| 'I won': Trump rebuffs criticism from incoming Senator Romney Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:08 PM PST  Romney, who starts work on Thursday when members of the 2019-2020 Congress take office, suggested in a newspaper essay published on Tuesday that Trump had "caused dismay around the world" and said his presidency had "made a deep descent in December." "On balance, his conduct over the past two years ... is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office," said Romney in the Washington Post essay, reprising a strong critique of Trump that he voiced during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump responded with a tweet on Wednesday, noting Romney's failed 2012 White House bid and also taking a shot at former Republican Senator Jeff Flake, who has just retired from Congress and who has been one of the few Republican lawmakers to be openly critical of the president.
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| Saudi Arabia seeks death penalty for Khashoggi murder suspects Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:15 AM PST  Saudi Arabia's attorney general sought the death penalty for five of 11 defendants charged with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as their high-profile trial opened in Riyadh on Thursday. All 11 accused were present with their lawyers at the opening hearing in the capital, according to a statement by the attorney general carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. The attorney general said Saudi Arabia had twice submitted formal requests for evidence from Turkey - where Khashoggi was murdered inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate - but had received no response. The names of the defendants have not been officially released. Five top officials in Saudi Arabia - including royal court insider Saud al-Qahtani - were sacked over the Khashoggi murder, but there is no proof that they are among those charged. Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, was murdered on October 2 in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation. The 59-year-old Saudi insider-turned-critic was strangled and his body cut into pieces by a team of 15 Saudis sent to Istanbul for the killing, according to Turkish officials. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been forced to do damage control in the wake of Khashoggi's death Credit: G20 Press Office via AP, File There have been reports that his remains, which have never been found, were dissolved in acid. The defence team on Thursday requested a copy of the indictment sheet and a timeframe within which to review the charges. The prosecutor agreed to both requests, SPA said. No date has been set for the next hearing. The Khashoggi murder shocked the world at a time when Saudi Arabia and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were pushing an aggressive public relations campaign to rebrand the ultraconservative monarchy as a modern state. Among Prince Mohammed's strongest allies is US President Donald Trump, who now faces increased pressure to approve measures against Saudi Arabia. The US has sanctioned 17 Saudi citizens in connection with the Khashoggi murder. France and Canada have also sanctioned Saudi Arabian nationals. The US Central Intelligence Agency has reportedly concluded that Prince Mohammed very likely ordered Khashoggi's murder. A bipartisan resolution approved by the US Senate last month also holds the crown prince responsible for the killing. But in November the Saudi attorney general ruled out any involvement by the young crown prince, whose reformist credentials abroad have been seriously tarnished by the murder. The Khashoggi affair has also given Turkey - allied with Saudi rivals Qatar and Iran - unusual leverage in regional power plays. Ankara has sought the extradition of the suspects in Saudi custody to stand trial in Turkey but its requests have been repeatedly rebuffed by Riyadh. Rights groups and the United Nations have called for an independent investigation into Khashoggi's death, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres last month calling for a "credible" probe. "Given the possible involvement of Saudi authorities in Khashoggi's murder and the lack of independence of Saudi Arabia's criminal justice system, the impartiality of any investigation and trial would be in question," Samah Hadid, a Middle East director at Amnesty International, told AFP on Thursday. "This is why a UN-led and independent investigation is needed into the murder of Khashoggi."
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| Michigan man held for spying in Russia was frequent visitor Posted: 02 Jan 2019 03:36 PM PST  DETROIT (AP) — As a staff sergeant with the Marines in Iraq, Paul Whelan enjoyed fine cigars and showed an affinity for Russia — even spending two weeks of military leave in Moscow and St. Petersburg instead of at home in the U.S. with family and friends.
