| U.S. fires tear gas to deter migrants making New Year's run at border Posted: 01 Jan 2019 03:33 PM PST  U.S. border agents launched tear gas into Mexico early Tuesday to deter a group of migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border at Tijuana, according to a Reuters witness and the U.S. government. Clouds of the noxious gas could be seen wafting up from around the fence at the border, and one migrant picked up a canister and threw it back across the border into U.S. territory. Tijuana has become a flashpoint in the debate over U.S. immigration policy, which has been intensified by the recent deaths of two migrant children in U.S. custody and a partial U.S. government shutdown over President Donald Trump's $5 billion demand to lawmakers for a wall along the border with Mexico.
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| Terror returns to Manchester, just yards from where 22 where killed at Ariana Grande concert Posted: 01 Jan 2019 12:00 PM PST  In the hours before midnight when the nation would be welcoming in the New Year, terror returned to Manchester. Just before 9pm and yards from the Manchester Arena, where 22 people, many of them children had been murdered in a suicide attack, all hell was about to break loose. Between platforms A and B at Manchester Victoria Metrolink tram station, a man dressed head-to-toe in black mounted a frenzied and sustained attack on a couple in their 50s waiting patiently for a tram. He screamed 'Allahu Akbar' - meaning 'God is great' - while stabbing at them with two knives, one in each hand. "I just heard this most blood-curdling scream and looked down the platform," said Sam Clack, 38, a BBC producer on a New Year's Eve night out, "What it looked like was a guy in his 60s with a woman of similar age and another guy all dressed in black. "It looked like they were having a fight but she was screaming in this blood-curdling way." The screams alerted British Transport Police officers on patrol at Victoria train station, which stands in the same complex as the tram stop and the nearby Manchester Arena. Four officers, unarmed but for standard issue Taser stun gun and a special incapacitating gel, raced to the scene. The suspect, said to be of Somali origin, was carrying two kitchen knives, each about 12-inches long. Two commuters - a man and woman in their 50s - were taken to hospital with knife injuries and a British Transport Police (BTP) officer was stabbed in the shoulder. Credit: Sam Clack/Press Association Mr Clack thought the attacker was coming for him next. "I just had a feeling in the pit of my stomach," said Mr Clack. "Here's a man who's very agitated, angry, skittish. It appears he had already attacked someone. He had police coming towards him and he's coming towards me. "I looked down and saw he had a kitchen knife with a black handle with a good 12-inch blade. It was just fear, pure fear." Mr Clack thought about jumping on to the tram tracks and running for his life. Other passengers already had. But before he needed to flee, the police at breakneck speed had pounced. Video footage shows four British transport Police officers pinning the knifeman to the ground, including one female officer. They had tried to taser him and in the melee one officer - a sergeant in his 30s - was stabbed in the shoulder. The suspect was then dragged away to a police van, shouting 'alahu akbar' while the victims sat on a bench on the station platform being treated for their wounds, tended to by female police officers. A discharged taser, shoe and paramedic equipment on Metrolink platform B at Victoria Station Credit: Joel Goodman/LNP A Muslim woman, wearing a hijab, put her arm around the injured female victim. Nazir Afzal, a former prosecutor, tweeted: "The woman with hijab helping victims is far more reflective of Muslims than the idiot with a knife." Andy Burnham, Manchester's mayor, said last night the "vile attack" could have been "much more serious if not for the outstanding bravery from British Transport Police who were instantly on the scene". He suggested its location had been deliberately picked to cause maximum impact because of its proximity to the Manchester Arena, scene of the barbarous suicide bomb attack in May last year. "This attack has brought back some very painful memories for everyone involved," Mr Burnham told the Telegraph, "Particularly given how close it was to the Manchester Arena, which appears to have been deliberate. But the city is strong, united and resilient and the way the incident was dealt with by the emergency services and others was exemplary." Yesterday, police raided a newly built semi-detached house in a street in Cheetham Hill, a mile north of the city centre. Police said it was the last known address of the 25-year-old suspect. A house in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, was raided as part of the investigation into the suspected terror attack at Manchester Victoria Station Credit: Pat Hurst/Press Association Neighbours said police arrived at the address in the morning. Tactical Aid Unit vans were stationed outside, with a policeman stood guarding the door. Nousha Babaakachel said a Somali family live at the address, a mother and father of five in their forties who came to live in the street around 12 years ago from the Netherlands. Mrs Babaakachel, 40, said two of the four sons are at university, one works at Manchester Airport and the youngest is back in Somalia. They also have a daughter. Well-placed sources said the suspect was believed to have been suffering from serious mental health issues and who had acted alone. By last night, Manchester was coming to realise it had had a narrow escape. The city has the bravery of police officers to thank for that.
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| Toddler injured after falling into rhino exhibit at Florida zoo Posted: 02 Jan 2019 04:30 AM PST  The snout of at least one rhinoceros made contact with 2-year-old, zoo officials say.
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| Fighting erupts between rival insurgent groups in Syria Posted: 01 Jan 2019 08:56 AM PST ![Fighting erupts between rival insurgent groups in Syria]( "Fighting erupts between rival insurgent groups in Syria") BEIRUT (AP) — Clashes broke out between two powerful insurgent groups in northern Syria on Tuesday, leaving up to seven people dead in the most serious fighting in months in the last major rebel stronghold in the country.
