| Death toll from Mexico pipeline blast reaches 91, Pemex defends response Posted: 21 Jan 2019 05:19 PM PST  Hundreds of people near the small town of Tlahuelilpan in Hidalgo state rushed to collect fuel from a gushing duct which authorities said was punctured by suspected thieves, and dozens were caught in the explosion that followed. The blast followed severe shortages of gasoline in central Mexico after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in late December launched a major crackdown on fuel theft, ordering pipelines closed in a bid to thwart the criminal activity. Some people at the blast site said those shortages had encouraged local residents to try to make up the deficit by collecting fuel from the ruptured pipeline - a version of events that was backed up by officials in the state government.
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| US to seek Huawei exec's extradition from Canada Posted: 22 Jan 2019 04:16 PM PST  The United States confirmed Tuesday that it plans to seek the extradition of Chinese telecom giant Huawei's finance director, who was detained in Canada on a US request, before a January 30 deadline. "We will continue to pursue the extradition of defendant Ms. Meng Wanzhou, and will meet all deadlines set by the US/Canada Extradition Treaty," said Justice Department spokesperson Marc Raimondi.
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| The New 2020 GMC Sierra HD Is a Reskinned Silverado HD Posted: 22 Jan 2019 04:23 PM PST  As usual, the GMC will come with extra chrome and an in-your-face grille.
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| Native American elder, teen at center of crowd in viral video speak out Posted: 21 Jan 2019 11:39 AM PST  After a Native American elder and a group of teens were at the center of a viral video showing a confrontation after the Indigenous Peoples March, both sides are speaking out.
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| Romania president: plan to invalidate graft cases not legal Posted: 22 Jan 2019 01:47 PM PST ![Romania president: plan to invalidate graft cases not legal]( "Romania president: plan to invalidate graft cases not legal") BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's president said on Tuesday that a government decree that could invalidate hundreds of corruption cases involving senior officials is "crassly unconstitutional," a development that also prompted concern from the European Union.
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| Polar plunge: Record low temperatures roll into Midwest, East behind snowstorm Posted: 21 Jan 2019 02:31 PM PST  High winds and brutal cold greeted brave souls armed with shovels digging out Monday from up to two feet of snow across a wide swath of the nation.
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| British pound recovers as May outlines Brexit 'Plan B' Posted: 21 Jan 2019 09:02 AM PST  The pound recovered ground Monday after British Prime Minister Theresa May said she plans to return to Brussels to discuss changes to the Brexit deal she agreed with EU leaders last month despite an overwhelming rejection of the draft text by MPs last week. There was mixed news out of China, with official data showing the country's economic growth at its slowest pace in 28 years offsetting a report that the country has offered to eliminate its massive trade surplus with the United States -- easing trade war tensions between the world's two biggest economies. "Unless the British PM intends to commit political suicide, an extension request is the most likely scenario and the EU will most probably agree, which should be a positive development that will take the pound towards $1.30 again," predicted Konstantinos Anthis, Head of Research at ADSS.
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| Supreme Court Temporarily Reinstates Transgender Military Ban Posted: 22 Jan 2019 09:03 AM PST  The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily reinstated the Trump administration's partial ban on transgender individuals' serving in the military. While declining to consider the legality of the policy, the Court granted the administration's request to halt district-court injunctions against the policy's enforcement until the Ninth Circuit could rule on it. Federal trial judges in California, Washington, D.C., and Washington state have ruled against the ban after plaintiffs argued that it violates the the Constitution's First Amendment and equal-protection and due-process clauses.
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| Ex-U.S. marine jailed in Russia for spying was misled: lawyer Posted: 22 Jan 2019 12:59 PM PST  Russia's Federal Security Service detained Paul Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, in a Moscow hotel room on Dec. 28. Whelan appeared in a Moscow court on Tuesday, where a judge rejected releasing him on bail. Whelan, who denies the charges, was detained after receiving a thumb drive containing a list of all the employees of a secret Russian state agency, the Russian online news portal Rosbalt.ru reported this month.
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| FOG Design+Art Shakes Things Up in San Francisco Posted: 22 Jan 2019 11:17 AM PST |
| Meng Wanzhou: US to proceed with extradition of Huawei executive despite risk of angering China Posted: 21 Jan 2019 09:43 PM PST  The US will go ahead with formal extradition proceedings to bring the detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to America from Canada, it has been reported, despite the risk of increased trans-Pacific tensions. Canada's ambassador to the US, David MacNaughton, said in an interview on Monday that Washington had told Ottawa it will make the formal request, without going into detail on timing. Ms Meng was detained by Canada on 1 December at the request of the United States, meaning the deadline for filing the extradition request falls on 30 January – 60 days later.
