| Vatican spokesman, deputy resign amid crisis period for pope Posted: 31 Dec 2018 12:51 PM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican spokesman, Greg Burke, and his deputy resigned abruptly Monday amid an overhaul of the Vatican's communications operations and a crisis period in Pope Francis' papacy.
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| Judge Who Ruled Against Obamacare Halts Order Pending Appeal Posted: 30 Dec 2018 03:57 PM PST  "Because many everyday Americans would otherwise face great uncertainty during the pendency of appeal, the court finds that the Dec. 14, 2018, order declaring the individual mandate unconstitutional and inseverable should be stayed," U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor said in a filing Sunday in federal court in Fort Worth. O'Connor had agreed with a coalition of Republican states led by Texas that the ACA, the signature health-care overhaul by President Barack Obama, needed to be eviscerated after Congress in 2017 zeroed out a key provision -- the tax penalty for not complying with the requirement to buy insurance.
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| Republican Senator Graham says Trump receptive to shutdown deal idea Posted: 30 Dec 2018 02:03 PM PST  U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that he was optimistic that Republicans, Democrats and President Donald Trump could reach a deal to end a government shutdown that includes border wall funding and legal status for some undocumented immigrants. Graham told reporters after meeting Trump for lunch at the White House that Trump was receptive to Graham's idea of a deal that might provide work permits to so-called Dreamers, people brought illegally to the United States as children, in exchange for money for physical border barriers.
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| French defence minister in Jordan to visit troops fighting IS Posted: 31 Dec 2018 10:30 AM PST  France's defence minister arrived in Jordan on Monday to visit troops battling the Islamic State group, showing Paris's determination to continue the fight after a shock US decision to withdraw from Syria. After a stopover in Amman, where Florence Parly is set to meet with Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz, she is expected to visit the H5 airbase from which French fighter jets take off for sorties against the jihadists. The minister's last-minute trip to Jordan comes on the heels of US President Donald Trump's surprise decision in mid-December to pull out all 2,000 American troops stationed in Syria, saying "we've won" against IS.
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| Sydney kicks off global 2019 parties with dazzling spectacle Posted: 31 Dec 2018 06:34 AM PST  Australia's largest city Sydney put on its biggest-ever fireworks display in a spectacular welcome to the New Year, kicking off a wave of celebrations for billions around the world. A record amount of pyrotechnics as well as new fireworks effects and colours lit up the city's skyline for 12 minutes and dazzled the more than 1.5 million spectators who packed the harbour front and parks. The party atmosphere will sweep across major cities in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas as the clock ticks past midnight.
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| New for New Year's Eve Times Square: NYPD drone will watch over crowd Posted: 31 Dec 2018 09:30 AM PST  As revelers in New York City's Times Square sway to old acquaintances they don't want to forget, there will be a new one on hand: a tethered drone.
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| Cyber-attack hits US newspaper deliveries: report Posted: 30 Dec 2018 01:14 AM PST  A malware attack that appears to have originated outside the US delayed the hardcopy distribution of several major newspapers, according to a report. The LA Times said Saturday that the attack, which was first assumed to have been a server outage, hit a computer network at Tribune Publishing which is connected to the production and printing process of multiple newspapers around the country. As a result, the delivery of the Saturday editions of the LA Times and San Diego Union Tribune were delayed.
