| Trump Celebrates Bringing 'Merry Christmas' Back. Twitter Reacts Accordingly. Posted: 24 Dec 2017 08:41 PM PST  President Donald Trump sent out Christmas Eve wishes by praising himself for "leading the charge against the assault" on the phrase "Merry Christmas," in yet another example of the president claiming to have won a dispute that never really existed.
|
| 'Neo-Nazi' Teen Charged With Killing Girlfriend's Parents After They Reported Him Posted: 24 Dec 2017 03:46 PM PST  A 17-year-old Virginia teen was charged with two counts of murder Saturday after he allegedly murdered his girlfriend's parents.
|
| Year in review: The 10 news stories that defined 2017 Posted: 24 Dec 2017 10:02 PM PST  From presidential investigations to natural disasters, here are the top ten national events from 2017.
|
| Spain's King Calls on Catalonia to Step Back from Secession in His Annual Christmas Eve Address Posted: 24 Dec 2017 08:55 PM PST  King Felipe VI used his traditional Christmas Eve address Sunday night to call on Catalonia's newly elected parliament to renounce further moves toward secession from Spain.
|
| Six-year-old boy shot dead by mistake as police officers open fire on suspected car thief Posted: 24 Dec 2017 10:02 AM PST  A six-year-old boy was mistakenly shot dead in Texas when police officers opened fire on a suspected car thief, US media reports. As four officers targeted Amanda Lene Jones, 30, who they believed was armed, a stray bullet pierced the wall of the mobile home where the youngster, Kameron Prescott, lived. Maria Morales, who works at Wiederstein Elementary School in Texas, paid tribute to the young victim.
|
| The Stranger Who Sent Steve Mnuchin A Box Of Horse Poo Has Come Forward Posted: 25 Dec 2017 02:08 PM PST  On Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department and U.S. Secret Service investigated a mysterious package left outside the Bel Air home of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
|
| 1 body recovered, 36 feared dead in Philippine mall fire Posted: 23 Dec 2017 09:45 PM PST  DAVAO, Philippines (AP) — Philippine firefighters recovered one body from a burning shopping mall Sunday and there was "zero" chances of survival for 36 other trapped people inside the four-story building in southern Davao city, an official said.
|
| Baby Elephants Fend Off Myanmar Cold Spell With Homemade Blankets Posted: 24 Dec 2017 06:42 PM PST  When a group of baby elephants needed warmth during a cold front in Southeast Asia last week, they bundled up in donated crochet and knitted blankets.
|
| Syrian, Iranian backed forces advance in border area near Israel Posted: 25 Dec 2017 12:49 PM PST ![Syrian, Iranian backed forces advance in border area near Israel]( "Syrian, Iranian backed forces advance in border area near Israel") By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian army forces backed by Iranian-backed militias pushed deeper into the last rebel-held enclave near a strategic border area with Israel and Lebanon in a new expansion of Tehran's influence in the war-torn country. The army and the Shi'ite forces helped by Druze militias in the area advanced east and south of the Sunni-rebel held bastion of Beit Jin backed by some of the heaviest aerial bombing and artillery shelling since a major assault began more than two months ago to seize the area, rebels said. The Syrian army said it had encircled the village of Mughr al Meer at the foothills of Mount Hermon as troops moved toward Beit Jin amid fierce clashes.
|
| Artist 'released' in China after Liu Xiaobo tribute Posted: 24 Dec 2017 09:34 PM PST  An artist that could not be reached for more than a week after he painted a politically charged mural in southern China wrote on Twitter Monday that he has been "released". "I was released a few days ago and we are in my hometown now," the Twitter account of painter Hu Jiamin read days after Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao reported that the couple had been taken away by plainclothes men. Hu noted in another post that he will return to France on December 30.
