| Ex-Trump campaign aide Papadopoulos says applied for pardon Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:10 PM PDT  Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, the first person charged in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, said on Tuesday his lawyers have applied for a pardon and that he may withdraw his guilty plea. "My lawyers have applied for a pardon from the president for me," Papadopoulos said in an interview with Reuters, adding that the request was made a few days ago. Papadopoulos, who was plucked out of obscurity to work as a foreign policy adviser for Donald Trump's presidential run, pleaded guilty in October 2017 to lying to the FBI about his communications with two Russian nationals and a Maltese professor with Russian ties while working on the campaign.
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| Avenatti arrested and charged with extortion, embezzlement, bank and tax fraud Posted: 25 Mar 2019 12:35 PM PDT  The lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels faces the prosepect of spending the rest of his life behind bars.
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| Erdogan proposal to make Hagia Sophia a mosque irks Greece Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:33 AM PDT  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Greek government voiced opposition Monday to the suggestion from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Istanbul's Hagia Sophia — a Byzantine-era cathedral that now serves as a museum — could be reconverted into a mosque.
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| Sen. Kamala Harris releases details for plans to raise average teacher pay by $13,500 Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:20 AM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said she would use federal resources to close the pay gap between the average teacher salary and other college graduates.
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| Widespread computer outage briefly affects passengers on American, Alaska and JetBlue airlines Posted: 26 Mar 2019 01:05 PM PDT  The troubles, which lasted about 30 minutes, were due to a technical glitch at Sabre, a major airline reservations system.
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| Xi Jinping and Huawei Are a Serious Threat to European Unity Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:30 AM PDT  It is going to become a 2 square kilometer test bed for a new 5G mobile network from Huawei, the Chinese telecoms equipment maker. The deal has been promoted by Monaco as an attempt to build a "smart nation," and China is happy no doubt to have a display window in the heart of Europe. China's president Xi Jinping visited the principality this week, on his way to see Emmanuel Macron and other leaders in Paris.
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| 30+ Healthy Ways To Eat Eggs—And Keep Your Breakfast From Ever Getting Boring Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:45 PM PDT |
| Democrats push for Mueller report to Congress by next week, Republicans resist Posted: 25 Mar 2019 05:49 PM PDT ![Democrats push for Mueller report to Congress by next week, Republicans resist]( "Democrats push for Mueller report to Congress by next week, Republicans resist") As the Senate Judiciary Committee's Republican chairman called for an investigation into the origins of the probe of any Trump campaign links with Russians, the Senate leader blocked a second attempt by Democrats to pass a measure aimed at pushing the Justice Department into full disclosure of the report. Six committee chairs in the Democratic-led House of Representatives called on U.S. Attorney General William Barr, in a letter seen by Reuters, to release the full Mueller report to Congress by April 2. Barr on Sunday released a four-page summary of conclusions of the investigation that detailed Russian interference but cleared the Republican president's campaign team of conspiring with Moscow.
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| Trump facing investigations 'more threatening than Mueller probe' Posted: 25 Mar 2019 03:03 AM PDT  Donald Trump may be revelling in what he claims to be "complete and total exoneration" from Robert Mueller's investigation, but his legal jeopardy is far from over. Ongoing federal and state probes in New York could pose "an even greater threat than the Russia probe", experts said, after the special counsel cleared the president's campaign team of colluding with the Kremlin to interfere in the 2016 election. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are pursuing at least two known criminal inquiries, one focused on possible corruption in Mr Trump's inaugural committee and the other on the hush-money scandal that has left his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, facing prison for campaign finance violations.
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| Boeing fix will prevent repeated activation of anti-stall system -sources Posted: 26 Mar 2019 08:02 AM PDT ![Boeing fix will prevent repeated activation of anti-stall system -sources]( "Boeing fix will prevent repeated activation of anti-stall system -sources") SEATTLE/LONDON (Reuters) - A Boeing Co software fix for the grounded 737 MAX will prevent repeated operation of an anti-stall system at the centre of safety concerns and deactivate it altogether if two sensors disagree widely, two people familiar with pilot briefings said. The anti-stall system - known as MCAS, or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System - has been pinpointed by investigators probing October's fatal Lion Air crash and faces new scrutiny in the wake of another fatal accident in Ethiopia. MCAS was designed to counter this but some experts say it overcompensated and the latest changes give some authority back to the pilot.
