| China's Xi hopes US, N. Korea will 'meet halfway' Posted: 09 Jan 2019 11:48 PM PST  Chinese President Xi Jinping offered North Korean leader Kim Jong Un firm backing in deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States, insisting the two sides should meet "halfway", state media said Thursday. Kim visited Beijing by train this week for two days of discussions that reasserted China's role in the process, and were seen as a strategy session ahead of a second summit between the North Korean leader and US President Donald Trump. At their first meeting in Singapore in June, Kim and Trump signed a vaguely worded document with Kim pledging to work towards the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".
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| Lawyer: Man denies involvement in killing of Houston girl Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:46 PM PST  HOUSTON (AP) — A man accused in a drive-by shooting that killed a 7-year-old Houston girl says he wasn't involved in the attack, his lawyer said Thursday.
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| The History of American Teacher Strikes—And Where Los Angeles Fits In Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:41 AM PST  Los Angeles county school teachers are striking after failed negotiations to get smaller class sizes, higher pay, and increased funding.
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| As shutdown grinds on, furloughed workers rally Posted: 09 Jan 2019 10:52 AM PST  At a rally in downtown Philadelphia, furloughed government workers joined by four members of Congress expressed frustration at the prolonged partial government shutdown.
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| Australia FM says country assessing resettlement push for Saudi woman in Thailand Posted: 10 Jan 2019 01:36 AM PST  Australia's foreign minister Thursday declined to say how long it will take to consider a UN request to resettle a young Saudi woman who fled her family, as the 18-year-old's plight sparked a topless protest in Sydney and debate among Saudis over their country's restrictive "guardianship" laws. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun's attempt to flee the ultra-conservative kingdom has become a cause celebre for rights groups since the 18-year-old landed in Bangkok from Kuwait last weekend. Thai authorities threatened to deport her but with the help of activists, diplomats and a hastily opened Twitter account Qunun launched an impassioned asylum campaign.
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| Ford plans 'significant' job cuts in Europe, expects Volkswagen ties Posted: 10 Jan 2019 12:02 PM PST  Ford Motor Co. announced job cuts for hourly and salaried workers in Europe after facing steep losses there.
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| 1 year after the devastating mudslides: Then-and-now photos capture Montecito, California Posted: 09 Jan 2019 08:57 AM PST  On Jan. 9, 2018, the Southern California town of Montecito became overwhelmed with destructive mudslides after a potent storm prowled through the area.
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| Chicago Woman with Concealed Carry License Shoots, Kills Would-Be Robber: Police Posted: 09 Jan 2019 09:01 AM PST  A 25-year-old Chicago woman with a concealed carry license shot and killed a man who tried to rob her.
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| Reports: Rosenstein Leaving DOJ After New Attorney General Confirmed Posted: 09 Jan 2019 05:27 AM PST  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will reportedly leave the Trump administration as soon as attorney general nominee William Barr is confirmed. According to multiple reports, Rosenstein has informed President Trump of his upcoming departure after a tumultuous tenure at the Justice Department. Barr's confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee will kick off next week on January 15.
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| Canadian officials allowed second visit to man detained in China Posted: 10 Jan 2019 09:10 AM PST  Canadian diplomats in China on Thursday held their second meeting with one of two citizens who were detained last month after the arrest of a senior Chinese executive in Vancouver, the Canadian foreign ministry said. "Today, Canadian consular officials in China visited with Michael Kovrig," the ministry said in a statement that provided no further details. Officials met Michael Spavor, the other man, on Tuesday.
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| The Australian Prime Minister Gets Roasted for Major 'Shoegate' Photoshop Fail Posted: 09 Jan 2019 08:30 AM PST  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is being called out for photoshopping his shoes, in what some are now calling #shoegate.
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| U.S. Military Trusted More Than Google, Facebook to Develop AI Posted: 10 Jan 2019 07:02 AM PST  More than two-thirds of those surveyed said they had either "no confidence" or "not too much confidence" in Facebook developing A.I., a report from the Center for the Governance of AI, part of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, said. The public was significantly more skeptical about Facebook than other tech companies working on cutting-edge A.I. research, according to the survey. Among technology companies, Microsoft Corp. was the most trusted, with 44 percent of people saying they had either "a great deal of confidence" or "a fair amount of confidence" in its ability to create A.I. that wouldn't pose risks, the survey found.
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| Turkey adamant on tough stance on Syrian Kurdish fighters Posted: 09 Jan 2019 08:00 AM PST  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that Turkey will not refrain from military action to protect its borders from what he describes as threats posed by Syrian Kurdish fighters.