|
| Turkey wants to bring wounded from Syria's Ghouta for treatment Posted: 24 Dec 2017 03:12 AM PST ![Turkey wants to bring wounded from Syria's Ghouta for treatment]( "Turkey wants to bring wounded from Syria's Ghouta for treatment") Turkey is working with Russia to evacuate around 500 people from the besieged Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. "There are around 500 people, including 170 children and women who need urgent humanitarian aid," Erdogan said ahead of his departure on an official visit to Sudan. Ankara aimed to bring people in need of assistance to Turkey to provide treatment and care.
|
| 5 People, Including 4 Members Of Same Family, Killed In Christmas Eve Plane Crash In Florida Posted: 25 Dec 2017 02:09 AM PST  Five people, including four members of the same family, were killed on Christmas Eve morning when their twin-engine plane crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff at Bartow Municipal Airport in Polk County, Florida.
|
| Dark, desperate life without power in Puerto Rico Posted: 25 Dec 2017 09:08 AM PST  MOROVIS, Puerto Rico (AP) — Three days before Christmas, Doris Martinez and daughter Miriam Narvaez joined their neighbors in a line outside city hall in Morovis, a town of 30,000 people still living without electricity in the mountains of central Puerto Rico more than three months after Hurricane Maria battered the U.S. island.
|
| Space Station astronauts watched 'The Last Jedi' from orbit 240 miles above Earth Posted: 24 Dec 2017 09:28 AM PST  Astronauts aboard the International Space Station watched Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi while in orbit about 240 miles above Earth on Saturday. A picture posted to Twitter from NASA astronaut Mar. T. Vande Hei shows five of the six current occupants of the station gathered around a screen, watching what appears to be a scene from the latest addition to the Star Wars franchise. Although Vande Hei doesn't specify that the movie is The Last Jedi, space.com pointed out that the image on the screen appears to show X-wing pilot Poe Dameron, played by the actor Oscar Isaac. Isaac played the same role in The Force Awakens, but we're pretty sure this is a scene from the newest film. SEE ALSO: Here's a breakdown of the beloved 'Star Wars' character, the porg Space Station movie night, complete with "bungee cord chairs", drink bags, and a science fiction flick! pic.twitter.com/IPZ2thI8rw — Mark T. Vande Hei (@Astro_Sabot) December 24, 2017 NASA previously said the Space Station crew would be able to screen the new film using a laptop or a projector already aboard. Usually, the crew obtains films as digital files. "They typically get movies as digital files and can play them back on a laptop or a standard projector that is currently aboard," NASA's Dan Huot told Mashable on Dec. 13. The Last Jedi opened in theaters on Dec. 15. Watching films onboard the ISS is part of regular life aboard the orbiting laboratory. The Space Station has a digital library of films, including space-based sci-fi like Aliens and Gravity. Astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year aboard the ISS beginning in 2015, revealed more about what movie night is like in a zero gravity environment during his extended stay in orbit. Watched @MartianMovie on @Space_Station last night! Today working towards our #JourneyToMars during my #YearInSpace! pic.twitter.com/rIEBjFxRIr — Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) September 20, 2015 #Movie night in micro #Gravity aboard #ISS on our new HD projector which we use for conferences, tech software, etc.. pic.twitter.com/Mhb03U3alz — Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) April 25, 2015 So far there's no word on what the astronauts thought of the porgs. WATCH: Making pizza in space is incredibly hard, ya'll
|
| Should White Supremacists Be Allowed To Practice Law? Posted: 24 Dec 2017 04:01 AM PST  A few years ago, before he helped organize the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Augustus Sol Invictus sent a mass email to his friends, colleagues and acquaintances to announce that he was embarking on a spiritual journey to launch "the Second American Civil War." Invictus — who legally changed his name from "Austin Gillespie" to the Latin for "majestic unconquered sun" — hitchhiked out West, where he fasted and prayed in the desert.
|
| Saudi Arabia Pressured Lebanese Prime Minister To Resign: Report Posted: 25 Dec 2017 08:31 AM PST  Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his short-lived resignation in early November under heavy duress from the Saudi Arabian government, according to a New York Times report based on the accounts of Lebanese, Western and regional officials, as well as other figures close to Hariri.