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| 'No L-pocalypse!': New York's 'L' train to keep running during repairs Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:00 PM PST  More than two years after news that one of New York City's busiest subway lines would stop running between Manhattan and Brooklyn to allow for repairs, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday that the "L" train would keep rolling. The expected closure of the L train tunnel under the East River for at least 15 months had dismayed residents of the Brooklyn communities of Williamsburg, Bushwick and beyond. Cuomo told a news conference that engineering experts from Cornell and Columbia universities had looked at the plans over the last few weeks drawn up by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the subway, and found them needlessly disruptive.
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| A first class gaffe: Cathay to honour cheap ticket error Posted: 03 Jan 2019 01:59 AM PST  Scores of savvy travellers will be sipping heavily discounted champagne in first class recliners on Cathay Pacific flights this year after the airline agreed to honour tickets that were mistakenly sold at a fraction of their value. Airline and travel blogs went into overdrive on New Year's Eve after eagle-eyed shoppers noticed the carrier was offering first and business class tickets on its website from Vietnam to the United States and Canada for as little as $670. It took two days for Cathay to publicly acknowledge the error with the airline on Wednesday saying it would indeed honour the cheap fares.
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| Now is time to cash in that $1.5B Mega Millions lottery ticket; mystery surrounds winner Posted: 02 Jan 2019 12:02 PM PST  The winning ticket for the Mega Millions drawing Oct. 23 was sold in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The winner has until April 20 to claim the money.
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| The 25 Best-Selling Cars, Trucks, and SUVs of 2018 Posted: 03 Jan 2019 11:43 AM PST |
| Trump Taunts Romney After Critical Op-Ed, Asks, ‘Is He a Flake?’ Posted: 02 Jan 2019 02:03 PM PST  "Here we go with Mitt Romney, but so fast! Question will be, is he a Flake? Trump wrote that he would "much prefer that Mitt focus on Border Security and so many other things where he can be helpful. Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor, wrote Tuesday that the president has "not risen to the mantle of the office," distancing himself from Trump just two days before he will be sworn into the Senate.
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| 'Assad will stay for a while, thanks to Russian support', says Jeremy Hunt Posted: 03 Jan 2019 06:14 AM PST  Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Minister, has conceded that President Bashar al-Assad will remain in place for "a while", reversing Britain's long-held position to reflect the new reality on the ground in Syria. "The British long-standing position is that we won't have lasting peace in Syria with that (Assad-led) regime," Mr Hunt said. "But regretfully we do think he's going to be around for a while and that is because of the support that he's had from Russia. "Russia may think that it's gained a sphere of influence. What we would say to them is: Yes - and you've also gained a responsibility," the Foreign Minister told Sky News. Moscow, which intervened in the war in 2015 on behalf of the Syrian government, helped swing it in Assad's favour. Russian military gives a press tour of destroyed parts of Aleppo, Syria. Credit: Alec Luhn for the Telegraph While Russia's relationship with Damascus, which dates back to the Soviet era, may not be new, its dominance in the civil war helped elevated it to a position of power broker in the region. Britain, the US and its allies meanwhile backed the opposition, though its lack of real commitment allowed President Vladimir Putin to gain the upper hand. The UK broke off diplomatic contact with the regime in 2012 after peaceful protests were met with a brutal crackdown. Its position since has been that Assad must go and there must be a transition of power through a democratic election. This stipulation is also a precondition to the UK providing the country with reconstruction aid, which Damascus greatly needs to rebuild its flattened cities. However, with Assad claiming a victory and showing no signs of any intention to step aside, the UK must decide how it now wishes to engage. Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, meets with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir in Damascus, Syria, Credit: Sana "If you're going to be involved in Syria then you need to make sure that there really is peace in Syria," Mr Hunt said. "And that means making sure that President Assad does not use chemical weapons on his own people." The British admission also raises doubt that the Syrian leader and his inner circle will ever face trial for alleged war crimes, including sarin attacks which left more than 1,200 dead. In December, the United Nations acknowledged it had failed to persuade Moscow, a veto-wielding member, to agree to form a sufficiently diverse body to prepare a constitution and elections in Syria. This meant the indefinite delay of any UN-supervised elections. The president had for years been an international pariah, but in recent months relations with the Arab world have begun to thaw. Last week, the United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus, marking a diplomatic boost for Assad from a US-allied Arab state that once backed rebels fighting him. Egypt and other Arab League members have also hinted that Damascus could soon be invited back into the group it was expelled from in 2011.
