| Activists, Politicians React With Horror At Border Scenes Of Tear-Gassed Children Posted: 25 Nov 2018 08:50 PM PST  Activists, Democratic politicians and others watching the news Sunday reacted
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| Yahoo News Explains: What’s next for Brexit? Posted: 26 Nov 2018 09:03 AM PST  The United Kingdom has taken another step towards securing a Brexit deal with the European Union. "This deal delivers what people voted for and it is in the national interest," U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said.
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| Number of injured in 6.3 magnitude Iran quake rises to 716 Posted: 25 Nov 2018 11:46 PM PST  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian authorities said Monday that the number of injured in the magnitude 6.3 earthquake in western Iran the previous night has risen to 716. No fatalities were reported from the temblor.
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| See Every Angle of the New 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan Posted: 26 Nov 2018 12:04 PM PST |
| Christine Blasey Ford: 'I Am Grateful To Have Had The Opportunity To Fulfill My Civic Duty' Posted: 26 Nov 2018 11:35 AM PST  In a post on GoFundMe thanking her supporters, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford
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| White House Christmas decorations Posted: 26 Nov 2018 01:50 PM PST  First lady Melania Trump decorates the White House for Christmas
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| Saudi crown prince arrives in Egypt on third leg of Arab tour Posted: 26 Nov 2018 12:07 PM PST  Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Egypt on Monday, the third leg of his first trip abroad since the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey last month. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi greeted the heir to the throne of the world's top oil exporter at the airport in Cairo when he arrived from Bahrain after a visit to the United Arab Emirates. The killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of the crown prince, at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul six weeks ago has strained Saudi Arabia's ties with the West and battered Prince Mohammed's image abroad.
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| The Internet Was Happy to Help Reunite These Long-Lost Childhood BFFs Posted: 26 Nov 2018 09:40 AM PST  I'm not crying, you're crying
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| Contradicting Trump, Incoming Mexico Government Denies Making Deal To Host Asylum-Seekers Posted: 25 Nov 2018 04:33 AM PST  President Donald Trump suggested on Saturday that asylum seekers would be
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| Death toll in California fire rises to 87 Posted: 24 Nov 2018 10:16 PM PST  The death toll in northern California's so-called "Camp Fire" rose to 87, officials said late Saturday, adding that the blaze was almost fully under control. Cal Fire, the state fire authority, said in its latest bulletin that the fire - which broke out on November 8 - was 98 percent contained. More than 153,000 acres have been torched, with nearly 14,000 homes and hundreds of other structures destroyed by the powerful blaze, California's deadliest and most destructive fire ever.
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| Ukraine Partially Imposes Martial Law After Russia Flare-Up Posted: 26 Nov 2018 02:23 PM PST  President Petro Poroshenko said martial law was needed to ready Ukraine for potential further Russian aggression amid fears Sunday's incident near Crimea would rekindle the simmering four-year-old conflict between the two former allies. While Ukraine's Western partners blamed Russia, calls for harsher sanctions were only heard from smaller nations.
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| Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith Is A 'White Supremacist,' Says Mississippi Rhodes Scholar Posted: 26 Nov 2018 10:09 AM PST  Jaz Brisack, the first female student at the University of Mississippi to
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| Majority of Migrants Arrested at Border Sunday Are Adult Men Posted: 26 Nov 2018 07:18 AM PST  The majority of the 42 migrants arrested Sunday as they attempted to cross the border illegally were adult men, according to the San Diego U.S. Customs and Border Protection chief. The vast majority of those were adult males," sector chief patrol agent Rodney Scott told CNN Monday. "To be completely frank, there were numerous people that actually made it across the border," Scott continued.
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| Here Are The Other Mall Shootings That Happened During Black Friday Posted: 24 Nov 2018 06:56 PM PST  In the hours before Black Friday, chaos broke out at a crowded mall in Hoover,
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| Liz Weston: 5 guidelines for holiday tipping Posted: 26 Nov 2018 07:47 AM PST  Holiday tips are a way to thank the people who make your life easier. So why is it so hard to figure out whom to tip and how much?
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| On solo Zambia trip, Prince Harry offers help to boost elephant numbers Posted: 26 Nov 2018 10:51 AM PST  Britain's Prince Harry on Monday offered Zambia support with boosting the country's dwindling elephant population, as he began a two-day working visit without his pregnant wife Meghan. The Duke of Sussex, 34, was received at Lusaka airport by dignitaries and colorfully-dressed traditional dancers, later holding a closed-door meeting with Zambian President Edgar Lungu and his ministers. As president of animal conservation charity African Parks, Harry offered to bring elephants from neighboring Botswana.
