| Parkland students slam Trump for tying shooting to Russia probe: 'He has already made it about himself' Posted: 18 Feb 2018 11:01 AM PST  Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students Aly Sheehy and Giuliana Matamoros were astounded that Donald Trump would use their tragedy to push back against U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into possible collusion between Moscow and his 2016 campaign.
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| Scott Pruitt Cancels Israel Trip Amid Backlash Over Travel Expenses Posted: 19 Feb 2018 08:48 AM PST  Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has scrapped plans for a business trip to Israel previously scheduled for this week, an agency official said.
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| Bernie Sanders: 'Maybe [Obama] should have done more' on Russia Posted: 17 Feb 2018 11:13 PM PST ![Bernie Sanders: 'Maybe [Obama] should have done more' on Russia](http://l2.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/JR7RKcvek9YLNDyUZswTmQ--/YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b247aD04Njt3PTEzMDs-/http://media.zenfs.com/es-US/homerun/yahoo_view_839/576c11499dd9d65345d877e964b40761 "Bernie Sanders: 'Maybe [Obama] should have done more' on Russia") In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says that President Obama was in a difficult position when it came to Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
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| 'Bachelor' Arie grilled by Becca's uncle during hometown dates Posted: 19 Feb 2018 07:00 AM PST  On the "Bachelor," Becca's uncle has been a father figure to her since she lost her dad as a child. And he has some tough questions for Arie about their relationship.
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| Slain Teacher Told His Fiancee What To Say If He Died In A School Shooting Posted: 19 Feb 2018 10:58 AM PST  A high school teacher shot to death while protecting students in last week's school shooting in Parkland, Florida, once considered that he could die in such violence, and gave his fiancee instructions on what to say if it happened.
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| Full Lankford: 'No issues with more extensive background checks' Posted: 17 Feb 2018 10:48 PM PST  In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) says that he would like to see the background check system improved.
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| Farting Passenger Forces Plane To Make Emergency Landing Posted: 19 Feb 2018 10:52 AM PST  A flight from Dubai to Amsterdam had to make an emergency landing in Vienna after a fight broke out because one of the passengers wouldn't stop breaking wind.
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| In photos: Take a tour of chef René Redzepi's Noma 2.0 Posted: 19 Feb 2018 05:47 AM PST |
| Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on Israel: ‘We Will Act if Necessary’ Posted: 18 Feb 2018 07:53 AM PST  In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Iran's foreign minister commented on its tenuous relationship with Israel as well as on the fate of the Iran nuclear deal.
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| Orrin Hatch Reportedly Apologizes To Rob Porter's Ex-Wives Posted: 19 Feb 2018 03:48 AM PST  Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has reportedly apologized for defending his former chief of staff Rob Porter, who recently resigned from President Donald Trump's administration following allegations that he abused his two ex-wives.
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| Iranian rescuers find wreckage from plane crash Posted: 19 Feb 2018 06:55 AM PST  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian search and rescue teams on Monday reached the site of a plane crash that authorities say killed all 65 people on board, Iran's Press TV reported.
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| Woman Filmed Berating Flight Attendant on Plane Gets Suspended From Job Posted: 19 Feb 2018 11:56 AM PST  Susan Peirez started shouting after being seated near a baby.
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| Texas roadhouse shooting: Six-year-old boy among victims in San Antonio restaurant shooting Posted: 19 Feb 2018 01:33 AM PST  It happened at about 8.40pm on Sunday outside the Texas Roadhouse restaurant in San Antonio, police said. San Antonio Police Department chief William McManus told reporters: "We do not believe that this shooting was random. "The folks were waiting outside to eat when the shooting occurred.
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| Carnival probes security personnel's response to brawl in South Pacific cruise Posted: 18 Feb 2018 10:18 PM PST  By Jonathan Barrett SYDNEY (Reuters) - Carnival Corp , the world's largest cruise operator, said on Monday it was investigating the response of its security personnel to a brawl that broke out on one of its South Pacific cruises that resulted in 23 passengers being removed. The American-British company said in a statement that it was investigating "all aspects including the security response" of the incident, which was captured on video and posted on social media. The 10-day cruise to the South Pacific returned to the Australian southern city of Melbourne on Saturday, a day after 23 people were removed in the New South Wales (NSW) town of Eden for what the company described as "disruptive and violent acts".
