U.S.The IndependentFlorida man arrested while attempting to go to Biden’s inauguration after ‘storming Capitol’
A Florida man who participated in the deadly pro-Trump mob attacks on the US Capitol was arrested after returning to Washington to attend President Joe Biden's inauguration ceremonies, prosecutors said at a Thursday bail hearing. Samuel Camargo, 26, was wanted by the FBI after one of his former classmates reportedly tipped the agency off to his involvement in the riots on 6 January, as Congress convened to certify former President Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 elections. The apparent supporter of the former president posted several videos to his social media accounts that showed him “at one of the doorways to the U.S. Capitol Building, using his mobile phone to video tape his struggle with the U.S. Capitol Police over opening a door to the U.S. Capitol Building,” according to a criminal complaint.
WorldAssociated PressUN agency: Libyan navy intercepts over 80 EU-bound migrants
Libya's coast guard intercepted on Friday more than 80 Europe-bound migrants in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the North African country, the U.N. migration agency said. The migrants were returned to Libyan soil, said the International Organization for Migration. They will most likely be held under dire conditions in detention centers that Libya has become notorious for.
WorldReuters'Choose - I kill you or rape you': abuse accusations surge in Ethiopia's war
The young coffee seller said she was split from family and friends by an Ethiopian soldier at the Tekeze river, taken down a path, and given a harrowing choice. "He said: 'Choose, either I kill you or rape you'," the 25-year-old told Reuters at the Hamdayet refugee camp in Sudan where she had fled from conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region. The doctor who treated her when she arrived at the camp in December, Tewadrous Tefera Limeuh, confirmed to Reuters that he provided pills to stop pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases, and guided her to a psychotherapist.
U.S.The IndependentAOC offers National Guard her office to sleep in after they were sent to garage following riots
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offered National Guard troops her office to sleep in after US Capitol police moved their rest area to a nearby car park. Politico reported on Wednesday evening that National Guard troops drafted in to protect the Capitol after the Pro-Trump riots on 6 January had been asked to move their rest area away from the buildings and into a garage. Thousands of guardsmen were called up following the riots to help secure President Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, and have continued patrolling the Capitol amid ongoing fears of violence.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestAD100 Designer Monique Gibson Designs a Tribeca Aerie with High-Impact Views
800 feet up in the sky, the Dreamy 6,000 square foot space offers panoramic views from the East River to the Hudson Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAssociated PressIran, pressured by blackouts and pollution, targets Bitcoin
Within days, as frustration spread among residents, the government launched a wide-ranging crackdown on Bitcoin processing centers, which require immense amounts of electricity to power their specialized computers and to keep them cool — a burden on Iran's power grid. Authorities shuttered 1,600 centers across the country, including, for the first time, those legally authorized to operate. As the latest in a series of conflicting government moves, the clampdown stirred confusion in the crypto industry — and suspicion that Bitcoin had become a useful scapegoat for the nation's deeper-rooted problems.
WorldReutersHungary PM says too early to talk about lifting COVID-19 restrictions
Hungary cannot lift restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus until it can carry out a mass inoculation of the people, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday. Orban said the best approach was to authorise the use of several vaccines as competition would force manufacturers to speed up shipments. "We don't need explanations, we need vaccines," Orban said, adding that he hoped Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who is in Moscow for talks on Friday, can secure a deal to buy Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.
- BusinessAssociated Press Videos
Biden signs orders retooling US COVID-19 response
With a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden served notice that the nation's COVID-19 response is under new management. "We're in a national emergency and it is time we treated it like one," Biden said. Jan.
PoliticsThe IndependentUS Capitol Police investigating whether Republican congressman attempted to take gun into House vote
US Capitol Police (USCP) are investigating whether Republican congressman Andy Harris attempted to take a gun into the House of Representatives. According to a report by The Huffington Post, Mr Harr set off its newly installed metal detectors as he sought to enter Congress on Thursday, prompting an official to scan him with a hand wand that revealed he was carrying a firearm under his suit jacket. The Maryland representative had been intending to vote on a waiver to allow retired US Army general Lloyd Austin to serve as president Joe Biden's new defence secretary.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden: Why everyone is talking about the new president’s watch
Joe Biden's inauguration watch caused a stir online after it was pointed out the new president wore a $7,000 Rolex to get sworn in. Mr Biden picked a stainless steel Rolex Datejust with a blue dial to wear on his first day in the White House on Wednesday. The watch was a departure from some previous presidents, such as Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama, who chose less expensive timepieces, according to the New York Times.
