Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Russian court jails 2 terrorism suspects arrested on US tip

A St. Petersburg court on Monday ordered the detention of two Russian men who were arrested on a tip provided by the U.S. and are suspected of plotting unspecified terrorist attacks in the city during the New Year holidays. The Dzerzhinsky District Court ruled that the suspects identified as Nikita Semyonov and Georgy Chernyshev should remain in custody pending their trial....

Indicted Giuliani associate wants to give documents to House

A Rudy Giuliani associate who was indicted on campaign finance charges is asking a judge to allow him to turn over documents to Congress as part of the impeachment proceeding against President Donald Trump. Lev Parnas wants to turn over to the House intelligence committee documents and data that were seized by the government when he was arrested in October, his attorney, Joseph...

PHOTOS: #MenToo: The hidden tragedy of male sexual abuse in the military

Award-winning photojournalist Mary F. Calvert has spent six years documenting the prevalence of rape in the military and the effects on victims. She began with a focus on female victims but more recently has examined the underreported incidence of sexual assaults on men and the lifelong trauma it can inflict. from Yahoo News - Latest News &...

MSC Cruises' new and largest ship, MSC Grandiosa, crashes in the port of Palermo, Sicily

MSC Cruises' new ship experienced a collision on Monday morning. MSC Grandiosa collided with the dock in Palermo, Sicily, a spokesperson confirmed. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F8sL8...

In Leaked Memo, Andrew Yang Asks DNC for More Debate Polls

Andrew Yang is urging the Democratic National Committee to take an unorthodox step in its debate oversight process: commission more polling over the next several days. In a letter sent to DNC Chairman Tom Perez on Dec. 21, obtained by The Daily Beast, the Democratic contender calls for the DNC to commission four early-state polls before Jan. 10 as part of an effort to...

Drones are appearing in the Colorado and Nebraska skies

Mysterious groups of giant drones have appeared in the Colorado and Nebraska night sky since last week, the Denver Post reported. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37m6kZ...

Hanukkah candles burn in Iraqi Kurdistan

Al-Qosh (Irak) (AFP) - In the glow of the nine-candled menorah, with kippa skullcaps on their heads and tallit prayer shawls around their shoulders, a small association is working to revive Hanukkah in Iraq. The country has been nearly emptied of its Jewish community amid regional conflict and violence within its borders, but this year, the town of Al-Qosh hosted its first...

FBI Agents: McCabe Apologized for Changing His Story on Leak

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe faced scorching criticism and potential criminal prosecution for changing his story about a conversation he had with a Wall Street Journal reporter. Now newly released interview transcripts show McCabe expressed remorse to internal FBI investigators when they pressed him on the about-face. The FBI released the documents in response...

Thousands of Google cafeteria staff have unionized, and it's the latest group of Google's 'shadow workforce' to join a union

The union organizing comes as Google is facing a wave of internal activism from its own employees protesting the company's treatment of workers. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2tg5bn...

Iranian-backed militia threatens retaliation for US strikes on their forces in Iraq and Syria

An Iran-backed militia vowed on Monday to retaliate for US military strikes in Iraq and Syria which killed 25 of its fighters and wounded dozens. "Our battle with America and its mercenaries is now open to all possibilities," Kataib Hizbollah said in a statement. "We have no alternative today other than confrontation and there is nothing that will prevent us from responding...

Immigration in 2019: Trump restricts asylum and overhauls legal immigration

2019 was arguably the Trump administration's most successful one in its quest to severely restrict asylum and overhaul the legal immigration system. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ZG0AY...

Ex-Bosnian Serb general indicted for aiding genocide

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnia's war crimes prosecutor on Tuesday charged a former Bosnian Serb general with aiding genocide in the 1995 massacre at the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica. More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb troops captured the U.N.-protected enclave of Srebrenica in July 1995 during the Bosnian war. from...

What Are Those Mysterious Drones Doing in Colorado?

