| Saudi woman whose asylum plea went viral might find safety in Australia Posted: 09 Jan 2019 05:59 AM PST  The Australian government said it will consider resettlement for a Saudi woman whose plea to seek asylum while escaping her family went viral.
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| The History of American Teacher Strikes—And Where Los Angeles Fits In Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:41 AM PST  Los Angeles county school teachers are striking after failed negotiations to get smaller class sizes, higher pay, and increased funding.
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| Syria Kurds say 8 foreign jihadists captured including US teen Posted: 09 Jan 2019 06:46 AM PST  Syria's Kurds on Wednesday said they had captured eight alleged foreign jihadists including an American teenager in fighting against the Islamic State group. The eight, detained on Sunday and Monday, include a 16-year-old American as well as a German and a Russian, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said in a statement. Two are from Uzbekistan.
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| Canadian officials allowed second visit to man detained in China Posted: 10 Jan 2019 09:10 AM PST  Canadian diplomats in China on Thursday held their second meeting with one of two citizens who were detained last month after the arrest of a senior Chinese executive in Vancouver, the Canadian foreign ministry said. "Today, Canadian consular officials in China visited with Michael Kovrig," the ministry said in a statement that provided no further details. Officials met Michael Spavor, the other man, on Tuesday.
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| See the First Photo of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Cotswolds Home Posted: 09 Jan 2019 02:12 PM PST  The property includes a main farmhouse, a separate cottage for staff, and a converted barn extension
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| Chicago Woman with Concealed Carry License Shoots, Kills Would-Be Robber: Police Posted: 09 Jan 2019 09:01 AM PST  A 25-year-old Chicago woman with a concealed carry license shot and killed a man who tried to rob her.
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| As shutdown grinds on, furloughed workers rally Posted: 09 Jan 2019 10:52 AM PST  At a rally in downtown Philadelphia, furloughed government workers joined by four members of Congress expressed frustration at the prolonged partial government shutdown.
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| The Australian Prime Minister Gets Roasted for Major 'Shoegate' Photoshop Fail Posted: 09 Jan 2019 08:30 AM PST  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is being called out for photoshopping his shoes, in what some are now calling #shoegate.
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| Larry Woodruffe is second man charged in death of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes Posted: 09 Jan 2019 06:12 AM PST  Capital murder charges were filed against a second black man in the drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes, authorities in Houston said Tuesday.
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| Turkey adamant on tough stance on Syrian Kurdish fighters Posted: 09 Jan 2019 08:00 AM PST  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that Turkey will not refrain from military action to protect its borders from what he describes as threats posed by Syrian Kurdish fighters.
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| Jaguar Land Rover to cut thousands of UK jobs Posted: 10 Jan 2019 05:45 AM PST  Trouble with diesel, China — and once again, Brexit's a big problem.
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| U.S. Military Trusted More Than Google, Facebook to Develop AI Posted: 10 Jan 2019 07:02 AM PST  More than two-thirds of those surveyed said they had either "no confidence" or "not too much confidence" in Facebook developing A.I., a report from the Center for the Governance of AI, part of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, said. The public was significantly more skeptical about Facebook than other tech companies working on cutting-edge A.I. research, according to the survey. Among technology companies, Microsoft Corp. was the most trusted, with 44 percent of people saying they had either "a great deal of confidence" or "a fair amount of confidence" in its ability to create A.I. that wouldn't pose risks, the survey found.
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| Legal aid fund launched for WikiLeaks founder Assange Posted: 10 Jan 2019 09:40 AM PST  A British charity helping whistleblowers around the world on Thursday launched a legal aid fund for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, warning his expulsion from Ecuador's embassy in London "may be imminent". The Courage Foundation said Assange's position in the embassy, where he has been living since seeking refuge there in 2012, was "under increasingly serious threat". Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno last month said that "the way has been cleared for Mr Assange to take the decision to leave in near-liberty".
