| New report shows Australian allies alerted US of Papadopoulos Posted: 30 Dec 2017 02:42 AM PST  A new report by the New York Times shows that the Russia inquiry began after Australian allies alerted U.S. officials about George Papadopoulos' knowledge of Russian information against Hillary Clinton.
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| Minimum Wage Raises Coming To 18 States On New Year’s Day Posted: 31 Dec 2017 05:00 AM PST  Minimum wage workers in 18 states will get a pay hike next week when higher wage floors go into effect around the country for 2018.
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| New moms in Puerto Rico face a health care crisis Posted: 30 Dec 2017 08:13 AM PST  Since Hurricane Maria, public health experts say Puerto Rico is facing a growing crisis, and with many doctors having left the island, expectant mothers must turn to the few still-open clinics.
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| Social media companies ignoring pleas over extremism could face tax hikes Posted: 30 Dec 2017 10:00 PM PST  Internet companies could simply move their money abroad if the Government introduces a potential terror tax to crackdown on the spread of extremist material online, critics fear. Keith Simpson, a senior Tory MP and member of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, said taxing companies if they fail to cooperate with efforts to fight terrorism was an "attention grabber headline" but would be difficult to enforce. Ben Wallace, the Security Minister, said "patience is running out fast" with web companies. He accused them of putting profit before public safety and that "if they continue to be less than co-operative, we should look at things like tax as a way of incentivising them or compensating for their inaction". He also suggested web companies were "ruthless profiteers" - a remark which prompted an angry response from Facebook with the internet giant saying he was "wrong to say that we put profit before safety". Any levy could be similar to the windfall tax imposed on excess profits of privatised utilities by the Blair government in 1997, or the charge Margaret Thatcher's government placed on banks in 1981. The amount of tax paid in the UK by internet companies relative to their overall profits has provoked widespread fury in recent months and has prompted questions about how effective any new charge would be. The likes of Facebook and Twitter have been warned they could face tax hikes Credit: LOIC VENANCE/AFP Mr Simpson told The Telegraph: "Part of me says 'well, good luck' if you think that this can persuade them and raise money. "I suspect that it will be incredibly difficult." He said companies could react to any attempt to impose a new levy by moving their money away from the UK. "It is convenient to use the UK for many reasons but they might decide to go to another European country or somewhere else," he said. "It is incredibly difficult to do this but that is not to say that we shouldn't try to do this. "I did think this was a bit of an attention grabber headline." Mr Simpson said he believed the "broad mass of the public would agree" with such a windfall tax being introduced "but merely making promises is not enough". Mr Wallace said in an interview with the Sunday Times that obstruction and inaction by social media companies is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds as law enforcement agencies pick up the cost of tackling radicalisation. Simon Milner, of Facebook, said: "Mr Wallace is wrong to say that we put profit before safety, especially in the fight against terrorism. We've invested millions of pounds in people and technology to identify and remove terrorist content." Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for YouTube said the video website is "doing more every day to tackle these issues" while Twitter said 95 per cent of terrorist content was removed proactively from the site.
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| Sydney New Year's Eve Fireworks Celebration Posted: 31 Dec 2017 10:03 AM PST  Australia ushered in the new year with a fireworks display over Sydney Harbour Bridge Sunday night/Monday morning.
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| Ivanka Trump's most talked about controversies of 2017 Posted: 29 Dec 2017 07:42 PM PST  While President Trump normally gets the internet buzzing with eyebrow-raising comments and quick-response tweets, first daughter, Ivanka Trump, has also had her fair share of controversies in 2017. In an interview with the Associated Press, the first daughter said there was "a special place in hell for people who prey on children" after allegations surfaced that Moore sexually abused multiple teenage girls.
