Beccawers Land

On the home page of Argentina's largest Jewish community center is a counter that keeps track of the "days of impunity" since a bomb ripped through the organization's central building, causing it to collapse and leaving 85 dead amid the rubble.

On Thursday, 7,689 days since the 1994 attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, former President Carlos Menem, a former top judge and several others will go on trial for allegedly derailing the investigation.

Prosecutors have accused Iranian officials of being behind the bombing. But no one has been convicted in this South American country's worst terrorist attack, which many Argentines believe has come to symbolize an inept and corrupt justice system that operates at the whims of politicians and can be bought off.

"After 21 years of no justice, deception and defrauding the families (of victims), we hope that the truth will emerge about everyone who plotted to cover up and derail the investigation," said Olga Degtiar, whose son was killed in the blast.

The 13 facing charges include two former prosecutors, a former top intelligence official, former police officers, a Jewish community leader and a mechanic who owned the truck carrying the explosives. The charges carry between three and 15 years.

The trial, expected to go on for months, will focus on how and why Menem and the others might have wanted to bury the initial investigation. Testimony will likely delve into geopolitics of the 1990s, and even into Menem's Syrian ancestry and how that might have influenced him.

Menem, whose parents immigrated to Argentina from Syria, was president between 1989 and 1999. Since 2005, the now 85-year-old has been a senator representing La Rioja province, where he was born.

Argentine authorities have long accused Iran and the militant group Hezbollah of being behind the attack. To this day, several Iranian officials are on Interpol's red alert list, though the Middle Eastern country has always denied involvement.

Prosecutor Sabrina Namer is expected to argue that former Judge Juan Jose Galeano, on orders from Menem, stopped investigating a "Syrian trail" that involved Syrian-born Alberto Kanoore Edul. Edul was detained when authorities discovered he had telephoned Carlos Telledin, a mechanic who owned the truck that carried the explosives, days before the attack.

Edul, whose parents had a personal relationship with the Menem family, was also suspected because he had a planner that included the phone number of Moshen Rabbani, at the time the cultural attache at the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires.

Prosecutors have accused Rabbani of masterminding the attack and continue to seek his extradition. Edul, who died in 2010, denied involvement.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Galeano denied that he received any orders from Menem. He said Edul wasn't investigated further because there was no hard evidence against him.

Calls to Menem's lawyers seeking comment were not returned.

Another central part of the cover-up charges involve the 1996 payment of $400,000 to Telleldin, at the time the only person detained in connection with the bombing. Galeano negotiated the payment, which came from funds from the now defunct Secretary of State Intelligence spy agency.

The stated reason behind the money was to persuade Telleldin to tell authorities to whom he had given the truck. Telleldin implicated several police officers of the Buenos Aires province, a force that at the time was largely discredited in the midst of several corruption scandals.

A dozen officers were detained and went on trial in 2001. The case dragged on, then after three years a mistrial was declared on the grounds that the payment to Telleldin had influenced his testimony. The 19 people on trial, including Telleldin and the officers, were absolved. Telleldin and some of the officers have been charged in the cover-up trial.

Galeano told the AP the payment was a bad decision, but said that at the time authorities were desperate to solve the case.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that a wing piece that washed up on Reunion Island last week is from the missing MalaysiaAirlines Flight 370. However, French, U.S. and Australian authorities stopped short of full confirmation, frustrating relatives with mixed messages.

A guide to the biggest aviation mystery's latest twists.

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NAJIB'S STATEMENT

Past midnight in Kuala Lumpur, Najib appeared at a news conference announcing that the metal wing piece known as the flaperon that washed ashore on the French island of Reunion in the western Indian Ocean has been confirmed to belong to Flight 370 — making it the first part of the aircraft that has been found since the plane vanished on March 8, 2014, with 239 people aboard while on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

"We now have physical evidence that, as I announced on 24th March last year, flight MH370 tragically ended in the southern Indian Ocean," Najib said.

He said he hoped that this confirmation, "however tragic and painful, will at least bring certainty to the families and loved ones of the 239 people onboard MH370."

