| Explainer: Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Pakistan-based militants, at heart of tension with India Posted: 15 Feb 2019 04:43 AM PST ![Explainer: Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Pakistan-based militants, at heart of tension with India]( "Explainer: Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Pakistan-based militants, at heart of tension with India") India says the group and its leader, Masood Azhar, enjoy free rein in Pakistan, and demands that Pakistan acts to stop militant groups operating from its soil. Pakistan condemned the Thursday bomb attack that killed 44 paramilitary policemen but denied any complicity. India has blamed Jaish for a series of attacks including a 2001 raid on its parliament in New Delhi that led to India mobilizing its military on the border, bringing the foes to the brink of a fourth war.
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| Storm creates chaos in California with flooding, mudslides Posted: 14 Feb 2019 07:43 PM PST  SAUSALITO, Calif. (AP) — Waves of heavy rain pounded California on Thursday, trapping people in floodwaters, washing away a mountain highway, triggering a mudslide that destroyed homes and forcing residents to flee communities scorched by wildfires last year.
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| British schoolgirl Shamima Begum who joined Isil found in Syria and 'wants to come home' Posted: 14 Feb 2019 12:18 AM PST  A British schoolgirl who fled to Syria to join Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has said she does not regret it, but wants to return to the UK to give birth. Shamima Begum, 19, vanished from her home in Bethnal Green in London four years ago, along with two other teenage girls, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase. A girl who identified herself as Shamima Begum, was found in a refugee camp in Syria as the Isil caliphate collapsed, the Times reported. In an interview with the newspaper she described how she had been living in the caliphate and had married an Isil fighter from the Netherlands called Yago Riedijk. She was heavily pregnant and due to give birth any day. Kadiza Sultana, Amira Abase, and Shamima Begum Credit: PA The girl is living in the al-Hawl refugee camp in northern Syria along with 39,000 other refugees. She described having seen a severed head in a bin during her time with Isil, and escaping bombs dropping, the Times reported. The teenager also said she had already given birth to two children, both of whom died in infancy. She told the Times: "I'm not the same silly little 15-year-old schoolgirl who ran away from Bethnal Green four years ago. And I don't regret coming here." She added: "I am scared this baby is going to get sick in this camp, that's why I want to get back to Britain, because I know my baby will be looked after." The three girls had joined another London teenager, Sharmeena Begum, in Syria. All were married off to jihadists. Shamima Begum said at least one of her friends, Kadiza Sultana, had been killed when a bomb hit a house in Raqqa. Renu, eldest sister of Shamima Begum, 15, holds her sister's photo while being interviewed by the media at New Scotland Yard, central London Credit: PA The other two girls reportedly stayed on to fight in Baghuz in eastern Syria, along with a few hundred Isil fighters, as the caliphate came to an end. Shamima Begum and her husband fled instead, and the husband surrendered to Kurdish forces. The girl told the Times she had spoken to her mother in the UK and asked for her support when she goes home. She had also read what had been written about her online by people back in the UK. "The caliphate is over," she told the Times. "There was so much oppression and corruption that I don't think they deserved victory. I know what everyone at home thinks of me. But I just want to come home to have my child. All I want to do is come home to Britain." British teenagers Kadiza Sultana, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum passing through security barriers at Gatwick Airport, en route to Syria in 2015 Credit: AFP The Home Office said it does not comment on individual cases, although anyone who returns to the UK after travelling to IS territory faces criminal investigation and stricter laws are now in place. Security Minister Ben Wallace said: "The UK advises against all travel to Syria and parts of Iraq. Anyone who does travel to these areas, for whatever reason, is putting themselves in considerable danger. "Everyone who returns from taking part in the conflict in Syria or Iraq must expect to be investigated by the police to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security. "There are a range of terrorism offences where individuals can be convicted for crimes committed overseas and we can also use Temporary Exclusion Orders to control an individuals' return to the UK." A displaced Syrian woman and a child walk toward tents at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp of al-Hol in al-Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria Credit: AFP Tasnime Akunjee, a lawyer who was instructed by the Bethnal Green girls' families after they ran away, said he was "glad (Ms Begum) is alive and safe". He told