| Aly Raisman Thinks 175 Years For Larry Nassar Is ‘Not Enough’ Posted: 30 Jan 2018 08:29 AM PST  Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman said she's not satisfied with the 40- to 175-year prison sentence for former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University team doctor Larry Nassar, who has been accused of sexually abusing more than 150 girls.
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| 7 Glass Mosaics Around the World That Take Design to New Heights (Literally) Posted: 30 Jan 2018 03:35 PM PST |
| Shaky start to Syria peace talks in Russia as opposition delegates refuse to leave Sochi airport Posted: 30 Jan 2018 05:13 AM PST  A Russian-organised peace conference aimed at ending the war in Syria had a shambolic start on Tuesday, after dozens of opposition delegates refused to leave the airport in Sochi and others backed out at the last minute. Moscow, a staunch Assad ally, is hosting what it has called a Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in the Black Sea resort that it hopes will launch negotiations on drafting a new constitution for Syria after almost seven years of war. But the conference, which is running in parallel to the United Nations-negotiated talks, looked in jeopardy after more than 70 rebel delegates refused to leave the airport until all logos and emblems representing the government were removed. A rebel source told the Telegraph Russia had promised to change or remove the symbol of the congress, which read "Peace to the People of Syria" but only featured the regime flag, only to be greeted by them at the arrivals gate. Sochi conference logo (w/only regime flag) causing problems. Apparently a group of opposition members refused to board one of the buses with it at the airport. They sat at the terminal until other transport was arranged. pic.twitter.com/hjSVlH0uR1— Neil Hauer (@NeilPHauer) January 30, 2018 The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), the country's main opposition group, meanwhile said following two days of UN-led talks in Vienna last week that it would not attend the Sochi congress. Turkey, which backs the opposition and is co-sponsoring the talks with Iran, which supports Bashar al-Assad's government, said it would represent the rebels. Lt. Col. Ahmad al-Saud of Idlib's Free Syrian Army claimed the opposition delegation was mistreated by Russian authorities at the airport, where he was detained for several hours Credit: Twitter/CombatChris1 Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, was heckled during his opening statement, with several delegates accusing Moscow of killing civilians in Syria with its air strikes. "In Russia, it's polite to say 'please' first," Mr Lavrov responded, saying they would have a chance to speak later. The conference was initially billed as a two-day event but was cut down to one. Observers noted that much of Tuesday's programme was taken up with a long lunch and dinner, leaving little time for discussion. Attendees shout slogans prior to a plenary session at the Congress of Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi Credit: AFP Britain, the US and France did not send any official delegates because of what they say is the government's refusal to properly engage. Western powers support the UN process, which is now in its ninth round but has so far failed to make any major headway. The conference was also also boycotted by Kurdish delegates over Turkey's offensive on the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Afrin, a northern Syrian enclave on the border with Turkey. A few Kurdish officials attended in a personal capacity and reportedly met in private with Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the conference. The main aim of the Sochi talks is to establish a committee to create a post-war constitution for Syria with UN backing, according to a draft statement. However, any deal agreed without he Kurds, which control some 25 per cent of territory in Syria, will unlikely succeed. The poor start is a blow to Russia, which has been positioning itself a Middle East peace broker and trying to consolidate influence in the region as the US increasingly takes a step back from the Syrian crisis under President Donald Trump. "The whole point of the congress was to have a serious negotiation with the Kurds, or at least the Higher Negotiating Committee (the most relevant opposition body)," Neil Hauer, s security analyst focused on Russia-Syria relations, told the Telegraph from Sochi. "Neither of them are here, and as such there's not much that can be discussed. Nor will anything announced here have much legitimacy. It will be very difficult for the Russians to spin this as a win." The opposition has accused Russia of not being an honest broker after failing to uphold a deal made in previous round of talks in Kazakhstan. Both sides agreed to so-called de-escalation zones across Syria, which government forces have since violated. Hours before the the congress got underway, nearly a dozen civilians were killed in a pro-government air strike on the largest market in rebel-held Idlib province. The government is now focused on the northwestern province of Idlib, which is dominated by al-Qaeda-linked militants and home to more than 2.6 million people, nearly half of whom have fled from other areas. It appears to have stepped up its bombing campaign in Idlib in recent days. The Observatory reported 90 airstrikes in Idlib on Monday alone.
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| India's 'Unwanted' Girls Number In The Millions, New Report Finds Posted: 30 Jan 2018 01:17 PM PST  Indian families' traditional preference for sons over daughters has led to the existence of millions of "unwanted" girls in the country, a new government report estimates.
