| Trump blames child border deaths on Democrats Posted: 29 Dec 2018 12:18 PM PST  President Donald Trump on Saturday blamed Democrats for the high-profile deaths of two children along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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| Despite regime troops nearby, Syrians in Manbij still fear Turkey Posted: 29 Dec 2018 07:26 AM PST  Syrian forces have deployed around the city of Manbij at the request of the Kurds, but Abu Azeez Jaber still fears a US military withdrawal will see Turkish troops enter. Since 2016, the strategic northern city on the Turkish border has been controlled by an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by the US-led coalition. On Friday, Syria's army announced it had sent troops to the region, after Kurdish forces said they had requested the regime's help.
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| Hannover airport closed for over four hours after car drives onto runway Posted: 29 Dec 2018 11:35 AM PST  The airport in the German city of Hannover was closed for over four hours after a car drove onto the runway. The unnamed driver has been arrested, and all flights were diverted from 3:30pm until 8pm. A police spokesman said a car with a Polish license plate managed to get on to the runway just after a plane had landed. "Officers from the Federal Police were able to stop the car and overwhelm the man," said Hannover police, in a statement. The incident comes after the airport increased security over the Christmas period. Passengers inside Hannover airport wait for updates "The security areas are currently vacated, currently there is no clearance," police said, immediately after the incident. "Flight operations are currently suspended. The investigation continues." Eurocontrol, the organisation responsible for air traffic management, said there were no flights due to land or take off until 8pm. "Zero rate applied for arrivals and departures due to an ongoing security issue on the airfield," Eurocontrol said. "Delays are high." Flights resumed at 8:06pm, the airport announced on its website.
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| Armed man surrenders following 10-hour siege after negotiator sings White Christmas to him Posted: 29 Dec 2018 08:58 AM PST  A man with a rifle who held off a team of armed police in a 10-hour siege gave himself up after an officer sang a Christmas carol to him. Nathaniel Lewis, 34, allegedly started shooting at the specialised police who rushed to his home in Pennsylvania, US, when a relative reported him acting erratically on Christmas evening. The shots hit a police vehicle, a house and another vehicle, and the Swat (Special Weapons and Tactics) team returned fire.
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| Bangladesh opposition leader expects victory if vote is fair Posted: 29 Dec 2018 09:36 AM PST  DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — When the founding leader of Bangladesh, father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was assassinated in 1975 after helping achieve independence from Pakistan, then-Foreign Minister Kamal Hossain abandoned a state visit in Europe to rush to her side.
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| Former independent counsel Ken Starr on Rudy Giuliani indicating Robert Mueller's investigation should be investigated Posted: 29 Dec 2018 07:41 AM PST  President Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani accused Mueller's office of destroying evidence by allowing text messages from Peter Strzok and Lisa Page to be erased.
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| Government shutdown, Day 7: With no movement in House, Senate until next week, standoff expected to slide into new year Posted: 28 Dec 2018 07:28 AM PST  The partial government shutdown ends its first week with little hope of breaking a stalemate as both sides dig in over whether to fund a border wall.
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| Tesla names two directors as part of Musk US fraud settlement Posted: 28 Dec 2018 06:48 AM PST  Tesla named two more independent directors on Friday and said it completed the requirements of a US settlement of fraud charges involving Chief Executive Elon Musk. The electric car company tapped Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Walgreens Boots Alliance Executive Vice President Kathleen Wilson-Thompson for its board of directors, an element of the September agreement between Musk and the US Securities and Exchange Commission that resolved charges that Musk defrauded investors by claiming on Twitter that he had secured funding to take Tesla private.
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| U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for missing cruise crew member Posted: 27 Dec 2018 06:02 PM PST  The U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday it has suspended its search for a British crew member who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The crews searched for about 83 hours, covering 3,707 square miles, the U.S. Coast Guard said, adding it has been in touch with the family of the man. "Suspending a search is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make as first responders, and it is never made lightly," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
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| No aliens: NY transformer explosion lights sky, knocks power Posted: 28 Dec 2018 12:46 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — A transformer explosion at an electrical plant set the skies above New York City ablaze in an eerie, pulsing blue light Thursday night, causing scattered power outages, delaying flights and sparking a social media storm of jokes about an alien invasion.