|
| NORAD Takes Calls From Kids Around the World Awaiting Santa Posted: 24 Dec 2017 05:32 PM PST  It is the 62nd year for the wildly popular program run by the U.S. and Canadian militaries
|
| Flight attendant sings 'I'll Be Home For Christmas' Posted: 25 Dec 2017 09:00 AM PST  Southwest employee Charise Miles sang to passengers flying out of Houston, Texas.
|
| An order from the Chinese emperor: find immortality Posted: 25 Dec 2017 03:57 AM PST  New archeological research has shed fresh light on China's first emperor -- creator of the world-famous terracotta army -- and his quest for eternal life, state media reported. A set of wooden slips found in the central province of Hunan contain an executive order from emperor Qin Shihuang for a nationwide search for the elixir of life, along with replies from local governments, according to Xinhua news agency on Sunday.
|
| London Zoo reopens after fire that killed aardvark, meerkats Posted: 24 Dec 2017 04:06 AM PST ![London Zoo reopens after fire that killed aardvark, meerkats]( "London Zoo reopens after fire that killed aardvark, meerkats") London Zoo reopened on Sunday, a day after a fire that killed an aardvark and likely four meerkats and which left staff suffering from smoke inhalation and shock. The Zoo said an initial post mortem showed the aardvark named Misha most likely died from smoke inhalation whilst sleeping, while the four meerkats unaccounted for were presumed to have died. "We are all naturally devastated by this but are immensely grateful to the fire brigade, who reacted quickly to the situation to bring the fire under control," ZSL London Zoo said in a statement on Sunday.
|
| N. Korea says it's a 'pipe dream' that it will give up nukes Posted: 25 Dec 2017 02:50 AM PST  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said it is a "pipe dream" for the United States to think it will give up its nuclear weapons, and called the latest U.N. sanctions to target the country "an act of war" that violates its sovereignty.
|
| Javelin: The Tank-Killer Missile Russia Hates Most Posted: 25 Dec 2017 05:52 AM PST  The U.S.-made FGM-148 Javelin is one of the premier portable anti-tank missile systems in the world. When Russia provided military support to separatists in Ukraine, columns of Russian tanks were instrumental in turning back Ukrainian Army offensives and seizing government strongpoints, notably the Donetsk International Airport in January 2015. For hawks like Senator John McCain pushing for the United States to provide direct military aid to Ukraine, Javelin missiles were cited as a key weapon system that might have reversed the Ukrainian Army's fortunes on the battlefield—and one far more practical to put into action than a main battle tank or jet fighter.
|
| Miss America CEO, other leaders resign after report of derogatory emails Posted: 23 Dec 2017 05:40 PM PST ![Miss America CEO, other leaders resign after report of derogatory emails]( "Miss America CEO, other leaders resign after report of derogatory emails") The head of the organization that stages the Miss America beauty pageant and other leaders with the group resigned on Saturday after a report this week alleging that emails he had sent were derogatory toward past winners. Sam Haskell's resignation as executive chairman and chief executive of the Miss America Organization was accompanied by the departure of the organization's president, the chairman of the board and a board member. Haskell had been suspended on Friday, one day after a Huffington Post report about the internal emails.
|
| Twitter Reacts After Trump Retweets Photo Of Himself With Bloody CNN Logo Posted: 24 Dec 2017 04:04 PM PST  On Christmas Eve, President Donald Trump retweeted an altered image of himself that appeared to show a bloody splatter covering the CNN logo on the bottom of his shoe.
|
| People Across the Country Are Celebrating a White Christmas Today Posted: 25 Dec 2017 09:21 AM PST  Check out the festive photos
|
| Modern-day amber 'Klondikes' thrive in troubled Ukraine Posted: 23 Dec 2017 07:54 PM PST  Once a scenic forest area, the site has been turned into a moonscape with wet marshy sand on the surface and man-made, funnel-like pits scattered for hundreds of metres around, evidence of work by hundreds of illicit prospectors. This site, which locals call a "Klondike" in reference to a 19th-century gold rush in Canada, is one of a number of amber fields in Ukraine, which has the world's second-largest reserves of amber -- some 15,000 tonnes -- after Russia, according to the country's state geology committee. Legal mining in Ukraine produced just four tonnes of the mineral in 2015, according to the most recent available figures, while unlawful methods of amber extraction have reaped 120 to 300 tonnes annually in recent years, said the geology committee.