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| Father of Sandy Hook victim found dead in apparent suicide, Newtown police say Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:14 AM PDT  Jeremy Richman's death follows the apparent suicides in the last week of two survivors of the 2018 shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
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| Israel bolsters forces as Gaza calm holds Posted: 26 Mar 2019 01:02 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army on Tuesday said it was bolstering its forces along the Gaza frontier, even as a fragile truce with the territory's Hamas rulers appeared to hold following an overnight exchange of heavy fire.
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| Norway opens probe into why cruise ship ventured into storm Posted: 25 Mar 2019 11:23 AM PDT  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian officials have opened an investigation into why a cruise ship carrying more than 1,370 people set sail along the country's often wild western coast despite storm warnings, forcing a major evacuation by helicopter.
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| You Can't Be Just a Tech Company Anymore, So Apple Became a Bank Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:26 PM PDT  Here's why Apple thinks it's a credit card company now.
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| UK PM May fights for survival as parliament plots Brexit Plan B Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:22 AM PDT  British Prime Minister Theresa May fought for survival Tuesday as parliament began charting its own Brexit way forward and her vital Northern Irish coalition partners denounced her existing deal. Lawmakers, exasperated by Britain's failed efforts to split from the European Union after three years of debates and negotiations, voted Monday to give themselves a broader say on what happens next. May's temporary loss of control was followed Tuesday by a blunt warning from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) -- the hardline Northern Irish power brokers who prop up the government.
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| Trump ‘to go full animal’ on his opponents after Mueller report, former aide Steve Bannon says Posted: 26 Mar 2019 07:10 AM PDT  Donald Trump's former chief adviser has warned the US president is "going to go full animal" after he was partially exonerated by Robert Mueller's investigation. Steve Bannon, who left the White House in 2017, predicted Mr Trump would "come off the chains" and use the special counsel's findings to "bludgeon" his opponents and ignore congressional oversight requests for documents. William Barr, the attorney general, sent a four-page letter to Congress outlining Mr Mueller's conclusions following the sprawling 22-month probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia or Mr Trump obstructed justice.
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| Congo Ebola epidemic exceeds 1,000 cases - health ministry Posted: 25 Mar 2019 05:35 AM PDT ![Congo Ebola epidemic exceeds 1,000 cases - health ministry]( "Congo Ebola epidemic exceeds 1,000 cases - health ministry") Congo's Ebola epidemic has now exceeded 1,000 cases, the Health Ministry said on Monday, with a death toll of 629 in the world's second worst ever outbreak. Health workers have been better prepared than ever for this latest epidemic of the hemorrhagic fever, which causes severe vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, and kills more than half those it infects. New technologies like a trial vaccine, experimental treatments and futuristic cube-shaped mobile units for treating patients have helped curb the spread of the virus.
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| Ethiopian Airlines 'believes in' Boeing despite crash: CEO Posted: 25 Mar 2019 02:59 AM PDT  Ethiopian Airlines "believes in" Boeing despite the crash of its 737 MAX 8 plane that killed all 157 people on board and led to the model's grounding, the carrier's CEO said on Monday. "Let me be clear: Ethiopian Airlines believes in Boeing. "We will work with investigators in Ethiopia, in the US and elsewhere to figure out what went wrong," he added.
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| Israel says six wounded near Tel Aviv in long-range Gaza rocket attack Posted: 24 Mar 2019 10:13 PM PDT  The early morning attack on Mishmeret, an agricultural town north of Tel Aviv, came at a time of high tension ahead of the anniversary of Gaza border protests at the weekend, and with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting Washington as he campaigns for a fifth term in an April 9 ballot. Israel's commercial capital and outlying communities had last come under such an attack during the 2014 war with Gaza's dominant Hamas Islamists. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was treating six occupants of a home in Mishmeret, including an infant, for wounds.
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| Father of Sandy Hook victim latest apparent suicide after deadly school shootings Posted: 25 Mar 2019 05:34 PM PDT  The father of one of the 20 first-grade students killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting was found dead of an apparent suicide Monday.
