| 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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| '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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| New Petrobras boss seeks free-market 'efficiency' for oil giant Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:49 PM PST  "Monopolies restrict liberty," Roberto Castello Branco told a crowd of officials and Petrobras executives on the day he took up his functions. Petrobras a couple of years ago "was looted by a criminal organization made up of corrupt politicians, enemies of capitalism, and a small group of employees," he said. The harsh words referred to a sprawling, multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal implicating Petrobras and political parties, including those from the Workers Party that ruled Brazil from 2003-2016.
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| A first class gaffe: Cathay to honour cheap ticket error Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:09 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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| Mexico demands US probe on use of force against migrants Posted: 03 Jan 2019 01:36 PM PST  Mexico called on the United States Thursday to investigate the use of force by border patrol agents against members of a Central American migrant caravan who tried to rush the US-Mexican border on New Year's. "The foreign ministry sent a diplomatic cable today to the United States embassy about the incident that occurred on January 1 in the border zone... In it, the ministry requested an exhaustive investigation of events that day," it said in a statement. Mexico also repeated its call for an investigation into a similar incident on November 25, when some 1,000 migrants from the caravan tried to force their way into the United States and were pushed back by border patrol agents.
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| These Democrats didn't vote for Nancy Pelosi for House speaker Posted: 03 Jan 2019 12:22 PM PST  Democrats who didn't vote for Pelosi offered strikingly similar reasons.
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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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| Nancy Pelosi Holds Press Conference After Day 1 As Speaker, Say "There Will Be No Wall" Posted: 03 Jan 2019 09:36 PM PST  House Democrats voted to approve part of its new rules package Thursday evening, sending a message about ethics, sexual harassment and good government on their first day back in the majority, a signal of how they intend to target President Trump.
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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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| Chile's LATAM Airlines is world's most punctual airline 2019 Posted: 03 Jan 2019 08:03 AM PST  Flyers aboard LATAM Airlines are most likely to make their connecting flight and arrive at their destination on time, according to a new ranking of the world's most punctual airlines.
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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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| 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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| Democrats to take on Trump as divided US Congress arrives in Washington Posted: 03 Jan 2019 06:16 AM PST  Democrats on Thursday took over the US House of Representatives, ushering in a new era of divided government in Washington with the goal of checking Donald Trump's turbulent presidency. Battle-tested Nancy Pelosi was poised to take over as speaker of the House as a partial federal government shutdown over Trump's insistence that lawmakers fund a southern border wall neared the two-week mark. The end of Trump's one-party rule in Washington lent air to Democrats deflated after the bombastic Republican's 2016 victory.
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| Government Shutdown 2019: Democrats pass funding plan without wall, Trump vows to veto Posted: 03 Jan 2019 08:50 PM PST  On their first day in the majority, House Democrats on Thursday night passed a plan to re-open the government without funding President Donald Trump's promised border wall.
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| Wall Street drops more than 2 percent on slowdown fears Posted: 03 Jan 2019 01:30 PM PST  Stocks plunged on Thursday, with the S&P 500 down more than 2 percent, after slowing factory activity on the heels of a dire revenue warning from Apple.
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| Photos of the 2019 Genesis G70 2.0T Manual Posted: 04 Jan 2019 09:09 AM PST |
| 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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| China's 'Jack the Ripper' executed Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:48 PM PST  A serial killer dubbed China's "Jack the Ripper" for the way he mutilated several of his 11 female victims was executed Thursday morning, three decades after the first murder, the court which sentenced him said. The court in the northwest city of Baiyin, Gansu province, which handed him the death sentence in March last year announced on the Twitter-like Weibo that it had been carried out. China's supreme court had approved the execution, it said.
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| Why Tesla Just Dropped Its Car Prices by $2,000 Posted: 03 Jan 2019 07:56 AM PST  You can thank the disappearing tax credit.
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| In Trump era, Nancy Pelosi admits to nostalgia about George W. Bush. Here's why Posted: 03 Jan 2019 04:26 AM PST  Nancy Pelosi says taking on Donald Trump will differ from sparring with George W. Bush. With Trump, she says, there's no agreement on basic facts.