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| Top Taiwan court revokes conviction of ex-leader Ma, orders retrial Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:59 AM PST  Taiwan's top court Thursday ordered a new trial of former president Ma Ying-jeou, revoking his conviction in a political leaks case, one of a raft of lawsuits brought against him since he stepped down in 2016. Ma was sentenced to four months in prison last year by the high court for violating the communication security and surveillance act, overturning a previous not guilty verdict from a lower court. Ma's Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) party held power from 2008 to 2016, before it was trounced by Tsai Ing-wen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
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| 116th Congress Convenes With Most Diverse Class of Lawmakers in History Posted: 03 Jan 2019 10:49 AM PST  The 116th Congress gaveled into session Thursday swathed in history, returning the first woman to the House speaker's office
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| Cuomo: ‘Joe Biden Has the Best Case’ of 2020 Dem. Hopefuls Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:24 PM PST  New York governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that Joe Biden has the most "credibility" of the many prospective candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. "I think of all the names that are out there, I think Joe Biden has the best case," Cuomo told radio station WAMC. "I think there's going to be a big field," Cuomo said in response to questions about the candidacy of Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, who announced that she was forming an exploratory committee earlier this week.
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| ‘Black Girl Magic’: 17 black female judges elected Texas county swear in, make history Posted: 03 Jan 2019 05:51 AM PST  Officials believe this is the largest group of black female elected at the same time in Texas' largest county.
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| After historic flyby, New Horizons probe treks deeper on hunt for moons Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:23 PM PST  The piano-sized probe is travelling deep into the ring of celestial bodies known as the Kuiper Belt looking for small, icy moons that spun off the snowman-shaped Ultima Thule formation, a pair of icy space rocks that fused in orbit billions of years ago. "If we've seen bodies one and two, the question is what about bodies three, four and five?" Mark Showalter, a New Horizons investigator, said during a news conference at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland. New Horizons on New Year's day came within 2,200 miles (3,500 km) of Ultima Thule, which represents a pristine time capsule dating to the birth of the solar system.
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| Best Bites: Spinach zucchini lasagna rolls Posted: 03 Jan 2019 05:00 AM PST  Welcome to Best Bites, a twice-weekly video series that aims to satisfy your
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| Where do the investigations related to Trump stand? Posted: 02 Jan 2019 09:28 PM PST  A look at where the investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him:
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| National parks forced to close, hazards mount at others amid government shutdown Posted: 03 Jan 2019 05:32 AM PST  Heavy snowfall in parts of the southwestern United States over the past week resulted in the closure of two national parks in Utah.
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| Police called after man heard shouting death threats ... at a spider Posted: 02 Jan 2019 04:42 PM PST  On Wednesday morning in Perth, Western Australia, a bystander heard a man inside a property repeatedly shouting the words "why don't you die," with the sounds of a toddler screaming in the background. It turns out the man was only trying to kill a spider. Western Australian Police posted a screenshot of the interaction on Twitter, however, the tweet was later deleted as officers aren't meant to screenshot police systems.
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| Giuliani calls for Mueller to be investigated for destruction of FBI evidence Posted: 02 Jan 2019 07:27 PM PST  President Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani weighs in on the latest Mueller investigation developments.