the Press Association the authorities should be reminded of former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe's position at the time of their disappearance. "The position of the Metropolitan Police was that they should be treated as victims, so long as they hadn't committed any further offences while they are out there," he said. Mr Akunjee said he had spoken to the girls' families, who had "expressed the position that they want time and space to process what's happened". The Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are expected to announce the territorial defeat of Isil in the coming days. Around 2,000 US special forces are expected to be brought home by April. Giving evidence to MPs in the wake of the British schoolgirls's disappearance, in 2015, senior police officers said they would not be treated as criminals if they returned home. They said there was a "difference between the person running around with a Kalishnikov" and three schoolgirls who had been duped into travelling to Syria. The girls funded their travel to Syria by stealing jewellery from relatives, paying more than £1,000 in cash to a local travel agent for their flights to Turkey. Donald Trump has said Isil is "defeated"and that an announcement is imminent on "100 percent of the caliphate" having been retaken. The war to push Isil out of its so-called caliphate had lasted more than four-and-a-half years. The area once covered part of Syria and Iraq that was around the size of Britain. Pentagon officials have warned that Isil remains an "active insurgent group in both Iraq and Syria". Sign up for your essential, twice-daily briefing from The Telegraph with our free Front Page newsletter.
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| Paul Manafort: Trump's ex-campaign manager should serve at least 20 years, special counsel Robert Mueller recommends Posted: 15 Feb 2019 11:33 AM PST  Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort should serve at least 20 years in jail, Robert Mueller has recommended. In requesting what effectively be a life sentence for the 69-year-old, Mr Mueller also asked a judge that he push ahead with sentencing for the man, who served as Mr Trump's campaign manager for just a handful of months in the summer of 2016. "Manafort acted for more than a decade as if he were above the law, and deprived the federal government and various financial institutions of millions of dollars," prosecutors wrote in a court filing on Friday night.
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| El Chapo likely headed to 'Alcatraz of the Rockies' Posted: 14 Feb 2019 10:10 AM PST  Described as a hell on earth, the prison was built in 1994 and is located outside Florence, an old mining town about two hours south of Denver. It houses some of America's most notorious criminals including "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. According to a 2014 Amnesty International report, inmates spend a minimum of 12 months in solitary confinement before their detention conditions are reevaluated.
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| Venezuela opens investigation into opposition-appointed PDVSA directors: prosecutor Posted: 14 Feb 2019 08:44 AM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's chief state prosecutor said on Thursday an investigation had been opened into directors of state-run oil firm PDVSA, and its U.S. refiner Citgo, that the opposition-controlled congress appointed on Wednesday. Prosecutor Tarek Saab, in comments broadcast on state television, announced "the opening of an investigation against people designated illegally as directors of PDVSA and Citgo." Saab also said they would investigate foreign ambassadors named by opposition leader Juan Guaido, who on Jan 23 invoked constitutional provisions to assume an interim presidency. ...
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| 5 Delta passengers injured in severe turbulence, flight made emergency landing in Reno Posted: 14 Feb 2019 07:59 AM PST  Three of the five injured passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight were taken to a local hospital.
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| Anti-Amazon Backlash Rose From Grassroots to Stymie Bezos Posted: 14 Feb 2019 02:03 PM PST  Amazon.com Inc. expected some public outcry over its choice to expand in a redeveloped Queens industrial area along New York City's East River. Among the fatal errors: Three-term Governor Andrew Cuomo and two-term New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Democrats, underestimated how an anti-corporate message from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in office less than two months, would take root so deeply and so quickly. "Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon's corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world," Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described Democratic Socialist, said on Twitter.
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| A year after Parkland school shooting, should we be arming teachers already? Posted: 14 Feb 2019 09:39 AM PST  After Parkland shooting, school districts took 'giant steps' to boost security, but we're still not arming teachers.