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| Senator Warren slams former Senator Lieberman for ZTE lobbying gig Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:02 PM PST  Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is eyeing a presidential run, blasted former Senator Joseph Lieberman for becoming a lobbyist for ZTE Corp, a Chinese telecommunications equipment maker accused of ties to China's government. In a tweet posted on Wednesday night, Warren said Lieberman had "joined" lobbyists for ZTE, which she wrote had "violated serious U.S. sanctions" against Iran and North Korea. Lieberman, who ran unsuccessfully for vice president as a Democrat in 2000 and Kasowitz Benson Torres, the firm where he is a lobbyist, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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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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| Florida's Scott delays oath, despite light public schedule Posted: 03 Jan 2019 07:56 PM PST  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott was supposed to start his new job as a U.S. senator Thursday, but he delayed his swearing in ostensibly to keep his promise to fight for Floridians every day of his term.
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| Alphabet leapfrogs Apple as third biggest company as iPhone maker in meltdown Posted: 03 Jan 2019 08:08 AM PST  Apple's shock profit warning has dragged it further down the list of the most valuable companies, as Alphabet became the third company to leapfrog the iPhone maker in less than two months. Shares in Apple plunged by almost 10pc after markets opened in New York, putting its valuation at around $675bn (£536bn). It is now worth less than Microsoft, which has a market capitalisation at around $755bn, Amazon, worth $738bn, and Alphabet, $717bn. It is the latest signal of the change of fortunes for the tech sector which, up until late last year, had been buoyed in the post-crisis market bull run. Apple and Amazon surpassed the $1 trillion mark in August and September respectively, becoming the first US companies to do so, but both have since seen hundreds of millions wiped off their valuations. Technology intelligence - newsletter promo - RHS The latest slide in Apple's share price came after the company revealed last night that it was cutting its forecasts for the three months to the end of December, amid weaker demand for iPhones and escalating trade tensions between the US and China. The news, which was released last night after the bell, dragged US markets lower, causing the Dow Jones to drop almost 600 points, and the Nasdaq to slide 2.2pc. Microsoft was down more than 3pc, and Alphabet and Amazon both slipped around 2pc. Shares in Apple's suppliers from around the world, however, took the heaviest beating, with analysts warning many were likely to issue their own warnings on the back of Apple's update. Investors in luxury brands Burberry, LVMH and Hermes were also spooked by the news, given their heavy exposure to Chinese consumers, all dropping by more than 2pc. Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, had said in his letter that while the company had "anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China".
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| Manicurist dies after being run over by customer who refused to pay $35 bill, police say Posted: 02 Jan 2019 05:51 PM PST  Police say a woman ran over 51-year-old Nhu "Annie" Ngoc Quynh Nguyen after skipping out on the bill for a $35 manicure.
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| Rollicking start to diverse new Congress as kids crowd in Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:40 PM PST  America's freshly sworn-in lawmakers -- a historically diverse group of Democrats and Republicans -- enjoyed a rollicking first session of the new Congress Thursday, a rowdy opening day that saw children scampering through the chamber. The House of Representatives chamber was clogged with its 434 certified new members -- one seat remains in dispute -- along with several dozen of their children and grandkids, and hundreds of guests packing the upper-level galleries. Democrats cheered as Nancy Pelosi won a hotly contested election for speaker.
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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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| Buzz grows on 'flying cars' ahead of major tech show Posted: 03 Jan 2019 10:03 PM PST  Will flying cars take off at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show? NFT Inc. co-founders Maki and Guy Kaplinsky, a couple developing a flying vehicle in Israel and California, will have their vision on display at show, with a media session on Sunday. "We believe we have a winning design that will enable us to make the Model T of flying cars -- a low-cost production model," Guy Kaplinsky told AFP in a Silicon Valley office park where a prototype model was being assembled.
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| Video: Customer arrested for allegedly assaulting McDonald's employee over straw Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:20 AM PST  Video shows the patron reach over an employee and forcefully shake the woman.