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| American Airlines to cancel 90 flights every day through most of April Posted: 25 Mar 2019 05:42 AM PDT  The decision comes as a result of the FAA's decision to ground all Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
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| Apple's new credit card gets compared to Billy McFarland's credit card scam Posted: 25 Mar 2019 11:55 AM PDT  Someone didn't watch the Fyre Festival documentaries. Apple announced its groundbreaking new pay feature during its event on Monday: A titanium credit card with no card number, no signature, no CVV, and no expiration date. All of the vital information would be stored in the Wallet app, so it's less of a credit card and more of a physical way to pay through the app. As wonderful as it seems, Twitter users couldn't help but compare it to Magnises, the credit card/social club scam that Fyre Fest grifter Billy McFarland came up with before the disastrous music festival. Like Apple Card, Magnises' appeal was that the card was metal, not just plastic. Apple's new card will apparently be made of titanium.And of course, the whole cool factor. > Tim Cook after announcing Titanium Apple Card AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/QT1fsySyQA> > -- branchclarke (@branchclarke) March 25, 2019SEE ALSO: What you should know about Billy McFarland's pre-Fyre Fest scam Magnises> Incredible: Apple brought back the Magnises card> > -- nick lucchesi (@nicklucchesi) March 25, 2019> Apple Card is the new Magnises. pic.twitter.com/rYqkONHqnA> > -- William Needham Finley IV (@WNFIV) March 25, 2019> [throws Magnises card in the TRASH]> > -- Ryan Perry (@rynprry) March 25, 2019> Apple just dropped the new magnises titanium card AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/0U70GkUb3a> > -- B E A N Z | Currently stuck in Raccoon City (@PhotosByBeanz) March 25, 2019> Someone at Apple must have watched the Fyre Festival documentary and was like, "THAT. MAKE THAT. THE COOL CREDIT CARD."> > -- Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) March 25, 2019> Billy McFarland when he heard about Apple's Magnises rip-off, the Apple Card. AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/EL9v9GIREh> > -- chris harihar (@chrisharihar) March 25, 2019> this whole fetishization of a physical credit card is literally what billy macfarland did before fyre fest but ok apple> > -- Julia Carrie Wong (@juliacarriew) March 25, 2019> oh my god apple is launching a magnises pic.twitter.com/EapV8fS3g9> > -- Erik Hinton (@erikhinton) March 25, 2019> The Apple card is literally just Magnises. AppleEvent> > -- Eric Anderson (@Eric42Anderson) March 25, 2019> Apple just announced their own fyre bucks> > -- kraig (@kraigadams) March 25, 2019> Why should I use an Apple Card when I already have Magnises, the ultimate symbol of status?> > -- Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) March 25, 2019If Tim Cook promises Bahamian bungalows and beachfront sets, it's probably time to run. UPDATE: March 25, 2019, 1:34 p.m. PDT Corrected "Apple Pay app" to "Wallet app." WATCH: The Simpsons is dropping its Michael Jackson episode
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| What Next? UK lawmakers torn on fate of Brexit, and May Posted: 25 Mar 2019 04:44 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Britain has just a few weeks to break its Brexit impasse, with the fate of the country's departure from the European Union and that of Prime Minister Theresa May both hanging in the balance.
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| Democrats refuse to retreat on Trump legal issues despite Mueller disappointment Posted: 25 Mar 2019 04:22 PM PDT  House committee chairs call on attorney general William Barr to send them full Mueller report by 2 April * Follow the latest US politics newsJerrold Nadler, the House judiciary committee chairman, has has announced he will summon the attorney general, William Barr, to testify. Photograph: Craig Ruttle/APAs Donald Trump declared victory following the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, Democrats showed no signs of backing down from the numerous legal questions encircling the president and his associates.The completion of the highly anticipated Mueller report prompted an intense debate in Washington over how to proceed as Democrats said a summary of its findings by the attorney general, William Barr, "raises as many questions as it answers", even though it probably laid the issue of collusion with Russia firmly to rest.Since taking control of the House of Representatives in January, Democrats have launched an onslaught of investigations into the president, his administration and his family business. It thus came as an undeniable blow to Democrats that Mueller's report did not find that the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to swing the 2016 election, or produce a more definitive conclusion on whether the president himself engaged in any criminal activity.But as Trump and his allies seized on the account to falsely claim "total exoneration", Democrats signaled the legal and political battle lines were far from settled, especially when it came to Barr's decision not to pursue the obstruction of justice issue.Jerrold Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, announced he would summon Barr, who was confirmed as Trump's attorney general earlier this year, to testify on Capitol Hill as Democrats seek more answers from the conclusion of the nearly two-year federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.> In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future.