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Only Expedia's US site will accept bitcoin during the trial Travel website Expedia has become the latest company to accept bitcoin transactions as a form of payment for hotel bookings. When Expedia's US customers come to pay to reserve their hotel, bitcoins will be offered as a payment method alongside Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club and Paypal. To begin with, the company will only accept the virtual currency for hotel bookings, and will restrict the trial to its US site. Expedia boss Michael Gulmann said: "We're continually looking at ways consumers want to pay for their travel; bitcoin is a great example of how Expedia is investing early in an array of payment options to give our customers and partners more choice in the ways they interact with us." Other big businesses such as Virgin Galactic now accept bitcoin, as do a range of  UK companies from Theatre Tickets Direct to the law firm Sheridans.  Video:Shop Holds Bitcoin-Only Trial

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday urged the Kremlin to comply with rules on transparency as it gears up for huge military exercises along the alliance's eastern flank next month. The drill, named Zapad 2017 ("West"), has stoked fresh alarm in NATO-members Poland and the Baltic states as a more assertive Russia pushes back against what it sees as the alliance's unjustified expansion into eastern Europe. "I call on Russia to ensure compliance with its obligations under the OSCE Vienna Document, because predictability, transparency is especially important when we have increased military activity along our borders," Stoltenberg told reporters in Warsaw at a joint press conference with Poland's right-wing Prime Minister Beata Szydlo. The Vienna Document requires all sides to provide advance information about exercises and allow observer teams so as to avoid any dangerous misunderstandings. The NATO chief had much stronger words for Mosco

Kim Kardashian is something of a master of  the "double take" outfit , and she showed her skills again with a combination sheer black bodysuit, bejeweled sandal heels, and then a pair of billowing camo-print shorts. Just say that last part out loud, then gird yourself again: Kim is no stranger to  boundary-pushing fashion , but if camo Bermuda shorts are a hard sell on a Kardashian, not sure if this style deserves to get new legs. But it's sure great for showing off hers, which admittedly look fabulous topped off with those glittering sandals. Kim switched up her sidewalk style showcase with a pair of chic black shades, all the better for avoiding paparazzi flashes: While Kim had no problem showing off her nips to the general public, little sis Kendall Jenner chose a very different approach, opting for boots and a ruffled floral dress: The sisters are clearly representing their personal brands while out and about, making this a celebrity outing only the Kardashi

Hours after another defeat at the hands of the Republican-held Senate, President Trump launched into a speech about immigrant gang violence on Friday and wound up delivering a de facto campaign rally with a spray of Long Island police officers applauding behind him. In his second brief appearance in his home state since taking office — this time in a small auditorium at the Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood — Mr. Trump described cities as “bloodstained killing fields” that were overrun with undocumented immigrants before his inauguration in January. He described the perpetrators of violent crimes as “animals” and said his administration seeks to “dismantle, decimate and eradicate” gangs. He also used his roughly 30-minute speech to bolster the police, urging them to be less “nice” in arresting immigrant criminal suspects or gang members whom he described as enraptured by slow torture of their victims. The gang  La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13 , has been  accused  of a strin

As states impose their own bans on ivory to help save elephants, it appears the market is simply shifting to other spots. New York City has long been a hub of the U.S. ivory market, but a state ban enacted in 2014 has reduced the amount of ivory for sale. Here, an antique store on 5th Avenue displayed ivory items in the window.   Has the nation’s capital become the new center of the U.S. ivory trade? Investigators counted almost three times as many ivory items for sale in the Washington, D.C., area in 2016 than ten years earlier, even as the amount of ivory for sale in other parts of the country has been decreasing. From antique shops to flea markets, galleries, and even a tobacco shop, some 658 pieces of ivory for sale were identified in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area by investigators with TRAFFIC, the wildlife monitoring organization. A  new report from TRAFFIC, with support from the World Wildlife Fund and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a conservatio

  After  another North Korean missile launch  on Friday, the US and South Korean military responded by holding a joint missile exercise "to exercise assets countering North Korea's missile launch," a joint statement read. The exercise utilized the Army's Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and South Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II - which were said to be capable of rapidly deploying in order to provide "deep-strike precision capability." The missiles were also said to have been  fired  into the East Sea, where North Korea's latest missile was also rumored to have landed. ATACMS missiles can carry a 500-pound high-explosive warhead and can travel up to a distance of 186 miles. The newest provocation from North Korea appeared to demonstrate the country's advances in its missile program, given that the latest missile was estimated to be capable of reaching major US cities, such as New York and Washington, D.C.,  according to experts . President Donald

The United States on Thursday hit out at Iran over its test of a satellite-launch rocket, calling it an act that undermined regional stability and saying it appeared to violate UN Security Council resolutions. "We consider that to be continued ballistic missile development," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. "We consider this to be provocative action." Nauert added that if confirmed, the test could be a "violation of UN Security Council resolutions." Iranian state television broadcast footage of the takeoff from the Imam Khomeini space center, named after the late founder of the Islamic republic, in Semnan province in the east of the country. The report said the launch vehicle, named Simorgh after a bird in Iranian mythology, was capable of propelling a satellite weighing 250 kilograms (550 pounds) to an altitude of 500 kilometres (300 miles) above earth. Western states suspect Iran of developing the technology capable of l