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| Fishermen Arrested As Indian Authorities Struggle To Retrieve John Allen Chau From Remote Island Posted: 25 Nov 2018 04:11 PM PST  Indian authorities are trying to work out how to retrieve John Allen Chau, 27, a U.S. missionary, who was reportedly killed by a remote tribe on the North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal. John Allen Chau has not been seen since he traveled to the remote island inhabited by a tribe of people who are known to be openly hostile to foreigners. Fishermen who have ventured close to the island have reported seeing Chau's body and authorities have since been trying to work out how to retrieve the missing missionary, according to CNN.
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| Trump Slams CNN Again On Twitter, Proposes 'Starting Our Own Worldwide Network' Posted: 26 Nov 2018 12:06 PM PST  President Donald Trump has yet against waged a Twitter attack on CNN,
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| 'Heartbreaking' stranding on remote New Zealand beach leaves 145 whales dead Posted: 25 Nov 2018 10:00 PM PST  Up to 145 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding on a remote part of a small New Zealand island, authorities said on Monday. The stranding was discovered by a hiker late on Saturday on Stewart Island, 19 miles off the southern coast of the South Island. Half of the whales were already dead and due to the condition of the remaining whales and the remote, difficult to access location, the decision was made to euthanise the remainder. "Sadly, the likelihood of being able to successfully re-float the remaining whales was extremely low," said Ren Leppens, the Department of Conservation's operations manager on Stewart Island. "The remote location, lack of nearby personnel and the whales' deteriorating condition meant the most humane thing to do was to euthanise. "However, it's always a heart-breaking decision to make." It was one of four strandings discovered on New Zealand shores over the weekend. Whale strandings are relatively common on New Zealand shores, with the conservation department responding to an average 85 incidents a year, mostly of single animals. Around 145 pilot whales died in a mass stranding on a beach on Stewart Island Credit: Reuters On Sunday, 10 pygmy killer whales stranded at 90 Mile Beach at the top of the North Island. Two have since died and attempts will be made Tuesday to re-float the survivors. A sperm whale which beached on nearby Doubtless Bay died overnight on Saturday, while the body of a dead female pygmy sperm whale was found at Ohiwa on the west coast of the North Island. Exactly why whales and dolphins strand is not fully known but factors can include sickness, navigational error, geographical features, a rapidly falling tide, being chased by a predator, or extreme weather.
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| Russian seizure of Ukrainian naval ships off Crimea sparks alarm Posted: 25 Nov 2018 10:06 PM PST  Russia has seized three Ukrainian naval ships in waters near Moscow-annexed Crimea, raising fears of military escalation and prompting an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday. In an unprecedented incident, Russia used weapons against the Ukranian ships which it claims illegally entered its waters before boarding and searching them, the country's FSB security service confirmed. The crisis unfolded on Sunday as two Ukrainian small warships and a tugboat were heading through the Kerch Strait, a narrow waterway that gives access to the Sea of Azov that is used by Ukraine and Russia.
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| NASA’s InSight Spacecraft Lands Successfully On Mars After 300-Million-Mile Journey Posted: 26 Nov 2018 12:17 PM PST  After nearly seven months and more than 300 million miles, NASA's InSight
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| Romaine lettuce still causing major e coli outbreaks across US and now spreading to Canada Posted: 26 Nov 2018 10:55 AM PST  Investigators are still working to identify the source of batches of romaine lettuce believed to be linked to multiple outbreaks of E. coli spreading across the United States and Canada. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has not yet released updates regarding the total number of people taken ill during the major outbreaks since it issued a warning last week that identified at least 32 cases across 11 states. The outbreak now appears to have spread to Canada, with health officials and investigators believing more than 20 cases of E. coli in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick were linked to the spread in the US.
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| Senior Saudi prince says CIA cannot be trusted on Khashoggi conclusion Posted: 24 Nov 2018 10:52 PM PST ![Senior Saudi prince says CIA cannot be trusted on Khashoggi conclusion]( "Senior Saudi prince says CIA cannot be trusted on Khashoggi conclusion") (This November 24 story corrects to remove New York-based from description of Beirut Institute in fourth paragraph.) By Katie Paul ABU DHABI (Reuters) - A senior Saudi prince cast doubt upon the reported CIA finding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last month, saying the agency could not be counted on to reach a credible conclusion. The prince, a former Saudi intelligence chief who has also served as ambassador to the United States, said the agency's conclusion that Iraq possessed chemical weapons before the U.S. invasion in 2003 showed it could be unreliable. "That was the most glaring of inaccurate and wrong assessments, which led to a full-scale war with thousands being killed," he said, speaking at an event hosted by the Beirut Institute think tank.
