| St. Louis cop charged in Russian Roulette shooting death of fellow officer, police say Posted: 26 Jan 2019 05:12 AM PST  A St. Louis police officer was charged with manslaughter Friday for allegedly shooting a colleague as the two played Russian Roulette, authorities said.
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| Trump administration to build Mexico border wall ‘with or without Democrats’, says Sarah Sanders Posted: 26 Jan 2019 01:38 PM PST  The White House has threatened to "move forward" with its plan to build a border along the US/Mexico border "with or without Democrats". The statement comes after Donald Trump announced he would reopen the government without his demand for $5.7bn (£4.3bn) in border wall funding, and after democrats repeatedly rebuffed his efforts to force their hand on the issue. "In 21 days President [Trump] is moving forward building the wall with or without the Democrats," tweeted press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
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| Beijing dismisses Soros' anti-China remarks as 'meaningless' Posted: 25 Jan 2019 02:02 AM PST  China dismissed remarks from George Soros as "meaningless" on Friday, after the billionaire investor called President Xi Jinping the "most dangerous opponent" of free societies and warned against Beijing's high-tech surveillance regime. Soros "confused right and wrong in a meaningless statement, and it is not worth refuting", said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing. "In today's world, it is clear who is opening doors and building roads, and who is closing doors and building walls," she said.
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| How the F-22 and F-35 are Making This Old U.S. Fighter Jet a Real Killer Posted: 25 Jan 2019 02:10 AM PST  No stealth included.
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| US demands world stands with 'forces of freedom' in Venezuela Posted: 26 Jan 2019 05:23 AM PST  The United States pressed all nations Saturday to "stand with the forces of freedom" in Venezuela, encouraged by a tougher European line as Russia stood in the minority in backing embattled leader Nicolas Maduro. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a forceful case at a special session of the United Nations Security Council, where he described Maduro as part of an "illegitimate mafia state" responsible for Venezuela's economic collapse. Four major European countries - Britain, Germany, Britain, France and Spain - said on Saturday they are ready to recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president if elections are not called within eight days. Jeremy Hunt, the British foreign secretary, said: "After banning opposition candidates, ballot box stuffing and counting irregularities in a deeply flawed election it is clear Nicolas Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela," Mr Hunt tweeted. 1/2 After banning opposition candidates, ballot box stuffing and counting irregularities in a deeply flawed election it is clear Nicolas Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) January 26, 2019 2/2 @jguaido is the right person to take Venezuela forward. If there are not fresh & fair elections announced within 8 days UK will recognise him as interim President to take forward the political process towards democracy. Time for a new start for the suffering ppl of Venezuela— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) January 26, 2019 With mounting protests over Venezuela's crisis in which more than two million have fled shortages of basic food and medicine, Mr Pompeo asked all nations to follow the US in recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president. "Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side. No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem," Mr Pompeo said. Mr Pompeo denounced Russia and China, which have stood by Maduro, saying that they were motivated not by principle but raw financial interest. "China and Russia are propping up a failed regime in the hopes of recovering billions of dollars in ill-considered investments and assistance made over the years," Mr Pompeo said. Guaido vs Maduro | Who is backing Venezuela's two presidents Russia has denounced the United States for interference and attempted to block the Security Council meeting, but it was voted down with nine of the 15 members agreeing to go forward. "Venezuela does not pose any threat to peace and security. The intention of the United States is to orchestrate a coup d'etat," said the Russian ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia. He accused the United States of renewing a long history of imperialism in Latin America, saying that Washington treated it as a "backyard where you can do anything you want." But Russia managed to block a Security Council statement seen by AFP that would have offered "full support" to Mr Guaido and called the National Assembly that he heads "Venezuela's only democratically elected institution." Profile | Nicolás Maduro "The government of Spain gives Nicolas Maduro eight days to call free, transparent and democratic elections," said Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in statement. "If that doesn't happen, Spain will recognise Juan Guaido as interim president in charge of calling these elections." In what appears to be a coordinated message from European Union countries, at almost the same time French President Manuel Macron sent a tweet echoing Sanchez's comments. "Unless elections are announced within eight days, we will be ready to recognise @jguaido as 'President in charge' of Venezuela in order to trigger a political process," Macron said. A spokeswoman from the German government tweeted the same message shortly after the comments from Madrid and Paris. Europe had, until Saturday, simply called for new elections in the troubled South American country. But the European Union hinted today it would be prepared to recognise Maduro's rival, if elections