WorldThe TelegraphSpain acquits man of sexually abusing 14-year-old stepdaughter who gave birth to his child
A Spanish court has provoked outrage by acquitting a man of sexually abusing his 14-year-old stepdaughter despite the fact she gave birth to his child. The Pamplona court accepted the defendant's claim that the teenager had sat astride him while he was asleep on the sofa and engaged in penetrative sex. The girl's mother reported the father for alleged sexual abuse of her daughter, who initially said she had been raped in the street before changing her story to corroborate her stepfather's claim that he had not been conscious when they had sex.
WorldAssociated PressEXPLAINER: What are the Iran nuclear talks all about?
Negotiations to bring the United States back into a landmark nuclear deal with Iran resumed Thursday in Vienna amid signs of progress — but also under the shadow of an attack this week on Iran's main nuclear facility. After more than two hours of talks characterized by Russia's delegate as generally positive, issues were turned back over to two working groups for continued discussion and refinement. In 2015, Iran signed an agreement with the U.S., Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain that was intended to set limits on Tehran's nuclear program in order to block it from building a nuclear weapon — something it insists it doesn't want to do.
WorldReutersExclusive: EU agrees to sanction two companies close to Myanmar military, diplomats say
The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions on another 10 individuals linked to the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar and to target two businesses run by the armed forces for the first time in protest at the military takeover, two diplomats said. The measures, which the diplomats said could take effect next week, would target two companies that generate revenue for the Myanmar Armed Forces. While the EU has an arms embargo on Myanmar and targeted 11 senior military officials last month, the decision to target two companies is the most significant response so far for the bloc since the coup that ousted an elected government led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
U.S.NextSharkBronx Man Arrested For Hate Crime Against Asian Woman
A Bronx man has been arrested for allegedly harassing a 25-year-old Asian woman in Manhattan. Daniel Negroni, 31, is accused of targeting the unnamed victim in Sutton Place around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to WLNY. The woman reported that Negroni approached her and made anti-Asian comments as she was out on First Avenue and 57th Street on the East Side.
WorldAssociated PressNew blast at St. Vincent volcano; cruise ship helps evacuees
La Soufriere volcano shot out another explosive burst of gas and ash on Friday as a cruise ship arrived to evacuate some of the foreigners who had been stuck on a St. Vincent island coated in ash from a week of violent eruptions. Friday morning's blast “wasn't a big explosion compared to the ones that we last weekend, but it was big enough to punch a hole through the clouds," said Richard Robertson, lead scientist at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center, in an interview with local NBC radio. During a comparable eruption cycle in 1902, explosive eruptions continued to shake the island for months after an initial burst killed some 1,700 people, though the new eruptions so far have caused no reported deaths among a population that had received official warning a day earlier that danger was imminent.
WorldThe TelegraphFace masks to be jettisoned at pilot events for return of crowds
Face masks will not be used at a series of large-scale pilot events in the coming weeks as ministers plan for the return of mass gatherings without Covid rules. Trials that involve suspending combinations of restrictions including face coverings and social distancing will take place at up to 15 pilots before the end of May. The moves will be offset by a requirement for all event attendees to show a negative Covid test, but the Government confirmed on Friday that it will not be trailing the use of vaccine passports in the pilots.
PoliticsThe Guardian‘Alarm is growing’: Michigan governor faces shutdown dilemma as Covid cases rise
The coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions that Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, enacted in March last year were among the nation's toughest, and the governor's leadership is thought to have saved lives. Now, as Michigan faces another surge of cases and hospitalizations, its worst yet, Whitmer has changed tack. Despite past success and growing calls for another lockdown from public health experts, and doctors managing hospitals with Covid patients, the governor is resisting further restrictions, and is instead largely relying on a vaccination rollout and a voluntary suspension of in-person dining services.
