| How your holiday travel plans will be impacted by the partial federal government shutdown Posted: 26 Dec 2018 09:16 AM PST  Federal workers at the nation's airports and borders remain on duty even as the partial government shutdown enters its fifth day with no end in sight.
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| The Latest: Philanthropists die in South Dakota plane crash Posted: 26 Dec 2018 02:57 PM PST  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The Latest on a small plane that crashed in a South Dakota city (all times local):
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| Israeli raids inside Syria since 2013 Posted: 26 Dec 2018 11:57 AM PST  Israel has carried out numerous raids inside war-torn Syria since 2013, targeting regime forces and their allies Iran and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. In January 2013 Israeli planes hit a surface-to-air missile site and military complex near Damascus suspected of holding chemical agents, according to a US official. Israel later implicitly confirms the strike -- its first since the start of the Syrian war in 2011.
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| UK defence minister says he has grave concerns about Huawei: Times Posted: 27 Dec 2018 05:23 AM PST  British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said he had "grave concerns" about Chinese company Huawei providing technology for Britain's planned 5G telecoms networks, the Times newspaper reported on Thursday. Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecoms equipment, is facing intense scrutiny in the West over its ties to the Chinese government and concerns its equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. Williamson said a closer examination of security threats was needed before Huawei could be allowed to participate in the upgrade of Britain's mobile network, becoming the first senior British minister to have aired such concerns, the Times said.
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| Black Man Records White Neighbor Telling Him He Doesn't Belong in His Own Apartment Building Posted: 26 Dec 2018 04:59 PM PST  "I felt violated," said Chika Okafor, who had been waiting with a friend in the lobby of own apartment building
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| 8 Ways to Earn Miles Without an Airline Credit Card Posted: 26 Dec 2018 11:44 AM PST ![8 Ways to Earn Miles Without an Airline Credit Card]( "8 Ways to Earn Miles Without an Airline Credit Card") Airline credit cards are a great way to earn miles with your favorite frequent flyer program. You can get miles if you provide your frequent flyer number when you book your trip and pay out of pocket. Each airline has a different rate for which you'll earn miles, and how much you earn can depend on your status with the airline, the type of fare, the ticketing airline and the operating airline.
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| Trump says work is ongoing at the southern border despite the partial government shutdown Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:44 AM PST  The president tells reporters he has awarded a contract for 115 miles of border wall in Texas and will visit in January as the construction begins; Ellison Barber reports from the White House.
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| Guatemalan boy, 8, dies at border while in government custody, second to die this month Posted: 26 Dec 2018 03:45 AM PST  An 8-year-old boy is the second child to die this month after crossing the border and being apprehended by border agents.
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| Indonesia rescuers scramble to reach isolated tsunami-struck towns Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:05 AM PST  Indonesian search and rescue teams Wednesday plucked stranded residents from remote islands and pushed into isolated communities desperate for aid in the aftermath of a volcano-triggered tsunami that killed over 400. The disaster agency cautioned residents to stay clear of the coast, as fresh activity at the Anak Krakatoa volcano, which sits in the middle of the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra islands, threatened to spark another tsunami. The agency also said that wind was blowing "ash and sand" from Anak Krakatoa to the nearby towns of Cilegon and Serang on Java, and advised residents to wear masks and glasses if they had to venture outdoors.
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| Trump finally hews to ritual of meeting troops in harm's way Posted: 27 Dec 2018 07:24 AM PST  JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Maryland (AP) — President Donald Trump once opined that it wasn't "overly necessary" for him to visit troops in danger zones abroad. But with the lights of Air Force One out and window shutters drawn, the president did just that, slipping into Iraq at night to greet U.S. service members and show that his norm-busting presidency would hew at least to this tradition.
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| How to Avoid Sneaky Car Rental Fees Posted: 26 Dec 2018 02:14 PM PST  When Stan Carpenter picked up his car from Dollar Car Rental during a trip earlier this year, he thought he knew what he'd have to shell out. But two months later, he received a letter from Dolla...
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| US holiday shopping season best in six years: report Posted: 26 Dec 2018 06:59 AM PST  Sales during the U.S. holiday shopping season rose 5.1 percent to over $850 billion in 2018, the strongest in the past six years, according to new data.