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| Senate Confirms Bill Barr as Attorney General Posted: 14 Feb 2019 10:48 AM PST  The Senate voted Thursday to confirm William Barr as attorney general.Barr, who previously served as attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, was confirmed 51–45 largely along party lines, with Republicans backing the president's nominee and Democrats opposing.Democratic senators Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona defected, backing Barr's nomination, while Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the lone Republican who voted against him.Barr will be sworn in Thursday afternoon at the White House, the Department of Justice announced shortly after his confirmation. Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office.Acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker, who was appointed by the president in November to assume ousted AG Jeff Session's post, will now be relieved of his duties, which include overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Democrats opposed to Barr's confirmation cited his prior criticisms of the investigation, articulated in an unsolicited 20-page memo he sent to DOJ officials in June, to make the case that he would inhibit Mueller's progress or force a premature conclusion to the probe.In the memo, Barr argued that Mueller's reported interest in whether Trump obstructed justice by firing former FBI director James Comey was misguided."As I understand it, his theory is premised on a novel and legally insupportable reading of the law," Barr wrote. "Moreover, in my view, if credited by the Justice Department, it would have grave consequences far beyond the immediate confines of this case and would do lasting damage to the Presidency and to the administration of law within the Executive branch."During his confirmation hearing, Barr told lawmakers that DOJ ethics officials found that his prior commentary on Mueller's investigation did not constitute a justification for his recusal from overseeing the probe.Asked during the hearing to commit to making the entirety of Mueller's findings public when his investigation eventually concluded, Barr told lawmakers he would make public as much as possible but did not make any specific commitments."I am not going to do anything that I think is wrong, and I will not be bullied into doing anything I think is wrong," Barr said. "By anybody -- whether it be editorial boards, or Congress, or the President. I'm going to do what I think is right."
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| Gay couples in Japan join together on Valentine's Day to sue government over same-sex marriage ban Posted: 14 Feb 2019 04:00 AM PST  Thirteen gay couples filed Japan's first lawsuit challenging the country's rejection of same-sex marriage on Valentine's Day, arguing the denial violates their constitutional right to equality. Six couples holding banners saying "Marriage For All Japan" walked into Tokyo District Court to file their cases against the government, with similar cases filed by three couples in Osaka, one couple in Nagoya and three couples in Sapporo. Plaintiff Kenji Aiba, standing next to his partner Ken Kozumi, told reporters he would "fight this war together with sexual minorities all around Japan." Mr Aiba and Mr Kozumi have held onto a marriage certificate they signed at their wedding party in 2013, anticipating Japan would emulate other advanced nations and legalise same-sex unions. That day has yet to come, and legally they are just friends even though they've lived as a married couple for more than five years. So they decided to act rather than waiting. "Right now we are both in good health and able to work, but what if either of us has an accident or becomes ill? We are not allowed to be each other's guarantors for medical treatment, or to be each other's heir," Mr Kozumi, a 45-year-old office worker, said in a recent interview with his partner Mr Aiba, 40. "Progress in Japan has been too slow." Politician Mizuho Fukushima has spoken out in favour of gay rights in Japan Credit: AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi Ten Japanese municipalities have enacted "partnership" ordinances for same-sex couples to make it easier for them to rent apartments together, among other things, but they are not legally binding. Japanese laws are currently interpreted as allowing marriage only between a man and a woman. In a society where pressure for conformity is strong, many gay people hide their sexuality, fearing prejudice at home, school or work. The obstacles are even higher for transgender people in the highly gender-specific society. The Supreme Court last month upheld a law that effectively requires transgender people to be sterilized before they can have their gender changed on official documents. The LGBT equal rights movement has lagged behind in Japan because people who are silently not conforming to conventional notions of sexuality have been so marginalized that the issue hasn't been considered a human rights problem, experts say. "Many people don't even think of a possibility that their neighbors, colleagues or classmates may be sexual minorities," said Mizuho Fukushima, a lawyer-turned-politician and an expert on gender and human rights issues. "And the pressure to follow a conservative family model, in which heterosexual couples are supposed to marry and have children, is still strong." Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ultra-conservative supporters have campaigned to restore a paternalistic society based on heterosexual marriages. The government has restarted moral education class at schools to teach children family values and good deeds. "Whether to allow same-sex marriage is an issue that affects the foundation of how families should be in Japan, which requires an extremely careful examination," Mr Abe said in a statement last year.
