| After killing TPP, Trump to meet Xi, reassure allies Posted: 13 Mar 2017 02:51 PM PDT  President Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping early next month, a potentially pivotal summit as the White House tries to reassure allies that the United States will stay engaged in the region after backing out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. The two leaders are tentatively expected to meet April 7-8, potentially at Trump's luxury Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida, a U.S. official confirmed on Monday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will lock down the exact dates on his trip to Asia this week, the official added.
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| Rep. Steve King: ‘We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies’ Posted: 12 Mar 2017 02:28 PM PDT  Congressman Steve King has a history of stirring controversy. Iowa Rep. Steve King is facing a fierce backlash over a tweet critics say is an open embrace of white nationalism. On Sunday, King retweeted a political cartoon featuring Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician whose anti-Muslim rhetoric and blown-out hairstyle have drawn plenty of comparisons to Donald Trump.
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| First Look: The New Fitbit Alta HR Posted: 13 Mar 2017 07:32 AM PDT  Fitbit updates one of its most popular fitness trackers with heart-rate monitoring, enhanced sleep tracking, and better battery life.
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| UNICEF says 2016 was worst year yet for Syria's children Posted: 12 Mar 2017 05:07 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — At least 652 children were killed in Syria in 2016, making it the worst year yet for the country's rising generation, the United Nations' child relief agency said Monday.
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| Poland to seek extradition from United States of suspected Nazi commander Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:56 PM PDT ![Poland to seek extradition from United States of suspected Nazi commander]( "Poland to seek extradition from United States of suspected Nazi commander") Poland plans to seek the extradition of an American on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity in the World War Two deaths of 44 Polish villagers, Poland's government-affiliated history institute said on Monday. The man, identified as Michael K., is suspected of ordering the killings in 1944 in eastern Poland when he was a commander in the Nazi's SS-led Ukrainian Self Defence Legion, the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) said in a statement.
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| House Completely Covered by Ice in Astonishing Viral Images Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:32 PM PDT  John Kucko said the ice is up to six inches thick on his lakeside property in upstate New York.
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| Guatemala shelter fire death toll climbs to 39 Posted: 11 Mar 2017 06:00 PM PST  The death toll in a horrific fire at a government-run shelter for Guatemalan teens has climbed to 39, officials said. Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the residence of President Jimmy Morales, alleging that government negligence at the overcrowded facility where staffers were accused of sexual and other abuse allowed the tragedy to happen. Three more adolescent girls succumbed to their injuries while being treated in intensive care, according to hospital officials, who said 14 girls are still in their care, including eight in critical condition.
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| Early Supreme Court hearings little resembled their modern counterparts Posted: 13 Mar 2017 08:15 AM PDT  As Constitution Daily counts down to Neil Gorsuch's Supreme Court testimony, we look back at how this dramatic process started – and why we have public nomination hearings at all.
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| Biden Institute launched at University of Delaware Posted: 13 Mar 2017 04:30 PM PDT  NEWARK, Del. (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is hoping a new public policy institute bearing his name will foster civic engagement and promote a spirit of bipartisanship.
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| Baby gear injuries surging, often due to falls Posted: 13 Mar 2017 10:14 AM PDT ![Baby gear injuries surging, often due to falls]( "Baby gear injuries surging, often due to falls") By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - - Every eight minutes in the U.S., a child under three has an accident related to baby products like strollers, carriers, cribs and walkers, a study suggests. Injuries are on the rise, and roughly four in five are due to falls, researchers report in Pediatrics. "What's surprising is how many children are still experiencing nursery product-related injuries serious enough to result in a trip to the emergency department - one every eight minutes," said senior study author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
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| ‘She’s complicit’: Ivanka Trump torched by ScarJo on ‘SNL’ Posted: 12 Mar 2017 10:00 AM PDT  Alec Baldwin returned as Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, imagining how the president would respond to an "Independence Day"-style alien invasion during the cold-open sketch. (Hint: It involves wearing a bomber jacket.) But it was Scarlett Johansson's portrayal of Ivanka Trump that stole the show.