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| Amazon’s Alexa suffers outages on Christmas Day as device appeared to struggle with onslaught of new users Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:11 AM PST  Amazon's Alexa suffered outages on Christmas Day as the smart devices appeared to struggle with the onslaught of new users. Owners took to social media to vent frustration at their malfunctioning gadgets, reporting the unsatisfactory responses they had been getting from Alexa. These included the virtual assistant, which can play music, make calls, answer questions and control smart home devices, saying that she was "having trouble understanding" and asking users to "please try a little later". Amazon's customer services channels, which were inundated with messages from disappointed customers about the Alexa breakdown, explained yesterday morning that problems were an "ongoing issue" which could take 12-24 hours to resolve. The tech giant did not state what had led to the mass breakdown, but customers speculated that the service was struggling to cope with thousands of new users who were given either Alexa or Amazon's Echo Dot 2, the wireless smart speaker, as a Christmas present. Dan Green wrote on Twitter: "[It] seems that your servers weren't ready for the massive influx of new Echo's being registered today. "When the waiting list for new Dot's is two months you'd have thought the geek squad would have been prepared" Others joked that "everybody deserves at least one day off" over Christmas, but "perhaps today was not the day" for the virtual home assistant to pick. By 12.50pm on Christmas Day, Amazon Help, the tech giant's customer services Twitter account, said: "Hi, over the past two hours some Echo devices in Europe have had intermittent connections." It added that the issues "have now been resolved and the Alexa Service is working normally". An Amazon spokesperson said: "For a short period [on Tuesday] morning we had an issue that intermittently impacted some Alexa customers' ability to interact with the service. The Alexa service is now operating normally."
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| How Student Loan Debt is Different From Other Types of Debt Posted: 26 Dec 2018 06:00 AM PST ![How Student Loan Debt is Different From Other Types of Debt]( "How Student Loan Debt is Different From Other Types of Debt") Ignoring student loan debt does not make it go away. Student loans, like all consumer debt, are taken out with the expectation that the borrower will pay them back. All consumer debt can be broken down into two main types, either secured or unsecured.
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| Girl finds Santa gifts, despite Trump's 'marginal' comment Posted: 26 Dec 2018 02:52 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — A 7-year-old girl who talked to President Donald Trump on Christmas Eve still left out milk and cookies for Santa despite the president telling her it was "marginal" for a child of her age to still believe.
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| Stealth No More?: China Claims It Can Track U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors Posted: 25 Dec 2018 01:47 PM PST  Is Beijing lying?
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| Was Grace Kelly's Rover P6 really sabotaged? Posted: 27 Dec 2018 02:54 AM PST  While it remains well documented that Princess Grace of Monaco died after her Rover P6 3500 plunged off a mountain pass, what's less well-known are the mysterious circumstances thereafter. Some claim the Rover was sabotaged, but is there evidence of such a claim?
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| Tesla's Musk says cave rescuer's defamation case should be dismissed Posted: 27 Dec 2018 09:47 AM PST  In a filing on Wednesday with the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Musk's lawyers said their client's comments about Vernon Unsworth were free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment even if they lacked any factual basis. Musk on July 15 called Unsworth a "pedo guy" in a tweet to more than 22 million Twitter followers, a comment for which he later apologized.