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| Christians in shock after deadly attack on Coptic Church in Egypt Posted: 30 Dec 2017 12:27 PM PST ![Christians in shock after deadly attack on Coptic Church in Egypt]( "Christians in shock after deadly attack on Coptic Church in Egypt") By Mostafa Salem CAIRO (Reuters) - At an hour that Sama'an Farag usually spends leisurely sipping his morning tea, the doorman at the Mar Mina Coptic Church near Cairo found himself springing up to close the doors upon hearing gunshots and the sound of ricocheting bullets. Inside, dozens of children at Sunday school, held on Friday morning to coincide with Egypt's weekend, were rushed upstairs out of the range of the gunfire. God forbid if he (gunman) had entered the church - there would have been many more victims," said churchkeeper Saad Saeed.
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| China Shuts Down Domestic Ivory Trade In Effort To Fight Poaching Posted: 30 Dec 2017 01:20 PM PST  WASHINGTON — China, one of the world's largest markets for elephant ivory, will close out 2017 by shutting down its domestic ivory trade in an effort to curb poaching and ensure a future for the imperiled species.
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| 2 dead, 1 hurt in shooting at Southern California law firm Posted: 29 Dec 2017 06:13 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man walked into the Southern California law firm where he worked and shot two men Friday before turning the gun on himself, police said.
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| Neighbors Greet Vacationing Mike Pence With 'Make America Gay Again' Banner Posted: 30 Dec 2017 12:15 PM PST  WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence was welcomed to Colorado with snow-dusted pines, cool mountain air and a bright rainbow banner with the words, "Make America Gay Again."
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| Police Rescue Adorable Baby Seal Found Waddling on the Road Posted: 30 Dec 2017 10:12 AM PST  He was 2 miles from the ocean.
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| Tiny Bird Found In Cockpit Forces Delta Flight To Make A U-Turn Posted: 31 Dec 2017 02:49 PM PST  A Delta pilot traveling from Detroit to Atlanta turned back when he found a small-winged creature flapping around his large-winged aircraft on Saturday.
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| Mass pro-government rallies in Iran after protests Posted: 29 Dec 2017 11:58 PM PST  State television showed huge crowds of black-clad supporters gathering in the capital Tehran, second city Mashhad and elsewhere to mark the anniversary of the end of "the sedition" -- the last major unrest that followed disputed elections in 2009. The pre-planned rallies came just after anti-government protests, which had spread from Mashhad on Thursday to numerous towns across the country. Initially aimed against high prices, the anti-government protests quickly turned against the Islamic regime as a whole.
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| Catelynn Lowell Of 'Teen Mom OG' Heads Home After Treatment For Suicidal Thoughts Posted: 30 Dec 2017 09:45 PM PST  "Teen Mom OG" reality star Catelynn Lowell Baltierra is heading back home to Michigan after six weeks in a treatment center following a struggle with suicidal thoughts.
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| Merkel eyes social cohesion as she presses for new government Posted: 30 Dec 2017 03:16 PM PST ![Merkel eyes social cohesion as she presses for new government]( "Merkel eyes social cohesion as she presses for new government") By Andrea Shalal BERLIN (Reuters) - Conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, under pressure after three months of failing to form a new ruling coalition, on Sunday vowed to address growing social divisions as she worked rapidly to build a stable German government. "And Germany will only prosper if its success serves all people and improves and enriches our lives." Merkel, seeking a fourth term in office, is trying to persuade the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) to extend the "grand coalition" that ruled for the past four years despite big losses suffered by both political blocs in the Sept. 24 polls. The alternative would be a minority government or new elections that could hand further gains to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which entered parliament for the first time amid concerns about Merkel's decision in 2015 to welcome over a million mainly Muslim migrants to Germany.
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| Syrian forces find 'two Isil mass graves outside Raqqa' Posted: 30 Dec 2017 03:47 AM PST  Two mass graves containing dozens of bodies of civilians and Syrian troops killed by Islamic State jihadists have been found in the west of Raqa province, state news agency SANA reported Friday. The bodies were discovered based on information provided by residents near Wawi in the west of the province, which borders Turkey. It said they had been executed. Recovery operations were expected to last several days "due to the huge area of the two mass graves", SANA quoted a source from the Syrian civil defence as saying. It was not immediately clear when they had been killed, other than while Islamic State controlled the northerly province, SANA said. The Islamic State group, which proclaimed a "caliphate" over swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, has now lost almost all the land it once controlled. It has been held responsible for multiple atrocities during its reign of terror, including mass executions and decapitations. In December 2014, the bodies of 230 people executed by Islamic State were found in a mass grave in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. Another 200 civilians, including women and children, were killed by the group in June 2015 in the city of Kobane.
