3D version of Michael Jackson’s 'Thriller' video will premier at the Venice Film Festival. The estate of the late singer said that producers have converted the 14-minute video, which was shot in 35mm, into a 3D version. The music video has not been re-edited. A documentary about the production of the original video will also be shown for the first time at the festival, which will take place from August 30 to September 9. – AP

Three boy scouts have died in a sailboat accident in a lake in Texas. The scouts were sailing in Lake O' the Pines east of Dallas when their catamaran got entangled with a low-lying power line. Two of the scouts, ages 16 and 17, were found dead a short distance from the boat. They apparently died of electrocution. A third scout, age 11, was rescued by another boat and later died in a hospital. – DN

Italian police have arrested a man in connection with the kidnapping of a British model. When the 20-year-old woman arrived at a studio in Milan for a photoshoot she was assaulted and drugged and later taken to a village in Turin where she was held prisoner. Her captor was Lukasz Pawel Herba, a Polish man who lived in Britain, police said. He had demanded a €300,000 ($352,000) ransom for the woman and threatened to sell her as a sex slave. Herba took the woman to the British consulate in Milan on July 17 and released her, according to local media reports. – REUTERS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) needs $275 million to keep Asian carps away from the Great Lakes. One Asian carp was found nine miles from Lake Michigan in June, stoking fears that this invasive species will spread in the Great Lakes, threatening a $7 billion fishing industry there. The CoE wants to overhaul a waterway that links Lake Michigan with the Mississippi river, where Asian carps have spread quickly, threatening the river’s ecosystem. – NPR

Mauritanians overwhelmingly voted in favor of changing their country’s flag in a referendum over the weekend. The new flag will include...

Scientists from 13 government agencies have produced a report that states that the effects of climate change are being felt in the United States. The unpublished report says that thousands of scientific studies have tracked changes caused by global warming on land and the atmosphere. "Evidence for a changing climate abounds, from the top of the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans," the draft report says. The document also states that greenhouse gases are responsible for climate change. One of the scientists who wrote it told the NYT that he and other authors fear the study will be suppressed by the government. President Donald Trump has said that he does not believe in man-made climate change. – NYT

Netflix has bought comic book publisher Millarworld. The streaming company wants to develop films and shows about the characters in Millarworld’s portfolio. Millarworld has produced 18 comic book series, including 'Wanted' and 'Kick-Ass,' which have previously been developed into theatrical films. The comic book company is controlled by Mark Millar – who earlier in his career worked at Marvel and DC Comics – and his wife Lucy. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. This was Netflix' first ever acquisition. – VARIETY

South African President Jacob Zuma faces a no-confidence vote over allegations of corruption. Protesters gathered outside parliament on Tuesday as lawmakers debated before they cast their votes in a secret ballot. Zuma, 75, faces nearly 800 allegations of corruption related to a 1990s arms deal. He denies the accusations. If he loses the vote he will have to step down and the speaker of Parliament will be named South Africa’s interim president for 30 days. Zuma first assumed office in 2009 and was re-elected in 2014. – CNN

A British woman was shot twice in a Brazilian favela when she and her family got lost while looking for water. Eloise Dixon, 46, was shot in the abdomen and the thorax and she’s expected to make a full recovery. Dixon, her husband and their three kids were driving from Angra dos Reis, a popular beach town, when they took a turn from the main road while looking for water, local media reported. They accidentally drove into a shanty town near Rio de Janeiro where they were confronted by a group of people who shot at their vehicle. The neighborhood is controlled by a violent drug gang known as the Red Command, a local police detective said. – GUARDIAN

Congolese security forces have killed at least 14 members of a separatist group. Clashes in the capital, Kinshasa, left 12 assailants from the Bundu dia Kongo (BDK) sect and one policeman dead. Two other BDK members were killed in the southwestern city of Matadi. BDK’s leader Ne Muanda Nsemi, who escaped from prison in May, called on his supporters to revolt against President Joseph Kabila on Monday. Violence has increased in the Democratic Republic of Congo since Kabila refused to step down from office after his mandate ended in December. – REUTERS

