| California officer's killing reignites sanctuary law fight Posted: 29 Dec 2018 03:12 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The shooting death of a California police officer has reignited the debate over sanctuary laws, with a sheriff all but blaming the statewide immigration policy for the killing as he announced the arrest of a man living in the U.S. illegally.
|
| Police teargas 'yellow vest' protesters in Paris Posted: 29 Dec 2018 03:26 PM PST  Police fired tear gas at "yellow vest" demonstrators in Paris on Saturday but the turnout for round seven of the popular protests that have rocked France appeared low. Several hundred people wearing the symbolic hi-visibility vests had gathered near the offices of several state-run television stations and the BFM TV channel in the centre of the capital shouting "Fake news" and calling for the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron. Protesters spilled onto tram lines and lobbed projectiles at police who replied with tear gas grenades and detained several people.
|
| Strong earthquake rattles southeastern coast of Philippines Posted: 28 Dec 2018 08:22 PM PST  A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the southeastern coast of the Philippines around midday Saturday, local time, prompting fears of a tsunami. However, no tsunami was reported.
|
| Cyber-attack hits US newspaper deliveries: report Posted: 30 Dec 2018 01:14 AM PST  A malware attack that appears to have originated outside the US delayed the hardcopy distribution of several major newspapers, according to a report. The LA Times said Saturday that the attack, which was first assumed to have been a server outage, hit a computer network at Tribune Publishing which is connected to the production and printing process of multiple newspapers around the country. As a result, the delivery of the Saturday editions of the LA Times and San Diego Union Tribune were delayed.
|
| Germany: Drugged driver forces car onto airport tarmac Posted: 29 Dec 2018 02:24 PM PST  BERLIN (AP) — A man forced open a locked gate on the security perimeter of Hannover Airport in northern Germany and drove a car onto the airfield Saturday before coming to a halt underneath an airliner and being detained, police said.
|
| John Kelly blames Jeff Sessions for 'zero tolerance,' family separations along border Posted: 30 Dec 2018 11:38 AM PST  The "zero tolerance" immigration policy that led to separation of children from their parents was the brainchild of Jeff Sessions, John Kelly says.
|
| How F-22 and F-35 'DNA' Will Make the 'New' F-16 Viper a Real Killer Posted: 30 Dec 2018 07:00 AM PST  Here is all we know.
|
| California authorities seek motive in triple slaying Posted: 30 Dec 2018 02:08 PM PST  ORCUTT, Calif. (AP) — California authorities are trying to determine why a Central Coast man stabbed and beat his sister, mother and a third person to death in their home.
|
| Cyberattack from outside US disrupts distribution of LA Times, other newspapers across US Posted: 29 Dec 2018 11:20 PM PST  A cyberattack coming from outside the U.S. caused major problems for newspapers across the country, including some in SoCal, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
|
| Iraq hints at bigger role in Syria after U.S. withdrawal Posted: 30 Dec 2018 02:08 PM PST  Iraq's prime minister said on Sunday that top security officials from Baghdad had met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, and hinted at a bigger Iraqi role fighting Islamic State militants as U.S. troops withdraw from Syria. "This issue has a lot of complications," Adel Abdul Mahdi told reporters, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise announcement this month that he will withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq's neighbor. "If any negative development takes place in Syria it will affect us.
|
| 6.9-magnitude quake hits Philippines triggering small tsunami Posted: 29 Dec 2018 12:34 AM PST  A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the Philippine island of Mindanao on Saturday triggering a tsunami warning, with small waves expected to hit southern parts of the country and neighbouring Indonesia. The quake struck southeast of Davao City at a depth of 59 kilometres (35 miles), the US Geological Survey said, a week after a volcano-triggered tsunami killed more than 400 people in Indonesia. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said "hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible" along the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines.
|
| House GOP quietly ends probe into FBI's 2016 decisions Posted: 28 Dec 2018 07:41 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans say more investigation is needed into decisions made by the FBI and the Justice Department in 2016 as they brought an unceremonious end to their yearlong look at the department's handling of probes into Democrat Hillary Clinton's emails and Donald Trump's ties to Russia.