In a separate statement, Malaysia Airlines said the conclusion was reached in Toulouse, France, by the French agency that investigates air crashes, known as the BEA, the Malaysian investigation team, a technical representative from China — where most of the passengers are from — and the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau.

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OTHERS MORE CAUTIOUS

At a news conference in Paris, Deputy Prosecutor Serge Mackowiak didn't outright confirm that the debris belonged to Flight 370, but said there were strong indications that it was the case.

"The very strong conjectures are to be confirmed by complementary analysis that will begin tomorrow morning," Mackowiak said. "The experts are conducting their work as fast as they can in order to give complete and reliable information as quickly as possible."

The Australian government, which leads the seabed search for wreckage west of Australia, said that "based on high probability, it is MH370."

Privately, however, there were questions about why Najib had moved forward with the statement before all officials had agreed. An Australian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly, said Malaysia wasn't supposed to make the announcement, and had gone out on its own making a conclusive statement before getting the evidence to back it up.

A U.S. official familiar with the investigation said the flaperon clearly is from a Boeing 777. However, a team of experts in France examining the part hadn't yet been able to find anything linking it specifically to the missing plane, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because there was no authorization to talk publicly about the case.

With no other 777s or flaperons known to be missing, it makes sense that the part comes from Flight 370, but the U.S. and Boeing team members are merely trying "to be precise," the official said.

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RELATIVES' ANGUISH

The mixed messages only added to the relatives' frustrations.

"Why the hell do you have one confirm and one not?" asked Christchurch, New Zealand, resident Sara Weeks, whose brother Paul Weeks was aboard the flight.

"Why not wait and get everybody on the same page so the families don't need to go through this turmoil?" she said.

Residents of Saipan were without water and electricity and were rationing gasoline four days after Typhoon Soudelor hit the most populated island in the U.S. territory of the Northern Marianas.

The typhoon hit Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Sunday, knocking out electricity on the 48-square-mile island. About 50,000 people live on the commonwealth's four populated islands, with most of them living on Saipan, which took the brunt of the storm.

Nearby Tinian got some damage, while Rota was spared, said Gregorio Kilili Camcacho Sablan, the commonwealth's delegate to U.S. Congress. As for Pagan, "No idea," he said. "I have no way to contact Pagan."

Ten generators were being shipped from Guam to power water pumps in Saipan, but the harbor was closed Thursday because of a listing boat that was half underwater, Sablan said. Restoring power could take a month or two, he said.

"I haven't seen a storm like this in 20 years," Sablan said. "Unfortunately, the resources we have are hardly enough to get things up."

The storm battered the island with wind speeds between 100 mph and 120 mph when it hit Sunday night, the National Weather Service said. The eye of the typhoon was moving west, heading to Taiwan. It was about 740 miles east-southeast of Taipei on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

In an area that's used to typhoons, Sablan said he and others were expecting it to pass with maybe 80-mph winds.

But the typhoon was significantly more powerful and devastated the island, toppling homes and snapping wooden electricity poles, said Glen Hunter, who has lived on Saipan for 40 years and owns a cafe.

"A lot of the damage is widespread," he said. "Big swatches of places where houses were just devastated, side by side."

He described watching neighbors cobble together makeshift shelters so "they can huddle together."

That there were no reports of deaths or serious injury "seems almost impossible," Hunter said.

More than 500 people on Saipan were in shelters, the Red Cross said. Part of a disaster relief team arrived Thursday, said Krislyn Yano, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross in Hawaii. Some volunteers from Guam and the U.S. mainland are standing by to assist.

There had been a $20-per-vehicle limit on buying gasoline, which meant motorists could buy only about four gallons, Hunter said, noting that some easily burned through the limit while waiting in long lines at the pumps. On Thursday, that limit was increased to $50, Sablan said.

Gov. Eloy Inos was on vacation visiting his children on the U.S. mainland, Sablan said. "He's doing everything he can to come back home. ... He's very anxious," Sablan said.

But Sablan said he told Inos to stay put: "Just remain there. Things here aren't necessarily working."

