| UAE reopens embassy in Syrian capital closed in 2011 Posted: 27 Dec 2018 06:48 AM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Syria's capital on Thursday for the first time in seven years, a reflection of improved relations between President Bashar Assad and some of his Arab foes as the war winds down.
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| As California authorities search for suspected cop killer, illegally in US, Trump calls for 'Border Security' Posted: 27 Dec 2018 09:31 PM PST  California authorities are searching for a man who killed a small-town police officer and is in the country illegally, according to a county sheriff.
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| 35 photos capture extreme weather events that hammered the US in 2018 Posted: 28 Dec 2018 06:33 AM PST  Bomb cyclones, major hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and major flooding produced some memorable and tragic photos in 2018.
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| Pedialyte Is Embracing Its Reputation as a Hangover Treatment With a Sparkling Drink for Adults Posted: 28 Dec 2018 11:19 AM PST  Just in time for New Year's Eve.
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| Search for missing British cruise ship entertainer suspended Posted: 27 Dec 2018 05:31 PM PST  The United States Coast Guard has suspended the search for a missing British cruise ship entertainer. In a statement, the coast guard said it had ended the search for 20-year-old Arron Hough at about 2.30pm on Thursday, two days after he reportedly went overboard. Crews searched for approximately 83 hours and covered more than 3,700 square miles, the statement added. Commander Christopher Douglas, Coast Guard Sector San Juan chief of response, said: "We've been in contact with members of Mr Hough's family throughout our search efforts and know this is a very difficult and painful time for them. "Suspending a search is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make as first responders, and it is never made lightly." Aaron Hough went missing from the ship on Christmas Day Credit: Facebook Mr Hough, from Sunderland, disappeared from the Royal Caribbean ship on Christmas Day. The vessel, named Harmony Of The Seas, was 267 miles (430km) north-west of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, at the time and was travelling to Philipsburg, St Maarten. The last CCTV footage available of Mr Hough showed him heading on to the ship's deck at around 4am, according to a statement issued by Royal Caribbean. However, staff on board the ship only realised he was missing when he did not report to work later that day. The United States Coast Guard was alerted to Mr Hough's disappearance at 1.45pm. Royal Caribbean and the coast guard were unable to confirm how far the ship had travelled during that time.
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| Billionaire LinkedIn co-founder apologises for funding 'Russian-style' disinformation group in Alabama Senate race Posted: 27 Dec 2018 08:13 AM PST  Billionaire Reid Hoffman apologised on Wednesday for funding a group linked to a "highly disturbing" effort that spread disinformation during last year's Alabama special election for US Senate, but he said he was not aware that his money was being used for this purpose. Mr Hoffman's statement is his first acknowledgement of his ties to a campaign that adopted tactics similar to those deployed by Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential election. In Alabama, the Hoffman-funded group allegedly used Facebook and Twitter to undermine support for Republican Roy Moore and boost Democrat Doug Jones, who narrowly won the race.
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| No aliens: NY transformer explosion lights sky, knocks power Posted: 28 Dec 2018 12:46 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — A transformer explosion at an electrical plant set the skies above New York City ablaze in an eerie, pulsing blue light Thursday night, causing scattered power outages, delaying flights and sparking a social media storm of jokes about an alien invasion.
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| Beyond Pluto: Spacecraft to fly by distant space rock 'Ultima Thule' on New Year's Day Posted: 27 Dec 2018 11:18 AM PST  NASA's unmanned New Horizon spacecraft, now zooming into outer space beyond Pluto, will fly by a small space rock known as Ultima Thule on New Year's.
