At CPAC, Cruz and Hawley remain defiant about Capitol riot

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri took to the stage today at the Conservative Political Action Conference and gave what amounted to their most extensive public remarks since Jan. 6, when both were seen by critics as having helped incite a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Cruz spoke on Friday morning, while Hawley addressed the audience in a less enviable afternoon spot. As they have in appearances on Fox News and other outlets in recent weeks, they cast themselves as victims of Democratic “cancel culture” — an ill-defined concept that encompasses social and corporate disapproval — while taking no responsibility for inciting the white supremacists and other supporters of former President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol in hopes of keeping Joe Biden from assuming the Oval Office.

Jamal Khashoggi: How intelligence report could dent US-Saudi ties for years

The release of the declassified US intelligence report into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi represents a blow to the power, prestige and international standing of one of the most powerful men in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It could even have implications for the West's dealings with Saudi Arabia for decades to come. Asserting that the crown prince, known by his initials as MBS, was complicit in that gruesome murder in 2018, will make it harder than ever for Western leaders to be publicly associated with him as an individual.

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  U.S. Finally Admits It: Saudi Crown Prince Responsible For Jamal Khashoggi's Murder

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  Schiff says Biden should 'go further' in punishing Saudi prince for Khashoggi killing

  Yahoo News

Nicola Sturgeon should resign 'if even half' of Alex Salmond's claims are true, MSP says

A leading Scottish Conservative has said that “if even half” of what Nicola Sturgeon is being accused of is true she should resign as the country's First Minister. Murdo Fraser, who sits on the Scottish Parliament committee investigating the government's handling of harassment complaints against former First Minister Alex Salmond, said that if true the claims were fatal for her leadership. The Conservative MSP said: “If even half of what Alex Salmond claimed yesterday was true it's absolutely devastating for Nicola Sturgeon and her leadership of the Scottish National Party.”

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  Nicola Sturgeon could be gone in weeks over the Alex Salmond affair, says Scottish Tory leader

  The Telegraph
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  Salmond inquiry: Scotland’s leadership has ‘failed,’ says former first minister in opening remarks

  The Independent

More Inside A New Safari Lodge Treehouse Tucked Away in Botswana’s Okavango Delta

Only reachable by canoe, this Xigera hideaway is centered along lush riverbeds and a rich concentration of wildlife. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

FBI pinpoints suspect in probe of U.S. Capitol policeman's death: NYT

The FBI has pinpointed a suspect in its investigation into the death of a U.S. Capitol Police officer in the Jan. 6 attack on Congress by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported on Friday. The Times, citing two unnamed law enforcement officials briefed on the inquiry, said investigators have zeroed in on an individual seen in video footage of the riot who attacked several officers with bear spray, including Brian Sicknick, the policeman who died. Sicknick, 42, was among a vastly outnumbered group of police officers confronted by the mob who stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop Congress from certifying the election of President Joe Biden.

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  FBI Singles Out Possible Capitol Suspect In Death Of Police Officer Brian Sicknick

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  FBI pinpoints a single suspect in the death of US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick

  Business Insider

IS bride loses bid to return to UK to fight for citizenship

A woman who ran away from London as a teenager to join the Islamic State group lost her bid Friday to return to the U.K. to fight for the restoration of her citizenship, which was revoked on national security grounds. Shamima Begum was one of three east London schoolgirls who traveled to Syria in 2015. She resurfaced at a refugee camp in Syria and told reporters she wanted to come home, but was denied the chance after former Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked her citizenship.

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  UK top court says IS schoolgirl can't return

  Reuters Videos
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  Runaway schoolgirl who joined IS cannot return to Britain, top court says

  Reuters

Democrats decry Biden's airstrikes in Syria as unconstitutional. Republicans praise them as 'proportional.'

Democrats are calling the Biden administration's airstrikes in Syria unconstitutional. President Biden on Thursday ordered airstrikes against facilities in eastern Syria used by Iranian-backed militant groups, his first military action since taking office. The strikes were in response to several rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq.

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  US targets Iranian militants in Syria

  Associated Press Videos
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  US bombs facilities in Syria used by Iran-backed militia

  Associated Press

Exclusive: Bangladesh under 'no obligation' to accept stranded Rohingya refugees, says minister

Bangladesh is under "no obligation" to shelter 81 Rohingya Muslim refugees adrift for almost two weeks on the Andaman Sea and being assisted by neighbouring India, said Bangladesh foreign minister A.K. Abdul Momen. India's coast guard found the 81 survivors and eight dead crammed onto a crippled fishing boat and were trying to arrange for Bangladesh to take them, Indian officials said on Friday. But Momen told Reuters late on Friday that Bangladesh expects India, the closest country, or Myanmar, the Rohingyas' country of origin, to accept them.

Bangladeshis protest prison death of commentator

Protesters blocked a busy intersection in Bangladesh's capital Friday to protest the death in prison of a writer and commentator who was arrested on charges of violating a sweeping digital security law that critics say stifles freedom of expression. Mushtaq Ahmed, 53, was arrested in Dhaka in May last year for making comments on social media that criticized the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. It was not immediately clear how Ahmed died on Thursday.

Philippines extends partial coronavirus curbs in capital until end-March

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has extended partial coronavirus curbs in the capital until the end of March, as the country awaits the arrival of vaccines, the presidential spokesman said on Saturday. With southeast Asia's second-highest tally of infections and deaths, the Philippines has suffered lengthy, strict lockdowns in Manila and provinces, hitting an economy that was among Asia's fastest growing before the pandemic. Curbs will stay for another month in Manila, which accounts for 40% of national economic output, the spokesman, Harry Roque, said in a statement.