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| Here’s what NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft sees as it orbits Bennu asteroid Posted: 08 Jan 2019 07:04 PM PST  It's only been about a week since NASA successfully inserted its OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe into orbit around the large space rock known as Bennu, after initially arriving in early December. The diamond-shaped object will quickly become one of the most closely-studied asteroids ever, but for now NASA wants to learn as much about Bennu's surface as possible, and that means observing it from every angle. In a new video animation that has been stitched together from numerous still shots we get one of our best looks yet at the asteroid. As the probe circles the rock, its powerful lens has captured Bennu from just about every angle, making for a neat little movie. "During the month of December, the spacecraft performed a preliminary survey of Bennu, conducting three flyovers of the asteroid's north pole and one each of its equator and south pole," NASA's OSIRIS-REx team explains. "The data gathered during these flybys allowed the mission team to more precisely estimate Bennu's mass so that the spacecraft could go into orbit around the asteroid." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S29O8dUhFgY OSIRIS-REx has a fairly long road ahead of it before NASA declares the mission a complete success. The spacecraft will remain in orbit around Bennu for at least the next year or so, closely studying it and delivering even more images of its messy surface. During that time, NASA will decide on a spot from which to collect a material sample, eventually touching down on Bennu and retrieving some of its surface material before flying back to Earth. OSIRIS-REx is expected to arrive back on Earth sometime in 2023, at which point eager scientists will have an opportunity to study the sample in great detail. If everything goes according to plan, the mission should teach scientists a great deal about asteroid formation and perhaps even give us a window into the earliest days of our Solar System.
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| Donald Trump should declare 'emergency' to get the wall built over Democrats' objections Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:53 PM PST  Trump is making an effort to address the crisis, while Democrat opponents demonstrate cruelty by insisting that we stick with ineffective strategies.
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| Woman Survives After Freeway Sign Falls and Crushes Her Car in Freak Accident Posted: 09 Jan 2019 09:35 AM PST  The roof of the car was caved in
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| Claims of rigging as opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi unexpectedly wins Congo election Posted: 09 Jan 2019 07:20 PM PST  A rank outsider was declared the winner of Congo's presidential election on Thursday, prompting opposition claims of a plot by the ruling party to prolong its hold on power. Raising fears of violence in one of Africa's most volatile states, the electoral commission defied the findings of local observers by naming Felix Tshisekedi the next president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But the first peaceful transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960 will be overshadowed by a result that was widely questioned both inside and outside the country. Although Mr Tshisekedi is a member of the opposition - and as such as secured a stunning victory over the ruling party of Joseph Kabila, the outgoing president - he was not the opposition candidate many expected to win. Congo's Catholic Church, which stationed 40,000 observers at polling stations across the country, had previously told Western diplomats that it believed Martin Fayulu, Mr Tshisekedi's rival within the opposition, was the election's real victor. Supporters of Felix Tshisekedi took to the streets of Kinshasa Credit: BAZ RATNER/ REUTERS Mr Fayulu was swift to denounce the result, calling it "rigged, fabricated and invented." Amid claims that Mr Kabila and Mr Tshisekedi had reached a secret deal to share power, he claimed that he had been denied power by an "electoral coup." "The results have nothing to do with the truth of the ballot box," Mr Fayulu told Radio France Internationale. Suggesting a potential showdown between the Joseph Kabila, the outgoing president, and the West, the French government was quick to cast doubt on the credibility of the count. "We must have clarity on these results, which are the opposite to what we expected," France's foreign minister, Jean-Yves le Drian, said. "The Catholic Church of Congo did its tally and announced completely different results." In a pre-dawn announcement, the electoral commission declared that Mr Tshisekedi had won 38 per cent of the vote, securing 600,000 more ballots than Mr Fayulu, who came second. Opposition candidate, and expected winner, Martin Fayulu denounced the results Credit: JOHN WESSELS/AFP On the face of it, Mr Tshisekedi's victory is a remarkable one. In a country with a history of government kleptocracy and brutal civil war, none of Congo's four previous presidents assumed power at the ballot box. For many Congolese, the idea that an opponent of the ruling party could win a presidential election would also have seemed unimaginable. But Mr Tshisekedi now finds himself battling suspicions as to whether he was really a member of the opposition or a last-minute recruit to President Kabila's ruling People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy. Mr Kabila, who came to power after his father's assassination in 2001, has been accused of using every conceivable method to stay in power. He failed to change the constitution, which required him to stand down in 2016, but repeated delays in holding a new presidential election allowed him to cling on for two more years. Under heavy Western pressure, he finally allowed the election to go ahead. Although he was barred from standing, he anointed his former interior minister, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, as the ruling party's candidate. Joseph Kabila greets some electoral observers after casting his vote, December 