WorldReutersPope's risky trip to Iraq defies sceptics
Rockets have hit Iraqi cities and COVID-19 has flared,yet, barring last-minute changes, Pope Francis will embark on a whirlwind four-day trip starting on Friday to show solidarity with the country's devastated Christian community. Keen to get on the road again after the pandemic put paid to several planned trips, he convinced some perplexed Vatican aides that it is worth the risk and that, in any case, his mind was made up, three Vatican sources said. "He is itching to get back out on the road after such a long period," said one Vatican official.
U.S.The State‘Are they crying for me?’ Young boys vanish along with their father, Missouri cops say
Police are searching for a dad and his two young sons after they disappeared late last week in Missouri. Police responded to the Warsaw home of Darrell Peak, 40, Friday morning and family explained that Peak had left the home with his two sons — Mayson, 3, and Kaiden, 4 — around 4 p.m. the day before, the Greene County Sheriff's Office said Sunday. Officials have tried several times to issue an Amber Alert, but say the case doesn't meet the criteria.
WorldThe TelegraphFireball over Gloucestershire sparks hundreds of reports as public told not to touch meteorite fragments
A fireball over Gloucestershire sparked hundreds of reports of sightings, experts have said, prompting warnings for the public not to touch meteorite fragments. Pieces of meteor are believed to have landed in Cheltenham or nearby after the yellow-green fireball was visible for around six seconds at 9.55pm on Sunday night. There have now been more than 900 reports of sightings to the International Meteor Organisation (IMO), which have come from as far away as Belgium and the Netherlands.
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Archaeologists uncover ancient carriage near Pompeii
This Roman carriage was unearthed outside Pompeii the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD Archaeologists found it near the stables of a villa "... a unique find, without any precedent in Italy." - Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism
PoliticsFort Worth Star-TelegramWhat’s next for $1,400 checks? Biden weighs lower income threshold, Senate vote looms
After the U.S. House of Representatives approved President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus deal and sent it to the Senate, White House officials indicated Biden is open to lowering the income threshold for direct payments. The legislation passed by the House last week includes $1,400 direct payments for individuals making up to $75,000 a year and married couples earning up to $150,000 a year. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Fox News Sunday that Biden is willing to lower the maximum income for stimulus check eligibility to “ensure they hit the Americans who need that help the most.”
WorldNBC NewsThe New Chapo: An inside look at the hunt for El Mencho, Mexico's bloodiest drug lord
The Drug Enforcement Administration now believes the CJNG is responsible for tons of meth and fentanyl flowing into the United States each month. CJNG is our No. priority right now,” said Bill Bodner, the special agent in charge of the DEA's Los Angeles field division, who oversees a group of agents specifically tasked with tracking down the cartel's leader.
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UN says 15 Europe-bound migrants die at sea off Libya
At least 15 Africans drowned when their boat capsized Sunday off Libya, a U.N. spokeswoman said, the second shipwreck involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe in just over a week. Safa Msehli, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said the dead were on a rubber boat carrying at least 110 migrants, who embarked from the Libyan coastal town of Zawiya on Friday. The boat started to sink early Sunday and the Libyan coast guard managed to rescue at least 95 migrants, including six women and two children, she said.
ScienceBBCRadar images capture new Antarctic mega-iceberg
The Halley research station is sited just over 20km from the line of fracture, but GPS stations installed around the facility reported continued stability. "We didn't think there would be a reaction simply because, glaciologically speaking, the ice around Halley is slightly separated from the area that produced A74; there's not a good way for stress to be transmitted across to the ice under the station," explained Dr Oliver Marsh from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). "Since Friday's calving, we've had a lot more high-precision GPS data that measures centimetre changes in strain along a whole range of baselines, and none of these show anything different from what was happening before the calving," he told BBC News.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe Supreme Court finally rejected Sidney Powell's election conspiracy theory lawsuits
The Supreme Court rejected two lawsuits filed by the Trump ally Sidney Powell. It extends the extraordinary losing streak for lawsuits seeking to overturn 2020 election results. President Joe Biden was inaugurated more than a month ago.
