| 'Taking their last breath': IS hides among Syrian civilians Posted: 17 Feb 2019 12:57 PM PST  BAGHOUZ, Syria (AP) — From a self-proclaimed caliphate that once spread across much of Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State group has been knocked back to a speck of land on the countries' shared border. In that tiny patch on the banks of the Euphrates River, hundreds of militants are hiding among civilians under the shadow of a small hill — encircled by forces waiting to declare the territorial defeat of the extremist group.
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| Back in the Bronx, Ocasio-Cortez says to keep up the fight Posted: 16 Feb 2019 03:36 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez returned to her home district in the New York City borough of the Bronx on Saturday to encourage her supporters to keep up the kind of activism that resulted in Amazon rescinding its plan to build a campus in the city.
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| Israel to withhold $138 mln from Palestinians over prisoner payments Posted: 17 Feb 2019 10:15 AM PST  Israel said its security cabinet on Sunday decided to withhold $138 million (122 million euros) in tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority over its payments to prisoners jailed for attacks on Israelis. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the withheld cash would be equal to that paid by the PA last year to "terrorists imprisoned in Israel, to their families and to released prisoners". Israel alleges the payments encourage further violence.
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| Dismissed employee kills five co-workers in Illinois factory shooting Posted: 15 Feb 2019 10:03 PM PST  A gunman opened fire at an Illinois factory just after receiving notice of termination from his job there on Friday, killing five fellow workers and wounding five policemen before he was slain by police, authorities said. The assailant, identified as Gary Martin, 45, had worked at the Henry Pratt Company for 15 years before Friday's violence unfolded at the firm's sprawling facility in Aurora, 40 miles (65 km) west of Chicago, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said. At a late-night news conference, Ziman said it was not yet clear whether the suspect, armed with a Smith & Wesson handgun, was carrying the weapon at the time of his dismissal or whether he "went to retrieve it" before opening fire.
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| Let us raise our daughter's baby, say family of Bethnal Green Jihadi bride Shamima Begum Posted: 16 Feb 2019 02:00 PM PST  The family of Bethnal Green teenager Shamima Begum have urged the British government to give them custody of her unborn child while she faces the prospect of imprisonment for supporting Islamic State. The pregnant 19-year-old has said she fears her baby, due to be born anytime now, will be taken from her if she manages to return to Britain after leaving the country in 2015 to join the terror group in Syria. Now her family have said that if she were to face a custodial sentence for her support of a terrorist organisation they will step in to raise the child, rather than the taxpayer having to pick up the cost. Muhammad Rahman, 36, whose brother is married to Shamima's elder sister Renu, told The Sunday Telegraph: "Her parents would want custody of the baby. They would want to look after their grandchild. "I don't think people, feeling the way many do about what Shamima has done, would want the state to pick up the burden of looking after the child." Once in Syria she was married off to Yago Riedijk, 26, a Muslim convert from the Netherlands and bore him two children Mr Rahman added: "It's in our culture for the rest of the family to step in and look after the children when there's a problem and would make Shamima feel better if she ends up serving a prison sentence and she knows her parents are looking after her baby. "Both her parents are alive and are capable of looking after the baby. Hopefully then Shamima can be reunited with her baby after she has been freed from any spell in custody." It comes after her family pleaded with the Government to treat the case as a "matter of urgency", as they said in a statement that the "welfare of Shamima's unborn baby is of paramount concern". Shamima's parents are now consulting their lawyer about the prospect of legal action against the British government to force it to allow the teenager back into the country. Ben Wallace, the Home Office minister in charge of security, last week rebuffed Shamima's plea to be rescued from the Syrian refugee camp where she is currently stranded, saying her "actions have consequences". At the same time Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, has said he would use all his available powers to prevent her return. But Shamima's family believe that flies in the face of both common humanity and the British state's responsibility towards one of its own citizens. Mr Rahman said: "Shamima's family are taking the advice of their solicitor as to what to do next and that might well involve legal action to force the Government to allow her to return to Britain. That is certainly one prospect." Family members say that while they recognise