|
| Bangladesh's Hasina set for landslide win as opposition demands new vote Posted: 30 Dec 2018 09:28 AM PST  Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was heading for a landslide win in a general election Sunday that was marred by opposition claims of vote-rigging and violence between rival supporters that killed at least 17 people. Hasina's ruling Awami League party easily crossed the 151 seats required to form a majority government, according to local TV station Channel 24, which is compiling results from around the country. As midnight approached, the Awami League and its allies had won 191 seats -- some by tens of thousands of votes -- while the opposition coalition had only five, the channel said.
|
| UK to spend over $130 million on ferries to cope with no-deal Brexit Posted: 29 Dec 2018 02:43 AM PST  Just three months before the United Kingdom is due to leave the world's largest bloc, the risk of a no-deal Brexit is rising -- the nightmare scenario for many businesses, which are now planning for an economic shock. To ease a potential backlog, the government has awarded three contracts to provide additional freight capacity on routes from English south-coast ports including Poole, Portsmouth and Plymouth.
|
| Two migrant children recently died in Border Patrol custody. There were documented warning signs Posted: 29 Dec 2018 06:45 AM PST  Federal officials launched new health-care efforts after two migrant children died in December. But kids' health warnings had been filed months earlier.
|
| The Latest: Community vigil honors slain California officer Posted: 28 Dec 2018 08:15 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Latest on the killing of a California officer (all times local):
|
| Heads up: Israeli woman stumbles upon Roman busts Posted: 30 Dec 2018 09:56 AM PST ![Heads up: Israeli woman stumbles upon Roman busts]( "Heads up: Israeli woman stumbles upon Roman busts") An Israeli woman walking near ancient ruins noticed a head sticking out of the ground, leading to the uncovering of two Roman-era busts, archaeologists said Sunday. The life-size sculptures, carved in limestone, were found in the northern city of Beit Shean earlier this month, with the Israel Antiquities Authority dating them to the late Roman period, some 1,700 years ago. The well-preserved busts are of men, one of them bearded, sculpted in the Oriental style that was becoming fashionable at the end of the Roman period, according to Eitan Klein, deputy head of the IAA's theft prevention unit.
|
| Did the U.S. Military Just Admit Victory in Afghanistan Is Impossible? Posted: 28 Dec 2018 06:31 PM PST  "These are two sides that are fighting against one another, and neither one of them will achieve a military victory at this stage."
|
| UK trade minister says '50-50' chance Brexit may be stopped: paper Posted: 29 Dec 2018 02:35 PM PST  Britain's trade minister Liam Fox said there is a "50-50" chance that Brexit may be stopped if parliament rejects the government's divorce deal with the European Union next month. "If we were not to vote for that, I'm not sure I would give it (Brexit) much more than 50-50," Fox, a leading supporter of leaving the EU, told the Sunday Times newspaper. With three months left until the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on March 29, May's Brexit deal is floundering, opening up a range of possibilities from a Brexit without a trade deal to calling Brexit off.
|
| Anak Krakatau volcano now a quarter of its pre-eruption size Posted: 28 Dec 2018 10:46 PM PST  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Scientists say Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano island, which erupted and collapsed a week ago triggering a deadly tsunami, is now only about a quarter of its pre-eruption size.
|
| Two right-wing ministers form new party ahead of Israel polls Posted: 29 Dec 2018 01:06 PM PST  Two right-wing Israeli government ministers on Saturday launched a new party aimed at winning over secular voters ahead of snap elections in April. Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said they were quitting the far-right Jewish Home party to found the New Right party. Nationalist Jewish Home -- of which Bennett was the head and Shaked deputy leader -- has been part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition with eight seats in parliament.