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| Mike Tindall reveals garish Christmas suits he wears at Sandringham have Queen's approval because she 'loves bright colours' Posted: 29 Dec 2018 04:19 AM PST  A garish, red patterned suit may not spring to mind as the first choice of what to wear to Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham, but Mike Tindall has said his festive attire has her stamp of approval. The former professional rugby player, who is married to Zara Tindall, the Queen's granddaughter, said the monarch loves bright colours and encourages the family to wear them in happy times. "This year we opened presents on Christmas Eve - I wore one of these. "And just to give a little punch on Christmas Morning I came down in a different little set up. "The queen loves bright colours it's why she wears all those amazing colours that she does wear, she thinks that dark colours are for sad times." Speaking to website JOE, he also revealed that two years ago, when the Queen was unwell and he and his wife were recovering from a miscarriage, the three spent Christmas morning together. Mike Tindall, husband of Zara, wears garish suits to Christmas at Sandringham Credit: JOE He explained: "Christmas, two years ago, [the Queen]wasn't feeling very well so she didn't go to church. We'd obviously been through what we'd been through with our pregnancy, which we lost, so we did our own little private just as a three. "I had a suit on like this and thought 'maybe I should be wearing something a little bit different today' but I was trying to raise the mood." Christmases at Sandringham are a world away from the festive celebrations he enjoyed in Otley, West Yorkshire, when he was growing up, he said. Mr Tindall revealed: "It's quite a strange day as if you're from up north...I usually spend the whole day in my boxer shorts or my tracksuit so by the time I'd have normally got up I've been to church twice, which is quite strange for me. "It's completely different - I've never had to take as many outfits anywhere." The Royals celebrate Christmas with presents and a turkey feast on Christmas Eve, because the Queen likes to give her staff the day off on the 25th. Mr Tindall added: "Basically she loves all the staff that she has working for us so she would give as many the day off that she can." He also said the Queen watches her own speech on Christmas Day with her family.
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| Sears to close 80 more Sears and Kmart stores: Here's the list Posted: 28 Dec 2018 05:51 PM PST  As Sears Holdings' bankruptcy effort awaits a potential bidder, the company announced 80 more Kmart and Sears stores it will close within two months.
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| Welcome to Russia's Hybrid War in the Sea of Azov Posted: 29 Dec 2018 12:00 PM PST  Doubtful that Kremlin planners would commit to a full-scale land invasion, Moscow is likely attempting to use the Sea of Azov as a stepping stone to further develop their interests in the Black Sea
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| Was the Austin Metro really Britain's biggest motoring failure? Posted: 28 Dec 2018 09:08 AM PST  On this day in 1997, the Austin Metro and Rover 100-series production line fell silent. We commemorate 21 years with a look back on one of the Britain's less loved cars
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| U.S. FCC probes outage of CenturyLink 911 emergency call service Posted: 28 Dec 2018 12:44 PM PST ![U.S. FCC probes outage of CenturyLink 911 emergency call service]( "U.S. FCC probes outage of CenturyLink 911 emergency call service") The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investigating a nationwide CenturyLink Inc network outage that has affected service on 911 emergency phone calls across the country, agency chairman Ajit Pai said on Friday. "The CenturyLink service outage is ... completely unacceptable, and its breadth and duration are particularly troubling," Pai said in a statement. Asked about the FCC investigation, a spokeswoman for CenturyLink said the company had been in contact with the federal agency and would cooperate fully.
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| Japan bolts whaling commission, but tensions may ease Posted: 27 Dec 2018 05:39 PM PST  Japan has made good on years of threats by bolting the International Whaling Commission, but its decision may also offer a way out of tensions that looked inextricable. Japan, which calls whaling part of its cultural heritage, said Wednesday it would withdraw from the seven-decade-old commission which since 1986 has banned commercial killing of the ocean giants. Australia and New Zealand have been outraged by Japan's incursions into waters they consider a whale sanctuary and activists harassed the whalers in often dangerous chases.
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| Someone drilled through the International Space Station from the inside, astronaut says Posted: 28 Dec 2018 12:43 AM PST  Someone appears to have drilled a hole in the International Space Station from the inside, according to a member of its crew. One of the Russian cosmonauts who explored the strange gap found in the outside of a capsule attached to the International Space Station said Russian law enforcement is now looking to understand how the opening was drilled from inside the spacecraft. Sergei Prokopyev said investigators were looking at samples he and crewmate Oleg Kononenko collected during a 12 December spacewalk.
