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Dubai police drive 700-hp Lamborghini Aventador, because a Taurus doesn’t cut it Dubai remains a city known for its wealth; built off the back of the oil industry, it now flourishes in tourism, real estate, and financial services. All that cash floating around evidently means one thing: lawbreakers drive highly expensive, fast cars. So, in response, the Dubai Police Department added an even faster car to its fleet – a 700-hp Lamborghini Aventador.

A decorated veteran took quite a risk in getting his new friend from the sandbox to the litter box. And along the way, Staff Sgt. Jesse Knott found an unlikely ally in his elaborate plan to evacuate his adopted cat from the war zone in Afghanistan. In an interview with KPTV, Knott explains that he met his pet cat, Koshka, at his base of operations inside the war-torn country. Koshka was a stray cat, serving a practical purpose as the unofficial mouse catcher. At first glance, Koshka was the "purrfect" weapon.

Some children living in the U.S. Southeast have a rare meat allergy linked to tick bites, according to a new study. Bites from ticks, usually lone star ticks, cause the body to become allergic to a protein called alpha-gal — which also happens to be found in some mammals, including cows, pigs and sheep, the researchers said. When people who have been bitten develop this allergy, and then eat meat from these animals, they can experience hives, swelling, or more rarely, a life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.

If these photos are anything to go by this Valentine's Day then opposites really do attract. From cats cuddling dogs, to bunny hugs between kittens and rabbits - its enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. The heartwarming shots were all taken by animal photographer Mark Taylor.

-excerpt- ...customs officials at Duesseldorf airport found the check in Tahmasb Mazaheri's luggage Jan. 21 upon his arrival from Turkey.

France’s president, François Hollande paid a triumphant visit to this ancient city on Saturday, receiving a rapturous welcome from thousands of people who gathered next to a 14th-century mosque to dance, play drums and chant “Vive la France!” The muezzin, whose singing calls residents to pray five times a day, wore a scarf in the colors of the French flag as he shouted, “Vive Hollande!

-excerpt- The agency said she was found with a head wound and a blanket near her body. She was wearing jeans, a jumper and a jacket, and still had her earrings and a bracelet.

Turkish news reports say an explosion in front of the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara has injured several people.

CNN chief national correspondent John King could be ousted from the network in favour of new Chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper, MailOnline can reveal. King, 49, has already moved out of his office to make way for Tapper, 43, who was poached by new CNN boss Jeff Zucker from ABC. And now sources have revealed that King has not signed a new contract - and has instead signed an extension to his existing deal, leaving his future at the network unclear.

Just funny & cute

Israel conducted a rare airstrike inside Syria near the border with Lebanon, hitting a convoy of trucks, foreign officials said Wednesday, amid fears President Bashar Assad's regime is providing weapons to the Islamic militant group Hezbollah.

North Korean parents 'eating their own children' after being driven mad by hunger in famine-hit pariah state A starving man in North Korea has been executed after murdering his two children for food, reports from inside the secretive state claim. A 'hidden famine' in the farming provinces of North and South Hwanghae is believed to have killed up to 10,000 people and there are fears that incidents of cannibalism have risen. The grim story is just one to emerge as residents battle starvation after a drought hit farms and shortages were compounded by party officials confiscating food. Undercover reporters from...

-excerpt- Major Gerson da Rosa Ferreira, overseeing rescue efforts at the scene for the military police, told reporters that 159 bodies had already been identified and removed from the nightclub in the southern city of Santa Maria.

-excerpt- As far as the Islamic Republic is concerned, anti-Americanism may be even more important than professing Islam. This is why Tehran has forged close ties with the handful of regimes across the globe that, each for a reason of its own, shares that visceral hatred of the US. -exceprt- In the dispute over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, Iran supported Christian Armenia against Shia Muslim Azerbaijan. The reason was Armenia's close ties with Russia, while Azerbaijan had become an ally of the US and established full diplomatic ties with Israel. What mattered for the Khomeinist regime was not Islam but...

When thinking of Canada, I strongly doubt that the first thing to pop into most people's heads would be "bastion of political conservatism". Yet in this liberal country, prime minister Stephen Harper has carved out an impressive reputation as one of the world's most successful centre-right leaders. Through two minority Tory governments (2006 and 2008), and since May 2011 at the head of a majority government, Harper has balanced strong leadership with a confident domestic and foreign policy agenda. Canada may be a middle power, but our prime minister will accept nothing less than a seat at the top table.

CNET, one of the Internet's first and most influential authorities on gadgets and tech news, watched its editorial integrity spiral out of control Monday, with staffers quitting and editors left to explain themselves in the wake of explosive new charges over its annual Consumer Electronics Show awards — a scandal, it would appear, that goes all the way to the top of its corporate umbrella, and could shake the entire ecosystem of online tech journalism.

-excerpt- ... radiology film up 240 percent; helium gas for MRIs up 667 percent; filters for kidney dialysis up 325 percent. The cost of one round of chemotherapy for cancer has reached 200 million rials, or $65,000, from 800 million rials, or $25,000, last year.