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| Kavanaugh And Gorsuch Confirmations Force Progressives To Rethink The Supreme Court Posted: 25 Nov 2018 08:07 AM PST  The recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and
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| Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg Is Tainted by Crisis After Crisis Posted: 26 Nov 2018 12:30 AM PST  Some of her staff, who saw the executive as larger than life, now blame her for Facebook's woes. Ever since the 2016 presidential election, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has been criticized for his failure to understand the potential downsides of Facebook's products. Sandberg escaped direct scrutiny until a New York Times report earlier this month linked some of Facebook's current woes to her decisions.
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| Chicagoan and ex-Trump adviser George Papadopoulos goes to prison kicking Posted: 26 Nov 2018 12:16 PM PST  Despite having plead guilty to lying to the FBI, Chicagoan and former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos enters federal prison on Monday incredulous of his fate.
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| The Latest: Mississippi Senate candidates make final pitches Posted: 25 Nov 2018 04:59 PM PST  MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — The Latest on a U.S. Senate special election runoff in Mississippi (all times local):
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| 28 Honest Tweets That Explain What Married Life Is Actually Like Posted: 26 Nov 2018 02:40 PM PST  The longer you've been married, the more you realize that many of the weird
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| View Photos of the Electric 2021 Rivian R1T Posted: 26 Nov 2018 05:00 AM PST |
| Lindsey Graham Accuses Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Of Comparing Refugee Caravan To Holocaust Posted: 26 Nov 2018 03:38 PM PST  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wasn't impressed when Rep.-elect Alexandria
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| Woman From Dallas Dies After Multiple Cosmetic Surgery Procedures In Mexico Posted: 25 Nov 2018 11:31 AM PST  A Texas real estate agent that CBS News reported was on life support after she received multiple plastic surgery procedures in Juarez, Mexico has died. Days earlier, the 35-year-old woman from Dallas had been moved to hospice care by her family, after she was placed into a medically-induced coma. During surgery for both rhinoplasty — commonly referred to as a "nose job" — and breast implant replacement at the Rino Center in late October, Avila reportedly suffered complications from the anesthesia before the surgeries were underway.
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| Rain breaks, easing search for remains of California wildfire Posted: 24 Nov 2018 09:45 PM PST ![Rain breaks, easing search for remains of California wildfire]( "Rain breaks, easing search for remains of California wildfire") The so-called Camp Fire all but obliterated the mountain community of Paradise, 175 miles (280 km) northeast of San Francisco, on Nov. 8, killing at least 85 people and destroying nearly 14,000 homes. The death toll was increased late Saturday night by one, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office. Some 475 people from Paradise and surrounding communities remain unaccounted for, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office.
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| Alabama mall shooting: Family of black man killed by police officer on Thanksgiving hires civil rights lawyer Posted: 25 Nov 2018 09:38 AM PST  The family of a 21-year-old black man who was shot by a police officer at shopping centre in Alabama on Thanksgiving has hired a national civil rights lawyer to represent them. Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr was fatally shot on Thursday night by a police officer who was responding to reports of gunfire at Hoover's Riverchase Galleria near the city of Birmingham. Authorities said a Hoover police officer who was working as security at the shopping mall confronted an armed man running away from the scene and fatally shot him.
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| Russia seizes Ukrainian ships near annexed Crimea after firing on them Posted: 25 Nov 2018 03:08 PM PST  Russia's FSB security service said early on Monday its border patrol boats had seized the Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea and used weapons to force them to stop, Russian news agencies reported. The FSB said it had been forced to act because the ships -- two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat. "Weapons were used with the aim of forcibly stopping the Ukrainian warships," the FSB said in a statement circulated to Russian state media.
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| A pair of generals, &c. Posted: 26 Nov 2018 03:30 AM PST  The outgoing commander of US forces in South Korea on Thursday urged Seoul and Washington to maintain their alliance as differences mount in their approach to the nuclear-armed North. The alliance between the United States and South Korea is an important one indeed. The AFP article noted that General Brooks once described his tenure as "a rollercoaster ride." He had no indication that President Trump, after his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un last summer, would announce the cancelation of joint military exercises between the U.S. and the South.