> > — (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019In a four-page letter to Congress, Barr said Mueller's report did not find criminal collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow during the 2016 presidential election but was inconclusive on the question of whether the president obstructed justice."It's a shame that our country has had to go through this," a defiant Trump said Sunday. "To be honest, it's a shame that your president has had to go through this."Democrats nonetheless demanded the release of the full Mueller report, while suggesting Barr's summary could not be trusted given his prior criticisms of the special counsel investigation."The fact that Special Counsel Mueller's report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay," the Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi said in a statement."Given Mr Barr's public record of bias against the special counsel's inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report."Democrats took particular issue with the claim by Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, that Mueller's evidence was insufficient to prove Trump had obstructed justice.The special counsel examined several actions by Trump in considering the question of obstruction, including his firing of the former FBI director James Comey, public and private attempts to pressure the former attorney general Jeff Sessions, and role in misleading the public about a meeting between his campaign and a Russian lawyer during the campaign.In a joint statement, the Democratic chairmen of the House intelligence, judiciary and oversight committees called for the complete release of Mueller's report and "all underlying documents"."It is unacceptable that, after Special Counsel Mueller spent 22 months meticulously uncovering this evidence, Attorney General Barr made a decision not to charge the president in under 48 hours," the chairmen said."The special counsel's report should be allowed to speak for itself," they added.On Monday evening, six Democratic House committee chairs, including the chairmen of the intelligence and judiciary subcommittees, sent a letter to Barr requesting that he send them the full Mueller report by 2 April. They also asked Barr to start transmitting the evidence underlying the report to the relevant committees.Barr has not made clear how much of the report he intends to make public, teeing up a potentially major dispute that may ultimately be settled in the courts. By a tally of 420-0, the House voted overwhelmingly last month in favor of making the Mueller report public.But even as they seek a full accounting of Mueller's investigation, Democrats have sought to temper expectations of impeachment – a subject that has polarized the American public.The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has on multiple occasions thrown cold water on what several Democrats refer to as "the I-word", leaving it to voters at the 2020 ballot box to determine Trump's fate.Some strategists said the initial read of the Mueller report may have lifted the burden of impeachment from Democrats' shoulders, enabling them to focus instead on drawing a policy contrast to Trump as he seeks re-election next year."I think Democrats need to allow the investigations to continue while focusing on the rest of their legislative agenda," said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who served as an aide to the former Senate majority leader Harry Reid."It's pretty clear impeachment is not in the cards, at least not right now."To impeach Trump, Democrats would need not just a majority in the House but also a two-thirds vote in the Republican-led Senate to convict – an outcome as unlikely as ever before given the widespread support Trump enjoys from members of his own party.Polling has found Americans largely split on whether Trump should be impeached.There are countless other legal perils looming over Trump's presidency, however, that remain unresolved and which Democrats are likely to focus on.Among them are hush money payments to women claiming affairs with Trump and attempts by the president and his allies to cover them up.In public testimony on Capitol Hill last month, Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen directly implicated the president in the hush money payments – a violation of US campaign finance law – while also accusing Trump of various other criminal acts.Those allegations are being investigated by prosecutors of the southern district of New York and increasingly a subject of the inquiries launched by House Democrats."Reading the coverage today one would assume that the release of the Mueller report ended the criminal investigations into Trump his inauguration, his business, and his foundation," Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, tweeted."It didn't. He still has more criminal exposure than all the other presidents combined."
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| US weather: States reel from historic floods as fresh snow threatens parts of the midwest Posted: 25 Mar 2019 08:33 AM PDT  Record floods that submerged parts of three Midwestern states have started retreating, but more inclement weather continues to threaten Montana and the Dakotas for weeks to come. High flood waters have already returned in the western Dakotas, northwest Nebraska and central and eastern Montana, along smaller rivers that feed into the Missouri. Once the weather warms up, river ice breaks up into giant chunks, which float down the river stream and can cause a jam, which in turn induces flooding, David Roth, a meteorologist with the NWS's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, told Reuters on Monday.
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| Anti-stall system likely activated in crash: Ethiopian Airlines CEO Posted: 25 Mar 2019 08:24 AM PDT An anti-stall system believed to have caused a fatal October jet crash in Indonesia was probably also involved in this month's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that killed all 157 people onboard, the carrier's CEO said on Monday. Tewolde GebreMariam told The Wall Street Journal an automatic anti-stalling system specific to the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft was "to the best of our knowledge" activated on the fatal March 10 crash of Flight ET 302 minutes into its journey to Nairobi. Although he is not a part of the official crash probe and gave no details on how he knew of the system's activation, Tewolde's comment adds pressure on Boeing to fix the popular aircraft model, which was grounded worldwide after the disaster.