were not held. "In the absence of an announcement on the organisation of fresh elections with the necessary guarantees over the next days, the EU will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country's leadership," said Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign affairs chief. Mr Guaido proclaimed himself interim president on Wednesday during a march of hundreds of thousands in Caracas. Anti-government protesters cheer after Juan Guaido, head of Venezuela's opposition-run congress, declared himself interim president. Credit: Boris Vergara /AP The Venezuelan state and the military have so far remained loyal to Maduro despite a deep economic and political crisis that has sparked mass emigration, with inflation forecast to rise to 10 million percent this year. Russia, meanwhile, called for the United States and Europe to cease interfering in Venezuela. "The cynical, overt interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state continues. It must stop," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
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| The Latest: Suspect worked at Walmart, restaurant, auto shop Posted: 25 Jan 2019 04:19 PM PST  SEBRING, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of five women at a Florida bank (all times local):
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| Davos Daily Review: Jane Goodall, Income Inequality and Climate Change Posted: 25 Jan 2019 03:30 PM PST  The final day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, featured discussions on issues of equality, migration and climate change
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| Stone Indictment Underscores That There Was No Trump-Russia Conspiracy Posted: 26 Jan 2019 03:30 AM PST  Roger Stone is the shiny object. The obstruction charges in his long-anticipated indictment, made public on Friday, are not the matter of consequence for the United States. What matters is this: The indictment is just the latest blatant demonstration that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office, the Department of Justice, and the FBI have known for many months that there was no such conspiracy.
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| Delays at New York airport due to shutdown staff shortages Posted: 25 Jan 2019 08:26 AM PST  New York's La Guardia airport faced flight delays Friday as air traffic control struggled with staff shortages linked to the partial federal government shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration's website said that arriving flights were being delayed an average of nearly 1.5 hours, and that departures were also affected. The New York region's third-largest airport, LaGuardia primarily serves domestic flights.
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| Warren’s Wealth Tax Probably Doomed, Nobel Winner Shiller Says Posted: 25 Jan 2019 03:43 AM PST  The widening gap between the rich and the poor and its effect in populist politics has been a key theme at this years's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with companies urged to take more responsibility in social matters. "There is a problem with the wealth tax," Shiller, economics professor at Yale University, told Bloomberg Television's Francine Lacqua and Tom Keene on the sidelines of the Forum on Friday.
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| Hacienda's ex-CEO faced sexual-harassment, bullying complaints; board kept him on job Posted: 24 Jan 2019 05:49 PM PST  Sexual-harassment complaints followed Hacienda HealthCare's former CEO for years. Before he resigned, Bill Timmons faced discipline and sanctions.
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| Qatar to pay aid into Gaza, with Hamas approval Posted: 25 Jan 2019 09:44 AM PST  The move was widely seen as a compromise between Qatar, which appears intent on increasing its regional influence, and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza. Qatar's point-man for Gaza relief efforts, Mohammed Al-Emadi, said in Gaza: "It was agreed to allocate the Qatari financial grant to pay for humanitarian projects with full cooperation and coordination with the United Nations." He said the first agreement with the U.N. would be signed on Monday next week, setting up a $20 million job creation project. A Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, on Friday welcomed Qatar's decision to give money to humanitarian projects.
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| Facebook's 'Friendly Fraud' Scandal: What Parents Need to Know Posted: 25 Jan 2019 05:26 PM PST  Facebook knowingly allowed children who played games on its platform to rack up big credit card charges, even after staffers warned about the problem and proposed solutions for the practice some ...
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| Witness: El Chapo cursed, tortured and shot enemies, ordered one buried alive Posted: 24 Jan 2019 06:30 PM PST  A witness against Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán said the alleged Mexican drug lord interrogated, tortured, and shot enemies – and ordered one buried alive.
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| Before Venezuela, US had long involvement in Latin America Posted: 25 Jan 2019 08:31 AM PST  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accuses the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup against him, and that allegation has resonance among many in a region where Washington has a long history of interventions — military and otherwise.
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| White House says Stone indictment has 'nothing to do' with Trump, but ducks a key question Posted: 25 Jan 2019 08:01 AM PST  When pressed by CNN's John Berman, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders refused to say whether Trump directed a senior campaign official to contact Stone about WikiLeaks' plans to release potentially damaging information about Hillary Clinton.