|
| Key Senator Says Trump Taking Seriously a Shift in Syria Plan Posted: 30 Dec 2018 01:34 PM PST  Graham, a South Carolina Republican who sits on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, has been a vocal critic of Trump's plan to pull forces from the conflict. "I feel better about Syria than I felt before I had lunch," Graham told reporters after leaving the White House. "I think the president is taking this really seriously, and the trip to Iraq was well timed." Trump has forged a plan with his generals in the field that "makes sense," Graham added.
|
| Sears to close 80 more Sears and Kmart stores: Here's the list Posted: 28 Dec 2018 05:51 PM PST  As Sears Holdings' bankruptcy effort awaits a potential bidder, the company announced 80 more Kmart and Sears stores it will close within two months.
|
| California Will Become First State to Require Pet Stores to Sell Only Rescue Animals Posted: 29 Dec 2018 01:27 PM PST  The bill, "would require all sales of dogs and cats authorized by this provision to be in compliance with laws requiring the spaying or neutering of animals, as specified."
|
| California inmate who walked away from San Quentin is caught Posted: 29 Dec 2018 04:16 PM PST  SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) — California authorities on a nearly four-day manhunt for an inmate who walked away from San Quentin State Prison captured him Saturday.
|
| Perris torture case: Home dubbed 'House of Horrors' up for auction Posted: 30 Dec 2018 09:35 AM PST  UP FOR AUCTION: The Riverside County home dubbed a house of horrors is on the auction block.
|
| Egypt kills 40 'terrorists' in crackdown after Giza attack Posted: 29 Dec 2018 06:26 AM PST  Egyptian police killed 40 suspects in a crackdown on Saturday after a roadside bomb hit a tour bus claiming the lives of three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian guide. Thirty alleged "terrorists" were killed in separate raids in Giza governorate, home to Egypt's famed pyramids and the scene of Friday's deadly bombing, while 10 others were killed in the restive North Sinai, the interior ministry said without directly linking them to the attack. A security source said the raids took place early Saturday morning, hours after Friday evening's roadside bombing which officials said hit a tour bus in the Al-Haram district near the Giza pyramids killing the three Vietnamese holidaymakers and their Egyptian guide.
|
| U.S. judge dismisses suit vs Google over facial recognition software Posted: 29 Dec 2018 08:32 PM PST  The suit, filed in March 2016, alleged Alphabet Inc's Google violated Illinois state law by collecting and storing biometric data from people's photographs using facial recognition software without their permission through its Google Photos service.
|
| Does the U.S. Navy Have Another Carrier-Killer Missile to Worry About? Posted: 29 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST  Here comes the YJ-12.
|
| Bangladesh opposition calls for fresh election as Sheikh Hasina wins amid violence and vote-rigging claims Posted: 29 Dec 2018 09:09 PM PST  Bangladesh's main opposition called for a fresh vote on Sunday as the country's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and her ruling Awami League were declared the winners of an election tainted by violence and vote-rigging allegations. At least 17 people were said to have been killed in election day clashes, while reports flowed in of alleged vote manipulation and people being blocked from entering polling stations by ruling party supporters. As Mrs Hasina's alliance sailed past the 151 seats needed to form a government and headed for a landslide third consecutive term, the country's main opposition leader called for the "farcical" election to be declared void. Kamal Hossain, head of the Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF), the largest opposition alliance, told a press conference in Dhaka that votes had been "rigged on a massive scale across the country". He urged Bangladesh's election commission to dismiss the result and call "fresh elections under a non-partisan caretaker government as soon as possible". Salahuddin Ahmed, a candidate for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the largest single party in the opposition alliance, was stabbed in