she may face prosecution and may have to undertake a period of intensive rehabilitation to ensure she presents no threat to the public, they also argue that Britain cannot simply 'dump' its problem citizens on another country. The schoolgirl who turned to Isil Her family are of Bangladeshi origin, but Shamima - who is nine months pregnant - was raised and schooled in London until falling under the spell of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). Once in Syria she was married off to Yago Riedijk, 26, a Muslim convert from the Netherlands and bore him two children, who both died while babies. She said in an interview with The Times on Saturday: "What do you think will happen to my child? Because I don't want it to be taken away from me, or at least if it is, to be given to my family." Mr Rahman, who works as an electrician, said: "I can understand why many people in Britain do not want Shamima to be allowed back into the country after what she has done. I know people are scared about what she might do if she came back, if she might still be dangerous, but she went as a 15-year-old and I don't know how a 15-year-old can make make such a decision with any responsibility. "She was a minor when she left and she has surely been brainwashed when she was out there. If there's any possibility of a good outcome being achieved, by helping her to return and go through some sort of rehabilitation, it should be tried." The 36-year-old family man, who lives in a house in east London previously occupied by Shamima's sister Renu, added: "They want to be reunited as a family again. She is their daughter. If she is remorseful and can be set back on the right path then perhaps we can be compassionate as a society and think the best of people. "Every family wants to think the best of their children and their close ones but they had no idea she was being led down the path she was otherwise they would have tried to stop her. They think the best of their daughter and whatever difficulties she comes back with they believe they can fix." Mr Rahman said Shamima's decision to leave Britain and travel to Syria in February 2015, aged just 15, with her two friends from Bethnal Green Academy, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, had stunned her family, who had always considered themselves hard working people trying to do their best for their children. "I first met her when she was a little girl, just 11, and she was just a normal little girl. When I heard that she had left the country to travel to Syria it was completely out of the blue, both for me and her family. There is no way they would have let her do that if they had known she was planning to leave like that." Tasnime Akunjee, solicitor for the three families of the Bethnal Green girls with Mayfair law firm Farooq Bajwa & Co, yesterday questioned whether the Home Secretary had the power to prevent Shamima returning to Britain. Writing on Twitter he said: "Sajid Javid the home secretary, does he understand UK laws?" Earlier Mr Akunjee stated: "It looks as if Mr Javid is trying to oppose that. I don't believe he has the legal grounds or tools to stop her coming back."
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| New Jersey Makes Bid for Amazon HQ2 After Company Pulls Out of New York Posted: 15 Feb 2019 07:24 PM PST  On the first full day after Amazon scrapped its plans to open its second headquarters in Queens, New Jersey made it very clear that it wants as many of the company`s jobs as possible to be added in the Garden State.
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| US ‘tells India it respects its right to self-defence’ after cross-border militant attack kills 44 paramilitary police Posted: 16 Feb 2019 11:35 AM PST  The US has supported India's right to "self defence" against cross-border terrorism after an attack claimed by Pakistan-based militants killed at least 44 police officers in the disputed territory of Kashmir. In comments that will please Indian hawks but also raise fears that tensions between India and Pakistan could escalate yet further, US national security advisor John Bolton reportedly told his counterpart in Delhi, that America "offered all assistance to India" to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. Mr Bolton and Ajit Doval also "resolved to hold Pakistan to account for its obligations under UN resolutions", India's foreign ministry said in a statement.
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| Amazon pays zero federal taxes for second year in succession despite doubling profits, says new report Posted: 16 Feb 2019 12:49 PM PST  Amazon has paid zero federal taxes for the second year in succession, despite a doubling of its profits, according to a new report. Although the tech giant founded by Jeff Bezos saw its profits grow from $5.6bn (£4.3bn) in 2017 to $11.2bn (£8.7bn) in 2018, it will actually receive a tax rebate of $129m (£100m). "The company's newest corporate filing reveals that, far from paying the statutory 21 per cent income tax rate on its US income in 2018, Amazon reported a federal income tax rebate of $129m," said the report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), which describes itself as a "non-partisan, non-profit think tank", based in Washington DC.