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| Microsoft 'waiting to find out' why Bing went offline in China Posted: 24 Jan 2019 06:55 PM PST  Microsoft is still trying to figure out why its Bing search engine temporarily went offline in China, the company's president said following speculation that it could have been blocked by censors. The US firm's Chinese website, cn.bing.com, was accessible again late Thursday, one day after it suddenly went offline, temporarily taking away the most prominent foreign search engine in China. The disruption raised fears among social media users that it was the latest foreign website to be blocked by China.
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| Richest in U.S. Have a Few Tricks to Avoid Democrats' Tax Plans Posted: 25 Jan 2019 05:26 AM PST  Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who's exploring a run for president, is proposing a wealth tax, a 2 percent annual levy on fortunes of more than $50 million and a 3 percent tax on the assets of billionaires. Others, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, have suggested hiking income tax rates. "There's an element, yeah, where people are going to have to start paying their fair share," Ocasio-Cortez told Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes" on Jan. 6.
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| Democrats praise socialism amid crisis in Venezuela Posted: 25 Jan 2019 07:45 AM PST  Socialism is collapsing in Venezuela as America's liberals try to push some of the same policies at home.
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| U.S. to start returning asylum seekers to Mexico on Friday Posted: 24 Jan 2019 07:55 PM PST  The policy dubbed the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and first announced on Dec. 20 will return non-Mexican migrants who cross the U.S. southern border back to wait in Mexico while their asylum requests are processed in U.S. immigration courts. The Trump administration says many of the claims are not valid. "The MPP will provide a safer and more orderly process that will discourage individuals from attempting illegal entry and making false claims to stay in the U.S., and allow more resources to be dedicated to individuals who legitimately qualify for asylum," the DHS said.
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| Wilbur Ross food bank: Most Americans can't pay $1,000 emergency expense Posted: 25 Jan 2019 12:35 PM PST  Most Americans can't afford $1000 emergency expense, new survey shows. It belies Commerce Sec. Ross's remarks that federal workers can just get a loan
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| Erdogan: Turkey can go it alone to establish Syria safe zone Posted: 25 Jan 2019 06:20 AM PST  ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's president warned on Friday that Ankara can go it alone in establishing a safe zone in northeastern Syria if talks with Washington on the issue fail to produce results.
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| Roger Stone threatened associate’s dog and referenced The Godfather in bid to stop testimony, court papers say Posted: 25 Jan 2019 09:06 AM PST  Roger Stone allegedly called an associate "a rat" and threatened to have his dog killed in a bid to stop him testifying to the special counsel investigating ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Mr Stone, a former adviser to Donald Trump, was arrested in Florida by the FBI on Friday on seven counts involving witness tampering, obstruction and false statements regarding interactions he had with Wikileaks ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The indictment, brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, details extraordinary interactions between Mr Stone and senior officials in the Trump campaign, as well an two other unnamed high-profile individuals.
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| Florida allows families of bank murder victims to withhold names under 'Marsy's Law' Posted: 24 Jan 2019 07:42 PM PST  Families of three of the murder victims in Wednesday's brutal attack at a Florida bank have opted not to publicly release the names of their loved ones
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| Vodafone 'pauses' use of Huawei kit in core networks amid espionage concerns Posted: 25 Jan 2019 05:09 AM PST  Vodafone will pause installation of hardware created by Chinese technology business Huawei in its core networks, the company's chief executive said on Friday. The decision by Vodafone places more pressure on Huawei, which has seen its hardware blocked by several phone networks around the world in recent months following growing concern over the business' closeness to the Chinese government. Nick Read, Vodafone's chief executive, said during the business' earning call on Friday that Vodafone was communicating with security agencies in the UK, but said that he chose to pause the installation of new hardware in Vodafone's core network due to "general noise" about the subject. The "noise level is at an unhealthy level across Europe," Mr Read said of the ongoing debate about the Chinese business. The debate around Huawei risks becoming a "tailspin into more emotion rather than facts," he said. Vodafone will continue to purchase Huawei technology for its 4G and 5G networks, but will rely on competitors including Nokia and Ericsson in its core network, Mr Read said. The chief executive warned that a ban on Huawei technology would significantly delay the launch of 5G networks. The pause on installation of does not affect the UK, Mr Read said, as no Huawei technology is used in Vodafone's core UK network. A Huawei spokesman said: "Vodafone and Huawei are long-term strategic partners that have worked together since 2007. Huawei is focused on supporting Vodafone's 5G network rollouts, of which the core is a small proportion. We are grateful to Vodafone for its support of Huawei and we will endeavour to live up to the trust placed in us." Technology intelligence - newsletter promo - EOA On Thursday, the Prince's Trust charity announced it would not accept any new donations from Huawei. And earlier this month, Oxford University said it had suspended all new research grants and donations from the business. On Friday, Vodafone reported a 6.8pc fall in turnover to €10.9bn (£9.42bn), narrowly missing analyst expectations for the last three months. Vodafone's performance in key markets including Spain and Italy was poor, while its overall services revenue dropped 3.9pc to €9.7bn.