- U.S.Reuters
Investigators find officer wounded in Tennessee not shot by student's gun
A police officer wounded during a shooting incident inside a high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, was struck by a bullet that was not fired by the gun of the student who police shot and killed, according to a preliminary investigation. A 17-year-old high school student, who opened fire at an Austin-East Magnet High School, was fatally shot on Monday during a confrontation with the police. The officers, who were responding to the scene, tracked the gunman to a bathroom where shots were fired.
WorldBBCJimmy Lai: Hong Kong's rebel mogul and pro-democracy voice
The billionaire media mogul Jimmy Lai is one of the most prominent supporters of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Mr Lai was 12 years old when he fled his village in mainland China, arriving in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat. Like a number of the city's famed tycoons, he went from a menial role, toiling in a Hong Kong sweatshop, to founding a multi-million dollar empire.
ScienceThe TelegraphEthics row after human-monkey embryo created in major scientific breakthrough
Scientists have grown human cells in monkey embryos with the aim to understand more about how cells develop and communicate with each other. Researchers from the Salk Institute in California have produced what is known as monkey-human chimeras, with human stem cells - special cells that have the ability to develop into many different cell types - inserted in macaque embryos in petri dishes in the lab. The scientists, led by Professor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, say their work could pave the way in addressing the severe shortage in transplantable organs as well as help understand more about early human development, disease progression and ageing.
U.S.Miami Herald‘#OneNation’ American flags along Curtiss Parkway stir controversy
Fifty American flags were recently placed along Miami Springs' popular Curtiss Parkway walking path as a show of local patriotism. “One nation is a right-wing, 501 (4)(c), dark-money fundraising group,” said resident Dan Wells, at last Monday's City Council meeting. Wells referred to a section of Miami Springs' code that states: “No political or election signs may be placed or located on the swales, medians, sidewalks, streets, alleys, bike paths or other public rights-of-way of the City.”
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 9 Best Wireless Headphones for Every Kind of Use
From the most comfortable pair to the best value buy, these headphones will carry you through the spring, summer, and beyond Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldReutersModerna sees shortfall in Britain COVID vaccine shipments, EU deliveries on track
U.S. drugmaker Moderna expects a shortfall in COVID-19 vaccine doses from its European supply chain hitting second-quarter delivery quantities for Britain and Canada, though European Union- and Swiss-bound shipments are on track, a spokesperson said. The delays, first announced on Friday when Canada said Moderna would be delivering only about half the planned 1.2 million doses by the end of April, come as Switzerland's Lonza ramps up three new production lines to make active ingredients for Moderna vaccine supplies outside of the United States. "The trajectory of vaccine manufacturing ramp-up is not linear, and despite best efforts, there is a shortfall in previously estimated doses from the European supply chain," Moderna said in a statement.
WorldThe IndependentBiden expels Russian diplomats and announces new sanctions in retaliation for hacking
US president Joe Biden has announced sanctions against a number of Russian officials and ordered the immediate expulsion of ten diplomats from the country, following allegations of election interference and hacking. The US government said for the first time on Thursday that that the hack, which affected at least 100 private-sector businesses and nine federal agencies, was carried out by Russia. The US has also alleged that Russian president Vladimir Putin authorised attempts to swing the 2020 US presidential election in favour of Donald Trump.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMitt Romney, Liz Cheney, and other GOP lawmakers who criticized Trump or voted to impeach him have spent tens of thousands of dollars on private security
Lawmakers who criticized Trump or voted to impeach him spent thousands to improve personal security after the Capitol attack. Republicans including Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney beefed up their security, per Punchbowl News. Prominent lawmakers spent tens of thousands of dollars on private security guards and other protection following the Capitol riots, a Punchbowl News analysis of campaign finance records shows.
WorldThe IndependentSolarWinds: Russian intelligence behind major cyber attack, Raab reveals as US expels diplomats
Russian intelligence was behind a major cyber attack that effected more than 100 major US firms as well as branches of the US government, the UK foreign office has revealed. In a statement the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said British Intelligence had assessed that it was “highly likely” Moscow was behind the SolarWinds hack, which saw hackers infiltrate government agencies and corporate secrets of the likes of Microsoft in early 2020. The Russian ambassador was summoned to the FCDO to be told the UK will continue to work with allies to “call out and counter malign operations” undertaken by Russian intelligence.