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| The Latest: German minister says Airbus must find jobs Posted: 14 Feb 2019 09:23 AM PST  TOULOUSE, France (AP) — The Latest on Airbus' announcement that it will stop making the superjumbo A380 (all times local):
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| Mike Pence claims Iran is planning a ‘new Holocaust’ to destroy Israel Posted: 15 Feb 2019 06:02 AM PST  Iran is planning a "new Holocaust" to destroy Israel, US vice president Mike Pence claimed at a summit on peace and security in the Middle East. "The Iranian regime openly advocates another Holocaust and seeks the means to achieve it," he told delegates at the conference, which was co-hosted by the US and Poland in Warsaw. Mr Pence used his speech to encourage sceptical allies into joining an anti-Iran alliance, which includes Israel and Arabian Peninsula monarchies.
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| Rep. Ocasio-Cortez celebrates Amazon's decision to pull the plug on planned NYC headquarters Posted: 15 Feb 2019 11:13 AM PST  Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez strongly advocated against Amazon's plans to drop anchor in Queens; Laura Ingle reports.
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| Trump enters obese range, but still in 'good health,' exam findings show Posted: 14 Feb 2019 03:00 PM PST  President Trump has put on a few pounds over the past year and is now in the obese range, although he remains in "very good health overall."
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| More rain, snow expected in storm-battered California, following days of mudslides and floods Posted: 15 Feb 2019 11:47 AM PST  Californians were in clean-up mode Friday as the state slowly recovers from an onslaught of rain, wind and snow, which brought widespread flooding and mudslides.
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| The 20 Most Powerful Crossovers and SUVs You Can Buy in 2019 Posted: 15 Feb 2019 11:35 AM PST |
| New York law gives child sex abuse victims more time to sue Posted: 14 Feb 2019 02:50 PM PST  The governor of New York state on Thursday signed a law extending the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sex abuse, a move that could trigger a torrent of new complaints. The law known as the Child Victims Act -- which the Catholic Church fought against for years -- will allow alleged victims until age 55 to file civil cases and 28 for criminal suits, compared to a limit of 23 under the old rule. The new law, which will go into effect in six months, also establishes a one-year litigation window for any victim, regardless of age, to take civil action.
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| U.K. Spy Warns Against Triumphalism Over Islamic State Collapse Posted: 15 Feb 2019 05:00 AM PST ![U.K. Spy Warns Against Triumphalism Over Islamic State Collapse]( "U.K. Spy Warns Against Triumphalism Over Islamic State Collapse") "We are not triumphant because I think from triumphant you get to hubris," MI6 Chief Alex Younger told reporters in Munich on Friday. Younger said Islamic States's so-called caliphate was now in its "end game," with the extremist militants clinging to the last square mile of land they hold in the village of Baghuz in eastern Syria. Meanwhile the U.K. is debating the case of Shamima Begum, a 19-year-old from east London who wants to come home despite expressing no regrets over becoming a so-called jihadi bride with Islamic State in Syria at the age of 15.
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| The U.S. Navy Just Bought Four Giant, Robot Submarines from Boeing Posted: 14 Feb 2019 08:00 PM PST  Orca could help to fill a yawning gap in the American submarine fleet. In December 2016, the U.S. Navy announced it needed 66 nuclear-powered attack subs, or SSNs, to meet regional commanders' needs.
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| Club: Mardi Gras tradition is not the same as blackface Posted: 13 Feb 2019 06:04 PM PST  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans' widely recognized Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club says its tradition of using black makeup for its Mardi Gras float riders is not the same as "blackface," a controversy that has embroiled officials nationwide.
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| Parkland shooting: How the NRA is more vulnerable than ever after a year of protests and a wave election Posted: 14 Feb 2019 09:56 AM PST  One year after gunfire began in the freshman building of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the movement those bullets sparked has swept through the US and opened a new chapter on guns in America. Guns have come to dominate political debate this past year in way unseen previously in the US, with massive protests from March for Our Lives attracting headlines and major news coverage — and virtually all Democrat presidential candidates supporting stricter gun control. Meanwhile, dozens of states have moved to pass new gun control laws in an historic effort, as communities across America continue to be scarred by gun violence.
