Israel released 150 Palestinians detained during its military operations in Gaza back into the enclave on Monday and many have alleged they were abused during their time in captivity‚ Palestinian border officials said. The detainees‚ including two members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) who had been detained for 50 days‚ were released through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza on Monday‚ the border officials said. Several were admitted to hospitals...

The Trump campaign is downplaying the importance of abortion in the battleground state of Arizona‚ claiming the issue is a top concern for mostly Democratic voters after the state Supreme Court upheld a 19th-century near-total ban on abortion. After conducting an internal poll from April 7-11 of 400 likely general election voters in the Grand Canyon State‚ Trump’s top pollster‚ Tony Fabrizio‚ concluded that abortion is less important for Republican and independent voters‚ according to an...

A National Guard soldier fired at a migrant who stabbed two individuals at the Texas-Mexico border‚ according to a document obtained by NewsNation. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon along the Rio Grande River in El Paso’s Lower Valley‚ NewsNation reported. A member of the Indiana National Guard — deployed to the area as part of Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star – witnessed an individual stab a fellow migrant and fired their weapon in response‚...

Republicans in the House have prepared a dozen bills to slap new sanctions on Iran following its unprecedented attack on Israel. House Republicans want penalties leveraged against Iran for its attack. On Saturday‚ Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a number of Iranian proxy groups fired over 300 drones‚ ballistic missiles‚ and cruise missiles at Israel‚ the first time Iran has launched a direct attack on the Jewish state from Iranian soil. The White House is pressuring...

A childhood game can go very wrong in the blink of an eye.&;quot;You'll never get me&;#33;&;quot;“Freeze&;#33; Put your hands up.&;quot;If you've ever played cops and robbers‚ you know how the game goes.John Arthur Greene was 8 and he was playing that game with his older brother Kevin. Only the two brothers played with real guns. Living on a farm‚ they were both old hands at handling firearms by their ages.The blast from the gun must have startled them both.“We were always extremely safe. They were never loaded‚&;quot; John said.Except this time it was. And John's brother died in his arms while he watched.It happens more often than you would ever want to imagine.In federal data from 2007 to 2011‚ which is likely under-reported‚ an average of 62 children were accidentally killed by firearms per year.Here's a chilling example from Everytown for Gun Safety:&;quot;In Asheboro‚ North Carolina‚ a 26-year-old mother was cleaning her home when she heard a gunshot. Rushing into the living room‚ she discovered that her three-year-old son had accidentally shot her boyfriend's three-year-old daughter with a .22-caliber rifle the parents had left in the room‚ loaded and unlocked.&;quot;And the numbers may actually be getting worse.With an increase in unfettered access to guns and philosophical opposition to gun regulations‚ the numbers seem to be on the rise. Here's how many accidental shootings happened at the hands of children in 2015 alone‚ by age:From January 19-26 of 2016 — just one week — at least seven kids were accidentally shot by another kid.If the pace holds up for the rest of the year‚ America would be looking at over 300 accidental shootings of children‚ in many cases by children‚ for the year. That's far too many cases of children either carrying the guilt and pain of having shot a loved one or hurting or killing themselves by accident.John Arthur Greene has been able to manage his feelings of guilt and sorrow through music and by sharing his story for others to hear.He told his story during an audition for the final season of &;quot;American Idol.&;quot; He says music has helped him keep his brother's memory alive:&;quot;Right now I lift him up every day and he holds me up. Music is how I coped with everything.&;quot;It's a powerful reminder. No matter how we each feel about gun safety laws‚ guns should always be locked away unloaded and kept separately from ammunition.Our babies are too precious to leave it to chance.Watch John Arthur Greene's audition for &;quot;American Idol&;quot; here:This article originally appeared on 03.07.16

Everyone seems to have a theory on the best time to purchase airfare to save the most money. Some say it's right before take-off. Others will swear that prices are lowest six months before the flight. Well‚ now we have the truth. A scientific study was conducted by Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Commission that found the best times to buy flight tickets to get the best deal possible.When we actually buy...DOMESTIC: 32 DAYS IN ADVANCEINTERNATIONAL: 59 DAYS IN ADVANCEWhen we should buy...DOMESTIC: 57 DAYS IN ADVANCEThe ideal advance-purchase time for domestic flight to snag the lowest average airfare is 57 with prices climbing most rapidly in the 20 days leading up to the flight. On a flight that averages $496‚ it will cost $401 57 days before the flight and around $650 the day of departure.INTERNATIONAL: 171 DAYS IN ADVANCEFor a ticket that averages $1‚368‚ the lowest average of $1‚004 happens around 171 days before take-off. On the day of‚ the price will be around $1875. Ticket prices begin to dramatically escalate 75 days leading up to departure.(H/T Conde Nast Traveler)This article originally appeared on 10.14.15