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| Not Just Tesla: GM Is Reportedly About to Lose Its EV Tax Credit, Too Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:46 PM PST  GM has reportedly sold its 200,000th EV, which means the credit is due to disappear.
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| Full-Size Pickup Trucks Ranked from Worst to Best Posted: 02 Jan 2019 07:29 AM PST |
| A Doughnut Truck Caught on Fire and Cops Have Intense Feelings About It Posted: 02 Jan 2019 12:35 PM PST  The NYPD offered to send in reinforcements
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| India's flashpoint temple, off limits to women Posted: 01 Jan 2019 04:24 PM PST  Two women in their 40s defied traditionalists on Wednesday to enter the Sabarimala temple, one of Hinduism's holiest sites, sparking violent clashes in southern India. It was the first time that women aged between 10 and 50 entered the site in the southern state of Kerala since India's Supreme Court overturned a ban in September. Here follows some background on the temple and the landmark verdict.
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| Full toilets, no pay: The shutdown in action Posted: 02 Jan 2019 02:04 PM PST  Mediterranean diet is tops in 2019, Trump and Romney, and more of Wednesday's top news.
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| Four injured after German man rams car into crowd; racist motive suspected Posted: 01 Jan 2019 09:24 AM PST ![Four injured after German man rams car into crowd; racist motive suspected]( "Four injured after German man rams car into crowd; racist motive suspected") A 50-year-old German man clearly intended to kill foreigners when he rammed his silver Mercedes into a crowd of people in the northwestern German town of Bottrop in the early hours of New Year's Day, injuring four, a senior government official said. "A German man deliberately drove into crowds of people ... that were largely made up of foreigners. There was a clear intention by this man to kill foreigners," Herbert Reul, interior minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Bottrop is located, told reporters on Tuesday.
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| Animal advocates: Fatal zoo mauling shows need for crackdown Posted: 31 Dec 2018 06:36 PM PST  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The fatal mauling of a zoo intern by a lion that escaped from a locked pen illustrates the need for North Carolina regulators to crack down on unaccredited exhibitors of dangerous animals, animal welfare advocates said Monday.
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| Paul Whelan, US citizen arrested on spying charges in Russia, was there for wedding, family says Posted: 01 Jan 2019 01:41 PM PST  The family of an American arrested in Russia for alleged spying have protested his innocence, saying he was a retired US Marine who went to Moscow for a wedding. Paul Whelan, 48, was detained on Friday, and Russia's Federal Security Service said he was caught "during an espionage operation," but gave no further details. The Russian spying charges carry a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years. In a statement his family said Mr Whelan had gone to Russia for the wedding of another US Marine. They said: "We have read reports of the arrest in Moscow of Paul Whelan, our son and brother. Paul is a retired Marine and was visiting Moscow to attend a wedding." Mr Whelan's stopped communicating with his family on December 28 "which was very much out of character for him even when he was traveling". His family added: "We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being. His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected." The statement was released by his twin brother David Whelan, who added: "It is inconceivable to me that he would have done anything to break the law in Russia." Mr Whelan said the wedding his brother attended was at a luxury hotel in central Moscow on Dec 28, the day of the arrest. US state department officials said they had received formal notification of the detention from the Russian foreign ministry, and were pushing for consular access. It came as relations between the US and Russia are severely strained, in part over Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Maria Butina, a Russian gun-rights activist, is currently in US custody after recently admitting she acted as an illegal foreign agent in 2016.
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| Airline Accidentally Offers $15,000 Discount on Business Class Tickets Posted: 02 Jan 2019 08:09 AM PST  And it's actually honoring the rock bottom prices.
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| NASA’s New Horizons zoomed past Ultima Thule, and now we wait Posted: 01 Jan 2019 08:00 AM PST  NASA kicked off the new year with a midnight flyby of the most distant Solar System object ever visited by a manmade spacecraft. New Horizons passed within a few thousand miles of the oblong space rock known as Ultima Thule just after the calendar page turned to 2019 on the East Coast, and it's a huge achievement for the space agency and astronomy community in general. Unfortunately, NASA has very little to show for its accomplishment, at least right now. NASA's live stream of the event was very informative, providing details about the mission and animations to show where the spacecraft was in relation to Ultima Thule. We did not, however, get a good look at Ultima Thule itself or even confirmation that the mission was a success, so now we wait. Our Solar System is a big place, and Ultima Thule is very far away. A live stream or even the rapid delivery of still images from the spacecraft wasn't a realistic expectation and, as NASA has already explained, it's going to take months for the probe to send back all the information it gathered during its brief rendezvous with its rocky target. In fact, retrieving information from New Horizons is so delayed that even NASA doesn't know with certainty that the spacecraft pulled off its mission without a hitch. NASA's Deep Space Network is still relaying that information back to Earth, and it's expected to arrive by midday. NASA already has a number of press conferences scheduled for the coming days, and we're sure to learn a lot about how well New Horizons performed and, hopefully, some new information about Ultima Thule as well. However, the real science can't begin until the probe delivers all the data it's gathered, and that could take months.