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| Northeast braces for blizzard conditions Posted: 13 Mar 2017 08:44 AM PDT  With less than a week until the first day of spring, Mother Nature is packing a punch: a winter storm expected to slam the Northeast. Blizzard conditions are expected to hit Washington, D.C., New York and Boston from Monday night into Tuesday, with 12 to 20 inches of snow expected.
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| Sheriff's Deputies Heroically Save Jet Skiers in the Path of Cruise Ship in the Nick of Time Posted: 13 Mar 2017 03:02 PM PDT ![Sheriff's Deputies Heroically Save Jet Skiers in the Path of Cruise Ship in the Nick of Time]( "Sheriff's Deputies Heroically Save Jet Skiers in the Path of Cruise Ship in the Nick of Time") A tourist filmed the dramatic rescue from the deck of the cruise ship as it approached.
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| Nigeria's Buhari tells parliament he has resumed duties: spokesman Posted: 13 Mar 2017 05:27 AM PDT ![Nigeria's Buhari tells parliament he has resumed duties: spokesman]( "Nigeria's Buhari tells parliament he has resumed duties: spokesman") By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has told parliament that he has resumed his duties following seven weeks of medical leave in Britain, his spokesman said on Monday. Nigeria's economy shrank 1.5 percent in 2016, its first full-year contraction for 25 years, largely due to low oil prices and attacks on energy facilities in the OPEC member's Niger Delta oil hub last year. Buhari had made his deputy Yemi Osinbajo acting president during his absence.
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| Good Samaritans Save Elderly Woman Walking Across Train Tracks Just in the Nick of Time Posted: 12 Mar 2017 10:48 AM PDT  She was uninjured.
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| Bangladesh to fell building deemed "symbol of corruption" Posted: 12 Mar 2017 06:38 AM PDT  Bangladesh's highest court Sunday ordered the demolition of a lakeside building occupied by powerful garment groups, a move welcomed by activists who considered the structure an enduring symbol of corruption. The 16-story building, long criticised for openly flouting Dhaka's strict construction laws, must be destroyed within six months at a cost borne by its occupants, the Supreme Court ruled. "If they fail to carry out the order, the (government's) capital development authority will demolish the building," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told AFP.
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| A look at simmering tensions between Turkey and Netherlands Posted: 13 Mar 2017 09:29 AM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — Diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Western Europe erupted over the weekend after the Netherlands blocked Turkish officials from holding rallies in their country, prompting a flurry of angry rhetoric and threats of dire consequences from Ankara.
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| 5 Tips for Talking to Your Child About His or Her Autism Posted: 13 Mar 2017 10:32 AM PDT ![5 Tips for Talking to Your Child About His or Her Autism]( "5 Tips for Talking to Your Child About His or Her Autism") Nancy Wells struggled with when and how to talk to her daughter, Molly, about the girl's autism. Wells, a single mother in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was afraid of hurting Molly's feelings. At the time, a little more than a decade ago, Wells considered autism a bad word and thought many others did, too.
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| Republicans still battle each other even after gaining power Posted: 12 Mar 2017 05:10 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than twenty-four hours after Donald Trump had won the White House, House Speaker Paul Ryan triumphantly proclaimed the start of a new era of Republican leadership that would "hit the ground running."
