Special News: March 2019

Sunday 31 March 2019

Is there an Austrian link to New Zealand mosque attacks?

The main suspect in the mosque massacre was familiar with Austria's far-right scene.

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How Village People's cop Victor Willis aims to 'reboot' the group

Victor Willis, the pop group's former singer and songwriter, has overcome legal battles and rehab.

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Lyft, Uber, Pinterest: Are internet unicorns really worth billions?

Lyft is the first tech company to float this year but the $24bn business is yet to make profit.

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Brexit: Will flights be disrupted?

The EU and UK have agreed a plan to try to avoid disruption.

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Mother’s Day: From medieval brawls to cards and flowers

And other lesser-known historical facts about this weekend's celebration of mothers.

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Huddersfield captain 'empty' after relegation - how much worse can it get for Terriers?

Huddersfield captain Christopher Schindler feels "empty" after the Terriers' relegation from the Premier League was confirmed by defeat at Crystal Palace.

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Attorney General Barr says Mueller report to be released 'by mid-April'

We are preparing the report for release,” Barr wrote.

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Trey Gowdy on Attorney General Barr's decision to release the Mueller report by mid-April

Will a redacted report satisfy congressional Democrats? Reaction from Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy, former Republican congressman from South Carolina.

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Mueller Did the Right Thing

It seems that “13 hardened Democrats” or “angry Democrats” did not deliver a politically motivated, illegitimate hit job after all. Based on what we know so far, the special counsel’s office reported that it did not find evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. This is a fabulous vindication of the integrity of the system.No one is noticing that. Instead, the Trump team is gorging on schadenfreude, and the anti-Trump team is choking on bile.It’s fair to say that those who spent hour upon cable-TV hour lovingly anticipating that President Trump would be frog-marched from the White House in handcuffs after the delivery of this report have egg on their faces. It isn’t clear which hurts more, the disappointment about being wrong or the worry about drooping ratings.But there’s plenty of egg to go around. Team Trump spent nearly two years denouncing the Mueller investigation as a “rigged witch hunt.” By one count, the president used the term “witch hunt” more than 1,100 times. He mercilessly eviscerated his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for the sin of following Justice Department guidelines instead of corruptly abusing his office to shield Mr. Trump from scrutiny. At various times, the president has also suggested that the inquiry was a sinister plot of the “deep state”; a ploy by supporters of “crooked” Hillary Clinton to extract revenge (while also suggesting that the real collusion was between Democrats and the Russians); and an “illegal hoax” perpetrated by the “fake news” media. President Trump claimed that the Mueller probe was staffed by “very bad and conflicted people” and that the investigation was a “disgrace to our nation.”The battle space was thus prepared for a Mueller report that would be devastating to the president. His supporters would disbelieve anything that reflected badly on Trump because the investigation itself, along with the law-enforcement bodies tasked with carrying out their responsibilities in an impartial fashion, had been discredited.Yet, when it turned out that the investigators did not invent or plant evidence, did not default to process crimes such as lying to investigators, did not spring a perjury trap, and, above all, did not permit their own feelings or political preferences to taint the administration of justice, there has been no embarrassment from Team Trump. On a dime, they have reversed themselves completely. A totally corrupt witch hunt has become a total vindication. (It wasn’t that. Even Attorney General William Barr’s letter acknowledged that the report did not “exonerate” the president on the charge of obstruction of justice.) But even if it had been a clean bill of health, how can they trust the Mueller people? Weren’t they thoroughly corrupt? A disgrace?President Trump has a long history of impugning anyone or anything he perceives as a threat to his own interests and flattering anyone he thinks can help him. When he feared he would lose an election, he denounced the voting as “rigged.” Judge Curiel became a “Mexican” judge when Trump feared he might rule against him in the Trump University case. Gold-star parents, deceased heroic senators, Charles Krauthammer, S. E. Cupp, Jeff Bezos, and an endless list of others have joined the ranks of the slighted. On the other hand, if you repent and join the Trump fan club -- as pretty much the entire invertebrate Republican party has done -- then you are swiftly forgiven and elevated. Lindsey Graham went from “nasty” and “dumb mouthpiece” to favorite golfing buddy in a trice.This transparently solipsistic approach to the world would be of little interest if it were just a quirk of a New York businessman. But when Trump employs the tactic to undermine confidence in institutions such as the justice system, he does lasting damage.The “witch hunt” was nothing of the kind. Honorable people did the right thing. Politics did not taint a criminal investigation. But that reality is buried under an avalanche of bad faith.© 2019 Creators.com