A 3D version of Michael Jackson’s 'Thriller' video will premier at the Venice Film Festival. The estate of the late singer said that producers have converted the 14-minute video, which was shot in 35mm, into a 3D version. The music video has not been re-edited. A documentary about the production of the original video will also be shown for the first time at the festival, which will take place from August 30 to September 9. – AP

Three boy scouts have died in a sailboat accident in a lake in Texas. The scouts were sailing in Lake O' the Pines east of Dallas when their catamaran got entangled with a low-lying power line. Two of the scouts, ages 16 and 17, were found dead a short distance from the boat. They apparently died of electrocution. A third scout, age 11, was rescued by another boat and later died in a hospital. – DN

Italian police have arrested a man in connection with the kidnapping of a British model. When the 20-year-old woman arrived at a studio in Milan for a photoshoot she was assaulted and drugged and later taken to a village in Turin where she was held prisoner. Her captor was Lukasz Pawel Herba, a Polish man who lived in Britain, police said. He had demanded a €300,000 ($352,000) ransom for the woman and threatened to sell her as a sex slave. Herba took the woman to the British consulate in Milan on July 17 and released her, according to local media reports. – REUTERS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) needs $275 million to keep Asian carps away from the Great Lakes. One Asian carp was found nine miles from Lake Michigan in June, stoking fears that this invasive species will spread in the Great Lakes, threatening a $7 billion fishing industry there. The CoE wants to overhaul a waterway that links Lake Michigan with the Mississippi river, where Asian carps have spread quickly, threatening the river’s ecosystem. – NPR

Mauritanians overwhelmingly voted in favor of changing their country’s flag in a referendum over the weekend. The new flag will include...

North Korea has vowed to retaliate against the U.S. in response to the U.N. decision to impose sanctions on the country. The sanctions are part of a resolution drafted by the U.S. government. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador in the U.N., said the resolution, which bans North Korea from exporting products worth $1 billion, was "the single largest economic sanctions package ever leveled against" Pyongyang. The state-run Korean Central News Agency issued a statement saying the sanctions were a plot by the U.S. to isolate the country. "We will make the U.S. pay by a thousand-fold for all the heinous crimes it commits against the state and people of this country," the statement said. – WAPO

The Israeli government has unveiled plans to ban the Qatari TV network Al Jazeera. The country wants to revoke the credentials of Al Jazeera TV journalists, close down the network’s Jerusalem bureau and pull the channel from cable and satellite TV rosters, Communications Minister Ayoub Kara said. Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are engaged in a diplomatic spat with Qatar and have accused Al Jazeera of sponsoring terrorism. "When we see that all these countries have determined as fact that Al-Jazeera is a tool of the Islamic State, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and we are the only one who have not determined that, then something delusional is happening here," Kara said. – REUTERS

A bear broke into a car in a driveway in Durango, Colorado, trashed the inside, released the parking break and let the vehicle roll down until it crashed into a mailbox. The bear pulled the steering wheel off the shaft, ripped the radio from the dashboard and broke the back window. When police arrived at the scene, they determined that a bear was to blame because it had defecated in the car. Durango officers have received some 200 calls from locals regarding bears and trash so far this year. – DURANGO

After being found guilty of fraud on Friday, former drug company executive Martin Shkreli boasted that the verdict was "an astounding victory." In a video posted on YouTube, he said: "I'm one of the richest New Yorkers there is, and after today's outcome it's going to stay that way." Shkreli was convicted of defrauding investors in two failed hedge funds but was acquitted of charges that he conspired to steal $11 million in assets from Retrophin, the pharma company he managed. Lawyers unconnected to the case told Reuters that Shkreli had shown no contrition in the internet video, which could prompt the judge to impose a harsher sentence. Shkreli was dubbed "the most hated man in America" by the media after he hiked the price of an HIV treatment by 5,000 percent in 2015. – REUTERS

