Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she deeply regretted her decision to seek a Brexit extension from the European Union and she urged lawmakers, who have twice previously rejected her plan, to back her now. "I passionately hope that (lawmakers) will find a way to back the deal I have negotiated with the EU, a deal that delivers on the referendum and is the very best deal negotiable, and I will continue to work night and day to secure the support" for the deal. Earlier on Wednesday, May asked the EU to allow Britain to delay its departure date by three months to June 30, and EU leaders are expected to discuss the matter at a summit on Thursday.

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 16:54:05 -0400

The pilots of Lion Air Flight 610 looked to a handbook for guidance as the plane plummeted.

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 15:24:00 -0400

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 13:26:00 -0400

Glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto's weedkiller Roundup, is the subject of fierce controversy across the globe and is classified by the World Health Organization as "probably" being carcinogenic. A California court on Tuesday found that Roundup was a "substantial factor" in Edwin Hardeman, 70, getting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after spraying the weedkiller on his garden for decades.

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 10:19:00 -0400

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine says healthy people who take low-dose aspirin every day receive no health benefit.

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 08:45:02 -0400

People under 30 in Kazakhstan have only known one leader -- Nursultan Nazarbayev, who announced his resignation this week after shepherding the country from the Soviet era. "The word 'Nazarbayev' means something like the word 'parent'," said 18-year-old film student Madi Makanov, who lives in the country's largest city Almaty. Kazakhstan has a young population, with around 40 percent of people under 24, according to estimates based on UN figures.

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 07:04:11 -0400

Floods driven by rain and melting snow have affected several states, with four people killed and one missing after storms.

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 06:50:52 -0400

Greece is investigating reports of payoffs by Novartis in a high-profile case that implicates two of the country’s former prime ministers and a European Union commissioner. Novartis didn’t receive preferential pricing from the Greek state and to date has been unable to identify any “inappropriate payments” to government officials, a local spokesperson said in an email.

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 04:28:03 -0400

BOSTON (AP) � In the wake of a massive college bribery scheme, the schools caught in the middle have been left facing a thorny question: What to do about the students who may have been admitted through fraud?

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:23:06 -0400

According to one account, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised that “people of all faiths will have ‘something to say’ about the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan the White House is expected to announce after Israel’s elections in two weeks.”

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 16:47:41 -0400

The meeting is taking place on Tuesday evening in London in an effort to shape what the prime minister asks the European Union to agree to, people familiar with the matter said. May will travel to Brussels on Thursday for a summit of EU leaders, and is expected to write a letter to the bloc first, asking them to extend the Brexit deadline beyond March 29. Pro-Brexit Tories hate the idea of a long delay because it would mean the U.K. has to take part in European Parliament elections in May. That would be seen as a failure to deliver Brexit, potentially unleashing a wave of anti-government euroskepticism which could split the ruling Conservative party and bring down the government, one of the people said.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 16:19:41 -0400