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| Richard Branson Wants To Build A High-Speed Hyperloop In India Posted: 19 Feb 2018 04:35 PM PST  British billionaire Richard Branson has announced plans to build a high-speed shuttle in India that could potentially revolutionize travel in the country.
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| Putin’s shock troops - how Russia's secret mercenary army came up against the US in Syria Posted: 18 Feb 2018 09:58 AM PST  It was one of Isil's biggest cash cows, a strategic prize crucial to the Kremlin and Bashar Assad's plans to re-establish his rule over Syria. But the assault on Conoco oilfield near Deir Ezzor earlier this month ended in disaster, sparking the first deadly combat between Americans and Russians since the Vietnam War and embarrassing Vladimir Putin just weeks before an election. It also cast an unwelcome light on one of the worst kept secrets of Russia's war in Syria - its increasing reliance on unacknowledged and illegal mercenaries. "These were shock troops, and they would take any position, fulfil any task," said Alexander Averin, a veteran of the pro-Russian militias in east Ukraine and friend of one of the Russians who was killed. Mr Averin said Kirill Ananyev, 33, was a fellow member of the radical "national Bolshevik" political party Other Russia and had also fought in eastern Ukraine. He said that Ananyev, whom he had known since 2001, had been working for a private military company when he was killed. He would not name the company, but other casualties have been linked to the secretive Wagner group. Kirill Ananyev, a Russian private military contractor in Syria who was killed in US airstrikes on 7 February Credit: Twitter Russian media have published the names of nine Russian fighters who were killed in the assault on February 7, and the foreign ministry finally admitted on Thursday that five Russian citizens had died. Some media reports have put the number of Russian casualties in the hundreds, however, and relatives and a former member of parliament have called for answers. "I want everyone to know about my husband, and not just about my husband, but about all the guys who died there so stupidly," Yelena Matveyeva, whose husband Stanislav was killed, told the regional news site Znak.com. "They sent them like pigs to the slaughter!" The debacle unfolded on the evening of 7 February, when hundreds of mysterious fighters began charging toward a Syrian Democratic Forces position near the oilfield under cover of artillery, tank and rocket fire, according to the US military. In response, US special forces embedded with the mostly Kurdish SDF called in artillery fire and strikes from fighter jets and B-52 bombers that effectively destroyed the "battalion sized force" they were facing. Mr Averin told the Telegraph that 500 Russians were in Deir Ezzor at the time, and that many of them were now dead and wounded. After Stanislav Matveyev, who was believed to work for the Wagner group, was killed, his wife spoke out against the Kremlin denials of Russian casualties Credit: Twitter It is not entirely clear whether the Russian high command authorised the attack, and some believe that Wagner mercenaries were working for local pro-Assad businessman to take the lucrative site. According to a Syrian government contract seen by Fontanka and AP, a Russian company linked to the Wagner group was to receive 25 percent of profits from oil and gas fields its contractors could capture. Others have suggested the Kremlin allowed the preventable defeat, which also saw Syrian troops killed, to happen as a warning to an increasingly independent Mr Assad as well as Iran, his other major backer. "You need to be in line with our policies in Syria or you'll get bombed," was Moscow's message to them, said Yury Barmin of the Russian International Affairs Council, a think-tank close to the Kremlin. A US drone destroys a pro-regime tank near Deir Ezzor days after the airstrikes that killed numerous Russians Credit: CNN Ostensibly designed to support a long-time ally and defeat the Islamic State, Mr Putin's bombing campaign in Syria was supposed to be a television war, providing footage of impressive Russian airstrikes without any body bags to ruin the mood. To assuage fears of a repeat of the disastrous Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Mr Putin said it would be solely an air operation lasting no longer than Mr Assad's counter-offensive But Syrian forces reportedly proved ineffective even with the help of Russian advisors and special forces. Kremlin-linked contractors allowed Moscow to run a covert land operation while denying it had boots on the ground. "The big battles, the intense battles with casualties, that's all Russian mercenaries," said Ruslan Leviev of the Conflict Intelligence Team, a research group who track Russian military activity abroad. A Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombs targets in the Deir Ezzor region in November Credit: TASS via Getty Images Some 3,000 Russians have fought for the Wagner group, the biggest of the private military companies, in Syria since 2015, according to documents seen by the independent news outlet Fontanka. It said 73 of them had died before 7 February, exceeding the 46 official Russian military casualties. The US airstrikes against the Russian contractors have raised an alarming risk of direct great-power confrontation in Syria as external players vie to consolidate their interests following the defeat of Islamic