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| 15 Stunning University Libraries Around the World You Need to See Posted: 04 Jan 2019 08:40 AM PST |
| Syria rebel-jihadist clashes intensify, 50 dead Posted: 02 Jan 2019 12:16 PM PST  Clashes between jihadists and rebels in northwestern Syria have killed almost 50 people over two days, a war monitor said Wednesday. Clashes flared Tuesday between Al-Qaeda-linked coalition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and an alliance of rebel groups in western Aleppo province. On Wednesday the fighting spread to the neighbouring province of Idlib, the country's last opposition bastion, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
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| For Shanahan, a very public debut in Trump's cabinet Posted: 03 Jan 2019 12:18 AM PST ![For Shanahan, a very public debut in Trump's cabinet]( "For Shanahan, a very public debut in Trump's cabinet") Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, sat silently at Trump's side, often expressionless, as television cameras rolled. Trump suggested that former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis - who abruptly resigned last month over policy differences with Trump - had been essentially fired and that Mattis had failed in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents are becoming increasingly confident of ending the 17-year-old war on terms favorable to them. "I'm not happy with what he's done in Afghanistan and I shouldn't be happy," Trump said.
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| This Alpina Z1 showed BMW where it went wrong Posted: 03 Jan 2019 09:50 AM PST  Rarely seen but undoubtedly a star, the Alpina Z1 roadster is what BMW should have done with its own sports car
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| NASA: Icy object past Pluto looks like reddish snowman Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:26 PM PST  LAUREL, Md. (AP) — A NASA spacecraft 4 billion miles from Earth yielded its first close-up pictures Wednesday of the most distant celestial object ever explored, depicting what looks like a reddish snowman.
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| Where do the Kurds fit into Syria's war? Posted: 03 Jan 2019 07:10 AM PST  The future of Kurdish-led areas of northern and eastern Syria has been thrown into doubt by President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops who have helped to secure the region. Amounting to about one quarter of Syria, the area is the largest chunk of territory still outside the control of President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran. Trump said on Wednesday the United States would withdraw slowly "over a period of time" and would protect the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters as Washington withdraws troops, but without giving a timetable.
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| A real roasting: Coffee startup Luckin set to overtake Starbucks in China Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:14 AM PST  After only a year in business, startup Luckin Coffee said Thursday it will open 2,500 stores this year to dislodge Starbucks and become China's largest coffee chain. The company said it plans to have more than 4,500 stores in China by the end of 2019, taking it past the US coffee giant, which has over 3,600 stores across the country. China is Starbucks' second biggest market after the United States.
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| Husband surprises wife of 67 years with new engagement ring Posted: 03 Jan 2019 09:27 AM PST  After 67 years, it is still nice to know that you can still surprise someone
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| Venezuela’s Lessons for American Socialists Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:30 AM PST  Chavez's so-called Bolivarian revolution took a peaceful, middle-income country and transformed it into a nightmare that puts the ruinous Soviet Union of the 1980s to shame. It's important for other countries — including wealthy ones like the U.S. — not to ignore Venezuela, but to use it as a cautionary tale. Politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have embraced socialism, as have many young Americans.
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| Massive crash, fire on Florida highway kills 7 Posted: 03 Jan 2019 11:09 PM PST  Two big rigs and two passenger vehicles collided and spilled diesel fuel across a Florida highway Thursday, sparking a massive fire that killed seven people, authorities said. Up to eight more people were taken to hospitals. (Jan. 4)
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| Mexico urges thorough probe into border tear gas incident Posted: 03 Jan 2019 12:47 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's foreign affairs ministry has formally asked the United States government to conduct a thorough investigation into a Jan. 1 incident in which U.S. agents fired tear gas into Mexico to stop crossing migrants.
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| Dow posts small gain in volatile start to 2019 as weak Chinese data spark fears Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:56 PM PST ![Dow posts small gain in volatile start to 2019 as weak Chinese data spark fears]( "Dow posts small gain in volatile start to 2019 as weak Chinese data spark fears") The Dow Jones industrial average began 2019 with a small gain. That increase followed an early plunge amid signs of a Chinese manufacturing slowdown.