Myanmar police launch most extensive crackdown; hundreds arrested

State television announced that Myanmar's U.N. envoy had been fired for betraying the country, a day after he urged the United Nations to use "any means necessary" to reverse the Feb. 1 coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power and detained Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide. The coup, which stalled Myanmar's progress toward democracy, has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets and drawn condemnation from Western countries, with some imposing limited sanctions.

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  Myanmar envoy appeals to U.N. to stop coup as police break up protests

  Reuters
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  Myanmar riot police fire to break up protests

  Reuters Videos

'Oath Keeper' Jessica Watkins denounced the extremist group but will stay in jail before her trial, judge says

On Friday, a federal judge ruled that a member of a far-right militia group who stormed the US Capitol building will remain in jail after she petitioned to be released over safety concerns. Jessica Watkins, an alleged 'Oath Keeper' charged with conspiring to attack the US Capitol building on January 6, made her first public comments since her arrest last month in a court hearing on Friday, where she denounced the extremist organization and said she was "humbled" and "humiliated" by the charges against her according to CNN.

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  Oath Keeper charged in Capitol riot renounces militia group

  Associated Press
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  U.S. Capitol riot suspect disavows far-right group, but loses bid for release

  Reuters

Covid-19: India in a 'delicate phase' of its coronavirus battle as cases surge

After reporting a significant drop in the number of Covid-19 cases for months, some Indian states have seen a sharp uptick in infections in February. In early February, physicians in Amravati district, some 700km (435 miles) from India's commercial capital, Mumbai, noticed a sudden surge in the number of people suffering from Covid-19. Life in this cotton-growing district in the western state of Maharashtra had almost returned to normal after the first wave of infections last summer.

Officials: Attack targets Afghan reporter's family, kills 3

Three family members of an assassinated journalist in western Afghanistan have been killed by gunmen, local officials said Friday, amid a rising wave of attacks targeting journalists and civil society actors. Ghor provincial council member Hamidullah Mutahid said that at least five others were wounded in the attack late Thursday. The gunmen stormed the family home of Afghan journalist and activist Bismillah Adil Aimaq, who was shot dead in an unclaimed attack nearby Ghor on Jan. 1.

From Rudy Giuliani to Sidney Powell, here's everyone Dominion and Smartmatic is suing over election conspiracy theories so far

On January 26, Dominion filed a defamation suit against Rudy Giuliani, Trump's now-former personal lawyer, again seeking $1.3 billion in damages. In the lawsuit, Dominion accused Giuliani of creating "a viral disinformation campaign about Dominion," referring to more than 50 of his statements. Through hearings, television appearances, Twitter, and his own YouTube show, it said, Giuliani repeatedly accused Dominion of election fraud and misrepresented the company's security measures while doing so.

New York has conducted 43 investigations into police killings. None of them have led to convictions.

On Tuesday, a grand jury in New York declined to indict any of the seven police officers involved in the killing of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in March after officers placed a bag over his head while he appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis. It was another loss for the office of the New York Attorney General. Out of the 43 investigations into police killings the attorney general's office has conducted since 2015, zero have resulted in convictions.

Canadian farmers advised to ditch palm oil after 'buttergate' row

Canadian farmers have been advised to stop feeding palm oil to cows after foodies claimed local butter had become harder due to the diet supplement. The Dairy Farmers of Canada group has formed an expert panel to examine the matter and has asked milk producers to temporarily halt the practice. Experts note many factors, not just fat intake, determine butter consistency.

Pakistan expert: Religiosity aiding spike in militancy

Militant attacks are on the rise in Pakistan amid a growing religiosity that has brought greater intolerance, prompting one expert to voice concern the country could be overwhelmed by religious extremism. Pakistani authorities are embracing strengthening religious belief among the population to bring the country closer together. But it's doing just the opposite, creating intolerance and opening up space for a creeping resurgence in militancy, said Mohammad Amir Rana, executive director of the independent Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies.

Trump supporters and right-wing reporters wouldn't stop heckling CNN's Jim Acosta during second day of CPAC

CNN's Jim Acosta was heckled by Trump supporters and right-wing reporters during CPAC on Friday. Videos of the event show Acosta being taunted on multiple occasions. CNN correspondent Jim Acosta was filmed being heckled by Trump supporters and right-wing reporters while he was trying to cover the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida on Friday.

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  CNN's Jim Acosta Surrounded By Jeering Crowd At CPAC

  HuffPost
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  Conservatives Challenge CNN Reporter Jim Acosta at CPAC in Orlando

  Storyful

More Inside an Art Adviser’s Eclectic Minneapolis Pad

The owner Kathy Ganley, who also views her home as an informal gallery, fills the 6,500-square-foot space with an array of artworks, including a still life in the laundry room to make sure no wall is left behind Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

How Bitcoin's vast energy use could burst its bubble

President Biden's top economic adviser described Bitcoin as "an extremely inefficient way to conduct transactions," saying "the amount of energy consumed in processing those transactions is staggering". From buying a Bentley to losing it all Bitcoin keeps hitting new highs after Tesla backing Bitcoin hits new record of $50,000 It's unclear exactly how much energy Bitcoin uses. Cryptocurrencies are - by design - hard to track.

House Passes Biden’s $1.9T Stimulus Plan—Without a Single GOP Vote in Favor

Democrats are one big step closer to achieving their first major goal of the Joe Biden era. Early Saturday morning, the U.S. House approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill on a nearly party-line vote. The 219-212 vote allows the U.S. Senate to formally take up the legislation, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) intends to do immediately.

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  House passes Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package including $1,400 stimulus checks

  Yahoo Money
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  How Biden’s Coronavirus Relief Bill Might Just Get Through The Senate

  HuffPost