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| Watch this Mexican volcano blow some serious smoke Posted: 12 Mar 2017 05:00 PM PDT  One of Mexico's most famous volcanos erupted this weekend, sending clouds of ash down on surrounding communities. Popocatépetl has erupted twice since Saturday evening and emitted hundreds of short, low-intensity bursts of gas and smoke, Mexican authorities said on Sunday afternoon. SEE ALSO: A volcano just erupted in Europe and the footage is amazing Unlike Italy's Mount Etna, Popocatépetl hasn't spewed any spectacular lava — much to the relief of residents in Mexico's Puebla valley, which sits about 80 miles east of Mexico City. The area remains under "yellow alert," meaning families should protect their food and drinking water from the volcano's falling ash. But Popocatépetl is still lit up, even if cameras can't capture it. At some points on the night of March 10, the volcano's crater gave off a glow that intensified to a brilliant orange each time the volcano belched smoke, Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention reported. En las últimas 24 horas, el monitoreo del #Popocatépetl identificó 125 exhalaciones de baja intensidad y dos explosiones. pic.twitter.com/97DxsyXit7 — Luis Felipe Puente (@LUISFELIPE_P) March 12, 2017 On a rare smogless day in Mexico City, the white caps of Popocatépetl and its neighboring volcano Iztaccíhuatl can clearly be seen in the distance. According to an Aztec legend, Popocatépetl was a handsome warrior and Iztaccíhuatl a beautiful princess. Like all good love stories, their story ends in tragedy. Elsewhere in North America, Alaska's Bogoslof volcano has also been acting up. #Bogoslof volcano Worldview satellite imgs from Mar 3 and 11, showing changes due to eruption on Mar 8. https://t.co/6LWU4WMH0q pic.twitter.com/nngmtu2J5T — Alaska AVO (@alaska_avo) March 12, 2017 Eruption activity at the underwater volcano last week changed the physical landscape of the surrounding island, the Alaskan Volcano Observatory noted. Satellite images show how the island's central lake had greatly expanded, while deposits of volcanic ash and blocks extended the island's western shoreline. Video credit: webcamsdemexico via Storyful WATCH: Exploring volcanoes with robots: a day in the life of Carolyn Parcheta
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| Puerto Rico creditors urge extension of fiscal plan deadline Posted: 13 Mar 2017 05:02 AM PDT ![Puerto Rico creditors urge extension of fiscal plan deadline]( "Puerto Rico creditors urge extension of fiscal plan deadline") A group holding more than $10 billion of Puerto Rican debt wants the island's federally appointed financial oversight board to postpone a Wednesday deadline to approve a fiscal turnaround plan for Puerto Rico, saying the U.S. territory's creditors should have input on the plan. A bondholder group led by OppenheimerFunds and Franklin Advisers, which hold debt across a wide swath of Puerto Rican credits, made the request to the board in a letter made public on Monday morning, ahead of the board's scheduled public meeting in New York. "An extension would ... allow Puerto Rico and the oversight board to work with Puerto Rico's key stakeholders to develop a fiscal plan that makes sense to all the parties," the group said.
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| Photos of the day - March 13, 2017 Posted: 13 Mar 2017 02:34 PM PDT ![Photos of the day - March 13, 2017]( "Photos of the day - March 13, 2017") Displaced Iraqis who had fled their homes wait to move to a safe place, as Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq; Chinese President Xi Jinping, foreground center, Premier Li Keqiang, foreground center right, and delegates attend a closing session for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing; and, An Indian reveller covered with powdered colors celebrates the Holi festival in Bangalore, India.
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| Stock markets confident Fed will seal deal Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:51 PM PDT  New York (AFP) - World stock markets mostly rose Monday as investors priced in the near-certainty of a US rate rise this week following a forecast-busting US jobs report.
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| The Latest: Navajo leader: Mourning with officer's family Posted: 12 Mar 2017 06:44 PM PDT ![The Latest: Navajo leader: Mourning with officer's family]( "The Latest: Navajo leader: Mourning with officer's family") PREWITT, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of a Navajo Nation police officer (all times local):
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| South Korea's Park criticized over defiance, faces calls for investigation Posted: 13 Mar 2017 02:14 AM PDT ![South Korea's Park criticized over defiance, faces calls for investigation]( "South Korea's Park criticized over defiance, faces calls for investigation") By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - Ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-hye faced criticism on Monday over a defiant vow that the truth of her impeachment would be revealed, with the main opposition party urging prosecutors to investigate her quickly. The Constitutional Court dismissed Park from office on Friday when it upheld a parliamentary impeachment vote over an influence-peddling scandal that has shaken the political and business elite. Park has denied any wrongdoing.
