| Iraqi forces battling Islamic State about to reach Mosul airport Posted: 20 Feb 2017 10:22 AM PST ![Iraqi forces battling Islamic State about to reach Mosul airport]( "Iraqi forces battling Islamic State about to reach Mosul airport") By Stephen Kalin and Maher Chmaytelli SOUTH OF MOSUL/BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Iraqi forces battling Islamic State fighters have fought their way close to Mosul's airport on the second day of a ground offensive on the jihadists' remaining stronghold in the western side of the city, military statements said on Monday. Federal police and elite interior ministry units known as Rapid Response are leading the charge toward the airport on the southern outskirts of Mosul and plan to turn it into a close support base for the push into western Mosul, commanders have said. The militants are essentially under siege in western Mosul, along with an estimated 750,000 civilians, after they were forced out of the eastern part of the city in the first phase of the campaign that ended last month, after 100 days of fighting.
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| Malaysia Recalls North Korea Ambassador Amid Tensions Posted: 19 Feb 2017 09:16 PM PST  Tensions between the two countries escalated after Pyongyang's demands to hand over the body of Kim Jong Un's half brother were rejected.
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| Ex-cop says Duterte paid him, others to kill crime suspects Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:51 AM PST  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A retired Philippine police officer said Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte, when he was a mayor, ordered and paid him and other members of a so-called liquidation squad to kill criminals and opponents, including a kidnapping suspect, his family and a critical radio commentator.
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| Women's life expectancy on track to hit 90 in some nations Posted: 21 Feb 2017 03:47 PM PST  By 2030 life expectancy for South Korean women could top nine decades, an average lifespan long thought to be out of reach, researchers said Wednesday. South Korea is not only the first country in the world where women may live past 90 on average, it is also the one on track to log the biggest jump in longevity, they reported in The Lancet medical journal. Other developed countries are not far behind: the longevity of French and Japanese women are more likely than not to stretch past 88 years.
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| Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos resigns after controversial pedophilia comments Posted: 21 Feb 2017 02:17 PM PST  On Feb. 21, 2017, Milo Yiannopoulos announced his resignation as an editor at Breitbart News. The writer and commentator has been facing backlash since a video of him making controversial comments about pedophilia surfaced.
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| Philippines: framework of South China Sea pact possible soon Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:30 AM PST  BORACAY, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines' top diplomat said Tuesday it remains to be seen whether China will cooperate fully in ongoing efforts to craft a legally binding pact designed to prevent aggressive behavior in the disputed South China Sea.
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| Time for Some Creative Solutions At the NSC Posted: 20 Feb 2017 08:52 AM PST  Here's how Trump can avoid getting trapped in an H.R. nightmare.
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| Iceland's President said he would ban pineapple on pizza if he could Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:00 AM PST  Pineapple on pizza: you love it, or you hate it so much you use your power as president of a small country to make it literally illegal. In what's being called a "political bombshell" by Iceland Magazine, President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson said he would ban pineapple as a topping on pizzas— if he were allowed to pass laws on his own. SEE ALSO: Trump thinks something terrible happened in Sweden, so here come the IKEA and ABBA jokes The incendiary comments were in response to questions from students about where he stood on the concept of pineapple as a topping while visiting a local high school. Word of his controversial opinion quickly spread across the internet, where it began trending on Twitter. With a debate as contentious as this one, everybody had to get a word in. not only does iceland use entirely renewable energy but their president is also a WOKE BAE pic.twitter.com/EkGbjmwHL1 — eva (@myIoveiscooI) February 21, 2017 Emotions flared. you can all stay in Iceland as well so us pineapple on pizza lovers can live in peace and tastiness pic.twitter.com/UOZ3g5shNp — Luke Brooks (@luke_brooks) February 21, 2017 Brands are even taking to Twitter to make their stance on the issue known. No ban here pic.twitter.com/vmSJw5F1ew — DiGiorno Pizza (@DiGiornoPizza) February 21, 2017 Long after the last pineapple is thrown into the Icelandic sea, DiGiorno Pizza's Last Stand will be remembered: "No ban here ." BONUS: Snap's Spectacles
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| Fresh ceasefire appears to hold for now in eastern Ukraine Posted: 20 Feb 2017 04:47 AM PST ![Fresh ceasefire appears to hold for now in eastern Ukraine]( "Fresh ceasefire appears to hold for now in eastern Ukraine") By Pavel Polityuk AVDIYIVKA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists appeared to be respecting a new ceasefire attempt on Monday after international powers called for shelling to stop and for the withdrawal of banned heavy weapons. In recent weeks, the area around the government-held town of Avdiyivka has seen some of the heaviest artillery fire of the past two years, refocusing global attention on a simmering conflict that has strained relations between Russia and the West. Violence has since lessened, but the close proximity of the opposing sides and continued use of heavy weapons prompted the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine to call on Sunday for renewed efforts to implement the terms of the much-violated Minsk peace agreement of 2015.
