| Russia's Putin hails Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria Posted: 20 Dec 2018 06:46 AM PST  Putin said Trump was right to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria because they weren't 'needed'
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| Sex abuse claims brought against 700 Catholic clergy in Illinois Posted: 19 Dec 2018 10:46 PM PST  Almost 700 clergymen in Illinois have been accused of child sexual assault, a far greater number than the Catholic Church had previously disclosed, the Midwestern US state's top prosecutor revealed Wednesday. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the Church's revelations that 185 clergy members were credibly accused of sexual abuse fell short of the number her office has uncovered. The preliminary results of an investigation that began in August found more than 500 additional priests and clergy members with sexual abuse allegations in the Midwestern state's six dioceses -- a total of at least 685 accused.
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| Bank apologizes for calling police on black man who was trying to cash his paycheck Posted: 19 Dec 2018 06:03 PM PST  A man attempted to cash a check from a new employer at a Cleveland area bank. Police got involved after the bank had trouble verifying the check.
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| U.S. imposes fresh Russia sanctions for election meddling Posted: 19 Dec 2018 03:13 PM PST  The U.S. Treasury Department twinned that development with an announcement that it would lift sanctions on major aluminum company Rusal and two other firms tied to Oleg Deripaska after a deal was struck to sever the Russian oligarch's control over them. Deripaska himself will remain under sanctions, Treasury said. The fresh sanctions targeted 15 members of a Russian military intelligence service and four entities involved in the alleged election interference, the hacking of the World Anti-Doping Agency and other "malign activities" around the world, the Treasury said in a statement on its website.
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| Elon Musk bores tunnel to revolutionize city driving Posted: 18 Dec 2018 10:07 PM PST  Elon Musk on Tuesday took a break from futuristic electric cars and private space travel to unveil a low-cost tunnel he sees as a godsend for city traffic. The billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX late Tuesday put the spotlight on the a 1.14 mile (1.8 kilometer) tunnel created by his Boring Company for about $10 million. The sample tunnel is part of Musk's vision to have an underground network that cars, preferably Teslas, can be lowered to by lifts then slotted into tracks and propelled along at speeds up to 150 mph (241 kmh).
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| New Zealand warns Google after internet giant breaches court order in Grace Millane murder case Posted: 19 Dec 2018 02:02 AM PST  New Zealand warned Google to "take responsibility" for its news content on Wednesday, after the internet giant broke a court order suppressing the name of a man charged with murdering a British backpacker. Jesse Kempson, 26, has been charged with the murder of Grace Millane, a 22-year-old from Essex who was last seen alive in Auckland on December 1. A week later, her body was found in the Waitakere Ranges 10 metres away from the road. The defendant's name is not allowed to be published in New Zealand. The judge refused to grant a suppression order, but the media are not allowed to name him because the accused sought to appeal. But Google revealed his identity in an email to subscribers of its "what's trending in New Zealand?" service. Justice Minister Andrew Little said the breach was unacceptable and he had made his views known to Google executives at a meeting in parliament on Tuesday night. While Google has argued the breach was inadvertent and it was unaware of the court order when the automatically generated email went out, Mr Little said that was not good enough. Judge Evangelos Thomas granted the suspect interim name suppression this month pending appeal Credit: Getty "I put the ball back in their court," he told commercial radio on Wednesday. "If they choose to set up their algorithms and distribute news, they've got to take responsibility for that." Mr Little said he met two local Google executives, and a senior legal counsel from the company's California headquarters joined them by video. He said they appeared genuinely concerned about the breach and assured him they were working to ensure it did not happen again, with another meeting scheduled for early 2019 to assess their progress. Mr Little conceded that controlling information on the internet and social media was challenging but said court orders were made for a reason and must be respected. "We can't just stand back and say this is all too hard," he said. "The price of that (would be) we have to capitulate and concede what are very important rights that anyone going through the courts has." He said the case highlighted the potential need for an international agreement if Google "won't do anything (or) can't do anything" to resolve the issue. "They can expect us to talk to partner countries around the world who have a similar interest... about reaching an agreement to enforce each others' orders in each others' countries," he said. "That may well happen inevitably anyway because it's not just Google, there are others as well and we have to protect the integrity of our court system."