The manufacturers of a ride that killed one person and injured seven others in Ohio last month said the accident was caused by corrosion. The ride’s Dutch manufacturer, KMG, issued a statement saying the thickness of a support beam had been reduced over the years due to corrosion. The ride was 18 years old. The accident happened on July 26 at the Ohio State Fair when a row of seats from the Fire Ball ride detached from the main structure and fell off while the ride was in motion. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there have been 22 fatalities associated with amusement attractions since 2010. – CNN

The Venezuelan government says it has thwarted an uprising after a group of men attacked an army base. President Nicolas Maduro said the country's security forces killed two attackers, wounded another and arrested seven people. Before storming a military base at 4 a.m. on Sunday, the attackers released a video on social media that showed a group of men wearing military fatigues and holding weapons. Their leader said they wanted the formation of a transitional government. Some 120 people have been killed in anti-government protests that started in late March. – GUARDIAN

Taliban and ISIS fighters jointly killed more than 50 men, women and children in Afghanistan this weekend, officials said. The incident occurred in Sayad, a remote district in the northern Sar-e Pul province. Many of the villagers were shot, but some were beheaded, said Zabihullah Amani, a spokesman for the regional government. "It was a joint operation by ISIL and Taliban fighters," Amani said. Taliban and ISIS battle each other for control of Afghanistan, but they have joined forces a few times in the past, a security analyst said. According to U.N. data, 1,662 civilians were killed and 3,581 injured in Afghanistan in the first half of the year. – ALJAZEERA

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame won a third term in office in an election on Friday. Kagame has been in power for 17 years and although he is credited with bringing stability and fostering economic growth following the 1994 genocide, he has also been accused of trying to impose a one-party regime. "This is another seven years to take care of issues that affect Rwandans and ensure that we become real Rwandans wh...

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Republican Senators have introduced a bill to slash legal immigration levels over the next decade. President Trump endorsed the bill during a presentation at the White House with Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue, who sponsored the legislation. Trump argues that years of immigration growth represent a threat to national security and that immigrants take jobs away from U.S. citizens. "This would be the most significant reform to the immigration system in half a century," he said. The bill would reduce the number of green cards granted annually by 50 percent, from more than 1 million at present. If approved, it would scrap the green card lottery program. – WAPO

Researchers have used a gene editing technique to modify the DNA of human embryos for the first time. The scientists successfully corrected a birth defect in two thirds of several dozen embryos used for the experiment. The development of the embryos was later cut short. Scientists think the technique could be used to prevent ailments like Huntington's disease and cystic fibrosis. However, any changes to the DNA made voluntarily or inadvertently will be passed down to future generations. David King, who heads Human Genetics Alert, said all governments should ban the creation of "cloned or GM babies, before it is too late." – NPR

Hyperloop One tested its high-speed transport system over the weekend by successfully firing a 28-foot long pod through a tube. The bus-like pod reached 192 mph in about 5 seconds. The system uses magnetic levitation to achieve high speeds inside a low-pressure tube. Elon Musk first unveiled his plans for the Hyperloop in August 2013 saying that he wanted to build a prototype for the system in three to four years. – VERGE

Baltimore’s public defender’s office says it has two videos that show how local police officers planted evidence last year. The case led to a drug arrest in November that was later dismissed for "suspected police misconduct," said Debbie Katz Levi, head of the city public defender's Special Litigation Section. Two officers involved in the incident are being investigated by the Internal Affairs Division of the Baltimore Police Department. Last month Baltimore City State's Attorney said that 34 cases that involved police officers under investigation for allegedly planting evidence will be dismissed. – CNN

President Donald Trump signed into law a bill imposing sanctions on Russia, but he expressed objections. The bill, which was approved by both chambers of Congress in a bipartisan effort, limits the President’s ability to make amendments to the legislation. "By limiting the Executive’s flexibility, this bill makes it harder for the United States to strike good deals for the American people, and will drive China, Russia, and North Korea much closer together," Trump said in a statement. He also said that some of the bill’s provisions are "clearly unconstitutional." The new sanctions seek to punish Russia for allegedly meddling in the presidential election. – WAPO