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| 8 Blue-Chip Stocks to Weather a Bear Market Posted: 03 Jan 2019 06:00 AM PST ![8 Blue-Chip Stocks to Weather a Bear Market]( "8 Blue-Chip Stocks to Weather a Bear Market") Blue-chip value stocks are good buys. One of the best ways to weather a bear market is to buy blue-chip value stocks -- large companies with long-term track records of success and attractive valuations. Here's a look at eight large-cap value stocks with price-earnings ratios less than 10 that Bank of America says are excellent defensive buys for long-term investors concerned about the market downturn.
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| Amazon is blowing out Apple Watches at deep discounts, today only Posted: 04 Jan 2019 04:56 AM PST ![Amazon is blowing out Apple Watches at deep discounts, today only]( "Amazon is blowing out Apple Watches at deep discounts, today only") If you're been dying to get your hands on a new Apple Watch but you're reluctant to part with all that cash, today is most definitely your lucky day. Amazon is blowing out refurbished Apple Watches at deep discounts, and three different generations of Apple Watch are covered in the big sale. You can snag an Apple Watch Series 1 for just $185, the Apple Watch Series 2 starts at just $212, and Apple Watch Series 3 models can be had for as little as $296! These prices are only good for one day though, and these are refurbs so supply of the more popular models will probably sell out. ## Apple Watch Series 1 * Renewed products look and work like new. These pre-owned products have been inspected and tested by Amazon-qualified suppliers, which typically perform a full diagnostic test, replacement of any defective parts, and a thorough cleaning process. Wireless devices have batteries tested to have at least 80% capacity relative to new at the time of sale. Packaging, wall plug and charging cable may be generic (headphones not included). Wireless products on Amazon Renewed come with the 90 day Amazon Renewed Guarantee. * Apple S1P Dual-Core, WatchOS 3, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Light Sensor, Activity Tracker, Heart Monitor, Microphone and Speaker, Bluetooth * Aluminum Chassis with Ion-X Glass * 1.3" 272 x 340 Display * Activity and Heart Rate Monitoring ## Apple Watch Series 2 * Renewed products look and work like new. These pre-owned products have been inspected and tested by Amazon-qualified suppliers, which typically perform a full diagnostic test, replacement of any defective parts, and a thorough cleaning process. Wireless devices have batteries tested to have at least 80% capacity relative to new at the time of sale. Packaging, wall plug and charging cable may be generic (headphones not included). Wireless products on Amazon Renewed come with the 90 day Amazon Renewed Guarantee. ## Apple Watch Series 3 * Renewed products look and work like new. These pre-owned products have been inspected and tested by Amazon-qualified suppliers, which typically perform a full diagnostic test, replacement of any defective parts, and a thorough cleaning process. Packaging and accessories may be generic. All products on Amazon Renewed come with a minimum 90-day supplier-backed warranty. * Stainless Chassis, Sapphire Crystal with 1.3" 272 x 340 1000-Nit Display * Activity and Heart Rate Monitoring and Water-Resistant to 164' * Siri Integration * Integrated GPS & 4G LTE Connectivity, Bluetooth 4.2, 802.11b, g, n Wi-Fi
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| 'Jersey Shore' star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro files domestic battery report against ex-girlfriend Posted: 04 Jan 2019 12:16 PM PST  Las Vegas police confirmed to USA TODAY that Ortiz-Magro, 33, had filed a domestic battery violence report against Jen Harley, with whom he shares a 9-month-old daughter, Ariana Sky.
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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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| Syria is 'sand and death,' Trump says Posted: 03 Jan 2019 09:21 AM PST  US President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered a rather stark take on the situation in war-wracked Syria, summing it up in two words -- "sand and death" -- while remaining vague about the timing of the withdrawal of US troops. "So Syria was lost long ago. "I never said we are getting out overnight," 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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| The Biggest Jet Engine in History Is Ready For Flight Posted: 04 Jan 2019 10:09 AM PST  It's bigger than a Boeing 737's fuselage, and it's almost ready.
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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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