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| What Were the Biggest Automotive Recalls of 2018? How About the Smallest? Posted: 20 Dec 2018 12:14 PM PST |
| Trump defends 'great work' of Trump Foundation, a day after closing it Posted: 19 Dec 2018 08:28 AM PST  A day after agreeing with the New York attorney general to dissolve the Trump Foundation, President Trump lashed out at what he calls a politically motivated attack on his charitable organization.
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| Delta apologizes to deaf activist Nyle DiMarco for providing unnecessary wheelchair Posted: 20 Dec 2018 09:51 AM PST  Activist and model Nyle DiMarco tweeted "apparently being deaf at an airport means I need a wheelchair." Delta apologized for their mistake.
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| Putin says West trying to 'hold back' powerful Russia Posted: 20 Dec 2018 06:39 AM PST  President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the West was trying to hold back an increasingly powerful Russia, during an end-of-year press conference that took aim at sanctions and "made-up" spy scandals. At the marathon annual event he also trumpeted ambitious efforts to boost Russia's economy and warned that US plans to leave a key nuclear weapons treaty raised the risk of a new arms race. Asked about Western sanctions against Moscow, Putin said these were "connected to the growth of Russia's power".
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| Retired Marine takes down gunman trying to rob his bar in Pennsylvania Posted: 20 Dec 2018 04:11 AM PST  Veteran seen on surveillance footage grabbing the suspect's gun.
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| Los Angeles bishop resigns over sex abuse as crisis spreads Posted: 19 Dec 2018 05:53 AM PST  A brief Vatican statement said Alexander Salazar, 69, an assistant bishop in Los Angeles, was stepping down. It also distributed a letter on the Salazar case written by the current Archbishop of Los Angeles, Jose Gomez. The U.S. Catholic Church is still reeling from a U.S. grand jury report that found that 301 priests in the state of Pennsylvania had sexually abused minors over a 70-year period.
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| Mom Arrested For Leaving Her Kids Found Home Alone Watching the Movie Home Alone Posted: 20 Dec 2018 11:09 AM PST  When life imitates art a little too much
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| Trump's border wall gets a GoFundMe campaign that's trying to raise $1 billion Posted: 20 Dec 2018 07:12 AM PST  President Trump has so far failed to secure funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, so now his most ardent supporters are trying to pay for it themselves. Earlier this week, a GoFundMe campaign that aims to raise one billion dollars to, well, build that wall was launched. The campaign is the work of Brian Kolfage, a triple-amputee veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart for his service during the Iraq War.
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| Third Canadian arrested in China as Huawei diplomatic rows continue Posted: 19 Dec 2018 02:50 AM PST  A third Canadian citizen has been detained in China following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said on Tuesday that they are "aware of a Canadian citizen" who has been taken into custody in China. An anonymous official later briefed that the department had "reason to believe that this case is linked to other recent cases of Canadians detained in China" Nevertheless there was speculation that the move was retaliation for the arrest of Ms Meng, who is facing extradition to the US. David Mulroney, a former ambassador to China, said it would be highly unusual if the third arrest was a coincidence. "One detention is bad enough. Two is terrible. Three underlines how ruthless China can be," he told AFP. Ms Meng's arrest has been seen as politically motivated as it comes amid hightened security tensions between the US and China, and accusations that Huawei is a vehicle for state spying. Canada declined to name the latest person arrested or provide further details, citing a national privacy act. However, the National Post, which first reported the story on Wednesday, cited third-party sources who apparently spoke to the family of the person arrested and confirmed they are neither a diplomat nor an entrepreneur working in China. Hua Chunying, spokesman for China's foreign ministry, denied any knowledge of the latest arrest in a daily press briefing in Beijing this morning. Two other Canadians — former diplomat and current advocacy group advisor Michael Kovrig, and businessman Michael Spavor — were arrested in China last week on charges of endangering the country's national security. Beijing has not said if the two arrests were