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Pound Slides as Parliament Fails to End Brexit Impasse Once More

The failure of May’s last-ditch effort to get her deal through Parliament leaves the U.K. with the choice between crashing out of the European Union without a deal in two weeks and seeking a long extension of its departure date. The British parliament will vote Monday on various alternatives to May’s agreement. Implied volatility on two-week pound-dollar options, which cover the current April 12 deadline for the U.K.’s exit, have surged to the highest level since the immediate aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum amid increased anxiety about a no-deal outcome.

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Gaza, Israel brace for mass border demos

Palestinians in Gaza are expected to gather in huge numbers along the barrier separating them from Israel on Saturday, testing a fragile ceasefire only days after a major flareup. The demonstrations mark the first anniversary of deadly protests on the border with Israel. Days of negotiations have raised hopes that the bloodshed seen in previous mass protests, particularly those against the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem last May, can be avoided.

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Apple's AirPower Wireless Charging Mat Gets Shot Down Months After Missed Deadline

The product was supposed to charge multiple devices at once — wirelessly

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AG William Barr plans to release Mueller report by mid-April. 'Everyone will soon be able to read it.'

Attorney General William Barr told Congress on Friday he plans to release special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia and the Trump campaign.

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Anger outside parliament as leave voters blame May for no Brexit

Thousands of angry Brexit supporters gathered outside UK parliament on Friday after lawmakers rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal for a third time, sounding its probable death knell and leaving Britain's withdrawal from the European Union in turmoil on the very day it was supposed to quit the bloc. Rough cut (no reporter narration)

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Trump: Pulitzers awarded to NYT, Washington Post should be revoked for 'fake' Russia coverage

President Donald Trump called for the Pulitzer Board to revoke the prizes awarded to the New York Times and Washington Post.

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FOX NEWS: Israel reopens Gaza crossings after week of hostilities

Israel reopens Gaza crossings after week of hostilities

Israeli authorities have reopened the two crossings with the Gaza Strip after days of hostilities in a sign that cease-fire talks may be advancing.

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FOX NEWS: Afghan official: vice president unhurt in Taliban ambush

Afghan official: vice president unhurt in Taliban ambush

An Afghan official says that Afghanistan's vice president, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, has escaped unharmed after Taliban ambushed his convoy while traveling form northern Balkh to neighboring Zawzjan province.

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FOX NEWS: Family says Pakistani journalist taken from home

Family says Pakistani journalist taken from home

The family of a Pakistani journalist says he was forcibly taken by masked men in private and police vehicles and has been unreachable for more than 24 hours.

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FOX NEWS: American tourist visiting Australia beaten unconscious in what police describe as random attack

American tourist visiting Australia beaten unconscious in what police describe as random attack

An American tourist in Australia required emergency surgery last week after being beaten unconscious in a random attack, Australian media reported.

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FOX NEWS: Polls open in Ukraine's presidential election

Polls open in Ukraine's presidential election

Polls have opened in Ukraine's presidential election that pits the incumbent against a popular comedian and a former prime minister.

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FOX NEWS: Turkish voters go to polls in critical municipal elections

Turkish voters go to polls in critical municipal elections

Voters in Turkey began casting ballots in Sunday's municipal elections, which are seen as a barometer of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's popularity amid a sharp economic downturn in the nation that straddles Europe and Asia.

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FOX NEWS: N. Korea calls for investigation into Madrid embassy attack

N. Korea calls for investigation into Madrid embassy attack

North Korea says it wants an investigation into an attack on its embassy in Spain last month, calling it a "grave terrorist attack" and an act of extortion that violates international law.

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FOX NEWS: Proposed Hong Kong extradition law changes spark concerns

Proposed Hong Kong extradition law changes spark concerns

Business and human rights groups are expressing concern over proposed changes to Hong Kong's extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China where they say they could be subject to torture and unfair prosecution.

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FOX NEWS: Philippine police kill 14 men rights groups say were farmers

Philippine police kill 14 men rights groups say were farmers

Philippine police say 14 suspected communist rebels have been killed after they opened fire during raids but rights groups countered the men were farmers and the latest victim of extrajudicial killings.