State. Within the last two weeks, al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels shot down a Russian jet, Kurdish fighters have downed a Turkish helicopter, Israel downed an Iranian drone and the Syrian army shot down an Israeli F-16. "Now that the fighting with ISIS is more or less over, every global player in the war is attempting to draw its own sphere of influence in Syria," Sami Nadir, of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, told the Telegraph. "They used to fight each other through their proxies, now they're just going head-to-head." Benjamin Netanyahu holds up what he said was a piece of an Iranian drone shot down in Israeli airspace at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday Credit: AFP PHOTO / MSC Munich Security Conference / LENNART PREISS America wants to limit Iran and keep the Kurds - its greatest ally against Isil - on side, while not agitating its Nato ally Turkey. Russia has been trying to keep a balance between its allies Turkey, Israel and Iran, to little avail. "The new phase in the Syrian conflict makes the anti-ISIS war look like a stroll in the park," said Bilal Saab, an expert at the Washington-based Middle East Institute. "This has the potential to turn into a regional war." Yet news of the contractors' deaths has remained largely unknown in Russia under a state television blackout: The website of the main state news programme published a report, only to delete it the same day. A Syrian pro-regime fighter wounded in the 7 February battle in Deir Ezzor Credit: AFP Photo/Getty Images "It's like the story with the Pskov paratroopers who died in Ukraine," said Lev Gudkov, head of the independent Levada survey centre. "The information was blocked for a long time, then denied, and it spread only in close-knit circles, it didn't become a fact of public opinion, and I fear it will be the same picture here." Nonetheless, Mr Putin, whose withdrawal announcement was welcomed by most Russians, finds himself in a bind: The Syria peace talks he sponsored in Sochi last month devolved into infighting and the conflict is edging toward what Mr Nadir called a "full-blown international crisis". "The era of cooperation is over," he said. "It's a Cold War scenario." The Wagner group | Russia's secret mercenaries in Syria
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| The Duchess Of Cambridge Faces Criticism For Not Wearing Black To The BAFTAs Posted: 19 Feb 2018 09:35 AM PST  Stars at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday night wore all-black in support of the Time's Up initiative, much like they did at January's Golden Globe awards.
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| 5 Buildings That Show the Power of Modernist Architecture Posted: 19 Feb 2018 06:00 AM PST |
| All 66 on board plane that crashed in Iranian mountains 'believed dead' Posted: 18 Feb 2018 12:53 AM PST  All 66 passengers and crew on an Iranian plane that crashed in a mountainous area of central Iran on Sunday are believed to be dead, state television quoted the airline's spokesman as saying. "Aseman Airlines public relations head said that all on board are unfortunately dead," the television reporter said, without elaborating on how he obtained the information. The plane crashed in central Iran during a flight from Tehran to the city of Yasuj in the southwest of the country, Iranian media reported. The ATR-made plane operated by Iranian carrier Aseman Airlines crashed in a mountainous area near the town of Semirom, news agency ISNA quoted emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi as saying. Semirom's governor said rescue helicopters were unable to land in the crash site because of heavy fog and emergency workers were trying to reach the area by land, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. State-run PressTV said 66 people were on board the plane, which disappeared from radar screens 50 minutes after taking off from Tehran's Mehrabad airport. Mehrabad is located in western Tehran and mainly functions as a domestic airport, although it also serves some international routes. Iran has suffered several plane crashes in the past few decades. Tehran says US sanctions have long prevented it from buying new aircraft or spare parts from the West.
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| Court video shows kidnapped model revisiting scenes of crime Posted: 19 Feb 2018 09:13 AM PST  MILAN (AP) — Video of a British model retracing her movements from a city studio where she was allegedly grabbed to a farmhouse where she was held for six days was played Monday at the trial in Italy of a Polish man charged in her kidnapping for ransom.
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| Indonesia raises aviation warnings after Sumatra volcano emits ash cloud Posted: 19 Feb 2018 04:11 AM PST  Indonesia on Monday raised flight warnings around the Mount Sinabung volcano on Sumatra island to their highest level after it sent a towering plume of ash more than 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) into the air, its biggest eruption this year. Areas around the crater of the volcano, located about 1,900 km (1,181 miles) northwest of the capital, Jakarta, have been off-limits for several years because of frequent volcanic activity. The Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VACC), in Australia's northern city of Darwin, issued maps on Monday showing an ash cloud heading in three directions from Sinabung, to the north, northwest and south-southeast.
