– Deadly weather hit the central US at the beginning of the holiday weekend, with at least six people reported dead across multiple states as of Friday morning. WFAA reports four fatalities due to heavy flooding in north Texas. One body was pulled from a submerged Hyundai after the driver apparently tried to drive across a flooded street, the Dallas Morning News reports. The other victims were also caught in the floods while in vehicles. Meanwhile, two people were killed in traffic accidents credited to freezing rain and high winds in Kansas on Thursday, according to the AP. The AP reports the weather is only expected to get worse as the weekend goes on. Travelers are being warned to stay off the roads because of continued flooding in north Texas. An ice storm warning has been issued for Oklahoma through Saturday. And Arkansas is looking at potential flooding into Sunday. More than 4 inches of rain fell overnight in north Texas, bringing the yearly total at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to 55.23 inches—nearly 2 inches more than the previous record in 1991. A sheriff's deputy in Texas was swept away while trying to help a stranded motorist and found two hours later clinging to a tree, according to the Morning News.

Expand this summary.

Updated by Julie Fancher at 7:58 p.m.: Revised to update suspect information in fatal crash.

 Two children were killed after the car they were riding in was hit by a speeding driver, officials said.

 Officials said around 1:20 p.m., 23-year-old Kelvin Walker was driving a Range Rover SUV at a high rate of speed along the eastbound lanes of U.S. Highway 175 near Pine Street, in South Dallas, when he struck a Honda sedan carrying a family of five from behind.

 Raul Reyna, a spokesman for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, said two of the children in the sedan, a 12 or 13-year-old boy and a 13-month-old baby, were ejected from the vehicle. The 12-year-old boy died at the scene and the baby was taken to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, but later died.

 Neither of the children were identified.

 Reyna said the children’s mother and father and another child were treated for minor cuts and bruises.

 Walker was taken to a local hospital, but later transported to the Dallas County Jail. Officials were investigating if any other factors, including alcohol and slick roads, played a role in the crash.

 Walker, who has been convicted of theft and burglary in Dallas County, faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter. He is being held in the Dallas County Jail. Bail had not been set as of late Friday.

 Three other people were reported dead Friday morning after flooding in North Texas.

 Garland firefighters found Benjamin Taylor Floyd, 29, dead inside a submerged Hyundai Elantra early Friday. It appears he tried to drive through high water on Campbell Road near Brand Road, said Garland fire spokesman Merrill Balanciere.

 Floyd, a Wylie resident, would have turned 30 next week, according to the Dallas County medical examiner’s office.

 It wasn’t clear how long the car had been under water. A search and rescue team was called to the scene about 8:30 a.m., but had to wait for the water level to decrease before checking on the car.

 In Johnson County, authorities pulled a body out of a vehicle that was swept away overnight. About 11:40 a.m., authorities said they found another body near Mansfield but didn’t release any other details.

 And in Burleson, authorities were still looking for the 70-year-old driver of a submerged vehicle. Around 1 a.m., a Tarrant County sheriff’s deputy was swept away during a high water rescue in Burleson.

 Deputy Krystal Salazar stopped in the 11600 block of Oak Grove Road to help a stranded motorist, who was stuck in about 5 feet of water. Salazar, a bystander trying to help and the motorist were both swept away when the deputy tried to wade over.

 Salazar was found about two hours later clinging to a tree. She was transported to the hospital as a precaution. The female motorist had not been rescued from her vehicle, which was submerged.

 Fort Worth fire officials said that “rescue efforts have moved to a recovery stage.”

 Most of the Dallas-Fort Worth area remains under a flash flood watch or warning Friday morning, with rain expected to continue throughout the day.

 Road closures have been reported throughout the area due to flooding. Notably for those going out Black Friday shopping, FM 2499 near Grapevine Mills Mall in Flower Mound is closed. Police closed the road around 3 a.m. One northbound lane is open, but all southbound lanes remain closed between Enterprise Drive and Lakeside Parkway.

 Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington has also closed today due to flooding.

 Dallas Fire-Rescue has responded to 27 water rescues in which cars had stalled out in high water since midnight and 83 car crashes. No major injuries have been reported.

 Authorities are urging drivers to avoid high water on the roadways. They also say people should never drive around police barricades.

 Many are reusing the springtime flooding motto: Turn around don’t drown. ||||| Flooding (Photo: WFAA)

 Four people died in North Texas floods this holiday weekend.

 Heavy rains caused widespread flooding in several areas across North Texas from Thursday to Sunday.

 Weather resources: Radars | Mobile radars | Track the storm (desktop) | Weathercaster app | Texas highway conditions | Check your flight: Dallas Love Field | DFW Airport

 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29

 9:30 p.m. - Dallas Fire-Rescue reported the following numbers regarding high water calls this weekend, between Thanksgiving morning and Sunday evening:

 38 "water rescue" calls (with one swift-water rescue)

 27 third-party "investigation" calls

 446 motor vehicle accidents

 The rain began to taper off across most of North Texas Sunday, but water rescue crews were still busy throughout the day. David Goins has more.

 7:45 p.m. - The 76-year-old woman who died in Fort Worth floods early Friday morning has been identified as Zenola Jenkins of Burleson. Crews had not begun recovery efforts due to dangerous conditions.

 "Fast moving water coupled with debris, such as branches and logs, are incredibly dangerous to a diver fighting the current with 1 to 2 feet of visibility underwater," Fort Worth Police said in a release.

 3:13 p.m. - WFAA reporter David Goins finds that flood waters are slow to recede in some spots:

 3:07 p.m. - The last batch of rain is now leaving the Dallas-Fort Worth area; only spotty showers are in store for the rest of the day. That means the bulk of the rain event is finally over!

 A radar image snapped at 2:50 p.m. Sunday shows rain on the way out of the region. (Photo: WFAA)

 3:03 p.m. - The Sachse Police Department says Merritt Road between Sachse Road and Pleasant Valley road remains closed due to high water. That stretch will likely remain closed until Monday.

 11:15 a.m. - Traveling today? The Texas Department of Transportation offers a handy map of Texas with driving conditions across the state:

 9:41 a.m. - The National Weather Service says major flooding is over for the Trinity River in Dallas.

 Trinity River at #Dallas crested at 41.08' Saturday afternoon. Major flooding has ended; level is now 39.48'. #dfwwx#txwx#flood — NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) November 29, 2015

 9:03 a.m. - McKinney has been drenched by nearly 10 inches of rain since Thanksgiving Day. Here are the latest rainfall totals for North Texas from Thursday through 6 a.m. Sunday courtesy of the National Weather Service:

 Rainfall totals for North Texas (Photo: National Weather Service)

 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28

 10:30 p.m. - Rain returns overnight. Another batch of showers arrives after midnight.

 Lull continues for NTX, but another batch is brewing! Next round arrives after 12AM. Flooding is an ongoing concern: pic.twitter.com/SCpl5zC7o0 — WFAA-TV (@wfaachannel8) November 29, 2015

 6:40 p.m. - Rain tapers off in North Texas. Another band of overnight showers is expected.

 Radar has fallen quiet tonight with only a few showers. We expect another rain band to move through overnight 3-6AM: pic.twitter.com/Dh0scpqQm6 — WFAA-TV (@wfaachannel8) November 29, 2015

 5:25 p.m. - Most of North Texas has seen under 1" of rain today. The break in rain doesn't mean it's over! We expect another band of moderate to heavy rain overnight from roughly 3:00am-6:00am. Rain chances will decrease Sunday. -- Colleen Coyle

 Facebook WFAA-TV - Timeline Photos | Facebook

 4:03 p.m. - Traveling in Grayson County today? Here's a compilation of the latest weather-related road closures:

 🚧Road closure update - Turn Around Don't Drown (or drive off into a creek where a road is no longer) #txwxpic.twitter.com/zvSzSJksmh — Grayson County OEM (@GraysonCounty) November 28, 2015

 2:37 p.m. - The City of Plano is reporting two sanitary sewer overflows. The first occurred at Bigleaf Court. It started overflowing at 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Before midnight Saturday, the estimated overflow volume will exceed 100,000 gallons. Big Leaf Court is located east of Jupiter Road and north of Parker Road.

 The second sanitary sewer overflow happened at Campbell Road on the property of the Gleneagles Country Club starting at 2:15 a.m. Saturday. The estimated overflow volume there has also exceeded 100,000 gallons. This overflow is located west of Campbell Road and south of Plano Parkway.

 Map locates two sanitary sewer overflows in Plano on November 28, 2015. (Photo: WFAA)

 1:47 p.m. - Had enough rain yet? Here's how much more precipitation the National Weather Service estimates you'll be getting by midnight on Sunday:

 More rain in the National Weather Service forecast. (Photo: National Weather Service)

 10:23 a.m. - WFAA viewer Jennifer Nicole in Fort Worth shared this photo and message: "We put this out Thanksgiving morning and haven't moved it... please tell me it's going to stop!

 WFAA viewer Jennifer Nicole said she put this bucket outside on Thanksgiving Day. (Photo: Jennifer Nicole via Facebook)

 9:37 a.m. - Nearly one inch of rain has fallen in Dallas since midnight Friday. Weather conditions right now are dreary: Fog, mist and drizzle, with temperatures in the upper 30s. The highest rain totals are along Interstate 35 and to the northeast.