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| Utah gears up to implement nation's lowest DUI limit Posted: 28 Dec 2018 08:44 AM PST  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — New Year's Eve revelers in Utah could find themselves with more than a hangover as 2019 dawns. If they drink and drive, they could end up on the wrong side of the nation's newest and lowest DUI threshold.
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| Police criticised for asking public to choose which village to patrol via Twitter poll Posted: 29 Dec 2018 09:00 AM PST  A local police force has been criticised for asking the public to vote on which village they should patrol by using a poll on Twitter. Wiltshire Police force has been accused of signposting where criminals should target after announcing on social media that it would send officers to patrol one of three villages. It posted: "Which village would you like us to patrol later today?", giving the options of Aldbourne, Great Bedwyn and Worton. The village Great Bedwyn was picked as the winner. The force wrote: "Great Bedwyn got the vote! Quick pit stop to refuel and we'll head there!" The Twitter account posted pictures from the village, writing: "As promised, a foot patrol of Great Bedwyn! Had a chat to some residents and bumped into Daisy the dog." Followers of the account were quick to criticise, with Steve Johnson incredulously writing: "Wow a poll to see where to patrol ? What next a lucky dip to see who to arrest!" Which village would you like us to patrol later today?— Wiltshire Police (@wiltshirepolice) December 29, 2018 Another, Matty, wrote: "So the criminals will be hitting Worton and Aldbourne later then." Follower Gary Lawrence asked:"Is this a joke? If it is it's not very funny @wiltshirepolice If it's serious you need to think about the message it sends out. What next, a poll on what crimes to investigate or suspects to charge?" The force replied: "Not meant as a joke. We continually patrol rural areas. We are promoting our work and engaging with the communities." Mr Lawrence said in response: "It's commendable but how do people who don't use social media get a say? Who decides which areas go on the poll? What happens in the places that don't win the vote?" The Telegraph has contacted Wiltshire Police for further comment. Many pointed to budget cuts as a reason for police having to ask the public where to patrol. Cuts to police budgets that have led to a reduction of 20,000 officers since 2010. Dave Thompson, the National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Finance and Resources, said earlier this year that "budget cuts and a hands-off Government approach to aspects of policing" mean the public's experience is of a "less visible, less responsive and less proactive" force.
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| Trump Says ‘Progress Being Made’ With China After Xi Call Posted: 29 Dec 2018 04:29 PM PST ![Trump Says 'Progress Being Made' With China After Xi Call]( "Trump Says 'Progress Being Made' With China After Xi Call") Trump's comment comes as a U.S. trade delegation prepares to travel to Beijing in early January for talks with Chinese officials. It's another sign that tensions may be cooling after months of brinkmanship, and that the leaders are following through on commitments made at their dinner meeting in Buenos Aires on Dec. 1. Xi said both he and Trump hope to push for "stable progress" in U.S.-China relations, and that bilateral ties are now at a vital stage, according to a Xinhua News Agency report on the leaders' phone call.
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| Hamas denies Mubarak claim it sent militants to Egypt in 2011 Posted: 29 Dec 2018 11:58 AM PST  Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas on Saturday denied an allegation by Egypt's deposed president Hosni Mubarak that it infiltrated hundreds of men across the border during the 2011 uprising. Mubarak took to the witness stand in a Cairo court Wednesday to testify about jailbreaks allegedly orchestrated by his successor Mohamed Morsi and members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
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| Barn find Bugatti trio found in Belgium is worth over $1m Posted: 28 Dec 2018 10:01 AM PST  Three classic Bugattis and a Citroen is a major barn find discovery, with all four cars heading to auction in February
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| New Year's Eve party in Times Square to cheer for press freedom Posted: 29 Dec 2018 09:20 AM PST  Reporters will be the guests of honor at the New Year's Eve party in New York's Times Square on Monday, in what organizers said was a celebration of press freedom after an unusually deadly year for journalists at U.S. news outlets. Two attacks in particular weighed on organizers as they discussed in autumn whom to give the honor of initiating the ceremonial ball drop just before midnight, according to Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance. One was the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for the Washington Post and U.S. resident, inside a Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey.