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| The Latest: Woman killed by lion recalled as 'quiet, sweet' Posted: 31 Dec 2018 01:26 PM PST  BURLINGTON, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on a fatal attack by a lion on an intern at a wildlife center (all times local):
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| Bangladesh opposition calls for fresh election as Sheikh Hasina wins amid violence and vote-rigging claims Posted: 30 Dec 2018 07:26 PM PST  Bangladesh's main opposition called for a fresh vote on Sunday as the country's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and her ruling Awami League were declared the winners of an election tainted by violence and vote-rigging allegations. At least 17 people were said to have been killed in election day clashes, while reports flowed in of alleged vote manipulation and people being blocked from entering polling stations by ruling party supporters. As Mrs Hasina's alliance sailed past the 151 seats needed to form a government and headed for a landslide third consecutive term, the country's main opposition leader called for the "farcical" election to be declared void. Kamal Hossain, head of the Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF), the largest opposition alliance, told a press conference in Dhaka that votes had been "rigged on a massive scale across the country". He urged Bangladesh's election commission to dismiss the result and call "fresh elections under a non-partisan caretaker government as soon as possible". Salahuddin Ahmed, a candidate for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the largest single party in the opposition alliance, was stabbed in Dhaka as the election unfolded Credit: Reuters Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed finished delivering the results of the voting early on Monday. Ahmed said the ruling Awami League-led alliance won 288 seats while the JOF, led by former president H.M.Ershad, had 20 seats. An opposition alliance led by Mr Hossain had only seven and others got three out of 300 seats. The poll followed a campaign that had been marred by violence and a crackdown on freedom of speech. Human Rights Watch and other international groups had decried repressive measures which they said had created a climate of fear. Some 600,000 security personnel had been deployed for the election, while authorities ordered the shutdown of high speed internet to prevent the spread of "rumours" that might spark unrest. Vehicles in Dhaka burn after an opposition rally which ended with police using tear gas and batons after the election was announced Credit: AFP On Sunday, polling agents alleged that they had stayed away out of fear. Others claimed they had been beaten up and forced out of voting centres. Rumana Mahmood, a JOF candidate in Sirajganj, 68 miles northwest of Dhaka, claimed that 90 percent of her supporters had been prevented from voting for her. "In most cases they were not allowed to enter the voting centres. Police and the ruling Awami League party cadres blocked them," she alleged to the Telegraph, claiming that supporters of the ruling party had stuffed ballot boxes in favour of the government. Supporters of Bangladesh Awami League march along a street as they take part in a rally ahead of December 30 general election vote Credit: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP One 65-year-old woman in Ms Mahmood's constituency claimed that the police had not allowed her to vote freely. "We were around 20 or 25 women from the same locality. The policemen at the gate of the centre said that he would allow us inside if we voted for the boat (symbol of the Awami League)," she said."In my locality there are hundreds of people who have not been allowed in any voting centre today." Bangladesh has become increasingly authoritarian under Mrs Hasina's rule, moving closer towards a de-facto one-party state while Begum Khaleda Zia, her arch-rival, and leader of the largest opposition party, the Bangladesh National Party, serves a lengthy prison sentence on corruption charges.
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| Democrats maneuver to end shutdown, without Trump wall money Posted: 31 Dec 2018 03:30 PM PST  The planned vote sets up a Democratic showdown with Trump's fellow Republicans on an issue dear to the president on the first day of divided government in Washington since he took office in January 2017 with a Congress led by his own party. Democrats formally take control of the House from the Republicans after winning a majority of seats in November's congressional elections. The two-part Democratic package filed on Monday in the House includes a bill to keep funding for the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through Feb. 8 with no new wall funding, as well as a bundle of six measures worth nearly $265 billion combined that would fund the other shuttered agencies through the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year.
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| Russia: 4 die in building collapse; searchers race weather Posted: 31 Dec 2018 02:58 PM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — Hundreds of rescue workers raced bitterly cold weather in Russia's Ural Mountains region Monday as they searched for survivors in the hulking concrete blocks from a partially collapsed apartment building where at least four people died.
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| Emerging Markets at Mercy of Trade and Fed After Painful 2018 Posted: 30 Dec 2018 08:28 PM PST  The tweet in question this week is President Donald Trump's declaration that "big progress" is being made toward a deal between the U.S. and China, and it may spur gains across emerging markets. "Emerging markets have been particularly hard hit so I expect to see a relief bounce in January," said Tarek Fadlallah, the Dubai-based chief executive officer at Nomura Asset Management Middle East.