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| France to let wolf packs grow despite angry farmers Posted: 19 Feb 2018 08:59 AM PST  The French government announced Monday it will allow the wolf population to grow 40 percent despite pressure from farmers in mountain regions who are worried about their sheep flocks. A new strategy unveiled by the centrist government of President Emmanuel Macron will enable the number of wolves to increase from an estimated 360 now to 500 by 2023. Hunting wiped out the grey wolf in France during the 1930s and they only returned in 1992 via Italy -- currently home to around 2,000 wolves -- before spreading into Switzerland and Germany.
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| Lebanon: Russia's New Outpost in the Middle East? Posted: 18 Feb 2018 06:01 PM PST  How would Israel or America respond? Lebanon: Russia's New Outpost in the Middle East? After gaining naval and air bases in Syria, Russia may now be setting its sights on Lebanon. Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered Russia's Defense Ministry to seek a military cooperation agreement with Lebanon.
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| Gay Olympian Feels Bad Adam Rippon Is Dealing With Anti-LGBTQ Politics Posted: 19 Feb 2018 11:11 AM PST  As the first two publicly out gay men to win medals at the Winter Olympics, figure skaters Eric Radford and Adam Rippon have broken barriers and established legacies that will extend beyond the ice rink.
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| The Latest: Iran vows to respond if US gives up on nuke deal Posted: 18 Feb 2018 04:48 AM PST  MUNICH (AP) — The Latest from the Munich Security Conference (all times local):
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| Woman who pleaded guilty over fiance's kayaking death now argues she was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ Posted: 19 Feb 2018 06:53 AM PST  A woman who pleaded guilty over her fiance's kayaking death has argued that she was in "the wrong place at the wrong time" when he drowned in rough waters after plunging overboard. "I was in danger, too, just as much as he was.
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| US manufacturer recalls dog food after execution drug found in tins Posted: 19 Feb 2018 04:22 PM PST  A drug used to execute American prisoners and to put animals to sleep has been discovered in canned dog food in the US, triggering an emergency recall. The Food and Drug Administration said it found low levels of pentobarbital in tins of Gravy Train dog food produced by JM Smucker. The drug is most commonly used by vets as a sedative or anaesthetic and to euthanise pets. At high doses in humans it cause respiratory arrest and has been used to carry out executions often as the first step – inducing unconsciousness - in a three-drug protocol. It was one of the drugs used by Marilyn Monroe when she took her own life. The brand affected Credit: JM Smucker The recall followed an investigation by WJLA, a TV station in Washington, which found pentobarbital in almost two thirds of cans it tested. The FDA said: "Pets that eat pet food containing pentobarbital can experience drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, nausea, nystagmus (eyes moving back and forth in a jerky manner) and inability to stand. Consuming high levels of pentobarbital can cause coma and death." It concluded that the small amounts detected posed little risk to dogs. "However, any detection of pentobarbital in pet food is a violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act—simply put, pentobarbital should not be in pet food," it said. The FDA said the low levels presented little risk Smucker said it had identified the problem at a single supplier, from a single, minor ingredient, used at one manufacturing facility. "We take this very seriously and are extremely disappointed that pentobarbital was introduced to our supply chain. We will continue to work closely with our suppliers and veterinarians to ensure the ingredients used in our products meet or exceed regulatory safety standards and our high-quality standards," said Barry Dunaway, president of the companies pet foods division. "Above all, we are a company that loves pets and understand the responsibility we have in providing high quality food for the pets our consumers love."