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov watch a display during the MAKS 2017 air show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia, July 18, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via     The United States will be forced to cut hundreds of its embassy staff in Russia, the Interfax news agency quoted a source as saying, after Moscow retaliated on Friday for what it said were proposed illegal U.S. sanctions against it. "We are talking not about dozens, but hundreds of diplomatic and technical staff who work for U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia," the agency quoted the source as saying. Russia told the United States on Friday that some of its diplomats had to leave the country in just over a month and said it was seizing some U.S. diplomatic property. Russia's response, announced by the Foreign Ministry, came a day after the U.S. Senate voted to slap new sanctions on Russia, putting President Donald Trump in a tough position by forcing hi

Paris (AFP) July 25, 2017 US aerospace giant Boeing has signed a billion-dollarcontract with French industrial software company Dassault Systemes to modernise its production system, French media said Tuesday. "Boeing has signed a 30-year contract worth a billion dollars, renewable every 10 years," said Le Figaro newspaper, which is owned by the Dassault group. The partnership will focus on the use of 3D software "to design future products, to modernise the entire production system and to deploy new services". The software allows all stages of production, from the design to the management of subcontractors, to be organised across a single interface. "From start to finish, Boeing will drive all levels of subcontracting, from the largest to the smallest, and will be able to control exchanges between its divisions and its partners," Bernard Charles, Dassault Systemes CEO, was quoted as saying by Le Figaro. The contract, won after two years of competiti

HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers, on a sea trial this week. (Photo by the Press Association)  At a time of rising tensions between China and the US, a move likely to anger Beijing. The UK would increase in presence in the waters after it sent four combat aircraft for joint exercises with Japan in the region last year, British Defense Minister Michael Fallon said Thursday. "We hope to send a warship to region next year. We have not finalized exactly where that deployment will take place but we won't be constrained by China from sailing through the South China Sea," Fallon told Reuters. "We flew RAF Typhoons through the South China Sea last October and we will exercise that right whenever we next have the opportunity to do so, whenever we have ships or planes in the region,” he added. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also said Thursday that Britain plans to sail two new aircraft carriers through contested Asian waters. “One

FU.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks to reporters during a briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S.  U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry optimistically discussed expanding American coal exports to Ukraine and other energy matters during a lengthy phone call this month with a Russian prankster who Perry thought was Ukraine's prime minister. Perry actually was talking with comedians known in Russia for targeting celebrities and politicians with audacious stunts, Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a written statement. Pranksters Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov are sometimes called the "Jerky Boys of Russia," after an American duo who put out recordings of their prank phone calls in the 1990s. They have made faux calls to British singer Elton John, who thought he was speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and others. "These individuals are known for pranking high-level officials and celebrities, particularly those who are suppor

file photo, a man watches a TV news program showing a file image of a missile launch conducted by North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station  The Defense Intelligence Agency now estimates that North Korea could have an ICBM with a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the U.S. mainland by next year, The Washington Post  reported  Tuesday. The estimate by the DIA significantly shortened the timeframe for when North Korea could develop the technology for miniaturizing a nuclear warhead to fit atop an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) and survive re-entry into the atmosphere. Previous estimates said that North Korea was at least three years away from having the capability. The new confidential assessment by the DIA followed  the July 4 missile test  that North Korea claimed was an ICBM. U.S. Pacific Command initially said the missile appeared to be of intermediate range but later concluded that it had the range of an ICBM capable of hitting Alaska. The DIA’s conclusion was that

Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki (Photo by Reurters) Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki has called for “substantial” Russian military and political presence in the terror-ravaged country, saying this would bring “balance” to the entire region. “It’s well known that Russia has historically strong relations with Iraq, therefore we would like Russia to have a substantial presence in our country, both politically and militarily,” said the senior Iraqi official during a Monday meeting with speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, in Moscow, RT reported. “This way, a balance would be established that would benefit the region, its peoples and its countries” added Maliki, saying his country believes “in Russia’s role in solving most of the key international issues as well as improving stability and balance in our region and worldwide.” Matviyenko, in turn, welcomed Baghdad’s desire to boost ties with Moscow and said, “Russia is also determined to expand

Hawaii's  Emergency Management Agency released  an ominous statement on how to survive and proceed in the event of a nuclear attack. Citizens of Hawaii are advised to look out for emergency sirens, alerts, wireless notifications, or flashes of "brilliant white light" that will indicate that a nuclear detonation is incoming or underway. From there, the agency instructs citizens to get indoors, stay indoors, and stay tuned via radio as "cell phone, television, radio and internet services will be severely disrupted or unavailable." Instead, expect only local radio stations to survive and function. If indoors, citizens should avoid windows. If driving, citizens should pull off the road to allow emergency vehicles access to population centers. Once inside, Hawaiians should not leave home until instructed to or for two full weeks, as dangerous nuclear fallout could sicken or kill them. Read the full release below:

Amid all its upgrades and advances, the US Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is lacking one feature: urinals. Every bathroom on the Ford is, for the first time,  gender-neutral , equipped with flush toilets and stalls, according to Navy Times. Bathroom-design  experts have said  sit-down toilets are less sanitary and take up more space, and most of the Ford's crew members are men. (Women are only about 18% of the Navy.) But the Navy has said getting rid of urinals has advantages for current and future operations. Making every bathroom accessible to all of the ship's sailors will also make things more convenient for sailors, the Navy has said. And bathrooms that can be used by either gender mean the Navy can reassign them without making any design changes, should the crew's makeup change. "This is designed to give the ship flexibility because there aren’t any berthing areas that are dedicated to one sex or the other," Operations Spe

Container ship strikes USS 'Fitzgerald' off Japan The collision of the  Arleigh Burke -class destroyer USS  Fitzgerald  with the ACX  Crystal , a Philippine-flagged container ship, appears to be the worst U.S. Navy ship accident in years. Seven sailors are missing following the collision, which occurred in the morning darkness off Japan’s Izu peninsula around 2:20 a.m. on June 17. Two of  Fitzgerald ‘s crew berthings, the radio room and a machinery space flooded. The warship’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, and two other injured sailors were medevaced to a U.S. Navy hospital in Yokosuka and are in stable condition. Imagery of the  Fitzgerald  shows severe damage to the destroyer’s starboard side, just below one of the octagonal SPY-1D phased array radars—which also appears damaged—that are critical to the ship’s anti-aircraft and missile defense system.  Fitzgerald  returned to Yokosuka under limited propulsion, the Navy stated. The collision is a tragedy and the

Russian President Vladimir Putin.Adam Berry/Getty Images A  New York Times investigation  found that Russia renewed 6 Trump trademarks in 2016 The trademarks were approved for renewal while Russia was actively meddling in the US election Trump has repeatedly said he has no more business dealings with Russia, but intellectual property law experts told The Times that unused trademarks can hold significant value The report comes as the Trump campaign is under multiple active investigations for possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 election Last year, the Russian government approved the renewals of six trademarks for President Donald Trump that were about to expire,  according to a New York Times investigation  on Sunday. Four of those renewals were officially registered by Russia on Election Day. The Times found that the Kremlin approved applications for the trademarks' renewal beginning in April 2016 and ending in December of that year, according to records maintained by

Transatlantic bond 'strongest bulwark' against instability: Mattis Munich, Germany The bond between Europe and America is the "strongest bulwark" against instability and violence, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday as he tried to calm jittery allies seeking clarity from Donald Trump's White House. International partners remain deeply troubled after Trump's campaign rhetoric questioned long-established alliances, and they worry about a growing scandal over possible ties between some of Trump's staff and Moscow. "The transatlantic bond remains our strongest bulwark against instability and violence," Mattis told the Munich Security Conference. "I am confident that we will strengthen our partnerships, confronting those who choose to attack innocent people or our democratic processes and freedoms." Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general who spent years working with international partners, has often taken a divergent tone fr

American   troops descend from a helicopter onto a green field peppered by palm-like tees. A fog hangs over the area and all the soldiers are faceless. Masks, mirrored goggles and technological doodads cover their features. Indistinct chatter fills the air as the soldiers move forward, their weapons raised. They’re ready for war. Fade into gunfire. The mirrored glasses of an American soldier pumping round after round into an unseen enemy. An armed robot outfitted with a sniper rifle moves along the outskirts of the soldiers, picking them off one by one. A dexterous commando rolls forward, unslings his sidearm and fires. It has no effect. Two ground combat drones encircle the soldiers, slaughtering them where they stand. The U.S. soldiers die, the drones prevail and Iran stops an American invasion. This isn’t the opening moment of a new Hollywood summer blockbuster, but a sample scene from an Iranian animated movie. In  The Battle of Persian Gulf 2 , Tehran kicks Washington’s ass.

Executive Brief The US regulation of digital currencies is out of date, impractical, and damaging to a potentially lucrative economy. The lack of unity in state regulations has created an unworkable system that makes the operations of Fintech (Financial Technology) companies complicated and confusing. A unified and clear regulatory policy would clear these muddy waters and benefit the digital currency industry, and have a positive impact on the American economy as a whole. Read the full story below.  The US Once Led the Bitcoin Revolution Every country is feeling their way through this relatively new digital currency, but America was initially proactive in the digital currency industry. For example, the US Senate was the first to conduct hearings on Bitcoin in 2013. The IRS was the first to release information on taxes in relation to Bitcoin, and FINCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) was the first crime agency to make any reference to the digital currency.