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| Watch Mike Pence gasp when no one claps at his terrible applause line Posted: 17 Feb 2019 11:19 AM PST  Vice President Mike Pence isn't a complicated man. He likes Chili's, using his personal AOL account for official government business, and gay conversion therapy. And so, when he addressed attendees at the Middle East conference in Poland on Feb. 14, it's clear he believed that same down-home flavor that's treated him so well in Trump Country would garner rounds of applause from his European audience. That, dear reader, is where he went wrong.Speaking about the widely supported Iran nuclear deal, Pence told those in attendance that it was time to follow in the footsteps of the U.S. and withdraw. The response, or rather lack thereof, from the crowd appeared to shock the veep. SEE ALSO: Sure looks like Trump declared a 'national emergency' via the Notes app"The time has come for our European partners to stand with us and the Iranian people, to stand with our allies and friends in the region," he told the audience. "The time has come for our European partners to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and join with us as we bring the economic and diplomatic pressure necessary to give the Iranian people, the region, and the world, the peace, security, and freedom they deserve."The video pretty much says it all. > OMG -- Pence was visibly shook in Poland when he received absolutely no reaction to what was clearly supposed to be an applause line about how "the time has come for our European partners to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal." pic.twitter.com/biRxARZkcM> > -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 16, 2019Amazing, right? The people of the internet think so, too. > Surprised no one threw a shoe at him.> > -- Warren (@Rusty94582) February 17, 2019> His desperate gasp for breath is priceless!!!> > -- Craig Lapierre (@clspartan) February 17, 2019> Not sure what's more embarrassing: That he has so many beats for applause written into his script, or that the applause never came.> > -- Johnny Moonrock (@JohnnyMoonrock) February 17, 2019Notably, this has been happening to Pence a lot lately. On Feb. 15, he was speaking at the 55th annual Munich Security Conference, and told those gathered that Trump says hello."I bring greetings from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump."Deafening silence followed. Better luck next time. WATCH: Cardi B speaks out on government shutdown
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| Merck, Pfizer drug combo extends kidney cancer survival: study Posted: 16 Feb 2019 02:19 PM PST  Nearly 90 percent of patients who received the combination therapy were still alive after 12 months compared with about 78 percent of patients who were alive after a year when treated with the older drug Sutent, data showed. Merck on Monday released interim data from the trial, saying the combination reduced the risk of death by 47 percent compared with Sutent. The findings add to an arsenal of positive clinical data for Keytruda, which is approved to treat several types of cancer, making it by far Merck's most important growth driver.
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| Hong Kong economy stalls amid trade dispute: finance chief Posted: 17 Feb 2019 01:31 AM PST  Hong Kong's economy stalled last year as the ongoing China-US trade dispute and retail woes dragged down local business, the city's financial chief said Sunday. Beijing and Washington have already imposed duties on more than $360 billion in two-way trade, roiling global financial markets and weighing heavily on manufacturing output in both countries. "The impact of China-US trade frictions on Hong Kong's exports has clearly emerged at the end of last year," said finance secretary Paul Chan.
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| Employee being fired fatally shoots 5 co-workers with 'laser-sighted pistol' in Illinois Posted: 15 Feb 2019 08:58 PM PST  A 15-year employee being fired from a suburban Chicago manufacturing company opened fire with a laser-sighted pistol on Friday, killing five co-workers and wounding five police officers before he was killed by police, authorities said. Aurora, Illinois, Police Chief Kristen Ziman said 45-year-old Gary Martin "was being terminated" before he started shooting at the Henry Pratt Co. - which makes valves for industrial purposes - in the city about 40 miles west of Chicago. She told a news conference that in addition to the five employees killed, a sixth worker was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening. A sixth police officer suffered a knee injury while officers were searching the building. Ziman said officers arrived within four minutes of receiving reports of the shooting and were fired upon as soon as they entered the 29,000-square-foot manufacturing warehouse. Police said they did not know the gunman's motive. John Probst, a worker who was in the factory, said the gunman had arrived for his regular shift, working in assembly, and opened fire several hours later. Mr Probst told local television: "I saw a gunman running down the aisle with a pistol, I recognised him as a co-worker and he was shooting everybody. "As soon as we heard shots, as soon as I saw the green laser thing, we took off out the back door." Mr Probst said the plant was "huge" and the man worked about 80 yards from him. First responders and emergency vehicles are gathered near the scene of a shooting at an industrial park in Aurora Credit: Bev Horne/ Daily Herald Before the shooting the gunman walked past him and went upstairs to the office, he said. Aurora, a city of 200,000 people, is 40 miles west of Chicago. In a statement Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said: "The President has been briefed and is monitoring the ongoing situation in Aurora,
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| Netanyahu's main rival in Israeli election voices agreement with him on Iran Posted: 17 Feb 2019 03:38 AM PST  Former general Benny Gantz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strongest challenger in an election scheduled for April, voiced support on Sunday for the right-wing leader's tough policy toward Iran. "I am standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Prime Minister Netanyahu in the fight against Iran's aggression," Gantz, a former chief of Israel's armed forces and a centrist candidate, told the Munich Security Conference. Polls predict that Netanyahu's Likud party will win the April 9 election, taking about 30 of parliament's 120 seats - enough to form a coalition of right-wing and religious factions similar to one he now heads.