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| Deaths of Police Officers on Duty on the Rise in the U.S. Posted: 28 Dec 2018 07:42 AM PST  More police officers have died in the line of duty this year in the United States than in 2017
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| Volkswagen presents a mobile electric vehicle charging station Posted: 28 Dec 2018 09:31 AM PST  German carmaker Volkswagen has revealed a first glimpse of its mobile quick charging station for electric vehicles (EVs), which will go into production in 2020. With this first glimpse, Volkswagen has demonstrated that it's possible to provide temporary charging facilities, which will open up new avenues for the future expansion of recharging networks. The goal is to be able, for example, to set up charging points at large-scale events, or on company premises.
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| Trends Designers Hope Not to See in 2019 Posted: 28 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST  Here's what top creatives would like to leave behind as we enter the new year
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| America's best restaurant chains: Top-rated brands according to TripAdvisor Posted: 28 Dec 2018 11:02 AM PST ![America's best restaurant chains: Top-rated brands according to TripAdvisor]( "America's best restaurant chains: Top-rated brands according to TripAdvisor") TripAdvisor names the top U.S. restaurant chains. Eddie V's Prime Seafood, The Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris Steak House are the best reviewed.
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| Pelosi taps Florida Democrat to lead climate change panel Posted: 28 Dec 2018 10:39 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Friday appointed Florida Rep. Kathy Castor to lead a special committee on climate change that will be reinstated in the new Congress.
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| Russia says will host Putin-Erdogan-Rouhani summit early 2019 Posted: 28 Dec 2018 02:39 AM PST  Moscow will early next year host the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey to discuss the Syrian conflict, Russia's deputy foreign minister said Friday, after the United States announced it was withdrawing troops from the country. This will depend on the schedules of the presidents," Mikhail Bogdanov was cited as saying by Interfax news agency. The meeting will be the latest step in the Astana peace process -- set up in early 2017 by Russia and Iran, who support President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, and opposition backer Turkey.
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| Melania Trump's skin-colored pants confuse Twitter: 'Where are your pants?' Posted: 29 Dec 2018 10:03 AM PST  After trips to Iraq and Germany, the first lady stepped out in a Prada coat and tan pants – but some thought she wasn't wearing any pants at all.
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| Kroger issues recall for shrimp products due to potential health hazard Posted: 28 Dec 2018 10:37 AM PST  Kroger is recalling nine different kinds of cooked shrimp that are actually raw or undercooked.
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| Hundreds flee Islamist attacks in northeast Nigeria to seek refuge in Maiduguri Posted: 29 Dec 2018 12:50 PM PST  An uptick in attacks by Islamists and the resulting upheaval in the region comes in the run up to an election in which President Muhammadu Buhari will seek a second term. A faction of Boko Haram, Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), which split from the insurgency in 2016 claimed responsibility for an attack on a military base in Baga, a town in eastern Borno state, which the Nigerian army said took place on Wednesday evening. The fight to control Baga - a strategic town as it borders Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon - forced hundreds to seek safety in Maiduguri, some 200 km (124 miles) to the south.
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| 8 Ways You're Probably Drinking Champagne Wrong Posted: 28 Dec 2018 07:54 AM PST  Check out these tips before your New Year's party
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| Bentley takes a page out of Porsche’s playbook as it plans to lure over Tesla buyers Posted: 28 Dec 2018 02:10 PM PST ![Bentley takes a page out of Porsche's playbook as it plans to lure over Tesla buyers]( "Bentley takes a page out of Porsche's playbook as it plans to lure over Tesla buyers") Whether you love Tesla or can't stand the company -- perhaps due to the antics of CEO Elon Musk -- there's no getting around the fact that the company may very well go down as one of the more influential car manufacturers in history. In a relatively short time-frame, Tesla managed to bring electric cars into the mainstream. Tesla's success has since prompted a number of luxury auto brands -- from BMW to Porsche -- to finally start taking EVs seriously. Just last year, for example, Porsche Cars North America CEO Klaus Zellmer flat-out said that the allure of the Model S likely lured away consumers who were otherwise interested in picking up a Porsche. In light of that, another luxury automaker influenced by Tesla's ongoing success is Bentley. During a recent interview with Automotive News Europe, Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark relayed that he'd like to broaden Bentley's reach to include hyper-wealthy "upper liberals" who tend to be drawn to EVs from the likes of Tesla. As a result, Hallmark said that Bentley is planning to dive head-first into the EV realm. > About 40 percent of our customers would consider buying an EV. But more important, the two major demographic segments that we don't currently sell to -- the upper liberals and the post-moderns -- account for 40 percent of high-net-worth individuals, and an EV is even more appealing to them than to our customers. They tend to buy Porsche and Tesla now. We see full-electric cars as another growth opportunity in a five- to 10-year period. In the meantime, all nameplates will have a hybrid option before 2025. And similar to what we heard from Porsche when it was designing what is now known as the Taycan, Hallmark relayed that Bentley's first electric car will be designed as a Bentley that just happens to be electric. In other words, the company has no plans to make any compromises on design and performance when it rolls out an EV. Bentley has introduced some concept EV designs in the past, but it remains to be seen when a fully electric Bentley will become available for purchase.