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| Alleged 'Nigerian Prince' Email Scammer Arrested In Louisiana Posted: 30 Dec 2017 10:51 AM PST  Police in Slidell, Louisiana, have arrested a man who allegedly helped scam people out of thousands of dollars in "Nigerian prince"-style email schemes.
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| German police union chief slams NYE 'safe zone' for women Posted: 30 Dec 2017 10:19 AM PST  BERLIN (AP) — A German police union boss has criticized organizers of Berlin's annual open-air New Year's Eve party for designating a special "safety area" for women, saying it suggests they aren't safe from assault elsewhere.
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| 'Shaking' 2-Year-Old Girl in Diaper Found Wandering Into Traffic on Frigid Day Posted: 30 Dec 2017 10:37 AM PST  A two-year-old girl wearing only a diaper was found in Massachusetts
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| America's Javelin Missiles Are Going to Ukraine (but Can They Stop Russia's Army?) Posted: 30 Dec 2017 05:38 PM PST  On December 22, 2017 the State Department announced it had issued an export license for lethal military aid to Ukraine—including $47 million for 210 Javelin missiles and thirty-five command launcher units (CLUs) with which to launch them. Ukraine first requested Javelins in the fall of 2014 to counter Russian tank units that had intervened in a separatist conflict in Eastern Ukraine, sending the Ukrainian Army into retreat.
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| Activist Erica Garner, Daughter Of Eric Garner, Dead At 27 After Heart Attack Posted: 30 Dec 2017 07:34 AM PST  Activist Erica Garner, the eldest daughter of police chokehold victim Eric Garner, died Friday morning, less than a week after suffering a heart attack.
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| Turkey rages after 'coup' officer granted asylum in Greece Posted: 30 Dec 2017 05:35 PM PST  The Turkish foreign ministry on Saturday slammed a decision in Greece to grant asylum to a Turkish helicopter co-pilot, who fled the country after last year's failed coup, as "politically motivated" and warned of a negative impact on bilateral relations. The co-pilot -- who flew seven other Turkish military officers to Greece -- was granted asylum after Greek authorities ruled that his human rights would be at risk, despite repeated requests for his extradition by Ankara. The decision "once again reveals that Greece is a country that protects and embraces plotters," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the ruling was "politically motivated".
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| 6 Of The Most Bizarre News Stories In 2017 Posted: 31 Dec 2017 04:00 AM PST  2017 was a huge year in news: The United States got a new president.
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| Meghan Markle Says No New Year's Resolution For Her Posted: 31 Dec 2017 09:49 AM PST  While most people are creating long lists of New Year's Resolutions, Meghan Markle says she has given them up!
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| U.S. citizens among 10 dead in southwest Mexico car crash Posted: 31 Dec 2017 10:09 AM PST ![U.S. citizens among 10 dead in southwest Mexico car crash]( "U.S. citizens among 10 dead in southwest Mexico car crash") Several U.S. citizens were among 10 people who died in a car crash and subsequent fire on the southwestern coast of Mexico near tourist hot spot Acapulco, the U.S. State Department said on Sunday. Two other were injured in the accident late Friday, when two cars and a motorcycle collided on the highway between Acapulco and beach city Zihuatanejo in the state of Guerrero, Mexico's civil protection agency said. A 1-year-old and 4-year-old were killed in the accident, along with others ranging in age from 26 to 76, Guerrero's civil protection agency said.
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| Houston Police Arrest 'Drunk' Man With Stash Of Weapons In Hotel Room Posted: 31 Dec 2017 07:37 AM PST  Houston police arrested an intoxicated man with a cache of weapons in his hotel room early Sunday, according to local media reports.