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| Yemen sides agree deal on first pullback: UN Posted: 17 Feb 2019 02:32 PM PST  Yemen's government and Huthi rebels have agreed on the first phase of a pullback of forces from the key city of Hodeida, in a deal the United Nations described Sunday as important progress. The redeployment from Hodeida is a critical part of a ceasefire deal reached in December in Sweden that calls on the government and Huthis to move forces away from ports and parts of city. The fragile truce deal marks the first step toward ending a devastating war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.
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| Medical emergency triggers stampede at San Francisco theater Posted: 16 Feb 2019 02:11 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chaos broke out during a performance of the musical "Hamilton" at San Francisco's Orpheum theater Friday night after audience members mistook a medical emergency for a shooting.
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| How the 'Block' 4 F-35 Stealth Fighter Could Become A Navy Killer (And Much More) Posted: 15 Feb 2019 11:00 PM PST  New weapon systems due to be integrated in the Block 4 that will significantly expand the F-35's maritime strike, air-to-ground capabilities and air-to-air lethality.
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| National emergency: Lawsuits launched in bid to stop Trump building border wall Posted: 17 Feb 2019 03:44 AM PST  A day after president Donald Trump declared a national emergency - in an attempt to circumvent Congress and redirect taxpayer money to fund 230 miles of barriers along the US-Mexico border - the designation has been beset with political and legal challenges. Democrats painted Mr Trump's declaration as evidence of a rogue president who has finally gone too far, and they vowed to stop him. While some Republicans said they supported Mr Trump, others expressed disapproval, fearing the move would set an undesired precedent or deprive other projects of necessary funds.
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| NASA posts image of ghostly blue objects, deep in the cosmos Posted: 17 Feb 2019 08:19 AM PST  When a star is born, a chaotic light show ensues. NASA's long-lived Hubble Space Telescope captured vivid bright clumps moving through the cosmos at some 1,000 light years from Earth. The space agency called these objects clear "smoking gun" evidence of a newly formed star — as new stars blast colossal amounts of energy-rich matter into space, known as plasma. Seen as the vivid blue, ephemeral clumps in the top center of the new image below, these are telltale signs of an energy-rich gas, or plasma, colliding with a huge collection of dust and gas in deep space. As NASA says, these blue masses are transient creations in the cosmos, as "they disappear into nothingness within a few tens of thousands of years." Bright lights inside a nebula. Image: ESA/Hubble/NASA/K. Stapelfeldt These blue clumps are traveling at 150,000 mph toward the upper left direction (from our view, anyhow). In total, there are five of these ghostly clumps, hurtling through space. SEE ALSO: Opportunity rover's last picture is as grim as it is dark NASA doesn't identify the new star itself, called SVS 13, perhaps because it's obscured by thick clouds of cosmic matter. This collection of dust and gas is part of a distant nebula, which are often the remnants of exploded stars swirling through the infinity of space. WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end?
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| Chicago AccuWeather: 2-4 inches of snow on Sunday Posted: 17 Feb 2019 06:55 AM PST  Steady snow throughout the day Sunday with 2 to 4 inches expected across the Chicago area. Highs in 20s.
