WorldAFPSyria says Trump Golan U-turn ignores international law
The Syrian government on Friday condemned US President Donald Trump's pledge to recognise Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, saying it flies in the face of international law. Trump said on Thursday it was time for Washington to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic territory it seized from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and annexed in a move never recognised by the international community. His abrupt tweet broke with UN Security Council resolutions and with more than half a century of US foreign policy treating the Golan as occupied territory whose future would be negotiated in talks with Syria on a comprehensive peace.
WorldAssociated PressThe Latest: New Zealanders to observe Muslim call to prayer
People across New Zealand will listen to the Muslim call to prayer on Friday as the nation marks one week since a gunman attacked two mosques and killed 50 people. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and thousands of other people plan to congregate in Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch to observe the call to prayer at 1:30 p.m. Many radio and television stations plan to broadcast the event live. At least 42 people died at the Al Noor mosque and at least seven at the nearby Linwood mosque in last Friday's attack.
- NewsThe Independent
JetBlue pilots who drugged and raped flight attendants continued working for airline without repercussion, lawsuit says
Three female flight attendants claim they were drugged and two of them raped by two JetBlue pilots during a layover in Puerto Rico, a new lawsuit filed this week in New York federal court has claimed. At least one of the female flight attendants said she was forced to work with one of the accused pilots after the alleged rape. After making their way to a beach in Puerto Rico near the hotel they were staying during their layover in May of last year, the women were offered sips from one of the flight attendant's alcoholic beverages.
- WorldLiveScience.com
'Inland Oceans' from One of Southern Hemisphere's Worst Storms Seen from Space
A deadly cyclone that hit southern Africa left extensive flooding that looked like "inland oceans" in images from space taken just days after the storm made landfall. Sentinel-1, a satellite mission that's part of the European Union's Earth-observation program, Copernicus, captured imagery on March 19 that showed far-reaching floodwaters around Mozambique's town of Beira on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Cyclone Idai could turn out to be "one of the worst weather-related disasters" in the Southern Hemisphere, said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization.
- BusinessConsumer Reports
IRS Loosens Tax Penalty for Millions
In more typical tax years, most taxpayers must pay at least 90 percent of their federal taxes for a given year, or 100 percent of what they owed the year before, in order to avoid an underpayment penalty. The change comes in response to public outcry. As the tax season progressed this year, reports of taxpayer outrage at lower refunds and higher-than-expected tax bills suggested far more people than expected were caught unawares.
- BusinessThe National Interest
Bringing the Sting: The U.S. Navy Is Getting New F/A-18E/F Super Hornets
David Axe Security, The Super Hornets would be the first new-build examples of the Block III variant of the F/A-18E/F. The Block III flies farther and carries more weapons than an older F/A-18E/F can do and also is stealthier than earlier Super Hornet models are. The U.S. Navy in mid-March 2019 awarded Chicago plane-maker Boeing a $4-billion contract to build 78 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for the U.S. Navy. The Super Hornets would be the first new-build examples of the Block III variant of the F/A-18E/F. The Block III flies farther and carries more weapons than an older F/A-18E/F can do and also is stealthier than earlier Super Hornet models are.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Report: Sydney Aiello, who survived the Parkland high school shooting, dies by suicide
A recent graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who survived the Parkland school shooting has died by suicide, the student's mother told CBS Miami. Sydney Aiello was 19 when she died Sunday, according to a GoFundMe page set up in her honor. Sydney aspired to work in the medical field helping others in need," the campaign says.
WorldReutersExclusive: U.S. threatens to derail meeting of Latam lender if China bars Venezuela
The United States on Thursday threatened to pull out of the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank in China next week if Beijing refuses to allow a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to attend. The Washington-based IADB, the biggest lender to Latin America, voted last week to replace Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's board representative with Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann, who is backed by Guaido. Several sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that China - one of the Venezuelan government's few remaining international allies - had proposed not inviting representatives from either the Maduro or Guaido camps to "de-politici...
BusinessAFPAfter crashes, Boeing rolls out safety feature previously sold as option
Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft will be outfitted with a warning light for malfunctions in the anti-stall system suspected in October's fatal crash in Indonesia, an industry source told AFP Thursday, standardizing a feature previously sold as an optional extra. The development comes as the manufacturer struggles to cope with the fallout from both the Indonesia crash and another in Ethiopia this month, which have cast a spotlight on the safety certification process and shaken confidence in a plane that is crucial to its future plans. Known as a "disagree light," this safety feature will become standard and is among the modifications the company will present to US authorities and clients in the coming days, the source said on condition of anonymity.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Photos of the New 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe
Porsche joins competitors Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz with a coupe version of its Cayenne SUV at a modest price premium over the standard Cayenne and Cayenne Turbo. From Car and Driver
NewsAssociated PressEx-cop says he thought he saw a gun when he shot black teen
A white former police officer said Thursday he thought a weapon was pointed at him when he shot and killed an unarmed black teenager outside Pittsburgh last summer. Former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld took the stand at his homicide trial and insisted he was in fear for his life when he gunned down 17-year-old Antwon Rose II. Rosfeld, 30, got choked up and dabbed away tears as he recounted finding the mortally wounded Rose on the ground.
PoliticsYahoo NewsDemocrats accuse Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner of violating law with private emails
President Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been using private email accounts and the messaging service WhatsApp to conduct official government business, the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee said in a Thursday letter to the White House. The use of private email and apps by two presidential advisers could violate the Presidential Records Act. It also would amount to the same activity that Republicans, led by Trump, campaigned on in 2016 as evidence of Hillary Clinton's alleged criminality.
