27 February 2017

List of winners for the 89th Academy Awards

Casey Affleck accepts the award for best actor in a leading role for "Manchester by the Sea" at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
List of winners for the 89th annual Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Best Picture: "Moonlight."

Actor: Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea."

Actress: Emma Stone, "La La Land."

Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, "Moonlight."

Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, "Fences."

'Apollo 13' and 'Titanic' actor Bill Paxton dies at 61

In this May 31, 2015, file photo, Bill Paxton arrives at the Critics' Choice Television Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. A family representative said prolific and charismatic actor Paxton, who played an astronaut in "Apollo 13" and a treasure hunter in "Titanic," died from complications due to surgery. The family representative issued a statement Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, on the death.
Bill Paxton, a prolific and charismatic actor who had memorable roles in such blockbusters as "Apollo 13" and "Titanic" while also cherishing his work in "One False Move" and other low-budget movies and in the HBO series "Big Love," has died from complications due to surgery. He was 61.

A family representative issued a statement Sunday on the death but provided no further details.

26 February 2017

Taliban leader encourages people to plant trees

In this undated and unknown location photo, the new leader of Taliban fighters, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada poses for a portrait. Springtime in Afghanistan usually brings a spike in violence as the Taliban takes advantage of the thaw to launch a wave of fresh attacks. But the Taliban’s leader has just issued a statement calling on Afghans to plant more trees.
Springtime in Afghanistan usually brings a spike in violence as the Taliban takes advantage of the thaw to launch a wave of fresh attacks. But the Taliban's leader has just issued a statement calling on Afghans to plant more trees.

In a public letter issued Sunday in four languages, including English, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada said that, "the Mujahideen and beloved countrymen must join hands in tree planting."

The statement does point out that the Taliban remain, "actively engaged in a struggle against foreign invaders and their hirelings" — a reference to the Kabul government that the militant group seeks to overthrow.

25 February 2017

Zimbabwe's Mugabe marks 93rd birthday in opposition area

In this Dec, 17, 2016, file photo, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe addresses people at an event before the closure of his party's 16th Annual Peoples Conference in Masvingo, south of Harare. Zimbabwe. Mugabe is celebrating his 93rd birthday on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017 amid granite hills where ancient spirits are said to dwell, defying calls to resign after nearly four decades in power in a region known for opposing a leader who says he’ll run again in 2018 elections.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe celebrated his 93rd birthday Saturday amid granite hills where ancient spirits are said to dwell, defying calls to resign after nearly four decades in power in a region known for opposing the man who says he'll run again in 2018 elections.

Thousands of government supporters, some wearing clothing adorned with Mugabe's image, converged in Matabeleland for a birthday bash and show of strength for the ruling ZANU-PF party, beset by squabbling in the past year as the elderly president weakened and factions, one including his wife Grace, sparred ahead of an expected power vacuum.

24 February 2017

Report: German spy agency targets foreign reporters' phones

The July 8, 2013 file picture shows the BND monitoring base in Bad Aibling, near Munich, Germany. German weekly Der Spiegel reported Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 that the country's spy agency had at least 50 numbers and email addresses belonging to journalists among its targets for surveillance
The German weekly Der Spiegel reports that the country's spy agency had at least 50 numbers and email addresses of journalists among its surveillance targets.

Spiegel reported Friday that a list seen by the magazine contained over a dozen numbers belonging to the BBC in Afghanistan and London. It says a New York Times phone number in Afghanistan and several cell and satellite phone numbers for the Reuters news agency in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria were also on the list.

Malaysia: VX nerve agent killed outcast North Korean scion

Malaysian Police stand outside North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. North Korea denied Thursday that its agents masterminded the assassination of the half brother of leader Kim Jong Un, saying a Malaysian investigation into the death of one of its nationals is full of "holes and contradictions."
The poison used to kill the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader at a crowded air terminal in Malaysia last week was the banned chemical weapon VX nerve agent, police said Friday. Eleven days after the deadly toxin was used, they said they would eliminate any possible remaining trace of it from the airport and other locations.
The revelation that VX nerve agent, deadly even in minute amounts, was used in the Feb. 13 attack boosted speculation that Pyongyang dispatched a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam, the outcast older sibling of North Korea's ruler.