made in retaliation for Meng's detention, and the Canadian government has stressed that there is no explicit link between the cases. However, Western diplomats in Beijing and commentators have called the move "tit-for-tat" reprisals. Adrian Zenz, an independent China researcher and lecturer at Columbia International University, told The Telegraph: "This [the third arrest] indicates that China is willing to escalate this delicate situation even further, and shows how important Huawei as a company is for the Chinese state. "Beijing is very concerned that Huawei's reputation in the West will deteriorate further. Also, China has been increasingly bold in its stance towards Western governments, notably in its strong rebuttal of a request of 15 diplomats to visit the re-education camps in Xinjiang. "Beijing's willingness to arbitrarily detain Canadian citizens in order to put pressure on Ottawa is in line with this new approach to the West, which is increasingly characterised by a use of sharp power instead of soft power." The relationship between Ottawa and Beijing has become evermore important amid the ongoing trade war between China and the US, but news of a third arrest will heighten tensions further. After Ms Meng was detained China's government and state-run media said Canada would face serious consequences, putting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's hopes for free trade talks in jeopardy. Mr Trudeau's government has been under pressure to bar Huawei, one of the world's leading mobile technology giants, from developing a 5G network in Canada due to cyber security and espionage concerns. The UK government and universities are also facing questions over contracts involving Huawei hardware. Ms Meng, who is accused by US prosecutors of putting multinational banks at risk by misleading them into trading with Iran in violation of US sanctions, was released on December 12 on C$10m (£6m) bail, but will return to court next year to face further legal proceedings. The 46-year-old, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, denies the charges.
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| Army joins drone hunt after London airport shutdown Posted: 20 Dec 2018 03:52 PM PST  Britain called in the army Thursday after dozens of drone sightings grounded all flights from London's Gatwick airport for more than 24 hours, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded on one of the busiest days of the year. The airport, which closed its only runway Wednesday night after "reports of two drones flying in and around the airfield", said late Thursday it could not be reopened following further appearances of the devices. "Gatwick's runway remains unavailable because of continued drone sightings," it said in a 11:00pm (2300 GMT) update.
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| Brazil judge freezes Boeing-Embraer deal, again Posted: 20 Dec 2018 09:38 AM PST  A Sao Paulo judge on Thursday froze a deal between US planemaker Boeing and Brazilian company Embraer to create a $5.26-billion joint venture at the request of Embraer unions, the state news agency Agencia Brasil reported. It is the second time this month the judge, Victorio Guizio Neto, has suspended the tie-up. Two weeks ago he ordered the accord be put on ice until the next Brazilian government takes over under a far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, who assumes office on January 1.
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| Nissan's Carlos Ghosn Could Be Out on Bail Soon, Still Faces Prison in Japan; Renault Keeps Him On Posted: 20 Dec 2018 06:43 AM PST  In Japan, the former Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi chief faces as much as 10 years in prison, while Renault keeps him on as chairman and CEO after finding he did not break French finance laws.
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| Border Patrol issues new rules to quickly notify Congress of any migrant deaths Posted: 19 Dec 2018 09:33 AM PST  The moves comes after Border Patrol did not inform Congress or the public of a 7-year-old migrant girl's death while in their custody.
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| Corrected: Elon Musk unveils his first Los Angeles-area tunnel Posted: 19 Dec 2018 03:43 PM PST  Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk made a brief public appearance late on Tuesday to unveil the first tunnel completed by the underground transit venture he launched two years ago as an ambitious remedy to Los Angeles' infamously heavy traffic. Free rides were part of the grand opening. In a 30-minute presentation carried by live webcast, Musk touted the newly finished 1.14-mile (1.83 km) tunnel segment as a breakthrough in low-cost, fast-digging technology being pioneered by his nascent tunnelling firm, the Boring Company.