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| Vatican defrocks former US cardinal McCarrick for sex abuse Posted: 16 Feb 2019 01:12 PM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been found guilty by the Vatican of sex abuse and defrocked, as calls rose Saturday for Pope Francis to reveal what he knew about the once-powerful American prelate's apparently decades-long predatory sexual behavior.
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| Factory shooting rampage victims include HR manager, college intern and forklift operator Posted: 17 Feb 2019 04:16 AM PST  Gary Martin, a 15-year veteran of Henry Pratt, was fired Friday. Three of the victims were killed in the meeting where officials gave him the bad news; two others were killed elsewhere in the warehouse.
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| India mourns dead soldiers amid calls for revenge Posted: 16 Feb 2019 05:57 AM PST  Thousands of mourners across India attended funerals on Saturday for some of the 41 soldiers killed in a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir as a round-the-clock curfew remained in force in part of the restive region. The paramilitary troops were killed on Thursday as explosives packed in a van ripped through a convoy transporting 2,500 soldiers in the disputed Himalayan region, the deadliest attack in a 30-year-old armed conflict. TV stations showed coffins wrapped in Indian flags being carried by thousands of people across their hometowns, after the bodies were flown to New Delhi late Friday for a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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| Potential privacy lapse found in Americans' 2010 census data Posted: 16 Feb 2019 04:08 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — An internal team at the Census Bureau found that basic personal information collected from more than 100 million Americans during the 2010 head count could be reconstructed from obscured data, but with lots of mistakes, a top agency official disclosed Saturday.
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| Potato rösti Posted: 17 Feb 2019 02:00 AM PST  This potato rösti is the perfect way to use up that last bit of cheese in the fridge. SERVES Two INGREDIENTS 500g potatoes, ideally a nice waxy chip potato 1 small onion, finely sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped Pinch of dried chilli 50g butter 120g mixed grated cheese such as cheddar, gruyere or comté (a great opportunity to use up leftovers) Large pinch of fresh or dried sage METHOD Peel the potatoes and coarsely grate them into a bowl. Add the onion, garlic and chilli and season well. Tip onto a tea towel and squeeze them tightly to remove any excess liquid, then return to the bowl and mix in 25g of the butter, diced. Add 15g of the butter to a large non-stick and ovenproof frying pan (large enough to hold the potato mixture) and allow to melt. Press the potato mixture into the pan and cook over a medium heat until the underside starts to crisp – from around six to 10 minutes. When ready, flip the rosti onto a plate (cooked side up), melt the rest of the butter in the pan and slide the rosti into it to cook on the other side for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through. To finish, preheat the grill and sprinkle the rosti with the grated cheese and sage, along with a good grinding of black pepper. Place until the grill until the cheese melts and bubbles. Serve with a crisp green salad. RECIPES | Angela's budget-friendly dishes
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| Top US officials considered removing Trump using 25th amendment, FBI lawyers confirm Posted: 17 Feb 2019 02:57 AM PST  An explosive claim that senior officials at the FBI and Justice Department discussed forcing Donald Trump out of office has been backed by two more witnesses in secret Congressional hearings. Former acting head of the FBI Andrew McCabe revealed earlier this week there had been conversations at the top echelons of the government about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Mr Trump after he fired FBI director James Comey in May 2017.
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| Thousands of Venezuela volunteers begin preparing US aid entry Posted: 17 Feb 2019 03:29 AM PST  Thousands of volunteers in Venezuela will begin mobilizing on Sunday to bring American aid into their crisis-hit country despite a blockade by President Nicolas Maduro who claims the assistance could be cover for a US invasion. Once-wealthy Venezuela is gripped by a power struggle between socialist leader Maduro and Juan Guaido, the head of the National Assembly who proclaimed himself interim president last month and now has the backing of more than 50 countries.
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| How many push-ups can you do? Study finds men who can do 40 have lower risk of heart disease Posted: 17 Feb 2019 02:02 PM PST ![How many push-ups can you do? Study finds men who can do 40 have lower risk of heart disease]( "How many push-ups can you do? Study finds men who can do 40 have lower risk of heart disease") Active, middle-aged men who could do more than 40 push-ups in timed test had significantly lower risks for heart problems, according to a new study.
