| Dozens Feared Dead In Massive Shopping Mall Blaze In Philippine City Of Davao Posted: 24 Dec 2017 03:32 AM PST  An enormous fire that consumed a shopping mall in the Philippine city of Davao, trapping at least 37 people inside, continued to burn on Sunday ― more than a day after the blaze began.
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| Democrats Are Attacking The GOP For Its Hypocrisy On Deficits. That Might Be A Mistake. Posted: 23 Dec 2017 05:01 AM PST  WASHINGTON ― Republicans ran against the rising national debt in the 2010 midterm elections, and it worked.
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| California wildfire the largest in the state's recorded history Posted: 22 Dec 2017 08:06 PM PST  A California wildfire that has killed two people and seared its way through cities, towns and wilderness northwest of Los Angeles became the largest blaze ever officially recorded in California on Friday, authorities said. The Thomas fire took only 2 ½ weeks to burn its way into history books as unrelenting winds and parched weather turned everything in its path to tinder — including more than 700 homes. The fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties had scorched 273,400 acres, or about 427 square miles of coastal foothills and national forest, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That was 154 acres larger than California's previous fire record holder — the 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County that killed 15 people. The Cedar fire had been recognized as the biggest California wildfire in terms of acreage since 1932. Some fires before that date undoubtedly were larger but records are unreliable, according to state fire officials. A firefighter and a civilian fleeing the flames died in the Thomas fire as days of unrelentingly dry, gusty winds drove the flames. At times firefighters were forced to retreat to safe areas and simply wait for the flames to pass so they could attack them from the rear. Often erratic gusts combined with extremely low humidity — it dropped to just 1 percent on some days — pushed the blaze with virtually unprecedented speed, blackening more ground in weeks than other fires had consumed in a month or more. On Wednesday, as the fire continued to march north and west, Santa Barbara County fire Capt. David Zaniboni was awed by the speed of its growth. "Those (other) fires burned for weeks and weeks and this fire is only a few weeks old," he said. "It's incredible." By that point, firefighters already were beginning to take advantage of a lull in the weather. Several days of easing winds allowed crews to burn and bulldoze protective firebreaks in the foothills above threatened communities, including the celebrity enclave of Montecito. Q&A | Wildfires By Thursday, most of the southern end of the fire also was surrounded and the last mandatory evacuation orders were called off. As of Friday, while 18,000 homes and other buildings were technically still at risk, there was little flame showing in previously burned areas and the fire was moving slowly through remote wilderness. The fire was 65 percent contained and colder, moister weather was helping. Although some 50-mph winds gusts were recorded, it produced "no remarkable fire activity" near Montecito or other areas, according to a state fire report. While brush and timber in the area remain tinder dry, fire crews are setting backfires to burn it out, and that could add to the fire's size. "The main fire itself will not have any growth," Capt. Brandon Vaccaro of the California City Fire Department told the Los Angeles Times. "Any growth that we see or is reflected in the acreage will be based on the control burns."
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| Ukraine grateful for US weapons, Russia voices outrage Posted: 23 Dec 2017 09:25 AM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president on Saturday thanked the U.S. for its decision to provide his nation with lethal weapons, while Russian diplomats and lawmakers expressed dismay, warning that it will only fuel hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
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| Amtrak engineer remarked on train speed 6 seconds before crash: NTSB Posted: 22 Dec 2017 02:52 PM PST ![Amtrak engineer remarked on train speed 6 seconds before crash: NTSB]( "Amtrak engineer remarked on train speed 6 seconds before crash: NTSB") (Reuters) - Six seconds before an Amtrak train derailed off a bridge and onto a highway near Seattle, the engineer remarked that the train was speeding, U.S. investigators said on Friday. The engineer then applied the brakes but apparently not the emergency brake, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a statement after retrieving and reviewing data from the data recorder and inward- and outward-facing cameras. Monday's crash south of Seattle killed three people and sent about 100 others to hospitals.
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| Victims of Las Vegas massacre all died of gunshot wounds: coroner Posted: 22 Dec 2017 11:35 AM PST  Los Angeles (AFP) - All 58 victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting died of gunshot wounds, including the gunman who killed himself, a Nevada coroner said on Friday.