U.S.Charlotte ObserverNC trooper put man in chokehold and said, ‘This is how they taught me,’ lawsuit says
A new federal lawsuit claims that a disabled Vietnam veteran was beaten and choked in his front yard by a gang of attackers. In fact, Jerry Baxter's complaint alleges that four North Carolina state troopers came onto his Lincoln County property without warrants in 2018, refused to leave, then beat and choked Baxter in front of his wife and 4-year-old grandson — to the point that the then-69-year-old thought he was about to die. The court filing names troopers Randall Lee Neal, Brian Matthew Black, Joshua Lee Craig and Chuck Lee, and accuses them of assault, federal and state constitutional violations, excessive force, malicious conduct, among other claims.
PoliticsThe GuardianCalls to can Goya Foods grow after CEO repeats Trump's election lies
Calls for a boycott of Goya beans, chickpeas and other foodstuffs have grown louder after chief executive Robert Unanue made a series of false claims about the presidential election in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Florida on Sunday. Onstage in Orlando, Unanue called Donald Trump “the real, legitimate and still actual president of the United States”. He also falsely claimed the presidential election that Trump lost conclusively to Joe Biden and the state contest in Georgia, which Biden won narrowly, were “not legitimate”, and claimed mail-in ballots were fraudulent.
U.S.INSIDERMinneapolis approved funding to hire social media influencers to spread information about ex cop Derek Chauvin's trial
Minneapolis city council approved funding to hire social media influencers for Derek Chauvin's trial, WCCO-TV reported. The influencers will be paid to provide the local community with information about the trial. Chauvin was charged in Floyd's death, and his trial is set to begin on March 8.
WorldThe IndependentFar-right Proud Boys leader condemns Capitol rioters but says he 'won't cry' about politicians
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio has condemned the rioters who besieged the US Capitol, but will not “cry” about lawmakers who came under attack on the day. Mr Tarrio, who was arrested two days before some members of the Proud Boys – and other Trump supporters – rioted at the US Capitol, told CNN that lawmakers did not need sympathy after the attack. The remarks come despite concerns among members of Congress that they were targets of those who broke into the complex on 6 January, citing baseless claims the 2020 election was “stolen”.
U.S.The Daily BeastFauci Fires Back at Kristi Noem Saying He’s ‘Wrong’: ‘The Numbers Don’t Lie’
Biden's chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci hit back at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's harsh criticism of him on Sunday, saying her comments about him at this weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) were “not very helpful” and “unfortunate.” Noem, who has received praise from conservatives for largely ignoring coronavirus restrictions and guidelines, got a standing ovation from the CPAC crowd when she boasted about ignoring the medical advice of experts and called out Fauci for supposedly being “wrong.” Appearing on CBS News' Face the Nation, Fauci was asked if that sentiment was an impediment to the nation's recovery.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe Bidens, in a rare gesture, immediately greeted the White House residence staff upon entering the building on Inauguration Day, staffer says
The Bidens immediately greeted the White House staff upon entering the building on Inauguration Day. "Usually we meet them in the first days or first weeks, but never in the first minutes," a staffer said. Biden has publicly expressed some reservations about being waited on by residence staff.
U.S.USA TODAY6-year-old boy was killed, thrown into the Ohio River, police say. His mom is charged with murder.
The 6-year-old boy killed over the weekend died after his mother attempted to abandon him in a park and then ran over him when he tried to get back in the car, court documents state. The documents state Brittany Gosney, 29, tried to leave her son, James Robert Hutchinson, at a Preble County Park, according to Cincinnati Enquirer media partner Fox 19. Gosney reported the 6-year-old reported missing Sunday morning, but police said she later admitted what happened.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGoya Foods CEO said Trump is 'the still actual president' and doubled down on false election claims at CPAC
Goya Foods CEO: Trump is "the legitimate and the still actual president of the United States." CNN reported the executive praised Trump during the Conservative Political Action Conference. The CEO of Goya Foods said Donald Trump is the "actual" US president nearly six weeks after President Joe Biden's inauguration.