-excerpt- Hagel did not cosponsor the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007, which urged the president to designate the Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group; 72 senators, including Obama, Biden, and Kerry, cosponsored the bill. In July 2001, the Senate overwhelmingly extended the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act, which requires the president to "penalize" foreign companies that invest more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector. The extension passed 96-2. Hagel voted against it along with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar -excerpt- In August 2008, Hagel opposed the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act

-excerpt- "We hope there will be practical changes in American foreign policy and that Washington becomes respectful of the rights of nations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said at his weekly news conference, Iran's IRIB news website reported. He was answering a question about Hagel's views on Israel and U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The New York Post reports that Eric Boswell, the assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, has not resigned from the department, as a State Department spokeswoman indicated Dec. 19. Boswell is instead just "switching desks," according to the report. Three other State Department officials, including Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary responsible for embassy security, were placed on administrative leave after the release of the report. However, according to the Post they are expected to return

Dozens of people have been killed and many wounded in a government air strike on a bakery in Syria's central Hama province, opposition activists say. The incident took place in Halfaya, a town recently captured by rebels. If activists' reports of 90 deaths are confirmed, this would be one of the deadliest air strikes of the civil war.

Snapshots from a secret state: Panoramic pictures of North Koreans at work and play give an extraordinary glimpse of everyday life Award-winning photographer David Guttenfelder makes frequent trips to notoriously secretive North Korea trying to capture the country as accurately as possible for outsiders. Here he describes capturing this set of photos which offer a rare glimpse into the everyday life of its citizens... My window on North Korea is sometimes, quite literally, a window - of a hotel room, the backseat of a car, a train. Fleeting moments of daily life present themselves suddenly, and they are opportunities to...

The Honourable Vic Toews, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, today announced that the Government of Canada has made changes to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities. “The list of terrorist entities sends a strong message that Canada will not tolerate terrorist activities, including terrorist financing, or those who support such activities,” said Minister Toews. “That is why Canada has made the principled decision to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Qods Force to the list.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Qods Force is the clandestine branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for extraterritorial operations, and for exporting...

Richard Engel has reportedly gone missing in Syria, with the NBC News foreign correspondent out of touch since last Thursday. Reports of EngelÂ’s disappearance have come from Turkish news sources, which also note that a Turkish journalist working with Engel, Aziz AkyavaÅŸ, has also gone missing. Engel had been reporting on the ongoing conflict between rebels and forces backing President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia introduced a new law broadening the definition of treason on Wednesday, alarming opponents who say Vladimir Putin will use it to silence his critics and that almost anyone in contact with foreigners will be at risk. The legislation allows Russians representing international organizations to be charged with treason, as well as those working for foreign states and bodies, and expands the range of actions that can be considered treasonous.

Paula Broadwell, the author who allegedly had an affair with former CIA Director David Petraeus, is suspected of storing significant amounts of military documents, including classified material, at her home, potentially in violation of federal law. A source familiar with case told ABC News that Broadwell admitted to the FBI she took the documents from secure government buildings. The government demanded that they all be given back, and when federal agents descended on her North Carolina home on Monday night it was a pre-arranged meeting.

-excerpt- Kelley alerted the FBI about the emails that appeared to be an attempt to blackmail Petraeus, which started the investigation, said the sources, who are close friends of the Petraeuses. In addition, the threatening emails might not have come from biographer Paula Broadwell, as widely reported. Kelley, a Tampa, Fla. resident who is married with three children, and sister Natalie are close friends of the Petraeus' and spent holidays together. And she was not having an affair with the retired, four-star Army general, sources close to the family tell Fox News.

-excerpt- No votes will be counted until Election Day but several battleground states are releasing the party affiliation of people who have voted early

FOLLOWING a harrowing three-day hearing at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Iran Tribunal delivered its interim judgment on October 27th. According to the tribunal, which has no legal standing, the Islamic Republic of Iran committed crimes against humanity and gross violations of human rights against its citizens during “the bloody decade” of 1980s. The tribunal was set up in 2007 by survivors and families of victims living in exile and comprises leading jurists from around the world. It heard statements from experts and witnesses on how the Islamic Republic systematically crushed political and religious dissent in the decade...

Rep. Chaffetz: ..."in my meeting with Gen. Ham, I asked very specifically, "did we have resources in the area?" the asnswer is "Yes", "Did we have proximity?", the answer is "Yes". And asked why we didn't send in some of those assets, the General said he was not requested to do so." -excerpt- "Was he directed by the President or the Sec'ty of Defence, he said "No""

The woman named “Democrat of The Year” this year by the Jefferson County Democratic Party has been convicted of felony theft by a Jefferson County jury for stealing from a developmentally disabled 71-year-old woman. -excerpt- Nearly as bothersome as the theft itself to Maxwell and other supporters of the victim, is the fact the Jefferson County Democratic Party was made aware of the ongoing criminal investigation and honored Carson anyway.

