- WorldBloomberg
U.S., Taliban Meet in U.A.E. to Discuss Afghanistan Peace
The Afghan Taliban said it was holding another round of talks with U.S. officials in the U.A.E. on Monday after peace negotiations failed last month. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the U.A.E. will also attend the meeting, Zabihullah Mujahed, a spokesman for the militant group, said in a statement released on Sunday evening. Pakistan has also confirmed that talks will be taking place and hopes the meeting “will end bloodshed in Afghanistan and bring peace to the region,” Mohammad Faisal, a foreign ministry spokesman in Islamabad, said on Twitter.
- PoliticsReuters
Factbox: Mueller and other probes posing risk for Trump
With less than three weeks to go before they take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats are jockeying to lead overlapping investigations into the president. Trump denies any collusion and has long denounced the investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as a "witch hunt." Moscow has denied it interfered in the election. Here are the various agencies or groups whose investigations pose a risk for Trump or are offshoots of Mueller's probe.
- WorldAssociated Press
Suspected gas explosion destroys eatery in Japan, hurts 42
A suspected gas explosion destroyed wooden buildings housing a restaurant and a real estate office in northern Japan on Sunday night, injuring 42 people, police and local media said. The powerful explosion in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, shook nearby buildings, shattered windows and scattered wooden debris across the area. One person was in serious condition, but police said the other injuries were mostly mild.
WorldAFPNo one can 'dictate' to China what it should, shouldn't do: Xi
President Xi Jinping vowed Tuesday to push ahead with China's "reform and opening up" but warned that no one can "dictate" what it does, as the Communist Party celebrated the policy's 40th anniversary. While he pledged to press forward with the economic reforms initiated under late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in December 1978, Xi indicated that there would be no change to the one-party system. "The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics," he said.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Chili's Weighs In On North Carolina Election Fraud And Immediately Regrets Decision
Chili’s social media department is getting ribbed after it weighed in on North Carolina’s election fraud scandal ― without really understanding it. It all started Monday when Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the progressive super PAC American Bridge, offered a Chili’s gift certificate to North Carolina GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse with a caveat: Stop trying to seat Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris, whose election has been marred by ballot fraud allegations. Woodhouse didn’t respond, but Chili’s social media person did and aggressively attempted to do some promotion piggybacking on Bates’ tweet.
- WorldUSA TODAY
‘One of a kind’ royal tomb is 4,400 years old, Egypt says
Egyptian officials said they have discovered a 4,400-year-old tomb linked to the fifth dynasty of pharoahs. According to Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities, the tomb — located at a site west of Cairo in Saqqara — belonged to a senior official of the pharoahs, reports The Associated Press. Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani tells CNN the tomb belonged to a royal purification priest named Wahtye.
BusinessReutersSears to take $443 million in charges arising from store closures
Total costs related to closing 73 Sears stores and 28 Kmart stores in the third quarter ended Nov. 3 amounted to $229 million, the company said earlier this month. The charges entail markdowns, severance costs and lease termination costs arising from store closures, which the company announced in October, when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert made a $4.6 billion offer to buy the U.S. retailer earlier this month, which called for about 500 Sears stores to remain open.
- BusinessAutoClassics
1000mph Bloodhound SSC record car saved
The Super Sonic Car was set to raise the land speed record bar with the vehicle finished and undergoing final testing, but the project was stopped in its tracks when funding ran out. Related Video: Watch the Bloodhound SSC Team Show off Car Months of administration failed to find an investor willing to supply the £25 million ($31.5 million) required to set what might be the last record of this kind. Time was called on Bloodhound and we all shed a tear over a hard-fought challenge that seemingly fell at the final hurdle.
WorldAFPCanada mulls canceling Saudi arms deal over Yemen, Khashoggi murder
Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Carnival Panorama: Construction of giant new Carnival ship hits milestone
The construction of cruise giant Carnival's next new ship has hit a major milestone as the vessel's exterior outfitting has come to an end. Carnival on Monday said Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has held the official "coin ceremony" marking completion of exterior work for the 4,008-passenger Carnival Panorama. The coin ceremony is a time-honored maritime tradition dating back centuries.
- BusinessArchitectural Digest
The 14 Most Anticipated Buildings of 2019
In the words of architect Robert Venturi, we believe these buildings will allow you to “see familiar things in an unfamiliar way”
- U.S.KTRK – Houston
Woman charged in school bus crash injuring 13 students
One of the injured students is in critical condition after the school bus overturned.
PoliticsAssociated PressThe Latest: Portions of FBI interview with Flynn released
Portions of the FBI interview notes at the center of the false statements case against Michael Flynn have been released. Special counsel Robert Mueller's office has publicly filed a redacted version of the document in the case of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser. The documents show that FBI agents interviewed Flynn about his contacts with Russia, including past trips to the country and his conversations with Sergey Kislyak, then Russia's ambassador to the U.S.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Russian Social Media Amassed Millions Of Followers In Support Of Trump: Reports
Two new reports analyzing the scope of Russian interference in the 2016 elections found that foreign actors dominated and manipulated political social media on a colossal scale, reaching more than 126 million people in a coordinated effort to benefit the Republican Party while damaging the Democratic Party. Both reports, commissioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee, essentially confirm various findings in the two years since Donald Trump was elected president that Moscow was widely successful in reaching Americans, using an array of tactics online. The first report ― created by Oxford University’s Computational Propaganda Project and Graphika, a network analysis firm ― shows how a Russian company called the Internet Research Agency created thousands of accounts and “launched an extended attack on the United States” election by polarizing American politics and boosting Donald Trump’s campaign, according to The Washington Post.