Lt. Gov. Ralph Torres, who is acting governor, sent a letter to the White House requesting emergency disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"I am in contact with senior officials at the White House," Sablan said. "They have red-flagged this request and are doing everything they can do expedite it."

Hunter said he was growing frustrated with the lack of aid. "Handouts of any type that you would normally see associated with a natural disaster have been nonexistent," he said.

But by Thursday morning, he said he was feeling hopeful.

"I'm banking on as the sun rises today, and as the day starts out, some of those relief efforts will start falling into place," Hunter said.

Families aching for closure after their relatives disappeared aboardMalaysia Airlines Flight 370 last year vented their deep frustration Thursday at conflicting signals from Malaysia and France over whether the finding of a plane part had been confirmed.

"Why the hell do you have one confirm and one not?" asked Christchurch, New Zealand, resident Sara Weeks, whose brother Paul Weeks was aboard the flight that disappeared March 8, 2014 with 239 people aboard while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

"Why not wait and get everybody on the same page so the families don't need to go through this turmoil?" she said.

Malaysia's prime minister announced overnight that a plane wing section found on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean was "conclusively confirmed" to be from Flight 370, saying he hoped the news would end "unspeakable" uncertainty. The announcement was in line with the Malaysian conclusion that the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all aboard.

But French officials with custody of the wing part said only that there were strong indications the barnacle-encrusted part — known as a "flaperon" — was from the flight and that they would work further to try to confirm the finding Thursday.

"After 17 months, we need definite answers," Weeks said. "We need to progress, get answers, move toward further answers, and get some closure along the line."

About two-thirds of the passengers were from China, and in the Chinese capital, Xu Jinghong said she could not understand why Malaysian and French authorities did not make their announcement together.

"I am very angry — so angry that my hands and feet are cold," Xu, 41, said in an interview during the early hours of Thursday outside her home in downtown Beijing. "The announcement was made without experts from France present. I don't understand how the procedure can be like this."

The announcement overnight by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak would appear to give the first strong physical evidence of a crash, which could put to rest several theories that many relatives have refused to rule out, including that the plane and its passengers were hijacked and intact in some still-secret location.

Irene Burrows, the 85-year-old mother of missing Australian passenger Rod Burrows, who was lost with his wife Mary, said in interview last year that she didn't expect the mystery of MH370's disappearance to be solved in her lifetime. She said at the time: "All I just want is a bit of the plane. It's all I want to know — where they are."

For her, Thursday's confirmation was a simple wish come true.

"We're quite pleased that it's been found," she said from her home in Biloela in Australia's northeast.

However, for many relatives, any potential certainty was diluted by the word from Paris, where Deputy Prosecutor Serge Mackowiak said the "very strong conjectures" that the wing part was from Flight 370 still needed to be "confirmed by complementary analysis" that would begin later Thursday.

It was unclear whether the mix-up was a result of miscommunication between the two countries, differing notions of the burden of proof or whether Malaysian officials were overeager to send out some definitive signal for relatives of the missing.

In any case, a full confirmation of the wing part wasn't likely to bring total closure for relatives, with the rest of the plane and the bodies still missing.

A pro-democracy foundation run by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has shut down its 13-year-old electoral observation office in Venezuela as the South American country gears up for closely watched legislative elections.

In a monthly report on Venezuela's political outlook published Wednesday, the Carter Center said it closed its Caracas office May 31 to concentrate its limited resources in other countries that have solicited its help. It said it would continue to monitor events from the center's headquarters in Atlanta.

The Carter Center has been a frequent observer of elections in Venezuela and it mediated talks between the socialist government and opposition following a 2002 coup that briefly unseated then President Hugo Chavez.

But members of the Venezuelan opposition have long viewed its activities and access to the government with mistrust, a sentiment reflected in hard-liners' celebration of its departure on social media. Particularly irksome was the center's validation of a 2004 recall referendum won by Chavez amid complaints that the process leading up to the vote heavily favored the government and his 2012 declaration that Venezuela's election process was the "best in the world."

