WorldAFPStrasbourg Christmas market gunman shot dead by French police
The gunman who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg was shot dead by French police on Thursday as the Islamic State jihadist group claimed him as one of its "soldiers". More than 700 French security forces had been hunting for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt since the bloodshed on Tuesday night -- the latest in a string of jihadist attacks to rock France. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said three police tried to question Chekatt after spotting him on the street in the Neudorf area of the northeastern French city where he grew up, but he opened fire.
- WorldThe Guardian
Canada Goose shares slide amid Beijing-Ottawa row over Huawei CFO arrest
Luxury retailer appears to be first casualty as calls for a boycott spread on social media Weibo and echoed on state-run media Growing tensions between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of a senior Huawei executive have inflicted damage on the luxury clothing retailer Canada Goose, as Chinese consumers call for a boycott of the brand. Shares in the company have plunged nearly 20% since the arrest last week of Huawei’s chief financial officers Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. A Canadian judge granted bail to Meng on Tuesday evening.
- WorldThe Independent
Chinese tech workers told not to travel to US 'unless it's essential' after Huawei exec arrested
Technology researchers in China have been ordered to not travel to the US unless it is absolutely necessary, amid rising tensions between the two countries. Staff working in sensitive tech sectors were given the warning following the arrest of a Chinese tech executive in Canada, a source told the South China Morning Post. Workers at a research agency were also told to remove any sensitive data from laptops, mobile phones and other devices if travel to the US was essential.
PoliticsAssociated PressMexican president starts process to scrap education reforms
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed an initiative Wednesday that would cancel the controversial education reforms of his predecessor and announced plans to vastly expand free university education. Cancellation of the reform was one of Lopez Obrador's most oft-repeated campaign promises and a gift to teachers' unions, some of which felt forced into accepting the reforms while others never dropped their vocal opposition. "Promise kept, teachers," Lopez Obrador said.
- PoliticsReuters
U.S. Senate hands Trump historic rebuke on Saudi Arabia
The U.S. Senate delivered a rare double rebuke to President Donald Trump on Saudi Arabia on Thursday, voting to end U.S. military support for the war in Yemen and blame the Saudi crown prince for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The votes were largely symbolic because to become law the resolutions would have to pass the House of Representatives, whose Republican leaders have blocked any legislation intended to rebuke the Saudis. In a historic move, Senators voted 56-41 to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's civil war.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
AD and LIFEWTR Celebrate the Opening of The Haas Brothers: Ferngully at The Bass Museum of Art in Miami
The artists' first solo museum exhibition premiered during Miami Art Week.
- BusinessCar and Driver
Plot Thickens for Carlos Ghosn: Financial Charges Filed in Japan, But Renault Declares He Did Nothing Wrong in France
UPDATE 12/13/18: The embattled former leader of Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi, still in jail in Japan over financial irregularity charges from Nissan, is retaining his status as chairman and CEO at Renault. The French automaker's board of directors met today and made that announcement, stating that it finds Ghosn's compensation reports were "in compliance with applicable law" in France. Japanese prosecutors have formally charged Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn for making "false disclosures" about his income with Nissan, the automaker said on Monday.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Expertly Dismisses Kellyanne Conway Insult
Rep. elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y. has once again refused to ignore Republican insults.
NewsReutersInsurance claims for latest California wildfires top $9 billion
Insurance claims from the recent spate of California wildfires, including one ranked as the most deadly and destructive in state history, have topped $9 billion and are expected to grow, the state insurance commissioner reported on Wednesday. The Camp Fire, which erupted on Nov. 8 and quickly incinerated most of the Sierra foothills town of Paradise, about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco, has accounted for the bulk of the claims, just over $7 billion of the total. That fire destroyed more than 18,500 structures, including nearly 14,000 homes, in and around Paradise, and killed 86 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
NewsAssociated PressDeath row inmate seeks execution; judge to decide competency
A Mississippi judge will decide whether a death row inmate who says he wants to be executed is mentally competent to waive all his appeals. The state Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the examination in the case of David Cox. Cox wrote to Mississippi Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. in August saying he wanted to fire his lawyers, give up all his appeals and have the state Supreme Court set his execution date.
- U.S.KSWB - San Diego
Raw Sewage Spill in Mexico Floods Southern California Beaches
A sewage spill has sent millions of gallons of raw sewage flowing into the Tijuana River.
WorldAFPPompeo urges UN to get tough on Iran missiles
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday urged the United Nations to tighten restrictions on Iran's missiles, which he warned could strike US allies, but other powers called instead for dialogue. Pompeo headed to New York for a Security Council meeting on Iran, which recently confirmed a medium-range ballistic missile test, arguing it is legal and necessary for its defense. "We risk the security of our people if Iran continues stocking up on ballistic missiles," Pompeo told the Security Council.
- BusinessAOL.com
Man quits his job with epic rant over the store's PA
A disgruntled employee at a Canadian Walmart decided that he wasn’t going to quit quietly. In a video posted to Facebook on Friday, a 17-year-old worker named Jackson Racicot grabbed the PA mic and told everyone in the store what he really thought about working there. Racicot then dove into individual grievances, starting with his manager who apparently had called him “a waste of time.” He goes on to say that promises had been made and not kept, and details the story of how he was given only benefits of a part-time employee even though he worked full-time.