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| Gold! Treasure lost at sea in 1857 shipwreck goes on display Posted: 29 Jan 2018 08:36 AM PST  SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — More than $50 million worth of gold bars, coins and dust that's been described as the greatest lost treasure in U.S. history is about to make its public debut in California after sitting at the bottom of the ocean for more than 150 years.
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| Taiwan holds live-fire drills as tensions with China mount Posted: 29 Jan 2018 11:35 PM PST  Taiwanese troops Tuesday staged live-fire exercises simulating a response to an invasion, as China steppeds up pressure on the island's President Tsai Ing-wen and a row over airline routes escalated. The ministry did not specify that the annual drill simulated an invasion by China but said it was intended to "show determination to safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait and national security". Tsai last month warned against what she called Beijing's "military expansion" -- the increase in Chinese air and naval drills around the island since she came to power in May 2016.
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| U.N. employees in Gaza demonstrate against U.S. aid cut Posted: 29 Jan 2018 12:51 PM PST ![U.N. employees in Gaza demonstrate against U.S. aid cut]( "U.N. employees in Gaza demonstrate against U.S. aid cut") By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - Schools, clinics and food distribution centers in the Gaza Strip were closed most of Monday by a demonstration by thousands of employees of the United Nations agency that serves Palestinian refugees. Palestinians have been angered by a U.S. decision to cut aid to the United Nations Relief and Welfare Agency (UNRWA), saying it will cause worse hardship in Gaza. More than half the enclave's two million residents depend on support from UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies.
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| Schiff: House Intel GOP disgraced for Trump Posted: 29 Jan 2018 11:55 AM PST  Rep. Adam Schiff talks with Rachel Maddow about the unprecedented lengths to which House Intelligence Committee Republicans are going to undermine Robert Mueller's investigation of Donald Trump.
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| Police look at phone records for clues in jealousy shooting Posted: 29 Jan 2018 04:17 PM PST  Police on Monday were focusing on phone records to try to piece together how a group of friends wound up at a Pennsylvania self-serve car wash, where a gunman lying in wait in the early morning hours killed four of them and injured one who managed to hide.
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| North Korea has stepped up executions, says top US commander Posted: 30 Jan 2018 04:31 AM PST  North Korea has stepped up its executions, the top commander of US troops on the Korean Peninsula said on Monday, amid increasing strain on the its military from international economic sanctions. "We're seeing some increase in executions, mostly against political officers who are in military units, for corruption," General Vincent K Brooks, the top US commander in South Korea told the Wall Street Journal. He added that the actions "are really about trying to clamp down on as much as possible on something that might be deteriorating and keeping it from deteriorating too quickly." In recent months the South Korean press has reported the possible execution of Park In-young, the official in charge of Pyongyang's nuclear test facilities, and former military chief, General Hwang Pyong-so, who was accused of allegedly taking bribes. General Brooks also noted a recent shift in the pattern of defections from the North. "We're seeing defections happening in areas where we don't generally see them, for example crossing the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone on the border)," he said. Meanwhile, North Korea has been cutting back on its winter military drills as harsh sanctions over its nuclear and weapons programme begin to bite, say analysts. The military exercises, which usually run from December to March, got started late and aren't as extensive as before, the Journal reported. The United Nations has placed major restrictions on imports of oil and refined petroleum products to North Korea, which may have led to a reduction in military activities to save fuel. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting the State Academy of Sciences at an undisclosed location Credit: AFP "Where this will have an effect in on ground-force readiness," Joseph Bermudez, a military analyst for 38 North, a website run by Johns Hopkins University's US-Korea Institute, told the paper. "Military units have to train to maintain their proficiency." North Korean workers overseas, previously a big source of foreign currency for the regime, are also now being sent home from their host countries after strict new sanctions imposed by the UN in August, following Pyongyang's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. On Tuesday it emerged that Angola was the latest country to terminate all of its contracts with North Korean construction company, Mansudae, and had asked its employees to leave.
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| Toronto landscaper killed five people and buried them on clients' land – police Posted: 29 Jan 2018 05:58 PM PST  'The city of Toronto has never seen anything like this,' a police spokesman said. Police in Canada have accused a Toronto landscaper of murdering at least five people and burying their remains in large flower planters on his clients' properties, in a case that has sparked an "unprecedented" investigation. "The city of Toronto has never seen anything like this," Hank Idsinga of the Toronto police told reporters on Monday.