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| Trudeau sacks Canadian envoy to China after Huawei controversy Posted: 26 Jan 2019 12:42 PM PST  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said he had sought and accepted the resignation of Ottawa's ambassador to China, days after the diplomat sparked controversy with criticism of the US extradition request for a top Huawei executive. "Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's Ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement that did not explain why the decision had been taken. McCallum has been making headlines in recent days over comments regarding Meng Wanzhou, Chinese giant Huawei's chief financial officer who was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 and is facing extradition to the United States.
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| Markets Right Now: Stocks rise but still end the week lower Posted: 25 Jan 2019 01:09 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local):
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| Mercedes-Benz to make more use of Chinese auto suppliers Posted: 25 Jan 2019 04:30 AM PST  'China is more advanced than the United States in many areas of digital innovation'
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| AD 's Shopping Resources to Help You Get the Look Posted: 26 Jan 2019 05:00 AM PST  The designers, architects, and products featured this month
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| Southwest Airlines to ax Mexico City flights Posted: 25 Jan 2019 04:56 AM PST ![Southwest Airlines to ax Mexico City flights]( "Southwest Airlines to ax Mexico City flights") Southwest will still fly to three other cities in Mexico, all beach resorts: Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. Mexico City flights end in March.
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| The forces behind Venezuela's Maduro-Guaido power struggle Posted: 25 Jan 2019 12:25 PM PST  By declaring himself acting president, Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido sparked a leadership battle with the head of state, Nicolas Maduro. Maduro's most significant domestic backing comes from the military high command, which has repeatedly affirmed its loyalty to him. Of 32 government ministers, nine are from the military and control key portfolios such as defense, interior, agriculture and food, as well as the state oil company PDVSA -- vital in a country that brings in 96 percent of its revenues from crude -- and the intelligence services.
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| Israel Demands for U.S. Base Are a Hitch in Trump’s Syria Plans Posted: 25 Jan 2019 07:00 PM PST  The American base at Al-Tanf, originally established as a southern foothold against Islamic State and a training ground for Syrian rebels, has become one of the main obstacles to the president's plan to leave. Israeli and some U.S. officials argue that a continued American presence there is critical to interrupting Iran's supply lines into Lebanon, where Hezbollah -- Iran's proxy and Israel's enemy -- has been building up its arsenal.
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| Prosecutor: Detroit Lions' Trevor Bates punched officer Posted: 26 Jan 2019 02:20 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Trevor Bates, a linebacker for the Detroit Lions, was arrested Saturday in New York on charges that he failed to pay a taxi fare and then punched a police officer, who suffered a concussion.
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| Novartis urges Britain to secure drug supplies before Brexit Posted: 25 Jan 2019 07:21 AM PST ![Novartis urges Britain to secure drug supplies before Brexit]( "Novartis urges Britain to secure drug supplies before Brexit") The Swiss company, one of the world's biggest drugmakers, said the risk of Britain leaving the European Union, its biggest trading partner, without a deal had risen after Prime Minister Theresa May failed to get her deal through parliament last week. "Given the complex nature of the supply chain, government needs to implement a comprehensive continuity plan rapidly," Novartis said https://www.novartis.co.uk/news/media-releases/novartis-uk-brexit-statement in a statement. Novartis's fastest-growing medicine is Cosentyx, the blockbuster medicine for psoriasis and other auto-immune disorders including ankylosing spondylitis.