India police arrest cheap mobile maker on fraud charges

In this July 7, 2016 file photo, Mohit Goel, Director of Indian company Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd. shows Freedom 251 smartphones at a press conference in New Delhi, India. Police say Mohit Goel was arrested late Thursday in the northern town of Ghaziabad following a complaint that his company, Ringing Bells, had not supplied the handsets that a phone distribution company had paid for.
The director of an Indian company that claimed it was selling the world's cheapest smartphone was arrested Thursday on fraud charges, police said Friday.
Mohit Goel was arrested in the New Delhi suburb of Ghaziabad following a complaint that his company Ringing Bells had not supplied the handsets that a phone distribution company had paid for.

Dakota Access oil pipeline camp cleared of protesters

A fire set by protesters burns in the background as opponents of the Dakota Access pipeline leave their main protest camp Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, near Cannon Ball, N.D. Most of the pipeline opponents abandoned their protest camp Wednesday ahead of a government deadline to get off the federal land, and authorities moved to arrest some who defied the order in a final show of dissent.
Authorities on Thursday cleared a protest camp where opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline had gathered for the better part of a year, searching tents and huts and arresting dozens of holdouts who had defied a government order to leave.
It took 3 ½ hours for about 220 officers and 18 National Guardsmen to methodically search the protesters' temporary homes. Authorities said they arrested 46 people, including a group of military veterans who had to be carried out and a man who climbed atop a building and stayed there for more than an hour before surrendering.

23 February 2017

US-born panda Bao Bao lands in China after leaving DC zoo

Bao Bao, the beloved 3-year-old panda at the National Zoo in Washington, enjoys a final morning in her bamboo-filled habitat before her one-way flight to China to join a panda breeding program, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017.
An American-born panda started settling into her new home Thursday in southwest China where she will eventually join a breeding program.
Bao Bao was born at the National Zoo in Washington to panda parents on loan from China. Under an agreement between China and the U.S., such panda cubs must be returned to China before they are 4 years old, the earliest age at which they might begin breeding.

7 Earth-size worlds found orbiting star; could hold life

This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows an artist's conception of what the surface of the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f may look like, based on available data about its diameter, mass and distances from the host star. The planets circle tightly around a dim dwarf star called Trappist-1, barely the size of Jupiter. Three are in the so-called habitable zone, where liquid water and, possibly life, might exist. The others are right on the doorstep.
For the first time, astronomers have discovered seven Earth-size planets orbiting a single nearby star — and these new worlds could hold life.
This cluster of planets is less than 40 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, according to NASA and the Belgian-led research team who announced the discovery Wednesday.

22 February 2017

Ex-Hong Kong leader gets 20 months in jail for misconduct

Selina Tsang, center, wife of former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang, is accompanied by her two sons, Simon Tsang Hing-yin, left, and Thomas Tsang Hing-shun, to walk out of the High Court in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017. The former leader of Hong Kong was sentenced Wednesday to 20 months in prison for misconduct after failing to disclose plans to rent a luxury apartment for his retirement from a businessman applying for a broadcasting license.
A former leader of Hong Kong was sentenced Wednesday to 20 months in prison for misconduct after failing to disclose plans to rent a luxury apartment for his retirement from a businessman applying for a broadcasting license.
It was a stunning downfall for Donald Tsang, 72, who served as Hong Kong's leader, or chief executive, from 2005 to 2012.

Pilot radioed in 'Mayday' call before Australian plane crash

Emergency personnel work at a light plane crashed in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. The plane crashed into a shopping mall, officials said.
A pilot repeatedly yelled out "Mayday" but did not say what the emergency was before his light plane crashed into the roof of an Australian shopping mall, killing himself and four American tourists, an accident investigator said Wednesday.
Police blamed "catastrophic engine failure" when a twin-engine Beechcraft B200 Super King Air crashed into the Direct Factory Outlet mall in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon on Tuesday moments after takeoff from a nearby runway.

Yahoo salvages Verizon deal with $350 million discount

This Monday, July 25, 2016, file photo shows the Yahoo and Verizon logos on a laptop, in North Andover, Mass. Yahoo is taking a $350 million hit on its previously announced $4.8 billion sale to Verizon in a concession for security lapses that exposed personal information stored in more than 1 billion Yahoo user accounts. The revised agreement announced Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, eases investor worries that Verizon Communications Inc. would demand a discount of at least $1 billion or cancel the deal entirely.
Yahoo is taking a $350 million hit on its previously announced $4.8 billion sale to Verizon in a concession for security lapses that exposed personal information stored in more than 1 billion Yahoo user accounts.
The revised agreement, announced Tuesday, eases investor worries that Verizon Communications Inc. would demand a discount of at least $1 billion or cancel the deal entirely.
The hacking bombshells, disclosed after the two companies agreed on a sale, represent the two biggest security breaches in internet history.