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| Elon Musk Says He's Sold 10,000 Flamethrowers Through His Boring Co. Website Posted: 29 Jan 2018 09:47 PM PST  Entrepreneur Elon Musk has captured the world's imagination with his electric cars, space rockets and renewable energy systems, and now the billionaire is looking to corner the market in a slightly less benevolent area: flamethrowers.
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| Global stocks pressured ahead of big earnings, Fed meeting Posted: 29 Jan 2018 02:26 PM PST  New York (AFP) - Global stocks kicked off the week in lackluster fashion on Monday, with US equities retreating from records ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting and a deluge of major earnings reports.
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| ICE Deports Palestinian Man Living In The U.S. For Almost 40 Years Despite Outcry Posted: 30 Jan 2018 02:05 AM PST  Weeks of confusion and inconsistencies from immigration officials ended on Monday after authorities deported a Palestinian man who had been living in the U.S. for nearly 40 years.
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| China denies report it hacked African Union headquarters Posted: 30 Jan 2018 01:56 AM PST ![China denies report it hacked African Union headquarters]( "China denies report it hacked African Union headquarters") By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - China and the African Union dismissed on Monday a report in French newspaper Le Monde that Beijing had bugged the regional bloc's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital. An article published Friday in Le Monde, quoting anonymous AU sources, reported that data from computers in the Chinese-built building had been transferred nightly to Chinese servers for five years. After the massive hack was discovered a year ago, the building's IT system including servers was changed, according to Le Monde.
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| Meet The Progressive Immigrant Lawmaker Who Will Respond To Donald Trump In Spanish Posted: 29 Jan 2018 04:15 PM PST  Elizabeth Guzman (D) immigrated to the United States from Peru 20 years ago.
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| Trial starts for woman charged with killing her twin Posted: 29 Jan 2018 07:01 PM PST  WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — A murder trial began Monday for a woman accused of deliberately driving off a cliff in Hawaii and killing her identical twin sister.
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| Russian fighter jet 'passes 5ft in front of US surveillance plane' over Black Sea Posted: 29 Jan 2018 07:38 PM PST  A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US surveillance plane over the Black Sea on Monday, prompting the American government to protest the manoeuvre as "an unsafe interaction". The US State Department said the Russian jet closed to within five feet and crossed directly in front of the EP-3 Aries II plane. The encounter, first reported by Russia's RIA news agency, cited the defence ministry as saying the US Navy aircraft, did not violate Russian air space. "This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements," said the State Department. "We call on Russia to cease these unsafe actions that increase the risk of miscalculation, danger to aircrew on both sides, and midair collisions." MT @USNavyEurope : #USNavy EP-3 Aries flying in international airspace over #BlackSea was intercepted by Russian Su-27. Interaction determined unsafe: Su-27 came within 5 feet & crossed thru EP-3's flight path, causing EP-3 to fly thru Su-27 jet wash. [File Photo] pic.twitter.com/B25rRhpeyU— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) January 29, 2018 Moscow said that "all security precautions" had been observed during the encounter. "After the surveillance plane of the US Navy had changed its course to move away from the border, the Su-27 returned to its base," RIA quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying. Russian jets and Nato aircraft have frequently come close together over the Black Sea, the Baltic region, Syria and elsewhere. The Pentagon has warned of the dangers of such close encounters in the sky. A Russian Su-27 gets up and close and personal Credit: US European Command Images released by US European Command last yearshow a Russian SU-27 flying close to the wing of a US RC-135U. The planes are so close that the Russian pilot can be seen in the cockpit.
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| Cleveland Indians to Remove Chief Wahoo Logo Posted: 29 Jan 2018 07:57 AM PST  The team will no longer wear the logo or display signs or banners with the image beginning in 2019.
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| Amazon, eBay Remove 'Chinese Boy' Costumes Featuring Racist 'Slant-Eye' Images Posted: 30 Jan 2018 03:31 PM PST  Amazon UK and eBay UK have received immense backlash after social media users recently noticed "Chinese Boy Fancy Dress Costumes" for sale through the e-commerce sites.
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| US Air Force sergeant removed from post after expletive-filled Facebook rant about ‘black females’ Posted: 30 Jan 2018 08:09 AM PST  An Air Force sergeant is under investigation after a profanity-laced Facebook tirade in which she denigrated "black females" who are of lower rank than her. Tech Sgt Geraldine Lovely has been "removed from her supervisory role" after the Facebook post went viral over the weekend, officials at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas have said. "It pisses me the f*** off that they have no respect and constantly have attitude," Ms Lovely says in the video.