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| New Year's Eve celebrations: world welcomes 2018 Posted: 31 Dec 2017 12:27 PM PST  The New Year has officially begun, as midnight passed in Samoa, Tonga and Christmas Island/Kiribati, the first places in the world to welcome in 2018. The last places on Earth to see in the New Year are minor outlying US islands like Baker Island and Howland Island - although these are uninhabited. The last inhabited island is American Samoa which will welcome 2018 when it's 11am in London on January 1. When major cities will welcome 2018 11.00 GMT Auckland, New Zealand 13:00 GMT Sydney, Australia 15:00 Tokyo 16:00 Beijing and Hong Kong 20:00 Dubai 23:00 Paris, Rome and Brussels 00:00 London 05:00 New York 08:00 Los Angeles In the UK, Storm Dylan is set to bring a wet and windy end to the year, with howling gales in excess of 70mph hitting parts of Ireland and Wales and squally rain bearing down on the UK mainland. Forecasters have warned of severe gusts of up to 80mph. New Year's Eve 2017, in pictures Across the pond, New Yorkers have been warned as they prepare for one of the coldest New Year celebrations on record. Revellers have been told to bring handwarmers, wrap up warm and avoid alcohol as they flock to Times Square, which is due to hit a frosty 11 degrees celcius, which would tie for second place with 1962. The coldest ever recorded New Year's Eve at Times Square was in 1917, when it was -17 Celsius at midnight. Drinking alcohol is warned against because it causes body temperature to drop faster. Partygoers have been told to cover all exposed skin. London celebrates It is finally the UK's turn to welcome in 2018 and London does it in usual style with a massive fireworks display over the Thames in front of the Houses of Parliament. Fireworks on the Thames by Parliament and Big Ben herald the start of the New Year Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/LNP Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to watch dazzling fireworks and join lively celebrations across the UK. Crowds swamped the banks of the River Thames in London for the 12-minute display after Big Ben's bongs rung out across the capital at midnight, having been turned back on for the festive period. Fireworks explode over Big Ben and the giant Ferris wheel of the London Eye at midnight Credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images Europe More than 100,000 ticket-holders watched London's New Year's Eve fireworks, which featured a soundtrack dominated by women to mark the centenary of women being granted the vote. Songs by Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Florence Welch were among those included in the women-only second half of the world-famous show. More than 10,000 fireworks lit up the capital's sky during that sold-out event, prompting huge cheers from the lively crowd. Scotland Yard confirmed fewer Metropolitan Police officers were working during this year's celebration, but security at the event appeared tight, with armed police on patrol and security barriers erected. The huge event took place at the end of the year which saw London hit by four terror attacks. Edinburgh's Hogmany is in full swing Torchbearers blazed through the city accompanied by a cast of pipers and drummers with the procession starting at St Giles cathedral and making its way down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood Park, passing Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyrood House. Hogmany celebrations Credit: Ian Georgeson/The Corner Shop The Torchlight Procession which marks the opening of city's New Year celebrations, makes its way through Edinburgh Credit: David Cheskin/PA Fireworks light up the sky in Edinburgh during the Hogmanay New Year celebrations Credit: David Cheskin/PA Revellers braved blustery conditions to enjoy Hogmanay celebrations, after Storm Dylan earlier threatened to cause disruption. Gusts of up to 76mph were recorded in parts of Scotland on Sunday afternoon but conditions calmed, allowing one of the world's biggest street parties to go ahead as planned. Tens of thousands saw in 2018 against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. Underbelly, which is producing the event for the first time, promised the "best party ever" for the 75,000 people attending, with live music, DJs, street entertainment and the "ultimate fireworks display" from Edinburgh Castle. Rag'n'Bone Man is headlining Concert in the Gardens, with Declan