A low-oxygen area in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest dead zone ever recorded, scientists say. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the area is 8,776 square miles (22,720 square kilometers) in size, roughly as big as the state of New Jersey. The water there cannot sustain life because it does not have enough oxygen. The problem is caused by agricultural run-offs containing nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients trigger phytoplankton blooms that suck up oxygen from the water as they decompose. "Nutrient pollution, primarily from agriculture and developed land runoff in the Mississippi River watershed is continuing to affect the nation’s coastal resources and habitats in the Gulf," NOAA said. – AP

A fire broke out in Tokyo’s flagship fish market on Thursday. Some 44 fire trucks were deployed to fight the blaze at the Tsukiji fish market, a tourist hotspot in the Japanese capital. The fire hit restaurants outside the market but the indoor area where wholesalers stock their produce was spared. Tokyo plans to move Tsukiji from its current location to a man-made island. – REUTERS

The U.S. Air Force has launched a missile from California to show that the country has the means to defend itself and its allies against strikes. The intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) traveled some 4,200 miles to a test range area near the Marshall Islands. The test comes days after North Korea launched its second ICBM in less than a month. The U.S. has launched three other ICBMs this year from the Vandenberg base northwest of Santa Barbara. In May, the military also tested a ground-based interceptor that destroyed an ICBM launched from the Marshall Islands. – LAT

Brazil’s Congress has voted not to suspend President Michel Temer over a corruption investigation. The victory means that Temer will not, for the ti...

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enate Republicans want to overhaul the tax code without Democratic support. "I don’t think this is going to be 1986, when you had a bipartisan effort to scrub the code," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. Earlier this week, White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said he expected the House to pass a new tax code in October, and the Senate would ratify it in November. President Trump wants to cut corporate taxes to 15 percent from the current 35 percent, but Democratic senators oppose a tax reform that would increase the deficit or cut taxes for the wealthy. They warn that unless the tax reform is the result of a bipartisan effort it would collapse like the Obamacare repeal. – POLITICO

The Senate has confirmed Christopher Wray, a former Justice Department lawyer, as the new head of the FBI. The 50-year-old will replace James Comey, who was fired by President Donald Trump in May. Wray was confirmed by a 92-5 vote after the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously endorsed him for the job last month. During his confirmation hearing Wray said he would support special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation into Russia’s suspected meddling in the presidential election. – NPR

Around 30 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in a suicide attack on a Shi'ite mosque in Afghanistan. The attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber who detonated explosives and a second person who threw grenades at worshippers in the Jawadya mosque in Herat, a town near the border with Iran. The Taliban denied being behind the attack and no other group has claimed responsibility. Some 1,700 civilians have been killed in attacks in Afghanistan this year. – REUTERS

The first flower that ever existed had petals arranged in concentric cycles and was hermaphrodite, new research indicates. This primal flower probably lived some 140 million years ago and later evolved into at least 300,0000 species. "The petal-like parts and the stamens [male reproductive organs in a flower] were more numerous than in most living species, and were probably organized in multiple sets of three," said the study's lead author, Hervé Sauquet, from the University of Paris-Sud in France. To understand how this ancestral flower may have looked researchers analyzed the features of 792 living species of flowers. – AFP

The White House plans to impose trade measures against China. The U.S. Trade Representative may first launch an investigation into China’s trade practices, which could lead to import tariffs on Chinese products. Other measures could include trade sanctions and restrictions on the use of U.S. intellectual property. President Trump has repeatedly lashed out at China for not being more assertive toward North Korea. "I am very disappointed in China," he tweeted on Sunday. – HILL

New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker has introduced a bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level. The Marijuana Justice Act, as the bill is called, would scrap convictions for marijuana use and possession. The bill will likely be shelved by the Republican controlled Congress, but it has been applauded by legalization advocates. "This is the single most far-reaching marijuana bill that’s ever been filed in either chamber of Congress," Tom Angell, chairman of the group Marijuana Majority, said in a statement. – POLITICO

Jordan is set to repeal a law that allowed rapists to avoid punishment by marrying their victims and staying with them for at least three years. Lawmakers voted to scrap the law on Tuesday, a decision that needs to be ratified by the country’s Senate, so that it can be signed into law by King Abdullah II. Some lawmakers argued that the law should not be scrapped saying that marrying a rapist is a way of protecting the victim’s honor. Similar rape-marriage provisions are in place in Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, and Syria, as well as in several Latin American countries. – ALJAZEERA