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FOX NEWS: Bangladesh police arrest building owners over fatal blaze

Bangladesh police arrest building owners over fatal blaze

Police in Bangladesh's capital have arrested two of the owners of a commercial complex that caught fire last week, killing 26 people and injuring about 70.

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Ukraine election: Comedian is front-runner ahead of first round

Petro Poroshenko is seeking re-election but the surprise front-runner is comic Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

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North Korea says Madrid embassy raid was 'grave terror attack'

Pyongyang calls for an investigation and says it is watching rumours that the FBI played a role.

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Mark Zuckerberg asks governments to help control internet content

Mark Zuckerberg writes an open letter calling for new laws to monitor internet content.

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Saudi Arabia 'hacked Amazon boss's phone', says investigator

An investigator working for Jeff Bezos says Saudi Arabia accessed data on the Amazon boss's phone.

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Rolling Stones postpone North America tour over Mick Jagger illness

Mick Jagger's doctors have advised him not to travel.

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Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia's first female president

Zuzana Caputova, an anti-graft activist and political newcomer, beats the ruling party candidate.

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Gaza protests: Thousands mark 'Great Return' anniversary

Three die in clashes on the border with Israel, as Palestinians mark the "Great March of Return".

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Ethiopian pilot: 'Pitch up, pitch up!'

Details are emerging of the final moments of the flight, which crashed six minutes after take-off.

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Migrant ship hijacking: Three teenagers charged in Malta

The men have been accused of terrorist activity after seizing a tanker and sailing it to Malta.

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Afghan VP survives second assassination attempt

The Taliban say they tried to kill Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum, in an ambush in which a bodyguard died.

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Brazil judge overturns ban on Bolsonaro's coup celebration

A judge says marking the 1964 coup does not amount to rewriting history or hiding the truth.

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Pope calls on Moroccans to fight fanaticism

The pontiff is visiting Morocco, which has a small Catholic community, to promote inter-faith dialogue.

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Malawi's antibiotics crisis: Why the drugs don't work for some

In Malawi, doctors say resistance to antibiotics is making their work increasingly difficult.

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Earth Hour: Switching off lights to highlight climate change

Some of the world's most famous landmarks are plunged into darkness to draw attention to climate change.

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US-Mexico border: Migrants held as Trump threatens closure

Migrants are forced to sleep outside as US officials struggle with a surge in asylum-seekers.

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Ukraine's presidential elections: Five things to know

A look at some of the odder facts about Sunday's presidential elections in Ukraine.

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New audio increases pressure on Trudeau in SNC-Lavalin affair

Former Canadian Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould releases a recording to bolster her version of events.

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Thai baby elephants cheered as they escape mud pit

Six baby elephants who were stuck in steep muddy pit for two days are rescued by Thai park rangers.

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Muses no more: Ballet's newest choreographers

After centuries of taking orders now women are the ones calling the shots in ballet.

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Vietnam students invent air cleaning bicycle

High school students in Vietnam create a bike device that cleans the air for the cyclist.

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Mexico pioneers recycled seaweed shoes

A Mexican inventor is making recyclable shoes from plastic bottles and seaweed.

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Tornado chasers face storm as lawsuit hits close to home

A lawsuit claims reckless behaviour by storm chasers before a fatal crash. Is there a wider problem?

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US school shootings: Have drills gone too far?

One school apparently shot teachers "execution style" with pellets as part of a rehearsal for the real thing.

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How Village People's cop Victor Willis aims to 'reboot' the group

Victor Willis, the pop group's former singer and songwriter, has overcome legal battles and rehab.

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Is there an Austrian link to New Zealand mosque attacks?

The main suspect in the mosque massacre was familiar with Austria's far-right scene.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2WyNaub

The Bollywood factor in India's election

A film about Prime Minister Modi is facing criticism for mythologising him ahead of a national vote.

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Life after a devastating mining disaster

Brazil's Brumadinho dam disaster is having consequences in towns which are near similar dams.

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Lyft, Uber, Pinterest: Are internet unicorns really worth billions?

Lyft is the first tech company to float this year but the $24bn business is yet to make profit.

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Big university gender pay gap revealed

Most British universities pay their average male employee more than their average female employee.

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Gambling industry warned over fixed-odds stake cut

Firms are warned to be responsible as the maximum bet on fixed-odds betting terminals is cut to £2.