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| Apparently, Little Kids Think Birthday Parties Cause Aging Posted: 23 Dec 2017 07:01 AM PST  Whether they're flashy North West-style blowouts or more modest sheet cake-and-balloons affairs, birthday parties are a major ritual for many kids around the world.
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| Myanmar to grant families access to two Reuters journalists after remand period expires: media Posted: 23 Dec 2017 05:24 AM PST ![Myanmar to grant families access to two Reuters journalists after remand period expires: media]( "Myanmar to grant families access to two Reuters journalists after remand period expires: media") Two Reuters journalists detained in Myanmar will be allowed to meet their families once their first 14-day period of remand expires, according to local media reports. Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been in detention for 11 days in an undisclosed location and have had no access to their families, lawyers or colleagues. The authorities are investigating whether they violated the country's colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which has a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
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| US Marine Corps commandant tells soldiers: 'I hope I'm wrong but there's a war coming' Posted: 24 Dec 2017 01:46 AM PST  General Robert Neller told the Marine rotational force at the Norwegian Home Guard base near Trondheim: "I hope I'm wrong, but there's a war coming. "Just remember why you're here," Sergeant Major Ronald Green told the Marines, according to the military news site. The rotational force has been deployed in Norway since January, where they have supported Nato operations and trained in cold weather and mountainous conditions.
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| High School Students Gift Custodian With New Pair of Work Boots For Christmas Posted: 23 Dec 2017 07:45 AM PST  Several students pitched in for the purchase.
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| Prosecutor: 'No doubt' gunman was targeting police officers Posted: 23 Dec 2017 06:04 PM PST ![Prosecutor: 'No doubt' gunman was targeting police officers]( "Prosecutor: 'No doubt' gunman was targeting police officers") HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — There's "no doubt" a gunman who fired at police in several locations in the state capital, wounding one of them before they shot and killed him, was targeting police officers, a prosecutor said.
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| Gasoline on a Fire: Why Arms Sales to Ukraine are a Really Bad Idea Posted: 23 Dec 2017 09:56 AM PST  It's been a very bad month for Washington's relations with Moscow, culminating in the Trump administration's ill-advised decision to authorize the commercial sale of "defensive" weapons to Ukraine. The flippant comment that Secretary of Defense James Mattis expressed earlier in Kiev apparently summarizes the administration's attitude. According to Mattis, "defensive weapons are not provocative unless you are an aggressor, and clearly Ukraine is not an aggressor." The reality is that given the already lengthy record of U.S. meddling in Ukraine, especially encouraging the demonstrators who overthrew the country's pro-Russian elected president in 2014, moving to arm Ukraine is extremely provocative.
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| Philippines tropical storm toll climbs to 44: officials Posted: 22 Dec 2017 09:34 PM PST  The death toll from a tropical storm that struck the southern Philippines has risen to 44 as mudslides wiped out a mountain village and ravaged another town, officials said Saturday. Nineteen deaths were reported near the town of Tubod on Friday on Mindanao, the archipelago nation's second-largest island, where Tropical Storm Tembin unleashed flash floods and mudslides that erased a remote village from the map, police said. The village is no longer there," Tubod police officer Gerry Parami told AFP by telephone.
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| Mitch McConnell Mocks Steve Bannon's 'Political Genius' in Press Conference Posted: 22 Dec 2017 11:30 AM PST  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used a holiday season press conference Friday to deliver a lump of coal to Steve Bannon, mocking the former White House adviser's "political genius" for costing Republicans an Alabama Senate seat.
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| Arab alliance: Yemen one million cholera cases report exaggerated Posted: 22 Dec 2017 10:02 AM PST ![Arab alliance: Yemen one million cholera cases report exaggerated]( "Arab alliance: Yemen one million cholera cases report exaggerated") The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Friday an announcement by the International Committee of the Red Cross that cholera cases in the country had reached one million suspected cases was exaggerated. "It is nearly impossible to accurately determine whether the suspected cases are cholera or simple diarrhea," a statement by the spokesperson for the coalition said. Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries, is embroiled in a proxy war between the Houthi armed movement, aligned with Iran, and a U.S.-backed military coalition headed by Saudi Arabia.