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| The 2019 Fiat 500X Packs New Engine and Standard All-Wheel Drive beneath the Same Old Body Posted: 26 Nov 2018 06:00 AM PST  For its mid-cycle update, less attention was paid to restyling the 500X than re-engineering it.
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| Twitter Users Pummel Lindsey Graham For Supporting U.S.-Mexico Border Closure Posted: 25 Nov 2018 09:49 PM PST  While many recoiled in horror at the actions of U.S. border agents on Sunday,
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| Leading medical supply maker reportedly linked to many breaches Posted: 25 Nov 2018 02:50 PM PST  A world leader in medical technology, the American firm Medtronic, may be linked to as many as 9,300 deaths and 292,000 injuries in the US alone, according to an analysis published Sunday by an international journalists' group. Reports submitted to US regulators last year indicate that one in five medical implants using Medtronic products proved problematic, twice the rate of any competing firm, according to a wide-reaching analysis by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The ICIJ inquiry, titled "Implant Files" and drawing on contributions from reporters in 36 countries, found that authorities in Japan, Norway and Australia had also identified Medtronic products as the source of the largest numbers of complaints over the past five years.
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| High Schools Decide Giving Nazi Salute In Photo Won’t Net Suspension, But Kneeling During National Anthem Will Posted: 25 Nov 2018 12:01 AM PST  High schools in the United States have made a series of controversial decision regarding the free speech of their students — giving a Nazi salute won't lead to a suspension in Wisconsin, but kneeling during the national anthem will lead to one in Louisiana. This week, a Wisconsin high school at the center of a national controversy decided that male students who appeared to give a Nazi salute in a junior prom photo will not be punished for it. As Newsweek reported, the picture showed close to 60 boys from Baraboo High School raising their arm in an apparent Nazi salute.
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| We Found the Best Christmas Sides For Your Holiday Spread Posted: 26 Nov 2018 01:07 PM PST |
| EU agrees 'best possible' Brexit deal, urges Britons to back May Posted: 25 Nov 2018 08:08 AM PST  "Those who think that, by rejecting the deal, they would get a better deal, will be disappointed," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters after the 27 other EU leaders formally endorsed a treaty setting terms for British withdrawal in March and an outline of a future EU-UK trade pact. Asked whether there was any chance Brussels would reopen the pact if an alliance of pro- and anti-Brexit forces votes it down in the British parliament, Juncker said "this is the best deal possible", although summit chair Donald Tusk sounded more guarded, saying he did not want to consider hypotheticals. May used a post-summit news conference to make a sales pitch for her plan, telling television viewers at home that it was the "only possible deal", offering control of UK borders and budgets while maintaining close alignment with EU regulations that was good for business and the security of Britain and Europe.
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| Trump Starts New Week By Tweeting Up A Storm, Omitting Some Major Headlines Posted: 26 Nov 2018 09:27 AM PST  President Donald Trump started his Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday as he
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| Best Cyber Monday travel deals: Expedia and Hotwire coupons, flight sales, Amtrak savings, and more Posted: 26 Nov 2018 06:36 AM PST  The only thing we love more than traveling to a cool new location is finding a great flight deal that'll get us there for less. (Hotel deals and coupon codes to save on car rentals and fun excursions are also pretty great.) SEE ALSO: Best Cyber Monday deals on iPad, Instant Pot, Bose headphones This Cyber Monday, we're shopping for cheap flights to Cairo, saving on train tickets at Amtrak, and booking hotels for less thanks to some awesome deals. We'll keep updating this post as we find more ways to save, so check back and get the latest info right here. In the meantime, here are the best Cyber Monday travel deals we're loving right now: Amtrak is having a "Track Friday" sale Through Cyber Monday, shop discounted train tickets at Amtrak.com and save 30% on most routes nationwide. Sample one-way destination sales: Washington, DC to Philadelphia, PA for $29 New York, NY to Philadelphia, PA for $29 New York, NY to Boston, MA for $39 New York, NY to Washington, DC for $39 Chicago, IL to Washington, DC for $71 Chicago, IL to New York, NY for $76 Chicago, IL to Denver, CO for $79 Los Angeles, CA to Portland, OR for $85 Los Angeles, CA to Seattle, WA for $85 Los Angeles, CA to Chicago, IL for $125 Richmond, VA to Washington, DC for $19 Eugene, OR to Portland, OR for $21 Shop all Amtrak deals at amtrak.com Expedia Cyber Monday coupons Starting at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET) on