Amazon plans to hire people on the spot today in a bid to fill in as many as 50,000 vacancies. The online retailer is hosting career fairs in 12 locations in the U.S., including Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee, Indiana and Ohio. The mass hiring is part of Amazon’s efforts to hire 100,000 workers by mid-2018. The starting wages for the jobs at the fulfillment centers range from $11.50 an hour at the Tennessee location to $13.75 an hour at the Washington site, AP reports. – FORTUNE

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was elected by Pakistan’s legislature as the country’s new prime minister, three days after Nawaz Sharif was forced to resign from the post. Abbasi, a former petroleum minister, is expected to hold the post on a temporary basis. Sharif has designated his younger brother Shahbaz as his successor, but he must first win a seat in the National Assembly in order to become prime minister. "Whether it's 45 days or 45 hours, I am the p...

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Venezuela’s security forces arrested two opposition leaders last night. Leopoldo Lopez and former Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma were taken from their homes, their families said on social media. "They’ve just taken Leopoldo from the house," Lopez’s wife Lilian Tintori said on Twitter. "We don’t know where he is or where they’re taking him." Both leaders have been critical of President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to overhaul the country’s constitution. In a move that critics described as a power grab, Maduro held a public vote on Sunday to elect the members of an assembly that could dissolve the opposition-controlled Congress. – AP

A new study indicates that the world only has a 5 percent chance of keeping temperatures from rising above the 2 °C limit agreed in the Paris accord. The study published in the journal Nature Climate Change looks at economic data, global emission trends and population growth. "If we want to avoid 2 °C, we have very little time left. The public should be very concerned," said lead author Adrian Raftery from the University of Washington. In the Paris accord, 195 countries agreed to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. – GUARDIAN

The 12 inmates that escaped from a prison in Alabama over the weekend used peanut butter to break free. They used it to paint a number on an exit door, tricking a guard who was inside a control room into thinking that the door led to a cell. The guard then unlocked the door believing that he was letting prisoners return to their cell and inadvertently allowed 12 prisoners to escape. "That may sound crazy, but these people are crazy like a fox," Walker County Sheriff Jim Underwood told reporters. All but one of the escapees have been recaptured. Brady Andrew Kilpatrick, who was in jail on drug possession charges, is still on the run. – WAPO

Los Angeles has reached a deal to hold the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. The agreement calls for Paris to host the 2024 games. As part of the deal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will contribute at least $1.8 billion to help Los Angeles organize the games. "LA 2028 will kick-start our drive to make LA the healthiest city in America, by making youth sports more affordable and accessible than ever before," Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. The IOC will officially announce which cities will hold the 2024 and 2028 summer games in September. – ESPN

The United States has hit Venezuela with more sanctions over President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to overhaul the country’s constitution. The sanctions freeze Maduro’s assets and ban American citizens from doing business with him. Only three other leaders have been directly sanctioned by the U.S. in the past: Syria’s Bashar Assad, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. "Maduro is not just a bad leader: He is now a dictator," said National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Washington may consider more sanctions, including suspending oil imports from Venezuela. – MH

Actor, director and dramatist Sam Shepard has died from complications from the neurodegenerative disease ALS at 73. Shepard directed many of the 40 plays he wrote. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for "Buried Child." Shepard also penned scripts for several films including "Paris, Texas," "Fool for Love" and "Simpatico." He made his acting debut in Bob Dylan's "Renaldo and Clara" and his acting career took off after he appeared in Terrence Malick’s "Days of Heaven" in 1978. He received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 1983’s "The Right Stuff." – HR

Poland has vowed to ignore an order from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) asking the country to stop logging its primary Bialowieza forest. The Polish government argues that loggers need to cut trees because the forest is suffering from a beetle outbreak. Environmentalists claim that the infestation is an excuse because most of the trees that have been cut down are healthy. The ECJ’s order is just a temporary ban while it considers the case. Bialowieza is a UNESCO World Heritage site. – REUTERS