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| Australian detained in China receives consular visit: official Posted: 25 Jan 2019 05:21 AM PST  The Australian embassy in Beijing was on Friday granted consular access to Australian national Yang Jun, who is detained in China on national security grounds. "Access to Mr Yang was provided in accordance with our bilateral consular agreement with China," the statement said. The Chinese-Australian author and democracy advocate, whose pen name is Yang Hengjun, was detained shortly after he made a rare return to China from the United States last week.
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| New study finds slim people have a genetic advantage when it comes to maintaining their weight Posted: 25 Jan 2019 02:32 AM PST  In the largest study of its kind so far, UK researchers have found that slim people have an advantage when it comes to staying thin thanks to their genes. Interested in why some people find it easier to stay slim than others, researchers at Cambridge University, along with support from the Wellcome and the European Research Council, set up the Study Into Lean and Thin Subjects (STILTS), recruiting healthy UK adults aged 18 to 65 who were thin -- defined as a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18 kg/m2 -- and with no medical conditions or eating disorders. The team then worked with the Wellcome Sanger Institute to compare the DNA of around 14,000 adults in total, including 1,622 thin volunteers from the STILTS study, 1,985 severely obese people and 10,433 normal weight controls.
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| Electric Scooter Injuries on the Rise as Riders Go Without Helmets Posted: 25 Jan 2019 08:00 AM PST  One in 3 people involved in electric scooter accidents require treatment for injuries at an emergency room, according to a new study by the University of California, Los Angeles, which also found...
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| The oldest Earth rock ever found was actually brought back from the Moon Posted: 25 Jan 2019 10:54 AM PST ![The oldest Earth rock ever found was actually brought back from the Moon]( "The oldest Earth rock ever found was actually brought back from the Moon") NASA astronauts who visited the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission hauled back a whole bunch of material from its surface. At the time, they believed they were bringing Moon rocks and dust so that scientists could learn more about Earth's friendly little neighbor, but as it turns out they were actually bringing some Earth material back to where it originated. In a new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, researchers reveal that one of the chunks of rock brought back by Apollo 14 was actually a piece of the early Earth that had been blasted into space by some kind of impact several billion years ago. A close inspection of the rock revealed that it was made up of a variety of materials that are abundant on Earth but are rarely found on the Moon, including quartz and zircon. They believe the conditions under which the rock formed would have matched those of Earth rather than the Moon, but how exactly did the rock make it so far from home? "The clast was ejected from the Earth during a large impact, entrained in the lunar regolith as a terrestrial meteorite with the evidence of reducing conditions introduced during its incorporation into the Imbrium ejecta and host breccia," the study explains. To put it a bit more simply, the rock was a piece of Earth that was shot skyward after something quite large slammed into the planet at high speed. It was ejected into space and subsequently collided with the Moon, spending billions of years on its surface and becoming integrated into the planet before astronauts just happened to stumble across it, snagging it for study back on our planet. It's a remarkable discovery, and an interesting glimpse into the life of the early Earth. Scientists have long believed that a young Earth was under bombardment from space debris as the Solar System continued to form, and this appears to be some very good supporting evidence.
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| Government labor unions are seeing mass exodus of members Posted: 25 Jan 2019 07:44 AM PST  New reports reveal that government labor unions are seeing mass exodus of members for their ranks.
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| Top Asian News 12:18 a.m. GMT Posted: 26 Jan 2019 04:18 PM PST ![Top Asian News 12:18 a.m. GMT]( "Top Asian News 12:18 a.m. GMT") TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fired Canada's ambassador to China after the envoy said it would be "great" if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for a Chinese tech executive arrested in Canada. Trudeau said Saturday that he had asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation Friday night. McCallum made the remark to the Toronto Star on Friday. That came a day after he issued a statement saying he misspoke about the case earlier in the week and regretted saying Meng Wanzhou has a strong case against extradition. The arrest of the daughter of the founder of Huawei Technologies Ltd.
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| Takeaway from BuzzFeed's Michael Cohen-Donald Trump report: Journalists police themselves Posted: 25 Jan 2019 01:00 AM PST  BuzzFeed is being challenged by multiple news organizations that do not view their job as defending the president — or their media brethren.
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| Queen’s Brexit Intervention Shows She Knows How to Make a Point Posted: 25 Jan 2019 05:10 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Despite being the U.K.'s head of state, Queen Elizabeth II never talks about politics.
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