Cyber Monday, Expedia will be featuring 90% off app coupons on select hotels and $100 off coupons on select flights. They'll feature new coupons every hour during Cyber Monday through 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET). Get an extra $20 off on things to do with coupon 20BLACKCYBER: Must book an activity for $150 or more. Limited quantity, while supplies last. Shop all flight deals for Cyber Monday Shop all hotel deals for Cyber Monday Keep checking back — we'll highlight all the best Expedia Cyber Monday deals and coupons here. Hotwire Cyber Monday coupon Get 11% off every Hot Rate hotel with coupon code CYBERSALE: no minimum booking and travel any time. Use coupon at checkout by 11:59 p.m. PT on Cyber Monday. Shop all deals on hotels, cars, flights, and more at hotwire.com Alaska Airlines Shop reduced fares across 475 city pairs on sale from $39 one way, including Mexico from $99 one way and Hawaii from $149 one way. More deal highlights include: San Jose to Burbank from $39 one way Los Angeles to Las Vegas from $39 one way Portland to Seattle from $54 one way Chicago to Los Angeles from $99 one way San Diego to Puerto Vallarta from $99 one way Oakland to Kona from $149 one way All flights can be booked via alaskaair.com United Chase cardholders can get up to 50% off and non-cardholders can get up to 40% off. Book for travel between January 13, 2019 and March 28, 2019. Shop all flight deals at united.com Emirates Shop round-trip airfares starting at $449. Deal highlights include: Newark to Athens from $529 round trip New York to Milan from $479 round trip New York to Johannesburg from $959 round trip Boston to Cairo from $909 round trip Chicago to Delhi from $889 round trip Los Angeles to Cairo from $909 round trip All flights can be booked via emirates.com Air New Zealand Economy highlights include: Los Angeles to London from $455 Los Angeles to Rarotonga, Cook Islands from $545 Los Angeles or San Francisco to Sydney from $725 Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand $775 for travel Nov-Dec, Jan-June & July-Sept San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand from $795 for travel Nov-Dec, Feb-June & July-Sept Houston to Auckland, New Zealand from $995 for travel Nov-Dec, Feb-June & July-Sept Chicago to Auckland, New Zealand from $1,095 for travel Nov-Dec, Feb-June & July-Sept Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia $725 for travel Jan-March, July-Sep San Francisco to Sydney, Australia from $725 for travel Jan-March, July-Sep Houston to Sydney, Australia from $975 for travel Jan-Jun, July-Sep Chicago to Sydney, Australia from $1,075 for travel Jan-Jun, July-Sep Los Angeles to London, England from $455 for travel Jan-Apr, Sep-Oct Los Angeles to Rarotonga, Cook Islands from $545 for travel Feb-Oct Premium Economy deal highlights: Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand $1,975 for travel Nov-Dec, Jan-June & July-Sept San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand from $1,975 for travel Nov-Dec, Jan-June & July-Sept Houston to Auckland, New Zealand from $2,075 for travel Nov-Dec, Jan-June & July-Sept Chicago to Auckland, New Zealand from $2,275 for travel Nov-Dec, Jan-June & July-Sept Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia $2,075 for travel Jan-Jun, July-Sep San Francisco to Sydney, Australia from $2,075 for travel Jan-Jun, July-Sep Houston to Sydney, Australia from $2,275 for travel Jan-Jun, July-Sep Chicago to Sydney, Australia from $2,475 for travel Jan-Jun, July-Sep Los Angeles to London, England from $1,275 for travel Jan-May & Sep-Oct Los Angeles to Rarotonga, Cook Islands from $1,195 for travel Apr-Oct Shop all flight deals at airnewzealand.com . More ways to save: Find deals on flights, hotels, cars, and packages at Travelocity Save on thousands of flights at Priceline More deals: Cyber Monday 2018 Best Cyber Monday deals on iPad, Instant Pot, Bose headphones Best travel deals: Save on flights and hotels with these coupon codes Best TV deals: Samsung, LG, Sony, Toshiba Best laptop and tablet deals: iPads, MacBooks, Dell laptops, Amazon Fire tablets Best Instant Pot deals: Shop models that rarely go on sale Amazon deals: Xbox One X, Echo Show, Dyson, and more Walmart deals: Instant Pot, GoPro, Beats, Apple iPad, and 4K smart TVs
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| The 5 Best Artificial Christmas Trees (and 5 Ways to Make Them Look Real) Posted: 26 Nov 2018 02:38 PM PST  Although we kind of want you get a Charlie Brown Christmas tree