- ScienceHuffPost
How To See 'Christmas Comet' 46P/Wirtanen With The Naked Eye
It may not be the star of Bethlehem, but there’s a bright green comet passing Earth by just in time for Christmas. On a clear night, you might even be able to spot it with the naked eye ― if you know where to look. Comet 46P/Wirtanen, a.k.a.
NewsReutersU.S. border agents will not speak to lawmakers about girl's death
U.S. Border Patrol agents who detained a 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant girl who later died in federal custody will not speak with U.S. lawmakers investigating her death, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Monday, citing their union membership. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Tuesday plan to visit the New Mexico patrol station where Jakelin Caal and her father were taken on Dec. 7 to learn more about why she died the next day. Caal's death fueled criticism of President Donald Trump's immigration policies from Democrats and migrant advocates.
- BusinessU.S.News & World Report
How to Remove a Closed Account From Your Credit Report
You might think closing a credit card or other account might remove it from your credit report automatically. But while closing an account prevents you from using it, that doesn't mean it disappears from your credit history. Credit reports include information for both open and closed accounts.
- WorldBloomberg
General Dynamics Warns Trudeau Over Exit Penalties in Saudi Deal
Canada is looking for a way out of a $13 billion deal to export armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia -- a move the company warns could leave the government liable for billions. In a television interview Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government was looking for a way to halt the sale of armored vehicles manufactured by a unit of U.S.-based General Dynamics Corp. We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau told CTV, without elaborating.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Congressman says migrant woman tear-gassed with kids in viral photo applies for asylum
The Honduran woman photographed last month pulling her diaper-clad children from tear gas along the U.S.-Mexico border has applied for asylum in the U.S., Rep. Jimmy Gomez announced on Twitter Tuesday. "After 7hrs, I can now confirm: Maria Meza & her kids — featured in this @Reuters image fleeing tear gas at the border last month — just filed for asylum," the California Democrat said on Twitter. "They’re on American soil.
BusinessAFPElon Musk's SpaceX set to raise $500 mn: report
Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX plans to raise $500 million to help launch its satellite internet service, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. SpaceX will garner the funds from existing shareholders and a new investor, Baillie Gifford & Co, a Scottish money management firm that is also a major shareholder in the Musk-led Tesla Motors. The new funding round lifts SpaceX's valuation to $30.5 billion, the newspaper reported.
WorldAssociated PressCorrection: Vatican-Bulgaria-Macedonia story
In a story Dec. 13 about the pope's May travel schedule, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Bulgaria is a former Soviet republic. During the Cold War, Bulgaria was one of the Soviet allies that formed the Warsaw Pact. A corrected version of the story is below: Pope to visit Bulgaria, Macedonia in May in busy travel year Pope Francis is travelling in May to the Orthodox countries of Bulgaria and Macedonia, where he will pay tribute to Macedonian-born Mother Teresa, officials said Thursday VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is travelling in May to the Orthodox countries of Bulgaria and Macedonia, where he will pay tribute to Macedonian-born Mother Teresa, officials said Thursday.
- LifestyleAccuWeather
The best and worst times to travel for Christmas
AAA predicts that more than one-third of Americans will travel this holiday season, so knowing the best and worst times for traffic and weather can cut down your trip time. According to AAA, the record-breaking 112.5 million travelers taking to the nation's runways, roads and rails for the year-end holidays represents a 4.4 percent increase over last year and the most since AAA has been tracking holiday travel. "'Tis the season for holiday travel, and more Americans than ever will journey to spend time with friends and family or choose to take a vacation," said Bryan Shilling, managing director, AAA Travel products and services.
- BusinessTime
President Trump Wants Fed to Avoid 'Yet Another Mistake' By Hiking Rates
President Donald Trump issued a fresh appeal to the Federal Reserve to avoid making “yet another mistake” just hours before the U.S. central bank starts a two-day meeting at which it’s widely expected to raise interest rates. “I hope the people over at the Fed will read today’s Wall Street Journal Editorial before they make yet another mistake,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday. In a piece Tuesday titled “Time for a Fed Pause,” the Journal urged the Federal Open Market Committee to forgo a rate hike amid a lack of inflation and a possible slowing in U.S. economic growth.
- BusinessMashable
Women are harassed every 30 seconds on Twitter, major study finds
If you're a woman with an opinion on Twitter, chances are you've been harassed, abused, or even threatened. But, a new major study by Amnesty International has explored the horrifying prevalence of this abuse. The study — conducted with global artificial intelligence software company Element AI —analysed 228,000 tweets sent to 778 women politicians and journalists in the UK and U.S. in 2017.
WorldReutersTrump willing to look at extraditing Turkish cleric, but noncommittal
"The only thing he said is that we would take a look at it," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters. "Nothing further at this point beyond that ... nothing committal at all in that process." Turkey's foreign minister said on Sunday that Trump told Erdogan that Washington was working on extraditing the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has lived in self-imposed U.S. exile for nearly two decades. Asked about the comment on Monday, another White House official said only that Trump did not commit to extraditing Gulen when he spoke to Erdogan at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires last month.