Nearly 500 people appeared in court in Turkey to face accusations that they orchestrated a coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016. They have been charged with crimes including murder, violating the constitution and trying to kill Erdogan. Security forces arrested some 50,000 people after imposing a state of emergency following a failed coup that left some 300 people dead. – AFP

Vice President Mike Pence said that the U.S. “strongly condemns Russia’s occupation on Georgian soil” on Tuesday. He made the comments while visiting Georgia and speaking alongside the country’s Prime Minister. “We will reject any claim at any time by any nation that undermines this enduring prin...

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North Korea carried out another missile test on Friday. "I can confirm that we detected a launch of a ballistic missile from North Korea. We are assessing and will have more information soon," a Pentagon spokesman said. It’s not clear whether or not the projectile was an intercontinental ballistic missile. In early July, North Korea tested a missile that could potentially reach the U.S. mainland. This story is developing. – WAPO

The Republican leadership in the Senate failed to rally enough votes to approve the "skinny repeal" of Obamacare last night. GOP Senators John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins voted against the measure, as did 48 Democratic Senators. McCain said the health care bill should be sent back to committee so that Republican and Democratic lawmakers produce a bipartisan "bill that finally delivers affordable health care for the American people." Trump said on Twitter that the Senators who voted against the bill "let the American people down." – CNN

Amazon’s sales increased by nearly 25 percent in the second quarter, but its profits fell by 77 percent due to heavy spending. Amazon’s operating expenses increased by 28.2 percent to $37.33 billion in the second quarter. Most of the increased spending was aimed at boosting growth in countries like India and on video content. Amazon has signaled that it will continue spending heavily. It’s in the process of buying Whole Foods and has announced plans to create 130,000 full-time and part-time jobs. – REUTERS

Salvadoran security forces have arrested 442 suspected members of the Mara Salvatrucha youth gang. They will be charged with kidnapping and being part of a terrorist organization, the Salvadoran Attorney General’s office said. The suspected criminals were arrested this week, while U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was visiting the Central American country to coordinate crime fighting-efforts with the Salvadoran government. Sessions said the Salvatrucha are a major threat to public safety in the United States. The gang, also known as MS-13, originated in Los Angeles, but is active throughout Central America. – AP

Scientists have found inspiration in the slime secreted by a slug to develop a new adhesive for surgery and wound healing. When it's under threat, the Arion subfuscus seeps a goo that allows it to attach itself to surfaces. "The defensive mucus turns out to be very sticky and also very strong and highly stretchable," says Jianyu Li, a materials scientist with Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. "That kind of inspired us." Li and her colleagues combined similar ingredients to those found in the slug mucus with a flexible gel to create an adhesive that could be used to help repair human organs. Their study has been published in the journal Science. – NPR

U.S. lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill that will allow the Trump administration to spend $1.6 billion to build a wall along the Mexican border. Republican lawmakers included the spending on the wall in a so-called “minibus bill” that contains appropriation measures for several agencies like the Pentagon, the legislative branch, the military and Veterans Affairs. The $658 billion bill will finance additional fighter jets, ships, helicopters and troops for the military. – CNN

A jury in Los Angeles has ordered the estate of Michael Jackson to pay Quincy Jones $9.4 million. The jury found that MJJ Productions, a record label administered by Jackson’s estate and Sony Music, had underpaid royalties and production fees to Jones. The music producer sued MJJ Productions for re-editing and reissuing the singer’s music without his approval. Jones began collaborating with Jackson in 1978 and later worked with the singer on some of his most successful albums: "Off The Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad". Jackson’s estate said it plans to appeal the verdict. – NPR

Russia has ordered the U.S. to cut the number of diplomats working in the country and said it would seize two U.S. diplomatic properties. The measures were announced shortly after the U.S. Senate ratified economic sanctions against Russia that were approved by the House earlier this week. The sanctions need to be signed into law by President Donald Trump before going into effect. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his government would retaliate if the sanctions are implemented. – CBS

