Typhoons, wildfires, missiles: Teen flies solo round world

As teenage pilot Zara Rutherford flew ever onward in a record-challenging global odyssey, she met little as strange or scary as when she tried to squeeze in between North Korean airspace and a massive cloud threatening to cut off passage for her ultralight plane. “Well, they test missiles once in a while without warning,” Rutherford said. “Straight away they said: 'Whatever you do, do not go into North Korean airspace!'” Fortunately the clouds cooperated enough and she didn't have to continue the crash course in applied geopolitics.

Sen. Mitt Romney says Biden was elected 'to stop the crazy' and argues that voters weren't asking him 'to transform America'

Sen. Mitt Romney on Sunday said that President Joe Biden was not elected to "transform America." Romney said that people who backed Biden "were looking to get back to normal" and "stop the crazy." The senator said that Biden's latest voting-rights speech was not helpful in forging bipartisanship.

The Queen may never meet Lilibet as Prince Harry refuses to return to UK amid security row

The Queen may never meet her great granddaughter Lilibet or see her great grandson Archie again, after the Duke of Sussex announced he will not bring his family to Britain unless he receives police protection. The Duke is threatening to sue the Home Office over its refusal to provide security on his visits to the UK. Home Office sources said they did not recognise Prince Harry's characterisation of the disagreement over his security arrangements.

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  Prince Harry files court claim over UK police protection

  Associated Press
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  Prince Harry Says It's Not Safe to Bring His Family to the UK

  PopSugar

Trump’s Arizona Speech Proves His Shock Comic Act Has Jumped the Shark

There was a time when Donald Trump made news with his rallies—when he said things that utterly shocked us. Who could forget the firestorm he started, for example, when he went after Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players who knelt during the national anthem in 2017, or earlier that year when he called Barack Obama “the founder of ISIS”? Trump's performance in Arizona on Saturday night—his first rally in months and his much-hyped chance to respond to the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot—was neither shocking nor terribly newsworthy.

Surveillance footage shows a woman left distraught after police officer shot her dog 6 times while responding to a 'barking complaint'

A video shows a Florida police officer fatally shooting a dog while responding to a barking complaint. Miami-Dade police said the investigation is active and open, and the dog owners have retained an attorney. A Florida police officer fired a gun six times at a family's dog and killed him while responding to a barking complaint, said NBC 6 South Florida.

Tesla inks deal to get key battery component outside China

Tesla is turning to Mozambique for a key component in its electric car batteries in what analysts believe is a first-of-its-kind deal designed to reduce its dependence on China for graphite. Elon Musk's company signed an agreement last month with Australia's Syrah Resources, which operates one of the world's largest graphite mines in the southern African country. It's a unique partnership between an electric vehicle manufacturer and a producer of the mineral that is critical for lithium-ion batteries.

Dramatic footage of tsunami hitting the Pacific island of Tonga after a giant underwater volcano erupted

An underwater volcanic eruption has led to tsunami warnings being issued to the people of Tonga. Tonga's capital, Nukuʻalofa, lies 40 miles north of the volcano. The Pacific nation of Tonga has issued a tsunami warning after a massive undersea volcanic eruption.

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  Tsunami observed in Samoa as Tonga volcano erupts

  Reuters Videos
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  Significant tsunami damage feared in Tonga, communications still cut

  Reuters

A radio station fired two announcers who got caught calling high school girls playing basketball 'extremely overweight' on a hot mic

Two sports announcers were fired on earlier this week after disparaging high school girls. Jim Carter and Steve Shaw criticized girls on two basketball teams for their weight. A Maine radio station based fired two sports announcers for body-shaming high school girls during a livestream of their basketball game.

Expect more worrisome variants after omicron, scientists say

Scientists warn that omicron's whirlwind advance practically ensures it won't be the last version of the coronavirus to worry the world. Every infection provides a chance for the virus to mutate, and omicron has an edge over its predecessors: It spreads way faster despite emerging on a planet with a stronger patchwork of immunity from vaccines and prior illness. Experts don't know what the next variants will look like or how they might shape the pandemic, but they say there's no guarantee the sequels of omicron will cause milder illness or that existing vaccines will work against them.

Treasure hunter strikes gold with discovery of 700-year-old Henry III coin

A detectorist has uncovered just the eighth known example of England's “first gold coinage”, with the piece expected to sell at auction for nearly half a million pounds. The Henry III coin, minted in 1257, owes its value both to its rarity and the unique portrait of the monarch on its obverse side. The coin carries a pre-sale estimate of £400,000 but past examples have sold for more than £500,000.

Some in GOP begin testing party's lockstep loyalty to Trump

Former President Donald Trump stepped up his election-year effort to dominate the Republican Party, holding a rally in Arizona on Saturday in which he castigated anyone who dares to question his lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, including the state's GOP governor, Doug Ducey. Mike Rounds, the generally unassuming senator from South Dakota, was perhaps the boldest in acknowledging the reality that the election was in fact fair. Instead of being shunned, he was supported by his GOP colleagues, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

A 74-year-old woman was exonerated of the rape and murder of her niece after spending 27 years in prison

Joyce Watkins and her boyfriend at the time, Charlie Dunn, had been convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated rape in 1988 after the death of Watkins' 4-year-old niece Brandi, CNN reported. Watkins and Dunn in 1987 picked up Brandi from the home of her great aunt in Kentucky and found her unresponsive a day later. They took her to Nashville Memorial Hospital, where doctors examined her vaginal injuries and head trauma.