 9:29 a.m. - A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the widow and young son of Ben Floyd, the 29-year-old Wylie man who died on his way to work Friday when his vehicle was swept off a Garland road by raging flood waters.

 Benjamin Floyd with his wife and young son (Photo: Family photo)

 9:04 a.m. - The National Weather Service issued this report on rainfall totals in North Texas through 6 a.m. Saturday:

 Rainfall totals as of 6 a.m. Saturday, November 28. (Photo: National Weather Service)

 8:49 a.m. - Heavy rain and icy conditions are likely to stick around through most of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in parts of the central U.S. due to a slow-moving, complex weather system that's being blamed for at least 3 flash-flooding deaths.

 "There's a pretty substantial shield of rain extending from parts of Texas across a lot of Oklahoma and into the mid-Mississippi Valley," said John Hart, a meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

 The National Weather Service issued ice storm warnings in the Texas Panhandle and central Oklahoma that will remain in effect through noon Saturday, with up to a quarter or half-inch of ice expected to accumulate. - Associated Press

 7:32 a.m. - The National Weather Service says a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for North Texas through Sunday afternoon. Additional rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are possible... that's in addition to the 1 to 6 inches that have accumulated since Thanksgiving Day. The ground is saturated, which means additional precipitation is likely to cause flooding, especially near creeks and streams. You've heard it before, but heed this warning: Do not drive where water covers the road; you can't be sure the road surface is intact.

 7:30 a.m. - Dallas Fire-Rescue helped a woman to safety after her vehicle was inundated by flood waters early Saturday morning. Her 911 call for help came in around 1:30 a.m. A rescue team waded into deep water at Wildwood Drive and California Crossing in Northwest Dallas, an area known for flooding during heavy rains.

 A car abandoned in high water in Northwest Dallas on November 28, 2015. (Photo: Michael Forbes / WFAA)

 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27

 10:56 p.m. - Several more rounds of rain before it's all said and done. Rainfall rates in this next batch about 1/4" per hour. Usually that wouldn't be a problem for North Texas, but today it is due to the previous 3"-6" of rain that has fallen over the past 48 hours. Even "light showers" may cause impacts. Rainfall totals will just continue to add up. Exercise caution and common sense while out on the roads! ? - Meteorologist Colleen Coyle

 9:46 p.m. - Plano is reporting two sewer overflows at Big Leaf Court and on the Gleneagles Golf Course on Campbell Road. Officials say more than 200,000 gallons of sewage will overflow in those places combined before midnight.

 9:26 p.m. - An ice storm is in progress to our west across the eastern Texas Panhandle-South Plains, north into western Oklahoma. Meanwhile, another broad area of cold rain is moving into north Texas from the southwest and will cover all the Metroplex and surrounding area, adding another 1 to 4 inches on top of the 4 to 8 inches that have already fallen. Flooding concerns will only increase as the night progresses.

 The rain will be with us on and off (mostly on) throughout the weekend although not quite as heavy as what we have already seen. Still, some locations will approach nearly a foot of rain by sunset Sunday. -- Meteorologist Steve McCauley

 Rescue crews in Garland (Photo: WFAA)

 8:39 p.m. - Moisture continues to stream into North Texas. That will keep the rain going as more development moves from San Angelo to DFW. It's like a conveyor belt of showers!

 7:16 p.m. - Another heavy band of rain has made its way into parts of the DFW area. Rainfall rates are around 1" per hour. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but this is falling on top of the 4"-6" of rain that we've already received. Flooding issues will persist.

 5:19 p.m. - Arlington Christkindl Market will be closed tonight. A new opening date has not been set.

 5:16 p.m. - A batch of heavy rain is moving northeast across Palo Pinto County. Rainfall rates are about 1"-1.25" per hour. It should move through quickly, but we will need to monitor for any flooding problems.

 4:52 p.m. -Another wave of rain is approaching the DFW area. Don't let the "on and off showers" and "lighter rain" fool you today! Even the light showers are adding to our rainfall totals. As time ticks away, our rainfall totals will continue to slowly and steadily rise. That will keep the flood threat high overnight. Flooded roadways will be hard to see after dark so use extreme caution!

 3 p.m. - Weekend weather outlook:

 Facebook | @WFAA Weather Additional waves of rain will continue to affect

 2:30 p.m. - High water forced the closing of Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie.

 "To ensure public safety, Prairie Lights is closed tonight Friday, November 27, due to high water caused by the rains," a city spokesperson said. "We expect to be open for business tomorrow, Saturday, November 28, receding water levels permitting."

 2:15 p.m. - Dallas Fire-Rescue said that, by 11 a.m., it had responded to 27 water rescues and 83 motor vehicle accidents. DFR said the water rescues "didn't necessitate a boat or swift water team," and that a majority of the calls were in reference to cars stalled in high water.

 A nearly submerged vehicle in west Dallas. Swift water rescue crews did not find anyone inside. (Photo: Chance Horner, WFAA)

 2 p.m. - It's beginning to look a lot like…a wet and cold Holiday Weekend! On the heels of Thanksgiving, waves of rain will continue to affect North Texas through Sunday afternoon. Most of the area has already seen 3"-6" of rain since Noon Thursday. With additional rainfall on top of already saturated soils, flash flooding remains a high threat. Exercise caution and common sense when travelling over the weekend.

 Though we expect rain to continue, severe weather and winter weather are not expected in North Texas. Though temperatures tumbled behind our cold front Friday morning, everybody will stay above freezing. However, you will run into Old Man Winter if your plans are taking you into parts of the Texas Panhandle. Here at home, we will experience a cold rain with temperatures only warming to the 40s Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

 As of 12:14am Friday, 2015 broke rainfall records becoming the wettest year ever for the DFW area.

 -- Meteorologist Colleen Coyle

 Facebook | @WFAA-TV Weather Update: This doesn't look like much, but

 1:25 p.m. - The 70-year-old woman who was missing after being trapped in swift water was pronounced dead early Friday afternoon, bringing the total number of deaths to four in the holiday weekend floods. She had been stranded in high water since roughly 1 a.m. Crews were recovering the body just before 1:30 p.m. Friday.

 The woman had not been identified. Her family was watching as crews searched for her Friday morning.

 1:20 p.m. - News 8 photojournalist Billy Bryant captured an image of a flooded portion of the roadway on the 440 block of FM 660 southeast of Ferris, TX.

 Flooded roadway southeast of Ferris, TX (Photo: Billy Bryant, WFAA)

 12:30 p.m. - The second victim in Johnson County was identified as 48-year-old Jose Vargas. A Johnson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said Vargas drowned. The call came in at 12:38 a.m. and Vargas' body was found just after 10 a.m. The other two people who were in a pickup with Vargas survived.

 County Sheriff's officials said the flooding took place near the Johnson County-Mansfield border, off County Road 917.

 12 p.m. - A second death was confirmed in Johnson County floods, bringing the total number of deaths to three. County officials were expected to release information on the second death early Friday afternoon. Sandra Jones, 33, was found dead around 8:40 a.m. after being washed out of her vehicle in high water overnight.

 11:50 a.m. - A Dallas swift water rescue team responded to a car nearly submerged in high water. No one was found inside the vehicle.

 Car stuck in high water in west Dallas. Swift water rescue didn't find anyone in the car. @wfaachannel8pic.twitter.com/zJCgRedxU0 — Chance Horner (@chancehorner) November 27, 2015

 11:30 a.m. - News 8 viewer Kim Caples sent in video of members of the Denton Fire Department rescuing two horses from high water. Caples said the department rescued a stranded motorist first.

 From viewer Kim Caples: Denton Fire Department rescues two horses in high water https://t.co/s8eU6x5mWLpic.twitter.com/i30Xq7gcvT — WFAA-TV (@wfaachannel8) November 27, 2015

 11:25 a.m.

 Facebook WFAA-TV - Timeline Photos | Facebook

 9:45 a.m. - Multiple fatalities have been reported in North Texas flooding. In addition to a 33-year-old woman found after being washed out of her vehicle by high water in Johnson County, a man's body was pulled from a vehicle near Balmoral and Brand Road in Garland.

 Capt. George Winton of Garland Fire said that, when his crew arrived, the vehicle was still visible. By the time a rescue team arrived, the car was submerged in flood waters.

 He was identified as 29-year-old Benjamin Floyd of Wylie.

 Garland Fire & Rescue recovered male body from submerged car near Balmoral & Brand Rd. #wfaaweather@wfaachannel8pic.twitter.com/Zc1H2xcDu5 — Carla N. Wade (@CarlaNWade) November 27, 2015

 9 a.m - Periods of light to moderate showers will continue for the rest of today. A heavier batch rain is expected to move in late this afternoon and evening.

 This will certainly aggravate the flooding problem going into tonight. An additional 3-5 inches of rain is expected today through early Sunday. Locally higher amounts are possible. This is on top of the nearly five inches we've seen at DFW as of 8 a.m. Friday.

 Another round of heavier rain is also expected during the day on Saturday as moisture from Hurricane Sandra streams into the area.

 2015 is now the wettest year on record with 55.23" so far. This breaks the old record of 53.54" in 1991.

 The other part of the weather story today are the temperatures. We dropped from near 70 degrees early this morning into the 40s with the passage of the front. Gusty north winds will continue today at 15-20 mph. We likely will not get out of the 40s the remainder of the day. Some areas may not get out of the 30s on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to stay well above freezing, so winter precip. is not expected right now.