PoliticsThe IndependentCPAC 2021: Kevin McCarthy says he would bet his own home that Republicans take back the House in 2022
Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has said that he would bet his own home that Republicans take back the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterms. During a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida Mr McCarthy said to a cheering crowd: "We're going to get the majority back, we're five seats away! I would bet my house ...
HealthINSIDERRestrictive dieting and over-exercising is causing women to lose their periods
Madigan, now a healthy personal trainer who helps women regain their menstrual cycles, had what's known as functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA), which is where you have no period for 90 days or more (or less than three in a year), generally due to stress, over-restrictive dieting, not having enough body fat, or over-exercising. Often it's a combination of all factors, according to consultant gynecologist Dr. Lisa Webber. Not only does FHA mean you can't have children, but it can also lead to osteoporosis and possibly a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCuomo reverses course, asks New York Attorney General and top judge to appoint independent investigator over sexual harassment claims
New York Attorney General Letitia James asked Gov. Cuomo to allow her office to investigate claims against him. Two former staffers have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. Numerous lawmakers, including Biden, have called for an independent investigation into the claims.
PoliticsUSA TODAYHouse passes Joe Biden's COVID-19 relief bill with $1,400 personal checks, legislation heads to Senate
The Democratically controlled House approved President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package early Saturday, a measure that would provide millions of Americans $1,400 payments, ramp up vaccine distribution and extend unemployment aid through the summer. The measure heads to the Senate where it faces a rocky path in the evenly divided chamber. The bill is unlikely to receive any support from Senate Republicans, who cite its size and scope, so the president would have to count on every one of the 50 Democratic senators – and a tiebreaking 51st vote from Vice President Kamala Harris – to make sure its pillars remain intact.
PoliticsThe WeekJodie Foster wins a Golden Globe in another big surprise
Another shock winner has been picked at the 2021 Golden Globes. Jodie Foster on Sunday won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for her performance in The Mauritanian. It was a major upset, as pundits widely thought the winner would either be Glenn Close for Hillbilly Elegy, Amanda Seyfried for Mank, or Olivia Colman for The Father.
WorldBusiness InsiderHyatt Hotels said it's taking claims the CPAC stage was inspired by a Nazi rune 'very seriously' and called hate symbols 'abhorrent'
Hyatt, the event host, said it took the concerns seriously and called hate symbols "abhorrent." Hyatt Hotels Corporation called hate symbols "abhorrent" after the stage at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference, which took place at a Hyatt hotel, resembled a Nordic rune that appeared on Nazi uniforms. CPAC was held Thursday to Sunday at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida.
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Complex culture clash as Venezuelan migrants flood into Chile
Anyier, 40, set off on a journey of thousands of kilometers on foot from Venezuela to Chile with her daughter Dany, 14, and partner Reinaldo, 26
PoliticsBusiness InsiderHere are the false and misleading claims Trump made in his CPAC speech
Trump spoke at CPAC on Sunday in his first major speech since leaving the White House. The former president hinted at a 2024 run and railed against President Joe Biden. Former President Donald Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, his first speech since leaving the White House.
“How about we skip ‘he won’t win’ cycle and not do 2016 all over again. Trump can absolutely win another presidential election.”
“With independents deserting him, there is simply no path for Trump to get back into the White House — except as a tourist.”
“They might as well cancel the 2024 primaries...because there is no way he can lose.”
“The next Republican presidential primary will be heavily shaped by Trump — whether or not he decides to run again.”
“Donald Trump will not be running for president again. He will, however, continue to tease the possibility of a 2024 run.”