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| The 10 Most Expensive Cars Sold at Auction in 2018 Posted: 31 Dec 2018 11:55 AM PST |
| 4-year-old undergoes surgery after swallowing magnets from popular toy Posted: 31 Dec 2018 08:27 AM PST  Mother issues warning to parents after she says her son had to have part of his colon and intestines removed after swallowing 13 tiny magnets from a toy.
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| Defective bracket discovered on collapsed jetway bridge at Baltimore-Washington International Airport Posted: 31 Dec 2018 11:01 AM PST  Investigators discovered a defective metal bracket on the jetway that partially at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, injuring six people.
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| Vietnamese relatives of bus blast victims arrive in Egypt Posted: 30 Dec 2018 06:33 AM PST  Relatives of Vietnamese tourists hit by a roadside bomb near Egypt's famed pyramids arrived on Sunday in Cairo, an airport source said. A group of five, which included family members, arrived in the capital two days after a blast hit a tour bus killing three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian guide. The attack, which took place in the Giza governorate, wounded 11 other Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian bus driver, Egypt's public prosecutor said.
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| North Carolina Animal Sanctuary 'Devastated' by Death of Intern Mauled by Lion Posted: 31 Dec 2018 02:19 PM PST  The Center confirmed that Matthai was euthanized by necessity by first responders. Matthai was born at the Center not long after his mother was placed there as the result of a government-assisted confiscation in 2004.
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| Stephen Miller steps into spotlight amid chaos in 'zombie' White House press shop Posted: 30 Dec 2018 08:24 AM PST  Former officials said White House adviser Stephen Miller's media appearances have been a "disaster" and are a sign of a communications operation in disarray.
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| Human waste, trash overwhelm some national parks in shutdown Posted: 31 Dec 2018 05:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Human feces, overflowing garbage, illegal off-roading and other damaging behavior in fragile areas were beginning to overwhelm some of the West's iconic national parks on Monday, as a partial government shutdown left the areas open to visitors but with little staff on duty.
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| We're proud to be in the Fiesta Bowl, but fostering social mobility matters more Posted: 31 Dec 2018 09:43 AM PST  The power of education isn't about picking the student who's already most likely to succeed. It's about identifying talent with grit and spirit.
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| The 16 Most Beautiful Highways for Road Trips Posted: 31 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST |
| Bangladesh PM says 'conscience is clear' as opposition claims election rigged Posted: 31 Dec 2018 10:51 AM PST  Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday rejected calls for a new vote after being declared landslide winner in an election marred by deadly violence that the opposition slammed as "farcical" and rigged. Having secured a record fourth term, Hasina swept aside opposition protests over clashes between rival supporters that left at least 17 dead and allegations of ballot box stuffing and intimidation. There is no doubt about it," the 71-year-old Hasina said.
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| Police chief admits there isn't Zika in meth after Facebook post goes viral Posted: 31 Dec 2018 05:28 AM PST  The Harahan Police Department never had reason to believe Zika, a mosquito-born virus, was able to contaminate meth.
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| Taliban dismiss Afghanistan's peace talks offer Posted: 29 Dec 2018 10:04 PM PST  Representatives from the Taliban, the United States and regional countries met this month in the United Arab Emirates for talks to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan. "We will meet the U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia in January next year and we will start our talks that remained incomplete in Abu Dhabi," a member of the Taliban's decision-making Leadership Council told Reuters. "However, we have made it clear to all the stakeholders that we will not talk to the Afghan government." Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also said the leaders of the group would not talk to the Afghan government.
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| Here Are All the Stores Open and Closed on New Year's 2019 Posted: 31 Dec 2018 03:01 AM PST  Including hours for grocery stores and more
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| Putin scores some wins but tensions with the West mount Posted: 30 Dec 2018 06:15 AM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — It's been a mixed year for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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| Why a Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 was worth waiting 22 years for Posted: 30 Dec 2018 01:36 PM PST  The long wait only made getting this 1992 Skyline GT-R that much sweeter for Mark Hutchinson, after he dreamed of owning one for decades
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| AP Explains: Why groundbreaking Congo vote could stumble Posted: 30 Dec 2018 06:50 AM PST  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Rich in the minerals that power the world's mobile phones and laptops, yet desperately underdeveloped, Congo votes on Sunday for its first new president in nearly two decades. This could be the sprawling country's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power.