The swarm appears to be practicing a search for ... something. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2SE3zy...

New York Jews scared, defiant as mayor decries anti-Semitism 'crisis'

At a Hasidic synagogue in Brooklyn, police, state troopers and civilian volunteers stand guard as Orthodox Jews mark the end of Hanukkah under heightened security following a spate of attacks. New York, home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, had long been a place where Jews felt safe. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QbLne...

Raging wildfires trap 4,000 at Australian town's waterfront

Wildfires burning across Australia's two most populous states Tuesday trapped residents of a seaside town in apocalyptic conditions and killed at least two people while more property along the country's east coast fell victim to a devastating fire season. About 4,000 residents in the southeastern town of Mallacoota in Victoria state fled toward the water Tuesday morning as...

Democrats rip McConnell after he vowed 'total coordination' with Trump White House on impeachment trial

Over Sen. Mitch McConnell's "total coordination" with the Trump White House, Rep. Val Demings, said the Kentucky Republican "must recuse himself." from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YOjXx...

Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan is a nightmare for the country's justice system — and the ousted Nissan exec may now be looking to put that system on trial

Ghosn is an auto-industry celebrity who should now have the opportunity to tell his side of the story in detail. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QcEwR...

Indonesia protests to China over border intrusion near South China Sea

Indonesia said on Monday it had protested to Beijing over the presence of a Chinese coastguard vessel in its territorial waters near the disputed South China Sea, saying it marked a "violation of sovereignty". from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37uzNR...

Churchgoers kill gunman who shot two during Texas service

Worshippers in the US state of Texas shot dead a gunman who opened fire during a livestreamed Sunday service, ending an attack that killed two parishioners, authorities said. The latest US shooting at a house of worship took place in the suburban Fort Worth community of White Settlement on Sunday morning when the gunman entered West Freeway Church of Christ, officials said....

Swiss Embassy worker detained in Sri Lanka gets bail

A Sri Lankan Court on Monday granted bail to a Swiss Embassy employee who was detained pending charges that she made statements to create disaffection toward the government and fabricated evidence. Before her arrest, the employee, a Sri Lankan national, had reportedly said she was abducted, held for hours, sexually assaulted and threatened by captors who demanded that she...

Lev Parnas Pushes to Share His Info With House Intel

Lev Parnas, a former Rudy Giuliani associate charged with financial crimes, is looking to share more material with congressional investigators, according to a letter his lawyer has sent to a federal judge. The letter, filed in court on Monday evening, indicates that the committee first tasked with helming the impeachment inquiry is gathering additional evidence about Trump...

A Plan for World War III: How the Warsaw Pact Planned to Defeat NATO

History had other ideas. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37tVEb...

China sentences Protestant pastor to 9 years for subversion

China has sentenced a prominent pastor who operated outside the Communist Party-recognized Protestant organization to nine years in prison for subversion. Wang Yi had led the Early Rain Covenant Church and was arrested a year ago during China's ongoing crackdown on all unauthorized religious groups in the country. The government requires Protestants worship only in churches...

Monday, December 30, 2019

Sydney New Year's fireworks to go ahead despite wildfires

Sydney's iconic New Year's Eve fireworks will go ahead despite the wildfire crisis to show the world Australia’s resiliency, the prime minister said, while authorities on Sunday braced for conditions to deteriorate with high temperatures. Prime Minister Scott Morrison also announced financial support for some volunteer firefighters in New South Wales, the state worst hit by...

Putin You've Got A Problem: The Russian Navy

Russia received twenty-three new ships this year. That's where the good news ends. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2smTeg...

CIA devised way to restrict missiles given to allies, researcher says

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has devised technology to restrict the use of anti-aircraft missiles after they leave American hands, a researcher said, a move that experts say could persuade the United States that it would be safe to disseminate powerful weapons more frequently. The new technology is intended for use with shoulder-fired missiles called Man-Portable Air-Defense...