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Compensation unlikely for London Capital & Finance investors

Rules suggest investments did not qualify for compensation as "personal advice was not involved".

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Why is Turkey fighting the markets?

Financial markets in Turkey have been volatile as elections loom - and the president blames the West.

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Business ‘devastated’ by Brexit vote

Industry bodies say the Brexit uncertainty puts the UK's reputation, jobs and livelihoods at stake.

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Lyft shares close 9% higher in market debut

The ride-hailing company's shares made strong gains in the much-anticipated flotation.

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Debenhams secures £200m lifeline with lenders

The chain completes a £200m deal to stay afloat, and leaves the door open for a bid from Sports Direct.

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Tui travel firm warns Boeing grounding to hit earnings

Travel firm says the grounding of Boeing 737 Max planes could cost it up to €300m (£258m) this year.

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First house price fall in England since 2012

But the Nationwide says house price rises in the other nations mean the UK average is still growing.

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Boeing Ethiopia crash probe 'finds anti-stall device activated'

A flight-control feature activated before the Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed, a report says.

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George Clooney calls for hotel boycott over Brunei LGBT laws

The actor urges a boycott after the country said homosexuality would soon be punishable by death.

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Meet the man glamming up supercars for the stars

Yianni Charalambous transforms cars for the rich and famous people searching for that extra shine.

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Brexit has 'left our lifestyle in limbo'

Recently retired Pat and John say their motor home travel plans are on hold because of Brexit.

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Can Mike Ashley save debt-laden Debenhams?

Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley is considering a £61m bid for Debenhams, but can he can save it?

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Life after a devastating mining disaster

Brazil's Brumadinho dam disaster is having consequences in towns which are near similar dams.

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UK fashion brands battle for China's growing market

UK fashion designers are chasing business in Shanghai - one of Asia's biggest fashion weeks.

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New best story on Hacker News: Bezos Investigation Says the Saudis Obtained His Private Data

Bezos Investigation Says the Saudis Obtained His Private Data
461 by NN88 | 135 comments on Hacker News.

New best story on Hacker News: RSS Is Better Than Twitter

RSS Is Better Than Twitter
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New best story on Hacker News: Why GNU grep is fast (2010)

Why GNU grep is fast (2010)
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New best story on Hacker News: Dogs demonstrate the existence of an epileptic seizure odour in humans

Dogs demonstrate the existence of an epileptic seizure odour in humans
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Mueller report on Trump and Russia to be made public by mid-April: Barr

"Everyone will soon be able to read it on their own," Barr wrote in the letter to the top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate and House Judiciary committees. On March 22, Mueller completed his 22-month probe and Barr on Sunday sent a four-page letter to Congress that outlined the main findings. Barr told lawmakers that the investigation did not establish that members of the election campaign of President Donald Trump conspired with Russia.

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Autopsy: Migrant child who died in US custody had infection

HOUSTON (AP) — A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of a bacterial infection while detained by the U.S. Border Patrol, according to an autopsy released Friday, in a case that drew worldwide attention to the plight of migrant families at the southern U.S. border.

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Venezuelans Take to the Streets After Another Round of Blackouts

“We will continue to hit the streets,” Juan Guaido, head of the National Assembly recognized as interim president by some 50 nations, told protesters Saturday in San Antonio de Los Altos. Unlike other protests since January, Guaido did not call for huge rallies in the capital of Caracas but rather urged Venezuelans to protest at key locations or in their own neighborhoods. “My food is rotting and my appliances are going haywire,¨ said Yolanda Bellorin, a retired lawyer protesting among her neighbors in Caracas’ Colinas de la California neighborhood.

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Corporations are endangering Americans. Trump doesn't care