The Carter Center's departure comes as pressure is building on President Nicolas Maduro to invite outside observers for the important December legislative election that already has some on both sides talking of fraud by their opponents.

For the first time in years, the opposition is heavily favored to win control of the National Assembly as voters fed up with triple-digit inflation, widespread food shortages and spiraling crime seek to punish the government. An opposition victory would likely set the stage for a recall vote against Maduro before his six-year-term ends in 2019.

The opposition accuses the government of trying to gain unfair advantage and abusing its authority by disqualifying the candidacies of several prominent critics and removing the leadership of a major party in its Democratic Unity alliance.

In turn Maduro charges that the opposition is hiding behind the cloak of democracy all the while preparing to disavow any unfavorable outcome and conspiring with the U.S. to oust him from power. The president has said repeatedly he will respect any ballot result but doesn't fear defeat since his side has won all but a single national election since Chavez kicked off the revolution 16 years ago.

"Venezuela isn't monitored and won't be monitored by anyone," Maduro snapped at journalists during a visit to the United Nations in New York last week when asked whether he would allow international observers.

The Organization of American States and European Union have both expressed interest in sending missions for the December vote and U.S. officials are also pushing for outside scrutiny to bolster acceptance of the results as a step in resolving the country's economic and political crisis. So far, Venezuelan authorities have only invited the less-experienced Union of South America Nations to observe the vote.

The political analyst joined the show last year.

"Having worked with her for most of the last year, you know the warmth, smarts, and professionalism she has brought to the job every day," executive producer Bill Wolff wrote in a note shared with show's staff today. "She will always be a friend of our show, and I know you join me in wishing her only the best."

Wallace, 43, previously worked as the communications chief for George W. Bush and as a senior adviser for John McCain's presidential campaign. She's also a published author.

In addition to Wallace, Rosie Perez will also not be returning after this season.

However, it was recently announced that next season, comedian Michelle Collins will join Whoopi Goldberg and Raven-Symone on the "View" panel.

Toxicology tests show a convicted killer who escaped from prison and was on the loose for three weeks was drunk when he was fatally shot by border patrol agents who tracked him down in a forest, authorities said Wednesday.

The additional autopsy results indicated Richard Matt had a blood alcohol level of 0.18 percent, more than twice the level of intoxication for drunken driving under New York law, when he died from skull fractures and brain damage on June 27, state police said.

The prison escape by Matt and fellow inmate David Sweat launched a massive 23-day manhunt amid rugged terrain involving more than 1,100 law enforcement officers in far northern New York. Matt and Sweat escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora after cutting through cell walls and a steam pipe. Matt was found about 30 miles west of the prison, and Sweat was shot and captured nearby two days later.

A U.S. border patrol sector chief, John Pfeifer, in describing Matt's killing a week later, said that a member of the patrol's tactical team opened fire after Matt aimed a 20-gauge shotgun, which he had taken from a hunting camp, at the officer. Pfeifer also said that the tactical team found Matt lying down behind a fallen tree and that one of the escapees had stolen alcohol from a camp.

Someone with a blood alcohol content between 0.16 percent and 0.30 percent is considered severely impaired and is likely to suffer loss of balance and muscle control, vomiting, dangerously impaired judgment and decision-making and possible loss of consciousness, according to theNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Sweat is now housed at the Special Housing Unit at Five Points Correctional Facility in central New York.

Police have said they now know most of the winding route the two escapees took while on the run though the heavily wooded area west of the prison, having identified a half-dozen hunting camps they broke into.

A former prison tailor shop worker, Joyce Mitchell, has pleaded guilty to charges of aiding the pair by smuggling hacksaw blades and other tools.

Authorities said she smuggled the tools into the prison by hiding them in frozen meat she placed in a refrigerator in the tailor shop. They said a prison guard, Gene Palmer, unwittingly helped by taking the meat to Sweat and Matt, who were housed in a section where inmates are allowed to cook.

Authorities have said they don't believe Palmer knew of the escape plan. He was arrested on charges including promoting prison contraband, insisted he didn't know the inmates were trying to escape and was released on bail.