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| Two killed in bombing in troubled south Philippines Posted: 31 Dec 2018 05:57 AM PST  Two people were killed and around 35 others wounded Monday after a bomb went off outside a shopping mall in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato, police said. The explosion prompted officers to search the mall, leading to the discovery of another suspected bomb which they destroyed, said local police spokesman Chief Inspector Rowell Zafra.
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| Newman, California, Police Chief Randy Richardson speaks out about murdered Cpl. Ronil Singh Posted: 30 Dec 2018 06:47 AM PST  Illegal immigrant is accused of killing Cpl. Ronil Singh in the line of duty during a traffic stop.
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| Ceramicists Are Making Lamps and We're Fully On Board Posted: 31 Dec 2018 04:00 AM PST  Here are a few of our faves
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| Kim Says North Korea to Take New Path If U.S. Keeps Sanctions Posted: 31 Dec 2018 04:48 PM PST  Key InsightsKim said he was willing to meet Trump at any time and urged corresponding measures from the U.S. The North Korean leader called on South Korea to halt military exercises with the U.S., placing new pressure on the alliance.Kim pledged to uphold last year's agreements with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, touting relations with the two sides.Kim said he was willing to resume joint projects with South Korea -- the Gaeseong industrial park and Mount Geumgang resort -- without conditions. Kim called for increasing electricity power generation and other development projects, continuing the economic focus of previous addresses.Kim also urged the North Korean people to strengthen their "self-reliance," a message that echoed Chinese President Xi Jinping's similar address Monday night.Kim read his address in a suit and tie, in a departure from recent appearances in which he wore a black tunic.
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| Detailed Photos of the 2019 McLaren Senna Supercar Posted: 31 Dec 2018 08:31 AM PST |
| Wall Street rises, limps across the finish line of a turbulent year Posted: 31 Dec 2018 01:35 PM PST  Wall Street entered correction territory in late January and was challenged for much of 2018 by tariff jitters, rising interest rates, and fears of diminishing corporate profits. "Investors got complacent," said Thomas Martin, senior portfolio manager at Globalt Investments in Atlanta. "People were positioned for the lack of volatility, and when that changed because of trade concerns and interest rates, people started repositioning and that started the cascade." December was a particularly trying month for U.S. equities.
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| Oil posts first year of losses since 2015 Posted: 31 Dec 2018 01:02 PM PST  "OPEC is out there cutting, but the market isn't really pricing that in." Oil prices fell more than a third this quarter, the steepest quarterly decline since the fourth quarter of 2014. Crude oil futures posted modest gains on Monday.
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| The Latest: Dad says he's angry travel ban kept family apart Posted: 30 Dec 2018 04:15 AM PST  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the death of a boy whose Yemeni mother fought the Trump administration travel ban (all times local):
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| Fatah says Hamas arrests members in Gaza ahead of rally Posted: 31 Dec 2018 06:13 AM PST  Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party said Monday that its rival Hamas had carried out widespread arrests of its members in the Gaza Strip ahead of a rally marking the anniversary of the movement's founding. Hamas denied the accusation, with a spokesman for the enclave's interior ministry saying 38 people had been held for questioning over concerns that opposing Fatah factions in Gaza would clash at the rally set for later in the day.
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| 5 Died After Falling Off Cruises in 2 Months. Advocates Say Cruise Lines Can Do More to Protect Passengers Posted: 31 Dec 2018 01:58 PM PST  The cruise industry says that man overboard incidents rare and caused by poor passenger behavior. But safety advocates disagree.
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| Where do the investigations related to Trump stand? Posted: 30 Dec 2018 09:01 PM PST  Where the investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him:
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