New York Jews scared, defiant as mayor decries anti-Semitism 'crisis'

At a Hasidic synagogue in Brooklyn, police, state troopers and civilian volunteers stand guard as Orthodox Jews mark the end of Hanukkah under heightened security following a spate of attacks. New York, home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, had long been a place where Jews felt safe. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QbLne...

Iranian-backed militia threatens retaliation for US strikes on their forces in Iraq and Syria

An Iran-backed militia vowed on Monday to retaliate for US military strikes in Iraq and Syria which killed 25 of its fighters and wounded dozens. "Our battle with America and its mercenaries is now open to all possibilities," Kataib Hizbollah said in a statement. "We have no alternative today other than confrontation and there is nothing that will prevent us from responding...

"I was taken": 7-year-old torn from dad at U.S. border

CBS News documentary "The Faces of Family Separation" follows the harrowing journey of four migrant families fleeing violence in Central America, only to be split apart after arriving in the U.S. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34Z9gd...

Kremlin says Putin called Trump to thank him for information that thwarted terrorist attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Trump over the phone Sunday for information that helped thwart a terrorist attack, the Kremlin says.The Kremlin released a statement saying that Putin "thanked Donald Trump for the information transmitted through the channels of U.S. special services that has helped thwart terrorist acts in Russia."While further details were...

Alex Jones and InfoWars Ordered to Pay $100K in Court Costs for Sandy Hook Case

A Texas judge has ordered Alex Jones and his InfoWars hoax website to pay more than $100,000 in court costs and legal fees, marking the latest court victory for a Sandy Hook family suing Jones for his promotion of conspiracy theories about the 2012 shooting. Jones and InfoWars are being sued by Neil Heslin, whose six-year-old son was killed in the Newtown, CT shooting....

After ICE Raids, a Reckoning in Mississippi's Chicken Country

MORTON, Miss. -- Juan Grant strode into the Koch Foods chicken processing plant for his new job on a Wednesday morning, joining many other African Americans in a procession of rubber boots, hairnets and last cigarettes before the grind.At 20, Grant was too young to remember the days of a nearly all-white workforce in Mississippi's poultry industry or the civil rights boycotts...

Iraq warns US ties at stake after deadly strikes

Iraq's government warned Monday that its relations with the United States were at risk after deadly American air strikes against a pro-Iran group sparked anger on the streets, with protesters torching US flags. Baghdad said it would summon the US ambassador while Washington responded by accusing Iraqi authorities of having failed to "protect" US interests. The attacks came...

Greta Thunberg said it would be a waste of time for her to talk to Trump about climate change

President Donald Trump, who is withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord, has a long record of expressing skepticism on climate science. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Q97wt...

Ukraine holds big prisoner swap with pro-Russian separatists

KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east completed a large-scale prisoner swap on Sunday after bussing scores of detainees in the five-year conflict to an exchange point in the breakaway Donbass region. The swap should help build confidence between the two sides, who are wrangling over how to implement a peace deal after the...

Hasan Minhaj’s 2020 Advice: Be Like Mitch McConnell

Before signing off for 2019, Hasan Minhaj has turned his eye towards 2020. The host of Netflix’s Patriot Act ended his final episode of the year by sharing some updates from stories he covered earlier in the year, including an interview during which he tried to get Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accept Islam as his “one true faith.” Two weeks later, his brownface...

Biden says he'd consider a Republican for VP but 'I can't think of one right now'

Biden also noted that it was brazen to discuss whom he would tap as a running mate as he has not yet secured the Democratic nomination. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MFisg...

Churchgoers kill gunman who shot two during Texas service

Worshippers in the US state of Texas shot dead a gunman who opened fire during a livestreamed Sunday service, ending an attack that killed two parishioners, authorities said. The latest US shooting at a house of worship took place in the suburban Fort Worth community of White Settlement on Sunday morning when the gunman entered West Freeway Church of Christ, officials said....

Rudy Giuliani reportedly participated in a phone call with Nicolás Maduro. The White House was confused.