 -- Greg Fields

 8:45 a.m. - A Tarrant County Sheriff's Office deputy was found safe after being swept away in high water early Friday morning. The woman stranded in the vehicle had still not been rescued.

 The rain Thursday and Friday morning made 2015 the wettest year on record for the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

 Read or Share this story: http://on.wfaa.com/1jnJozD |||||


Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” is sailing into first place at the domestic box office this weekend, but the story the numbers dictate is not one of swashbuckling heroics.

 Johnny Depp’s fifth outing as Jack Sparrow is looking at a three-day total of $62.2 million from 4,276 locations, and a four-day holiday weekend sum of $77 million. If not for international appeal, that would be a let down for a movie riding on a $230 million production budget.

 The first place finish also can’t cover up a serious case of franchise fatigue. “Dead Men Tell No Tales” is the lowest opening for a Pirates movie apart from the original, which earned over $46 million in its first weekend (and was also the only installation approved by critics). Last time out in 2011, “On Stranger Tides” pulled in $90 million in its opening weekend. That’s still less than 2007’s “At World’s End” ($114.7 million) and 2006’s “Dead Man’s Chest” ($135.6 million). But it’s no question why Disney is still churning out sequels — within the next few days, the franchise will have made over $4 billion worldwide.

 “This is a trend that we’ve seen play out,” said Disney’s distribution chief Dave Hollis. “We’re setting out to make a film that resonates as a global film,” he said, adding that audiences are “still here” in the U.S. as well.

 “Dead Men Tell No Tales” centers on Sparrow battling deadly ghost sailors, led by Javier Bardem’s Captain Salazar. Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg directed the film, which also sees the return of both Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, who were absent from the fourth installment.

 Over time, the “Pirates” franchise has become more reliant on overseas ticket sales, and that’s certainly the case this time out. The three-day estimate overseas is a whopping $208.4 million. Globally, the movie is expected to make $270.6 million this weekend, and over $300 million by the end of the four-day holiday weekend. Since the franchise still makes money (even if U.S. grosses are dwindling) this may not be the last we see of Captain Sparrow.

 “This is one of the most prolific franchises of all time,” Hollis said. “We find ourselves with another big opening weekend showcasing global appeal of the franchise.”

 Meanwhile, Paramount’s “Baywatch” was hoping to make an oceanic summer splash, but looks to have ended up in the kiddie pool. The rebooted property should land a three-day total of $18.1 million from 3,647 locations and end the four-day holiday weekend with $22 million (not counting the money it made in sneaks on Wednesday). That’s far below early estimates. The movie carries a production budget above $60 million.

 “I think we got pretty stung by reviews,” said Paramount’s distribution chief Megan Colligan, referring to the film’s current 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. “It research tested extremely well,” she added, saying that the stars are about to start promoting the film heavily abroad. “We’re hopeful that our international numbers will help us with our overall.”

 This is the latest in a string of misses for the studio this year including “Ghost in the Shell,” “Rings,” “XXX: The Return of Xander Cage,” and “Monster Trucks.”

 Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron star in the comedy that spawned from the 1990s NBC drama starring David Hasselhoff and a team of lifeguards who patrolled the beaches of Los Angeles. This time around, it’s Johnson, an experienced and devoted lifeguard, who butts heads with a new recruit, Efron, until they uncover a criminal plot.

 Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach, and Ilfenesh Hadera also star. Seth Gordon directed the film based on a screenplay by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, and Robert Ben Garant all have story credits.

 “Baywatch” will land in third behind Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” which has proven to be the only major hit to emerge from the summer box office so far. The sequel looks to pull in another $24.2 million over the four-day weekend, raising its domestic total close to $340 million.

 Fox’s “Alien: Covenant” should end up in fourth during its second weekend in theaters. The latest installment in the Alien franchise is looking at $13.1 million over the four-day stretch. Rounding out the top five, the YA adaptation “Everything, Everything” looks to have been a solid low-budget investment for Warner Bros. Its four day total should be about $7.6 million.

 This weekend, a number of films are meeting or passing milestones. Universal’s “Fate of the Furious” became the sixth film to earn over $1 billion overseas. Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” passed $500 million domestically putting it in elite company as well. With $783 million globally, Disney and Marvel’s “Guardians 2” has surpassed the first “Guardians” movie’s total earnings. Disney in general is keeping the box office afloat — as of Friday, the studio became the first to have earned over $1 billion in 2017, reaching the milestone in near record time. The only time a studio has earned so much so quickly was Disney last year. ||||| In this image released by Disney, Geoffrey Rush portrays Barbossa, left, and Johnny Depp portrays Captain Jack Sparrow in a scene from "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales." (Peter Mountain/Disney... (Associated Press)

 In this image released by Disney, Geoffrey Rush portrays Barbossa, left, and Johnny Depp portrays Captain Jack Sparrow in a scene from "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales." (Peter Mountain/Disney via AP) (Associated Press)

 LOS ANGELES (AP) — It was smooth sailing to the top spot at the box office for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," but the waters were choppier for the Dwayne Johnson comedy "Baywatch."

 Studio estimates on Sunday say the fifth installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise commandeered $62.2 million in its first three days in theaters.

 The Johnny Depp-starrer is projected to take in $76.6 million over the four-day holiday weekend.

 The R-rated "Baywatch," meanwhile, is sinking like a rock. The critically derided update of the 1990s TV show earned only $18.1 million over the weekend against a nearly $70 million price tag.

 Even "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" did better in its third weekend. The space opera added $19.1 million. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– It was smooth sailing to the top spot at the box office for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, but the waters were choppier for the much-derided Dwayne Johnson comedy Baywatch. Studio estimates on Sunday say the fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise commandeered $62.2 million in its first three days in theaters. The Johnny Depp-starring flick is projected to take in $76.6 million over the four-day holiday weekend, reports the AP. Despite its top spot, however, the latest is showing what Variety calls "a serious case of franchise fatigue." To wit, it's the lowest finish for a Pirates movie since the original; Dead Man's Chest was the peak with $135.6 million. The R-rated Baywatch, meanwhile, is sinking like a rock. The critically derided update of the 1990s TV show earned only $18.1 million over the weekend against a nearly $70 million price tag. Even Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 did better in its third weekend. The space opera added $19.1 million. Rounding out the top five, per Box Office Mojo, were Alien: Covenant with $10.5 million and Everything, Everything with $6.2 million,


Article:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident, one of the officials said.

 “This attempt is further proof that there are constant threats as we head into midterm elections, and we must remain vigilant in order to prevent future attacks,” said Bob Lord, chief security officer for the Democratic National Committee. He called the voter file “the party’s most sensitive information.”

 The combination of this attack on the committee, continued influence operations by Russia and others using social media, and efforts to breach think tanks underscores that the cyber age has changed elections forever. So many systems are vulnerable to manipulation, from the voter-registration systems in the 50 states to the inner workings of the parties, that the opportunities for foreign and domestic manipulation are many.

 “The focus has gone from using the cyber realm to steal secrets to using it to impose national power,” Rob Joyce, the White House cybersecurity coordinator until the position was eliminated a few months ago, said this month at Defcon, an annual convention that focuses on hacking and defenses against it.

 Ahead of the midterms, political groups and government organizations have been on high alert for new hacks and foreign meddling. Microsoft said this week that it had detected that hackers tied to Russian intelligence targeted the Senate and conservative think tanks in the United States, also by creating fake websites.

 And after Facebook last month identified a political influence campaign aimed at potentially disrupting the midterms, the company said this week that it had uncovered other disinformation efforts targeting people around the world. ||||| (CNN) Update: The Democratic National Committee said late Wednesday that what it had earlier feared was the beginning of a sophisticated attempt to hack into its voter database, was, in fact, an unauthorized "simulated phishing test." Read the updated story here.

 The Democratic National Committee contacted the FBI on Tuesday after it detected what it believes was the beginning of a sophisticated attempt to hack into its voter database, a Democratic source tells CNN.

 The DNC was alerted in the early hours of Tuesday morning by a cloud service provider and a security research firm that a fake login page had been created in an attempt to gather usernames and passwords that would allow access to the party's database, the source said.

 The DNC and the two companies involved in detecting the operation say they believe they thwarted a potential attack.

 The fraudulent page was designed to look like the access page Democratic Party officials and campaigns across the country use to log into a service called Votebuilder, which hosts the database, the source said, adding the DNC believed it was designed to trick people into handing over their login details.

 Read More |||||Summary:

– The FBI is reportedly investigating a sophisticated—but unsuccessful—attempt to hack into the Democratic National Committee's voter database. The DNC learned of the attempt on Tuesday, CNN reports. The attack, which was detected by a cloud service provider and a security research company, involved a fake login page intended to gather usernames and passwords for a service called Votebuilder, which hosts the DNC's voter database. It's a method called "spearphishing," according to the New York Times. "It was very convincing," Mike Murray of the cybersecurity firm Lookout tells CNN, adding that it would be tough to tell the real page from the fake one, even if they were side-by-side. The fake login page was ultimately removed by the cloud hosting company DigitalOcean. The company's chief security officer says the threat was identified before the attack was launched. "We see no evidence that any sensitive data was stolen," he says. A DNC official tells the Times that it is not clear who the hackers were in this case. But, the paper recalls, a 2016 hack of the DNC was ultimately traced to Russia. This latest attempt, DNC Chief Security Officer Bob Lord tells the Times, "is further proof that there are constant threats as we head into midterm elections and we must remain vigilant in order to prevent future attacks." Earlier this week, Microsoft reported that it had uncovered new Russian hacking attempts targeting conservative organizations in the US.