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| Family asked to remove 'offensive' Jesus sign from their Christmas display because it offended a neighbour Posted: 24 Dec 2017 05:15 AM PST  A family has been asked to take down a sign with the name "Jesus" from their Christmas display, after a neighbour reportedly claimed it was offensive. Mark and Lynn Wivell said their homeowner's association had made the request after they put up the display outside their home in Adams County, Pennsylvania. "As part of our Christmas decoration, we would display the name Jesus to point out to everyone that we in this family believe that the reason for the season is to celebrate the birth of Jesus," Mr Wivell told the FOX43 news channel.
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| Trump Throws Support Behind Ron DeSantis For Florida Governor Posted: 22 Dec 2017 11:53 AM PST  President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted his support for Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.),
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| Macedonia ready to give up claims on Alexander the Great Posted: 23 Dec 2017 09:34 AM PST ![Macedonia ready to give up claims on Alexander the Great]( "Macedonia ready to give up claims on Alexander the Great") SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonia's left-wing prime minister said he is ready to renounce his country's claim to be the sole heirs of the legacy of Alexander the Great to help solve a 26-year-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the country's name.
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| World’s largest amphibious plane, the AG600, makes successful maiden flight in China Posted: 24 Dec 2017 03:48 AM PST  The world's largest amphibious aircraft, the China-made AG600, made its maiden flight on Sunday, and comes as the latest milestone in the country's efforts to modernise its military. State television showed live images of the AG600 lifting off from Zhuhai airport in the southern province of Guangdong, which sits on the South China Sea coast. It returned about an hour later and taxied to its stand accompanied by martial music and greeted by crowds waving Chinese flags. Xinhua news agency said the aircraft was the "protector spirit of the sea, islands and reefs". China has stepped up research on advanced military equipment as it adopts a more muscular approach to territorial disputes in places such as the disputed South China Sea, rattling nerves in the Asia-Pacific region and the United States. Powered by four turboprop engines, the AG600 can carry 50 people during maritime search-and-rescue missions, and can scoop up 12 metric tons of water within 20 seconds for fire fighting trips, according to state media. It had previously been scheduled to make its first flight earlier this year but it is unclear why it was delayed after ground tests took place in April. The AG600 approaches the runway in Zhuhai Credit: REUTERS State-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) has spent almost eight years developing the aircraft, which is roughly the size of a Boeing Co 737 and is designed to carry out marine rescues and battle forest fires. The AG600 is known as 'Kunlong' in China Credit: AFP However, state media has also noted its potential use in the South China Sea, where China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei all have overlapping claims. The AG600's crew disembarking after its successful maiden flight Credit: VCG The AG600's chief designer, Huang Lingcai, was quoted in the official China Daily earlier this month as saying it can make round trips without refuelling from the southern island province of Hainan to James Shoal, claimed by China but which is located close to Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo. The aircraft has received 17 orders so far from Chinese government departments and companies. It has a maximum flight range of 2,800 miles and a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tons. It can use conventional airports and also land and take-off from the sea. Ground staff stand guard for the latest military addition to China's military capabilities Credit: REUTERS China is in the midst of a massive military modernisation programme, ranging from testing anti-satellite missiles to building stealth fighters and the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier, to add to an existing one bought from Ukraine.
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| The Last Known Dancing Bears Of Nepal Have Been Rescued Posted: 23 Dec 2017 08:29 AM PST  The last two known bears forced to dance for spectators in Nepal have been rescued.
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| In new harassment case, edgy media firm Vice says it has fired three Posted: 23 Dec 2017 12:59 PM PST  Youth-oriented news company Vice Media acknowledged Saturday that it had allowed a "detrimental 'boy's club' culture" to flourish and had failed to protect women employees from harassment. A statement from Vice said three employees had been dismissed after "multiple instances of unacceptable behavior" emerged. The New York Times said Saturday that in an in-depth examination of the company's culture, it had uncovered four settlements against Vice employees for harassment or defamation.