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| U.S. calls Russia deployment of planes to Venezuela 'reckless escalation' Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:01 AM PDT ![U.S. calls Russia deployment of planes to Venezuela 'reckless escalation']( "U.S. calls Russia deployment of planes to Venezuela 'reckless escalation'") The Russian planes and military personnel arrived outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, according to local media reports, two months after the Trump administration disavowed President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president and demands that Maduro leave power, which Russia has described as a U.S.-backed coup against the socialist government. "The United States condemns Russia's deployment of military aircraft and personnel to Caracas, which is another contradiction of both Nicolas Maduro's and Russia's calls for non-intervention in Venezuela and is a reckless escalation of the situation," a State Department spokesman said.
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| Easter 2019: Forbidden eggs, Eostre and how the date is decided Posted: 26 Mar 2019 02:06 AM PDT  Easter weekend is fast approaching with all the fondant-filled Creme Eggs, sticky hot cross buns and sugar-coated Mini Eggs our stretchiest waistbands can withstand. Of course, the Christian festival is far more than its associated confectionery. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who, according to the New Testament, died on the cross on Good Friday and came back to life three days later. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday, which also marks the end of Lent's 40-day period of fasting. From the origins of the Easter bunny to the celebrations' ever-changing dates, here is your essential guide to the holiday. Jump to it, bunny: Your complete guide to Easter decorations When is Easter 2019? This year, Good Friday falls on April 19, Easter Sunday on April 21 and Easter Monday on April 22 - three weeks later than they did last year. While the holiday is a movable feast, it always falls somewhere between March 21 and April 25 every year. It is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring. The full moon is known as the Paschal (Passover) Full Moon. Methods for calculating Easter are fiendishly complicated and a uniquely baffling synthesis of mathematics, astronomy and theology. As Christians believe Jesus was crucified during the Jewish Passover festival, Easter is celebrated around the same time. Nonetheless, different Christian groups were already marking it on separate dates by the end of the 2nd Century. Q&A; | Maundy Thursday These date-led disagreements even set the course of history for the British Isles at the Synod of Whitby in 664AD when the preferred date of the Roman - rather than the Celtic - church became the standard. The decision is said to have catapulted Britain into the European sphere of influence. Though disputes over Easter's exact timing have been used as proxies for deeper power struggles for centuries, most now accept that it falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox - which the Church approximated as March 21. This year, Easter Sunday falls on April 21, the longest stretch following March 21's full moon – which falls on a Sunday. In 2016, the Archbishop of Canterbury suggested Easter should fall on the same Sunday every year and the Most Rev Justin Welby said Anglican leaders would join discussions with other church leaders to fix the date for the first time, theoretically putting an end to almost 2,000 years of controversy. The 10 best destinations for Easter sun What do eggs have to do with Easter? Eggs illustrate new life, just as Jesus began his new life on Easter Sunday after the miracle of his resurrection. When eggs are cracked open they are said to symbolise an empty tomb. Originally, eating eggs was forbidden in the week leading up to Easter (known as Holy Week). They were saved and decorated in the run-up to the celebration and given to children as gifts. Sometimes they were coloured red, in recognition of the blood sacrificed by Jesus when he was crucified. Green was also used to symbolise spring re-growth after the winter. The first chocolate eggs appeared in France and Germany during the 19th century. As chocolate-making techniques improved, the Easter egg as we know it was popularised. Where does the Easter Bunny fit in to all of this? Rabbits and hares have been associated with spring for hundreds of years. It is thought that the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring, Eostre – who many believe the Christian event is named after – had a hare as her companion, symbolising fertility and rebirth. It's hardly surprising that rabbits and hares have become associated with fertility as they are both prolific breeders and regularly give birth to large litters in early spring. The legend of the Easter Bunny is thought to have originated among German Lutherans, where the 'Easter Hare' judged whether children had been good or bad in the run-up to Easter. Easter bunnies and eggs are symbols of spring and fertility. Over time it has been incorporated into Christian celebrations, becoming especially popular in Britain during the 19th century. Many children believe that the Easter Bunny lays and hides baskets of coloured eggs, sweets and toys in their homes or around the garden the night before Easter Sunday – much like Father Christmas delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. This has given rise to the tradition of the Easter egg hunt which is still popular among children today. Why do we eat hot cross buns? A hot cross bun is a spiced, sweet bun marked with a cross on top. They are traditionally