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| Officials Are Investigating Why 6 People Suddenly Became Ill During a New Year's Day Flight Posted: 02 Jan 2019 05:05 AM PST  Airport water fountains may have been to blame
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| Tear gas fired as dozens of migrants try illegal crossing to US Posted: 01 Jan 2019 08:25 PM PST  US Border Patrol agents used tear gas and pepper spray to counter rock-throwing migrants when a group of about 150 tried to illegally cross the border from Mexico, leading to 25 arrests, the agency said on Tuesday. It is the second time since November that border officers have used tear gas during an attempted mass migrant crossing in the San Diego area. The migrants in the latest case New Year's Eve were among 1,500 who have remained in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, after a once-5,000-strong caravan of travelers -- which raised the ire of President Donald Trump -- largely gave up and dispersed.
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| Missouri Teen Returns from Cruise with Mystery Illness That`s Left Her Permanently Blind Posted: 02 Jan 2019 11:43 AM PST  A Missouri teen is fighting a life-changing medical condition after returning from a cruise.
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| UK's Hunt says confident May will seal deal for Brexit Posted: 02 Jan 2019 06:56 AM PST  SINGAPORE (AP) — British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Wednesday he is confident Prime Minister Theresa May will obtain the concessions needed to convince enough lawmakers to back an unpopular Brexit deal.
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| Man Accused of Killing Missing Fiancee Charged with 5 Felony Counts Posted: 02 Jan 2019 11:42 AM PST  Patrick Frazee, the man accused of killing his fiancee Kelsey Berreth, was charged with five felony counts on Monday morning by Teller County prosecutors.
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| Trump invites congressional leaders to border security briefing, source says Posted: 01 Jan 2019 12:34 PM PST  President Trump invites congressional leaders to a briefing on border security as a government shutdown over his $5 billion border wall demand drags on.
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| New Year's Eve celebrations: Watch the fireworks as London joins world in welcoming 2019 Posted: 31 Dec 2018 09:23 PM PST  London has welcomed 2019 with a dazzling firework display and the chimes of Big Ben. Some 100,000 ticket-holders lined the banks of the Thames to watch 70,000 projectiles made up of eight tonnes of fireworks fire into the sky from three barges and the London Eye. Edinburgh also put on a spectacular display, with around 75,000 party-goers gathering in the centre of the city to see in 2019. Below are pictures and details from all the big displays in the major cities around the world. Happy New Year! London celebrates as Big Ben awakes The words "London is open" rang in the new year as the capital welcomed 2019 with a dazzling riverside fireworks display. The phrase was spoken in seven languages around two minutes past midnight as the city skyline filled with lights in the largest annual display in Europe. New Year's Eve celebrations: world welcomes 2019, in pictures A soundtrack featuring Europe's finest musical artists celebrated the diversity of the capital, after Big Ben, silent for much of 2018 due to renovations, chimed once more. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the sold-out display would show Europe that the capital will remain "open-minded" and "outward looking" post-Brexit. He said Westminster politicians had given the world the impression that Britain is "insular, inward looking", as Britain begins the new year countdown to Brexit. Mr Khan said he hoped this year's event would "send a message of support" to the more than one million European citizens for whom London is home. He has previously expressed his backing for a People's Vote and has voiced his concerns over the effects of a no-deal Brexit on the capital. He vowed that London would remain the same after March 29 2019, and said the fireworks display was about "showing the world, while they're watching us, that we're going to carry on being open-minded, outward looking, pluralistic". Fireworks light up the sky over the London Eye in central London during the New Year celebrations Credit: PA Some 100,000 ticket-holders lined the banks of the Thames to watch 70,000 projectiles made up of eight tonnes of fireworks fire into the sky from three barges and the London Eye. Mr Khan continued: "We, in my opinion, are one of the greatest cities in the world, one of the reason we are one of the greatest cities in the world is because of the contribution made by Europeans." "I think diversity is a strength and I think what tonight is about is celebrating that diversity. "I hope that members of Parliament, members of the Government will see the fireworks tonight, will listen to the soundtrack and will reflect on what sort of country they want to live in post-March. Edinburgh's huge street party People from around the world have welcomed in the new year at a colourful street party - in the shadow of Edinburgh castle - in the "home of Hogmanay". The jubilant crowd counted down the 10 seconds to midnight before a fireworks display lit up the sky above the famous landmark, with the soundtrack provided by German band Meute. Fireworks light up the sky in Edinburgh during the Hogmanay New Year celebrations Credit: PA A mass rendition of Auld Lang Syne then rang out around the city when the fireworks fell silent. The events were the main focus of the street party which ran for several hours over December 31 and January 