McKenna and Nina Nesbitt as support acts, while those performing on the three Street Party stages include The Human League, Sacred Paws, Treacherous Orchestra and Huey Morgan. Berlin celebrates Fireworks explode next to the Quadriga sculpture atop the Brandenburg gate during New Year celebrations in Berlin Fireworks explode next to the Quadriga sculpture Credit: HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/REUTERS Athens rings in 2018 Fireworks explode by the Ancient Acropolis in Athens Fireworks explode by the Ancient Acropol Credit: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP Moscow's skies explode with colour Fireworks lit the sky over the Bolshoy Kamenny bridge where Red square and Kremlin Palace are seen on background during the New Year's celebrations in Moscow, Russia Fireworks light the sky in Moscow Credit: TATYANA MAKEYEVA/REUTERS A performer during New Year celebrations in central Moscow Credit: Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS Dubai puts on light show Dubai celebrated the start of 2018 with a spectacular New Year's Eve extravagant light show in its usual impressive fashion. "Light Up 2018" promised to be a dazzling experience that integrated music, visuals and the performance of The Dubai Fountain in a brilliantly choreographed show. The world's tallest building was emblazoned with the words Year of Zayed. 2018 will mark 100 years since the birth of the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan. Dubai welcomes in 2018 with an extravagant light show Dubai welcomes in 2018 with an extravagant light show Hong Kong and Beijing count down to 2018 An impressive fireworks display lit up Hong Kong as partygoers counted down to 2018. The musical fireworks stretched 1.1km along the harbourfront, during the 10-minute show which started at midnight. The display includes a "Magic Stardust" firework, inspired by the idea of dancing fairies which scatter magical stardust over the harbour, a symbol of the New Year's blessings to the city. Time to party and celebrate the #NewYear in style in #HongKong! ���� See more here: https://t.co/vmOi3Q37Bupic.twitter.com/ECLAMvpbhM— Hong Kong (@discoverhk) December 27, 2017 Members of the public were able to "make a wish" on the stars, with the various colours symbolising love, health, happiness and wealth. Additionally, there were well-attended countdown parties across Hong Kong, with revellers enjoying a multitude of activities from karaoke to masquerade. Beijing rang in the New Year at the same time, after Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech. Stunning aerial view of #Beijing's Central Axis lit up for #NewYear's Eve https://t.co/ckmMgGC03kpic.twitter.com/m2tn5q5wb9: Stunning aerial…— Mensur Lawler (@honzaruiite) December 31, 2017 He said the year 2018 marked the first year of fully implementing "the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China," also promising that by 2020 all rural workers will be lifted out of poverty. The city was lit up by spectacular fireworks - it is known for its displays and China is thought to have invented them more than a thousand years ago during the Tang dynasty. Balloons, fireworks and foxes: Tokyo rings in the New Year Tokyo celebrated the New Year at 3pm UK time. The Japanese capital saw the first snow of the season on Sunday as people prepared to ring in 2018. There were many countdown parties taking place across the city, with some celebrities in attendance. Happy New Year from Tokyo American Club. pic.twitter.com/fv2g3AYVG8— Tokyo American Club (@TACtokyo) December 31, 2017 Singer John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigan were in Japan in order to celebrate the New Year. She tweeted earlier in the evening: "3 hours and 12 minutes left in this ridiculous year but who's counting." During the celebrations, balloons were released at Tokyo Park and there was a fireworks display at Sea Paradise Aquarium in Yokohama. Happy New Year from the cool craziness of Tokyo with 80,000 people celebrating @Shibuya_Crossinpic.twitter.com/dKg1jItU6G— rachel lilley (@NZRACHEH) December 31, 2017 A more unusual way to ring in the New Year is the Oji Fox Parade, at which revellers dress as foxes as they count down to midnight. Spectacular fireworks fill Australia's skies Sydney, Australia rang in the New Year at 1pm UK time, after a family-friendly firework show earlier in the evening. The Opera House could be seen illuminated by the fireworks as an estimated 1.6 million