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| Ghosn awaits fate after vowing to stay in Japan if bailed Posted: 21 Jan 2019 01:53 AM PST  Carlos Ghosn awaits his fate as a Tokyo court prepares to rule on his bail request after the ousted Nissan boss vowed to remain in Japan if released and offered to provide more collateral. "As the court considers my bail application, I want to emphasise that I will reside in Japan and respect any and all bail conditions the Court concludes are warranted," Ghosn said in a statement released by his US-based representatives. A spokeswoman for Ghosn, Devon Spurgeon, said his family had already rented an apartment in Tokyo where he promised to reside while awaiting trial.
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| Trump Presses Ahead on State of Union After Pelosi’s Suggestion to Delay Posted: 22 Jan 2019 09:30 AM PST  The request was made to House officials, according to White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and is another escalation in his battle with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The House sergeant-at-arms, one of the recipients of the White House request over the weekend, is awaiting a response from Pelosi's office. Pelosi last week said Trump should postpone the address because of security concerns stemming from the shutdown and consider delivering it in writing instead of in-person.
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| A century on, Basra's British-era shipyard going strong Posted: 22 Jan 2019 07:47 AM PST  Thousands of ships, including former dictator Saddam Hussein's yacht, have passed through the Iraqi shipyard's three docks, where a giant steam engine hauls them out of the water and up the century-old wooden tracks. Mohammed Adnan, who has been operating the huge steam engine for six years now, says it is not easy. "They say they [the British] brought in the wood from Burma... we tried to drill a 1.5 inch nail into it once, we couldn't," said Jassim Hussain Sabour, the shipyard's longest-serving worker.
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| Andrea Kelly describes ex-husband R. Kelly as 'broken': 'He was abusive to me' Posted: 21 Jan 2019 11:43 AM PST  Andrea "Drea" Kelly said ex-husband R. Kelly was 'abusive to me verbally, emotionally, physically, sexually.'
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| Women’s March Leader Claims Questions about Anti-Semitism Were Racist Posted: 21 Jan 2019 12:30 PM PST  Women's March co-chair Tamika Mallory claimed during a recent interview that The View's Meghan McCain aggressively questioned her about her ties to infamous anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan because McCain is racist. Mallory, who labeled Farrakhan the GOAT on social media after attending a speech in which he labeled Jews "satanic," said she intended to praise the Nation of Islam leader's past advocacy on behalf of the black community, not his virulent and frequently displayed anti-Semitism. Asked by McCain to explicitly condemn Farrakhan, Mallory refused — a decision she now attributes to McCain's aggressive rhetorical style, which she claims was racially motivated.
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| Waymo will build self-driving cars in Michigan Posted: 22 Jan 2019 11:42 AM PST  The company says the state has "excellent snowy conditions" for testing.
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| America's F-35 Stealth Fighter: The Ultimate Missile Killer? Posted: 21 Jan 2019 08:00 PM PST  The Pentagon wants to add F-35 stealth fighters to America's missile shield. But to have any chance at shooting down ballistic missiles, the F-35 might need a new weapon.