Article:
It's unclear why Britain's NME would have their hands on a new poem by Jay-Z, but if they do, and it's real, Hova's done dropping the word bitch thanks to newborn daughter Blue Ivy Carter. The poem is said to sport lines like: "Before I got in the game, made a change, and got rich/I didn’t think hard about using the word bitch/I rapped, I flipped it, I sold it, I lived it/Now with my daughter in this world I curse those that give it."

 If the B-word is on its way out of the repertoire, Uncle Kanye has to be psyched he got his big bro to cosign Watch the Throne's "That's My Bitch" less than a year before Baby Blue came along. Jay's near-whisper of the hook on that track could've hinted at this decision, yet we're still reeling. ||||| Beyonce and Jay-Z may be some of the biggest names on the planet but that doesn't mean they'll pass up on any dirty work now they've become parents.

 Speaking in her first interview since giving birth to daughter Blue Ivy, Beyonce has spoken of how her and Jay-Z will be bringing her up in a "normal loving family".

 And yep, that means even Jay-Z - who Bey says will be an "inspirational father" - will be changing Blue's dirty nappies.

 "He will change diapers, of course he will," the singer told Star magazine. "He's going to be a very hands-on father and he is going to be so good at it.

 "Life will be normal for her because we are a normal loving family. At home she’ll be part of a normal loving family."

 Blue will also have a queue of showbiz babysitters waiting to look after her, with the first in-line being Beyonce's Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.

 The X Factor judge "can't wait" to start her duties according to the new mum.

 "You better try and stop Kelly, she can't wait! She was doing X Factor for a lot of my pregnancy, but she was always calling me to see how everything was going."

 Beyonce also took the interview as an opportunity to dispel some of the rumours surrounding Blue's birth.

 It had been claimed the couple forked out $1.3m on hiring a whole floor of New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, and while Beyonce admitted security at the hospital was tight, she said many stories had been exaggerated.

 "Security was very tight, but not just for the sake of it, it was for the security of our daughter. As usual certain things have been exaggerated but that seemed to be the story of my pregnancy," she said.

 Read the full interview in this week's Star magazine, out today.

 CELEB PICS OF THE DAY:

 Photo galleryCeleb Pics of the Day 16 January 2012 See Gallery Beyonce: 'Of Course Jay Will Change Blue Ivy's Diapers!' 1/ 9

 Celeb Pics of the Day 16 January 2012 1/ 9

  |||||Summary:

– It's difficult to believe that Beyoncé would give her first interview since the birth of her daughter to a UK tabloid, but that exclusive is exactly what the UK's Star claims to have. "Nothing can describe the feeling," the singer apparently told the magazine. "You have the instant connection once you know your child is growing inside you, but when you hold it for the first time, the words can’t be found. … A child is the greatest gift you can receive." She also reveals that "inspirational father" Jay-Z "will change diapers, of course he will," the Huffington Post UK reports. "He's going to be a very hands-on father and he is going to be so good at it." She insists Blue Ivy Carter will grow up in a "normal loving family" and says some of the stories swirling around the birth were exaggerated. Even so, security was "tight," she admits, but "it was for the security of our daughter." In other Babyoncé news, Blue Ivy has apparently convinced dad Jay-Z to give up the word "bitch."


Here is a news article: JENNIFER WESTFELDT doesn't have to worry about getting kicked out of summer camp anymore. On Wednesday, the "Friends With Kids" star and writer, along with Greg Kinnear, will start performances of the new play "The Power of Duff" at Vassar's Powerhouse Theater in upstate Poughkeepsie. It's a place with a summer-camp vibe, thanks to the fact that the campus is crawling with actors and creative types. The effect isn't lost on Westfeldt: She recounted a story about being kicked out of camp when she was 13 because her then-boyfriend took her out for pizza. But these days, it's a whole new capture-the-flag-game. Asked if longtime boyfriend and "Mad Men" hunk Jon Hamm has visited her on the campus, Westfeldt told Daily News theater critic Joe Dziemianowicz that, "Yes, he's been here." But without incident. "I'm of age now," she joked. ||||| Protesters from a Catholic youth group are calling on local officials in Warsaw, Poland to cancel an upcoming gig by Madonna as it falls on the city’s annual World War Two remembrance day.

 The pop superstar is due to take her MDNA tour to Poland on 1 August, when residents traditionally observe a minute’s silence to commemorate the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi occupation, which cost an estimated 200,000 people their lives.

 Religious activists from a group called the Youth Crusade are demanding Madonna’s show be axed out of respect and they have launched an online petition to rally support for their mission.

 The internet post reads: “August 1 is a day of remembrance in Poland. We pay our respects to those who survived and those who perished in the uprising. We won’t allow the desecration of our hallowed symbols.”

 Youth Crusade demonstrators have also blasted Madonna for “attacking the Catholic faith” and “offending Jesus Christ by burning crosses and wearing a crown of thorns” during her controversial stage shows, which they claim also promote homosexuality and pornography.

 Madonna’s latest tour antics have done little to improve her reputation in the eyes of her more conservative critics – she flashed her breast while onstage in Turkey and France, exposed her bottom onstage in Rome, Italy and incensed French politician Marine Le Pen by screening a video which juxtaposed a swastika over her head. ||||| Madonna has been acting like Madonna performing a striptease during each of the shows on her MDNA Tour, so it's unsurprising that she got down to the bare essentials at a concert in Hyde Park.

 The cold weather, however, might have given less determined artists some pause. She went on to strip down to her usual sheer bra as part of her "Like a Virgin" routine, going so far as to pull down her pants to flash a black thong at her adoring fans.

 A-listers including Kylie Minogue and Stella McCartney were seen taking in the show. The tour, which is in support of the album by the same drug-pun name, may end up being the highest-grossing concert run of all time.

 Just days earlier, Bruce Springsteen's Hyde Park concert was cut off after he -- and Paul McCartney, who The Boss had invited on stage -- exceeded the curfew of the strict venue. Despite telling the crowd that she "like[s] to live dangerously," Madonna was careful to err on the side of caution and thus did not have the plug pulled on her traveling circus.

 At his next concert, Springsteen mocked Hyde Park officials by launching into the final minute of "Twist and Shout," by The Beatles, explaining that he was picking up where he was "rudely interrupted."

 Photos of Madonna doing her usual, ultra-provocative thing in the gallery below. ||||| Madonna has overlaid the swastika on French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen's forehead in a stage show's multimedia background.

 MADONNA has scrapped plans for her first Australian tour in 20 years.

 Her manager, Guy Oseary, reportedly told promoter Live Nation about Madonna's change of heart overnight.

 Live Nation Australia confirmed the cancellation today, but had no further comment.

 Madonna was set to announce summer dates for Melbourne and Sydney on July 12, but postponed the announcement until after the London Olympics.

 Stadiums in Sydney and Melbourne had been booked for her new show, MDNA, in January and February.

 Earlier this year, Oseary said: ''Madonna really needs to go to Australia. We are long overdue for a trip Down Under and apologise for that. It will happen.''

 Live Nation boss Arthur Fogel added: ''We'll get to these markets where she's never been, some exciting new places, and get back to Australia after too long a time.''

 But rival promoters claim the show was not viable in a crowded summer tour market.

 Coldplay and Red Hot Chili Peppers will tour in summer.

 Nicki Minaj and Nickelback are also set to announce last-quarter dates.

 Madonna's publicist Liz Rosenberg is being sought for comment.

 The MDNA tour has had a controversial start in Europe. Madonna flashed her breast in Istanbul and displayed a Nazi swastika in Paris.

 Punters had also complained about ticket prices, which ranged from $45 to $600.

 But Madonna urged: ''Start saving your pennies now. People spend $300 on crazy things all the time, things like handbags. So work all year, scrape the money together and come to my show. I'm worth it.''

 Madonna last performed in Australia, with her Girlie Show, in 1993. ||||| 'I love you Poland': Hundreds of Madonna fans walk out of London concert branding it the WORST gig ever

 Even a strip tease failed to impress many fans at the Hyde Park MDNA concert

 Fans blamed a 10.30pm curfew, poor sound quality, rain and a failure to perform hits from back catalogue for dismal concert

 Madonna's first gig in London for four years but £77 tickets failed to sell out

 By Daily Mail Reporter

 |

 Her career has spanned decades, survived fashions and struggled through a variety of public relations disasters.

 But last night hundreds of die-hard Madonna fans abandoned their Queen of Pop by marching out of London's Hyde Park during her MDNA concert - some branding it the worst they had ever seen.

 Even a sexy striptease on stage left fans cold- one simply stated: 'When Madonna has concerts in her 50s where she strips herself on stage, you know her career is as dead as myspace.'

 Scroll down for the video

 Shot herself in the foot? Fans branded Madonna's Hyde Park gig the worst concert ever and hundreds walked out

 Many fans decided they did not want to stick around to watch the finale as of the poor sound quality, terrible weather and Madonna's failure to perform more of her classic hits.