In my lifetime, I’ve never seen more presidential candidates advocate breaking more American constitutional, economic, and policy norms than I’ve seen from the Democratic field so far in 2019. When you assemble their proposals, it’s breathtaking.End the Electoral College? Elizabeth Warren is for it, and Beto O’Rourke says there’s “a lot of wisdom” in her proposal.Pack the Supreme Court?  Warren, Beto, Kamala Harris, and Kirsten Gillibrand are open to the idea.End the legislative filibuster? Harris and Warren are thinking about it.Remake the American economy with the Green New Deal? Virtually every significant Democratic presidential candidate is an enthusiastic yes.Sweep away the private health-insurance policies of 150 million Americans? This is the emerging Democratic consensus.This is only a partial list of Democratic power moves to the left, including calls to fundamentally transform longstanding constitutional structures and institutions. What is going on? Are these all conviction moves by progressive politicians telling the American people what they really believe? Are these politicians merely reflecting and amplifying the deeply held views of the Democratic rank-and-file?Certainly the Democratic mainstream has become more liberal, and its left-most cohorts are white, female, college-educated, and young. In other words, I just described many of the key demographics of American Twitter � the platform that exercises a wildly disproportionate influence on politicians, journalists, and political activists. The dominant feedback loop in the early primary isn’t just from the motivated base (which would be entirely normal), but a motivated base amplified by a specific social-media platform.Yes, radical Democratic pronouncements will earn them a wave of negative media attention on Fox News and in conservative media, but not a single Democratic candidate is trying to win that demographic. Indeed, a wave of Fox News hate is good for the brand. But if a Democratic candidate breaks in even small ways from the emerging online orthodoxy, watch them trend on Twitter. Watch them get viciously dragged in real time in front of every single leading progressive politician, activist, and journalist in the United States. It takes a brave person to withstand the attack, especially when there is precious little short-term advantage in confronting the online Left.This immediate, public, toxic, and often vicious or scornful feedback amplifies existing primary-season pressures to move leftward � just as the same kind of immediate toxic reaction can cow conservatives who oppose Trump. These attacks aren’t just read by campaign staffers. They also provide fodder for journalists, and they can quickly create narratives that dog candidates for days or weeks.I’m not arguing that primary-season purity tests are anything new. Republicans have been through those wars, and now the GOP purity test is centered around loyalty to Trump. But these days Twitter � which has developed into a hysterical platform prone to mobbing and shaming � amplifies and intensifies preexisting primary pressures. Now, a strategy to prevent poor optics on Twitter will push Democratic candidates further and further to the left, as they express “openness” to ideas they’d never otherwise entertain, all to avoid the backlash.As I’ve argued before, Twitter is so influential in part because that’s where the people who care the most spend their time. The people who care the most about anything � from politics to sports to pop culture � set the tone. And in American politics, the people who care the most tend not to be moderate, either in temperament or ideology.By the time progressive Twitter has done its work on the Democratic field, the American people may no longer have the ability to choose true American norms in 2020. They may well encounter a choice between an extremist personality with a relatively center-right or populist agenda and a more normal personality who seeks to enact extremist policies. If suburban voters long for not radical change but rather a more reasonable politics, where will they turn?But Democrats � indeed, both parties � need to remember that while Twitter has disproportionate influence on activists and elites, there’s little evidence that its outrages and controversies penetrate the wider world. An incident from this past week speaks volumes. If you’d only watched Twitter, you’d think that Beto’s presidential announcement was a bust. The Bernie Brigades � which punch well above their weight online � gang-tackled Beto on social media. He wasn’t taking on Ted Cruz, he was taking on the heroes of the progressive movement, and the honeymoon was most definitely over.Twitter pronounced its verdict: His announcement was a bust. His campaign was days old, but he was already struggling. And then we learned Beto had out-raised every other Democratic candidate � including Bernie � in the first 24 hours of his campaign.That doesn’t mean Beto is a favorite. Nor does it mean that he’s immune to Twitter’s progressive temptations. Just yesterday he backed abortion-on-demand even into the third trimester. He has backed the Green New Deal. He’s even advocated tearing down parts of the existing border wall. But it does mean that sensible politicians and sensible members of their staffs would do well to remember that the praise they earn online may well spell their doom at the ballot box. Twitter politics is extremist politics, and fighting one norm-breaker by creating another is an excellent way for the Democrats to fail again.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 15:04:51 -0400