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| Russian special forces storm three Ukrainian Navy ships sailing through disputed waters off Crimea Posted: 26 Nov 2018 02:42 AM PST  Russia reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping in the early hours of Monday morning, a day after its coast guard vessels opened fire and seized three Ukrainian navy vessels as they sailed through disputed waters around Crimea, raising fears of a new regional crisis. Nato and the European Union issued demands for restraint after Ukraine accused Russian FSB border guards of damaging two armoured artillery boats and injuring six crew members. All three of its vessels were immobilised and stormed by Russian special forces, the Ukrainian defence ministry said. The FSB confirmed it seized the ships, claiming they had sailed illegally into Russian territorial waters. "Weapons were used with the aim of forcibly stopping the Ukrainian warships," it said in a statement circulated to Russian state media. Ukraine denied its ships had done anything wrong and accused Russia of military aggression. Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian President, has asked parliament to vote on Monday on whether to impose martial law on the country for 60 days, after his Military Cabinet recommended the move in a late-night meeting. Crimean bridge map Throwing his weight behind the measure, which is far from guaranteed to pass, he said it "in no way means that Ukraine will carry out any offensive actions". "I want to emphasise separately that we have all irrefutable evidence that this aggression, this attack on the Ukrainian Navy's warships was not a mistake, not an accident, but a deliberate action," he said in a statement. The United Nations Security Council is due to discuss the developments on Monday at the request of Russia, said Deputy Russian UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy. The European Union said in a statement it expected Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch Strait and urged both sides to act with the utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday called Russia's blockade of access to the Sea of Azov "unacceptable" and urged an easing of tensions with Ukraine. "The developments are troubling," he tweeted. "A Russian blockade of the passage to the Sea of Azov is unacceptable. It is important that the blockade be lifted. We call on both sides to deescalate." About 50-100 people gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Kiev to protest against Moscow's actions. An embassy vehicle was set on fire, according to reports. Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and strengthened its grip by building a road bridge connecting the peninsula to southern Russia across the Kerch Strait, a narrow stretch of water linking the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, which is home to two of Ukraine's most important ports. The result is an uneasy tension between the two countries as Russia tries to increase its control of the waters around Ukraine. The seizure of its vessels came at the end of a day of mounting tension, beginning in the Kerch strait when three Ukrainian vessels tried to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian navy said a Russian border guard ship, the Don, rammed and damaged a tug boat as the flotilla approached the strait in the morning. Russia attack jets fly over the Kerch bridge while a cargo vessel blockades the channel below Credit: PAVEL REBROV/REUTERS Shipping in both directions was later suspended when Russia moved a large cargo ship under the arch of the Kerch bridge. Russian military ships were deployed near the bridge over the strait and military helicopters and fighter jets were seen patrolling overhead throughout in the day. Russian state media cited Alexei Volkov, the director of the Crimean Sea Ports, saying the closure was for "safety reasons". Ukraine's defence ministry accused Russia of "openly aggressive actions against Ukrainian naval ships," and said Russian helicopters had also flown on an attack course at the vessels. Russia's FSB, which runs the country's border guards, said the Ukrainian vessels "illegally entered a temporarily closed area of Russian territorial waters" and accused Kiev of failing to notify Russia about the ships' movements in advance. "Their aim is clear: to create a conflict situation in this region," the agency said in a statement. A screen shows the Don, a Russian border guard vessel, trying to stop a Ukrainian Navy tug boat en route from to Black Sea port of Odessa via the Kerch Strait to Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. The picture was released by the Ukrainian Navy on Nov 25 Credit: Ukrainian Navy/Handout via REUTERS The three Ukrainian vessels were being sent from the Black Sea port of Odessa to Mariupol, a key strategic port in Eastern Ukraine. Russia has claimed waters around Crimea since it annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Its sovereignty over the peninsula and the surrounding waters is not recognised by Ukraine or Western countries. Though a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Russia has been asserting greater control over the passage since 2015. A Nato spokeswoman called for de-escalation. "We call on Russia to ensure unhindered access to Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea, in accordance with international law," she said.
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| Dems tried negotiating on immigration, Trump 'won't take yes for an answer': Senator Posted: 25 Nov 2018 03:30 AM PST  Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is interviewed on "This Week" about the special counsel investigation, immigration and whether she'll consider a 2020 presidential bid.
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