 One reviewer even said at one point Madonna screamed: 'We love you Poland', which if it was a joke fell flat on an already less than enthusiastic audience.

 Others said a 10.30pm curfew imposed by Westminster Council meant Madonna was forced to start her performance early, in broad daylight, which meant the elaborate staging was lost to some of the audience.

 Raunchy: Even a sensual performance by Madonna and her toyboy lover Brahim Zaibat failed to impress

 Istanbul got the nipple, London got the fishnet strip: Madonna performs a strip tease during her concert

 'Worst gig ever': Even Madonna's energetic performances with a variety of props didn't win round many

 Earlier her management admitted it had failed to sell all the tickets for the concert - Madonna's first in England for four years.

 It is believed some fans were put off by the £77 for the open air show.

 A number of fans later complained on Twitter about the show. One user, Courtney, tweeted: 'Worst gig I have ever seen.'

 Dawn Gracie wrote: 'Madonna left early,' adding later: 'I mourn those vintage Madonna days ... where potty mouth and violent imagery wasn't necessary. Just good vibes and great music!'

 Not impressed: users took to Twitter to vent their frustrations over the MDNA performance

 Claire Whitaker said : 'When Madonna has concerts in her 50s where she strips herself on stage, you know her career is as dead as myspace.'

 Kylie Minogue, George Michael, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and U2 star Adam Clayton were among celebrities seen watching the show - which finished just moments before the 10.30pm curfew imposed by Westminster Council.

 Her sexy strip took place while she sang Like A Virgin in front of the 50,000-strong crowd.

 Madonna, 53, peeled off her clothing to reveal a sheer bra and black lacy thong, which she wore under fishnet tights.

 Jumping through hoops: Some fans resisted the urge to slate Madonna though and tweeted that she was excellent

 Poor sound quality: Madonna's show started in daylight and many complained they couldn't hear properly

 Her toyboy boyfriend Brahim Zaibat, who was on stage as a backing dancer, then helped to fasten a corset around her.

 She told the audience: 'I like to live dangerously.'

 Madonna also introduced her 11-year-old son Rocco, who joined her as a dancer during the gig.

 As well as performing hits like Papa Don't Preach, Hung Up and Vogue, she also showcased tracks from her latest album MDNA.

 Next time! Madonna was slated for not performing enough of her back catalogue Breath of fresh air: Madonna's aide carries an oxygen machine out of her house ahead of the yesterday's show

 High expectations: Fans arrive for concert yesterday in Hyde Park, many dressed like the star

 She made a dig at pop rival Lady Gaga by incorporating her track Born This Way during a rendition of Express Yourself.

 Not all fans were disappointed. TV and radio presenter Toby Anstis tweeted : 'I can definitely say, that was THE best live show I have ever seen! Mesmerising from start to finish! Amaaaazin!'

 Madonna's press spokeswoman Barbara Charone, was unavailable for comment about the mass walk-out.

  |||||
A summary of this is?

– Madonna's week hasn't gotten much better since news broke that she's being sued for using a swastika image during her concerts: The Daily Mail reports that hundreds of fans walked out of her gig last night in London, with some deeming it the worst concert ever. The Hyde Park show—which did not sell out, despite it being Madge's first London gig in four years—suffered from bad sound quality, rain, a curfew, and the Material Girl's refusal to perform many of her classics. (Although she did perform "Like a Virgin," and stripped while doing so, prompting one concertgoer to tweet, "When Madonna has concerts in her 50s where she strips herself on stage, you know her career is as dead as MySpace.") Bizarrely, at one point Madonna yelled, "We love you, Poland." Maybe it was a joke, the Daily Mail hypothesizes. But Poland is exactly where Madge is seeing yet more trouble: Her planned show there faces a protest because it's scheduled on Aug. 1, Warsaw's World War II Remembrance Day. A Catholic youth group wants the show canceled, WENN reports. Meanwhile, Australia is feeling snubbed by Madonna, who recently ditched plans to do shows in the country for the first time since 1993, Australia's News Network reports. And, on a more personal front, Madge was possibly betrayed by good pal Demi Moore, who had dinner with Madonna's ex Alex Rodriguez Sunday night, according to the New York Daily News. Feeling brave? Click to see pictures of the Material Girl's Hyde Park striptease.


Image copyright Reuters Image caption Migrants are crossing into Croatia where they are being registered

 Croatia says it will allow migrants to travel on to northern Europe, opening up a new route a day after Hungary sealed its border with Serbia.

 More than 150 migrants have crossed into Croatia from Serbia, with some of those stranded on Serbia's border with Hungary making a similar trip.

 At the Serbia-Hungary border, Hungarian riot police have fired tear gas at migrants who were trying to break through a border post.

 Many migrants want to reach Germany.

 New border restrictions and a row over allocating migrants have exposed bitter divisions in Europe over the crisis.

 The clashes at the Serbia-Hungary border on Wednesday afternoon occurred after police sealed a key crossing point near the town of Roszke. It has been used by tens of thousands of migrants to enter the European Union's Schengen zone, which allows people to travel between countries without restrictions.

 The BBC's James Reynolds, at the scene, reports that migrants stranded on the Serbian side chanted "Open open", and threw plastic water bottles at the police, who forced the crowd back by firing tear gas.

 More on the migrant crisis:

 The refugees who chose Brazil over Europe

 Five 'happy refugees' pictures that went viral

 Crisis explained in graphics

 The BBC's Lyse Doucet says buses, vans and cars have been taking migrants away from the Serbia-Hungary border area towards the Serbian capital, Belgrade, and the border with Croatia.

 Hungary declared a state of emergency in the border area on Tuesday, with hundreds of army and police deployed to enforce new laws making it an offence to breach a razor-wire border fence.

 The first trials of refugees detained for illegal border crossing have been held in the Hungarian city of Szeged.

 Ahmed Suadi Talib, an Iraqi who was studying in Syria, was the first to be convicted under the new law, and was excluded from Hungary for one year.

 Speaking through a translator, he told the court he had fled Syria to escape Islamic State. He entered Hungary via a hole in the border fence, he said, and did not know crossing into Hungary was illegal.

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's James Reynolds is at the legal crossing point from Serbia into Hungary but says the door is currently locked

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Christian Fraser on the Hungarian side of the border fence notices some weak points.

 The EU's border agency says more than 500,000 migrants have arrived at the EU's borders so far this year, compared with 280,000 in 2014.

 Many are fleeing conflict and poverty in countries including Syria, where a civil war has been raging since 2011.

 The migrants have been crossing from Turkey, with about 1,000 in the city of Edirne on Wednesday, waiting to organise a crossing into Greece. Their journey would then take them to Macedonia and Serbia.

 Until Monday, most poured into Hungary and then crossed into Austria to reach Germany. Both Germany and Austria have introduced tighter border controls to control the flow.

 Trains from the Austrian city of Salzburg to Germany have been halted, leading to a build-up of migrants at the city's station. Several hundred people have left the crowded station and are now walking towards Germany.

 The UK is set to welcome the first Syrian refugees to be taken in under the government's expanded resettlement scheme "in the coming days, Home Secretary Theresa May has said.

 The UK has pledged to take up to 20,000 refugees over the next five years.

 At the scene: James Reynolds, BBC News, Serbia-Hungary border

 Several hundred refugees and migrants are milling about here on the last few metres of Serbian territory. In front of them, the border gate into Hungary is locked. A line of Hungarian police wearing riot gear stands on the other side of a roll of razor wire.

 "Open the gate, open the gate," chants a group of several dozen migrants and refugees.

 One man half-scales the gate and begs the Hungarian police to let everyone in. But he gets no response.

 Further back in the makeshift encampment, the atmosphere is much calmer. Volunteers distribute food and drink from vans. Next to a TV satellite truck, several people charge their smartphones. Refugee families rest in their tents.

 "I will stay here forever," says Saleh, a law student from Damascus. "I can't go back."

 Follow James Reynolds on Twitter

 At the scene: Guy Delauney, BBC News, Serbia-Croatia border

 Dozens of refugees walked through fields into Croatia from the official Serbian border crossing at Sid.

 Several told me they were hoping to reach Slovenia and the Schengen area. Others shouted "Thank you, Serbia" as they left.

 Croatian police vans were waiting for the group as they crossed the border. All of them boarded without a struggle.

 Croatia says it is ready to receive migrants or "direct" them to where they want to go.

 Serbian media say at least 10 buses were heading to the town of Sid, near the Croatian border, from Presevo near Serbia's southern border with Macedonia.

 One of those who arrived on Wednesday, Amadou from Mauritania, told AFP news agency: "We heard that Hungary was closed so the police told us we should come this way."

 Croatia's Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic told parliament that authorities were "ready to receive or direct those people where they want to go.

 "They will be able to pass through Croatia and we will help, we're getting ready for that possibility," he said.

 Migrants have been crossing into Croatia on foot - avoiding the official border crossing point. Police are registering them before taking them to reception centres.

 Croatian media have warned of the dangers posed by landmines dating back to Croatia's war of independence in the early 1990s, even though experts say the areas are clearly marked.

 The Serbian minister in charge of the government's committee on migrants, Aleksandar Vulin, argued that the border closure by Hungary was unsustainable for his country.