You've probably heard about President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani getting involved with Ukraine, but he also played a role in back-channel negotiations regarding Venezuela, The Washington Post reports. And nobody was really sure why.In September 2018, Giuliani, who isn't an official member of the Trump administration, reportedly listened in on a phone call between...

US carries out first strikes in a decade against Iran-backed Kataib Hizbollah in Iraq and Syria

The United States has launched its first airstrikes in nearly a decade against the Iran-backed militia forces in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon said it hit five bases used by the Iraqi Hizbollah militant group following a rocket attack in Iraq that killed a US civilian contractor. Three of the bases were in Iraq, and two in Syria, where the militia has been trying to bolster...

Duterte Renews Attacks on TV Network, Urges Owners to Sell

(Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte continued his attacks on a local television network he’s accused in the past of bias, and urged owners of ABS-CBN Corp. to sell before its franchise expires in March.In a televised speech delivered in the local language at Davao City on Monday, Duterte suggested the media firm’s franchise renewal is uncertain. He had earlier...

US hits pro-Iran group with deadly strikes in Iraq, Syria

The US has carried out air strikes against a pro-Iran militant group in Iraq, killing 19 fighters, two days after a rocket attack that killed an American civilian contractor. The Pentagon said on Sunday it targeted weapons caches or command and control facilities linked to Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH) in Western Iraq, as well as Eastern Syria, in response to a barrage of 30 or more...

DNC rejects Andrew Yang's request to commission polls to increase diversity at January debate

The DNC said that commissioning primary polls would break with its tradition of independent polling. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2tfa8N...

Duterte Renews Attacks on TV Network, Urges Owners to Sell

(Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte continued his attacks on a local television network he’s accused in the past of bias, and urged owners of ABS-CBN Corp. to sell before its franchise expires in March.In a televised speech delivered in the local language at Davao City on Monday, Duterte suggested the media firm’s franchise renewal is uncertain. He had earlier...

Politicians and celebrities spoke out after the New York machete attack that shook the Jewish community to its core

Five people were stabbed in a rabbi's home in Monsey, New York during a Hanukkah celebration on Saturday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F5Hoc...

Sunday, December 29, 2019

New York attack: Man arrested after five people stabbed at rabbi’s house during Hanukkah celebration

A suspect has been arrested after five people were stabbed at a Hasidic rabbi’s New York home during a Hanukkah celebration, an attack Governor Andrew Cuomo has branded “domestic terrorism”.One person was very seriously wounded, the governor told reporters, and remains in critical condition. The rabbi’s son was also injured, Mr Cuomo said. His status and that of the other...

Elizabeth Warren's campaign is 30% behind in quarterly fundraising 4 days before deadline

The campaign said it was doing "something different" as it "probably won't" raise as much as last quarter by the December 31 FEC reporting deadline. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/39nV0y...

Police: All 7 killed in Hawaii tour helicopter crash

Tour helicopter operations in Hawaii have come under increased scrutiny after the deadly crash this week, one of several recent accidents in the state, with a congressman calling the trips unsafe and lacking proper oversight. There were no survivors of a Thursday tour helicopter crash that killed three minors and four adults, officials confirmed Saturday. The helicopter that...

Trump claims homelessness 'so easy' to handle in attack on Democrats

President says governors of New York and California should ‘politely’ ask him for help in latest broadsideDonald Trump has continued to use America’s homelessness crisis to attack his political opponents in California and New York, tweeting on Saturday that homelessness should be “easy” to handle and that the governors of the two liberal states should ask him for help.Workers...

Iran blasts France for 'interference' over jailed academic

Tehran accused Paris on Sunday of "interference" in the case of an Iranian-French academic held in the Islamic republic, saying she is considered an Iranian national and faces security charges. France said on Friday it summoned Iran's ambassador to protest the imprisonment of Fariba Adelkhah and another academic, Roland Marchal of France, saying their detention was "intolerable"....