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| Prince Philip crash: passenger who broke wrist claims police haven't asked her for statement four days on Posted: 21 Jan 2019 03:16 AM PST  A woman who broke her wrist in a car crash with the Duke of Edinburgh has criticised police for their treatment of her, claiming she has still not been asked for a statement four days on. Emma Fairweather, 46, was a passenger in a Kia Carens which collided with the Duke's Land Rover on Thursday, and has said she is "very upset" by the treatment she has received from police and Buckingham Palace. Claiming she has not even been asked to give a statement detailing what happened, she said she believed she was being treated differently to the Duke, who has since been photographed out driving again. Ms Fairweather has received a message of support from the Queen, delivered by a lady-in-waiting via a telephone message while she was away from home, but said of the approach of police and palace: "The support that I was offered initially hasn't really been the reality for me. "I've had no opportunity to discuss this in any formal capacity. "I need somebody to understand that I still have medical concerns. I'm very worried that I haven't been asked for a statement from the police. The scene of the crash, near Sandringham "When I contacted the Family Liaison Officer to say I have a number of questions, he hasn't been prepared to listen to those." She added: ""There needs to be a decision as to whether Prince Philip and I are from the same walk of life or not, and we either receive the same treatment or we don't. "I haven't had a full medical check over yet, I just feel that his treatment or his experience hasn't been the same as mine." A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "In any collision investigation our priority is to ensure medical welfare is addressed in the first instance before taking any statement. "We can confirm arrangements were made on Friday (18 January) to take a statement from the passenger involved in the collision. This will take place tomorrow (22 January). "Further contact was attempted on a number of occasions over the weekend but unfortunately these were not successful. "Family liaison officers are not normally deployed for collisions of this nature. However, recognising the level of public interest in this case we felt it appropriate to provide additional support. "All family liaison officers give advice around handling media attention, and as part of this, it is made clear that it is a decision for the individual whether or not to speak to journalists." Ms Fairweather was interviewed on ITV's This Morning, following several interviews with the Daily and Sunday Mirror newspapers. Her friend, the 28-year-old driver of the car Ellie Townsend, has chosen not to speak publicly, understood to be shaken by the experience after fearing for her nine-month-old baby son in the back of the car. Ms Fairweather claimed she has asked for car insurance details from Mrs Townsend "a number of times" in the aftermath of the crash, telling This Morning: "Finally yesterday afternoon I received a very formal email from her husband to share those details with me." The Duke of Edinburgh driving in September 2018 Credit: Peter Jolly Asked what she hoped for from officials, she said: "I think an acknowledgement, not so much any admission of responsibility, but that somebody who would like to talk to me about how difficult this is going to be for me. "I've had no support. The only support I've had is my very immediate family. "Neither party [the Duke or the second driver] have been forthcoming with very much information." Asked about whether she had spoken to the Duke immediately after the crash, she said: "Somebody said he did try to but he was advised not to. "[But] I don't think asking if you're OK is accepting liability." The Duke was photographed on Saturday driving a replacement Land Rover near to the Sandringham Estate, without wearing a seatbelt. Ms Fairweather said she had been "very upset" after seeing the pictures, adding: "Of course accidents happen, but there needs to be a period of reflection on what could be done differently to prevent the same thing happening again. "It was highly insensitive and inconsiderate to me." The Queen attends church at Sandringham on Sunday Credit: Mark Cuthbert Mary Morrison, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, had telephoned Ms Fairweather prior to the interview, saying in a message: "Hello, I'm ringing from Sandringham House. "The Queen has asked me to telephone you to pass on her warmest good wishes following the accident and she is very eager to know how you are and hope that everything is going as well as can be expected. "We're all thinking of you very much at Sandringham and I'll try you at a later date. Unfortunately I've got to go out quite shortly but I hope all is well as can be expected for you. Thank you very much indeed. Goodbye." A senior Palace aide has also spoken directly to the driver.
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| New details come to light of viral video of Catholic high school students and Native American man Posted: 21 Jan 2019 04:22 PM PST  Full video tells different story of viral moment between Native American and student; panel reaction on 'The Story.'
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| Zimbabwe Says Tweet About Palace Coup Talk Was Fake Posted: 21 Jan 2019 05:02 AM PST  Bloomberg erroneously reported earlier that President Emmerson Mnangagwa's spokesman, George Charamba, dismissed rumors of a palace coup, citing a tweet from the account. Charamba does not have a Twitter account, Regis Chikowore, principal director at the information ministry, said by phone.
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| 2019 Mercedes-AMG E53 Coupe - Photos Posted: 22 Jan 2019 09:42 AM PST |
| Meet the Women Who Protested the Women’s March Posted: 21 Jan 2019 09:28 AM PST  Women from various political and ideological backgrounds challenged the 2019 Women's March by marching in protest and organizing alternative rallies near the Washington, D.C. event on Saturday. The third annual Women's March took place in Freedom Plaza, a more confined space than in years past, suggesting that organizers anticipated smaller crowds after facing allegations of anti-Semitism and defending Nation of Islam's anti-Semitic leader Louis Farrakhan. Following the development of those controversies, conservative group Independent Women's Forum (IWF) organized a rally across the street in the name of "all women" at the same time as the Women's March.