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| Amazon, Berkshire, JP Morgan join forces to tackle health care Posted: 30 Jan 2018 06:25 AM PST  Three titans of American business announced Tuesday they are joining forces to tackle one of the most enduring problems in the country: quality affordable health care. Billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and Jeff Bezos' retail behemoth Amazon will link with financial giant JP Morgan to create a nonprofit health care plan to "provide US employees and their families with simplified, high-quality and transparent health care at a reasonable cost," the companies said. "The ballooning costs of health care act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy," Buffett said in a statement.
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| Iran's Relationship With Qatar Could Be Crumbling Posted: 29 Jan 2018 04:29 PM PST  Qatar has sought to enjoy the benefits of maintaining a membership in the GCC and close relations with Iran. Tensions between the Gulf states and Qatar developed into an outright feud last June as a result of Qatar's drift toward Iran, which led the Saudis and their partners to impose a boycott and cut off air, sea, and land routes to Qatar. Instead of responding positively to a demand that it cut ties with Tehran, Qatar defiantly restored full diplomatic relations with Iran.
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| Tom Brady Has This Wish For Radio Host Who Insulted His 5-Year-Old Daughter Posted: 30 Jan 2018 03:27 AM PST  New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Monday night that he doesn't want radio station WEEI to sack the host who called his 5-year-old daughter Vivian "an annoying little pissant."
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| Rosenstein approved surveillance extension of former Trump adviser: NYT Posted: 28 Jan 2018 09:38 PM PST ![Rosenstein approved surveillance extension of former Trump adviser: NYT]( "Rosenstein approved surveillance extension of former Trump adviser: NYT") The extension shows the Department of Justice, under President Donald Trump, saw reason to believe that Page was acting as a Russian agent, the paper reported on Sunday. The Times report did not reveal the evidence Rosenstein relied on to authorize extension of the surveillance. Rosenstein, also a Republican, took office in April after being nominated by Trump.
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| The Latest: NY trial opens for reputed Philadelphia mob boss Posted: 30 Jan 2018 07:16 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — The latest from the New York fraud trial of a reputed Philadelphia mob boss (all times local):
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| Wife of Taiwan activist jailed in China barred from visiting Posted: 30 Jan 2018 01:48 AM PST  The wife of a Taiwanese democracy activist who was jailed in China in a case which further strained relations was Tuesday barred from boarding a flight to visit him in prison. Human rights and democracy activists have been targeted in Chinese President Xi Jinping's crackdown on dissent since he took power in 2012. Taipei had called Lee's jailing "unacceptable" and a serious blow to cross-strait relations, while his wife Lee Ching-yu called his trial a "political show".
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| A Plane Had to Make an Emergency Landing on a California Freeway Posted: 28 Jan 2018 11:49 PM PST  There were no injuries reported
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| New attractions coming to Disney Parks Posted: 30 Jan 2018 02:52 PM PST  Toy Story Land, Marvel Land, and Star Wars Land are all coming to Disney Parks.
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| Raytheon Could Be the Bigger Winner in America's Big Military Buildup Posted: 29 Jan 2018 04:40 PM PST  The Pentagon's new National Defense Strategy looks like a winner to defense giant Raytheon, which foresees a bright future in the years to come as defense spending grows. The rise of a new era of great power competition means that high-end weapons that Raytheon builds will be in high demand. "Last week, Secretary of Defense [James] Mattis released a national defense strategy.
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| Porch Pirate Karma: Thief Suffers Nasty Fall While Trying to Make Off With Packages Posted: 29 Jan 2018 10:47 AM PST  The getaway driver had to come to the thief's aid as her foot was left dangling.
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| Paul Ryan defends Republican memo release Posted: 30 Jan 2018 09:57 AM PST  On Tuesday, January Paul Ryan defended the vote by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee to release a classified memo the GOP says shows anti-Trump bias by the FBI and DOJ
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| Victim's dad: Son, killer had run-in before car-wash rampage Posted: 30 Jan 2018 01:41 PM PST  MELCROFT, Pa. (AP) — The father of one of four people gunned down by a jealous ex-boyfriend at a car wash says the shooter had an altercation with his son at a bar hours before the deadly rampage.
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| Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Orders Investigation Into Karolyi Ranch Allegations Posted: 30 Jan 2018 12:27 PM PST  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has ordered additional law enforcement to investigate allegations of sexual assault at Walker County's Karolyi Ranch, the former training facility for USA Gymnastics athletes.