WorldBloombergBrexit End Likely to Be Based on a Customs Union, JPMorgan Says
The realities of the Brexit situation indicate that the U.K. is going to end up with “something that's founded on a customs union” with the European Union, according to Karen Ward, chief market strategist for Europe, Middle East and Africa at JPMorgan Asset Management. There are two realities to Brexit,” Ward said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday. One is: there is a border between northern and southern Ireland.
- NewsAssociated Press
Correction: Southern Flood Threat story
A corrected version of the story is below: Unprecedented spring flooding possible, US forecasters say The National Weather Service says the flooding of Nebraska and Iowa is just a preview of potentially historic widespread major flooding to hit much of America this spring By SETH BORENSTEIN and JEFF MARTIN Associated Press The stage is set for unprecedented major flooding this spring for most of the nation, U.S. weather officials said Thursday. More than 200 million Americans are at risk for some kind of flooding, with 13 million of them at risk of major inundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its spring weather outlook.
- BusinessU.S.News & World Report
Strengthen Your Retirement Security in 7 Steps
Retirement security is the ability to live a comfortable retirement without the burden of financial stress. Early planning is the best way to ensure a financially secure retirement, but not everyone has the luxury of time to prepare. The financial decisions you make in the years approaching retirement will have a significant impact on your retirement security.
BusinessUSA TODAYRobocalls: AT&T CEO gets spam call alert on his Apple Watch during a live interview
On Wednesday, Randall Stephenson, the CEO of AT&T, was in the middle of a live interview on stage at the Economic Club of Washington D.C. when he got a notification on his Apple Watch indicating that he was receiving a call. Stephenson temporarily interrupted the interview as he checked to see who was calling. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson gets a robocall while onstage at @TheEconomicClub.
U.S.Reuters VideosWallenda high-wire plunge video released
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has released video showing a 2017 high-wire accident that left five members of the famous Wallenda family injured. The performers were practicing an eight-person pyramid when they lost theIr balance. The accident is reportedly the subject of litigation by one of those who fell.
WorldAFPTwo US soldiers killed in Afghanistan: NATO
Two US service members were killed in Afghanistan Friday, NATO said, in the latest casualties to hit the international coalition amid ongoing peace talks between Washington and the Taliban. NATO's Resolute Support mission would not immediately release any details about the soldiers but said they had been killed during an unspecified "operation" in the country. "In accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the name of the service members killed in action are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete," said NATO.
BusinessReutersU.S. lawmaker seeks Boeing whistleblowers, some MAX 737 orders in jeopardy
American Airlines pilots were preparing to test Boeing's planned software upgrade for an anti-stall system on MAX simulators this weekend, saying they want their own safety guarantees on the software fix. The 737 MAX was Boeing's fastest selling jet before an Ethiopian Airlines crash near Addis Ababa on March 10, which followed a Lion Air crash in Indonesia on Oct. 29. Ethiopian and French investigators have pointed to "clear similarities" between the two crashes, which killed 346 people, putting pressure on Boeing and U.S. regulators to come up with an adequate fix.
WorldAFPChina factory blast death toll jumps to 64, man rescued after 40 hours
The death toll in a chemical plant explosion in China rose to 64 Saturday but rescuers found a survivor among more than two dozen still missing in the debris of one of the country's worst industrial accidents in recent years. Thursday's explosion in the eastern city of Yancheng injured hundreds and flattened an industrial park. The local fire brigade pulled a man in his 40s from the rubble of the destroyed chemical plant around dawn on Saturday, according to a statement on the city government's official Weibo account.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Robert Mueller's Russia investigation may have concluded but Trump cannot breathe a sigh of relief just yet
After two years, more than 30 indictments or guilty pleas and close to 200 individual charges – special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation is expected to be wound up within a few more days. It is up to Mr Barr as to what Congress, and by extension the US public, see of the report. Mr Barr has pledged transparency over a report that at least one US official is said to have called “comprehensive”.
- NewsAssociated Press
$625M Powerball drawing would be US' 7th-largest jackpot
Lottery officials say the Powerball jackpot for Saturday's drawing has climbed to an estimated $625 million, which would be the seventh-largest lottery grand prize in U.S. history. A look at the 10 largest U.S. jackpots that have been won and the states where the winning tickets were sold: 1. billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee) 2.
- LifestyleNational Review
More Misconceptions about College
Now that we've all had a good airing of grievances about elite colleges and their attendant injustices, let's get some perspective. While the numbers of high-school graduates heading off to college have increased in recent years, the percentages graduating with a four-year degree have not increased much. Many students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college, drop out before receiving a degree.
BusinessAssociated PressMarkets Right Now: Stocks, yields drop on growth worries
The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local): 4 p.m. Stocks closed broadly lower on Wall Street, erasing their gains for the week, as investors became increasingly worried that the global economy is slowing down. Traders shifted money into bonds and other low-risk assets Friday.
- BusinessBGR News
T-Mobile unveils home broadband service that could expand after Sprint merger
T-Mobile on Thursday unveiled a limited home internet service that it plans to pilot for 50,000 mobile customers at $50 a month, with the company promising it could build on that, and eventually offer a lot more once its $26.5 billion merger with Sprint finally goes through. For now, the new invitation-only service will focus on areas where the carrier can deliver high-speed internet access to connect up to 50,000 homes in rural and underserved parts of the country. Once it merges with Sprint, however, T-Mobile says it should be able to cover more than half of the US with broadband service by 2024.