From Boeing to Monsanto and beyond: this week has revealed the tip of the iceberg of regulatory neglect ‘Trump and his appointees have unambiguously signaled to corporations they can now do as they please.’ Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images Why didn’t Boeing do it right? Why isn’t Facebook protecting user passwords? Why is Phillip Morris allowed to promote vaping? Why hasn’t Wells Fargo reformed itself? Why hasn’t Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) recalled its Roundup weedkiller? Answer: corporate greed coupled with inept and corrupt regulators. These are just a few of the examples in the news these days of corporate harms inflicted on innocent people. To be sure, some began before the Trump administration. But Trump and his appointees have unambiguously signaled to corporations they can now do as they please. Boeing wanted to get its 737 Max 8 out quickly because airlines want to pack in more passengers at lower fuel costs (hence the “max”). But neither Boeing nor the airlines shelled out money to adequately train pilots on the new software made necessary by the new design. Nonetheless, Trump’s FAA certified the plane in March 2017. And after two subsequent deadly crashes, the US was slower to ground them than other countries. Last week Facebook admitted to storing hundreds of millions of Facebook users’ passwords in plain text that could be searched by more than 20,000 Facebook employees. The admission came just a year after the Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed that Facebook shared the personal data of as many as 87 million users with a political data firm. In reality, Facebook’s business model is based on giving personal data to advertisers so they can tailor their pitches precisely to potential customers. So despite repeated reassurances by Mark Zuckerberg, the firm will continue to do what it wants with personal information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has the power to force Facebook to better guard users’ privacy. But so far Trump’s FTC has done nothing – not even to enforce a 2011 agreement in which Facebook promised to do just that. Altria (Phillip Morris) was losing ground on its sales of cigarettes, but the firm has recently found a future in vaping. Because inhaling nicotine in any form poses a health hazard, the FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb wanted to curb advertising of vaping products to teenagers. Gottlieb thought he had Altria’s agreement, but then the firm bought the vaping company Juul. Its stock has already gained 14% this year. What happened to Gottlieb? He’s out at the FDA, after barely a year on the job. Wells Fargo has publicly apologized for having deceived customers with fake bank accounts, unwarranted fees and unwanted products. Its top executives say they have eliminated the aggressive sales targets that were responsible for the fraud. But Wells Fargo employees told the New York Times recently that they’re still under heavy pressure to squeeze extra money out of customers. Some have witnessed colleagues bending or breaking internal rules to meet ambitious performance goals. What has Trump’s Consumer Financial Protection Agency done about this? Nothing. It’s been defanged. This week, a federal jury awarded $80m in damages to a California man who blamed Monsanto’s (now Bayer’s) Roundup weedkiller for his cancer, after finding that Roundup was defectively designed, that Monsanto failed to warn of the herbicide’s cancer risk, and that the company acted negligently. It was the second jury in eight months to reach the same conclusion about Roundup. Roundup contains glyphosate, a suspected carcinogen. Cases from more than 1,000 farmers and other agricultural workers stricken with non-Hodgkin lymphoma are already pending in federal and state courts. What has Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency done about glyphosate? In December 2017 its office of pesticide programs concluded that glyphosate wasn’t likely to cause cancer – although eight of the 15 experts on whom the agency relied expressed significant concerns about that conclusion, and three more expressed concerns about the data. These are just tips of a vast iceberg of regulatory neglect, frozen into place by Trump’s appointees, of which at least 187 were lobbyists before they joined the administration. This is trickle-down economics of a different sort than Trump’s corporate tax cuts. The major beneficiaries of this are the same big corporations, including their top executives and major investors. But these burdens are trickling down as unsafe products, fraudulent services, loss of privacy, even loss of life. Big money has had an inhibiting effect on regulators in several previous administrations. What’s unique under Trump is the blatancy of it all, and the shameless willingness of Trump appointees to turn a blind eye to corporate wrongdoing. Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress yell “socialism!” at proposals for better balancing private greed with the common good. Yet unless a better balance is achieved, capitalism as we know it is in deep trouble. Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. He is also a columnist for Guardian US

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Joe Biden accused of kissing former Nevada lawmaker, an allegation he doesn't recall

Joe Biden’s spokesman said Friday that the former vice president does not recall kissing Nevada political candidate Lucy Flores on the back of her head during a 2014 event.

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The Stuff of Saturn's Rings Actually Coats Its Tiny Ravioli Moons

A new analysis of the ringed planet's inner moons shines a light on their origins.