 Image copyright AP Image caption The Hungarian border fence has left hundreds stranded in Serbia

 Image copyright AP Image caption Migrants in Serbia are angry at the Hungarian border closure

 Are you seeking refuge in Europe? Will you be heading to Croatia? Please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

 Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption Migrants are crossing into Croatia where they are being registered

 The first group of migrants has reached Croatia - opening up a new route to northern EU countries, a day after Hungary sealed its border with Serbia.

 About 150 migrants crossed into Croatia, an EU member, from Serbia.

 Croatia says it is ready to receive them or "direct" them to where they want to go. Many migrants - mainly Syrian - are hoping to reach Germany.

 New border restrictions and a row over allocating migrants have shown bitter divisions in Europe over the crisis.

 More on the migrant crisis:

 The refugees who chose Brazil over Europe

 Five 'happy refugees' pictures that went viral

 Crisis explained in graphics

 Hundreds of migrants remain stranded outside or in makeshift tents near the Serbian border with Hungary.

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's James Reynolds is at the legal crossing point from Serbia into Hungary but says the door is currently locked

 On Tuesday, Hungary declared a state of emergency in the border area, with hundreds of army and police deployed to enforce new laws making it an offence to breach a razor-wire border fence.

 Police sealed a railway crossing point near Roszke which had been used by tens of thousands of migrants to enter the European border-free Schengen zone.

 The move has all but stopped the inflow. On Wednesday, Hungarian police said they had detained 367 migrants entering illegally - and the first criminal proceedings have been launched.

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Christian Fraser on the Hungarian side of the border fence notices some weak points.

 The EU's border agency says more than 500,000 migrants have arrived at the EU's borders so far this year, compared with 280,000 in 2014.

 Many are fleeing conflict and poverty in countries including Syria, where a civil war has been raging since 2011.

 The migrants have been crossing from Turkey, with about about 1,000 in the city of Edirne on Wednesday, waiting to organise a crossing into Greece. Their journey would then take them to Macedonia and Serbia.

 Until Monday, most poured into Schengen member Hungary and crossed into Austria to reach Germany. Both Germany and Austria have introduced tighter border controls to control the flow.

 'We will help'

 A group of about 40 migrants arrived in the border town of Sid in Serbia on Wednesday. They had travelled by bus from the Serbian town of Presevo near the Macedonian border in the south.

 "We heard that Hungary was closed so the police told us we should come this way," Amadou, 35, from Mauritania told AFP news agency.

 "We don't know what we should do now. Do we have to catch a boat?"

 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Croatia says it will receive the migrants or facilitate their journey onwards

 They crossed into Croatia where police began registering them.

 Croatia's Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic told parliament that authorities were "entirely ready to receive or direct those people where they want to go, which is obviously Germany or Scandinavian countries".

 "They will be able to pass through Croatia and we will help, we're getting ready for that possibility," he said.

 A meeting of the Croatian National Security Council has been called to co-ordinate the response.

 Croatian media have warned of the dangers posed by landmines dating back to Croatia's war of independence in the early 1990s, even though experts say the areas are clearly marked.

 Serbia worried

 The Serbian minister in charge of the government's working committee on migrants, Aleksandar Vulin, argued that the closure of the border by Hungary was unsustainable for Serbia.

 He told the BBC's Lyse Doucet that contact between Serbian and Hungarian officials had been minimal.

 Analysis: BBC's Guy Delauney, Belgrade

 All year, Serbia has taken a relaxed attitude towards the migrants and refugees entering from neighbouring Macedonia.

 The authorities understood that few of the people coming in would want to stay, although some expressed regret that people desperately fleeing conflict did not view Serbia as a desirable destination.

 But Hungary's fence and its criminalisation of unofficial border crossings has brought a halt to the flow of people across Serbia.

 If an exit into Hungary becomes impossible, the number of refugees here may begin to rise, challenging not only the country's capacity for dealing with asylum seekers but its citizens' hitherto admirable tolerance and empathy.

 Serbian alarm over stranded migrants

 Hungary has also said it could extend its fence to the border with Romania - a possible new route.

 Romania said this would violate the "European spirit" of co-operation.

 Image copyright AP Image caption The Hungarian border fence has left hundreds stranded in Serbia

 Image copyright AP Image caption Migrants are angry at the Hungarian decision which has all but stopped the flow ||||| HORGOS, Serbia — In one of the worst bursts of violence that this tense refugee summer has seen, Hungarian riot police responded on Wednesday to rocks, taunts and small fires set by agitated migrants at the border crossing here with water cannons, head-cracking batons and both tear gas and pepper spray.

 Although the word was quickly spreading along the migrant trail that heading toward Croatia from Serbia was a better bet than trying to push through the heavily guarded border into Hungary, hundreds of straggling refugees continued to turn up at the crossing here in hopes that Hungary would change its mind and let them through.

 But Hungary did not change its mind — prompting a grim demonstration of what can happen when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

 And the demonstration is likely to continue as more migrants and refugees try to escape war and poverty in their homelands and find a new life in a continent that cannot agree on what to do with them. Already, the migrant trail was adapting, finding new ways to reach western Europe. ||||| Refugees blazed a new pathway through Europe on Wednesday, with hundreds hiking through cornfields to reach welcoming Croatia even as others faced tear gas and water cannons from Hungarian police determined to turn them away.

 The contrasting scenes along the Serbian border highlighted both the make-or-break resolve of the asylum seekers and the growing friction facing Europe, which has failed to create a coordinated policy for the unprecedented influx of economic migrants and war refugees from the Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

 “We hit a stone and we flow around it,” said Arazak Dubal, 28, a computer programmer from Damascus, who had been on the road for 18 days.

 He and his three companions reached Belgrade only to discover on Facebook and WhatsApp that the Hungarian border was closed to refugees.

 “So I went to Google Maps, and here we are,” said Dubal, huffing in the hot afternoon as he trudged across the farm fields.

 A two-hour drive to the northeast — along Serbia’s frontier with Hungary — the route was slammed shut.

 Just steps from Hungary, thousands of people spent the night in the wet grass on the Serbian side of the border. Hours later, hundreds tried to punch through the cordon of razor wire and riot police massed near the Serbian border town of Horgos.

 But they ran headlong into security forces who unleashed tear gas and pepper spray to drive them back. Some refugees were swatted by batons and crumpled to the ground in pain.

 [New threat on the refugee trail: land mines]

 “Open the door!” the refugees yelled as they hurled water bottles and debris at riot police.

 Nearby, children screamed for their missing parents. Water cannons sprayed crowds on the Serbian side, forcing refugees to retreat to a squalid squatters’ camp that took root just after Hungary closed the border Tuesday.

 There were no major injuries, but some refugees were treated by Serbian authorities for respiratory problems from the tear gas and at least one migrant had a leg injury, the Associated Press reported.

 It was the first major clash between security forces and migrants since police used stun grenades to stop refugees from crossing into Macedonia from Greece almost a month ago.

 “We fled wars and violence and did not expect such brutality and inhumane treatment in Europe,” said Amir Hassan, who was drenched from a water cannon and tried to wash tear gas from his eyes, according to AP.

 “Shame on you Hungarians!” he shouted, pointing toward the Hungarian police.

 At the United Nations, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Hungary’s border crackdowns “unacceptable.”

 “All the countries have their domestic problems,” he said, “but since they are the people fleeing the wars and persecutions, then we must show our compassionate leadership.”

 Neighboring countries continued to heap scorn on Hungary’s decision to blocks its southern border.

 “Barbed wire in Europe in the 21st century is not an answer, it’s a threat,” complained Croatia’s prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, in a direct jab at the blockades by neighboring Hungary.

 Milanovic promised that refugees would be allowed to pass through his country.

 He told lawmakers in Zagreb that Croatia would “accept and direct” the migrants to transit the country — comments that rocketed through the social media networks used by the refugees and increased the march toward Croatia.

 [ The limbo of the no man’s land ]

 The river of migrants was swelling by the hour.

 By late afternoon, more than 600 migrants walked through fields and along small roads to cross from Serbia into Croatia, a European Union member, where officials set up posts to register names and details.

 Many traveled by bus from Macedonia and Hungary; others pulled up in taxis before crossing the border on foot and receiving a polite reception from authorities.

 “We want to keep them moving as quickly as possible,” said Zdravko Helic, a civil protection officer in Tovarnik.

 He was proud to add, “We haven’t had a single incident.”

 Saeed, 19, a student from Damascus, called Hungary’s treatment of the refugees “old-fashioned racism.”

 “We’re the first today,” said Dubal, the Syrian refugee. “There’ll be thousands tomorrow.”

 Afterward they were taken by bus to a refugee processing camp outside the capital, Zagreb, where they would be officially registered.

 What happens after Zagreb was uncertain.

 Croatian officials said they would probably allow the migrants to continue their journeys by bus and train to Slovenia, Austria, Germany and beyond. But it was only Croatia’s first day at the leading edge of the mass migration, and authorities were scrambling to coordinate their response with E.U. partners.

 “We will walk all the way to Germany if we have to,” said Mohammad, 28, who worked in a mobile phone store in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

 “Shop is gone, house is gone, some of family is gone,” he said. “So I will walk.”

 Like many in the migrant stream, he declined to give his last name out of fear of reprisals against relatives back home.

 The refugees had nothing good to say about Hungary. “Not nice at all,” said Abdullah, 24, from Aleppo, who smiled and waved at the Croatian police before they hustled him into a van.