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| Samsung Gear VR To Come With Own Controller Posted: 20 Feb 2017 08:23 PM PST  The Samsung Gear VR 2 and the new controller are expected to be announced alongside the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.
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| Mass funeral held for 20 Haitians who died in dismal prison Posted: 21 Feb 2017 03:30 PM PST  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Relatives wailed in grief or stared stoically as flowers were placed on 20 caskets at a mass funeral Tuesday for the latest group of inmates who died miserably in Haiti's largest prison, most without ever having been convicted of any crime.
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| Five die as plane crashes into Melbourne shopping centre Posted: 20 Feb 2017 04:32 PM PST  The twin-engined Beechcraft plane veered just after take-off into a shopping centre, that was still closed, next to Essendon Fields airport near Melbourne. "Five on the aircraft and looks like no one has survived the crash," said Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane. Premier Daniel Andrews described it as "the worst civil aviation accident that our state has seen for 30 years".
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| Woman Rescues Cop By Jumping on Attacker's Back: 'This Is a True Hero Right Here' Posted: 20 Feb 2017 04:35 PM PST  Vickie Williams-Tillman jumped on the back of a man beating a cop, authorities.
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| ‘A Serbian Trap’: Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:35 AM PST !['A Serbian Trap': Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade]( "'A Serbian Trap': Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade") A trip along the refugee track within Serbia reveals that the old route through the Balkans is still being used despite strong border control, harsh conditions and frozen temperatures. Despite the existence of camps built by the Serbian state, the migrants are here trying to make their way into European Union countries illegally.
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| The Latest: UN boss calls Russian ambassador 'outstanding' Posted: 20 Feb 2017 06:28 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the death of Russia's ambassador to the United Nations (all times local):
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| John Oliver perfectly explains to Donald Trump why Putin is bad news Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:24 PM PST 
Russia is currently one of Donald Trump's worst problems, one that the President keeps dismissing as "fake news." After Michael Flynn's resignation last week, news broke that high-ranking members of the Trump campaign were in constant contact with former Russian intelligence agents during the campaign. The nature of those talks is unknown to the public, but the intelligence community was disturbed by their great frequency. Yet Trump failed to address his Russia-related criticism, and continue to say that an improved USA-Russia relationship won't be so bad. That's pretty much all you need to take with you into the following segment on Last Week Tonight, where John Oliver explained exactly what's wrong with Putin, complete with a catchy techno song for Trump. The HBO host briefly went through Putin's Russia. Oliver explained how popular Putin is in the country, how wealthy he has become over the years, and what happens with people who routinely criticize him — hint: it's not good. For Putin's Russia, Trump seems to be exactly what the doctor ordered. The American president, whether he's influenced directly by Russia or not, may be an asset for Putin. Trump could grant Russia various favors when it comes to worldwide politics just because he wants a better relationship with Russia, Oliver says. Yes, Oliver often uses humor while tackling serious matters, and the complex USA-Russia rivalry can't be explained in just 30 minutes. But Oliver does a great job at showing us why Trump's so far losing to Putin, at least for the time being. Check out the full segment below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0utzB6oDan0