Starbucks will close all of its 379 Teavana stores and lay off 3,300 employees as it shifts its focus to China. The company said Teavana is struggling, in part because many of its outlets are located in shopping malls that have been shunned by shoppers in recent months. Starbucks said it will spend $1.3 billion to acquire the remaining 50 percent of its joint venture business in China. The company has 2,800 stores in China but aims to operate 5,000 stores there by 2021. – CT

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Electronics manufacturer Foxconn plans to invest $10 billion in a new manufacturing plant in Wisconsin, the company said on Wednesday. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said the factory would create 13,000 jobs, but Foxconn said it would be hiring some 3,000 workers over the next four years. Foxconn supplies parts to leading gadget manufacturers including Apple, Google and Amazon. The company employs some 1.2 million people, and most of its factories are in regions where labor costs are low, such as Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. – WAPO

Starting in 2040, Britain will ban the sale of new vehicles running on oil and diesel. The ban will only apply to conventional vehicles powered by a combustion engine, not to hybrids. Only about 5 percent of new cars registered in the UK are electric. Several European countries are trying to promote “green cars” by granting buyers subsidies and tax cuts, while increasing driving and parking restrictions on vehicles running on combustion engines. France last month said that it will not allow the sale of hydrocarbon vehicles from 2040. – REUTERS

Two Russian pranksters tricked U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry into believing that he was talking with Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. During a phone conversation that lasted 22 minutes, Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov told Perry that Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko had mixed pig manure and home-brewed alcohol to develop a new type of biofuel. Speaking through a translator, Perry discussed a number of issues with the pranksters, including coal exports to Ukraine and President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate deal. – GUARDIAN

The U.S. has imposed further sanctions on Venezuela, freezing the accounts of 13 current and former government officials. The measures aim to prevent Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from forging ahead with plans to rewrite the country's constitution. On Sunday, voters are scheduled to elect some of the members of an assembly that will be tasked with writing a new constitution. The opposition says Maduro’s goal is to write a new constitution that would allow him to amass more power. Venezuela has been rattled by more than three months of anti-government protests in which some 100 people have died. The Trump administration threatened Caracas with banning its oil exports to the United States, the OPEC member’s biggest oil client. – MH

A measure to repeal Obamacare was rejected in a 45-55 vote in the Senate on Wednesday. Seven Republican Senators voted against the bill. The repeal called for a two-year transition period to give Republicans time to design new healthcare legislation. GOP Senator Rob Portman, who voted against the bill, said: "I didn't think repeal only was appropriate because it didn't provide for those people who are stuck in the status quo." He said the House should continue working on a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. – CNN

Novak Djokovic will take a long break from tennis to recover from an elbow injury. The player will miss the rest of the 2017 season, he said on his website. His break will include "at least" a couple of months without a racket. Djokovic, 30, said he wants to build up his body and strength during his break in a bid to continue playing for at least five years. The Serbian player has won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, including two US Opens. He has played in all Grand Slam titles since the 2005 Australian Open. – CBS

A U.S. judge has doubled a fine imposed on Apple for using patented technology developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Apple was ordered to pay $234 million in damages to the school in 2015, but the fine has now been increased to $506 million because Apple continued infringing on the patent after the ruling, the judge found. According to the original ruling, Apple used the patented technology developed by the university to build chips for the iPhone and the iPad. Apple is reportedly appealing the new ruling. – VERGE

After robbing a bank in Florida, a man stripped naked and walked down the street throwing money around. Claiming that he had a gun, Alexander Hayden Sperber, 25, stole $7,500 from a bank in Fort Lauderdale. He then stripped naked and walked down the street throwing notes around. According to court documents, after being arrested by police, doctors examined the suspect and found him to be "conscious, coherent and uninjured." Sperber said he hoped the stunt would help him launch a career as a comedian, the FBI said. – NBC

One person was killed and seven others were injured when a fun fair ride broke apart at the Ohio State Fair. One of the injured is in serious condition while two others are in critical condition. The Fire Ball, as the ride is known, rises some 40 feet up while it spins, and it was in motion when the accident occurred. At least two people were t...