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Pet zebra shot and killed by owner in Florida after escaping

A man has shot and killed his pet zebra after it escaped from his ranch in Callahan, a town in Florida.The animal, reportedly named Shadow, broke free from Cottonwood Ranch and ran down a main road, chased by several vehicles.Witnesses said the zebra was eventually cornered in a cul-de-sac around two miles from the ranch, where the owner shot and killed it.Bill Leeper, the local sheriff, said he understood that Shadow was injured during the escape and that the owner chose to euthanise the zebra while police officers were at the scene.Witnesses told WJXT-TV that the animal did not appear injured but the decision was made to kill it so that it could not hurt anyone.“I had to stop and think a minute,” Jenee Watkins told the news outlet.“It’s not every day you see a zebra trotting through your neighbourhood.”Officials have confirmed that the owner did not have a valid license to keep a zebra on his ranch.A state permit is required to own and keep a zebra in Florida.It is unclear whether he will face charges over the lack of permit.Officials said the investigation into the animal’s escape and death was ongoing.

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UPDATE 4-Mueller report on Trump and Russia to be made public by mid-April -Barr

U.S. Attorney General William Barr plans to make public a redacted copy of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's nearly 400-page investigative report into Russian interference in the 2016 election by mid-April, "if not sooner," he said in a letter to lawmakers on Friday. "Everyone will soon be able to read it on their own," Barr wrote in the letter to the top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate and House Judiciary committees. On March 22, Mueller completed his 22-month probe and Barr on Sunday sent a four-page letter to Congress that outlined the main findings.

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Alex Jones blames conspiracy claims on 'psychosis'

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones blamed the various claims he's made over the years, including that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a hoax, on "psychosis," according to a deposition the "Infowars" host has given as part of a Texas lawsuit.

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US woman kidnapped in Afghanistan says husband's abuse was just like captors'

Caitlan Coleman says her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, was violent towards her before, during and after their kidnapping Caitlin Coleman leaves the Ottawa court house in Ottawa, Ontario, on Wednesday. Photograph: Lars Hagberg/AFP/Getty Images A Canadian man who was kidnapped with his wife in Afghanistan was controlling and violent towards her before, during and after their five-year hostage ordeal, she told a Canadian court on Friday. Caitlan Coleman, 33, gave testimony for a second day at the trial of Joshua Boyle, 35 who faces 19 criminal charges, including sexual assault, unlawful confinement and uttering death threats. Coleman was pregnant when she and Boyle were kidnapped by a Taliban-linked group while backpacking in Afghanistan in 2011. They spent five years as hostages, and had three children together before they were rescued by the Pakistani military. Coleman testified that during their captivity in the hands of the militant Haqqani network, Boyle dictated all aspects of her life. His behaviour “was just like my captors’”, she told the court. “I was never to disagree with him, even on small things,” she told the court. “In the past, he made it clear he didn’t feel any guilt hurting me.” Coleman, dressed in a white blazer, black dress and black headscarf, spoke through video link in an adjoining room in order to avoid being in the same room as Boyle. She had travelled from Pennsylvania, where she currently lives with her family, to testify. Boyle, wearing a navy blazer and maroon pants, sat at the front row of the courtroom, frequently taking notes on a yellow legal pad. He was briefly joined by his parents. Coleman described a pattern of abusive behaviour that culminated in a vicious assault after the couple had returned to Canada, in which Boyle demanded sex then hit her when she refused. She told the court she felt “very, very frightened” during the 27 November incident. “Josh told me to get on the bed. He took ropes he kept in a bag … and he started to tie my hands and legs.” Boyle sexually assaulted her, then refused to release her, Coleman told the court. “He said he couldn’t trust me, so he wasn’t going to untie me,” she said. She was only able to free herself after Boyle fell asleep, she told the court. “Looking back, I should have tried to leave,” she said. “But I didn’t.” In her previous testimony, Coleman had described a “rollercoaster” relationship with Boyle, whom she met at age 16 in a Star Wars-themed online chatroom. “He was my first kiss,” she told the court on Wednesday. Coleman quickly fell in love with Boyle, but she told the court that he became an emotionally and physically abusive partner, critiquing her drinking and interactions she had with men. Coleman told the court that the abuse continued in Afghanistan, where the final two years of captivity were the worst. He would choke, bite and spank her as punishment, she said. While in captivity, Boyle demanded she remain in a bathroom stall for extended periods of time – telling his wife he couldn’t stand the sight of her. Coleman testified that Boyle also joked about killing her by lighting her on fire or spilling cooking oil on her. “This was probably the darkest period of my life,” she told the court. During their five years as prisoners in Afghanistan, the couple and their small children are believed to have been shuttled between more than 20 locations. The court had previously heard that Boyle’s violence continued after the couple returned to Canada. Coleman testified that he would often hit her and demand sex; on one occasion, he forced her to swallow powerful sleeping medication, she testified. “He stood in the bathroom and watched me take them that time … I took them because I knew that if I didn’t he would hit me harder,” she told the court on Wednesday. On Friday Coleman told the court that when the couple was back in Ottawa, Boyle gave her a detailed list of rules dictating her diet, weight, appearance and frequency of sex. “I would be punished if I did not follow this list,” she testified, adding that Boyle withheld meals from her, and threatened corporal punishment if she did not comply. Coleman told the court that the rules required her to address her children as “Sir” and “Madam”, “so I could understand I was beneath everyone.” During her testimony, Coleman also said her former husband was paranoid about reports of the family in the media. “He was so focused on the fact that world’s eyes were on us … he said we have to look like a happy family,” she said. Coleman told the court that during interviews, Boyle – once an aspiring journalist – attempted to control the narrative of the couple’s time in Afghanistan. “He would give verbal or physical instructions about what could be answered … what story we could tell or what part of captivity we could talk about,” said Coleman. The 19 charges against Boyle are all related to alleged events after the family returned to Canada. Coleman was the alleged victim in 17 of the offences; a publication ban protects the identity of a second alleged victim. The trial is expected to last eight weeks.