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| Japan to resume commercial whaling next year after pulling out of IWC Posted: 25 Dec 2018 10:00 PM PST  Japan said on Wednesday it was withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission and would resume commercial whaling next year, in a move expected to spark international criticism. The announcement had been widely expected and comes after Japan failed in a bid earlier this year to convince the IWC to allow it to resume commercial whaling. "We have decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission in order to resume commercial whaling in July next year," top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters. "Commercial whaling... will be limited to Japan's territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. We will not hunt in the Antarctic waters or in the southern hemisphere," Mr Suga added. Tokyo has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the body, and has been regularly criticised for catching hundreds of whales a year for "scientific research" despite being a signatory to a moratorium on hunting the animals. Mr Suga said Japan would officially inform the IWC of its decision by the end of the year, which will mean the withdrawal comes into effect by June 30. Leaving the IWC means Japanese whalers will be able to resume hunting in Japanese coastal waters of minke and other whales currently protected by the IWC. But Japan will not be able to continue the so-called scientific research hunts in the Antarctic that it has been exceptionally allowed as an IWC member under the Antarctic Treaty. The withdrawal means Japan joins Iceland and Norway in openly defying the IWC's ban on commercial whale hunting. Whale sashimi is pictured at Japanese whale meat restaurant in Tokyo Credit: Reuters Japan has hunted whales for centuries, and the meat was a key source of protein in the immediate post-World War II years when the country was desperately poor. But consumption has declined significantly in recent decades, with much of the population saying they rarely or never eat whale meat. Whale hunting has become a rare thorny subject in Japan's otherwise largely amiable foreign policy, with international opposition only serving to make conservatives dig in deeper in support of the tradition. Many members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party are supporters of whaling, and he himself comes from a constituency where whale hunting remains popular. Tokyo argues that whaling is an important part of Japan's traditions, and Mr Suga said the withdrawal would allow fishermen to "pass our country's rich whaling culture onto the next generation." In September, Tokyo sought to convince the IWC to allow it to resume commercial whaling, arguing that stocks of certain species were now sufficient to support renewed hunting. A minke whale is unloaded at a port after a whaling for scientific purposes in Kushiro Credit: AP But the bid failed, with strong opposition from anti-whaling nations - led by Australia, the European Union and the United States. Activist groups slammed the decision, with Greenpeace calling it a "sneaky" announcement. "The declaration today is out of step with the international community, let alone the protection needed to safeguard the future of our oceans and these majestic creatures," said Sam Annesley, executive director at Greenpeace Japan. The IWC, established in 1946 to conserve and manage the world's whale and cetacean population, introduced a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. Tokyo has long exploited a loophole allowing whales to be killed for "scientific research" and says it is trying to prove the population is large enough to sustain a return to commercial hunting. It makes no secret of the fact that meat from the expeditions ends up on dinner tables. "There have been no concessions from countries who only place importance on the protection of whales," Mr Suga said. "At the IWC general meeting in September this year, it became evident once again that those supporting the sustainable use of whale stocks and those supporting protection cannot co-exist, leading us to this conclusion."
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| A dream destination for every month in 2019 Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:02 AM PST ![A dream destination for every month in 2019]( "A dream destination for every month in 2019") Whether you're seeking warmth, airfare deals or a can't-miss event, there's a perfect vacation for you to go on any time of year.
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| No One Wants to Spend Christmas Like Mom-to-Be Amy Schumer Did Posted: 26 Dec 2018 09:47 AM PST  Amy Schumer shared her miserable Christmas with followers on Instagram – including a video of her getting sick on the side of a road.
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| Christmas revived in a village devastated by Islamic State Posted: 25 Dec 2018 05:07 PM PST  Tel Nasri was one of dozens of Assyrian Christian villages in northern Syria targeted by the jihadist group when it was near the peak of its power. Kurdish forces and local fighters seized the village a few months later, in May 2015, but nobody has returned. "I was born and raised in Tel Nasri, I'm still here and I'm staying," said Sargon Slio, 51, a farmer who stayed on with only his brother and two cousins.
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| Trump Says He Won't Relent on Shutdown Without Border Wall Money Posted: 26 Dec 2018 02:38 PM PST  A deal to fund shuttered government departments still seemed out of reach Wednesday, the fifth day of the partial shutdown. The Republican House leadership informed members not to expect any votes on Thursday, with no indication that votes will be scheduled Friday. The new Congress begins on Jan. 3 with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi appearing to have secured enough votes from her party to become speaker.
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| CBP orders medical checks after second child's death Posted: 25 Dec 2018 09:56 PM PST  HOUSTON (AP) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection ordered medical checks on every child in its custody Tuesday after an 8-year-old boy from Guatemala died, marking the second death of an immigrant child in the agency's care this month.