Cardinal at center of Ireland's clergy abuse scandals dies

In this Monday, April 8, 2002 file photo, Archbishop of Armagh Sean Brady, left, makes a point as Cardinal Desmond Connell looks on, during a press conference after the meeting of Ireland's Catholic bishops at St Patrick's College, Maynooth County Meath, Ireland. Catholic Cardinal Desmond Connell, whose tenure as Dublin archbishop was dominated by revelations of pedophilia in the priesthood, has died at the age of 90. The Dublin Archdiocese said Connell died Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 in his sleep after a long illness. He oversaw the archdiocese from 1988 to 2004 and was elevated to cardinal in 2001.
Cardinal Desmond Connell, whose tenure as Dublin's Roman Catholic archbishop was dominated by revelations of pedophilia in the priesthood, has died at the age of 90.
The Dublin Archdiocese said Connell died Tuesday in his sleep after a long illness. He oversaw the archdiocese from 1988 to 2004 and was elevated to cardinal in 2001.
Connell, who spent 35 years as a University College Dublin theologian before his appointment, said in 2002 that the child abuse scandals then sweeping through the Catholic Church in Ireland had devastated his time in office.

21 February 2017

Le Pen refuses headscarf, nixes talks with Lebanon cleric

An aide of Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, right, holds a head scarf as he tries to convince French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, center, to wear it during her meeting with the Mufti but she refused, at Dar al-Fatwa the headquarters of the Sunni Mufti, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. Le Pen refused to go into a meeting with Lebanon's Grand mufti after his aides asked her to wear a head scarf. Le Pen said she met in the past with the Grand mufti of Egypt's Al-Azhar, one of the world's top Sunni clerics, without wearing a veil. Once she was told it is different here, Le Pen walked toward her car and left.
France's far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen refused to don a headscarf for a meeting with Lebanon's top Sunni Muslim cleric on Tuesday and walked away from the scheduled appointment after a brief squabble at the entrance.
The debacle topped Le Pen's three-day visit to Lebanon, where she held her first campaign meeting with a head of state. It drew the focus to her strong support for secularism and a proposal in her presidential platform that promotes banishing headscarves and other obvious religious symbols in all public spaces.

Azerbaijan's leader names his wife as 1st vice president

In this Sunday, June 19, 2016 file photo, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva watch the last minutes of the Formula One Grand Prix of Europe at the Baku Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan. Aliyev appointed his wife to the post of the ex-Soviet nation's first vice president on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, a new position created after last year's constitutional referendum.
Azerbaijan's president on Tuesday appointed his wife as the first vice president of the ex-Soviet nation — the person next in line in the nation's power hierarchy.
Ilham Aliyev, 55 named his wife Mehriban, 52, to the position created after a constitutional referendum in September. Mehriban, who married her husband when she was 19, graduated from a medical university. She has served previously as a lawmaker and headed a charity.

Malaysian diplomat says Kim death investigation impartial

Malaysian Ambassador to North Korea Mohamad Nizan Mohamad speaks to journalists as he arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, from Pyongyang after being recalled by Malaysian government, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. Mohamad says at the airport while in transit to Malaysia the investigation into the death of the exiled half-brother of North Korea's ruler at Kuala Lumpur's international airport in Malaysia is being conducted in an impartial manner. Kim appeared to have been poisoned at Kuala Lumpur’s airport last week.
The investigation into the death of the exiled half-brother of North Korea's ruler is being conducted in an impartial manner, Malaysia's ambassador to Pyongyang said Tuesday, rejecting accusations from the North that the probe was politically tinged.
Mohamad Nizan Mohamad spoke in China's capital, Beijing, while in transit to Malaysia to where he had been recalled following the death last week in the Southeast Asian nation of Kim Jong Nam.