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UPDATE 1-Israeli troops wound Palestinians, anniversary rally approaches

Israeli troops shot and wounded 10 Palestinians on the Gaza border on Friday, Gaza medical officials said, as Israeli tanks massed on the eve of a huge rally to mark the first anniversary of the start of the deadly protests. Around 200 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured by Israeli fire at the protests, Gaza medics say, as the demonstrations turned into an often deadly standoff between Gazans hurling rocks and petrol bombs and Israel troops on the other side of the fence. Israel defends its use of lethal force, saying that its troops are defending the border and Israelis living near it.

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Ben Shapiro responds to being called 'alt-right' and 'radical' by media

The Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro reacts to the media's attacks against him on 'Fox & Friends.'

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Viking Sky cruise timeline: A breakdown of what we know happened

Here's a breakdown of everything we know so far about the Viking Sky cruise.

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The War Between Trump and Schiff is Just Starting

A proponent of Trump-Russia collusion theories, Rep. Adam Schiff has been enveloped by fallout from the conclusions of Mueller's investigation.

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A look at Sunday's local elections in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey is holding local elections on Sunday that are seen as a test of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's popularity amid a sharp economic downturn. Erdogan, who has not lost a vote since his party came to power in 2002, has cast the elections as a "matter of national survival" and has been campaigning for a strong mandate that he says would come as slap to Turkey's enemies. If his party sweeps municipal seats, Erdogan's dominance would be further solidified with his grip on the presidency, parliament and local administration. But a loss in major cities could signal a crack in his party's long hold on power.

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Pope signs law to prevent child abuse in Vatican and its embassies

Although the city state within Rome is tiny, and very few children live there, the sweeping legal changes reflect a desire to show that the Catholic Church is finally acting against clerical child abuse after decades of scandals around the world. It is the first time a unified and detailed policy for the protection of children has been compiled for the Vatican and its embassies and universities outside the city state. The law sets up procedures for reporting suspected abuse, imposes more screening of prospective employees, and sets strict guidelines for adult interaction with children and the use of social media.

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Boeing MCAS anti-stall system was activated in Ethiopia crash: source

Boeing's MCAS anti-stall system, which was implicated in the October crash of a 737 MAX 8 in Indonesia, was also activated shortly before a recent accident in Ethiopia, a source with knowledge of the investigation said Friday. The information is part of preliminary findings from the analysis of black boxes from Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, which crashed southeast of Addis Ababa killing 157 people on March 10, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. The information was presented Thursday to US authorities, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the source said.