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| Syria Kurds say 8 foreign jihadists captured including US teen Posted: 09 Jan 2019 06:46 AM PST  Syria's Kurds on Wednesday said they had captured eight alleged foreign jihadists including an American teenager in fighting against the Islamic State group. The eight, detained on Sunday and Monday, include a 16-year-old American as well as a German and a Russian, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said in a statement. Two are from Uzbekistan.
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| Saudi woman whose asylum plea went viral might find safety in Australia Posted: 09 Jan 2019 05:59 AM PST  The Australian government said it will consider resettlement for a Saudi woman whose plea to seek asylum while escaping her family went viral.
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| Here’s what NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft sees as it orbits Bennu asteroid Posted: 08 Jan 2019 07:04 PM PST  It's only been about a week since NASA successfully inserted its OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe into orbit around the large space rock known as Bennu, after initially arriving in early December. The diamond-shaped object will quickly become one of the most closely-studied asteroids ever, but for now NASA wants to learn as much about Bennu's surface as possible, and that means observing it from every angle. In a new video animation that has been stitched together from numerous still shots we get one of our best looks yet at the asteroid. As the probe circles the rock, its powerful lens has captured Bennu from just about every angle, making for a neat little movie. "During the month of December, the spacecraft performed a preliminary survey of Bennu, conducting three flyovers of the asteroid's north pole and one each of its equator and south pole," NASA's OSIRIS-REx team explains. "The data gathered during these flybys allowed the mission team to more precisely estimate Bennu's mass so that the spacecraft could go into orbit around the asteroid." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S29O8dUhFgY OSIRIS-REx has a fairly long road ahead of it before NASA declares the mission a complete success. The spacecraft will remain in orbit around Bennu for at least the next year or so, closely studying it and delivering even more images of its messy surface. During that time, NASA will decide on a spot from which to collect a material sample, eventually touching down on Bennu and retrieving some of its surface material before flying back to Earth. OSIRIS-REx is expected to arrive back on Earth sometime in 2023, at which point eager scientists will have an opportunity to study the sample in great detail. If everything goes according to plan, the mission should teach scientists a great deal about asteroid formation and perhaps even give us a window into the earliest days of our Solar System.
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| Venezuelan President Maduro sworn in for second term amid international boycott Posted: 10 Jan 2019 10:01 AM PST  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in to a second term on Thursday in a ceremony shunned by most of the international community amid a devastating economic crisis. A dozen Latin American governments and Canada in a coalition have rejected the legitimacy of Maduro's next term, and Washington has sanctioned top officials in his government. Paraguay's president, Mario Abdo Benitez, said on Thursday that he was severing diplomatic relations with Venezuela and closing the country's embassy. But Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Bolivian President Evo Morales and President Anatoli Bibilov of a breakaway province of Georgia were among the foreign leaders who attended the ceremony at the country's Supreme Court. Maduro said 94 countries had sent representatives to the inauguration. Residents of Caracas awoke Thursday to unusually quiet streets but with a noticeably increased security presence and armed checkpoints. Bolivia's President Evo Morales arrives for the swearing-in ceremony Credit: Reuters State TV showed Maduro arriving at the Supreme Court where he is took the oath of office from Chief Justice Maikel Moreno. Hundreds of officials gathered inside the court's chambers cheered Maduro. Maduro's second term extends Venezuela's socialist revolution amid widespread complaints that he has stripped Venezuela of its last vestiges of democracy. Maduro denies that he's a dictator and often blames President Donald Trump of leading an economic war against Venezuela that's destroying the country. "Not before, not now, nor will there ever be a dictatorship in Venezuela," Maduro said in a Wednesday news conference. Oil-rich Venezuela was once among Latin America's wealthiest nations. It produced 3.5 million barrels of crude daily when Chavez took power. Output now has plummeted to less than a third of that. Critics blame years of rampant corruption and mismanagement of the state-run oil firm PDVSA. The economic collapse has left the nation of roughly 30 million in the throes of a historic crisis. An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled their nation's hyperinflation, food and medical shortages over the last two years, according to the United Nations. Those remaining live on a monthly minimum wage equal to less than $5 and falling daily. Venezuela's splintered opposition movement has failed to counter the socialist party's dominance. Maduro's government has jailed or driven into exile its most popular leaders. Anti-government politicians successfully rallied thousands to the streets across Venezuela for four months of demonstrations in 2017, when clashes with government forces left more than 120 protesters dead and thousands injured. Maduro remained squarely in power. In May, he declared victory in presidential election that his political opponents and many foreign nations consider illegitimate because popular opponents were banned from running and the largest anti-government parties boycotted the race.