eaten on Good Friday as the cross represents the crucifixion of Jesus, while the spices are said to remind Christians of the spices put on his body. Hot cross buns appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1733 but they are believed to have existed long before. Enriched, sweetened bread dough dates back to the Romans. Long before Christianity, loaves and buns were baked with symbols on them, one of which was a cross. Small, spiced cakes were also baked to honour the Saxon goddess Eoestre and celebrate spring, but it was the Tudors who began to link the spiced currant buns we know today with feast days, celebrations and - eventually - Lent. Delicious recipes to cook this Easter Wild garlic and parsley soup Jose Pizarro's roast rack of lamb with braised peas and lemon-thyme salsa Hot cross bun panna cotta Paul Hollywood's Easter simnel cake How is Easter celebrated around the world? In many central and eastern European countries decorating eggs with beautiful patterns is especially popular. In Switzerland, Easter eggs are delivered by a cuckoo and, in some areas of Germany, a fox. The egg-giving tradition arrived in the United States in the 18th century via protestant German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area. Traditional Easter foods from around the world On Easter Monday, the President of the United States holds an annual Easter egg roll on the lawn of the White House for young children. In the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland it is a day of remembrance for the men and women who died in the Easter Rising which began on Easter Monday 1916.
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| Cruise ship from Norway reaches port with remaining passengers after mayday, air rescues Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:27 AM PDT  A cruise ship stranded off Norway's western coast that airlifted more than half its passengers to safety amid a ferocious storm has now reached port.
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| Thai parties jostle for power after 1st election since coup Posted: 25 Mar 2019 08:10 PM PDT  BANGKOK (AP) — The two top parties began angling for the upper hand in forming a new government in Thailand on Monday after partial results showed no group won a majority of seats in the country's first national election since a 2014 military coup.
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| Some Democrats Ask: Now That Mueller’s Over, Where Are Trump’s Tax Returns? Posted: 25 Mar 2019 10:18 AM PDT  House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal is being pulled in two directions, by progressives to quickly demand Trump's personal returns from the Treasury Department and by some moderates to wait for the full special counsel's report before proceeding. A Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Neal may be facing new pressure from moderate Democrats who want to read the full report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller before making the request.
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| Not enough support yet for third Brexit vote, says UK PM May Posted: 25 Mar 2019 08:56 AM PDT ![Not enough support yet for third Brexit vote, says UK PM May]( "Not enough support yet for third Brexit vote, says UK PM May") Prime Minister Theresa May said there was not yet enough support for her to put her Brexit deal to a vote in parliament for a third time, but she would continue with talks with lawmakers to try to get their backing.
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| Fewer first-time home buyers likely to qualify for mortgages under tougher FHA standards Posted: 25 Mar 2019 02:48 PM PDT ![Fewer first-time home buyers likely to qualify for mortgages under tougher FHA standards]( "Fewer first-time home buyers likely to qualify for mortgages under tougher FHA standards") Fewer first-time and lower-income homebuyers are likely to get mortgages under tougher standards adopted by the Federal Housing Administration
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| Malian leader vows security as massacre toll hits 160 Posted: 25 Mar 2019 02:46 PM PDT  Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita vowed Monday to beef up security as he visited a village where more some 160 people were killed by suspected militiamen from a rival ethnic group. "We need security here -- this is your mission," Keita said, giving a public order to military chief General Aboulaye Coulibaly, who was abruptly appointed on Sunday after the massacre. The deadly raid took place on Saturday in the village of Ogassogou, home to the Fulani herding community, near the town of Mopti in central Mali.
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| Oklahoma top court clears way for Purdue, J&J, Teva to face opioid trial Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:54 PM PDT  The Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision was a win for the state's attorney general, whose case is set to be the first to face trial of roughly 2,000 lawsuits nationally seeking to hold opioid manufacturers responsible for contributing to the epidemic. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter's 2017 lawsuit accuses Purdue, Johnson & Johnson & Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd of engaging in deceptive marketing that downplayed the risks of addiction associated with opioid pain drugs while overstating their benefits. The trial delay bid came as Purdue, owned by members of the wealthy Sackler family, was exploring filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to address potential liabilities stemming from the lawsuits, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters.