20 February 2017

Famine declared in part of South Sudan by government and UN

In this photo taken Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 and released by UNICEF, a boy has his arm measured to see if he is suffering from malnutrition during a nutritional assessment at an emergency medical facility supported by UNICEF in Kuach, on the road to Leer, in South Sudan. Famine has been declared Monday, Feb. 20, 2017 in two counties of South Sudan, according to an announcement by the South Sudan government and three U.N. agencies, which says the calamity is the result of prolonged civil war and an entrenched economic crisis that has devastated the war-torn East African nation.
Famine has been declared in two counties of South Sudan, according to an announcement by the South Sudan government and three U.N. agencies, which says the calamity is the result of prolonged civil war and an entrenched economic crisis that has devastated the war-torn East African nation.
The official classification of famine highlights the human suffering caused by South Sudan's three-year civil war and even as it is declared President Salva Kiir's government is blocking food aid to some areas, according to U.N. officials.

19 February 2017

IMF agrees terms for $5 billion loan to debt-ridden Mongolia

Bayartsaikhan Nadmid, Governor of the Bank of Mongolia, left, listens as Choijilsuren Battogtokh, Mongolia's Minister of Finance, right, speaks at a press conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017. The Mongolian government and envoys from the International Monetary Fund said Sunday that they and other partners have agreed on terms for a more than $5 billion loan package to the north Asian country to help get its economy back on track.
The Mongolian government and envoys from the International Monetary Fund said Sunday that they and other partners have agreed on terms for a more than $5 billion loan package to the north Asian country to help get its economy back on track.
The deal is subject to approval by the IMF's executive board, which is expected to consider Mongolia's request in March.

Blind cleric behind 1990s terror plots dies in US prison

This April 6, 1993 file photo shows Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman in New York. Kenneth McKoy of the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, N.C., said Abdel-Rahman died Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease. Abdel-Rahman was sentenced to life in prison after his 1995 conviction for his advisory role in a plot to blow up landmarks, including the United Nations, and several bridges and tunnels.
Omar Abdel-Rahman, the so-called Blind Sheik convicted of plotting terror attacks in New York City in the decade before 9/11 and spiritual guide to a generation of Islamic militants, has died in a federal prison. He was 78.
Abdel-Rahman, who had diabetes and coronary artery disease, died Saturday at the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina, said its acting executive assistant, Kenneth McKoy. The inmate spent seven years at the prison medical facility while serving a life sentence.
"We are saddened by your departure, father," the cleric's daughter, Asmaa, tweeted in Arabic.

New Gambian president promises reforms, freedoms

In this Thursday Jan. 26, 2017 file photo, Gambia President Adama Barrow waves as he rides his motorcade through crowds of hundreds of thousands after arriving at Banjul airport in Gambia, after flying in from Dakar, Senegal. Gambia's new president is set to be inaugurated Saturday Feb. 18, 2017, as this tiny West African nation celebrates wider freedoms after a tense political standoff with its former leader.
Gambia's new president promised greater freedom, an improved economy and better education as thousands attended a ceremony Saturday marking his inauguration after a tense political standoff with the country's former longtime leader.
"This is a victory for democracy. It is a victory for all Gambians," President Adama Barrow said to a packed stadium near the capital that included dignitaries and several African heads of state.

18 February 2017

Warren Frost, Dr. Will Hayward on 'Twin Peaks,' dies at 91

Warren Frost, who played Dr. Will Hayward on "Twin Peaks" and appeared in dozens of other TV shows including "Matlock" and "Seinfeld," has died. He was 91.
Frost died Friday at his home in Middlebury, Vermont, after a lengthy illness, according to a statement from his son, "Twin Peaks" co-creator Mark Frost. The nature of the illness was not disclosed.

Kraft still hungry for Unilever after rejected offer

In this March 2, 2011, file photo, Heinz ketchup bottles are displayed on the shelf of a market on in Barre, Vt. U.S. food giant Kraft Heinz Co. says its offer to buy Europe’s Unilever was rejected, but that it is still pursuing the deal. The maker of Oscar Mayer meats, Jell-O pudding and Velveeta cheese said there’s no certainty that it will make another offer for Unilever, which owns brands including Hellmann’s, Lipton and Knorr.
Kraft Heinz is attempting to buy Unilever in a $143 billion deal that would join the U.S. maker of cheeses and lunch meats with the European producer of mayo, teas and seasonings in a global powerhouse.
Unilever rejected the approach and called the price too low, while Kraft Heinz says it's still interested in a deal. The shares of both companies surged to new highs as investors saw prospects for cost cutting.