30 Credit: LUIS TATO /AFP Dropping hints that Mr Shadary would merely be a cipher, the president also suggested he would run again in 2023, a strategy his critics called "Plan Putin". Yet the plan misfired. The regime was accused of doing everything it could to ensure Mr Shadary's victory. Voting was banned in three pro-opposition provinces, officially because of an Ebola outbreak. Electronic balloting machines in opposition-leaning areas where voting did take place often failed to work. Some voters said they were told by armed soldiers to vote for Mr Shadary or face the consequences. But after voting closed, it was soon whispered that Mr Shadary had fallen well short; in the end he finished an ignominious third. But diplomats and local observers, apparently convinced that Mr Fayulu had won, grew increasingly anxious after the electoral commission missed last Sunday's deadline to announce the result of the vote, which took place on Dec 30. Rumours began to circulate that the ruling party, realising it faced international condemnation and domestic uproar if Mr Shadary was declared the winner, had instead approached Mr Tshisekedi, also said to have been well beaten, with a deal. The speculation only increased after it emerged that Mr Tshisekedi and the ruling party had been having meetings, although aides on Thursday said that the talks had purely been about the logistics of transferring power. Whatever the truth, many Congo watchers will be surprised by the verdict. Mr Fayulu was widely considered the stronger opposition candidate because he had been backed by two prominent and widely popular rivals of the president who had been barred from standing. Other members of the opposition — including Mr Tshisekedi until he changed his mind — had also agreed to withdraw their candidacies and endorse Mr Fayulu, who now has ten working days to submit a legal challenge to the vote. Although no violence has been reported since the result was announced, Mr Fayulu has yet to address his supporters. It is unclear if he will call for protests. Mr Tshisekedi, meanwhile, used his first speech as president-elect to promise to serve all Congolese. He also raised eyebrows by calling President Kabila "an important political partner". It is possible that he could unite the country. Some opposition voters have told reporters they would accept a victory by any candidate who was not from the ruling party.
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| 10 Things to Know for Today Posted: 09 Jan 2019 02:53 AM PST  Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
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| China's passenger car sales fall for first time in years Posted: 09 Jan 2019 07:10 AM PST  China's annual passenger car sales fell last year for the first time in more than 20 years as the trade war with the US rocked consumer confidence and Beijing reined in car financing channels. Passenger car sales fell to 22.4 million vehicles in 2018, down 5.8 percent from a year earlier, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Wednesday. In December sales plummeted 19.2 percent from a year earlier, the CPCA said.
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| Fed Minutes to Reveal Debates Behind Unanimous Decision to Hike Posted: 08 Jan 2019 09:00 PM PST  The report may provide important clues about the level of solidarity among officials at the Dec. 18-19 Federal Open Market Committee meeting, when policy makers raised interest rates and forecast further increases despite plunging stocks and pressure from President Donald Trump for a halt. "These minutes will still be relevant because they're going to give us a sense of the debate within the FOMC," said Michelle Meyer, head of U.S. economics at Bank of America Corp. Rate moves are "still a committee decision, and understanding the division of views on the committee is important," she added.
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| California surfer survives shark attack Posted: 10 Jan 2019 12:05 AM PST  A surfer suffered leg bites but survived a shark attack on California's Central Coast after kicking the massive fish away. The Tribune of San Luis Obispo reports Nick Wapner was bitten on Tuesday morning about 200 miles northwest of Los Angeles. (Jan. 10)
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| People Can't Stop Sharing Jokes About Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer Sharing One Podium Posted: 08 Jan 2019 07:07 PM PST  Some viewers jokingly compared the Democratic leadership to disappointed parents
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| Toyota recalls 1.7 million more vehicles for risk of shrapnel from exploding airbags Posted: 09 Jan 2019 08:47 PM PST ![Toyota recalls 1.7 million more vehicles for risk of shrapnel from exploding airbags]( "Toyota recalls 1.7 million more vehicles for risk of shrapnel from exploding airbags") Toyota announced the recall of 1.7 million North American vehicles, a part of the ongoing recall involving potentially deadly passenger airbags.
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| Report: Military officers, relatives tortured in Venezuela Posted: 08 Jan 2019 09:07 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement forces in Venezuela have detained and tortured military personnel accused of plotting against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, according to two prominent human rights organizations.
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| Congressional Democrats zero in on latest Manafort-Russia revelation Posted: 09 Jan 2019 03:30 PM PST  On Tuesday, portions of a court filing by lawyers for convicted former Trump campaign head Paul Manafort were inadvertently made public. Patrick Boland, a spokesman for Representative Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee's new Democratic chairman, noted that Schiff had described the revelation as "stunning" to the Washington Post and told Reuters that Schiff planned to dig into questions the court filing had raised. The office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged Manafort and Kilimnik in its investigation of Russian interference in the election and whether Trump campaign members coordinated with Moscow officials.