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| Nigeria delays its election; candidates rush back to capital Posted: 16 Feb 2019 03:06 AM PST  YOLA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerians awakened on Saturday to find the presidential election delayed a week until Feb. 23 because of what the electoral commission called unspecified "challenges."
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| World bishops head to Vatican for sex abuse summit Posted: 17 Feb 2019 03:38 AM PST  The heads of around 100 bishops' conferences from every continent will convene from Thursday to Sunday for the meeting on the protection of minors, with victims' groups demanding that a concrete action plan on fighting paedophilia be drawn up. The pope, who asked the bishops to speak to victims of abuse in their respective countries before the Rome convention, has tried to dial down "inflated expectations" for a cure-all. Several victims were also invited to the Vatican.
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| Syria's Assad pledges no bargaining over constitution Posted: 17 Feb 2019 07:11 AM PST  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday his government would not bargain over the country's constitution with the Turkey-backed opposition, lambasting a U.N. peace process that aims to rewrite its terms. A congress convened by Russia, Assad's key ally, last year tasked the U.N. envoy for Syria with forming a committee to draft a new constitution, after many rounds of talks to end the war had failed. "The constitution is the fate of the country and as a result, it does not succumb to any bargains that could have a bigger price than the war itself," Assad said in a televised speech.
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| Afghan Taliban likely to meet Saudi crown prince in Pakistan: sources Posted: 15 Feb 2019 11:28 PM PST ![Afghan Taliban likely to meet Saudi crown prince in Pakistan: sources]( "Afghan Taliban likely to meet Saudi crown prince in Pakistan: sources") Pakistan has been playing an increasingly vital role in the Afghanistan peace talks, which have been gathering momentum in recent months amid a growing U.S. desire to pull out its troops. Along with other Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia has been part of the peace negotiations and is seen to have some sway over the Afghan Taliban militants due to Riyadh's historical ties with the hardline Islamist group and the kingdom's religious clout as the birthplace of Islam. Two senior Pakistani officials said the crown prince was likely to meet Afghan Taliban representatives in Islamabad, where the militants, fighting to restore strict Islamic rule in Afghanistan after their 2001 ouster, say they are due to meet U.S. representatives and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
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| Green New Deal: Republicans talk up climate change plan – but not because they like it Posted: 17 Feb 2019 01:00 PM PST  Republicans trumpet the Green New Deal because they say the climate change plan is a losing proposition for Democrats.
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| Archaeologists discover Incan tomb in Peru Posted: 15 Feb 2019 08:07 PM PST  Peruvian archaeologists discovered an Incan tomb in the north of the country where an elite member of the pre-Columbian empire was buried, one of the investigators announced Friday. The discovery was made on the Mata Indio dig site in the northern Lambayeque region, archaeologist Luis Chero told state news agency Andina. Archaeologists believe the tomb belonged to a noble Inca based on the presence of "spondylus," a type of sea shell always present in the graves of important figures from the Incan period, which lasted from the 12th to the 16th centuries.
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| Court filing: Manafort faces more than 19 years in prison Posted: 15 Feb 2019 05:54 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Manafort, the one-time chairman of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, could spend more than 19 years in prison on tax and bank fraud charges, prosecutors said Friday.
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| More U.S. aid for Venezuela touches down amid distribution uncertainty Posted: 16 Feb 2019 04:12 PM PST ![More U.S. aid for Venezuela touches down amid distribution uncertainty]( "More U.S. aid for Venezuela touches down amid distribution uncertainty") The shipment will be the second arrival of large-scale U.S. and international aid for Venezuelans, many of whom have scant access to food and medicine, since opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in defiance of socialist President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido, who argued Maduro's 2018 re-election was a sham and invoked constitutional provisions to declare himself the country's leader last month, has said aid will enter Venezuela on Feb. 23. Speaking in Caracas to supporters who had volunteered to help with the aid effort, Guaido said he would announce details on Monday about how he planned to get aid into the country from Colombia, Brazil and Curacao despite Maduro's opposition.