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| Trump threatens to seal off US-Mexico border 'entirely' if Congress does not agree funding for a wall Posted: 28 Dec 2018 10:59 AM PST  Donald Trump, the US president, on Friday threatened to seal off the entire US-Mexico border if Congress does not approve funding for a border wall. His comments came as the federal government shutdown entered its seventh day, with Mr Trump failing to come to a budget agreement with his Democratic opponents. The continued standoff means around a quarter of the US government will likely remain closed well into 2019, when the Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives. The shutdown began on Saturday after Democrats rejected Mr Trump's demand for $5 billion (£3.93 billion) for a border wall to be included in a funding bill to keep the government open. "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Mr Trump tweeted Friday. Analysts have warned that closing the border would cost hundreds of millions of dollars a day, with an estimated $558 billion in goods being transported across the border in both directions last year. Such a move would also cause chaos for the nearly half a million people who are estimated to enter the US through its southern border each day. An agreement on border funding will be the first big confrontation between Mr Trump and newly empowered Democrats, who won a majority in the House of Representatives in November's midterm elections. We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018 The Democrats are vehemently opposed to the construction of Mr Trump's proposed wall, suggesting that funding should instead be used on border security. As he doubled down yesterday, Mr Trump also reissued threats to shut off aid to the three Central American countries from which a majority of migrants attempting to enter the US originate. "Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of US for years!" he wrote in one of a series of tweets. The president has also signalled he is in no rush to seek a resolution, welcoming the fight as he heads toward his own bid for re-election in 2020. Yesterday Mick Mulvaney, the president's acting chief of staff, said Mr Trump had cancelled his plans to travel to Florida for a New Year's Eve celebration. Mr Trump cancelled a planned trip last week to visit his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he usually spends the Christmas period. During an appearance on Fox News, Mr Mulvaney said that Democrats are no longer negotiating with the administration over an earlier offer to accept less than the $5 billion Mr Trump wants for the wall. "There's not a single Democrat talking to the president of the United States about this deal," he said, admitting that the White House expected the shutdown "to go on for a while". Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, has vowed to pass legislation to end the shutdown as soon as she takes control of the chamber, which is expected when the new Congress convenes on January 3. "While we await the president's public proposal, Democrats have made it clear that, under a House Democratic Majority, we will vote swiftly to re-open government on Day One," her spokesman Drew Hammill said yesterday. However passing any legislation will be difficult without a compromise, since the Republican-controlled Senate and Mr Trump's signature will be needed to turn any bill into law. The shutdown is forcing hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors to stay home or work without pay, and many are experiencing mounting stress from the impasse. Washington's Smithsonian museum complex announced that it would soon have to close all museums, research centres and the National Zoo in the US capital as the reserve funds it has been relying on are running dry.
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| 14-Year-Old California Girl Dies After Fall From Arizona's Horseshoe Bend Overlook Posted: 27 Dec 2018 09:21 AM PST  After falling from an overlook in Arizona, a teenage girl from California is dead.
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| Syrian army deploys to Manbij in new alliance with Kurds Posted: 28 Dec 2018 10:22 AM PST  Nearly eight years into Syria's deadly conflict, the move marked another key step in President Bashar al-Assad's Russian-backed drive to reassert control over the country. The Syrian army announced that it had raised the flag in Manbij, a strategic city close to the Turkish border where Kurdish forces have been deployed since 2016 and where US-led coalition forces are also stationed.
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| The Latest: Flooding rains fall in Louisiana, Mississippi Posted: 27 Dec 2018 05:17 PM PST  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Latest on storms and flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi (all times local):
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| UK says rising migrant Channel crossings are a 'major incident' Posted: 28 Dec 2018 09:48 AM PST  British interior minister Sajid Javid has said the fast-growing number of would-be immigrants crossing the English Channel from France in dinghies is a "major incident." Nearly 70 people have been intercepted in the past three days as they try to reach England by crossing one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Javid is also seeking an urgent call with his French counterpart over the weekend, his ministry said. "He has insisted the Home Office treat the situation as a major incident and has ... asked for daily updates," it said in a statement.
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| 23 of the Most Fascinating Public Sculptures Posted: 27 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST |
| Kroger recalls shrimp products labeled ‘cooked’ that may actually be raw Posted: 28 Dec 2018 07:03 AM PST ![Kroger recalls shrimp products labeled 'cooked' that may actually be raw]( "Kroger recalls shrimp products labeled 'cooked' that may actually be raw") Kroger Co. is recalling nine different kinds of cooked shrimp that actually are raw or undercooked, raising the risk of food-borne illness.
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| Homeless men who battled NYPD officer to be charged Posted: 26 Dec 2018 06:44 PM PST ![Homeless men who battled NYPD officer to be charged]( "Homeless men who battled NYPD officer to be charged") NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on an altercation between a New York City police officer and homeless men (all times local):
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| Syrian surprise: How Trump's phone call changed the war Posted: 28 Dec 2018 02:26 AM PST  In the phone call two weeks ago, Trump had been expected to deliver a standard warning to the Turkish president over his plan to launch a crossborder attack targeting U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, U.S. officials say. Instead, in the course of the conversation Trump reshaped U.S. policy in the Middle East, abandoning a quarter of Syrian territory and handing Ankara the job of finishing off Islamic State in Syria. "Trump asked: 'If we withdraw our soldiers, can you clean up ISIS?'", a Turkish official told Reuters.
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| I survived conversion therapy as a child. Now, I'm part of the movement to ban it for good. Posted: 27 Dec 2018 07:25 AM PST  The 'treatment' actually consisted of physical and emotional abuse. Ending this discredited therapy is a matter of life and death for today's youth.
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| Forget Russia: North Korea and Iran Could Acquire Hypersonic Weapons Posted: 28 Dec 2018 05:24 AM PST  It is extremely likely that Tehran and Pyongyang will acquire hypersonic missiles, according to a senior U.S. general.