 “See? Very good service,” he joked.

 Souad Mekhennet in Vienna, Gergo Saling and Jodi Hilton in Horgos, Serbia, and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

 Read more:

 Germany’s enthusiasm for refugees might not last. These maps explain why.

 Refugees get a chance to wash and rest their weary soles in Budapest

 Read The Post’s coverage on the global surge in migration ||||| Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris said he has identified two Greek islands that could be used to host Syrian refugees, and suggested setting up a joint-stock company to deal with the expected donations.

 Sawiris, the chairman of Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding, has been in contact with the owners of the islands in hopes of moving ahead with the plan, according to a statement from his media office posted on his Facebook page late Monday. Sawiris said the talks would depend on whether the owners can secure approval from the Greek government.

 The Egyptian billionaire had announced that he was interested in buying an island where refugees could be housed until they can return to their own country. In a Sept. 8 Bloomberg TV interview, Sawiris said the proposal was something motivated by a desire “to clear my conscience as a human being, and nothing more.”

 The best way to deal with donations would be to set up a joint-stock company with a capital of $100 million, Sawiris said in his Facebook statement. Such a step would ensure that any money invested “will not be completely lost, as the asset (the island) will remain.” |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– More than 500 migrants have been detained for illegally entering Hungary or breaching a border fence, with nearly 50 criminal cases on the books since new laws took effect yesterday, the New York Times reports, while the BBC notes that Hungarian riot police today fired tear gas at migrants trying to break through the border with Serbia. And as restrictions tighten, migrants are seeking other ways into Western Europe through Slovenia and Croatia, as well as through Hungary's border with Romania. Issues remain: Hungary’s poorer neighbors may be ill-equipped to handle the flow, and there are areas peppered with land mines, remnants of the Balkan Wars. While solutions are sought, thousands spent last night in a Vienna train station, per the Times, while at least 22 migrants drowned yesterday in the Aegean Sea, the Post notes—a sad repeat of a similar incident a couple of days earlier. Leaders of neighboring nations are scrambling to come up with their own plans for dealing with the influx, which is no small task: The EU border agency notes a head count of 500,000 migrants at EU nations' entry points so far in 2015; last year that number was around 280,000, the BBC reports. Many are refugees fleeing high-conflict areas such as Syria and Iraq, per the Washington Post, which adds there's a noted "absence of a coordinated policy for the unprecedented influx." "Barbed wire in Europe in the 21st century is not an answer, it's a threat," Croatia's PM says, per the Post, adding that Croatia would "accept and direct" migrants through his country. An Egyptian billionaire who says he wants "to clear my conscience as a human being" has come up with an even more creative stopgap for the Syrian refugees involved: hosting them on two available Greek islands, using a joint-stock company to accept donations, Bloomberg reports. (The US is trying to help out.)


Article:

Web wide crawl with initial seedlist and crawler configuration from March 2011. This uses the new HQ software for distributed crawling by Kenji Nagahashi.

 What’s in the data set:

 Crawl start date: 09 March, 2011

 Crawl end date: 23 December, 2011

 Number of captures: 2,713,676,341

 Number of unique URLs: 2,273,840,159

 Number of hosts: 29,032,069

 The seed list for this crawl was a list of Alexa’s top 1 million web sites, retrieved close to the crawl start date. We used Heritrix (3.1.1-SNAPSHOT) crawler software and respected robots.txt directives. The scope of the crawl was not limited except for a few manually excluded sites.

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– Your next stay at Red Roof Inn could be about as close to free as it gets, but you need to be on the ball. The chain, with 350 US locations, is offering rooms for 1¢ from April 1-15, the Los Angeles Times reports, but you can book just 48 hours in advance, and there’s only one room at that price per location. Click here to try your luck at Red Roof’s “No Foolin’! 1-Cent Sale.”


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Washington (CNN) Democratic Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia announced his plans to change his political party affiliation and join the GOP at a rally in Huntington with President Donald Trump on Thursday night.

 "Today I will tell you as West Virginians, I can't help you anymore being a Democrat governor," Justice said at the rally. "So tomorrow, I will be changing my registration to Republican."

 Earlier Thursday, Trump teased that there would be a "very big announcement" this evening in West Virginia, a state that went heavily Republican in the 2016 elections.

 West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin released a statement in response to Justice's announcement on Thursday evening. "I have been and always will be a proud West Virginia Democrat," Manchin said. "I am disappointed by Gov. Justice's decision to switch parties. While I do not agree with his decision, I have always said that I will work with anyone, no matter their political affiliation, to do what is best for the people of West Virginia."

 Read More ||||| poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201708/3638/1155968404_5531013019001_5530940686001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true West Virginia Democratic governor switches to GOP Justice's expected announcement is further confirmation of the state's rightward tilt.

 West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced a party switch Thursday evening in a surprise appearance with President Donald Trump in Huntington, West Virginia.

 “Today, I will tell you, with lots of prayers and lots of thinking, I can’t help you anymore being a Democrat governor," Justice said. "So tomorrow, I will be changing my registration to Republican.”

 Story Continued Below

 Justice’s flip is further confirmation of his state’s sharp rightward turn, and reflects Trump’s widespread popularity in a state the president won by a landslide in 2016.

 Trump, who has promised to restore lost coal industry jobs, has lavished attention on West Virginia since taking office.

 Justice, who seldom worked with other Democrats, recently spent a well-publicized day hunting with Donald Trump Jr. — a familiar political optic in a largely rural state with a strong hunting tradition. But his move still blindsided his old party, which is now left with control of just 15 governor mansions.

 Rumors that Justice was going to make the switch circulated throughout the day, but West Virginia Democrats and multiple national Democrats who have worked for Justice in the past said he gave them no notice on the party switch.

 "We are sitting here in our office, everyone of us that is capable of standing on two feet, looking at each other, saying, 'Oh my goodness, did anybody see this coming?" said Steve Roberts, president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. "I am surprised. However, when I worked with Gov. Justice during the last session of the Legislature, I could plainly see that he is a pragmatist who is trying to get things done and is not driven by ideological or party loyalty. And he has a close connection to the Trump family and it is my hope that this will further solidify a national attention in favor of policies that will help economic development, job creation and education in West Virginia."

 Former Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall described the governor as a close friend who put West Virginia first.

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 “Jim is a West Virginian true and blue and does what is best for West Virginia,” Rahall said. “That's his No. 1 goal. His every move as governor has been in that direction. I have not discussed this situation with him to know what moved him to switch parties, but suffice it to say that much of West Virginia's been voting late this way. But most of the state is registered Democrats, so I'm sure he read the political winds.”

 Privately, the mood among many West Virginia Democrats was less understanding. Despite West Virginia’s embrace of Republicans on the federal level, Democrats had held the state’s governorship since 2001.

 “Obviously, we're pissed. I mean let's face it, we put a lot of effort in the 2015 election to elect this man as governor,” a top West Virginia Democratic operative said. “And we had two more progressive individuals in that primary but we knew that if Jim Justice went out of that primary he could win. So I mean, a lot people are pissed. There's a lot of hurt feelings. People are feeling betrayed right now.”

 The Democratic Governors Association had worked closely with Justice on his gubernatorial run, and combined with labor unions to spend about $1 million helping defeat GOP state Senate President Bill Cole. Justice, a populist-minded billionaire like Trump, funded much of his run out of his own fortune, made in the agriculture, coal, timber and tourism industries. Despite his status as the richest man in the state, he still lived in the house he grew up in and coached high school basketball.

 Justice will not be a stranger in his new party. He’s friends with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and donated to McConnell’s super PAC in 2014. He also donated to the Republican Governors Association just a few years before the RGA spent millions of dollars trying to defeat him in 2016, attacking him for failing to pay taxes and fines related to his businesses.

 The governor's move stands to make the coming months more complicated for Sen. Joe Manchin, who now stands as the state’s most prominent Democrat ahead of a tough reelection challenge in 2018. Manchin — a moderate Democrat who is often criticized by his own party's left wing — was already a top GOP target, with Rep. Evan Jenkins and Attorney General Patrick Morrissey challenging him.

 "I certainly have wondered what the impact is likely to be on Manchin," said Roberts. "There had been some speculation that Manchin was going to change parties from earlier on. If Manchin is taken by surprise, my guess is that he just has a lot to think about."

 Manchin’s office declined to comment on Justice’s switch in party affiliation but said that the senator would continue to “be a proud West Virginia Democrat.”

 In a sign of the charged politics surrounding Trump, Manchin — who has maintained good relations with the White House — issued a long statement welcoming Trump to the state Thursday.

 “The president is coming to West Virginia, and I'm excited he is," Manchin said. "I know some Democrats, especially those in Washington, D.C., would not want the president to visit their state. As Americans, we should always be honored to have a president visit our state — whoever he or she is, regardless of political party. All Americans should hope for the president to succeed, because if he does, the country succeeds — and West Virginia does as well."

 When Trump touched down in the state Thursday, he was set to visit the place that explains his surprise 2016 victory as well as the challenges of turning his campaign promises into tangible results.

 Commentators were often left scratching their heads at Trump’s dark campaign rhetoric and description of a nation in decline, crushed by job loss, drugs and rising crime. In much of the country, particularly the urban centers Trump so often derided, the rhetoric simply did not match with reality.