U.S.The Daily BeastBeloved High School Basketball Coach Killed Trying to Rob Mexican Drug Cartel, Sheriff Says
Students and parents alike joined in mourning the sudden death of a popular high school basketball coach earlier this week in Monroe, North Carolina. Harris, who taught Spanish at Union Academy Charter School and served as the boys' head basketball coach, was found dead last week in a mobile home belonging to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, widely considered to be the most powerful and ruthless drug cartel in Mexico, Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson announced at a Wednesday press conference. Harris, 40, seemed to have come prepared for a fight.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Prosecutors: Missing college student killed during 1996 rape attempt
Missing California college student Kristin Smart was killed in 1996 during an attempted rape by a fellow student, and the suspect's father helped hide her body, the San Luis Obispo County district attorney said Wednesday.
BusinessBusiness InsiderRepublicans say less than 6% of Biden's plan is traditional infrastructure. BofA says it's more like half.
Bank of America says about half of Biden's infrastructure plan is traditional, or physical, infrastructure. This contrasts with the GOP argument that less than 6% of Biden's plan goes to roads and bridges. The bank added that nontraditional infrastructure will take longer to prompt economic growth.
U.S.PoliticoMesh mask lands Capitol riot defendant in hot water with judge
A federal judge is demanding that a Pennsylvania woman arrested for her alleged role in the Capitol riot, Rachel Powell, explain why a video of her circulating online shows her wearing a porous, mesh mask despite another judge's order to comply with Covid mask requirements while she awaits trial. U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said Powell's decision to wear the obviously noncompliant mask “mocks” the initial requirement decreed by the court's chief judge, Beryl Howell, soon after Powell's release in February. Defendant must wear a mask whenever she leaves her residence,” Howell ruled at the time.
CelebrityTODAYA-Rod shared telling Instagram story 1 day before news of J.Lo breakup
Just a day before the news of his breakup with Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez shared a video on social media that seems to have foreshadowed the announcement. The former baseball pro posted a short clip to his Instagram story on Wednesday that showed a photo of him and Lopez, some pics of their children and an image of their names inside a heart in sand. Under normal circumstances, such a video wouldn't raise eyebrows, but the 45-year-old set the clip to Coldplay's emotional song "Fix You," leading many fans to wonder if the couple had gone their separate ways.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump’s post-presidency makeover: Former president losing weight, cutting back on M&Ms and ditching spray tan, report says
It's been three months since Donald Trump left the White House in disgrace, and he's never looked better, his advisors say. The twice-impeached ex-president has lost about 15 pounds, quit his M&M habit, and replaced his spray-tanning with natural Florida sun, according to interviews Insider conducted with some of his confidantes. According to people around him, Mr Trump has been playing even more golf than he did when he was president, and has ditched some of his old bad habits.
U.S.The IndependentLawyer of police officer who shot Adam Toledo says it’s ‘disheartening’ no one has asked how officer is doing
The lawyer representing Eric Stillman, the Chicago Police Officer who shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo after chasing him down an alley while investigating a shots fired call, said he was "disheartened" that no one had asked about the welfare of his client. Tim Grace, Mr Stillman's lawyer, issued a statement on Thursday after viewing the body camera footage of Mr Toledo's death, in which he chastised the media and the public at large for not being more sympathetic to the condition of the police officer. What is amazing and disheartening is that very few have asked about the welfare of the officer.
- WorldWABC – NY
Woman shot and killed on street, boyfriend hits suspect with car
A 52-year-old woman walking with her boyfriend in the Bronx was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon, and her boyfriend then ran down the suspect with his car.
WorldBusiness InsiderCuba's Raul Castro is stepping down, ending more than half a century of Castro rule over the island
Raul Castro is set to step down as the head of the Communist Party of Cuba. This will mark an end to over 60 years of Castro rule over Cuba. President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Castro's protege, is set to become the new leader.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”