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| U.S. to resume refugee admissions from 11 'high-risk' countries Posted: 29 Jan 2018 03:44 PM PST ![U.S. to resume refugee admissions from 11 'high-risk' countries]( "U.S. to resume refugee admissions from 11 'high-risk' countries") By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will resume admissions for refugees from 11 countries identified as presenting a high security risk, but with extra vetting for these mostly Middle Eastern and African nations, senior U.S. officials said on Monday. The changes came after a 90-day review of refugee admissions from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen by the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and intelligence agencies. The new rules are the latest changes to the U.S. refugee program made by the administration of President Donald Trump to address what it sees as national security issues.
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| Beyoncé's Grammys glam is all under $30 (seriously) Posted: 29 Jan 2018 01:20 PM PST  Who could forget when Beyoncé made headlines for wearing a $12 million necklace to last year's Grammy Awards?
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| 90,000 flee Philippine volcano stretching relief camps Posted: 29 Jan 2018 03:15 AM PST  The number of Filipinos fleeing from the erupting Mayon volcano to safe zones has swelled to nearly 90,000, officials said Monday, worsening a sanitation crisis in the already stretched relief camps. President Rodrigo Duterte flew to the central city of Legazpi on Monday to assess the disaster zone, some two weeks after the country's most active volcano began belching spectacular but potentially lethal ash columns, lava and rocks. Al Francis Bichara, the governor of Albay province, said authorities expect the evacuees will need to stay at the camps for at least a month.
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| Amazon, JPMorgan, Berkshire Are Creating a Health Care Company That's 'Free From Profit-Making Incentives' Posted: 30 Jan 2018 05:34 AM PST  Healthcare shares plunged on the news
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| FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe steps down after clashes with Donald Trump Posted: 29 Jan 2018 09:52 AM PST  Andrew McCabe, the FBI deputy director who Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised in public, has stepped down from the role. Mr McCabe, who held the post since early 2016, will formally leave the FBI in mid-March when he becomes eligible for full retirement benefits. The US president has effectively accused him of political bias in the past because Mr McCabe's wife ran for a Virginia state senate seat as a Democrat. The news comes a week after reports Mr Trump was urging his departure behind the scenes and once asked him how he voted. Mr McCabe, the second most senior person in the FBI, was expected to leave the agency in March but the announcement he was leaving his post now came as a surprise. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is, and has been, a dedicated public servant who has served this country well. Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long term, unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government.— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) January 29, 2018 It marks another twist in the fractured relationship between Mr Trump and the intelligence agencies, with the president sacking James Comey, the FBI director, shortly after taking office. Mr McCabe, briefly acting director after Mr Comey's departure, has become the target for Mr Trump's ire over the last year. His wife received several hundred thousand dollars from a political fund linked to Hillary Clinton in her unsuccessful bid for a state senate seat in 2015. Mr McCabe reportedly stepped back from any involvement in investigations into Virginian political figures or Ms Clinton. Nonetheless Mr Trump has repeatedly voiced criticism over the link. In December he tweeted: How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin' James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife's campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017 After reports Mr McCabe was waiting to become eligible for his full pension before retiring, Mr Trump tweeted: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017 It is unclear why his departure from the role came on Monday, given he was already expected to retire in March. It came a week after reports that Mr Trump asked Mr McCabe how he voted in 2015 – he said he did not vote – and that the FBI was coming under pressure to remove him. Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, denied the White House was involved in the removal, saying: "The president wasn't part of this decision-making process." So they will keep him on till then despite all this to make sure the American tax payer is stuck paying him for the rest of his life? https://t.co/5MVh9xAUxR— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 29, 2018
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| Brentley Gore death: Stepfather charged with murder of three-year-old boy weeps in court Posted: 30 Jan 2018 04:09 AM PST  Prosecutors claim Richards used a belt to beat his stepson while his mother, who has not been named, slept in the next room of their home in Hickory Falls, Georgia. Richards denies killing his stepson and investigators said he told them that he dropped the child by accident. Richards, the son of Carollton Police Chief Joel Richards, was originally charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, cruelty to children in the first degree and possession of marijuana.
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| Kenyan opposition leader 'sworn in' as event called treason Posted: 30 Jan 2018 05:56 AM PST  NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — In a ceremony that Kenya's government warned would be treason, opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday was sworn in as "the people's president" during a mock inauguration protesting President Uhuru Kenyatta's new term after months of deadly election turmoil.
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| Kentucky Mother Dragged Out of Court After Lunging at Man Accused of Killing Her Sons Posted: 30 Jan 2018 03:12 PM PST  The mother said she "just flipped out" at seeing the man charged with killing her sons.
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