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| 12-Year-Old Girl Lured into SUV, Raped in New York City, Police Say Posted: 10 Jan 2019 08:31 AM PST  Police are looking for the man accused of luring and raping a 12-year-old girl in the Bronx.
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| China's passenger car sales fall for first time in years Posted: 09 Jan 2019 07:10 AM PST  China's annual passenger car sales fell last year for the first time in more than 20 years as the trade war with the US rocked consumer confidence and Beijing reined in car financing channels. Passenger car sales fell to 22.4 million vehicles in 2018, down 5.8 percent from a year earlier, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Wednesday. In December sales plummeted 19.2 percent from a year earlier, the CPCA said.
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| Road near Jerusalem puts wall between Israelis, Palestinians Posted: 10 Jan 2019 08:48 AM PST  A newly-opened highway into Jerusalem divides Israeli and Palestinian drivers into separate lanes with a wall, leading Palestinians to label it an "apartheid road". Route 4370, which winds for several kilometres (miles) northeast of Jerusalem, consists of two separate two-way roads divided by a wall topped with fencing. Israeli officials say the road will ease heavy traffic in the Jerusalem area for residents of settlements in the West Bank, occupied by Israel for more than 50 years.
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| Fed Minutes to Reveal Debates Behind Unanimous Decision to Hike Posted: 08 Jan 2019 09:00 PM PST  The report may provide important clues about the level of solidarity among officials at the Dec. 18-19 Federal Open Market Committee meeting, when policy makers raised interest rates and forecast further increases despite plunging stocks and pressure from President Donald Trump for a halt. "These minutes will still be relevant because they're going to give us a sense of the debate within the FOMC," said Michelle Meyer, head of U.S. economics at Bank of America Corp. Rate moves are "still a committee decision, and understanding the division of views on the committee is important," she added.
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| TSA union: Officers quitting over shutdown, posing threat to passenger safety Posted: 09 Jan 2019 06:17 AM PST  A TSA union official warned that the situation poses a "massive security risk for American travelers."
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| Where the investigations related to President Trump stand Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:17 PM PST  Where the investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him:
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| Claims of rigging as opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi unexpectedly wins Congo election Posted: 09 Jan 2019 07:20 PM PST  A rank outsider was declared the winner of Congo's presidential election on Thursday, prompting opposition claims of a plot by the ruling party to prolong its hold on power. Raising fears of violence in one of Africa's most volatile states, the electoral commission defied the findings of local observers by naming Felix Tshisekedi the next president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But the first peaceful transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960 will be overshadowed by a result that was widely questioned both inside and outside the country. Although Mr Tshisekedi is a member of the opposition - and as such as secured a stunning victory over the ruling party of Joseph Kabila, the outgoing president - he was not the opposition candidate many expected to win. Congo's Catholic Church, which stationed 40,000 observers at polling stations across the country, had previously told Western diplomats that it believed Martin Fayulu, Mr Tshisekedi's rival within the opposition, was the election's real victor. Supporters of Felix Tshisekedi took to the streets of Kinshasa Credit: BAZ RATNER/ REUTERS Mr Fayulu was swift to denounce the result, calling it "rigged, fabricated and invented." Amid claims that Mr Kabila and Mr Tshisekedi had reached a secret deal to share power, he claimed that he had been denied power by an "electoral coup." "The results have nothing to do with the truth of the ballot box," Mr Fayulu told Radio France Internationale. Suggesting a potential showdown between the Joseph Kabila, the outgoing president, and the West, the French government was quick to cast doubt on the credibility of the count. "We must have clarity on these results, which are the opposite to what we expected," France's foreign minister, Jean-Yves le Drian, said. "The Catholic Church of Congo did its tally and announced completely different results." In a pre-dawn announcement, the electoral commission declared that Mr Tshisekedi had won 38 per cent of the vote, securing 600,000 more ballots than Mr Fayulu, who came second. Opposition candidate, and expected winner, Martin Fayulu denounced the results Credit: JOHN WESSELS/AFP On the face of it, Mr Tshisekedi's victory is a remarkable one. In a country with a history of government kleptocracy and brutal civil war, none of Congo's four previous presidents assumed power at the ballot box. For many Congolese, the idea that an opponent of the ruling party could win a presidential election would also have seemed unimaginable. But Mr Tshisekedi now finds himself battling suspicions as to whether he was really a member of the opposition or a last-minute recruit to President Kabila's ruling People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy. Mr Kabila, who came to power after his father's assassination in 2001, has been accused of using every conceivable method to stay in power. He failed to change the constitution, which required him to stand down in 2016, but repeated delays in holding a new presidential election allowed