Catholic campaigners condemned as “shocking” a decision by Pope Francis not to accept the resignation of a French archbishop who was given a suspended prison sentence this month for failing to report the sexual abuse of boy scouts by a known predatory priest.   Tuesday's surprise decision came just a month after the Vatican convened an unprecedented conference of cardinals in which it pledged to get tough on priests who abuse children and the bishops who cover up for them. French cardinal Philippe Barbarin travelled to Rome on Monday and offered his resignation to Pope Francis. But on Tuesday the Vatican announced that the Argentinian pontiff had decided to reject the resignation. While the Vatican offered no explanation, it seems likely that the Pope wants to wait to see the outcome of an appeal that the 68-year-old archbishop intends to launch against his six-month sentence. But the decision was condemned by groups representing survivors of clerical sex abuse from around the world. Pope Francis receives Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon, at the Vatican Credit: Reuters “I’m stunned by this decision. It is shocking and depressing,” Anne Barrett Doyle, the head of the US-based organisation Bishop Accountability, told The Telegraph. “It reveals the Pope’s very narrow concept of accountability. It is a reminder to bishops that they have nothing to fear from this Pope. It is a profound and disastrous misreading of what is required to address this crisis.” Just last month, during a four-day conference at the Vatican attended by bishops and archbishops from around the world, the Pope said that “no abuse must ever be covered up, as has happened in the past". In a statement, Barbarin, the most senior French Catholic to have been swept up in the Church’s sex abuse scandal, said: “On Monday I handed over my mission to the Holy Father. He spoke of the presumption of innocence and did not accept this resignation." Barbarin said that he would step back from his role as archbishop of Lyon "for a little while", allowing his deputy to stand in for him. Even the Bishops' Conference of France – the country’s most senior Catholic body - said it was surprised by the decision, which it described as "unheard of". Barbarin was convicted earlier this month of failing to act against Bernard Preynat, a priest who has confessed to abusing boy scouts in the 1980s and 1990s. Preynat is expected to be put on trial later this year. Barbarin became archbishop of Lyon in 2002 and learned of Preynat’s abuse of boys but let him remain in ministry until 2015, said Bishop Accountability. French victims of clerical abuse also reacted with outrage to the papal decision. "I think that man (the Pope) is going to manage to kill off the church. It's a mistake too many,” said Francois Devaux, a co-founder of a victims' organisation. Faith in the Catholic Church has plunged as a result of its failure over two decades to address sex abuse perpetrated by clergy. Last week George Pell, the Australian cardinal who was once the third most powerful figure in the Vatican, was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of abusing two altar boys in Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1990s. He also intends to appeal and remains a cardinal, despite being behind bars. Campaign groups were profoundly disappointed when last month’s Vatican conference on combating sexual abuse failed to come up with any new, concrete initiatives to address the crisis.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:16:06 -0400

A Facebook spokesperson told Yahoo News that a system intended to stop bots had temporarily halted Dan Scavino’s ability to post comments, and that the company had apologized and restored his account.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 13:48:28 -0400

The US State Department has raised concerns among the American press after conducting a conference call exclusively with “faith based media” outlets. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo reportedly participated in the Monday afternoon press call. Reporters from networks across the country are typically provided the opportunity to listen to these State Department calls and ask questions about news developments and upcoming announcements.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 13:48:00 -0400

The Supreme Court on Tuesday endorsed U.S. government authority to detain immigrants awaiting deportation for any length of time.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 11:01:51 -0400

The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether life-without-parole sentences for the primary gunman in a series of D.C.-area murders in 2002 must be reconsidered.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:45:22 -0400

President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on New Zealand to restore the death penalty for the gunman who killed 50 people at two Christchurch mosques, warning that Turkey would make the attacker pay for his act if New Zealand did not. Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with murder on Saturday after a lone gunman opened fire at the two mosques during Muslim Friday prayers. If New Zealand doesn't make you, we know how to make you pay one way or another," Erdogan told an election rally of thousands in northern Turkey.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:28:45 -0400

The bombing killed Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Farmer, Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician Shannon Kent and Scott Wirtz from the Defense Intelligence Agency. It also killed Ghadir Taher, a naturalized U.S. citizen working as a civilian interpreter for a U.S. contractor. "The investigation is ongoing as are efforts to bring all of those terrorists responsible to justice." The attack was the worst single incident involving U.S. personnel in Syria since they deployed on the ground there in 2015 and took place at a cafe in the town of Manbij, which was controlled by a militia allied to U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 07:11:25 -0400