U.S.Associated PressAttorneys: Tennessee man in Capitol riot danger to community
Federal prosecutors said a Tennessee man who carried flexible plastic handcuffs around the U.S. Capitol during the recent raid by Trump supporters is a danger to his community and a serious flight risk, and are asking that he be detained until trial. In a court filing ahead of a Friday detention hearing in Nashville, prosecutors described a Jan. 10 search of Eric Munchel's home that turned up assault rifles, a sniper rifle with a tripod, shotguns, pistols, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a drum-style magazine. In the memorandum in support of detention, prosecutors said Munchel traveled to Washington with his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, who has also been charged in the Capitol riot and has a detention hearing set for July.
WorldAssociated PressDiplomats contact Canadian held for over 2 years in China
Canada said its officials have met online with former diplomat Michael Kovrig, who has been held in China for more than two years in a case related to an executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. Canada's Foreign Ministry said officials led by Ambassador Dominic Barton were given “on-site virtual consular access” to Kovrig on Thursday. Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been confined since Dec. 10, 2018, just days after Canada detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the founder of the Chinese telecommunications equipment giant.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden watches fireworks with grandchildren from White House balcony as he repeats ‘unity’ call at end of momentous day for America
Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, and their extended family watched from the White House as fireworks lit up the sky at the end of a star-studded inauguration event, where the newly-elected president urged Americans to “unify” for their common love of the country. Standing at the blue room balcony on the first floor of the White House above the south lawn, the president and the first lady watched the end of the day's events as their grandchildren and other family members clapped. Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, also watched the fireworks from the steps of the Washington Monument after Ms Harris delivered her speech as the first woman vice-president of US.
WorldAssociated PressTens of thousands protest against Nepal's prime minister
Tens of thousands of people protested in Nepal's capital on Friday against the prime minister for dissolving Parliament and ordering new elections in an escalating feud within the governing party. The supporters of a splinter group in the Nepal Communist Party marched peacefully in the center of Kathmandu as they demanded that Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli reinstate Parliament. Security was tight in the capital, with barbed wire barriers and police in riot gear blocking the area around the main government offices.
U.S.The Daily BeastOath Keeper Charged in Capitol Riots Was ‘Preparing for Literal War,’ Feds Say
A member of the far-right paramilitary group the Oath Keepers who's been charged with conspiring to storm the Capitol was ready “for violence” during the deadly riot and had plans for a “further insurrection,” federal prosecutors said Friday. “The plan was never for peaceful protest,” a Virginia prosecutor said during a detention hearing for Donovan Crowl, a former U.S. Marine. Crowl, 50, is one of three members of the right-wing group who've been charged with conspiring to disrupt the congressional session to certify President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory.
WorldAssociated PressStrong earthquake shakes southern Philippines; no tsunami
A powerful earthquake shook parts of the southern Philippines on Thursday night, but authorities said it was too deep to cause major damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The quake measured magnitude 7.0 and was located 95.8 kilometers (60 miles) below the sea and about 210 kilometers (130 miles) southeast of Pondaguitan in Davao Occidental province, the U.S. Geological Survey said. In Davao city, President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown, some residents ran out of their houses as the ground shook and power cables and business signs swayed, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.
U.S.The IndependentTexas sues Biden administration claiming halt in deportations is ‘unlawful’
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Department of Homeland Security in an attempt to halt the Biden administration's “unlawful” freeze on deportations. In a complaint filed with US District Court, Mr Paxton is seeking a restraining order against the new president's executive order rolling back immigration policies of the Trump administration. The suit alleges the directive from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires that the department seek input from Texas.