Dhaka as the election unfolded Credit: Reuters With 293 of 300 parliamentary seats declared, the Awami League and its allies had won 259, while the JOF had taken six. The poll followed a campaign that had been marred by violence and a crackdown on freedom of speech. Human Rights Watch and other international groups had decried repressive measures which they said had created a climate of fear. Some 600,000 security personnel had been deployed for the election, while authorities ordered the shutdown of high speed internet to prevent the spread of "rumours" that might spark unrest. Vehicles in Dhaka burn after an opposition rally which ended with police using tear gas and batons after the election was announced Credit: AFP On Sunday, polling agents alleged that they had stayed away out of fear. Others claimed they had been beaten up and forced out of voting centres. Rumana Mahmood, a JOF candidate in Sirajganj, 68 miles northwest of Dhaka, claimed that 90 percent of her supporters had been prevented from voting for her. "In most cases they were not allowed to enter the voting centres. Police and the ruling Awami League party cadres blocked them," she alleged to the Telegraph, claiming that supporters of the ruling party had stuffed ballot boxes in favour of the government. Supporters of Bangladesh Awami League march along a street as they take part in a rally ahead of December 30 general election vote Credit: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP One 65-year-old woman in Ms Mahmood's constituency claimed that the police had not allowed her to vote freely. "We were around 20 or 25 women from the same locality. The policemen at the gate of the centre said that he would allow us inside if we voted for the boat (symbol of the Awami League)," she said."In my locality there are hundreds of people who have not been allowed in any voting centre today." Bangladesh has become increasingly authoritarian under Mrs Hasina's rule, moving closer towards a de-facto one-party state while Begum Khaleda Zia, her arch-rival, and leader of the largest opposition party, the Bangladesh National Party, serves a lengthy prison sentence on corruption charges.
|
| Donald Trump: Paul Manafort 'worked with ex-Russian spy while running campaign for White House' Posted: 30 Dec 2018 04:31 AM PST  Donald Trump's former campaign chairman was working with a former Russian spy during the US presidential race over debts he owed to a Kremlin-linked oligarch, it has been claimed. Paul Manafort led Mr Trump's campaign for president for three months in 2016 before he was forced to resign after his links to Russian interests in Ukraine were made public. Now a former member of the GRU, Russia's most feared and secretive spy service, has said he was in contact with Manafort during that time over millions of dollars the political adviser allegedly owed to billionaire businessman Oleg Deripaska.
|
| Will General Motors resurrect the GMC Envoy? Trademark filing raises speculation SUV may be brought back. Posted: 30 Dec 2018 11:25 AM PST ![Will General Motors resurrect the GMC Envoy? Trademark filing raises speculation SUV may be brought back.]( "Will General Motors resurrect the GMC Envoy? Trademark filing raises speculation SUV may be brought back.") General Motors has filed for a trademark on the name Envoy, raising speculation that it will resurrect the once popular GMC SUV.
|
| U.S. medic quarantined in Nebraska for possible Ebola exposure Posted: 29 Dec 2018 03:03 PM PST ![U.S. medic quarantined in Nebraska for possible Ebola exposure]( "U.S. medic quarantined in Nebraska for possible Ebola exposure") A U.S. healthcare worker who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus while treating patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived in the United States on Saturday and was put in quarantine in Nebraska. The medic, who is not exhibiting symptoms of Ebola, will remain under observation for up to two weeks at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, Nebraska Medicine said in a statement.
|
| Dow outlook: Why I'm optimistic about the stock market for 2019 Posted: 30 Dec 2018 09:04 AM PST  I was too optimistic in 2018. That makes me even more optimistic for 2019. When most folks expect bad times, stocks usually shine the following year.