1. Organisers of Edinburgh's Hogmanay planned this year's events to celebrate the ties between Scotland and Europe as the UK prepares to leave the EU in 2019. Soggy start for New York A drenching rain couldn't keep crowds from packing Times Square for the traditional crystal ball drop and a string of star performances. Christina Aguilera pumped up the crowd, performing in a snow-white dress and coat while partygoers danced in their rain ponchos. Bebe Rexha sang John Lennon's "Imagine" just before the midnight ball drop. Confetti drops over the crowd as the clock strikes midnight during the New Year's celebration in Times Square Credit: AP The celebration took place under tight security. Partygoers were checked for weapons and then herded into pens, ringed by metal barricades, where they waited for the stroke of midnight. But the weather forced police to scrap plans to fly a drone to help keep watch over the crowd. Revellers were paying up to $10 for plastic ponchos trying to stay dry. Umbrellas were banned for security reasons. Paris sees in 2019 Parisians and tourists gathered on the Champs-Elysees to celebrate New Year's Eve under heavy security. Anti-government protesters from the yellow vest movement have issued calls on social media for "festive" demonstrations on the famous avenue. Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Arc de Triomphe during the New Year's Day celebrations on the Champs Elysees, in Paris Credit: AP Paris police set up a security perimeter in the area, with bag searches, a ban on alcohol and traffic restrictions. The Interior Ministry said Sunday that the heavy security measures are needed because of a "high terrorist threat" and concerns about "non-declared protests." President Emmanuel Macron gave his traditional New Year address to briefly lay out his priorities for 2019, as some protesters angry over high taxes and his pro-business policies plan to continue their demonstrations in coming weeks. A protester wearing a "Yellow vest" (gilet jaune) demonstrates in front of a row of French police on the Champs-Elysees in Paris Credit: AFP Ahead of midnight, a light show illustrating the theme of brotherhood took place on the Arc de Triomphe monument at the top of the Champs-Elysees. Fireworks time in Athens Happy New Year ΕΛΛΑΔΑ! Anyone in Greece right now? Send us back a shout and where you are celebrating right now! #happynewyearpic.twitter.com/zNJIxdAu0H— The Pappas Post (@PappasPost) December 31, 2018 New Year in Nairobi Fireworks explode over the UAP Old Mutual Tower during New Year celebrations in Nairobi Credit: Reuters An impressive display at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai Fireworks crackled at Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, as hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered downtown to watch the spectacular display. The fireworks replace last year's somewhat anticlimactic LED lightshow that ran down the facade of the 828-meter-tall (2,716-foot) tower. Dubai New Year's Eve 2018 LIVE: Watch Burj Khalifa fireworks stream https://t.co/XnBC8eS4wfpic.twitter.com/Kug053x0jA— Time Out Dubai (@TimeOutDubai) December 31, 2018 Cafes and restaurants with a view of the Burj Khalifa charge a premium for their locale on New Year's Eve. Casual sandwich chain Pret a Manger, for example, charges $817 for a table of four. That price gets you hot and cold drinks and some canapes. For burgers near the action, fast food chain Five Guys charged $408 per person for unlimited burgers, hotdogs, fries, milkshakes and soda. That magnificent show and this magnificent shot from @tgfromdubai is ������! Happy New Year everyone!#burjkhalifa#dubaipic.twitter.com/F2ylFZWvEB— Movenpick Hotel Apartments Downtown Dubai (@movenpickDDubai) December 31, 2018 Dozens injured in the Philippines Dozens of people were injured in New Year celebrations in the Philippines. It came as powerful firecrackers were set off in one of Asia's most violent celebrations, despite a government scare campaign and threats of arrests. The Department of Health said it has recorded more than 50 firecracker injuries in the past 10 days. Officials had urged centralised fireworks displays to discourage wild and sometimes fatal merrymaking. The notorious tradition, worsened by celebratory gunfire, stems from a Chinese-influenced belief that noise drives away evil and misfortune. A New Year's Eve reveler in Manila Credit: Reuters Pope sends his blessings Pope Francis has rounded out the most problematic year of his papacy by presiding over a vespers service and praying before the Vatican's giant sand sculpture Nativity scene. During his homily on Monday, Francis lamented how many people spent 2018 living on the edge of dignity, homeless or forced into modern forms of slavery. Francis noted that Rome alone counts some 10,000 homeless and said: "During the winter their situation is particularly hard." Pope Francis greets faithful in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican Accompanied by his chief alms-giver, Francis then walked out into St. Peter's Square, where he greeted pilgrims and prayed before the Nativity scene, carved out of 720 tons of packed sand. On Tuesday, Francis will celebrate Mass to mark the start of a new year and officially leave behind 2018, which saw a new eruption of the clergy sex abuse scandal. Russia raises a glass As Russians raised toasts to celebrate across the country's 11 time zones, President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to rely on internal resources to improve living standards. In a televised address just before midnight, Putin said that "we can achieve positive results only through our own efforts and well-coordinated teamwork." Fireworks over the Kremlin Credit: AFP Raising life quality