|
| NYFD employee held on $1M bail in minor crash turned deadly Posted: 24 Dec 2017 01:59 PM PST ![NYFD employee held on $1M bail in minor crash turned deadly]( "NYFD employee held on $1M bail in minor crash turned deadly") MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A New York Fire Department employee was held on $1 million bail Sunday after authorities said he ran over a college honors student on Long Island after a minor accident.
|
| The biggest sports upsets of 2017 Posted: 24 Dec 2017 10:37 AM PST  It didn't take long for it to become clear that 2017 would give sports fans plenty of memorable matchups.
|
| China Would "Pay a Very High Price" If It Invades, Taiwan Warns Posted: 25 Dec 2017 05:32 AM PST  Taiwan's mainland affairs minister, also called on the United States not to use the self-governed island as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China. A senior Taiwanese minister has declared that China would "pay a very very high price" if it invaded Taiwan. Chang Hsiao-Yueh, Taiwan's mainland affairs minister, also called on the United States not to use the self-governed island as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China.
|
| Every Toyota to Get Electrified Option By 2025 Posted: 24 Dec 2017 10:44 AM PST  Plus, the Japanese giant plans on having 10 all-electric models in the early 2020s.
|
| Steve Bannon Blasts 'Javanka' As Everything Wrong With The White House Posted: 23 Dec 2017 06:29 PM PST  Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has attacked President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner as the "railhead of all bad decisions" in the White House.
|
| 50 Years Ago This Week: 1967 in Review Posted: 25 Dec 2017 06:00 AM PST  Also in this issue: alcohol consumption and the end of an era
|
| Ocado leaves customers out in the cold as it fails to deliver turkey on time Posted: 24 Dec 2017 07:41 AM PST  Online grocer Ocado has been criticised by customers for failing to deliver their Christmas Day essentials. The company, which delivers Waitrose products as well as its own-brand items, has been flooded with customer complaints on social media in the run up to Christmas. Shoppers took to Facebook and Twitter to harangue the company, with some writing that they placed their order as far back as October and others alleging that food expired on the same day as it was delivered. Some claimed that their order was not delivered at all, despite the company charging up to £9.99 for Christmas delivery. One customer wrote on Facebook that Ocado had almost managed to "sabotage our Christmas" Credit: Andrew Crowley/Andrew Crowley In response to an Ocado post on their Twitter page in which the company linked to a Christmas Day carrot recipe, Christian Mole said: "How about getting basics right? Ordered weeks ago and in day of delivery you have no potatoes and offer no substitution." Lisa Ravenshear wrote on Facebook earlier today, the morning of Christmas eve, that she was having to "fight my way around the shops" in search of beef that was not delivered nor substituted. Earlier this year it was reported that Ocado had launched an automated system that it hopes will one day revolutionise the grocery delivery industry. The 240,000 square foot site in Hampshire uses mechanical product handling technology, a sprawling system of stacked crates in a grid called a "hive", where robots use claws to pick up food items as they go. Andrea Renkel wrote on Ocado's Facebook page earlier this week that Ocado had almost managed to "sabotage our Christmas" and that the experience had put them off online food shopping. She added: "I sorted our Christmas food order three weeks ago, delivery date today. This morning I find an email 'sorry, your order was cancelled'." Another customer, Shelley Summerville Clarke, complained that she had placed her order in October for delivery on Christmas Eve. She said: "You've charged my £9.99 for this poor service. I'm now going to have to go to the supermarket so I can make my trifle and hope I can get some fresh custard for my Christmas pudding. "And some large foil so I can cook my turkey tomorrow. So poor. Very disappointed." UK grocer market share Earlier this month Ocado said it was held back by a shortage of drivers after its growth cooled slightly towards the end of this year. Chief executive Tim Steiner said a lack of capacity caused by a shortage of drivers in some areas stopped it from growing as fast as planned. A spokesperson for Ocado told the Daily Mail: "We are very sorry that some customers have not received items they ordered. We intend to compensate those who have not received the highest level of service."