|
| Amazon to build more Whole Foods stores to boost reach of Prime Now service Posted: 30 Dec 2018 02:20 PM PST ![Amazon to build more Whole Foods stores to boost reach of Prime Now service]( "Amazon to build more Whole Foods stores to boost reach of Prime Now service") When Amazon acquired Whole Foods for $13.4 billion back in June of 2017, many people found the move a bit curious. Now, about 18 months later, Amazon's plans with the popular supermarket chain are finally starting to crystallize. A few months ago, for example, Amazon announced that Prime members would able to receive discounts on Whole Foods purchases, with some items available at a generous 50% discount. And now comes word via The Wall Street Journal that Amazon is planning to expand the cumulative number of Whole Foods stores across the country. The reason? It will significantly expand the pool of Prime subscribers who will be able to take advantage of Amazon Prime Now, the company's free two-hour delivery service. "The push would bring Whole Foods to more suburbs and other areas where the natural grocer is quickly adding customers since the merger," the Journal explains. "That is a shift from the layoffs and slowing store growth Whole Foods experienced for several years before Amazon bought it in 2017..." Notably, Amazon is reportedly contemplating adding stores to areas that currently lack a Whole Foods presence, with areas in Idaho and Utah being two such examples. Of course, as with all things Amazon, everything can seemingly be tied back to Amazon Prime, which currently boasts more than 100 million subscribers. Over the past few years, Amazon has significantly increased the number of benefits afforded to Prime subscribers. This, of course, should be expected given that the price of a Prime subscription this year jumped from $99 to $116. All that said, free two-hour delivery from Whole Foods is undoubtedly a nice perk that will certainly keep current Prime subscribers happy and potentially sway prospective Prime subscribers to pull the trigger. And in a rare instance where the word "synergy" might appropriately be used, Amazon anticipates that the move will "attract new customers to Whole Foods and draw them back more often."
|
| First Gaza rocket in six weeks draws Israeli riposte Posted: 29 Dec 2018 12:46 AM PST  An Israeli aircraft hit a Hamas position in the Gaza Strip late on Friday in response to the first fire from the territory since a November flare-up, the military said. "An army attack helicopter targeted a Hamas military position in the south of the Gaza Strip," an army statement said. It said it had responded after a "launch towards Israel" that Israeli media said was a rocket.
|
| Bangladesh opposition leader expects victory if vote is fair Posted: 29 Dec 2018 09:36 AM PST  DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — When the founding leader of Bangladesh, father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was assassinated in 1975 after helping achieve independence from Pakistan, then-Foreign Minister Kamal Hossain abandoned a state visit in Europe to rush to her side.
|
| The Economists, Military, Moralists & Politicians Running Brazil Posted: 29 Dec 2018 11:00 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Traditionally, Brazilian presidents offered ministerial positions to politicians in return for their parties' support in Congress. But with politics-as-usual deeply discredited in the wake of successive corruption scandals, Jair Bolsonaro is trying a different tack. The new government consists of roughly four separate groups, only one of which is explicitly political.
|
| Flu cases surge: Here's what you need to know to stay healthy Posted: 29 Dec 2018 07:38 AM PST  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that flu activity from the 2018-2019 season is climbing in the United States. Officials say it's not too late to get vaccinated.
|
| Why now is the perfect time to look over your IRAs, 401(k)s and other retirement accounts Posted: 30 Dec 2018 03:00 AM PST ![Why now is the perfect time to look over your IRAs, 401(k)s and other retirement accounts]( "Why now is the perfect time to look over your IRAs, 401(k)s and other retirement accounts") It's a good time to make sure you start the new year off on the right foot – especially when it comes to your retirement accounts.
|
| Hardline cleric Larijani named to head powerful Iran body Posted: 30 Dec 2018 10:22 AM PST ![Hardline cleric Larijani named to head powerful Iran body]( "Hardline cleric Larijani named to head powerful Iran body") Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani - the chief of Iran's hardline judiciary who has been blacklisted by Washington - was named on Sunday as the new head of the powerful Expediency Council, state television reported. The council is intended to resolve disputes between parliament and a watchdog body, the Guardian Council. Larijani, 57, was appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who also made him a member of the Guardian Council, which vets laws and elections for compliance with Iran's Islamic constitution, state television reported.
|
| Syria's regime on path to come in from the cold Posted: 30 Dec 2018 02:17 AM PST  Almost eight years into Syria's civil war, President Bashar al-Assad seems closer than ever to securing a comeback at home and in the Arab region, analysts say. As 2018 ends, the Moscow-backed government in Damascus is in control of nearly two-thirds of Syria, after notching up a string of victories against rebels and jihadists. On Friday, Damascus sent troops to a northern area near the border with Turkey to stave off a long-threatened Turkish assault on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces there.
|