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| Our Favorite Eco-friendly Finds Put Sustainable Materials to Stylish Use Posted: 15 Feb 2019 05:00 AM PST |
| Denver teachers, school district reach deal to end strike Posted: 14 Feb 2019 08:03 AM PST  The walkout, the first teachers' strike in Colorado's largest city since 1994, began on Monday after 15 months of contract talks broke down.
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| During a school lockdown, 7-year-old writes note on her arm in case she dies Posted: 15 Feb 2019 10:11 AM PST  A second-grader wrote a chilling note to her parents on her arm during school lockdown.
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| It Looks Like the Land Rover Discovery SVX Is Dead Posted: 15 Feb 2019 02:54 PM PST  This looks like another miss from Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations.
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| FBI releases 16 drawings prolific serial killer Samuel Little made of his victims Posted: 14 Feb 2019 11:07 AM PST  The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released more than a dozen drawingsmade by a prolific serial killer in hopes the public may be able to identifysome of his victims
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| Russia, Turkey, Iran hail US Syria withdrawal Posted: 14 Feb 2019 08:43 AM PST  The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran hailed the planned US withdrawal from Syria as they met for talks Thursday on how to work more closely together in the country's long-running conflict. Hosting his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in the southern city of Sochi, President Vladimir Putin said the three welcomed the expected US pull-out from northeastern Syria. Russia and Iran -- who both back the regime of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad -- and rebel supporter Turkey have positioned themselves as key foreign players in Syria's long-running war.
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| President Trump is forced into declaring a national emergency: Rep. Jody Hice Posted: 14 Feb 2019 04:50 PM PST  Congress fails to deal with the humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border, writes Rep. Jody Hice of the House Freedom Caucus.
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| Polestar teases next-gen electric car again ahead of Geneva launch Posted: 15 Feb 2019 07:39 AM PST  Just two weeks before the official online reveal on February 27, Volvo's Polestar gave us another glimpse of the Polestar 2 just a couple of weeks after the first announcement. While the latest official teaser of the Polestar 2 isn't nearly as informational as the first announcement made a few weeks ago, we have still been graced by another image of a discernible part of the exterior body: the top, left-hand side of the rear end. The white Polestar logo blends into the white body to avoid distracting onlookers from the snappy and chic design.
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| The Latest: Children sent to Mexico under US asylum policy Posted: 14 Feb 2019 05:33 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Latest on a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. immigration courts (all times local):
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| Sunken WWII U.S. carrier discovered in Pacific Posted: 14 Feb 2019 03:44 PM PST  At a depth of nearly 17,500 feet, a research vessel funded by the late Seattle billionaire Paul Allen has discovered the wreckage of an American aircraft carrier sunk in the South Pacific during World War II. (Feb. 14)
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| JPMorgan Chase to create digital coins using blockchain for payments Posted: 14 Feb 2019 06:34 AM PST ![JPMorgan Chase to create digital coins using blockchain for payments]( "JPMorgan Chase to create digital coins using blockchain for payments") The largest U.S. bank by assets said customers, on depositing money at the bank, will be issued the cryptocurrency that they will be able to use for transactions over the network with other JPMorgan clients. When one client sends money to another over the blockchain, JPM Coins are transferred and instantaneously redeemed for the equivalent amount of U.S. dollars, reducing the typical settlement time, the bank said. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon once criticized the former high-flying bitcoin, calling it a "fraud" in 2017.
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| United Airlines: Three new routes for fast-growing Denver hub Posted: 15 Feb 2019 07:17 AM PST ![United Airlines: Three new routes for fast-growing Denver hub]( "United Airlines: Three new routes for fast-growing Denver hub") United Airlines will add three new domestic routes at its Denver hub, all of which will go head-to-head against budget rival Frontier Airlines.
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| Nasa's Mars rover is officially dead, space agency says Posted: 14 Feb 2019 03:20 AM PST  Nasa's Opportunity rover is officially dead, the space agency has said, after it disappeared in a dust storm on Mars. Clearly emotional Nasa staff, standing in front of a life-sized replica of the rover, said they had not heard back from the rover and that the mission would come to an end. "I am standing here with a sense of deep appreciation and gratitude," said Nasa associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen, before he announced that the Opportunity mission is now considered complete.