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| Fiat Chrysler to pay $515 mn in US 'dieselgate' settlements Posted: 10 Jan 2019 09:39 AM PST  Fiat Chrysler has agreed to a $515 million US settlement on charges it installed "defeat devices" on cars to evade emissions tests, the US Justice Department announced Thursday. The auto giant will recall and repair more than 100,000 diesel vehicles sold in the United States at a cost of about $185 million. The remaining funds will go to civil fines and mitigation payments to the United States and the state of California.
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| Google's New Policy Chief Weighs Washington Reshuffle Posted: 09 Jan 2019 04:48 PM PST  Karan Bhatia, who joined in June, is reassessing the roles of existing staff, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. This may hasten the departure of Google's longtime Washington director, former Representative Susan Molinari, according to one of the people. Molinari, a Republican who joined Alphabet Inc.'s Google in 2012, was slated to transition to an advisory role this month, opening up her position as head of policy for the Americas.
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| Investigators Want People With Allegations Against R. Kelly to Come Forward Posted: 09 Jan 2019 02:21 PM PST  After a Lifetime docu-series reignited interest in the singer's behavior
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| Chevron, Occidental invest in CO2 removal technology Posted: 09 Jan 2019 05:50 AM PST  Canada's Carbon Engineering has been scrubbing air in British Columbia
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| With government mostly shut, Trump repeats his demand for a wall Posted: 08 Jan 2019 07:01 PM PST  The president made his case for the construction of a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico in a primetime address to the nation.
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| 5 New Technologies You’ll See in Your Car Over the Next 5 Years Posted: 09 Jan 2019 01:23 PM PST |
| CNN's Jim Acosta takes heat after showing border fence just might be working Posted: 10 Jan 2019 01:09 PM PST  CNN's Jim Acosta was mocked across social media for posting a video that was meant to downplay President Trump's claims of a border crisis, but ended up supporting his argument that border barriers improve security. Acosta is in Texas awaiting Trump's border visit. While Acosta often clashes with the president and his aides, pundits suggested he did the president a favor this time.
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| Increasingly isolated Venezuelan president begins new term Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:23 PM PST  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro began a new term on Thursday with the economy in ruins and his regime more isolated than ever as regional leaders declared his re-election illegitimate and shunned his inauguration. The 56-year-old socialist leader was sworn in by Supreme Court president Maikel Moreno as an audience of hundreds, including a handful of South American leftist leaders and Venezuela's military top brass, cheered and applauded. "I swear on behalf of the people of Venezuelan ... I swear on my life," Maduro said solemnly as he took the oath of office for a second six-year term.
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| Lawsuit targets GOP laws reducing Wisconsin governor's power Posted: 10 Jan 2019 11:58 AM PST ![Lawsuit targets GOP laws reducing Wisconsin governor's power]( "Lawsuit targets GOP laws reducing Wisconsin governor's power") MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A coalition of liberal-leaning groups filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to void laws passed by Wisconsin Republicans that reduced the powers of the newly elected Democratic governor and attorney general.
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| Saudi to slash oil exports after price slide: minister Posted: 09 Jan 2019 08:27 AM PST  OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia will slash its oil exports in January by 10 percent compared to November, its energy minister said Wednesday as producers move to shore up tumbling prices. Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom, the world's top crude supplier, would cut its exports to 7.2 million barrels per day in January, down from 8.0 million bpd in November. OPEC and its allies decided last month to cut their overall output by 1.2 million bpd starting in January, to boost prices hit by a supply glut and fears demand could plummet.
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| American Airlines’ Robert Crandall Remembers Herb Kelleher, the Soul of Southwest Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:45 AM PST  Soul of Southwest
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| Apple, Qualcomm spar over CEOs' comments on settlement talks Posted: 09 Jan 2019 11:24 AM PST  Apple on Wednesday said it stood by Cook's comments. The two companies are disputing comments their respective CEOs have made over settlement talks. Apple's chief on Tuesday said any talks ended in September 2018.
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| 'No slamming!': Trump denies 'tantrum' in shutdown talks Posted: 10 Jan 2019 06:20 AM PST  President Trump is disputing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's assertion that he had a "temper tantrum" before walking out of a White House meeting on border security.
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| Starbucks plans to install needle-disposal boxes in some bathrooms Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:00 AM PST  The coffee giant's decision was made to solve an issue that could expose its workers to hazardous health concerns including HIV and hepatitis, a Starbucks spokesperson told USA TODAY.
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