people gathered to watch. The fireworks for this evenings New Years Eve celebrations in #Sydney. #SydNYEpic.twitter.com/yVvUe9Mp4j— Ross Johnson (@rossxjohnson) December 31, 2017 Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the display would enforce the city's position as the New Year's Eve capital of the world He said:"The most technologically advanced fireworks display I'm told. Wow! The family-friendly 9pm fireworks set the scene for a huge celebration. We can't wait to see what midnight brings #SydNYEpic.twitter.com/f6YUb5FFeW— City of Sydney (@cityofsydney) December 31, 2017 "It'll promote Sydney to the world. There'll be a billion viewers out there watching." Melbourne also celebrated in style, with 14 tonnes of fireworks launched from the top of 22 city buildings. New Zealand celebrates the new year Record numbers were expected to show up to New Zealand's new year celebrations as it became one of the first countries to celebrate 2018, at 11am UK time. Good news. It's 2018 in NZ already and it's not bad so far. Happy New Year!— Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) December 31, 2017 In Auckland, revellers were treated to reggae music from local bands at a block party and in Rotorua, there is a free festival featuring local entertainment, fireworks and the hedline act Elemeno P. There are quite a few festivals happening across the country - but alcohol has been banned in many parts of New Zealand including Queenstown, Frankton, Arrowtown, Wanaka and Hawea. Fireworks in Auckland Credit: Dave Rowland/Getty Images This came into effect on Wednesday and will be in place until the 6th. The alcohol bans are put in place to avoid disruption and danger, but the elements caused some chaos, with a south-westerley wind hitting the beaches and sending towels and umbrellas flying. Police were also forced to deal with escaped sheep. Big news coming out of Timaru. Cows were wondering on the road but were mooved off by a motorist. Our unit didn't find cows but did find sheep. Ewe know what that could mean. #NZPCanterburyNYE— CanterburyPoliceNZ (@NZPCanterbury) December 31, 2017 A local police department tweeted: "Big news coming out of Timaru. Cows were wondering on the road but were mooved off by a motorist. Our unit didn't find cows but did find sheep. Ewe know what that could mean. " First country rings in the New Year Samoa became the first country to celebrate 2018 as midnight struck on the islands. Samoa became the first country to celebrate the New Year Credit: David Kirkland/ Photolibrary RM The most interesting thing about the New Year in Samoa is the fact that one can take an hour's flight to American Samoa, which is on the other side of the dateline, and celebrate the New Year twice, twelve hours later as it is one of the last places to hit midnight. Fia Fia dance��mosquito dance Samoa的傳統舞基本上就是打蚊子舞��最喜歡他們跳舞唱歌時的樣子,完全就是自然奔放的太平洋之子們阿�� #samoa #pacificisland #islandboys #mosquitodance #fiafianight A post shared by MEI_CINDY (@meihan_huang) on Dec 30, 2017 at 11:36pm PST Often, Samoans and visitors to the country celebrate with fireworks and traditional juggling and dancing. People visit from all over the globe in order to be the first to see the New Year. A post shared by Carol Sheldon (@carolshe) on Dec 30, 2017 at 8:20pm PST In 2011, officials in Samoa decided to move from the eastern side of the international date line to the western side, making it the first country to celebrate the New Year instead of the last. This put the Pacific island nation on the same weekday as its neighbours to the west, including Australia and New Zealand, and was aimed at making trade with the countries easier and boosting the economy.
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| 2 men charged in deaths of women, children found in home Posted: 30 Dec 2017 04:19 PM PST  TROY, N.Y. (AP) — Two men were arrested Saturday on murder charges in the deaths of two women and two children who were found dead in their upstate New York apartment.
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| From sniper to saint, showing Iraqi Shiite militias' power Posted: 30 Dec 2017 07:57 AM PST  BASRA, Iraq (AP) — In his martyrdom, he has virtually become a new saint for Iraq's Shiites. His poster adorns shop windows, men and women wear his image as badges. Poems praise his valor. His sniper's rifle, with which he's said to have killed nearly 400 Islamic State group militants, is now enshrined in a museum in the holiest Shiite city.