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| HTC unveils a new VR headset for workplace use that ships next month for $799 Posted: 26 Mar 2019 03:50 AM PDT  HTC Vive used the occasion of its annual Vive Ecosystem Conference in Shenzhen on Monday to unveil a new workplace-focused VR headset -- the VIVE Focus Plus, which promises a slew of features for enterprise customers like enhanced optics and upgraded lenses in the head-mounted display. And all of it, in a package that costs $799 and will be available starting April 15 from Vive's website.Among the new headset's specs, HTC says it sports new 'fresnel' lenses that offer a sharper visual and create a more true-to-life effect for users. The headset also comes with newly added six-degrees-of-freedom controllers, paving the way for more comfortable extended VR sessions that enterprise customers who may use this for more than cursory experiences will no doubt appreciate.Additionally, in most markets the headset will include an enterprise license at no additional cost."With the unveiling of these enhancements for Vive Focus Plus, the VR industry is taking a big step forward with this new generation of full-fidelity standalone VR devices enabling total freedom of interaction and freedom of connection," said HTC's China president Alvin Wang Graylin, in a release about the device. "We're thrilled so many developers and partners are supporting this product with exciting experiences across a wide range of use cases, showcasing the incredible opportunity for VR/AR to enter all facets of our lives"https://twitter.com/htcvive/status/1110358205266157569The headset includes a 3K AMOLED display, and it's powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor. Users will enjoy a 110-degree field of view, and the headset also comes with a 4,000 mAh battery.Among other features, users will have access to almost 250 Vive Wave applications at launch that run natively on the headset, and a "Viveport Infinity Wave" subscription program for the headset will include more than 70 premium VR application titles. The headset also has a multi-mode capability, which will let users access existing content across a range of devices. Thanks to this capability, the headset is compatible with everything from PCs and laptops to smartphones, game consoles, 2D video streaming devices, live 360 camera streaming and more.
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| Lynn Keel due in court Tuesday on charges he killed his wife Diana Keel Posted: 26 Mar 2019 06:47 AM PDT  The man accused of killing his wife in Nash County will appear in a North Carolina court Tuesday morning.
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| In 2017, Did a Russian Anti-Aircraft Missile Hit a New Israeli F-35 Stealth Fighter? Posted: 26 Mar 2019 12:45 AM PDT  The evidence cited by seems rather tenuous. Here is what we know.
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| Where the investigations related to President Trump stand Posted: 25 Mar 2019 05:33 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at where investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him:
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| UPDATE 1-Airbus close to signing aircraft deal with China - sources Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:33 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Airbus close to signing aircraft deal with China - sources]( "UPDATE 1-Airbus close to signing aircraft deal with China - sources") European planemaker Airbus is close to signing a deal worth billions of dollars with China following a delay of more than a year in the negotiations, industry sources said on Monday. The deal is part of a package of trade deals coinciding with a visit to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Airbus declined to comment.
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| May Says No-Deal Won't Occur Without Commons Vote: Brexit Update Posted: 25 Mar 2019 11:24 AM PDT  Theresa May said she doesn't yet have enough support to put her Brexit deal to a vote in Parliament but will continue to try to convince MPs to back it. David Lidington, May's effective deputy, tried to win MPs over by promising that the government will set aside a day this week for votes on Brexit options -- if Parliament rejects tonight the so-called Letwin-Grieve amendment (see 5:50 p.m.) which seeks to give Parliament control of the process. When asked by Oliver Letwin himself if it would match the strategy laid out in his amendment, Lidington said he couldn't commit to the details.
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| Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:30 AM PDT ![Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls]( "Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls") Verizon is just the latest carrier to help consumers stop unwanted robocalls. Its blocking app and spam alert feature is due later this week.
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| US not looking at IS court, urges repatriation from Syria Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:31 PM PDT  The United States said Monday it was not looking at an international court to try Islamic State extremists and urged countries to repatriate them after Syria's Kurds proposed a tribunal. Two days after the United States announced the complete defeat of the Islamic State group, the Kurdish force that holds some 9,000 foreign jihadists and their relatives -- 6,500 of them children -- voiced regret at the lack of response to US-led calls on Western nations to bring back their citizens for trial. The Syrian Kurdish administration said that a better idea would be to set up an international tribunal in northeastern Syria to prosecute the fighters also known as ISIS, who at their zenith imposed a brutal interpretation of Islam on millions of people across Iraq and Syria and carried out widespread beheadings and sexual assaults.
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