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| Now juice stores are giving out Bitcoin as a competition prize Posted: 19 Feb 2018 02:55 AM PST  It's not just cashed-up dads jumping on cryptocurrencies, juice companies are doing the same too. Australian juice chain Boost have launched a competition where customers can win one Bitcoin, if they can correctly guess the price of the cryptocurrency at 12 p.m. the following Monday. SEE ALSO: Say hello to Buttcoin and the community celebrating Bitcoin's fall Only one person can choose a certain price, to ensure there's no splitting of the prize. At the time of writing, one BTC is equal to $10,569 (A$13,387.76), but as we've seen lately BTC's price has been fluctuating a lot in recent weeks. Boost will have one BTC a week to win over four weeks. Like any in-store competition you'll need to buy a juice to get an entry code, which you can enter in the chain's app and guess BTC's prospective price. As for people who might not be following the cryptocurrency rollercoaster, you can also get the app to pick a price for you. Boost's effort is the latest in a string of cryptocurrency-aligned competitions: There's a puzzle game which lets you win one BTC if you can successfully crack it. Surely investing in cryptocurrencies is already enough of a game? [h/t CNET ] WATCH: It's so easy to save money and eat healthy with zero-waste cooking
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| Kuwait invites Philippine president to visit amid workers row Posted: 19 Feb 2018 05:53 AM PST  Kuwait has invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to visit, state news agency KUNA said on Monday, as the countries seek to settle their differences over allegations of extreme abuse of migrant workers in the wealthy Gulf state. After the body of a Filipino was discovered in a freezer in a Kuwait apartment, Duterte arranged free flights for workers wishing to leave - an evacuation that Kuwait said was an unnecessary escalation of a diplomatic rift. The Philippines suspended sending workers to Kuwait in January after reports that abuse by employers had driven several to suicide.
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| Gates says billionaires should pay 'significantly' more taxes Posted: 19 Feb 2018 08:11 AM PST  Bill Gates says he has paid more than $10 billion in taxes over a lifetime but billionaires like him should pay "significantly" more because they benefit more from the system. The Microsoft co-founder, the world's second richest man after Amazon's Jeff Bezos, was critical of a recent US tax overhaul that slashed corporate taxes and lowered the top bracket for individual income.
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| Feathers fly as chicken shortage shuts KFCs across Britain Posted: 19 Feb 2018 09:51 AM PST  LONDON (AP) — Fast-food fans were in a flutter Monday after most of the 900 KFC outlets in the U.K. and Ireland were forced to close because of a shortage of chicken.
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| Trump accuses FBI of 'spending too much time' on Russia probe Posted: 18 Feb 2018 07:31 AM PST  By Michelle Price WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the FBI and lawmakers probing alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and said an excessive focus on Russia led federal investigators to miss signs that could have prevented the deadly school shooting in Florida last week. In a series of tweets over the weekend, Trump accused President Barack Obama of failing to do enough to stop Russian election interference and belittled Representative Adam Schiff, of the House intelligence committee that is investigating Russia's actions.
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| Ice Dancers Tessa Virtue And Scott Moir Break Their Own World Record Posted: 19 Feb 2018 07:31 AM PST  Canadian ice dancing power duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir broke a world record on Sunday at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, earning the highest score ever in the short program.
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| NYC rape case prompts calls to close police sex loophole Posted: 19 Feb 2018 07:30 AM PST ![NYC rape case prompts calls to close police sex loophole]( "NYC rape case prompts calls to close police sex loophole") ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The 18-year-old woman was driving with two friends near Coney Island in September when the two plainclothes detectives pulled her over and found marijuana. The officers released the two male passengers, handcuffed the woman and told her she was under arrest, prosecutors say.
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| A Super Dangerous Snowboarding Event Just Debuted At The Winter Olympics Posted: 18 Feb 2018 08:03 PM PST  A new event debuted at the 2018 Winter Olympics, and it's filled with all of the most spectacular parts of the Games.