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| New Year Kicks Off With Supermoon Lunapalooza Posted: 30 Dec 2017 05:43 PM PST  On Jan. 1, the full Moon will be at or near its closest point in its orbit around Earth, making it a supermoon.
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| Reporters face obstacle run in corruption-hit Bulgaria Posted: 29 Dec 2017 05:48 PM PST  Cartoonist Hristo Komarnitski and his colleagues had no illusions: launching a satirical journal was always going to be tricky in Bulgaria, new holder of the EU presidency but also ranked as the bloc's worst press freedom violator. As Bulgaria prepares to take the rotating EU helm on January 1, its press industry is mired in "corruption and collusion between media, politicians, and oligarchs," according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Since joining the bloc a decade ago, Bulgaria has tumbled down in the annual RSF press freedom ranking from sharing the 35th place with France in 2006 to 109th out of 180 countries in 2017 -- by far the worst placed EU member state.
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| Yeah, All Of This Really Happened In 2017 Posted: 31 Dec 2017 05:00 AM PST  Some might call the last year a turning point or a culmination of bottled feelings, but one thing we can agree on is that 2017 was a wild ride with some of the craziest news cycles in recent history.
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| Ten prisoners in eastern Turkey on hunger strike, health worsening: lawyers Posted: 30 Dec 2017 07:34 AM PST ![Ten prisoners in eastern Turkey on hunger strike, health worsening: lawyers]( "Ten prisoners in eastern Turkey on hunger strike, health worsening: lawyers") The health of 10 women prisoners in Turkey has deteriorated since they went on hunger strike to protest against a new security measure, a lawyers' association in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir said on Saturday. Six women in a jail in the eastern province of Elazig went on hunger strike on Nov. 10, to protest against a rule obliging them to wear an ID while outside their living quarters, the Bar association said. The Diyarbakir Bar said the prisoners were losing weight and starting to have serious health problems.
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| New Year's resolutions for big tech: how Silicon Valley can be better in 2018 Posted: 30 Dec 2017 11:00 PM PST  New Year's resolutions are crap. It is in that spirit that we have created a list of New Year's resolutions for the tech industry. Tech companies have been promising to improve their hiring of women and underrepresented minorities for nearly two decades.
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| The Latest: Colorado gunman ID'd as US veteran with a grudge Posted: 31 Dec 2017 04:17 PM PST  DENVER (AP) — The Latest on shooting in suburban Denver that left one sheriff's deputy dead and four deputies and two civilians wounded (all times local):
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| Court upholds ban on Navalny running for Russian presidency Posted: 30 Dec 2017 08:36 AM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's highest court on Saturday upheld a decision barring opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for president in March.
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| When Is an Extended Car Warranty Worth It? Posted: 31 Dec 2017 04:00 AM PST  My car salesman was pushing me to buy an extended warranty because I put a lot of miles on my car per year. Is it worth it? "You might be tempted to roll the cost of an extended warranty into you...
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| Colombia ships 50 tonnes of holiday ham to Venezuela Posted: 30 Dec 2017 01:48 PM PST  Colombia has shipped around 50 tonnes (55 tons) of ham to Venezuela after protests broke out over shortages of the traditional holiday staple, an official said Saturday. The first two trucks of ham arrived in Venezuela on Friday night, a source from Colombia's national tax and customs office told AFP. The transport ministry said it had issued a firm a "special permit" to transport the ham to Barinas, western Venezuela.
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| Top GOP Races To Watch In 2018 Posted: 31 Dec 2017 10:11 AM PST  WASHINGTON ― With a hint of a blue wave on the horizon, Republicans are facing added pressure to get their house in order and field the best candidates possible ahead of next year's congressional midterm elections.
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| Congo security forces accused of killing two during anti-government protests Posted: 31 Dec 2017 04:46 AM PST ![Congo security forces accused of killing two during anti-government protests]( "Congo security forces accused of killing two during anti-government protests") Congolese security forces shot dead two men on Sunday during protests against President Joseph Kabila's refusal to step down from office, Human Rights Watch said. Catholic activists had called for protests after Sunday mass, one year after Kabila committed to holding an election to choose his successor by the end of 2017 - an election that has now been delayed until December 2018. The delay has fuelled suspicions Kabila will try to remove constitutional term limits that forbid him from running again.