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| Oil prices jump, but oversupply worries persist Posted: 27 Dec 2018 06:27 PM PST  Brent crude was up $1.18, or 2.26 percent, at $53.34 a barrel at 0219 GMT, having earlier risen as much as 3.1 percent. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures, were at $45.62 a barrel, up 2.26 percent, or $1.01, after earlier rising 3.6 percent. Oil prices fell to their lowest in more than a year on Thursday, a day after their biggest one-day rally in two years, pulled down by worries about the global economy and a supply glut.
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| Beyond Times Square: 5 weird things American cities are dropping this New Year's Eve Posted: 29 Dec 2018 02:42 PM PST  The iconic ball in Times Square, isn't the only thing dropping on New Year's Eve. Among the things American cities are dropping: a huge guitar, a piñata and 'The Bologna Ranger.'
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| 'Yellow vest' protesters target Macron's holiday hideaway Posted: 28 Dec 2018 08:29 AM PST  If Emmanuel Macron is hoping for some holiday respite from the anti-government protests which have rocked France, he might want to avoid the presidential retreat on the Mediterranean coast. Around 40 "yellow vest" demonstrators on Thursday tried to storm the medieval fort of Bregancon that serves as Macron's summer retreat before being turned back by police, the mayor of nearby Bormes-les-Mimosas, Francois Arizzi, told AFP on Friday. For people who want more democracy, they should start by respecting other people's property," Arizzi said, saying many of the protesters had tried to infiltrate the fort by crossing private land.
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| Top Asian News 4:45 a.m. GMT Posted: 28 Dec 2018 08:45 PM PST ![Top Asian News 4:45 a.m. GMT]( "Top Asian News 4:45 a.m. GMT") MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An undersea 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Saturday and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that it has a potential to generate a tsunami. No casualties or damage have been reported immediately. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in an initial report that the quake was detected at a depth of 49 kilometers (30 miles) and a magnitude of 7.1 about 162 kilometers (100 miles) off Davao Oriental province. It said that it could generate aftershocks but the agency did not expect any damage. The Philippine agency did not mention any tsunami threat.
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| UAE reopens Damascus embassy after seven years Posted: 27 Dec 2018 06:23 PM PST  The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus Thursday, the latest sign of efforts to bring the Syrian government back into the Arab fold. The UAE broke ties with Syria in February 2012, as the repression of nationwide protests demanding regime change was escalating into a devastating war. An acting charge d'affaires has already started working, an Emirati statement said, stressing that the UAE was "keen to put relations back on their normal track".
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| 3 Surprising Resolutions for a Healthy New Year Posted: 28 Dec 2018 03:01 AM PST  If you're like many Americans, your New Year's resolutions may involve eating healthier foods and getting more exercise. Those are worthy goals. Only about half of adults get the 150 minutes of m...
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| Citi cuts Q1 iPhone production estimates on weak demand Posted: 28 Dec 2018 09:06 AM PST  "The material cut in our forecasts is driven by our view that 2018 iPhone is entering a destocking phase, which does not bode well for the supply chain," analyst William Yang wrote in a client note. Citi said it expects the company to make 45 million iPhones for the quarter, down from 50 million it forecast earlier. The cut was mainly due to weak outlook for the iPhone XS Max, analyst William Yang said in a research note.
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