19 kids found alone in filthy Ky. home

19 kids found alone in filthy Ky. home

bowling green, ky.

Authorities say a man and a woman in Kentucky left 19 children unattended for a week in a sweltering, filthy home.

The children ranged from 8 months to 14 years old and were found Monday night in a small three-bedroom home near Bowling Green.

Warren County Sheriff’s Detective Tim Robinson says the home was littered with dog feces and there was no air conditioning on a day when it reached 101 degrees. He says Irving “Joe” Smith and Jackie Farah told a neighbor last week that they had a family emergency in Michigan and asked the neighbor to check on the kids.

Deputies said the children behaved as if they were often left alone. The pair told investigators that they plan to return to the area to speak with authorities.

Iraq bomb kills 40

baghdad

Bombs pounded six Iraqi cities and towns Tuesday, killing at least 40 people and raising suspicion that security forces might be assisting terrorists in launching attacks on Shiite Muslims.

The onslaught came just ahead of a religious pilgrimage that could attract even more violence.

A senior Iraqi intelligence official said checkpoint guards may have been bribed to help al-Qaida-linked Sunni insurgents plant bombs at Shiite marketplaces.

Iran reports missile launch in exercise

tehran, iran

Iran said Tuesday it test-fired several ballistic missiles, including a long-range variety meant to dissuade an Israeli or U.S. attack, alongside a push by Washington to beef up its military might in the region.

The powerful Revolutionary Guard’s acting commander told state TV that the tests, aimed at mock enemy bases in a war games exercise, were a response to refusal by Israel and the U.S. to rule out military strikes to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

The official IRNA news agency said the surface-to-surface missiles successfully hit their targets

Air Force planes ready for missions

denver

Air Force tanker planes returned to the flight line for firefighting missions Tuesday after a deadly weekend crash, bringing much-needed reinforcements to a strained fleet battling some of the worst wildfires in decades.

The return of five C-130s means wildfire managers now have 19 heavy tankers to battle the huge fires that have burned hundreds of square miles and displaced thousands of people across the West.

One wildfire in Montana has charred more than 290 square miles and burned 16 homes. The fire was 55 percent contained.

Netanyahu faces coalition crisis

jerusalem

Israel’s prime minister on Tuesday moved to contain the first major crisis in his newly expanded coalition government after his most significant partner threatened to quit in a dispute over how to overhaul the country’s military draft.

Benjamin Netanyahu is rushing to meet an Aug. 1 court deadline to end a contentious system that has exempted tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews from serving in the army.

The explosive issue is threatening to drive Netanyahu’s new coalition partner, Kadima, out of the government. Kadima, led by Shaul Mofaz, a former military chief of staff, joined the coalition just two months ago with the aim of reforming the draft.

Associated Press