17 February 2017

Dick Bruna, 'spiritual father' of rabbit Miffy, dies at 89

In this Thursday Aug. 27, 2015 file image drawings of Miffy are displayed at a new exhibition charting the significance of the white bunny created by Dutch illustrator Dick Bruna, putting his work alongside those of his key inspirations, including Henri Matisse, Fernand Leger and members of Dutch art movement De Stijl at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. Dick Bruna passed away Thursday Feb. 16, 2017 aged 89.
Dick Bruna, the Dutch "spiritual father" of Miffy, the white rabbit who enchanted millions of young children around the world for more than half a century, has died at age 89, his publisher announced Friday.
Decades before Instagram made square images immensely popular, illustrator and artist Bruna understood their power. For years, his Miffy books were printed in a square format.
"He thought that size was really good for two little children's hands, and he loved the visual impact, too," longtime friend Marja Kerkhof, of his Dutch publisher Mercis, said in a telephone interview.

Spain's Princess Cristina found not guilty in tax fraud case

In this Feb. 8, 2014 file photo, Spain's Princess Cristina arrives at the courthouse in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. A Spanish court on Friday Feb. 17, 2017, found Princess Cristina not guilty in a tax fraud case in which her husband Inaki Urdangarin , was sentenced Friday to 6 years and 3 months in prison for evading taxes, fraud and various other charges.
In a wide-ranging tax fraud case that captivated Spain, Princess Cristina was found not guilty Friday of being an accessory to fraud but her husband was convicted and sentenced to more than six years in prison.
A panel of judges ruled that Cristina, the 51-year-old sister of King Felipe VI, will be required to pay nearly 265,000 euros (over $280,000) in fines because the court considers that she indirectly benefited from the fraud.

The Zuckerberg manifesto: How he plans to debug the world

In this Nov. 19, 2016 file photo, Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and CEO of Facebook, waves at the CEO summit during the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru. Zuckerberg released a missive Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, outlining his vision for the social network and the world at large. Among other things, Zuckerberg hopes that the social network can encourage more civic engagement, an informed public and community support in the years to come.
Mark Zuckerberg's long-term vision for Facebook, laid out in a sweeping manifesto , sometimes sounds more like a utopian social guide than a business plan. Are we, he asks, "building the world we all want?"
While most people now use Facebook to connect with friends and family, Zuckerberg thinks that the social network can also encourage more civic engagement, from the local to the global level. Facebook now has nearly 2 billion members, which makes it larger than any nation in the world.

Islamic State suicide bombing at Pakistan shrine kills 75

Pakistani hospital staff make arrangements outside an emergency ward for the victims of suicide bombing at a famous shrine in interior Sind province, in Karachi, Pakistan. Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. An Islamic State suicide bomber targeted worshippers at a famous shrine in southern Pakistan on Thursday, killing dozens of people and wounding others, officials said.
An Islamic State suicide bomber struck inside a famed shrine in southern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 75 people in the deadliest attack in the country in more than two years.
The bomber entered the main hall of the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan and detonated his payload amid dozens of worshippers, according to three security officials, who said at least 20 women and nine children were among the dead.

15 February 2017

India launches more than 100 satellites into orbit

This photograph released by Indian Space Research Organization shows its polar satellite launch vehicle lifting off from a launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, Wednesday, Feb.15, 2017. India's space agency said it successfully launched more than 100 foreign nano satellites into orbit Wednesday aboard a single rocket.
India's space agency said it successfully launched more than 100 foreign nano satellites into orbit Wednesday aboard a single rocket.
The Indian Space Research Organization said the nano satellites — those weighing less than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) — were sent into orbit from southern India. It said the launching of the 104 satellites was a record, overtaking Russia's feat of sending 37 satellites in a single launch in 2014.

13 February 2017

Peugeot buys iconic Indian car brand

Close up Hindustan Ambassadors taxi in New Delhi, India, Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. Over the weekend, the C.K. Birla Group that owns Hindustan Motors said it had signed an agreement with Peugeot SA to sell the Ambassador for 800 million rupees ($12 million).
French car manufacturer Peugeot has bought India's most iconic car brand from its maker Hindustan Motors in a deal that signifies the passing of an era in India's motoring history.
Over the weekend, the C.K. Birla Group that owns Hindustan Motors said it had signed an agreement with Peugeot SA to sell the Ambassador for 800 million rupees ($12 million).