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| This 2008 Ford Mustang Super Snake will bite back at auction Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:38 AM PST  One of only four prototype versions of the 2008 GT500 Super Snake would be an excellent addition to your car collection – or the perfect car to dominate at the track
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| Injured UK cop: 'Instinct took over' during terror attack Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:12 AM PST  LONDON (AP) — The British police officer stabbed while subduing a suspect on New Year's Eve said Wednesday that "instinct took over" when he heard people screaming at a Manchester train station.
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| Guyana government to challenge no-confidence vote in court Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:19 PM PST ![Guyana government to challenge no-confidence vote in court]( "Guyana government to challenge no-confidence vote in court") The Dec. 21 vote triggered new elections within 90 days, after one lawmaker from Granger's APNU-AFC coalition sided with the opposition, which accuses the government of mismanaging the country's oil resources by granting Exxon Mobil overly generous contract terms. The government plans to argue that the motion needed 34 votes to pass, rather than the 33 it received, and that the lawmaker who cast the deciding vote was ineligible to be a member of parliament because he also holds Canadian citizenship, attorney general Basil Williams said. Williams told reporters that the government would first petition the South American country's High Court, and if unsuccessful is prepared to appeal to Guyana's Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the judicial body of the Caricom group of nations.
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| Hurry, the $18 Crock-Pot with 7,000 5-star reviews is back on Amazon Posted: 03 Jan 2019 11:25 AM PST  If you want a great multi-use cooker that can perform all sorts of great cooking functions, there are plenty of options out there. The Instant Pot DUO60 is the most popular one, and Crock-Pot has a comparable model that's even more affordable. But if you just want a no-fuss slow cooker, then you don't have to spend anywhere close to $100. In fact, if you grab the Crock-Pot SCR300-SS 3-Quart Manual Slow Cooker right now while it's back in stock and on sale at a discount, you'll only pay $18.49! Here's some additional info from the product page: * Serves 3+ people. 3-quart capacity * High/Low cook settings, and convenient Warm setting * Crock-Pot features removable, dishwasher-safe stoneware insert, and dishwasher-safe glass lid * Polished silver, stainless steel exterior with black accents and plastic handles * Recipes included
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| 'You Can't Teach Dead Kids.' Safety Report Warns Florida Schools to Do More After Parkland Shooting Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:27 PM PST  "There must be a sense of urgency — and there is not," the report states
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| Why China and ASEAN's South China Sea Negotiations Will Go Nowhere Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:44 AM PST  Sovereignty issues created the original crisis and they are now undoing talks to create a Code of Conduct.
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| CORRECTION: Drop beef and save millions of lives, slash emissions: WEF Posted: 03 Jan 2019 07:38 AM PST  New research conducted by the Oxford Martin School for WEF showed that efforts to replace meat and especially beef could provide huge benefits for human health and the environment. The organisation, famous for the plush gathering of the world's rich, famous and influential at the luxury Swiss ski resort of Davos each January, said 2.4 percent of global diet-related deaths could be avoided by moving away from beef.
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| President Trump slams former Secretary of Defense James Mattis Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:37 PM PST  President Donald Trump blasted his former Defense secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday, claiming he "essentially fired" the top military aide.
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| What Happens When You Stop Making Credit Card Payments? Posted: 03 Jan 2019 06:00 AM PST ![What Happens When You Stop Making Credit Card Payments?]( "What Happens When You Stop Making Credit Card Payments?") Whether the reason is a layoff, a medical emergency or a pile of debt that is more than you can afford, struggling to pay credit card bills is a problem many people face. When you quit making credit card payments, you can be charged late fees and higher interest rates and take a hit on your credit. Brent Vallat, head of lending at Varo Money Inc., a provider of mobile banking services, says credit card issuers understand that sometimes people face circumstances where money gets tight.
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| Danish train crash toll up to 8 after more bodies found Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:51 AM PST  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Two more bodies have been found in the wreckage of a crashed train on a Danish bridge, raising the death toll to eight in Denmark's deadliest train accident in 30 years, police said Thursday.
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