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| In Munich, it's Pence versus Merkel Posted: 16 Feb 2019 07:28 AM PST  U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave speeches at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday criticizing each other's countries on trade and national security. It's the latest in a widening rift between the United States and its European allies. Rough cut (no reporter narration)
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| Iran launches 'cruise missile capable' submarine Posted: 17 Feb 2019 07:35 AM PST  Iran on Sunday launched a new locally-made submarine capable of firing cruise missiles, state TV said, in the country's latest show of military might at a time of heightened tensions with the US. The launch ceremony, led by President Hassan Rouhani, took place in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. "Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully self-reliant on land, air and sea," Rouhani said.
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| Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox's private jet forced to make emergency landing Posted: 15 Feb 2019 09:10 PM PST  A private jet with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and other friends was forced to make an emergency landing Friday.
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| Egypt says deadly extremist attack hits Sinai checkpoint Posted: 16 Feb 2019 06:05 AM PST ![Egypt says deadly extremist attack hits Sinai checkpoint]( "Egypt says deadly extremist attack hits Sinai checkpoint") CAIRO (AP) — Extremists attacked an army checkpoint in the troubled northern Sinai peninsula on Saturday at dawn, causing 15 casualties among the armed forces including at least one officer shot dead, Egypt's military spokesman said.
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| Germany's SPD climbs in polls after welfare rethink Posted: 17 Feb 2019 05:24 AM PST  Support for Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) has hit its highest level in almost six months, a poll showed on Sunday, a week after the center-left party outlined new welfare plans aimed at winning back working class voters. Ahead of European elections in May and four regional votes this year, the Emnid poll for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper put support for the SPD, which shares power with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, on 19 percent, up 2 points from a week ago.
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| Polish PM nixes trip to Israel after Netanyahu Holocaust 'comment': govt Posted: 17 Feb 2019 08:11 AM PST  Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has cancelled a visit to Israel for a high-level summit, a government spokesperson told AFP on Sunday, after uproar in Poland over reported comments by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu about the Poles and the Holocaust. Netanyahu -- who was initially quoted in Haaretz newspaper as saying that "The Poles collaborated with the Nazis" -- has been condemned in Poland for appearing to accuse all Polish people of cooperating with Germany during World War II. Warsaw has long been at pains to point out that Poland, which was occupied by Nazi Germany, could not have and did not collaborate in the Holocaust although individual Poles may have done so.
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| Irish backstop can't be changed for Brexit deal: Estonian president Posted: 17 Feb 2019 02:38 AM PST  There can be no changes to the Irish "backstop", an arrangement to avoid a hard border between European Union member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland after Brexit, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid told Reuters. Many British lawmakers, especially in Prime Minister Theresa May's governing Conservative Party, fear the backstop will trap the UK in a permanent customs union with the EU after Brexit.
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| Donald Trump's emergency declaration is an attack on democracy Posted: 17 Feb 2019 10:37 AM PST  Invoking a bogus emergency to build a wall Congress rejected will have long-term impacts on the rule of law.
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| U.S. Senator Rubio, other officials visit site of Venezuelan aid Posted: 17 Feb 2019 12:07 PM PST  While Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is refusing to allow in the food, medicine and other supplies, opposition leader and self-declared president Juan Guaido has vowed to move hundreds of tonnes of the aid into the country on Feb 23. Guaido, who argues that Maduro's 2018 re-election was a sham, invoked constitutional provisions to declare himself the country's leader last month. Most Western countries and many of Venezuela's neighbors have recognized Guaido as the legitimate head of state, but Maduro retains the backing of Russia and China and control of Venezuelan state institutions including the military.
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| No smoke without fire: Tobacco companies in quiet return to Formula One Posted: 16 Feb 2019 05:48 PM PST  Tobacco giants Philip Morris and British American Tobacco have formed partnerships with their scientific research subsidiaries and Formula 1 teams Ferrari and McLaren more than a decade after cigarette advertising was banned from the sport. US giant Philip Morris International (PMI), whose Marlboro brand was long associated with Ferrari, re-entered the sport last October, branding Ferrari cars with "Mission Winnow" and a logo that hints at the white-on-red triangles of the old Marlboro packs.
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