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| Intel is spending $15.3 billion to acquire the company behind Tesla’s early self-driving tech Posted: 13 Mar 2017 05:48 AM PDT 
Intel on Monday morning confirmed earlier reports that it will acquire Jerusalem-based self-driving technology company Mobileye for $63.54 a share, or $15.3 billion in total. The deal follows successful work the two companies have done on BMW's iNext self-driving platform, which is expected to appear in production vehicles as soon as 2021, just four years from now. Of course, Intel and Mobileeye have their sights set much higher than just on the work they're doing with BMW. The companies are looking to build a scalable architecture that will become an industry standard, powering safe and feature-rich autonomous driving systems in cars and trucks from a wide range of auto makers. By combining forces in this multi-billion deal, the duo will seemingly be better positioned to realize this ambitious vision. "This acquisition is a great step forward for our shareholders, the automotive industry and consumers," Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in a press released announcing the deal. "Intel provides critical foundational technologies for autonomous driving including plotting the car's path and making real-time driving decisions. Mobileye brings the industry's best automotive-grade computer vision and strong momentum with automakers and suppliers. Together, we can accelerate the future of autonomous driving with improved performance in a cloud-to-car solution at a lower cost for automakers." Mobileye is widely known as a market leader in the self-driving car space, though its most recent round of press ahead of this major deal wasn't very positive. Tesla was one of the Israeli company's biggest early partners, but the two firms parted ways after Tesla blamed Mobileye tech in part for the fatal Model S crash that left a Model S driver in Florida dead last year. The car's sensors failed to see a tractor-trailer pulling out onto a highway with Autopilot engaged, and the Model S struck the side of the truck, killing the driver instantly. Both Tesla and Mobileye have independently made significant changes to their self-driving systems since then in an effort to improve safety and performance. "We expect the growth towards autonomous driving to be transformative. It will provide consumers with safer, more flexible, and less costly transportation options, and provide incremental business model opportunities for our automaker customers," Mobileye CEO Ziv Aviram said of the deal with Intel. "By pooling together our infrastructure and resources, we can enhance and accelerate our combined know-how in the areas of mapping, virtual driving, simulators, development tool chains, hardware, data centers and high-performance computing platforms. Together, we will provide an attractive value proposition for the automotive industry." Intel says that it expects the acquisition to close within the next nine months.
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| Great Lakes fund has aided Ohio's algae fight, river cleanup Posted: 12 Mar 2017 07:23 AM PDT  TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A Great Lakes cleanup program that may be on the Trump administration's chopping block has plunked money into fighting Lake Erie's toxic algae and putting new life into Ohio's polluted rivers.
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| Trump's Golf Course In California Vandalized Posted: 13 Mar 2017 03:41 AM PDT  On Sunday, a group of environmental activists vandalized the president's golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
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| 4 Increasingly Popular Company Retirement Planning Perks Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:35 AM PDT ![4 Increasingly Popular Company Retirement Planning Perks]( "4 Increasingly Popular Company Retirement Planning Perks") A traditional 401(k) plan is now the predominate form of retirement benefit provided by employers. Here's a look at the types of retirement benefits that are increasingly being offered to employees. A Roth 401(k) allows employees to save after-tax dollars in order to qualify for tax-free withdrawals in retirement.
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| Keep Your Complexion Gorgeous Over 40 Posted: 12 Mar 2017 05:00 PM PDT  Mona celebrates her upcoming birthday with a skin-care makeover based on expert advice from Plastic Surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon and Dermatologist Dr. Annie Chu. Mona's a former smoker, which is damaging to the skin, and she's looking to recover that youthful glow.