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| Google spends big on U.S. lobbying amid antitrust, bias battles Posted: 22 Jan 2019 03:10 PM PST  Alphabet Inc's Google disclosed on Tuesday that it spent a company-record $21.2 million on lobbying the United States government in 2018, topping its previous high of $18.22 million in 2012, as the search engine operator fights wide-ranging scrutiny into its practices. Google said in a quarterly disclosure to Congress that it spent $4.9 million on lobbying activities during the fourth quarter, slightly above $4.4 million in the same period a year ago. The 2018 total also surpassed $18.04 million spent on lobbying in 2017, according to tracking of the filings by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
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| Hamas militant killed by Israeli fire after soldier injured: officials Posted: 22 Jan 2019 09:18 AM PST  A Hamas militant was killed by Israeli tank fire along the Gaza border Tuesday, the health ministry in the strip said, in what the Israeli army described as a response to gunfire which wounded a soldier. Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP that Mohammed al-Nabaheen, 24, was hit by tank fire and died, while two other people were hurt. Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, confirmed he was a member of its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
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| Three dead from separate avalanches in Colorado and New Mexico Posted: 22 Jan 2019 12:22 PM PST  Two deaths have been confirmed in the US after two separate avalanches in Colorado and New Mexico trapped skiers in crushing snow this week and last. Authorities in Aspen, Colorado confirmed the most recent death on Monday, which happened to be the same day that relatives of a New Mexico avalanche victim announced their loss. A second victim of the New Mexico avalanche had already been reported.
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| Russia opens civil cases against Facebook, Twitter - report Posted: 21 Jan 2019 01:54 AM PST  Russia's communication watchdog said on Monday it was opening administrative proceedings against Twitter and Facebook for failing to explain how they plan to comply with local data laws, the Interfax news agency reported. Roskomnadzor, the watchdog, was quoted as saying that Twitter and Facebook had not explained how and when they would comply with legislation that requires all servers used to store Russians' personal data to be located in Russia.
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| Striking teachers in LA reach tentative settlement with district Posted: 22 Jan 2019 02:32 PM PST  Los Angeles public school teachers reached a tentative settlement with school officials Tuesday in order to end a weeklong strike that has affected some 500,000 students. The settlement -- reached after 21 hours of marathon talks that ended early Tuesday -- was set to be voted on by the roughly 30,000 members of the teachers union later in the day and classes are due to resume on Wednesday. "The strike nobody wanted is now behind us," Los Angeles United School District superintendent Austin Beutner said at a joint press conference with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Alex Caputo-Pearl, the president of United Teachers Los Angeles.
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| Weakened Freedom Caucus Hustles for Relevance in the Pelosi Era Posted: 22 Jan 2019 01:00 AM PST  Freedom Caucus members remain some of President Donald Trump's staunchest and noisiest allies in a Democratic-controlled House under Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Truth of the matter is, you're going to see a branding of the Freedom Caucus that is taking it to the next level, in this Congress," said Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, the Freedom Caucus chairman who frequently engages directly with the president, including in late-night telephone calls.
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| J&J, U.S. states settle hip implant claims for $120 mln Posted: 22 Jan 2019 01:07 PM PST  Johnson & Johnson and its DePuy Orthopaedics unit have agreed to pay $120 million to resolve deceptive marketing claims by several U.S. states.
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| Ocasio Cortez: ‘The World is Going to End In Twelve Years If We Don’t Address Climate Change’ Posted: 22 Jan 2019 07:05 AM PST  "Millennials and people, you know, Gen Z and all these folks that will come after us are looking up and we're like: 'The world is gonna end in 12 years if we don't address climate change and your biggest issue is how are we gonna pay for it?'" Ocasio-Cortez told interviewer Tanehisi Coates at an "MLK Now" event in New York. The timeline Ocasio-Cortez referenced was likely based on a U.N. backed report, released last year, that predicted the consequences of man-made climate change would become irreversible in twelve years if global carbon emissions are not immediately and dramatically reduced.
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| Mr Porter and Off-White unveil their latest collaboration Posted: 22 Jan 2019 08:21 AM PST  Mr Porter has presented the fruit of its latest collaboration with streetwear label Off-White: a 44-piece capsule which reinterprets traditional sportswear. Christened "Modern Office," the collection is exclusively available from Mr Porter (www.mrporter.com). "Securing the Mr Porter account has always been a goal for me.
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| Police searching for Round Lake man after girl, 11, drives to school Posted: 21 Jan 2019 05:40 PM PST  Police in far north suburban Round Lake are searching for a man after teachers at John J. Murphy Elementary School saw an 11-year-old girl pull up to the school with the adult man in the passenger seat.