remains the top priority, he said, adding that it's necessary to tap domestic resources to achieve the goal as "there wasn't and there won't be anyone to help." The statement sounded like an oblique reference to continuing Russia-West tensions and Western sanctions. The nation's festive mood was marred by the collapse of an apartment building Monday in Magnitogorsk that killed at least four. Putin visited the city to oversee rescue efforts. Chilly start in China New Year's Eve isn't celebrated widely in mainland China, where the lunar New Year in February is a more important holiday. But countdown events were held in major cities, and some of the faithful headed to Buddhist temples for bell-ringing and prayers. Outdoor revellers in Beijing had to brave temperatures well below freezing. Additional police were deployed in parts of Shanghai, where a New Year's Eve stampede in 2014 killed 36 people. Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour during New Year celebrations in Hong Kong Credit: AFP In Hong Kong, festive lights on skyscrapers provided the backdrop for a fireworks, music and light show over Victoria Harbor on a chilly evening. North Korea welcomes 2019 with fireworks and musical performances After an eventful year that saw three inter-Korean summits and the easing of tensions over North Korea's nuclear program, Korean - North and South of the border - entered 2019 with hopes that the hard-won detente will expand into a stable peace. Thousands of South Koreans filled the streets of the capital, Seoul, for a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall. Dignitaries picked to ring the old Bosingak bell at midnight included famous surgeon Lee Guk-jong, who successfully operated on a North Korean soldier who escaped to South Korea in 2017 in a hail of bullets fired by his comrades. A "peace bell" was tolled at Imjingak, a pavilion near the border with North Korea. Japan, South Korea and small parts of Russia and Indonesia ring in the New Year Russians got to enjoy performances from actors and dancers dressed up as characters including Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, as small parts of the country took part in a count down to midnight. Father Frost and Snow Maiden Credit: Yuri Smityuk\\TASS via Getty Images Fireworks in Vladivostok, Russia Credit: Yuri Smityuk\\TASS via Getty Images Ramming attack mars Tokyo celebrations Japan celebrated the New Year in style on Monday night. People hold balloons during the count down event at the Prince Park Tower Tokyo hotel Credit: Getty However, nine people were hurt, one seriously, when a man deliberately ploughed his car into crowds celebrating New Year's Eve along a famous Tokyo street. With an "intent to murder", 21-year-old Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove a small vehicle into Takeshita Street in Tokyo's fashion district of Harajuku at 10 minutes past midnight, a police spokesman told AFP. According to national broadcaster NHK, Kusakabe told police he was acting in "retribution for the death penalty" without giving more precise details. Policemen stand next to a car which plowed into pedestrians on New Year day in Tokyo Credit: Reuters One college student suffered serious injuries during the attack and was undergoing surgery, the police spokesman told AFP. Kusakabe was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. Fireworks glitter over Sydney Harbour Parts of Australia including Sydney are celebrating the New Year, with the city putting on a spectacular fireworks display over the harbour. The Opera House was thrown into sharp relief by the fireworks, which were watched on television by people all over the world. The celebrations in Sydney were slightly dampened by inclement weather, with thousands of people waiting to watch the fireworks battered with torrential rain and a thunderstorm. New Zealand celebrates 2019 It is officially 2019 in New Zealand, as cities including Auckland set off fireworks and spectators danced and cheered. The annual Wondergarden festival is also taking place, with revelers flooding to Auckland to enjoy the music and ring in the New Year. Partygoers were allowed to make as much noise as they liked between 6pm and 2am, after the council in Auckland promised not to attend any noise complaints during those hours. "New Year's Eve is always a great time for celebration in Auckland and from a noise control perspective we don't tend to see significant increases in complaints over the course of the night generally because there seems to be higher levels of tolerance to noise as many people choose to stay up later to enjoy the midnight entertainment. Because of this, we do relax our policy slightly on New Year's Eve and only attend complaints after 2am which is often the time when most festivities have come to an end," Max Wilde, the council's team manager for Licencing Response told the New Zealand Herald. Samoa is the first country to ring in 2019 Samoa was the first country to celebrate the New Year with an inevitable fireworks display. Samoa welcomes the New Year in style. This government initiative is a special commemoration marking Samoa as the first country to welcome the New Year. The fireworks display will be an ongoing annual celebration... https://t.co/6gqwrEd0Oa— Government of Samoa (@samoagovt) December 31, 2018 Interestingly, just an hour's flight away is American Samoa, which has to wait 24 hours to ring in 2019 because of the time difference.
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| The cheapest days to fly in 2019 Posted: 01 Jan 2019 11:00 AM PST ![The cheapest days to fly in 2019]( "The cheapest days to fly in 2019") Here are the cheapest days to fly in 2019, whether you're staying in the U.S. or traveling internationally.