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Who is paying for Monsanto's crimes? We are

A US court ordered Monsanto to pay $80m in damages because it hid cancer risks. That’s a small consolation for victims ‘And while Bayer may dole out a few billion dollars in damages, who is really being made to pay?’ Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images The chickens are coming home to roost, as they say in farm country. For the second time in less than eight months a US jury has found that decades of scientific evidence demonstrates a clear cancer connection to Monsanto’s line of top-selling Roundup herbicides, which are used widely by consumers and farmers. Twice now jurors have additionally determined that the company’s own internal records show Monsanto has intentionally manipulated the public record to hide the cancer risks. Both juries found punitive damages were warranted because the company’s cover-up of cancer risks was so egregious. The juries saw evidence that Monsanto has ghost-written scientific papers, tried to silence scientists, scuttled independent government testing and cozied up to regulators for favorable safety reviews of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Even the US district judge Vince Chhabria, who oversaw the San Francisco trial that concluded Wednesday with an $80.2m damage award, had harsh words for Monsanto. Chhabria said there were “large swaths of evidence” showing that the company’s herbicides could cause cancer. He also said there was “a great deal of evidence that Monsanto has not taken a responsible, objective approach to the safety of its product … and does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue.” Monsanto’s new owner, the German pharmaceutical company Bayer, asserts that the juries and judges are wrong; the evidence of a cancer risk is invalid; the evidence of bad corporate conduct is misunderstood and out of context; and that the company will ultimately prevail. Meanwhile, Monsanto critics are celebrating the wins and counting on more as a third trial got underway this week and 11,000 additional plaintiffs await their turn. As well, a growing number of communities and businesses are backing away from use of Monsanto’s herbicides. And investors are punishing Bayer, pushing share prices to a seven-year low on Thursday. Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Tom Claps has warned shareholders to brace for a global settlement of between $2.5bn and $4.5bn. “We don’t believe [Monsanto] will lose every single trial, but we do believe that they could lose a significant majority,” he told the Guardian. Following the recent courtroom victories, some have cheered the notion that Monsanto is finally being made to pay for alleged wrongdoing. But by selling to Bayer last summer for $63bn just before the Roundup cancer lawsuits started going to trial, Monsanto executives were able to walk away from the legal mess with riches. The Monsanto chairman Hugh Grant’s exit package allowed him to pocket $32m, for instance. Amid the uproar of the courtroom scuffles, a larger issue looms: Monsanto’s push to make use of glyphosate herbicides so pervasive that traces are commonly found in our food and even our bodily fluids, is just one example of how several corporate giants are creating lasting human health and environmental woes around the world. Monsanto and its brethren have targeted farmers in particular as a critical market for their herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, and now many farmers around the world believe they cannot farm without them. Studies show that along with promoting illness and disease in people, these pesticides pushed by Bayer and Monsanto, DowDuPont and other corporate players, are endangering wildlife, soil health, water quality and the long-term sustainability of food production. Yet regulators have allowed these corporations to combine forces, making them ever more powerful and more able to direct public policies that favor their interests. The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren this week called for taking back some of that power. She announced on Wednesday a plan to break up big agribusinesses and work against the type of corporate capture of Washington we have seen in recent years. It’s a solid step in the right direction. But it cannot undo the suffering of cancer victims, nor easily transform a deeply contaminated landscape to create a healthier future and unleash us from the chains of a pesticide-dependent agricultural system. And while Bayer may dole out a few billion dollars in damages, who is really being made to pay? We all are. Carey Gillam is a journalist and author, and a public interest researcher for US Right to Know, a not-for-profit food industry research group

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New Australian laws could see social media execs jailed over terror images

Australia pledged Saturday to introduce new laws that could see social media executives jailed and tech giants fined billions for failing to remove extremist material from their platforms. The tough new legislation will be brought to parliament next week as Canberra pushes for social media companies to prevent their platforms from being "weaponised" by terrorists in the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks. Facebook said it "quickly" removed a staggering 1.5 million videos of the white supremacist massacre livestreamed on the social media platform.

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Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide

The 2020 field has become crowded in recent weeks. Here's a look at who has announced their candidacy or opened an exploratory committee in the hunt for the presidency.

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Redacted Mueller report expected to be released by mid-April

WASHINGTON (AP) — A redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation will be sent to Congress by mid-April and will not be shared with the White House beforehand, Attorney General William Barr said Friday.

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The Best Family SUVs

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U.K. Edges Closer to Election After May's Brexit Deal Defeat

Speaking after the result of the vote was announced Friday afternoon, the prime minister gave a veiled warning that an election could be necessary to end the stalemate in the House of Commons, which has failed to back a Brexit plan after months of trying. May said the defeat of her strategy had “grave” implications for the country, while the European Commission said an economically damaging no-deal split is now “a likely scenario.” EU leaders will meet for an emergency summit on April 10 to seek a way forward.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Saturday 30 March 2019