The rapper's daughter, Sloane Ava Simone Haggerty, who arrived May 29, inspired him to create a new song, "Growing Up," featuring Ed Sheeran.

"There is nothing like the joy and happiness that comes from bringing a baby into this universe," he wrote on his website. "She has filled my heart in ways that I never knew were possible. She is the love of my life."

In a lengthy essay, Macklemore explained he was scared when he learned his fiancee, Tricia Davis, was expecting, because he felt he wasn't ready to become a father. That's why half of the lyrics, he explained, are advice about growing up. The other half are about "trying to figure out how to grow up myself."

"When you try to escape yourself, life has an interesting way of creating situations that force you to come back. To look at who you are. This is why ‘Growing Up’ felt like the right song to re-emerge with," he wrote. "It’s where I’ve been the last year, through all the ups and downs. We didn’t want to do a big campaign or anything over the top with this. We just wanted to put out good music, directly to the people that have been here since the beginning. Thank you for your patience. Hope you enjoy."

All that really matters for manager Jeff Banister and the Texas Rangers is getting the victory that finished off a three-game sweep of the AL West-leading Houston Astros.

"It wasn't pretty, typically you don't win a ballgame when you walk eight and hit one," Banister said. "That's a first for me ... a low-scoring, one-run game and win that game."

Chris Gimenez hit what proved to be a deciding home run and Texas held on for the 4-3 win Wednesday night, using five relievers after Nick Martinez allowed one hit and one run over five innings on his 25th birthday.

The homer by Gimenez leading off the second for a 4-0 lead was the only extra-base hit for the Rangers, and came after they scored three unearned runs in the first off Scott Kazmir (6-6).

The Rangers have won four in a row and seven of eight, moving within five games of the division lead, the closest they have been since June 30.

"It was a big series for us," Banister said.

All three Houston runs were scored by players who reached on a walk.

With 20-save closer Shawn Tolleson unavailable after pitching six of the previous seven games, Sam Dyson got his second career save — both since a Friday trade from Miami. He closed it out only after allowing a leadoff single in the ninth and hitting Jose Altuve with a pitch.

"I think everybody's doing their jobs," shortstop Elvis Andrus said.

Martinez (7-6), walked three and struck out one while throwing 86 pitches in a game which start with the temperature at 100 degrees.

"It wasn't a clean outing for him," Banister said. "Essentially, he battled himself all night long trying to get the ball in the strike zone."

Kazmir, in his third start for Houston since a July 23 trade from Oakland, lowered his AL-best ERA from 2.10 to 2.08 since only one run against him was earned. The right-hander struck out five in his 5 2/3 innings.

He had thrown 14 2/3 scoreless innings in his first two starts for Houston, part of his five games in July while allowing one earned run over 34 innings (0.26 ERA). Earlier this season for the A's, Kazmir gave up only three runs over 21 innings in three starts against the Rangers.

Delino DeShields reached to start the Texas first when Kazmir was unable to cleanly field the roller in front of the plate for an error. Ryan Strausborger, in his first major league at-bat, had a sacrifice bunt but reached on catcher Hank Conger's throwing error. Prince Fielder had a sacrifice fly before consecutive RBI singles by Mitch Moreland and Elvis Andrus.

"It all started with me. It did. I didn't set the tone well. It was an easy play right in front of me and I just rushed it," Kazmir said. "A couple errors early on against a team like that gave 'em momentum. It's tough."

Houston was within 4-3 after five consecutive batters reached with one out in the sixth against two relievers.

Carlos Correa and Jed Lowrie drew consecutive walks before Evan Gattis' RBI single. Sam Freeman, after replacing Phil Klein, walked the first two batters he faced, including Conger with the bases loaded.

"Meredith and Derek’s love had to remain Meredith and Derek’s love, so in order to preserve that, as painful as it was for me as a storyteller, Derek was going to have to die," she told the audience,according to USA Today.

She further explained on Tuesday that she didn't want Derek aka "McDreamy" to just leave Meredith, hence the decision to kill the character.