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| Illinois AG finds 500 more Catholic clergy accused of abuse Posted: 20 Dec 2018 11:24 AM PST  CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Wednesday issued a blistering report about clergy sexual abuse, saying that Catholic dioceses in Illinois has not released the names of at least 500 clergy accused of sexually abusing children.
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| Trump’s Syria ‘Victory’ Likely to Be Celebrated in Iran, Russia Posted: 20 Dec 2018 04:43 AM PST  With his abrupt order to pull troops out of Syria, Trump took a step toward keeping his first promise -– and triggered a firestorm in Washington as critics said he's going soft on the second. Trump declared that the U.S. had won the battle against Islamic State, saying that was "my only reason for being there." But that decision leaves both Iran and Russia to wrap up their victory in the wider -- and still ongoing -- Syrian war.
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| U.S. weighs complete withdrawal of troops from Syria - U.S. officials Posted: 19 Dec 2018 06:50 AM PST  The U.S. is considering withdrawing all its forces from Syria as it nears the end of a campaign to retake territory held by Islamic State, officials said.
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| The Best Smart Coffee Makers of 2018 Posted: 19 Dec 2018 12:24 PM PST |
| Mysterious light seen in the sky above Bay Area Posted: 19 Dec 2018 06:22 PM PST  Many people reported seeing a mysterious light in the sky over the Bay Area Wednesday night.
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| Student who vandalized roommate's property with racist slur also slowly poisoned him, prosecutors say Posted: 20 Dec 2018 04:06 PM PST  Yukai Yang turned himself in Thursday for allegedly attempting to kill his longtime roommate by slowly dosing him with toxic amounts of thallium.
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| Drones paralyse British airport, grounding Christmas travellers Posted: 20 Dec 2018 03:31 PM PST  Britain sent troops to its second-biggest airport after an unprecedented attempt to cripple Christmas travel with large drones forced all flights to be cancelled on Thursday. As thousands of passengers waited at Gatwick Airport, south of London, police hunted unsuccessfully for the operators of the large drones which reappeared near the airfield every time the airport tried to reopen the runway. "The assessment earlier on today was that we wouldn't be using firearms," Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said late on Thursday.
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| Canada says China holds 3rd citizen, sees no link to first 2 Posted: 19 Dec 2018 07:14 PM PST  TORONTO (AP) — A third Canadian has been detained in China, although Canada's prime minister said Wednesday the case doesn't seem to be linked to the previous two that appear to be retaliation for Canada's recent arrest of a top Chinese tech executive.
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| Hagerty unearths the ultimate classic car barn find Posted: 20 Dec 2018 08:41 AM PST  There are barn finds, and then there's this. Down an unmarked, unpaved road in America lurks a collection of classic vehicles the likes of which you've never seen before
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| Believers of Conversion Therapy Upset with Expected Ban in Denver Posted: 19 Dec 2018 06:29 PM PST  A city council committee advanced a proposed ban on conversion therapy for minors on Wednesday.
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| Israel urges UN action over Hezbollah 'attack tunnels' Posted: 19 Dec 2018 12:33 PM PST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council to condemn Hezbollah for digging cross-border "attack tunnels" and to demand Lebanon prevent such activity from its territory. Netanyahu's remarks came ahead of a Security Council meeting to discuss what Israel says is a network of tunnels dug by the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group, of which at least four have been uncovered. "I call on all the members of the Security Council to condemn Hezbollah's wanton acts of aggression, to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation, to press for heightened sanctions against Hezbollah," Netanyahu told foreign media in the Israeli parliament.
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| Toyota teases 2019 Supra's power with clip of its roaring engine Posted: 20 Dec 2018 04:11 AM PST  As the world is patiently waiting -- some of us not-so-patiently waiting -- for the reveal of the 2019 Toyota Supra, the company continues to feed us more teasers, and, this time, we got far more than words and camouflaged images. In the 30-second long video that Toyota uploaded to its European YouTube channel, we got half of a minute of pure Supra engine sounds accompanied by some blurred imagery of the bright red model sans camo. Chief engineer Tetsuya Tada indicated back in July that the new Supra holds true to its characteristic inline six-cylinder engine (the same as BMW's new Z4), which is reiterated in the video.