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| Amy Astley and Aerin Lauder Celebrate AERIN for The Shade Store Posted: 22 Jan 2019 04:07 PM PST |
| Tourist killed by falling window from Hong Kong hotel Posted: 21 Jan 2019 09:15 PM PST  A hotel employee arrested after a window she was cleaning fell onto a busy Hong Kong street and killed a tourist was released on bail Tuesday as investigators try to work out what caused the fatal tragedy. Police said a 24-year-old female tourist from the Chinese mainland was struck by the window which fell from the 16th floor of the Mira Hotel in the busy Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district on Monday. The accident sparked alarm that a window could possibly fall from the outside of a modern hotel building in a city stacked with skyscrapers.
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| Transgender Troops Will Face Obstacles After Supreme Court Order Posted: 22 Jan 2019 09:56 AM PST  Hundreds of transgender troops may continue serving in the military, but new recruits will face obstacles under a Supreme Court decision.
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| Open letter to Xi demands China release detained Canadians Posted: 21 Jan 2019 08:03 PM PST  A group of 143 former diplomats and scholars from 19 countries have penned an open letter to Xi Jinping, China's president, demanding Beijing to "immediately release" two Canadians detained in China. Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a prominent consultant on North Korean business issues, have been held for six weeks in Beijing. In their respective roles, the two frequently met with Chinese officials, researchers and scholars, the letter noted. The "detentions send a message that this kind of constructive work is unwelcome and even risky in China," the letter said. "That will lead to less dialogue and greater distrust, and undermine efforts to manage disagreements and identify common ground. Both China and the rest of the world will be worse off as a result." The pair disappeared as tensions escalated between Canada and China after Meng Wanzhou, a top executive from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, was arrested in December in Vancouver on a US extradition request related to Iran sanctions violations. Although Beijing has denied any link between the detentions and Ms Meng, 46, the two men were seized shortly after China threatened "serious consequences" over her case. Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou arrives at a parole office with a security guard in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018 Credit: Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press Last week, China handed down a death sentence to a Canadian citizen on drug trafficking charges in a rushed retrial that experts say is another example of Beijing acting in retaliation for Meng, and further efforts to pressure Ottawa in a diplomatic row that has now lasted weeks. A spate of British diplomats and politicians have signed the letter, including former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Ambassador to China Sir Christopher Hum, and Member of Parliament Lord David Alton. Signatories also included Gareth Evans, the former foreign minister of Australia, two US deputy assistant secretaries of state, former ambassadors to China from Canada, the US, Australia, Germany, Sweden, and Mexico, and scholars Orville Schell of the Asia Society, Minxin Pei, a professor and expert on Chinese politics at Claremont McKenna College, and Bonnie Glaser, senior advisor for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank. Meng is currently under house arrest as her case remains pending. Kovrig and Spavor have been allowed a handful of consular visits in detention.
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| Enbridge gas pipeline explosion causes fireball in Ohio Posted: 21 Jan 2019 04:26 PM PST ![Enbridge gas pipeline explosion causes fireball in Ohio]( "Enbridge gas pipeline explosion causes fireball in Ohio") (Reuters) - An explosion of an Enbridge Inc natural gas pipeline in Ohio on Monday created a fireball of flame and damaged homes, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents.
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| Senate Leaders Agree on Possible Path to Reopening Government Posted: 22 Jan 2019 01:42 PM PST  Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and minority leader Chuck Schumer have agreed to a deal that could end the partial government shutdown, which entered its 32nd day Tuesday. Under the deal, the Senate will vote Thursday on two bills intended to end the shutdown. One bill includes President Trump's request for $5.7 billion to construct a wall at the southern border, and one would fund the government entities affected by the shutdown through February 8, kicking the fight down the road until then.
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| The Chevrolet Silverado Four-Cylinder Gets Worse Fuel Economy Than the V-8 in Our Test Posted: 22 Jan 2019 06:00 AM PST  Here's more proof that downsizing and turbocharging have their limits.
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| So Growth Is Slowing. And? We're Still Up a Ton: Taking Stock Posted: 22 Jan 2019 04:32 AM PST  The IMF cut its growth outlook for the second time in 3 months ahead of Davos, which got underway earlier Tuesday, while China's 2018 GDP figures came in at the slowest pace in nearly 30 years (though on a much larger economic base). China's GDP was in line with expectations, and while it adds fuel to the concern of slowing worldwide growth, I'm sure it will surprise very few that they failed to outperform amid a trade war with their largest partner. Developments on that front also lost a bit of steam over the weekend to be sure, despite the optimism Friday on reports China was offering to close the trade gap with the U.S. by 2024.
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