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| PR push for white officer accused of killing armed black man Posted: 14 Feb 2019 03:59 PM PST ![PR push for white officer accused of killing armed black man]( "PR push for white officer accused of killing armed black man") NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The attorney for a white police officer charged with fatally shooting an armed black man in Tennessee is calling for legal discovery documents to be sealed from members of the public.
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| Netanyahu hails Warsaw talks with Arab states as 'turning point' Posted: 14 Feb 2019 12:19 AM PST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Thursday as historic a Warsaw meeting where he is joining Arab states, saying they stood united against Iran and voicing hope that cooperation extends to other areas. The opening dinner Wednesday night of the two-day, US-organised conference marked "a historical turning point," Netanyahu told reporters. "In a room of some 60 foreign ministers representative of dozens of governments, an Israeli prime minister and the foreign ministers of the leading Arab countries stood together and spoke with unusual force, clarity and unity against the common threat of the Iranian regime," he said.
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| Will an increasingly progressive Democratic Party become steadily more anti-Semitic? Posted: 14 Feb 2019 06:05 AM PST  Progressives see Israel as an occupying power, an apartheid state, illegitimate. You don't have to be anti-Semite to be anti-Zionist — but it helps.
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| Bentley Bentayga Speed: an SUV as luxurious as it is powerful Posted: 15 Feb 2019 06:40 AM PST  On Thursday Bentley unveiled the Bentayga Speed, an SUV with a top speed of 190 mph and 0- 62mph acceleration time of 3.9 seconds. Bentley celebrated its Valentine's Day by announcing what it calls the "world's fastest, most luxurious SUV:" the Bentayga Speed.
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| May Scrambles for Brexit Compromise With Two Weeks to Save Deal Posted: 15 Feb 2019 12:47 AM PST  British Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to compromise with the European Union over the future of Ireland's border, with just two weeks left to save her Brexit deal. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay privately told the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Monday the U.K. doesn't need to reopen the divorce agreement and would accept other ways to address British concerns, a person familiar with the talks said. On Thursday, members of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Conservatives inflicted another embarrassing parliamentary defeat on the premier after they refused to endorse her approach to resolving the deadlock.
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| Nothing says 'I love you' like heart-shaped ravioli stuffed with goat cheese Posted: 14 Feb 2019 06:50 AM PST  Welcome to Best Bites, a twice-weekly video series that aims to satisfy yournever-ending craving for food content through quick, beautiful videos for theat-home foodie
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| XPO to close Verizon-contracted warehouse in Memphis Posted: 14 Feb 2019 10:36 AM PST ![XPO to close Verizon-contracted warehouse in Memphis]( "XPO to close Verizon-contracted warehouse in Memphis") "Our customer has made a business decision and as a result this facility will close in June," XPO said in a statement. XPO declined to name the customer, identified by workers and media reports as Verizon. A representative for Verizon Communications Inc did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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| American Airlines: 700 Phoenix flight attendants will need to move Posted: 14 Feb 2019 06:44 AM PST ![American Airlines: 700 Phoenix flight attendants will need to move]( "American Airlines: 700 Phoenix flight attendants will need to move") The airline is asking for volunteers as it needs 700 fewer flight attendants in Phoenix and 700 more in Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles.