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| OMG, there’s an Instant Pot with a built-in sous vide cooker Posted: 01 Jan 2019 11:38 AM PST  Instant Pots have always been thought of as the kitchen gadgets that do it all, but there's one popular feature that no Instant Pot has ever had: sous vide cooking. Sure you can slow cook, sear, saute, bake, and more, but home cooks looking for a good sous vide machine had to look elsewhere… until now. Most people don't even realize it, but Instant Pot now makes a multi-use cooker with built-in sous video immersion cooking functionality. It's called the Instant Pot 8 Qt Aura Pro Multi-Use Programmable Multicooker with Sous Vide, and it's available right now on Amazon! Here are the highlights from the product page: * Please note this item does not have a pressure cooker function. * Aura Pro replaces 11 commonly used kitchen appliances - Sear/Saute, Bake, Slow Cook, Steam, Stew, Sous Vide, Roast, Yogurt, Rice, Multigrain and Keep Warm, your favorite dishes are as easy as pressing a button! * Microprocessor Technology - The microprocessor controls the time and temperature to ensure consistent cooking results. You can customize your settings using the operation keys +/- to adjust cooking time and temperature to achieve your preferred cooking results. * Sear/Saute - Flexible temperature settings makes it perfect for simmering, caramelizing and sauteing vegetables, and searing meat. Temperature ranges from 250~425°F [120~220°C], you can easily adjust the time from 5 minutes to 1 hour, with a default time of 30 minutes. * Bake - Prevents you from heating up your kitchen. Temperature ranges from 250~425°F [120~220°C], you can adjust the time from 10 minutes to 4 hour, with a default time of 1 hour. * Slow Cooker - Two temperature settings High (H) and Low (L) with the ability to set the cooking time from 30 minutes to 24 hours for both temperature levels and a default time of 4 and 6 hours respectively. * Power supply: 120V - 60Hz
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| U.S. Envoy to Russia Visits American Detained on Spy Allegations Posted: 02 Jan 2019 12:16 PM PST  Huntsman visited Paul Whelan, a former Marine who is the director of global security for Michigan-based auto-parts supplier BorgWarner Inc., on Wednesday, according to a State Department official. Whelan hadn't been in touch with his family since his Dec. 28 arrest, his brother David said on Twitter.
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| In-Depth Photos of Renault's Alpine A110 Posted: 02 Jan 2019 08:03 AM PST |
| Police called after man heard shouting death threats... to 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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| Decade-old flaw in Twitter allows hackers to spread ISIS propaganda using old accounts, report claims Posted: 02 Jan 2019 08:33 AM PST  Terrorists are allegedly exploiting a decade-old vulnerability in Twitter's systems to hijack dormant accounts and spread propaganda online. According to TechCrunch, there has been a resurgence in the number of accounts being hacked in recent weeks, many of which had been inactive for years. The hackers are reportedly using the fact that, prior to this summer, those opening an account with Twitter did not need to confirm their email addresses, meaning there are a number of accounts on the platform not linked to real email addresses or expired addresses. This allows hackers to then create the email address, and so gain access to the attached account. Security experts said this issue was "all too well known", but that it was hard for Twitter to manage the problem. "Twitter could expire accounts after a certain period of dormancy, but legacy accounts that were created without real associated emails will be vulnerable to this sort of hijack," said Robert Pritchard, the former cyber-security researcher at GCHQ and founder of The Cyber Security Expert. Alan Woodward, a computer scientist from the University of Surrey, agreed that "there has been some evidence of this before but it's difficult to see how you stop it unless you disable any Twitter account that has been inactive for more than a certain period". "When the accounts are set up with common email services they can be effectively taken over." Monthly active users TechCrunch said it had been alerted to a number of the hijacked accounts by a security researcher known as WauchulaGhost. The site said those accounts had been spreading propaganda, including videos of Islamic State fighters and messages supporting violence, such as one said to have read: "With your cars, let's go pack, you bomb, go with a bomb, you go in any way." Many of the accounts have since been deleted, it added. WauchulaGhost said: "A lot of these older dormant accounts never created the email they have listed on the account. All someone has to do is create it and take over the account. At the moment Islamic State is using this flaw to spread their propaganda." Technology intelligence - newsletter promo - RHS Twitter had signalled it was aware of the issue in June, introducing the requirement for new accounts to be confirmed with either email addresses or phone numbers. "This is an important change to defend against people who try to take advantage of our openness," Twitter had said at the time. Between January and June, it had suspended a total of 205,156 accounts which had violated its policy prohibiting the promotion of terrorism. Following the report on Wednesday, a spokesman for Twitter said: "Reusing email addresses in this manner is not a new issue for Twitter or other online services. For our part, our teams are aware and are working to identify solutions that can help keep Twitter accounts safe and secure."
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| Garbage Takes a Toll on National Parks Amid the Government Shutdown Posted: 01 Jan 2019 12:05 AM PST  "We're going to start seeing significant damage," said an official at the National Parks Conservation Association
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| You can now make charitable donations through Google Assistant Posted: 01 Jan 2019 12:59 PM PST ![You can now make charitable donations through Google Assistant]( "You can now make charitable donations through Google Assistant") If you forgot to make any New Year's resolutions last night, here an easy one: Donate to charity. You can change lives by donating just a few dollars to a cause or group of your choice, and now, thanks to Google, it's simpler than ever to do so. As reported by 9to5Google this week, Google Assistant recently gained the ability to make a donation with a voice command. This comes just weeks after a donation page was added to the Play Store. In order to start the process, just say "Ok Google, donate to charity" to your Android device or Google Home. Google Assistant will then ask you which organization you'd like to donate to, and suggests donating $10. You then specify how much you would like to donate, in case you want to give more (or less) than $10. If you know who which organization you want to donate to and how much you want to give, you can also just say "Ok Google, donate to Red Cross" (for example) and you will immediately be asked to confirm the donation. If you're on an Android phone or tablet, you'll see a summary of the transaction, along with this fine print: > Nonprofits are not endorsed by Google. Your donation will go to Network for Good (NFG), a US nonprofit donor advised fund, which makes grants to recommended charities. NFG takes exclusive legal control of donations, and will appear on your receipt. In order to donate, you need to have Google Assistant Payments enabled. Head to Assistant settings > Personal info > Payments to add a card, address, and method of payment approval, such as a password or fingerprint. The feature apparently debuted early in December, but Google didn't make an announcement.