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| Fire at sacred Tibetan Buddhist temple sparks suspicion about censorship Posted: 18 Feb 2018 01:43 AM PST  A fire broke out at one of the most sacred temples in Tibetan Buddhism, prompting concern and suspicion that information on the incident is being controlled by authorities. Chinese State media said the fire at "part of" Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the capital of the south-western Chinese region of Tibet, "was soon put out" after it began at 6.40pm on Saturday. Images posted online showed flames billowing from a pagoda at the sacred building, which was built in the seventh century. Some of the clips showed flames appearing to engulf the Unesco World Heritage Site when it was dark, suggesting that the fire might have continued for longer than an hour. Jokhang houses the Jowo Shakyamuni, a glittering statue believed to have been blessed by Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of the religion. It is said to be just one of just three to be crafted during his actual lifetime. Devastating news from Lhasa of the Jokhang temple on fire. pic.twitter.com/LXiIlvc7V5— Robert Barnett (@RobbieBarnett) February 17, 2018 Observers on Twitter - which is blocked in China - claimed that information relating the fire was being censored online. Robert Barnett, a British expert on Tibet, Tweeted: "Sources in Lhasa claim police have threatened anyone distributing pictures or unofficial news about the fire. "Locals afraid to talk. Official information extremely limited, raising concern about extent of damage. Access to area round temple said to be restricted." #Jokhang fire: sources in Lhasa claim police have threatened anyone distributing pictures or unofficial news about the fire; locals afraid to talk. Official information extremely limited, raising concern about extent of damage. Access to area round temple said to be restricted.— Robert Barnett (@RobbieBarnett) February 17, 2018 China has ruled Tibet since the 1950s, and Beijing claims that it has helped improve the lives of ordinary Tibetans by bringing economic growth to a traditionally poor region. However, many accuse China of suppressing rights in the region and stifling the local Buddhist culture. Tibet has seen outbreaks of ethic tension, including riots in 2008 and a wave of self-immolations carried out in protest of Beijing's tightening grip. State media reports on the fire have contained few details. China is deleting posts about the alleged fire in the Jokhang Temple. The topic has been one of the hottest topics and most searched topic today on Chinese social media. Yet there is no single personal post and was removed in the cyberspace immediately. pic.twitter.com/KDlF87oX2t— Tseringkyi (@dreamlhasa) February 17, 2018 Tibetans began celebrating traditional Tibetan New Year that last Friday. The temple would have been expecting thousands of visitors over the next few days. Tsering Woeser, a Tibetan writer in Beijing told The New York Times: "I pray that the fire isn't serious and that the old buildings haven't suffered too much damage. "For Tibetans, the Jokhang is the holiest of holy sites."
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| Canada indigenous leaders divided over Trudeau's pledge to put them first Posted: 18 Feb 2018 03:00 AM PST  When the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, came to power in 2015, he pledged to mend the broken relationship with indigenous peoples across the country, recognizing that "the rights of First Nations in Canada are not an inconvenience but rather a sacred obligation".
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| 14 Indoor Swimming Pools with Incredible Designs Posted: 19 Feb 2018 06:00 AM PST |
| Nigeria frees 475 Boko Haram suspects for lack of evidence Posted: 18 Feb 2018 05:34 AM PST  Nigeria has freed another 475 Boko Haram suspects following a series of mass trials in which most cases were dropped for lack of evidence, the justice ministry said Sunday. Over the course of the week, hundreds of suspected Boko Haram extremists have appeared before a court at the Kainji military base in central Niger state. The release order was issued on Friday, with the 475 suspects to be returned to their home states for "proper rehabilitation" before being sent back to their families, ministry spokesman Salihu Othman Isah said.
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| Donald Trump ranked worst president in US history by nearly 200 political scientists Posted: 19 Feb 2018 01:57 PM PST  Nearly 200 of America's top political scientists have voted Donald Trump the worst president in US history. According to the 2018 Presidents & Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey, Mr Trump ranks even lower than disgraced President Richard Nixon – even among conservatives. Mr Nixon sits at 33.
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| Pakistan's Imran Khan ties knot to 'spiritual adviser' in third marriage Posted: 18 Feb 2018 11:52 AM PST  Pakistani cricketer-turned-politican Imran Khan has tied the knot for the third time, his party said on Sunday, confirming his marriage to a woman local media call a "faith healer". Khan, who captained the Pakistan team when it won the Cricket World Cup in 1992, wed Bushra Watto in a low-key ceremony in the eastern city of Lahore. Khan has previously referred to Watto, a mother of five, as his 'spiritual adviser' and someone whose guidance he valued.
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| Syria bombardment kills 44 in rebel enclave as ground assault looms Posted: 19 Feb 2018 06:50 AM PST  Heavy Syrian bombardment killed 44 civilians in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Monday, as regime forces appeared to prepare for an imminent ground assault. The escalation came as pro-government forces were expected to enter the northern Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin, to take a stand against a month-old Turkish assault there. Held by rebels since 2012, Eastern Ghouta is the last opposition pocket around Damascus and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has dispatched reinforcements there in an apparent bid to retake it.
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| 2 bears burned in California wildfire spotted in the wild Posted: 18 Feb 2018 12:19 PM PST  GOLETA, Calif. (AP) — Officials tracking two bears that were badly burned in the largest wildfire in California history say the animals are settling back into their home in the wild after receiving unusual treatment for their injured paws.
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| Carnival investigates "cruise from hell" Posted: 19 Feb 2018 05:30 AM PST  Carnival has launched an investigation into a wild brawl off the Australian coast, that saw 23 passengers kicked off a cruise. Some on board accuse security of being heavy handed. Joel Labi reports.
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