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| Elderly woman finds £5 note worth £50,000, donates the money to young people Posted: 20 Feb 2017 05:05 AM PST  Finding out that the fiver in your wallet is worth thousands of pounds is a dream-come-true for some — but not everyone. A Northern Irish woman who discovered a rare £5 note worth £50,000 ($62,317) has given the note to charity because she says she has no use for the money. SEE ALSO: Some lucky duck got a £5 note 'worth £50,000' in a Christmas card The note is one of just four ultra-rare notes worth £50,000 in circulation in the UK. The note — which is engraved with a special Jane Austen inscription — is the third one to be snapped up, leaving just one left. The woman who discovered the note contacted the gallery founded by Graham Short — the artist who engraved the notes — stating her wish to donate the note to charity. "£5 note enclosed, I don't need it at my time of life. Please use it to help young people," reads the letter sent to the gallery by the donor, who prefers to remain anonymous. Image: graham short "The lady who found the note has surprised us all by sending it to the gallery and asking that it be used to help young people," reads a blog post on Short's website. According to the post, the proceeds from the note will be donated to children's charity Children in Need. "Currently contacting outlets connected to Children in Need to try and give this to a good cause so we honour the request of the lucky woman who originally discovered the note," the post continues. BONUS: This keychain can take away that annoying jingle your keys make
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| The Great Cheese Scare Posted: 21 Feb 2017 04:14 AM PST  "We deeply regret any inconvenience or concern this issue has caused," Sargento Foods Chief Executive Officer Louie Gentine said in a statement.
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| Dozens of headstones toppled at Jewish cemetery in Missouri Posted: 21 Feb 2017 02:25 PM PST  UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vandals have damaged or tipped over as many as 200 headstones at a Jewish cemetery in suburban St. Louis, leaving the region's Jewish community shaken and anxious.
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| The Latest: State: Reforms didn't cut sentence of suspect Posted: 21 Feb 2017 04:17 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of two California police officers as they responded to a traffic accident (all times local):
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| EU welcomes Pence assurance of Trump's support Posted: 20 Feb 2017 08:45 AM PST ![EU welcomes Pence assurance of Trump's support]( "EU welcomes Pence assurance of Trump's support") By Roberta Rampton and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence assured the European Union in Brussels on Monday that the Trump administration will develop their cooperation in trade and security and backs the EU as a partner in its own right. A month after Donald Trump caused alarm by renewing his endorsement of Brexit and suggesting others may follow Britain out of the EU, Pence told reporters that he had come to "the home of the European Union" with a message from the president.
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| Don’t Look Now, But There’s Another Greek Debt Crisis Brewing Posted: 20 Feb 2017 04:00 AM PST  Talks over Athens' debt burden threaten to spill into European election season.
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| Philippine minister stands by call to shut mines as review begins Posted: 20 Feb 2017 04:54 AM PST ![Philippine minister stands by call to shut mines as review begins]( "Philippine minister stands by call to shut mines as review begins") By Manolo Serapio Jr MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' environment minister said on Monday she stands by her decision to shut more than half the country's operating mines and bar mining in watershed zones as an inter-agency panel began a review of her actions. Members of the government's Mining Industry Coordinating Council will scrutinize the affected mines to ensure due process was followed and consider the impact on jobs and the economy after an outcry by the mining industry in the world's top nickel ore supplier. The council cannot overturn her orders, but its findings could feed into a decision by President Rodrigo Duterte, who has said he will review the planned closures after initially throwing his support behind his environment minister.
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| Iran Launches ‘Advanced’ Rockets In Military Exercise Posted: 20 Feb 2017 02:52 AM PST  The launches during the annual three-day military exercise took place a day after U.S. senators indicated they could impose further sanctions against Tehran.