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| Should You Give a 529 College Savings Plan as a Gift? Posted: 19 Dec 2018 07:01 AM PST  It may not have the "wow" factor of a video game or new bike. But for anyone giving a holiday gift to their kids or grandkids, contributing to a 529 college savings plan can provide lasting value...
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| Officials say two Honduran migrant youths killed in Mexico Posted: 18 Dec 2018 09:09 PM PST ![Officials say two Honduran migrant youths killed in Mexico]( "Officials say two Honduran migrant youths killed in Mexico") The prosecutors' office in Tijuana said in a statement it was investigating the deaths of the two youths, who showed signs of having been stabbed and strangled. The victims, who were staying at a shelter for migrant youths in Tijuana, were headed to another shelter when they were intercepted by people who apparently intended to rob them, it said. The incident did not appear to be related to organized crime, said Jorge Alvarez Mendoza, a prosecutor in Tijuana.
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| Christmas travel: 5,300+ flights delayed, but cancellations are few Posted: 20 Dec 2018 03:24 PM PST  Delays slowed flyers at a number of airports Thursday as the Christmas air-travel period kicked into high gear. Storm expected to linger into Friday.
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| London Gatwick Turns to Army as Drones Ruin Holiday Getaway Posted: 20 Dec 2018 12:21 PM PST  Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Stewart Wingate said the criminal intrusions involving two drones were "highly targeted" and designed to close the airport with maximum disruption in the run up to Christmas. With night falling and authorities apparently no closer to finding the perpetrators, U.K. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson announced that military assistance would be provided to help end the disruption, the worst at a London airport since blizzards closed the city's main Heathrow hub in 2013. "Obviously once it gets dark you cannot physically see a drone, which will make it more difficult, but the police are out in force trying to spot it," Gatwick spokeswoman Mandy Armstrong said by phone.
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| US envoy on North Korea visits border village amid stalemate Posted: 19 Dec 2018 08:25 PM PST  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A U.S. special envoy for North Korea on Thursday visited a border village the rival Koreas has been demilitarizing as part of steps to reduce military tensions amid a larger diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear crisis.
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| This is Carroll Shelby's personal 1983 Dodge Shelby Charger Posted: 20 Dec 2018 02:38 AM PST  Thought that Carroll Shelby only worked on Mustangs? This Dodge Shelby Charger was his personal car, but now it could be yours at it heads to auction.
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| Paul Ryan, who bit his lip as Trump ran wild, says goodbye to politics Posted: 19 Dec 2018 11:58 AM PST  On Wednesday Paul Ryan, seen by critics as an arch enabler of Donald Trump, left the political stage at the grand old age of 48. Ryan, the outgoing House speaker, delivered a farewell address in the great hall of the Library of Congress, surrounded by white marble arches, stucco decoration and a high ceiling of painted panels, gold ornaments and stained glass.
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| The 5 Best Robotic Vacuums of 2018 Posted: 20 Dec 2018 10:47 AM PST |
| Airbus shares plunge on reported US corruption probe Posted: 19 Dec 2018 04:28 PM PST  Shares in European aircraft maker Airbus tumbled more than nine percent Thursday after French daily Le Monde reported it could face record fines of several billion dollars in a US corruption inquiry. The newspaper said the US Department of Justice had opened a probe for "improper practices" at the end of 2017 and informed Airbus it was under investigation at the end of the summer. The inquiry stems from Airbus's disclosure in early 2016 that it had neglected to inform authorities about payments to middlemen in securing several contracts, in particular in Asia.
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| Kroger releases first fleet of unmanned delivery vehicles Posted: 19 Dec 2018 04:09 AM PST  After testing an autonomous delivery system since August with human supervision, US supermarket chain Kroger is officially employing completely driverless vehicles to transport groceries. In August, Kroger began testing an autonomous delivery service consisting of self-driving Toyota Prii. Each vehicle was accompanied by a passive driver who could oversee the safety of the transportation.
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