U.S.USA TODAYBreonna Taylor grand jurors file petition to impeach Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron
Three grand jurors in the Breonna Taylor case filed a petition with the state House of Representatives Friday, objecting to the conduct of Attorney General Daniel Cameron and calling for his impeachment. A press release indicated the attorney for three of the grand jurors in the Taylor case signed onto the petition on their behalf in order to protect their identities. The petition alleges Cameron breached public trust and failed to comply with his duties by misrepresenting the findings of the grand jury in the Taylor case.
WorldAssociated PressTwitter bans suspect Iran account after post threatens Trump
Twitter said Friday it has permanently banned an account that some in Iran believe is linked to the office of the country's supreme leader after a posting that seemed to threaten former President Donald Trump. In the image posted by the suspect account late Thursday, Trump is shown playing golf in the shadow of a giant drone, with the caption “Revenge is certain” written in Farsi. In response to a request for comment from The Associated Press, a Twitter spokesman said the account was fake and violated the company's “manipulation and spam policy," without elaborating how it came to that conclusion.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden plans a 3rd wave of executive actions for Friday, including increased food stamps and pushing the Treasury to hand out stimulus checks faster
President Biden is planning a series of moves to increase payments to combat hunger and poverty. An official says they include larger food-stamp payments and pressure to issue more relief checks. Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package to Congress that includes far bolder moves.
PoliticsThe IndependentLincoln Project co-founder says committee will go after Cruz now Trump has left office
The Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson has suggested that the political action committee will turn its attention to Texas senator Ted Cruz and other Republicans now that Donald Trump has left office. The Republican super PAC that was set up in 2019 to prevent the reelection of Mr Trump, released several videos on social media during the 2020 presidential campaign relentlessly criticising the then president and his administration. Mr Trump left the White House on Wednesday after losing November's presidential election to President Joe Biden, who was then inaugurated shortly after.
WorldAssociated PressGerman virus death toll tops 50,000 even as infections sink
The death toll from the coronavirus in Germany has passed 50,000, a number that has risen swiftly over recent weeks even as infection figures are finally declining. The country's disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said Friday that another 859 deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, taking the total so far to 50,642. Germany had a comparatively small number of deaths in the pandemic's first phase and was able to lift many restrictions quickly.
PoliticsLA TimesYes, Bernie Sanders is laughing at those viral inauguration memes too
Sen. Bernie Sanders is feeling the Bern — and the love — after a photo of him sitting alone in his face mask, winter coat and patchwork mittens at Wednesday's presidential inauguration went viral. On Thursday's episode of "Late Night With Seth Meyers," Sanders said he was amused by the now-ubiquitous image, which has Twitter hailing the Vermont senator for his commitment to social distancing and utilitarian fashion choices. Sanders couldn't help but laugh when Meyers produced one of his favorite takes on the meme, placing Inauguration Bernie on a couch with the women of "Sex and the City," and asked if Sanders had been tracking his social media fame.
WorldINSIDERDrone footage purports to show Vladimir Putin's secret $1.4 billion palace on Russia's Black Sea
A video uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday purports to show a secret $1.4 billion palace on Russia's Black Sea that allegedly belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Alexei Navalny, the Russian politician and Putin critic behind the video, alleges Putin and his billionaire friends secretly built the mansion using illicit funds. The Kremlin denies Putin has any connection the property.
U.S.Associated PressFor 1st Black Pentagon chief, racism challenge is personal
Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will have to contend not only with a world of security threats and a massive military bureaucracy, but also with a challenge that hits closer to home: rooting out racism and extremism in the ranks. Austin took office Friday as the first Black defense chief, in the wake of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where retired and current military members were among the rioters touting far-right conspiracies. Austin, who was confirmed in a 93-2 vote, has made clear that accelerating delivery of coronavirus vaccines will get his early attention.
“By encouraging this act of terror on our capital, Trump’s legacy is destroyed.”
“Both backers and critics of Trump agreed that he remade the federal judiciary — a change that will impact America for decades.”
“He was largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans who did not need to die.”
“I do know what the future should hold for this country. That is to say, a policy of Trumpism without Trump.”
“It will be decades before the consequences of his tenure are fully known.”