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| How a 'Water Dragon' Could Help China Dominate the South China Sea Posted: 29 Dec 2017 05:41 PM PST  On December 24, China test flew the largest amphibious plane currently in production—the thirty-seven-meter long AG600 Kunlong or Jiaolong ( "Water Dragon'). Powered by four WH6 turboprops rated at 5,100 horsepower, the Jiaolong reportedly has maximum take-off weight of fifty-nine tons (it's thirty-five tons empty), a maximum speed of 350 miles per hour, and a range of 3,000 or 3,500 miles. You can see the airliner-sized seaplane's maiden flight at Zhuhai here.
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| Egyptian mummy can 'live forever' after development in scanning technique Posted: 31 Dec 2017 02:58 PM PST  An 3,000 year old Egyptian mummy can "live forever" after his name was discovered written on his sarcophagus, a curator has claimed. The desicated remains of the man formerly known as Irethoreru are held by Chiddington Castle, Kent, but his precise identity had always remained a mystery - until now. His name, which means "The eye of Horus is against them", and is thought to date from between 664 BC and 30 AD, was discovered thanks to a scanning technique developed by British researchers from University College London and the University of Manchester along with collaborators in the United States. They were able to read hitherto invisible hieroglyphics painted on scraps of papyrus used to make the case for the mummified body by shining light of various frequencies onto them. The new technique was developed using fabricated scraps designed to mimic the 'waste' ancient materials, including ancient shopping lists and tax returns, which were recycled into sarcophagi. They were previously regarded as illegible, however, because the writing was obscured by the paste and plaster that holds the mummy together. The mysterious mummy of Chiddingstone castle Credit: BBC News Prof Adam Gibson of University College London, who led the project said: "Because the waste papyrus was used to make prestige objects, they have been preserved. "These masks constitute one of the best libraries we have of waste papyrus that would otherwise have been thrown away so it includes information about these individual people about their everyday lives" Irethoreru's name was discovered on a footplate of his coffin. Until now, researchers would have had to destroy the sarcophagus in order to read it. Castle curator Maria Esain said: "There is a saying from Ancient Egyptian times - "To speak a man's name is to restore him to eternal life." Therefore, if we were able to determine the name written in hieroglyphs on the 'foot' of the coffin then we would be enabling that person to live forever."
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| Daughter takes on ruling that may let mom's killer go free Posted: 30 Dec 2017 09:38 PM PST  On a spring day in 1994, a retired German couple who'd traveled to California to see their daughter were sightseeing in the San Jacinto Mountains when they were robbed and shot by three young men. Gisela Pfleger, 64, died in the attack. Her husband, 62-year-old Klaus, was severely injured.
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| Russian security agency arrests supermarket bombing suspect Posted: 30 Dec 2017 08:58 AM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — A man was arrested Saturday in connection with a St. Petersburg supermarket bombing that wounded 18 people, Russia's main domestic security agency said.
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| Arrest Made in 'Swatting' Prank That Led to Fatal Shooting Posted: 31 Dec 2017 12:14 PM PST  Police in Los Angeles have arrested a man they suspect made a hoax emergency call that resulted in a SWAT police officer fatally shooting a man at the door of his own home in Kansas, a law enforcement official said Saturday.
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| Serbia launches probe after toxic waste dumped near Belgrade Posted: 30 Dec 2017 03:27 AM PST  The mayor of a Belgrade suburb said Saturday that a large-scale investigation will be launched following the discovery of 25 tonnes of toxic waste found dumped in a private field. "This is just the beginning of a major operation that will take place on our territory and in Serbia," Obrenovac mayor Miroslav Cuckovic told state television (RTS). The environment ministry announced Friday the dumped waste had been found, and analysis is under way to determine if the surrounding soil has been polluted.
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