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| Why America Should Fear Russia's New Avangard Hypersonic Weapon: "We Don't Have Any Defense" Posted: 26 Dec 2018 12:03 PM PST  Is the U.S. falling behind Russia and China in hypersonic weapons development?
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| 'Aquaman' Jason Momoa crashes newlyweds' Hawaiian wedding photo shoot Posted: 26 Dec 2018 11:49 AM PST  Katie Meyers and her groom were posing for stunning photos in Hawaii when Aquaman strolled into the background.
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| Tributes to British couple who died within hours of each other in Australia Posted: 26 Dec 2018 10:00 PM PST  Thousands of dollars have been raised to help the families of a British couple who died within hours of each other in Australia just days before Christmas. Jason Francis was hit by a car, reportedly driven by a pizza delivery worker, near the home he shared with his partner Alice Robinson in Perth. Following his death, Ms Robinson, who was said to have been left "heartbroken", was found dead. More than A$30,000 (£16,000) has been raised for the bereaved families of the couple, believed to be from Shropshire, since a fundraising page was set up on Christmas Eve. Mr Francis had been on a day out with some other friends from the rugby club who organised a taxi home for him on Saturday evening. The 29-year-old was on the carriageway in the beachside suburb of Scarborough when he was hit by a white VW Jetta, driven by an 18-year-old man, Western Australia Police said. Following on from our tragic news of Jason and Alice, a go fund me page has been set up to raise funds to bring our friends home so that the families can lay them to rest #gofundme#donatehttps://t.co/0pTHtPvrZ4— Newport Salop RUFC (@NewportSalopRFC) December 24, 2018 Sam Diamond, president of Cottelsoe rugby club, which Mr Francis had joined at the beginning of the year after moving to the area, said he understood Ms Robinson had gone outside to investigate when she saw the flashing emergency lights. He said: "She was told by first responders that it was Jason they were working on." He said she had been left "heartbroken" by her partner's death, which was confirmed at Royal Perth Hospital. He said: "We don't know what happened to her after this. I know the police have launched an inquiry into it. She has gone missing after notifying some of our friends of what's happened (to Mr Francis) and hasn't been found until the next morning." A police spokesman said: "Police will investigate this matter and prepare a report for the coroner, which will include the full circumstances leading to the woman's death." They have also appealed for witnesses to the collision in Scarborough's Stanley Street at around 8pm on Saturday. Mr Diamond said the couple had made a big impression on the community in their short time there. "They were two of the finest people you could meet. They well and truly ingrained themselves in our club. Both Jase on the field and Alice off the field. "They were an integral part (of the club)." He described Alice, who worked for a digital marketing company but was also a talented pencil sketch artist, as having "an infectious laugh" and being "very bubbly". He added: "Jason was the sort of person that's always got the time of day for everyone. Loved talking, loved working out, loved staying fit and healthy. "They were just genuine, down-to-earth, fantastic people." He said the mothers of both Mr Francis, who was in the process of becoming a firefighter in Australia, and Ms Robinson had expressed their appreciation for the funds raised. He said: "(They) thanked us for the support and have shown their appreciation for what the club and the community here is trying to do for them and Jase and Alice." Mr Diamond said the club hopes to hold a memorial service for the couple at a later date. The captain of Market Drayton Town football club in Shropshire, which Mr Francis had played for, also paid tribute. Paul McMullen said: "You young man were such a fine piece of our puzzle at MDTFC during our success and it was a pleasure to be part of it playing along side of you."
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| 23 of the Most Fascinating Public Sculptures Posted: 27 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST |
| Winter forecast: Snow expected to follow the ho ho ho, starting in West and blanketing Midwest Posted: 26 Dec 2018 01:53 PM PST  Northern New England could get hit after storm covers much of U.S. from Rocky Mountains and across the central states.
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| U.S. stocks and oil rebound after pre-holiday thumping Posted: 26 Dec 2018 09:43 AM PST  Stocks and oil prices rebounded on Wednesday as the Trump administration attempted to shore up confidence.