|
| Russia bars Navalny presidential bid Posted: 25 Dec 2017 07:53 AM PST  Russia's Central Election Commission on Monday unanimously rejected top opposition figure Alexei Navalny's bid to run against President Vladimir Putin next year, leading him to urge a boycott of the polls. The commission voted 12 to zero in barring Navalny from the presidential election, citing a controversial embezzlement conviction for which he received a five year suspended sentence. The decision prompted the 41-year-old protest leader -- who maintains that the court case against him was fabricated for political reasons -- to call for a boycott of the election.
|
| AP Exclusive: Probation ending years after 8-year-old killed Posted: 25 Dec 2017 01:47 PM PST  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The call came in to police dispatch just after 5 p.m. on a cold November evening in the small Arizona town of St. Johns: There was a body on the front porch of a house.
|
| Chinese report says South China Sea islands expanded 'reasonably' Posted: 24 Dec 2017 06:12 PM PST ![Chinese report says South China Sea islands expanded 'reasonably']( "Chinese report says South China Sea islands expanded 'reasonably'") China has "reasonably" expanded its islands in the disputed South China Sea and this year construction projects there including radar facilities covered about 290,000 square meters (72 acres), according to a new government report. China has conducted extensive land reclamation work on some of the islands and reefs it controls in the South China Sea, including building airports, alarming its neighbors and Washington. Beijing says the work is help provide international services such as search-and-rescue but admits there is a military purpose too.
|
| Nepal's last known two dancing bears rescued: officials Posted: 24 Dec 2017 08:12 AM PST  Nepali authorities have rescued the country's last known "dancing bears", officials said Sunday, in a major step towards ending the medieval tradition of abuse of the beasts for entertainment. Police and animal charities said they spent more than a year hunting the captors of the two sloth bears before they were traced to the Rautahat district near the border with India on Tuesday. "We received information that they were in our area and managed to rescue the bears," district police chief Yagya Binod Pokharel told AFP.
|
| The True Story of the Kidnapping Behind All the Money in the World Posted: 25 Dec 2017 07:00 AM PST  How the real story of John Paul Getty III's kidnapping—the subject of 'All the Money in the World'—was reported as it was happening in 1973
|
| Who benefits the most from GOP tax plan? Posted: 24 Dec 2017 07:13 AM PST  As President Trump signs Republican tax plan into law, will it be a win for Republicans heading into midterms?
|
| Trump's Christmas wish: 'We've got prosperity. Now we want peace' Posted: 24 Dec 2017 02:33 PM PST  By Roberta Rampton PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - On Christmas Eve, U.S. President Donald Trump took calls from children, asking them what they wanted most from Santa, and revealing what was on his own wish list. One boy wanted building blocks. Every year on Christmas eve NORAD purports to track the flight of Santa and his reindeer-pulled sleigh, a tradition since 1955 when a department store misprinted a phone number, sending a flood of calls to a NORAD colonel, who played along.
|
| Vice Media apologises for ‘boy’s club’ culture that fostered sexual harassment: ‘We let far too many people down’ Posted: 24 Dec 2017 01:40 PM PST  The founders of Vice Media, the news company famed for its hipster style and digital savvy, have apologised for the organisation's "boy's club" culture that failed to protect women staff from sexual harassment and misconduct. In a letter to staff, Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi, said the company had not done enough by its employees and were setting in place a series of management and human resources processes to help tackle the problem.
|
| Medieval manuscripts and Xmas recipes, abbey library a trove Posted: 24 Dec 2017 05:32 AM PST  BERLIN (AP) — Take 20 liters of honey and boil it together with 2 liters of water. Add in cinnamon and nutmeg, a healthy amount of ginger and pepper, plus some aniseed and coriander. Mix it all together with rye flour and water.
|