him to cling on for two more years. Under heavy Western pressure, he finally allowed the election to go ahead. Although he was barred from standing, he anointed his former interior minister, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, as the ruling party's candidate. Joseph Kabila greets some electoral observers after casting his vote, December 30 Credit: LUIS TATO /AFP Dropping hints that Mr Shadary would merely be a cipher, the president also suggested he would run again in 2023, a strategy his critics called "Plan Putin". Yet the plan misfired. The regime was accused of doing everything it could to ensure Mr Shadary's victory. Voting was banned in three pro-opposition provinces, officially because of an Ebola outbreak. Electronic balloting machines in opposition-leaning areas where voting did take place often failed to work. Some voters said they were told by armed soldiers to vote for Mr Shadary or face the consequences. But after voting closed, it was soon whispered that Mr Shadary had fallen well short; in the end he finished an ignominious third. But diplomats and local observers, apparently convinced that Mr Fayulu had won, grew increasingly anxious after the electoral commission missed last Sunday's deadline to announce the result of the vote, which took place on Dec 30. Rumours began to circulate that the ruling party, realising it faced international condemnation and domestic uproar if Mr Shadary was declared the winner, had instead approached Mr Tshisekedi, also said to have been well beaten, with a deal. The speculation only increased after it emerged that Mr Tshisekedi and the ruling party had been having meetings, although aides on Thursday said that the talks had purely been about the logistics of transferring power. Whatever the truth, many Congo watchers will be surprised by the verdict. Mr Fayulu was widely considered the stronger opposition candidate because he had been backed by two prominent and widely popular rivals of the president who had been barred from standing. Other members of the opposition — including Mr Tshisekedi until he changed his mind — had also agreed to withdraw their candidacies and endorse Mr Fayulu, who now has ten working days to submit a legal challenge to the vote. Although no violence has been reported since the result was announced, Mr Fayulu has yet to address his supporters. It is unclear if he will call for protests. Mr Tshisekedi, meanwhile, used his first speech as president-elect to promise to serve all Congolese. He also raised eyebrows by calling President Kabila "an important political partner". It is possible that he could unite the country. Some opposition voters have told reporters they would accept a victory by any candidate who was not from the ruling party.
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| Legal aid fund launched for WikiLeaks founder Assange Posted: 10 Jan 2019 09:40 AM PST  A British charity helping whistleblowers around the world on Thursday launched a legal aid fund for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, warning his expulsion from Ecuador's embassy in London "may be imminent". The Courage Foundation said Assange's position in the embassy, where he has been living since seeking refuge there in 2012, was "under increasingly serious threat". Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno last month said that "the way has been cleared for Mr Assange to take the decision to leave in near-liberty".
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| Apple, Qualcomm spar over CEOs' comments on settlement talks Posted: 09 Jan 2019 11:24 AM PST  Apple on Wednesday said it stood by Cook's comments. The two companies are disputing comments their respective CEOs have made over settlement talks. Apple's chief on Tuesday said any talks ended in September 2018.
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| American Airlines’ Robert Crandall Remembers Herb Kelleher, the Soul of Southwest Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:45 AM PST  Soul of Southwest
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| Fiat Chrysler Will Pay $800 Million to Settle Emissions Cheating Claims Posted: 10 Jan 2019 09:43 AM PST  The settlement includes payments and software updates for consumers who own one of the 100,000 affected vehicles.
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| Google's New Policy Chief Weighs Washington Reshuffle Posted: 09 Jan 2019 04:48 PM PST  Karan Bhatia, who joined in June, is reassessing the roles of existing staff, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. This may hasten the departure of Google's longtime Washington director, former Representative Susan Molinari, according to one of the people. Molinari, a Republican who joined Alphabet Inc.'s Google in 2012, was slated to transition to an advisory role this month, opening up her position as head of policy for the Americas.
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| Sears bankruptcy: Sears reportedly gets last-minute offer to potentially avert liquidation Posted: 09 Jan 2019 04:35 PM PST  Sears Holdings reportedly received a last-minute offer that could save a shrunken version of the company from liquidation.
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| 'No slamming!': Trump denies 'tantrum' in shutdown talks Posted: 10 Jan 2019 06:20 AM PST  President Trump is disputing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's assertion that he had a "temper tantrum" before walking out of a White House meeting on border security.
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| Report: Military officers, relatives tortured in Venezuela Posted: 08 Jan 2019 09:07 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement forces in Venezuela have detained and tortured military personnel accused of plotting against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, according to two prominent human rights organizations.