Next season, Rhimes said will show Ellen Pompeo's character deal with the loss of McDreamy and moving forward as a mother.

At the time of Derek's death in April on the show, Rhimes released a statement about the major twist.

"Derek Shepherd is and will always be an incredibly important character -- for Meredith, for me and for the fans,” Rhimes said. “I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our ‘Mcdreamy.’ Patrick Dempsey's performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example – happy, sad, romantic, painful and always true – of what young women should demand from modern love. His loss will be felt by all."

The "19 Kids and Counting" star and Jackson announced they were seeing each other four months ago.

"Both Josiah and Marjorie have enjoyed getting to know each other and to build their friendship over the past months," the Duggars told ABC News in a joint statement. "We are so grateful that they each are seeking the Lord's will for their future. A few weeks ago Marjorie and Josiah agreed to end their courtship, keeping in step with what they believe the Lord's will is. Both are thankful for the time getting to know each other, and their families continue to enjoy each other's company and close friendship."

Duggar, 18, and Jackson, 17, have known each other for a few years. They met while Duggar was taking Spanish lessons from Jackson's mother.

"When I was taking Spanish lessons at her house and I was very impressed with the way she was with her siblings and her love for the Lord," he said in April.

Sandra Lee experienced a medical complication recently, her rep told ABC News.

The lifestyle guru underwent a double mastectomy in May after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"There was a setback [on Tuesday night] due to what may be an infection post-mastectomy," a rep for Lee told ABC News. "But Sandra is her ever-fighting self."

Lee, 49, had kept her fans aware of her progress via Facebook and shared photos of herself at home with her partner, New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

On Aug. 3, she wrote that she visited the doctor and was using music to get "a boost of energy."

"Maintaining a positive attitude and surrounding myself with only good vibes is what helps me get through my appointments and helps me to continue to get stronger!" she added.

The first official "Deadpool" trailer hit the web Tuesday night and even though both the Red Bandand Green Band trailers aren't exactly safe for work, they are glorious.

As most comic fans know, "Deadpool" is a special character that is so unique that some never thought a movie would happen. For example, Ryan Reynolds, who originally played the character in 2009, has been trying to get this spin-off made ever since. So, let's all let out a collective and sarcastic sigh of rejoice that "Deadpool" hits theaters in February.

Here are the top reasons this film will separate itself from all comic films before it.

This definitely isn't your typical comic film. F-bombs galore, other curse words that can't be repeated on a family-friendly website and much more, like lots of blood and gore.

"Daddy needs to express some rage."

Really, no one! As Reynolds is being wheeled in for surgery, he yells, "please don't make the super suit green or animated!" Yep, he's making fun of his past run as the Green Lantern, a movie that was panned by critics. Indeed, in the teaser trailer, the voiceover makes fun of Fox Studios itself, which is producing this film. It jokes about "Wolverine: Origins" and how that film kind of ruined Deadpool by sewing his mouth shut. You don't do that to the Merc with a Mouth!

Later on Posh Spice and Rosie O'Donnell are brought up. More to be expected in the film.

If Van Wilder got cancer, had surgery to get super-powers and then was able to curse and talk to the audience, that's Deadpool. This has been said a million times, but is worth saying yet again: This is the movie Reynolds was born to play. Sarcastic, witty, absolutely no respect for authority. Did we mention he curses?!

"Deadpool" is famous for ignoring the rules of comics and talking to the audience. This was another reason a film adaptation took so long to come to fruition. In the Green Band version, you'll notice he says "Cue the music" and literally stops the action from time to time to chat with the viewer. Again, this is tailor made for Reynolds and his brand of acting.

Though we see Colossus in one of the scenes and “Deadpool” is part of Fox's Marvel series of movies like "X-Men," this really is its own movie, not dependent on anything else. This isn't a cog in the wheel on the way to an "Avengers" or something like that.

And that's for the better; this is Reynold's film and not a part of a bigger picture. He might appear in other Fox films, but this film will be a classic all on its own. This is an A-list star and you don't need to know too much background to enjoy it.