A diminished but resilient al-Qaida, whose 9/11 attacks drew America into its longest war, is attempting a comeback in Afghanistan's mountainous east even as U.S. and allied forces wind down their combat mission and concede a small but steady toehold to the terrorist group.

-Excerpt- Nearly 14,000 patients may have received the fungus-contaminated shots distributed by the New England Compounding Pharmacy in Framingham, Mass., since May. -Excerpt- A second pharmacy connected to the NECC is also being investigated. Ameridose LLC said on Friday that it has agreed to extend a temporary shutdown while state and federal regulators continue an investigation into the company. Ameridose, based in Westborough, Mass., shares some common ownership with NECC. Investigators launched an investigation on Oct. 10.

A huge car bomb exploded in a street in central Beirut during rush hour on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding about 80, witnesses and officials said. It was not immediately clear if the explosion targeted any political figure in Lebanon's divided community but it occurred at a time of heightened tension between Lebanese factions on opposite sides of the Syria conflict. The bomb exploded in the street where the office of the anti-Damascus Christian Phalange Party is located near Sassine Square in Ashafriyeh, a mostly Christian area.

The number of U.S. deaths from fungal meningitis linked to potentially contaminated steroid injections rose to 19 with confirmation of two new fatalities in Tennessee and one each in Florida and Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The deadly outbreak of the rare disease showed no signs of abating, as 14 new cases of meningitis were reported, bringing the national total to 245, plus two peripheral infections in joints.

In a country of limits, it is the restriction that many Cubans hate the most: the exit visa that the government requires for travel abroad, discouraging all but the favored or fortunate from leaving the island. Now that bureaucratic barrier is on its way out. The Cuban government announced on Tuesday that it would terminate the exit visa requirement by Jan. 14, possibly letting many more Cubans depart for vacations, or forever, with only a passport and a visa from the country where they plan to go.

Was it some moldy ceiling tiles? The dusty shoes of a careless employee? Or did the contamination ride in on one of the ingredients? There are lots of ways fungus could have gotten inside the Massachusetts compounding pharmacy whose steroid medication has been linked to a lethal outbreak of a rare fungal form of meningitis. The outbreak has killed at least 15 people and sickened more than 200 others in 15 states. Nearly all the victims had received steroid injections for back pain. Federal and state investigators have been tight lipped about any problems they may have seen at the...

The recall of peanut butter and other nut products linked to an outbreak of salmonella from a New Mexico food company has now been expanded to include raw and roasted peanuts.

-excerpt- "...bribed baggage handlers at John F. Kennedy International Airport concealed cocaine on commercial jets inside sensitive wing assembly compartments."

Another 19 people have been diagnosed with fungal meningitis linked to possibly tainted vials of a steroid medication, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 231. The CDC said there were two additional cases of infection in joints after a steroid injection but these were not confirmed as meningitis, bringing the total of infections nationwide to 233. The death toll from the unprecedented outbreak was unchanged at 15, the CDC said.

-excerpt- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the outbreak has now sickened 197 people in a 13 states.

-excerpt- Per the notice filed with the US Food and Drug Administration, the recall includes 282,000 cases. Boxes included in the recall have the letters “KB,” “AP” or “FK” before or after the “Best Before” date.

Police carried out raids across France on Saturday after DNA on a grenade that exploded last month at a kosher grocery store led them to a suspected jihadist cell of young Frenchmen recently converted to Islam

The plot thickened Wednesday in the heist of a big dollop of Quebec's strategic maple-syrup reserve. The Canadian province's maple syrup-producers' trade group said Quebec police appear to have found some of the syrup it reported missing just over a month ago. The syrup group said police informed it that authorities seized more than $1.4 million worth of the sticky stuff in neighboring New Brunswick.

-excerpt- All received steroid injections, mostly for back pain, a fairly typical treatment.

-excerpt- New Mexico-based Sunland Inc. has expanded its recall of peanut butter and almond butter to include cashew butters, tahini and blanched and roasted peanut products. -excerpt- In addition to Trader Joe's, the recall over the past week has included some nut butters and nut products sold at Whole Foods Market, Target, Safeway, Fresh & Easy, Harry and David, Sprouts, Heinen's, Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, Giant Food of Landover, Md., and several other stores. -excerpt- Some of the brand names included in the recall are Target's Archer Farms, Safeway's Open Nature, Earth Balance, Fresh & Easy, Late July, Heinen's,...

-excerpt- Annie Dookhan, 34, of Franklin, was arrested Friday in a burgeoning investigation that has already led to the shutdown of a state drug lab, the resignation of the state's public health commissioner and the potential upending of thousands of criminal cases.

-excerpt- ...when he meets people, "I'm asking two minutes later, 'Who was that?' "When my friends call and leave me a message ... I'll read it and delete it before I respond and then I forget who called and left me a message," he added

-excerpt- According to several reports from many sources, the two sides have agreed to the details of a multi-year collective bargaining agreement that will bring the real officials back from their lockout and on the field for Thursday night's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.

The grocery store chain Trader Joe's is recalling peanut butter that has been linked to 29 salmonella illnesses in 18 states.