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| Meet the YF-23 Stealth Fighter and X-32: The Jets That Almost Replaced the F-22 and F-35. Posted: 09 Jan 2019 06:33 AM PST  Did the U.S. military make the wrong choices?
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| Chevron, Occidental invest in CO2 removal technology Posted: 09 Jan 2019 05:50 AM PST  Canada's Carbon Engineering has been scrubbing air in British Columbia
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| The North Face unveils breathable waterproof fabric at CES 2019 Posted: 10 Jan 2019 03:02 AM PST  The North Face is focusing on revolutionizing waterproof fabrics with its latest innovation. The outdoor lifestyle brand has unveiled a new breathable waterproof material dubbed 'Futurelight' at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. "Right now, the expectation from a waterproof product is something loud, crunchy, muggy and unpackable," said Scott Mellin, Global General Manager of Mountain Sports at The North Face, in a statement.
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| All-Electric 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC Latest Challenge to Tesla Posted: 09 Jan 2019 07:21 AM PST  Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new electric-focused EQ sub-brand and showcased its first model, the EQC SUV, at an event in Stockholm in September, 2018 and showcased the EQC this week at the Consume...
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| Fiat Chrysler to pay $515 mn in US 'dieselgate' settlements Posted: 10 Jan 2019 09:39 AM PST  Fiat Chrysler has agreed to a $515 million US settlement on charges it installed "defeat devices" on cars to evade emissions tests, the US Justice Department announced Thursday. The auto giant will recall and repair more than 100,000 diesel vehicles sold in the United States at a cost of about $185 million. The remaining funds will go to civil fines and mitigation payments to the United States and the state of California.
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| Get this Cuisinart coffeemaker on sale for super cheap: It's just $64 at Walmart Posted: 10 Jan 2019 08:38 AM PST  If you're the type of person who needs lots of caffeine ASAP after waking up, you're not alone. Skip the line at the coffee shop and save some money by investing in a good coffeemaker. The Cuisinart Brew Central is on sale today for $64.04, which is more than $100 off its listed price at Walmart. SEE ALSO: Best single-serve coffeemakers we're loving right now This programmable coffeemaker will have its 12-cup carafe ready for you so you can be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed within minutes of dragging yourself out of bed. The Cuisinart has 24-hour brew programming and an automatic shut-off. If you forget to set your coffeemaker, don't fret. The Cuisinart Brew Central gets going quickly and has a Brew Pause feature, so you don't have to wait to get your hands around a hot cup of joe. Check out this video for more details on the Brew Central's specs: This coffeemaker is high quality for a decent price. It's a good option without breaking the bank if you're not trying to dish out a couple hundred dollars for a brand like Nespresso. Plus, Walmart has the best deal on the Cuisinart Brew Central today: Cuisinart's official site lists it for $89.95 and Best Buy has it for $89.99. Image: CUISINART Get the Cuisinart Brew Central for $64.04 See Details
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| DJ admits to murder, apologizes to victim's family Posted: 09 Jan 2019 03:14 AM PST  A Pennsylvania DJ has admitted to murdering a 25-year-old woman in 1992, prosecutors said, after DNA linked him to the cold case killing.
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| President Trump says he's cutting off FEMA money for California fires Posted: 09 Jan 2019 08:56 AM PST  "Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money," the president tweeted Wednesday
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| Lawsuit targets GOP laws reducing Wisconsin governor's power Posted: 10 Jan 2019 11:58 AM PST ![Lawsuit targets GOP laws reducing Wisconsin governor's power]( "Lawsuit targets GOP laws reducing Wisconsin governor's power") MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A coalition of liberal-leaning groups filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to void laws passed by Wisconsin Republicans that reduced the powers of the newly elected Democratic governor and attorney general.
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| UK opposition leader Corbyn calls for election to break Brexit impasse Posted: 10 Jan 2019 06:01 AM PST  Pledging to vote against Prime Minister Theresa May's deal next week, Corbyn said only a Labour government could secure an accord with the European Union that would re-unite Britain, a move that would, he acknowledged, most probably require an extension of the Brexit talks with Brussels. Parliament is deadlocked over how to proceed with Brexit, Britain's biggest shift in foreign and trade policy in more than 40 years, and is expected to vote against May's deal on Tuesday plunging the departure from the EU into deeper uncertainty. With less than three months before Britain leaves the EU, May has warned lawmakers if they do vote down her deal, they would be opening the way for a disorderly exit or for Brexit not to happen at all.
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