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| US Attorney Preet Bharara 'fired' after not resigning Posted: 13 Mar 2017 10:25 AM PDT  Bharara was known for going across the aisle and being an independent prosecutor.
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| Jordan releases soldier who killed 7 Israeli schoolgirls Posted: 12 Mar 2017 08:29 AM PDT  A Jordanian soldier who shot dead seven Israeli schoolgirls in 1997 was released from prison Sunday after serving out his life sentence, sparking outrage from the families of those killed. In March 1997, Ahmad Dakamseh fired an automatic weapon at schoolgirls on a trip to the Jordan-Israel border, killing seven of them and wounding five others and a teacher. "He is now a free man," his cousin Mohammed Yahya Dakamseh told AFP by phone, saying he had been released at around 1:00 am after "he finished his jail term".
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| Explaining Trump: The art of the dodge Posted: 13 Mar 2017 11:59 AM PDT  Since taking office, President Trump has continued to say things for which there is no discernible evidence. As a result, his White House staff, from his press secretary to his counselors to his vice president, is asked to defend, justify and explain his misstatements and tweets, with varying results.
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| Berlin ground staff strike, hundreds of flights canceled Posted: 13 Mar 2017 02:52 AM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — Ground staff at Berlin's two airports went on strike Monday for the second time in four days, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
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| Obama lawyers move fast to join fight against Trump Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:24 AM PDT ![Obama lawyers move fast to join fight against Trump]( "Obama lawyers move fast to join fight against Trump") By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Johnathan Smith resigned from the U.S. Justice Department on Inauguration Day, he looked forward to spending time with his infant son, but that plan unraveled a week later when President Donald Trump unveiled his explosive foreign travel ban. Within two weeks, Smith had a new job as legal director of civil rights group Muslim Advocates and was drafting briefs for a successful court challenge to the ban, joining other former top Obama administration lawyers now fighting Trump. It is not surprising that Smith and some of his colleagues, political appointees of Democratic President Barack Obama, would leave the Justice Department now led by Republicans.
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| Giraffe Giving Birth On Live Cam Update Posted: 12 Mar 2017 03:18 AM PDT  Zookeepers watching over April the giraffe, who is more than 15 months pregnant, said there has been a lot of belly movement.
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| Chile's devastating wildfires Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:00 AM PDT ![Chile's devastating wildfires]( "Chile's devastating wildfires") Forest fires are a regular feature of Chile's hot, arid summers, but a nearly decade-long drought combined with historically high temperatures have created tinder-like conditions in the nation's central regions. (Reuters)
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| Apple (AAPL) Stock vs. Alphabet (GOOG) Stock: Which is the Better Buy? Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:28 AM PDT ![Apple (AAPL) Stock vs. Alphabet (GOOG) Stock: Which is the Better Buy?]( "Apple (AAPL) Stock vs. Alphabet (GOOG) Stock: Which is the Better Buy?") Apple (ticker: AAPL) and Alphabet ( GOOG, GOOGL) are two of the biggest tech titans around, and they happen to compete for much more than smartphone market share. From large-capitalization institutional technology investors to average Americans saving for retirement, the fact is that AAPL stock and GOOG stock also go head to head for billions of dollars in investor capital. In a universe where Apple and Alphabet were mutually exclusive investments, which stock would be the better buy?
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| 'Brand Modi' gets thumbs up as PM's party sweeps India polls Posted: 13 Mar 2017 03:09 AM PDT  Rebounding from a self-inflicted banknote crisis to deliver his party a stunning victory in state polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dominance mirrors that of India's early independence leaders and bodes well for his re-election in 2019, analysts say. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party won a surprise absolute majority in Uttar Pradesh at the weekend, a result not seen in decades in the northern state that's home to 220 million people and seen as a bellwether of national politics. It also won a majority in Uttarakhand and despite coming second will form governments in Goa and Manipur, the latter a remote eastern state where the Hindu nationalist party held zero seats before polling day.