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| Watch a space harpoon impale a piece of space debris Posted: 15 Feb 2019 08:52 AM PST  The U.S. government tracks 500,000 chunks and bits of space junk as they hurtle around Earth. Some 20,000 of these objects are larger than a softball.To clean up the growing mess, scientists at the University of Surrey have previously tested a net to catch chunks of debris. Now, they've successfully tested out a harpoon.The video below, released Friday by the university's space center, shows a test of the experimental RemoveDEBRIS satellite as it unleashes a harpoon at a piece of solar panel, held out on a 1.5-meter boom.The harpoon clearly impales its target. "This is RemoveDEBRIS' most demanding experiment and the fact that it was a success is testament to all involved," Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said in a statement. Next, the RemoveDEBRIS team -- made up of a group of international collaborators -- is planning its final experiment: responsibly destroying the satellite.In March, the RemoveDEBRIS satellite will "inflate a sail that will drag the satellite into Earth's atmosphere where it will be destroyed," the university said a statement. This is how the group intends to vaporize the future dangerous debris it catches. SEE ALSO: Trump fails to block NASA's carbon sleuth from going to spaceHuman space debris hurtles around Earth faster than a speeding bullet, with debris often traveling at 17,500 mph, or faster. The threat of collisions is always present, though in some orbits the odds of an impact are significantly lower than others. The International Space Station, for instance, is in a relatively debris-free orbit, but even here there is the threat of "natural debris" -- micrometeors -- pummeling the space station.Other orbits have considerably more debris spinning around Earth. In 2009, a derelict Russian satellite slammed into a functional Iridium telecommunication satellite at 26,000 mph, resulting in an estimated 200,000 bits of debris. In 2007, the Chinese launched a missile at an old weather satellite, spraying shrapnel into Earth's orbit.This risk amplifies as more satellites are rocketed into space. SpaceX now has government-approved plans to launch thousands of its Starlink satellites into orbit -- perhaps by the mid-2020's, should they amass money for the pricey program. This would double or triple the number of satellites in orbit."It is unprecedented," said Kessler, NASA's former senior scientist for orbital debris research told Mashable. "The sheer number, that's the problem."Kessler has long warned about the potential of catastrophic chain reactions in Earth's orbit, wherein one collision creates enough weaponized debris to create a cycle of destruction. Designs to harpoon dangerous chunks of debris are just being tested in space today, but the technology could prove critical as Earth's orbit grows increasingly trafficked with large, metallic satellites. WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end?
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| Los Angeles police fatally shoot man at busy train station Posted: 14 Feb 2019 12:25 PM PST ![Los Angeles police fatally shoot man at busy train station]( "Los Angeles police fatally shoot man at busy train station") LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man armed with a knife was shot and killed by police at a downtown train station during the morning rush hour Thursday, Los Angeles police said.
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| US sanctions Venezuela officials close to 'former President' Maduro Posted: 15 Feb 2019 07:43 AM PST  The US Treasury announced Friday it was imposing sanctions on five intelligence and security officials close to crisis-hit Venezuela's "former" President Nicolas Maduro. Among the five men is Manuel Quevedo, described by the Treasury as the "illegitimate" president of Venezuela's state-owned oil firm, PDVSA.
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| Trump installs $50,000 golf simulator in White House, report says Posted: 13 Feb 2019 11:30 PM PST  Donald Trump has personally paid to install a room-sized "golf simulator" in the White House that cost around $50,000 (£39,000), according to a new report. The system allows Mr Trump — who frequently attacked his predecessor Barack Obama for his golf schedule only to outpace him at the sport after becoming president himself — to play virtual rounds at courses all over the world, according to the report in The Washington Post. The installation reportedly replaced an older and less sophisticated system that Mr Obama had in the residence.
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| Senator Bob Menendez reportedly threatens to call police on Daily Caller reporter Henry Rodgers about the Green New Deal Posted: 14 Feb 2019 05:16 AM PST  Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) reportedly threatens to call police on Daily Caller reporter Henry Rodgers who asked the Senator about the Green New Deal.
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| Photos of the New 2019 Subaru Ascent Touring Posted: 14 Feb 2019 09:09 AM PST |
| Putin, Erdogan Spar Over Syria Militants Amid Split on Safe Zone Posted: 14 Feb 2019 08:42 AM PST  While Putin urged Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at a summit on Thursday to work out ways to "completely destroy the terrorist hotbed" in the Idlib region, a joint statement after the talks referred only to the need for "concrete steps" to restore a September truce shattered by the Islamist takeover last month. Erdogan said he'd "relayed our expectations" to Putin and Rouhani for Syrian government forces to "abide by the cease-fire" agreed in September, and for Russia and Iran to support Turkey's demand for a buffer zone inside northern Syria to counter U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in the region.
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