PoliticsUSA TODAYMichael Flynn case, Free Shipping Day, 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse': 5 things to know Friday
A federal judge has set a 3 p.m. ET deadline for special cousel Robert Mueller to turn over all documents related to the questioning of retired Army lieutenant general Michael Flynn by two FBI agents at the White House in January 2017. The order comes days before Flynn, President Donald Trump's ex-national security adviser, is scheduled for sentencing after lying to the FBI. As Flynn's case drags on, Michael Cohen is now talking to the media. Friday marks the six-year anniversary of the fatal mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. On the morning of Dec. 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, 20, killed his mother, then went to the Newtown, Connecticut, school and gunned down 20 children and six adults before eventually killing himself.
- PoliticsYahoo News
In farewell speeches, senators bemoan downfall of the 'world's greatest deliberative body'
To hear some outgoing senators tell it, the body they are leaving no longer deserves to be called “the world’s greatest deliberative body. The United States Senate is no longer the world’s greatest deliberative body, and everybody needs to quit saying it until we recover from this period of polarization and the fear of the political consequences of tough votes,” Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. said Thursday in a speech on the Senate floor.
NewsAssociated PressLawmaker arrested for child cruelty says he spanked daughter
A California lawmaker arrested on suspicion of child cruelty said Wednesday the allegation stemmed from spanking his 7-year-old daughter. Democratic Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula said he spanked his daughter Sunday night and it's a punishment tool he rarely uses, the Fresno Bee newspaper reported . "Everyone who knows us in the community and has seen us in the community knows that I'm a loving father," Arambula said while standing next to his wife, Elizabeth.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Erdogan says Turkey will start new military operation against US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria within days
Turkey will launch a new operation in Syria within days against a US-backed Kurdish militia that Ankara considers a terrorist group, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. "We will start an operation to free the east of the Euphrates from the separatist terrorist organisation in the next few days," Mr Erdogan said during a speech in Ankara, referring to territory held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Turkey says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
WorldAFPJapan plans tighter regulation of tech giants
Japan is planning to tighten regulation of tech giants like Google and Facebook after an expert panel called for better oversight on competition and privacy, an official said Thursday. Japan has followed in the footsteps of other countries in scrutinising the dominant role played by the world's largest information technology companies, including Big Four tech firms Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. Despite bringing benefits, tech giants "tend to monopolise the market through their features such as... low costs and economies of scale," the report said.
WorldAssociated PressJailed former Venezuela oil minister dies in state custody
Nelson Martinez, the jailed former head of Venezuela's state-run oil giant PDVSA who was arrested last year as part of anti-corruption purge, died in state custody Wednesday, authorities said. The chief prosecutor's office said Martinez suffered from a serious and chronic illness that led to his death at a medical facility where he was undergoing treatment. The death is likely to focus attention on the conditions in which authorities are holding key opponents and former government officials.
- BusinessU.S.News & World Report
20 Financial New Year's Resolutions for 2019
Nearly one-third of Americans plan to make a money resolution for 2019, according to a Fidelity Investments survey, with 48 percent of them planning to save more, 29 percent aiming to pay down debt and 15 percent aspiring to spend less. Identify financial goals. Before you can make progress toward any financial goals, identify what they are.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Nancy Pelosi Backs House Leadership Limits, All But Securing Bid For Speaker
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will support a proposal to implement term limits for Democrats holding senior positions in the House of Representatives, her office announced Wednesday, a deal that will likely see her become the chamber’s next speaker. “Over the summer, I made it clear that I see myself as a bridge to the next generation of leaders, a recognition of my continuing responsibility to mentor and advance new Members into positions of power and responsibility in the House Democratic Caucus,” Pelosi said in a statement. The proposal would be backdated to include the period from 2007 to 2011 when Democrats were in control of the House and Pelosi was speaker, meaning she could serve a maximum of four additional years.
- TechnologyArchitectural Digest
The 6 Best Smartwatches of 2018
From the Samsung Galaxy Watch to Tag Heuer's Connected Modular 41, these smartwatches shouldn't be on your radar—they should be on your wrist
- U.S.Meredith Videos
Three Missing People Have Been Found Alive in an Abandoned West Virginia Coal Mine
Three people missing since last weekend were found alive Wednesday in an underground coal mine in West Virginia, authorities said.
WorldBloombergChinese Arrest and Trump’s Boast Drag Trudeau Into Huawei Feud
Justin Trudeau wanted to distance himself from the arrest of a Huawei Technologies Co. executive, but China’s detention of a Canadian and Donald Trump’s interventions are dragging the prime minister into the feud anyhow. State security officers seized Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat on leave from the foreign service, in Beijing on Monday, in relation to a national security investigation. The arrest comes nine days after Canada’s capture of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities.
NewsAssociated PressAttorneys for ex-Baylor student break silence over rape case
Attorneys for a former Baylor University student accused of rape have broken their silence after a judge allowed the former fraternity president to avoid serving jail time, attacking the ex-fraternity president's accuser and saying she gave "inconsistent" statements to the prosecution. Attorneys Mark Daniel and Tim Moore said that a statement in a Waco, Texas, court Monday by the woman who accused Jacob Walter Anderson was "riddled with distortions and misrepresentations." They said Anderson and the woman were seen by many people "kissing passionately" at a fraternity party where she says the assault occurred. Anderson's attorneys had declined comment when Judge Ralph Strother accepted a plea agreement Monday allowing Anderson to avoid jail or be listed as a sex offender.