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| Author's Heartbreaking Story: What Are the Signs of Ovarian Cancer? Posted: 13 Mar 2017 08:21 AM PDT  In a heart-wrenching essay, author Amy Krouse Rosenthal penned a dating profile for her husband to use after she was gone. Rosenthal was running out of time: She was dying of ovarian cancer, which she was diagnosed with in September 2015. "I'm facing a deadline, in this case, a pressing one," Rosenthal wrote in the essay, which was published March 3, 2017, in The New York Times.
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| Turkey's Erdogan says Netherlands acting like a 'banana republic' Posted: 12 Mar 2017 10:11 AM PDT ![Turkey's Erdogan says Netherlands acting like a 'banana republic']( "Turkey's Erdogan says Netherlands acting like a 'banana republic'") By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Thomas Escritt ANKARA/ROTTERDAM (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday the Netherlands was acting like a "banana republic" and should face sanctions for barring Turkish ministers from speaking in Rotterdam, fuelling a row over Ankara's political campaigning abroad. Erdogan is looking to the large number of Turks living in Europe, especially in Germany and the Netherlands, to help secure victory next month in a referendum that would give the presidency sweeping new powers.
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| Cat dad uses piano to induce feline bliss Posted: 12 Mar 2017 03:35 PM PDT  Some dog people wonder: Are cats evil? Probably not, but they are definitely better at giving zero f*cks about your human feelings than, say, every other furry pet on earth. Nevertheless, one talented cat dad in Istanbul proves that if you can generate the proper amount of musical entertainment, cats will not only pretend to care about you, they might actually love you. SEE ALSO: Every day a sweet dog peeks out from under a gate, waiting for his friend Musician Sarper Duman regularly serenades his large clowder of cats as the furry audience watches from the window in front of his piano at home. But it's one new video Duman posted on Instagram that really has animal lovers gushing with interspecies joy. Müzik sevdalısı, dünya tatlısı evladım benim ♩ A post shared by Sarper Duman (@sarperduman) on Mar 7, 2017 at 4:19pm PST Last week, Duman posted a new video of one of his performances as one of his many cats sat on his lap. Midway through the performance, the cat seems to realize just how amazing this particular human is and decides to shower him with a rare bit of cat affection. Bu fotoğrafı yakın zamanda paylaşmıştım fakat bugün Dünya kediler günü 8 kedimle toplu karemiz yok henüz ama maximum 6sıyla olanı paylaşmak istedim bugün için ☺ Dünyanın en güzel canlılarının günü kutlu olsun 珞 A post shared by Sarper Duman (@sarperduman) on Feb 17, 2017 at 10:52am PST Then, after a brief smooch, the feline settles into a nook on Duman's lap to continue listening to the music, with a posture and cat face that emits more bliss than any cat has ever let slip publicly. Find someone who plays music for you and lets you chill in their lap like this. #CatGoals WATCH: Meet the dog who's basically a saint
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| Is race important? Jury queried in Louisiana murder trial Posted: 13 Mar 2017 03:25 PM PDT  MARKSVILLE, La. (AP) — The head of the Louisiana State Police called it the most disturbing thing he's seen: a 6-year-old autistic boy's lifeless body, strapped into the front seat of a car riddled with bullets fired by two law enforcement officers.
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| Chinese Communist Party officials harden rhetoric on Islam Posted: 12 Mar 2017 06:52 AM PDT  BEIJING (AP) — China's ruling Communist Party is hardening its rhetoric on Islam, with top officials making repeated warnings about the specter of global religious extremism seeping into the country and the need to protect traditional Chinese identity.
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| Leak Shows Samsung Galaxy S8+ Housing Same Battery Size As Galaxy Note 7 Posted: 13 Mar 2017 05:42 AM PDT  A new leak suggests the larger variant of the upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone will come with a 3500mAh battery similar to what the now defunct Galaxy Note 7 had.
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