When you see or hear an Amber Alert‚ what do you usually do&;#63;Sometimes it's the middle of the night‚ and the buzz of your cell phone stirs you out of a deep sleep before you can silence it. Other times‚ the alert interrupts your favorite song on the radio. Maybe you wait patiently for it to end. Maybe you change the station.After all‚ who hasn't wondered‚ &;quot;What are the odds&;#63;&;quot;Sure‚ the alerts are heartbreaking‚ but what are the odds you'll bump into the missing kid&;#63; What are the odds you'll see the getaway car&;#63; What are the odds you'll be able to do anything about it&;#63; Turns out‚ better than you think.Here are five stories of people who suddenly found themselves face to face with a kidnapped child ... and rose to the occasion.High intensity situations require calm nerves and quick thinking. Kudos to these people for noticing the Amber Alerts at the right time and‚ in some cases‚ for having the courage to act right then and there.1) 2-year-old Ronnie Tran was found when his baby sitter‚ John Tuong‚ saw an Amber Alert ... for Ronnie.John Tuong had no idea he was baby-sitting a missing kid. Ronnie was kidnapped by his 65-year-old maternal grandmother‚ who‚ along with an accomplice‚ had attacked and restrained his mother. She left Ronnie with a family friend‚ John Tuong‚ who merely thought he was baby-sitting his sister's boyfriend's son.Tuong saw an Amber Alert on his phone the next morning and realized the kid in the alert was actually asleep in the next room. John called the police immediately and Ronnie made it home safe.2) 6-year-old Kloe was taken from her bed on February 21‚ 2015. Thanks to a gas station employee‚ she was back home on February 22.Kloe was abducted in the middle of the night by a family friend. After she was reported missing‚ an Amber Alert went out‚ which‚ luckily‚ was seen by a clerk at a local gas station. The clerk recognized Kloe from the alert and tipped off police that he had seen the girl‚ the man who had taken her‚ and the van he was driving.The clerk's account helped police narrow their search‚ and Carlin was eventually stopped on the interstate by a trooper‚ some 300 miles from Kloe's home‚ and taken into custody.Kloe made it home to her family safe and sound the next day.3) Leah and Jordan's kidnappers' RV broke down. The cops that pulled over to help had just seen the Amber Alert.Amber Alerts aren't just for bystanders‚ they're for law enforcement too.After 3-year-old Leah and 4-year-old Jordan were taken by relatives of their mother‚ the kidnapper's RV broke down on the side of the highway. Two deputies stopped by the vehicle to try to help them get back on the road. Luckily‚ the deputies had seen the Amber Alert and recognized the kids inside the vehicle.Both made it back home safely the next day‚ but who knows what might have happened had the RV not broken down or if the cops weren't on the lookout for the missing kids.4) A stranger stole a car with 3-year-old Bella inside. Later‚ a quick-thinking bystander physically pulled her to safety.Leslie and Bella pose inside her bakery‚ Mini Cupcakes. Photo courtesy of Leslie Fiet‚ used with permission.A strange woman asked to bum a cigarette from Bella's father as he walked into the 7-Eleven convenience store. He gave it to her. Then‚ the woman jumped in the car‚ with Bella still inside‚ and drove off.Later on‚ the owner of a local cupcake bakery‚ Leslie Fiet‚ spotted the car after seeing the Amber Alert and she heroically pulled Bella from the backseat.&;quot;My initial thought was to call 911 (when I discovered the car) but then I looked closer and saw Bella was in a tremendous amount of stress‚ hyperventilating and crying‚&;quot; Fiet told ABC News. &;quot;I just dropped my phone and ran out the door.&;quot;She locked Bella‚ and herself‚ inside the bakery until Bella's parents and police could arrive.5) A pizza shop employee on her break spotted 7-year-old Nicolas and followed his kidnapper until police could arrive.Courtney was brave to follow the kidnapper; and it paid off. Photo courtesy of KRIS TV.Courtney Best‚ who was working at a small pizza shop in Corpus Christi‚ Texas‚ saw an Amber Alert on her phone while on her smoke break. She looked up and just happened to see the vehicle in question‚ a white Dodge Avenger‚ sitting in the parking lot in front of her with a child inside.She followed the car‚ while on the phone with police‚ as it drove away.&;quot;Cause‚ what are the odds&;#63; What are the odds of me looking at my phone&;#63;&;quot; Courtney told KrisTV. &;quot;And I usually don't even look at Amber Alerts‚ as bad as that sounds. I look at them and I don't really pay attention.&;quot;Thanks to her quick thinking‚ the police were able to recover Nicolas and return him safely to his family.According to Robert Hoever of the National Center for Missing &; Exploited Children‚ about 95% of Amber Alerts are resolved within 72 hours.Robert‚ who is Director of Special Programs at the NCEMC‚ told Upworthy‚ &;quot;You can definitely see a huge change in how fast children are recovered today. The technology out there today helps.&;quot; In addition to wireless alerts‚ his organization also partners to issue alerts via Internet service providers‚ search engines‚ Internet ad exchanges‚ and even digital billboards.And‚ Robert adds‚ if you ever find yourself in a situation like this‚ with any sort of information about a missing child‚ call 911 before you do anything. Emergency personnel will be able to help you navigate the situation.We see a lot of Amber Alerts go viral‚ which is great‚ but we don't often get to see the happy endings. Sadly‚ not every Amber Alert ends with a reunion. But the more we share these alerts with our networks‚ the more people they reach and the more likely they are to be seen by the right people.In the meantime‚ it's comforting to know that most of these kids eventually make it home safely.This article originally appeared on 08.10.15

&;quot;We had our good days and our bad days.&;quot; The post How the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s coaxed Gang of Four’s Andy Gill into producing first appeared on Far Out Magazine.