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| Moscow accuses Israel of 'gross violation of sovereignty' in Syria strikes Posted: 26 Dec 2018 06:18 AM PST  Moscow on Wednesday said Israel had violated Syria's sovereignty with airstrikes the day before, after Israel and Damascus blamed each other for the hostilities. This is a gross violation of the sovereignty of Syria," the Russian ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement. Syria said via state media that its air defences shot down Israeli missiles near Damascus, while Israel said it was protecting itself from anti-aircraft fire.
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| Shutdown stories: Federal employees share anxiety via Twitter Posted: 25 Dec 2018 09:50 PM PST  Federal employees and others have taken to Twitter to share their experiences via #ShutdownStories.
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| US conducts medical checks on children after 2 deaths Posted: 26 Dec 2018 11:08 AM PST HOUSTON (AP) — U.S. immigration authorities said Wednesday that they have done new medical checks on nearly every child in Border Patrol custody after the death of a second youngster in the agency's care in the span of less than three weeks.
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| NASA wants you to celebrate New Years with its New Horizons space probe Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:05 PM PST  NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has been speeding through space since early 2006 and it's about to make what might be its most interesting flyby to date. After speeding past Jupiter and Pluto in the 12 years since its launch, the probe is about to have a very close encounter with a mysterious object in the outer Solar System called Ultima Thule. As luck would have it, it's going to meet its target on New Year's Day, and it's a pretty big deal for NASA. As we approach the probe's arrival at Ultima Thule, NASA is announcing its schedule of events related to the probe's flyby. The big show will begin on the afternoon of Monday, December 31st, and it'll kick off three days of news and briefings that will give us our best look yet at an extremely distant Solar System object. Here's the schedule of events that NASA has planned: As you can see, anyone who is staying up for the big ball to drop and kick off the new year on the East Coast will only have to wait a little while to catch live coverage of the New Horizons spacecraft's close approach to Ultima Thule. NASA will provide simulations of the flyby happening in real-time, but since a live feed from the spacecraft just isn't possible we'll have to wait a little while to see the actual images the probe captures. Later on New Years Day NASA will broadcast the signal acquisition from New Horizons, confirming that it gathered the data it was instructed to and building up some serious hype for the eventual reveal of the first images of the distant object. At 11:30 a.m. EST, NASA will hold a press briefing to show off whatever images and information the spacecraft has managed to send back, but that will really only be the tip of the iceberg for scientists. In the months to come, New Horizons will beam back a wealth of data that won't be available on day one. NASA will announced a"data download schedule" that will give us all a better sense of when to expect even more news about Ultima Thule.
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| The New Land Rover Defender Is Officially Coming to America and It Looks Like a Real Off-Roader Posted: 27 Dec 2018 07:00 AM PST  The reimagined SUV will go on sale in 2020 after debuting next year.
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| Can You Trust Your Car Repair Shop? Posted: 27 Dec 2018 03:00 AM PST  Sitting in the customer lounge waiting to hear the potentially expensive news about your car can be nerve-wracking. That's probably because you feel like you're at the mercy of the mechanic. But ...
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| White Elephant gets a wild twist at this family's holiday party Posted: 26 Dec 2018 08:11 AM PST  Also known as Yankee Swap or Dirty Santa, every player has to bring a wrapped gift. The game has players either choose a random gift to unwrap, or steal an already unwrapped gift from someone else. Since the point of White Elephant is to get rid of your junk acquired over the last year, gifts tend to be pretty impractical, and competition can get dicey.
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| Wall Street falls at open after Dow's record-breaking surge Posted: 27 Dec 2018 07:05 AM PST  Stocks fell sharply at open on Thursday following a major rally a day earlier that helped the Dow surge more than 1,000 points for the first time ever.
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| O'Rourke seeks aid for migrants dropped in El Paso Posted: 26 Dec 2018 01:47 AM PST  U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas is calling for donations and help after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement dropped off at least 200 migrants at the El Paso, Texas, bus station. (Dec. 26)
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| Israeli army says it destroys another Hezbollah tunnel Posted: 26 Dec 2018 11:40 AM PST ![Israeli army says it destroys another Hezbollah tunnel]( "Israeli army says it destroys another Hezbollah tunnel") JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Wednesday destroyed another cross-border tunnel it says was built by Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, sending a loud explosion throughout the volatile area.
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