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| Turkey wants to bring wounded from Syria's Ghouta for treatment Posted: 24 Dec 2017 03:12 AM PST ![Turkey wants to bring wounded from Syria's Ghouta for treatment]( "Turkey wants to bring wounded from Syria's Ghouta for treatment") Turkey is working with Russia to evacuate around 500 people from the besieged Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. "There are around 500 people, including 170 children and women who need urgent humanitarian aid," Erdogan said ahead of his departure on an official visit to Sudan. Ankara aimed to bring people in need of assistance to Turkey to provide treatment and care.
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| Miss America chief suspended over emails showing him mocking contestants Posted: 22 Dec 2017 05:00 PM PST  The CEO of the Miss America Organisation has been suspended after emails leaked allegedly showing him degrading and mocking contestants. Fallout has been swift after the Huffington Post published emails in which Sam Haskell was said to have used crude language to deride former contestants, and to comment on their weight. In a statement, the organisation's board said it had voted to suspend Mr Haskell while it conducts "an indepth investigation into alleged inappropriate communications and the nature in which they were obtained".
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| Judge Orders Trump's Voter Fraud Panel To Hand Over Documents To Democratic Member Posted: 22 Dec 2017 09:08 PM PST  A federal judge ordered President Donald Trump's voter fraud commission to turn over internal documents to one of its Democratic commissioners who had accused the panel of withholding crucial information from him.
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| Jordan Peele Tweets 'Get Out' Joke About Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Posted: 22 Dec 2017 12:03 PM PST  Jordan Peele just made a perfectly dark joke about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Christmas plans that will make any "Get Out" fan cackle.
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| Dozens feared dead in Philippine mall inferno Posted: 24 Dec 2017 05:03 AM PST  At least 37 people, including call centre staff from an American firm, are believed to have perished in a fire that tore through a shopping mall in the southern Philippine city of Davao, local authorities said Sunday. President Rodrigo Duterte, himself a Davao native, visited distraught relatives outside the burning building overnight but told them there was "zero" chance their loved ones had survived, witnesses told AFP. Firemen found one body as the blaze was finally extinguished Sunday, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte -- the president's daughter -- told reporters.
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| Report: In 2018, Global Defense Spending Will Reach Highest Level Since Cold War Posted: 23 Dec 2017 05:03 AM PST  Global defense spending in 2018 is expected to reach the highest levels recorded since the end of the Cold War. The $1.67 trillion would be a 3.3 percent increase over 2017 levels, the highest year-on-year growth in over a decade. In revealing IHS Jane's forecasts, Fenella McGerty, a principal analyst at the company, said: "The increase in defense spending reflects improving economic conditions around the world, coupled with a response to continuing instability in a number of key regions." That a growing global economy is the primary force behind increased military spending is substantiated by McGerty's observation that "defense spending remains lower in relation to GDP than at any time in the last 10 years." In fact, over the last decade global defense spending has dipped to an average of 2.2 percent of GDP, down from 2.7 percent.
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| Coptic diocese says hundreds attack church in Egypt Posted: 23 Dec 2017 10:20 AM PST ![Coptic diocese says hundreds attack church in Egypt]( "Coptic diocese says hundreds attack church in Egypt") CAIRO (AP) — Hundreds of Muslim demonstrators attacked an unlicensed church south of Cairo wounding three people, an Egyptian Coptic Christian diocese said on Saturday, in the latest assault on members of the country's Christian minority.
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| Police Fatally Shoot 7-Year-Old While Searching for a Wanted Felon Posted: 22 Dec 2017 12:26 PM PST  A 7-year-old Texas boy was shot dead by police as they were searching for a wanted felon.
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| London Zoo Staff Are Still Searching for 4 Meerkats After a Fire Broke Out Posted: 23 Dec 2017 08:12 AM PST  Zoo officials say a fire left one aardvark dead and four meerkats missing.
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| Steve Bannon savages 'Javanka', laying bare White House tensions Posted: 23 Dec 2017 09:15 AM PST  Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump stand together in the Oval Office of the White House. 'I don't know what Jared and Ivanka bring to the administration,' said one Republican analyst. Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are under fresh scrutiny over their influence at the White House after a very public eruption of their feud with former chief strategist Steve Bannon.