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| Weather hampers efforts to inspect Indonesia tsunami volcano Posted: 28 Dec 2018 04:49 AM PST  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Bad weather and a massive ash column hampered efforts to assess whether Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano island could trigger another deadly tsunami as authorities said Friday the search for victims in the worst-affected province will continue into January.
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| Morocco rescues over 360 migrants at sea: military source Posted: 27 Dec 2018 12:33 PM PST  Morocco's navy on Thursday rescued 367 mostly sub-Saharan migrants in the Mediterranean sea after they attempted to reach Spain, a military source told AFP. Morocco stopped 68,000 attempted illegal migrants and dismantled 122 "active criminal networks" in the first nine months of 2018, according to a recent official count. Alongside migrants arriving from sub-Saharan Africa, an increasing number of young Moroccan citizens have attempted to leave the country on board inflatable dinghies in recent months.
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| Shout out to this dad who flew with his daughter while she worked Christmas Posted: 26 Dec 2018 09:03 PM PST  In a now viral Facebook post, Delta passenger Mike Levy shared a picture of himself sitting beside fellow traveler Hal Vaughan, who were both on their way to Detroit, according to NBC Chicago. "Hal decided he would spend the holiday with her.
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| 3 charged in shooting at gender reveal party for woman who wasn't pregnant Posted: 27 Dec 2018 08:47 AM PST  Three men were charged in the 2017 deadly gender reveal party shooting for a woman who was not pregnant to begin with.
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| Israeli ex-general, polling closest to Netanyahu, joins 2019 election race Posted: 27 Dec 2018 09:45 AM PST  A former Israeli armed forces chief who opinion polls show poses the toughest challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid for reelection next year formally established a political party on Thursday. Details about Benny Gantz's Israel Resilience Party, leaked to local media after it was registered, gave little indication of its ideological tilt. Along with preserving Israel as "a Jewish and democratic country", the party pledged unspecified changes to priorities in national security and the economy.
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| How long will the federal shutdown last? Here are lessons from previous budget battles. Posted: 28 Dec 2018 04:17 PM PST  The government shutdown, which is moving into its second week, is not the longest in history. Here's how some past budget fights have played out.
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| FCC probes outage of CenturyLink 911 emergency call service Posted: 28 Dec 2018 12:45 PM PST  The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investigating a nationwide CenturyLink Inc network outage that has affected service on 911 emergency phone calls across the country, agency chairman Ajit Pai said on Friday. "The CenturyLink service outage is ... completely unacceptable, and its breadth and duration are particularly troubling," Pai said in a statement. "I've directed the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau to immediately launch an investigation into the cause and impact of this outage." Asked about the FCC investigation, a spokeswoman for CenturyLink said the company had been in contact with the federal agency and would cooperate fully.
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| Russia Says Syria's Assad Is Popular, Likely to Win New Vote Posted: 27 Dec 2018 07:53 AM PST  "He's fairly popular, if he wasn't, the results of the last few years would have been different," President Vladimir Putin's envoy to the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, said in an interview in Moscow this week. "Of course, I think so," he added, when asked whether the Syrian leader can triumph in the next presidential vote. Work is scheduled to start early next year on a new constitution for Syria ahead of UN-supervised elections.
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| Storm whips up blizzards, dumps snow in Dakotas, Minnesota Posted: 27 Dec 2018 04:44 PM PST  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Post-holiday travelers were finding driving difficult as a winter storm dumped heavy snow and whipped up gusty winds across parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota on Thursday.
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| The Quickest Fords of All Time Posted: 28 Dec 2018 01:02 PM PST |
| Fiat 1100C Spider: Pietro Frua's first original design on sale Posted: 27 Dec 2018 09:47 AM PST  This one-off classic Fiat 1100 Spider was legendary designer Pietro Frua's first ever design for his eponymous carrozzeria
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| How to Find a Quality Car Repair Shop Posted: 27 Dec 2018 03:00 AM PST  Before you have any maintenance or repair work done on your vehicle, you need to find a trustworthy mechanic. How can you tell which shops are credible and reliable? Going by an advertisement isn...
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| Good Samaritans Rewarded With $100 After Trying to Help Homeless Man Posted: 27 Dec 2018 12:36 PM PST ![Good Samaritans Rewarded With $100 After Trying to Help Homeless Man]( "Good Samaritans Rewarded With $100 After Trying to Help Homeless Man") YouTuber Brian Breach gave anyone who offered to help him $100.