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| Beta Shows Off New Trials Models Posted: 20 Feb 2017 08:45 AM PST ![Beta Shows Off New Trials Models]( "Beta Shows Off New Trials Models") Beta Shows Off New Trials Models Italian off-road manufacturer Beta has unveiled a number of new and updated Evo Factory range of Trials models. The new line-up features two-stroke 125, 250 and 300cc engines and a 300cc 4-stroke. Beta says the Factory
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| Cop Helps Girl, 10, With Math Homework After She Messaged Police Department on Facebook Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:59 PM PST  "I'm having trouble with my homework. Could you help me?" 10-year-old Lena wrote in a Facebook message to the Marion, Ohio Police Department.
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| Shanghai stocks climb in Asian market rally Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:49 AM PST  Shanghai stocks closed more than one percent higher on Monday, with traders buoyed by reports that China's official pension funds may start investing, as markets across Asia saw modest gains. Tokyo stocks overcame early losses to end modestly higher as yen weakness prompted late bargain-hunting. Shanghai gained 1.18 percent after a Chinese media report that a first tranche of investment into China stocks by official pension funds was expected as early as this week.
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| Police expand search for suspect in 2 Indiana girls' deaths Posted: 20 Feb 2017 10:50 AM PST  DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — Authorities said Monday they are expanding the search for a suspect in the killings of two girls who were found dead near a northern Indiana trail last week.
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| UPS has a functioning drone delivery concept, and it makes more sense than Amazon’s Posted: 21 Feb 2017 03:32 PM PST 
Companies like Amazon are going all-in on drone deliveries and have already shown off warehouses that send packages out to customers exclusively via drone. For delivery companies like UPS, the idea of converting operations to rely exclusively on drones is laughable, but that doesn't mean they won't find a way to utilize the new technology to streamline the delivery process. This week, UPS tested out a delivery drone concept that doesn't so much do away with its iconic brown box trucks as augment them.
The test was conducted using a specially equipped UPS delivery truck which has a drone compartment built right into its roof. When the driver stops to deliver a package, the drone can be sent out to deliver one to a nearby location as well. UPS used the example of a rural delivery where sending a driver and truck down a long, winding road would be less efficient than sending the drone to deliver the package instead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9_6OyjJrQ Once the drone has completed its delivery it automatically docks with the truck once again, and long arms grab and situate the device so that it can be recharged for the next stop. The drone is capable of carrying packages as heavy as ten pounds, which is double the five pound weight limit of Amazon's initial drone delivery tests. Due to current FAA regulations which require drones to remain within visual of its operator — and avoid flying over buildings or people — even UPS's modest drone ambitions have some serious limitations. However, there's hope that those restrictions will be made a bit more workable in the future.
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| Traffic jams cost U.S. drivers $1,200 a year: study Posted: 19 Feb 2017 09:28 PM PST ![Traffic jams cost U.S. drivers $1,200 a year: study]( "Traffic jams cost U.S. drivers $1,200 a year: study") Traffic jams cost U.S. drivers an average of $1,200 a year in wasted fuel and time, and much more in Los Angeles, the city with the world's biggest rush hour traffic delays, according to a study by INRIX Inc released on Monday. INRIX, based in Kirkland, Washington, aggregates and analyzes traffic data collected from vehicles and highway infrastructure. Five of the world's 10 most congested cities are in the United States, INRIX found.
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| Zimbabwe's Mugabe praises Trump's 'America First' policy Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:02 AM PST  HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" policy has an admirer in Zimbabwe's longtime president, who says the policy resonates with his own thinking.
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| Exclusive: China finishing South China Sea buildings that could house missiles - U.S. officials Posted: 21 Feb 2017 04:28 PM PST ![Exclusive: China finishing South China Sea buildings that could house missiles - U.S. officials]( "Exclusive: China finishing South China Sea buildings that could house missiles - U.S. officials") By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China, in an early test of U.S. President Donald Trump, is nearly finished building almost two dozen structures on artificial islands in the South China Sea that appear designed to house long-range surface-to-air missiles, two U.S. officials told Reuters. The development is likely to raise questions about whether and how the United States will respond, given its vows to take a tough line on China in the South China Sea. China claims almost all the South China Sea, which carries a third of the world's maritime traffic.