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| Blake Lively Shows Off Ryan Reynolds' Hilarious Christmas Cookie Fail Posted: 22 Dec 2017 03:24 PM PST  The star couple is known for poking fun at each other on social media
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| Putin critic Navalny clears first hurdle in bid for Russia presidency Posted: 24 Dec 2017 09:30 AM PST ![Putin critic Navalny clears first hurdle in bid for Russia presidency]( "Putin critic Navalny clears first hurdle in bid for Russia presidency") By Polina Nikolskaya MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny cleared the first hurdle on Sunday toward taking part in next year's presidential election, even though the central election commission has previously ruled him ineligible to run. Navalny, 41, is a fierce opponent of President Vladimir Putin, who is widely expected to win re-election in March, extending his 17 years in power. On Sunday Navalny, a veteran campaigner against corruption among Russia's elite, won the initial support of 742 people at a gathering in a district of Moscow, above the minimum 500 required to initiate a presidential bid.
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| Modern-day amber 'Klondikes' thrive in troubled Ukraine Posted: 23 Dec 2017 04:19 PM PST  Once a scenic forest area, the site has been turned into a moonscape with wet marshy sand on the surface and man-made, funnel-like pits scattered for hundreds of metres around, evidence of work by hundreds of illicit prospectors. This site, which locals call a "Klondike" in reference to a 19th-century gold rush in Canada, is one of a number of amber fields in Ukraine, which has the world's second-largest reserves of amber -- some 15,000 tonnes -- after Russia, according to the country's state geology committee. Legal mining in Ukraine produced just four tonnes of the mineral in 2015, according to the most recent available figures, while unlawful methods of amber extraction have reaped 120 to 300 tonnes annually in recent years, said the geology committee.
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| Sheriff: Boy's death in officer shooting 'tragic accident' Posted: 22 Dec 2017 05:55 PM PST  SCHERTZ, Texas (AP) — The death of a 6-year-old boy who was shot and killed by a stray bullet when deputies near San Antonio opened fire on a woman being sought for crimes is a "tragic accident," a Texas sheriff said Friday.
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| Miss America CEO Sam Haskell Resigns Amid Offensive Email Scandal Posted: 23 Dec 2017 12:24 PM PST  He was initially suspended by the organization
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| Fire at London Zoo, one aardvark missing Posted: 23 Dec 2017 03:29 AM PST  A fire broke out at London Zoo early on Saturday morning, engulfing a cafe and shop near an animal petting area, and leaving one aardvark missing. Several staff were treated for smoke inhalation and shock following the blaze, which broke out in the Animal Adventure section shortly after 6:00 am (0600 GMT), the zoo said. "The London Fire Brigade were on the scene within minutes and the fire was brought under control by 9:16 am.
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| Second court rejects Trump bid to stop transgender military recruits Posted: 22 Dec 2017 06:30 PM PST ![Second court rejects Trump bid to stop transgender military recruits]( "Second court rejects Trump bid to stop transgender military recruits") A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday rejected a bid by President Donald Trump's administration to prevent the U.S. military from accepting transgender recruits starting Jan. 1, the second court to issue such a ruling this week. Four federal judges around the country have issued injunctions blocking Trump's ban on transgender people from the military, including one that was also handed down on Friday. The administration has appealed the previous three rulings.
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| 5 Best Handgun Makers on the Planet (Sig, Glock and Ruger Made the Cut) Posted: 22 Dec 2017 06:25 PM PST  Here are the five best handgun manufacturers. Gaston Glock's initial attempt to build a handgun for the Austrian military has exploded into an international empire, all the more amazing considering that it was built solely on handguns. From the original Glock 17, the company now offers twenty-six handguns on the U.S. market in calibers from .380 Auto to .45 G.A.P.
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| For employers and communities, much at stake in decision on 'temporary' immigrants Posted: 22 Dec 2017 01:17 PM PST ![For employers and communities, much at stake in decision on 'temporary' immigrants]( "For employers and communities, much at stake in decision on 'temporary' immigrants") Cancelling their TPS "would just be tearing families up," he says. Congress created the TPS program in 1990 to temporarily shield immigrants already in the US from deportation if they can't return home because of natural disasters, health crises, or civil unrest. The "temporary" nature of the designation has become anything but in recent years, however.
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