Dutch authorities said Tuesday they were "seriously" investigating a possible terrorist motive for the Utrecht tram attack because of evidence including a letter found in the gunman's getaway car. Police were questioning Turkish-born main suspect Gokmen Tanis, 37, and two other men over Monday's rampage in which three people were killed and seven injured, three seriously. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had earlier said they "cannot exclude" other motives including a family dispute, but police and prosecutors said on Tuesday that the probe was leaning towards terrorism. "So far, a terrorist motive is seriously being taken into account. This is based on a letter found in the getaway car among other things and the nature of the facts," police and prosecutors said in a joint statement. "Our investigation has established no link between the main suspect and the victims." Flowers have been set up in tribute to victims at the site of the shooting in a tram Credit: JOHN THYS/ AFP The three people who died in the shooting were a 19-year-old woman from Vianen, south of Utrecht, and two men aged 28 and 49 from Utrecht itself, the statement said. Armed police captured Tanis after an eight-hour manhunt that virtually shut down the Netherlands' fourth largest city and triggered a nationwide increase in security at airports and key sites. Police said they had found a red Renault Clio used as a getaway car after the attack. They had also found a firearm after his arrest, they added. Tanis and two other men aged 23 and 27 are still being interrogated, police said. A stream of mourners laid flowers on Tuesday at the site of the attack near the 24 Oktoberplein square. "One of the victims was my friend's girlfriend. So coming here today was the least I could do," Marco van Rooijen, 43, told AFP. "I am here to pay homage to the victims and to support their families," added local resident Yvette Koetjeloozekoot, 29. Flags were flying half-mast on many buildings around the Netherlands. Public transport was running again after forensic police finished their investigations at the scene and removed the tram on which the shooting erupted. Rutte was chairing a cabinet meeting on the attack, which has raised security fears a day before provincial elections in the Netherlands. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country's intelligence agency was "looking into" the attack. "Some say it is a family matter, some say it is a terror attack ... Our intelligence agency is looking into the matter", Erdogan told Ulke TV late Monday. Dutch media have reported that the suspect had a long rap sheet and was only released from jail two weeks ago on a number of charges. Broadcaster NOS reported that some people close to him had links to fundamentalist Islamic groups, but also that he had divorced his wife two years ago. Police and witnesses said gunfire broke out on the tram on Monday morning, sending people fleeing and triggering a huge police response. Mosques and schools were closed across Utrecht following the bloodshed, before heavily armed officers surrounded a building and arrested Tanis. Support for the Netherlands poured in from around the world including the United States, the EU and Russia. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "America stands with you. We will continue to do all we can to help you in this terrible time of tragedy."

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 07:03:22 -0400

Denmark's biggest telecom group TDC has chosen Swedish firm Ericsson over existing provider Huawei to roll out its ultra-fast 5G mobile network across the country, as a debate rages over security concerns surrounding the Chinese giant. The US and several other Western nations have shut Huawei out of tenders for the development of fifth-generation, or 5G, networks, because of the company's close ties to the Chinese government. "TDC has chosen Ericsson to build and deploy its 5G network," TDC CEO Allison Kirkby said in a statement released on Monday night.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 06:57:17 -0400

A Bay Area woman accused of taking part in the college admissions scandal made her first court appearance in Boston. USC says it is reviewing students who could be involved.

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 02:39:56 -0400

“He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety, and that is why you will never hear me mention his name,” Ardern told parliament Tuesday as lawmakers paid tribute to the victims of the massacre. Ardern has won plaudits for her handling of the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s modern history, in particular the empathy she has shown to the country’s Muslim community.

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:30:03 -0400

Sanders defends Democratic socialism; reaction and analysis from Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov and Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley.

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 19:58:39 -0400

Three people died in a brazen shooting on a tram in a bustling residential neighborhood in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday.

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 19:42:26 -0400

MOSCOW (AP) � President Vladimir Putin led thousands to chant "Russia!" on a visit Monday to Crimea marking the fifth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula's annexation from Ukraine, as NATO and the European Union once again strongly condemned the land grab by Russia.

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 19:10:44 -0400