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| Philippines’ Duterte Ordered Killings, Davao Death Squad Leader Claims Posted: 19 Feb 2017 10:29 PM PST  The Davao Death Squad existed, and carried out extrajudicial killings often with orders or approval from the then-mayor of the city, Rodrigo Duterte, a former police officer confessed Monday.
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| 6 Ways to Take Control of Your Retirement Posted: 21 Feb 2017 07:45 AM PST ![6 Ways to Take Control of Your Retirement]( "6 Ways to Take Control of Your Retirement") One of the most unsettling aspects of retirement is that you give up a lot of control in life. Your kids are growing up, becoming independent and ignoring your best advice, and your friends may be slipping away due to illness, infirmity or perhaps they're moving to a retirement mecca. Here are six key areas where you can take steps to improve your retirement.
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| Brazil's race to save drought-hit city Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:36 AM PST ![Brazil's race to save drought-hit city]( "Brazil's race to save drought-hit city") The shrunken carcasses of cows lie in scorched fields outside the city of Campina Grande in northeast Brazil, and hungry goats search for food on the cracked-earth floor of the Boqueirao reservoir that serves the desperate town. After five years of drought, farmer Edivaldo Brito says he cannot remember when the Boqueirão reservoir was last full. Brazil's arid northeast is weathering its worst drought on record and Campina Grande, which has 400,000 residents that depend on the reservoir, is running out of water.
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| Interracial couple fined for not removing graffiti slur Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:04 AM PST  An interracial Connecticut couple whose home was vandalized by a racial slur has been fined for failing to cover it up.
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| More tests needed on Russian UN ambassador's cause of death Posted: 21 Feb 2017 04:04 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Medical examiners who performed an autopsy on Russia's ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday that more tests are needed to determine how and why he fell ill in his office and later died.
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| Duck boats face increasing calls for improvements, bans Posted: 20 Feb 2017 10:20 AM PST  BOSTON (AP) — With their festive, party-like ambiance and ability to travel on land and in water, duck boats have long been tourist attractions for sightseers around the U.S. But a string of deadly accidents has left the industry reeling, forced safety improvements and led some advocates to call for a total ban on the vehicles.
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| Syrian army pounds rebels in pre-talks shelling Posted: 20 Feb 2017 12:11 PM PST  Syrian government forces Monday escalated their bombing campaign around Damascus, raining shells down on rebel territory and sending out a "bloody message" just days before renewed peace talks in Geneva. Representatives from the opposition and of President Bashar al-Assad's regime are to head to Switzerland on Thursday for another attempt to end their country's brutal six-year war. "The toll in regime air strikes on (northern rebel district of Damascus) Barzeh has increased to seven people, including a woman and child," the Observatory said, adding that 12 more had been wounded.
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| Ski resort razed by the Taliban lifts Pakistan's domestic tourism Posted: 20 Feb 2017 03:25 PM PST ![Ski resort razed by the Taliban lifts Pakistan's domestic tourism]( "Ski resort razed by the Taliban lifts Pakistan's domestic tourism") By Drazen Jorgic MALAM JABBA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Atop the piste of Malam Jabba in Pakistan's once dangerous Swat Valley skiers schuss downhill, a new Chinese-built chairlift ferries tourists to the peak, and a luxury hotel is under construction to replace one torched by the Taliban. The Taliban declared skiing "un-Islamic" during their 2007-2009 reign of terror over Swat, but improved security in recent years has allowed ski tourism to re-emerge on Malam Jabba, a hill station in the Hindu Kush mountain range. Locals tout Swat as "the Switzerland of Pakistan", with an international ski tournament held there in January.
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| Scientists Hold Rally Against Trump In Boston Posted: 20 Feb 2017 02:06 AM PST  The rally included hundreds of scientists and crowds holding signs such as "Stand up for science," "Science is not a liberal conspiracy," "Science, not silence" and "Climate change is NOT a controversy."
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