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| Netanyahu says Israel is Arabs' 'ally' against Iran Posted: 31 Dec 2018 08:16 PM PST  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Arab countries viewed Israel as an "indispensable ally" fighting Iran and the Islamic State group. The comments came as Israel has stepped up air strikes on Iranian positions in neighboring Syria, and as Israel digested an abrupt decision by President Donald Trump to withdraw US troops from Syria.
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| Best Bites: Garlic parmesan cauliflower steaks Posted: 01 Jan 2019 05:00 AM PST  Welcome to Best Bites, a twice-weekly video series that aims to satisfy your
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| The rare prototype Ferrari being sold for just $36,600 Posted: 02 Jan 2019 08:11 AM PST  This is the cheapest prototype V8-powered Ferrari money can buy! It might be a Mondiale, but it's still a piece of Ferrari history.
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| Manchester stabbings: UK police raid house, quiz suspect Posted: 01 Jan 2019 10:28 AM PST  LONDON (AP) — Police in the English city of Manchester are quizzing a suspect and searching a house for clues about the "terror-related" stabbings of three people at a train station on New Year's Eve.
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| GM hit 200,000 U.S. electric vehicles sold in 2018 Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:45 AM PST  The credit for GM EVs falls to $3,750 in April.
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| Iran bans Instagram - where the president has 2 million followers Posted: 02 Jan 2019 09:03 AM PST  Iran's president Hassan Rouhani is a major presence on Instagram, where his verified account regularly sends out posts to an audience of more than 2 million followers. But Rouhani's account will no longer be officially allowed in the country after authorities in Iran announced plans to ban the photo sharing app, citing national security concerns. Iran's National Cyberspace Council has approved steps to block Instagram, according to local reports, following crackdowns on other social media apps. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Telegram are already banned in the Islamic Republic, with internet providers ordered to block access to the services. The apps have often been used as a way to spread anti-government messages, with Telegram in particular, often cited as a national security concern. View this post on Instagram احیای #دریاچه_ارومیه یکی از قولهای من به مردم آذربایجان غربی در سال ۹۲ بود و اگر تلاش این دولت نبود، با ادامه روال سالهای قبل، امروز یک قطره آب در دریاچه ارومیه وجود نداشت و تمام این دریاچه به یک نمکزار خطرناک تبدیل شده بود که زندگی مردم، کشاورزی و باغها را تهدید میکرد. هنوز به مرحله احیاء دریاچه نرسیدهایم اما وضعیت دریاچه تقریباً تثبیت شده که این خود گام بزرگی است. �� عکسها: مهدی قربانی @Mahdi.Ghorbani77، حجت سپهوند @HojatSepahvand و ابراهیم سیدی؛ در جمع مردم شهرستان #خوی، استان آذربایجان غربی، ١٣٩٧/٨/٢٨. A post shared by Hassan Rouhani • حسن روحانی (@hrouhani) on Nov 19, 2018 at 9:20am PST Many Iranians continue to access the services despite the bans, circumventing the technical blocks by routing traffic through an overseas internet address. Twitter has been blocked in the country since 2009 but Rouhani has official accounts that tweet both in Persian and English. Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also fostered a sizeable Twitter fanbase. Had a busy day today . But I always make time for #Twitterpic.twitter.com/YDQ63xy6bk— Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (@Ahmadinejad1956) August 28, 2018 Instagram is the last major social media service officially available in Iran, and Rouhani's official account has posted more than one thousand times, often showing pictures of flag-waving crowds and the president himself on photo-ops, with accompanying messages in Persian. It is unclear when Iran's ban is due to go into effect. The country curbed access to some internet services, including intermittently restricting Instagram, a year ago, a move that Donald Trump criticised at the time. The block comes as Iran has increasingly been blamed for attempts to use social media to disrupt politics in the UK and the US. In August, Facebook, which owns Instagram, deleted hundreds of accounts on both services that were linked to Iranian state media.
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| Trump vs. Pelosi: The standoff that will define Washington begins today Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:01 PM PST  Trump vs. Pelosi: The standoff that will define Washington for the next two years starts today, over the wall.