Americans reinvented MLK after his assassination. Let’s remember what he really stood for

Each year, we publish this 2018 editorial from the Charlotte Observer. Its message is as relevant as ever: Martin Luther King Jr. was not a well-liked man. He was one of the most polarizing figures in the United States during his final few years of life.

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  Is the Stock Market Closed on MLK Day 2022?

  Kiplinger
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  8 Ways To Be Of Service During MLK Weekend

  Madame Noire

Microsoft discloses malware attack on Ukraine govt networks

Microsoft said late Saturday that dozens of computer systems at an unspecified number of Ukrainian government agencies have been infected with destructive malware disguised as ransomware, a disclosure suggesting an attention-grabbing defacement attack on official websites was a diversion. The attack comes as the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms and diplomatic talks to resolve the tense stand-off appear stalled. Microsoft said in a short blog post that amounted to the clanging of an industry alarm that it first detected the malware on Thursday.

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  Ukraine says Russia behind cyberattack in 'hybrid war' move

  Associated Press
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  Microsoft says it observed destructive malware in systems belonging to several Ukraine govt agencies

  Reuters

A Florida Republican who was defeated by 59 percentage points in a congressional special election won't concede

Republican Jason Mariner has not conceded in Florida's 20th District special election House race. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a progressive Democrat, beat Mariner in a 79%-20% landslide. Mariner filed a lawsuit before the election had been called, only telling CBS Miami that "stuff" had been "discovered."

Letter: Pro-gun Fayetteville reader asks if a windshield wiper is a deadly threat

I've read the current reporting regarding Jason Walker and Lt. (Jeffrey) Hash and as much detail as has been released in The Fayetteville Observer. As a gun enthusiast and a CCW permit holder who has voluntarily undergone almost 200 hours of self-paid training, I have one question. Walker was beating on a windshield with a wiper.

Double dealing: Legal, illicit blur in California pot market

But it's been virtually impossible for the grower to turn a profit in a struggling legal industry where wholesale prices for cannabis buds have plunged as much as 70% from a year ago, taxes approach 50% in some areas and customers find far better deals in the thriving underground marketplace. So the company has two identities — one legal, the other illicit. We basically subsidize our white market with our black market,” said the cultivator, who agreed to speak with The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity to avoid possible prosecution.

South Carolina road sign changed to display racist message, officials say

Police are on a search in South Carolina for the person who tampered with an electronic road sign, changing its text to display a racial slur. The text on the sign, set up in the city of Sumter, was altered to display an offensive command that included the n-word. Sumter has a population of roughly 43,000 with a racial divide of roughly 49% Black and 44% white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

UAE regulator investigating aborted Emirates take-off at Dubai airport

The United Arab Emirates' civil aviation regulator has opened an investigation into an aborted take-off by an Emirates airline passenger jet this month at Dubai airport, the carrier said on Saturday. It is the second inquiry launched into the airline in less than a month, after another passenger jet in December did not immediately increase its ascent after take-off. An Emirates spokesperson said that safety is its top priority and there was no aircraft damage or any injuries as a result of the aborted take off from Dubai on Jan. 9.

Virginia's new AG Jason Miyares announces major investigations within hours of taking office

Virginia's newly sworn-in Attorney General Jason Miyares announced investigations into the Virginia Parole Board and Loudoun County Public Schools within hours of taking office. In a statement released on Saturday just hours after Miyares and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin were sworn in, Miyares explained why he has launched an investigation into the commonwealth's parole board as well as Loudoun County Public Schools. "One of the reasons Virginians get so fed up with government is the lack of transparency - and that's a big issue here," Miyares wrote.

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  Republican Glenn Youngkin sworn in as Virginia 74th governor

  Associated Press
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  Jason Miyares sworn in as Virginia Attorney General

  WTVR

Dollar Tree customers say the decision to raise most prices to $1.25 left them feeling 'sick to their stomachs'

Dollar Tree has drawn criticism from loyal shoppers following its recent price hike, per CNN. The discount chain announced at the end of last year that most items would soon cost $1.25. Dollar Tree left many customers feeling angry and disappointed after it raised prices, CNN reported.

Philippines to acquire 32 new Black Hawk helicopters

The Philippines is buying 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters from Poland-based Sikorsky Aircraft subsidiary PZL Mielec to beef up its existing fleet of 12, the country's defence chief said on Sunday, as it seeks to boost its disaster response capabilities. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said a notice of award was issued on Dec. 28 for the purchase of brand new helicopters under a project that comes with logistics support and a training package for pilots and maintenance crew at a cost of 32 billion pesos ($624 million). The contract was now being drafted, with the delivery of the first five units expected in 2023, Lorenzana said on Facebook.