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| Strike call, protests in DR Congo after new election delay Posted: 27 Dec 2018 03:29 PM PST  A DR Congo opposition bloc called Thursday for a nationwide stoppage and police clashed with demonstrators in two eastern cities after upcoming elections were placed on hold in their region. Lamuka, a coalition of parties supporting opposition candidate Martin Fayulu, called for cities to be brought to a standstill on Friday, two days before polling day. A diplomatic storm with the European Union meanwhile erupted into the open as the government demanded Brussels withdraw its envoy to Kinshasa within 48 hours -- a call the EU said was "completely unjustified".
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| Father charged in deaths of own children whose bodies were found buried behind home Posted: 27 Dec 2018 10:53 AM PST  Authorities say the teens' father, who recently played Santa at Walmart, is one of four people charged in his own kids' deaths.
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| Bright light in big city mystifies New Yorkers after transformer fire Posted: 27 Dec 2018 10:30 PM PST  "There was a boom and a bang and a flash of light," said Jim Long, a spokesman for Fire Department New York. The blue flashes that briefly lit up the night sky in the Astoria area of Queens, New York, shortly after 9 p.m. (0200 GMT) were caused by a power surge and electrical "arching" and sparked a transformer explosion and a small fire, said Con Edison spokesman Bob McGee.
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| Trump finally hews to ritual of meeting troops in harm's way Posted: 27 Dec 2018 10:25 AM PST  JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Maryland (AP) — President Donald Trump once opined that it wasn't "overly necessary" for him to visit troops in danger zones abroad. But with the lights of Air Force One out and window shutters drawn, the president did just that, slipping into Iraq at night to greet U.S. service members and show that his norm-busting presidency would hew at least to this tradition.
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| Deaths of 2 children raise doubts about US border agency Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:00 PM PST  HOUSTON (AP) — The deaths of two migrant children in just over two weeks raised strong new doubts Wednesday about the ability of U.S. border authorities to care for the thousands of minors arriving as part of a surge of families trying to enter the country.
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| Japan bolts whaling commission, but tensions may ease Posted: 27 Dec 2018 05:39 PM PST  Japan has made good on years of threats by bolting the International Whaling Commission, but its decision may also offer a way out of tensions that looked inextricable. Japan, which calls whaling part of its cultural heritage, said Wednesday it would withdraw from the seven-decade-old commission which since 1986 has banned commercial killing of the ocean giants. Australia and New Zealand have been outraged by Japan's incursions into waters they consider a whale sanctuary and activists harassed the whalers in often dangerous chases.
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| America's best restaurant chains: Top-rated brands according to TripAdvisor Posted: 28 Dec 2018 11:02 AM PST ![America's best restaurant chains: Top-rated brands according to TripAdvisor]( "America's best restaurant chains: Top-rated brands according to TripAdvisor") TripAdvisor names the top U.S. restaurant chains. Eddie V's Prime Seafood, The Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris Steak House are the best reviewed.
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| Suzuki Created a Pickup Version of the Jimny, and It's Adorable Posted: 27 Dec 2018 07:56 AM PST  The Jimny Sierra Pickup Style is just a concept, but we hope it becomes a reality.
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| Fry, bake, roast, grill, and more with the Instant Pot of air fryers Posted: 27 Dec 2018 04:56 AM PST  Air fryers make up the hottest trend in kitchen gadgets right now, perhaps even more popular than slow cookers and pressure cookers. But not all air fryers are created equal. The Oster Dura Ceramic Air Fryer is pretty much the Instant Pot of air fryers. It's a fantastic air fryer that cooks up crispy food without all the oil you need in a traditional deep fryer, but it can also do so much more. It bakes, grills, roasts, sautees, and more, all in a single device that's wonderfully easy to clean. It's on sale right now on Amazon at a discount, so definitely check it out. Here's what you need to know from the product page: * This Oster air fryer air-fries to the perfect crispiness for the taste and texture of fried food, using only a tablespoon or less of oil for a healthier alternative * Hot air fryer has a titanium-infused coating that cooks food 30% faster and is 8 times more durable than regular nonstick coatings; it's also PTFE- and PFOA-free, and easy to clean * Dual cooking method uses a tilt motion, fan assisted convection, and radiated heat conduction- heating elements above and below the bowl-to expose food to circulating heat, and cook it evenly * LCD screen lets you set cooking time and temperature; unit shuts off automatically when food is done * Large, 3 liter capacity lets you cook more at a time * Includes roasting rack, measuring Spoon, cool-touch handle, and recipe book
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| Someone drilled through the International Space Station from the inside, astronaut says Posted: 28 Dec 2018 12:43 AM PST  Someone appears to have drilled a hole in the International Space Station from the inside, according to a member of its crew. One of the Russian cosmonauts who explored the strange gap found in the outside of a capsule attached to the International Space Station said Russian law enforcement is now looking to understand how the opening was drilled from inside the spacecraft. Sergei Prokopyev said investigators were looking at samples he and crewmate Oleg Kononenko collected during a 12 December spacewalk.
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