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| The first Instant Pot deals of 2019 are already here Posted: 02 Jan 2019 05:19 AM PST ![The first Instant Pot deals of 2019 are already here]( "The first Instant Pot deals of 2019 are already here") Well that didn't take very long, now did it? It's only the second day of 2019 and we've already got our first sale on insanely popular Instant Pot multi-use cookers. There are two different models covered in this deal and the discounts aren't quite as deep as what we saw during the holiday shopping season, but they're still the best prices you'll find on these models. First we've got the $80 Instant Pot Duo Mini 3 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker on sale for $67.99, and it's the most compact version of Instant Pot's best-selling model. Then you can also snag the smartphone-connected Instant Pot Smart WiFi 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker for under $137 instead of $150. Both of these are limited-time deals, so get in on the action while you still can. ## Instant Pot Duo Mini 3 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker * All the features of the Instant Pot duo, the bestselling electric pressure cooker in North America now available in a 3 Qt compact format * The perfect companion to your existing Instant Pot, use it for side dishes, vegetables or other accompaniments such as rice * Generous capacity, great for smaller families or where space is at a premium. In a dorm, RV or boat? the Instant Pot duo mini Emits no steam, heat or cooking smells * Features fully automatic pressure cook programs, 3 slow cook heat settings, saute, rice cooking, steamer, yogurt making, delay start and auto keep Warm * 700W power to enable it to reach pressure quickly. All Stainless Steel internal components including lid and inner cooking pot. Lid and cooking pot dishwasher safe * Power supply: 120V - 60Hz * Included Components: Electric Pressure Cooker ## Instant Pot Smart WiFi 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker * Smart Wi-Fi multi-use programmable pressure cooker is a revolutionary kitchen appliance with Wi-Fi connectivity, easy to use interfaces to control and monitor cooking progress through graphics. * Healthy, stainless steel (18/8) inner cooking pot made from food grade 304, no chemical coating, 3-ply bottom. * Built with the latest 3rd generation technology, the microprocessor monitors pressure, temperature, keeps time, and adjusts heating intensity and duration to achieve your desired results every time * UL and ulc certified with 10 safety mechanisms to provide you with added Assurance, designed to eliminate many common errors * Accessories include, stainless steel steam rack with handles, rice paddle, soup spoon, measuring cup and condensation collector * 2.4 ghz Wifi
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| Netflix censorship risks helping Saudi crackdown: Amnesty Posted: 02 Jan 2019 06:18 AM PST  Netflix's decision to pull an episode of a show critical of Saudi authorities risks facilitating a crackdown on freedom of expression in the kingdom, Amnesty International said Wednesday. "Saudi Arabia's censorship of Netflix... is further proof of a relentless crackdown on freedom of expression in the kingdom," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty's Middle East campaigns director.
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| NASA’s asteroid probe just entered orbit around Bennu in a record-breaking maneuver Posted: 01 Jan 2019 03:04 PM PST  NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe arrived at its target, a large space rock known as Bennu, in early December. The spacecraft's mission will take several years to complete, but it hit a major milestone to close out 2018 by entering orbit around Bennu. It might not sound like much, but it's actually a major accomplishment for NASA, and it's set a couple of new records in the process. As AP reports, the probe's successful maneuver to enter orbit around Bennu makes it the first spacecraft to orbit a celestial object so small. At only around 1,600 feet in diameter, it's the smallest object ever to be successfully orbited, and OSIRIS-REx's close orbital distance of just over a mile is also record-breaking. The OSIRIS-REx mission was originally launched way back in late 2016. It took a couple of years for the probe to even make it to its asteroid target, but now that it's there it can begin studying Bennu in much greater detail than has ever been possible before. We got our first clear look at the rock's surface last month. The images delivered by the probe reveal a messy collection of debris strewn all over the asteroid's exterior. Ultimately, the mission's biggest challenge will be to collect some of that material and then return it to Earth, but the touch-and-go sample collection process won't begin until 2020. Once the probe snatches some rock from Bennu's exterior it will begin the long trip back to Earth, eventually arriving sometime in 2023 if all goes according to plan. The in-orbit surveys of the asteroid and eventual delivery of asteroid material will help researchers understand what makes up some of the larger asteroids in our Solar System. Determining how they formed and other details about their origins could help astronomers tell a more detailed story about the origins of our system and Earth itself, and perhaps help us prepare and forecast asteroid impacts in the future.
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| Driver killed in foggy New Year's crash in southwest Houston Posted: 01 Jan 2019 04:12 AM PST  Police don't know if the heavy fog in the area was a contributing factor or if the driver may have been drinking.
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| The Latest: Deaths from Russia apartment collapse grow to 33 Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:05 PM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on the building collapse in Russia (all times local):
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| Pope bemoans disjointed world, praises unity over diversity Posted: 01 Jan 2019 04:15 AM PST  Pope Francis, in his first message of the new year on Tuesday, bemoaned a lack of unity across the world, and warned against a soulless hunt for profit that benefits only a few. The New Year's address followed a turbulent 2018 for the pope, whose Church was battered by a torrent of sex scandals across the world that Francis has repeatedly failed to contain. The sense of crisis was underscored on Monday when the Vatican spokesman and his deputy abruptly and unexpectedly resigned following disagreements on communications strategy.
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| This modified Mercedes Gullwing is a crime against classic cars Posted: 02 Jan 2019 02:14 AM PST  Some modified classic cars are quite tastefully done, however, this AMG enhanced Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is not one of them.
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| Elizabeth Warren announces 2020 run against Trump: 'I'm in this fight' Posted: 31 Dec 2018 06:28 PM PST  Senator Elizabeth Warren jumped into the race for president on Monday, announcing she is forming an exploratory committee for 2020. The Massachusetts Democrat, known for her critiques of big banks and corporations, became the first major candidate to declare her intentions with a video posted online on New Year's Eve. "America's middle class is under attack," she said.
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