 But West Virginia was an exception. Trump’s promises to renew American greatness, to “bring back jobs” and restore an idealized version of the American worker struck a chord in a long-suffering state. Trump won 68 percent of the vote there against Hillary Clinton, carrying every one of the state’s 55 counties. In the state’s coal-producing counties, he regularly racked up more than 70 [percent] and 80 percent of the vote.

 “The demographic profile sort of fits your hypothetical Trump voter — we’re older, we’re lower income, lower levels of education, not very ethnically diverse,” said Sean O’Leary, a senior policy analyst at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. “If you were to take a stereotypical Trump voter it would look a lot like a stereotypical West Virginian.”

 For many in the state, Trump’s dystopian rhetoric felt like a long-awaited acknowledgment. The state’s population peaked around 1950 and, after some rebounding growth over the past two decades, has begun to shrink again since 2010. It has one of the country’s lowest median household incomes at $42,824, well below the national average of $56,516. The life expectancy is more than three years below the national average, and in 2015 the rate of opioid overdose deaths was 3.6 times as high in West Virginia as nationwide. The state also had the highest rate of drug overdose deaths overall.

 The economic scene is almost as bleak: The state’s labor force participation is just 53.1 percent, meaning almost half of the state’s adults are neither working or looking for jobs.

 For an electorate that the Chamber's Roberts described as “rural populist,” Trump’s campaign pledge not to cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security carried special resonance. In supporting Republican health care plans since his inauguration, though, Trump has reneged on the promise to protect Medicaid.

 But that has done little to dent his popularity in West Virginia, where much of his appeal is wrapped in his promise to restore the state’s coal industry. The industry, deeply entwined with the state’s culture even as it wanes in economic importance, has seen a stark decline in recent years.

 Coal mining jobs declined by half from 2011 to 2016, with the Commerce Department tallying just 11,343 coal miners in the state by the end of 2016 — down from more than 23,000 in 2011. Total mining and logging jobs, though, have increased by about 2,400 over the last year, with 1,200 of those jobs coming just between May and June — a sign that Trump’s policies are working, supporters say.

 “We love our coal miners. Great people,” Trump said at an executive order signing in March. “Over the past two years, I've spent time with the miners all over America. They told me about the struggles they've endured. I actually, in one case, I went to a group of miners in West Virginia — you remember, Shelley — and I said, how about this: Why don’t we get together, we'll go to another place, and you'll get another job; you won't mine anymore. Do you like that idea? They said, 'No, we don’t like that idea — we love to mine, that's what we want to do.' I said, if that's what you want to do, that's what you're going to do. And I was very impressed. They love the job. That's what their job is. I fully understand that.”

 At a rally in the state during the campaign, Trump famously put on a coal miner’s helmet and mimed as though he was shoveling while the crowd roared.

 “We have a tradition of mining and producing coal that people here are really proud of,” Roberts said, noting that Trump’s pro-mining rhetoric — particularly after the Obama administration sought to curtail coal production due to environmental concerns — was a breath of fresh air.

 “Plain-spokenness is not considered offensive here, the fact that he just sort of calls it like he sees it,” Roberts said. “There probably is a very real feeling that the nation hasn’t done much to help our state during at least the eight years of the Obama administration and now we have a president that says, ‘I like coal, I support the military, I love the Boy Scouts.’”

 “The president is proud to have the support of the men and women in places like West Virginia who had been left behind by the policies of the previous administration,” White House spokesperson Lindsay Walters said in a statement to POLITICO. “He’s working for them each and every day, unleashing American businesses and protecting their communities. Just look at the results he’s already gotten. 42,000 mining and logging jobs have been added since January, and a new coal mine has opened its doors. The much-needed resources of the federal government are refocused towards combating the epidemic of drug and opioid addiction. He’s getting better trade deals with our partners around the world. And this is only the beginning.”

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– President Trump was teasing a "very big announcement" Thursday night in West Virginia, CNN reports. And while West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin had hoped it would be "good news" about jobs or the opioid crisis, it appears instead that the state's Democratic Gov. Jim Justice will reveal he's switching parties. According to Politico, no one in the Democratic Party was warned about Justice's plans. “Obviously we're pissed. I mean let's face it, we put a lot of effort in the 2015 election to elect this man as governor,” a Democratic operative in West Virginia says. Democrats had held the governorship in West Virginia since 2001. While Democrats weren't given notice of Justice's switch, they probably shouldn't be surprised. Justice only joined the Democratic Party in 2015 to run for governor. He had been a registered Independent and Republican prior to that and even donated to the Republican Governors' Association a few years before his run as a Democrat. He's also friends with the Trump family and Sen. Mitch McConnell. Plus, the ever-more conservative West Virginia is a hotbed of Trump support. With Justice's defection, there are only 15 Democratic governors in the US and only six states in which Democrats control the governorship and both legislative chambers, the Hill reports. Meanwhile, West Virginia becomes the 26th state in which Republicans control all three.


LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The United States Customs and Border Protection said Monday that agriculture specialists at Los Angeles International Airport intercepted 67 invasive snails in an air cargo shipment, officials said.

 According to authorities, CBP received notice of the shipment of snails on July 7, which contained two plastic packages in total weighing just over 35 pounds. The cargo arrived from Lagos, Nigeria, and was to be delivered to the San Dimas area, with paperwork stating they were ‘Achatina Fulica’ and were meant for human consumption, officials stated in a news release.

 “The significant interception of giant African snails is the first time this pest has been encountered in such large quantity and as a consumption entry by CBP in Los Angeles,” said Todd C. Owen, CBP Director of Field Operations.

 CBP officials stated that they submitted an urgent sample to the United States Department of Agriculture plant protection and quarantine entomologists, where a specialist in Washington, D.C., identified them as giant African snails.

 According to USDA officials, these snails are native to Africa and can grow to about 8 inches long, 5 inches wide and live to be 10 years old. They are commonly referred to as giant African land snail, banana rasp snail, margie, West African snail and West African land snail, authorities said.

 Agriculture specialists described these snails as a very serious threat to the natural ecosystem, public health and economy. They are carriers of several parasites that are harmful to humans, one of which can lead to meningitis.

 Due to the nature of damaging effect this snail species may cause, the shipment was transferred from CBP officials to the local plant inspection station for final precautionary steps, USDA officials said.

 “It exemplifies how CBP agriculture specialists protect our nation’s agriculture from the introduction of threatening foreign pests, plants and diseases,” Owens said.

 Being one of the world’s largest land snails, USDA officials said, these pests can consumer over 500 types of plants, and will even eat the stucco and paint off houses.

 CBP officials reported that they took preventative measures to quarantine the snails, preventing them from further spreading. ||||| LOS ANGELES, July 14 (Reuters) - U.S. customs inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport seized a shipment of several dozen live giant African snails, considered a delicacy in Nigeria but also voracious pests that can eat paint and stucco off houses, officials said on Monday.

 Weighing nearly 2 pounds (0.9 kg) each, including their shells, and measuring about 6 inches (15 cm) in length, the 67 snails arrived from Lagos, Nigeria, in two plastic baskets with paperwork describing them as being for human consumption, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said.

 The mollusks appeared to be packaged as a personal shipment and were marked as destined for an address in San Dimas, California, about 30 miles (48 km) east of Los Angeles, agency spokeswoman Lee Harty said.

 No attempt was made to conceal or smuggle the snails, the largest such shipment ever seized at LAX, she said. But the creatures are prohibited from entry because they are deemed a highly invasive pest that pose a serious threat to U.S. agriculture, the environment and public health, the agency said.

 According to Customs and Border Protection, the giant snails can consume more than 500 types of plants, and will even munch on the exterior of homes if fruits and vegetables are not available. They also can carry several parasites harmful to humans, including one that can lead to meningitis, Harty said.

 After they were intercepted by customs officials at the airport on July 1, specimens were sent to a local U.S. Department of Agriculture lab and then on to USDA mollusk specialists in Washington for further examination.

 Experts identified the creatures as belonging to the giant African snail species, known by the scientific name Archachatina marginata. They also are commonly referred to as giant African land snails, West African snails, West African land snails or banana rasp snails.

 Each of the mollusks, with striated brownish-orange shells, can easily fill the palm of a person's hand. They can grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) in length and may live up to 10 years in the wild, experts say.

 The entire collection confiscated at the airport was eventually turned over to the USDA, which disposed of the snails through incineration, although no garlic or butter was used, Harty said. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Peter Cooney) |||||

Write a summary.

– A slow-moving Nigerian delicacy was stopped at Los Angeles International Airport when 67 giant land snails were discovered packed in picnic baskets, authorities said yesterday. The live African snails—which can grow to be 8 inches long, 5 inches wide, and live to be 10 years old—arrived with paperwork stating they were for human consumption, but federal authorities say they are a damaging, invasive species, reports CBS. "The significant interception of giant African snails is the first time this pest has been encountered in such large quantity and as a consumption entry" in Los Angeles, a Customs and Border Protection official says. The snails, which carry a parasite that can give humans meningitis, are known to consume more than 500 kinds of plants and USDA officials say they will even eat the paint and stucco off houses when there's no other food around, the Los Angeles Times notes. The snails are generally fried as a snack but the shipment seized at LAX was turned over to the USDA and then incinerated, reports Reuters. Florida has been battling an infestation of the snails for years and has caught more than 100,000 of them.