6 February 2017

Romania leader: govt won't resign in face of mass protests

Tens of thousands of people shine lights from mobile phones and torches during a protest in front of the government building in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017. Romania's government met Sunday to repeal an emergency decree that decriminalizes official misconduct, a law that has prompted massive protests at home and widespread condemnation from abroad.
The leader of Romania's ruling center-left coalition says the government won't resign following the biggest demonstrations since the end of communism against a measure that would ease up on corruption.
Social Democratic chairman Liviu Dragnea emerged from a meeting with governing partners Monday saying that "we unreservedly expressed our support for the government ... and the prime minister."

5 February 2017

India state polls test Modi popularity after currency chaos

Indians stand in a queue to cast their votes outside a polling station, at Bachiwind village, about 42 kilometers from Amritsar, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017. Hundreds of paramilitary troops and police were posted near voting stations across Punjab to ensure security as voters stood in long lines to cast their vote.
Nearly three years ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a sweeping national election victory with promises to develop the economy and root out corruption. But with a series of key state elections beginning this weekend, Modi's popularity — and his surprise currency decree that sparked months of financial uproar — is now being tested.
India is just emerging from the fallout of a November decision that withdrew India's two largest currency notes from circulation and caused weeks of chaos as people waited to get their money back in new bills.

4 February 2017

The cave squeaker returns: Rare frog seen after decades

In this Dec. 3, 2016 photo, a man holds a rare frog that hasn't been seen in decades, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The Artholeptis troglodytes, also known as the “cave squeaker” because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962 but there were no reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that. An international “red list” of threatened species tagged them as critically endangered and possibly extinct.
The cave squeaker is back.

Researchers in Zimbabwe say they have found a rare frog that hasn't been seen in decades.
The Artholeptis troglodytes, also known as the "cave squeaker" because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962 but there were no reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that. An international "red list" of threatened species tagged them as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

India state polls test Modi popularity after currency chaos

In this photo taken Feb. 2, 2017, a supporter applauds as he listens to Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Sunil Choudhary during a election campaign in Bahlolpur village in Noida, India. Nearly three years ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a sweeping national election victory with promises to develop the economy and root out corruption. But with a series of key state elections beginning Saturday, Modi's popularity _ and his surprise currency decree that sparked months of financial uproar _ is about to be tested.
Nearly three years ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a sweeping national election victory with promises to develop the economy and root out corruption. But with a series of key state elections beginning Saturday, Modi's popularity — and his surprise currency decree that sparked months of financial uproar — is about to be tested.
India is just emerging from the fallout of the November decision, which withdrew India's two-largest currency notes from circulation and caused weeks of chaos as people waited to get their money back in new bills.

3 February 2017

US: Trump 'unbelievably disappointed' in Australia deal

In this Aug. 2, 2013, photo, a group of asylum seekers hold up their identity after landing in Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. For decades, Australia and the U.S. have enjoyed the coziest of relationships, collaborating on everything from military and intelligence to diplomacy and trade. Yet an irritable tweet President Donald Trump fired off about Australia and a dramatic report of an angry phone call between the nations' leaders proves that the new commander in chief has changed the playing field for even America's staunchest allies.
The White House deepened its condemnation of an Obama administration refugee deal with Australia Thursday, saying President Donald Trump was "unbelievably disappointed" in the agreement.
Asked whether the deal would continue, Trump said, "We'll see what happens." However, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told Australians that the American president has committed to following through with the agreement to allow mostly Muslim refugees to resettle in the United States.

2 February 2017

Israel evacuates West Bank outpost amid new settlement binge

This Wednesday, May 18, 2016 file photo shows buildings in Amona, an unauthorized Israeli outpost in the West Bank, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah. Israeli forces and West Bank settlers are bracing for the looming evacuation of a settlement outpost slated for demolition. Amona is the largest of about 100 unauthorized outposts erected in the West Bank without permission but generally tolerated by the Israeli government. The outpost, built in the 1990s, stretches out over a rugged, grassy hilltop and looks out across the valley onto Palestinian villages.
Israeli forces uprooted this West Bank outpost on Wednesday, removing residents and hundreds of their supporters in sometimes violent clashes as they dismantled a community that has become a symbol of Jewish settler defiance.
The evacuation, which followed years of legal battles, came amid a flurry of bold new settlement moves by Israel's government, which has been buoyed by the election of President Donald Trump.

Facebook's Oculus facing $500 million bill in copyright case

In this June 11, 2015, file photo, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey holds up the new Oculus Rift virtual reality headset for photographers following a news conference, in San Francisco. In a verdict reached Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, Facebook's virtual-reality subsidiary and two of its founders, Luckey and Brendan Iribe, are facing a sobering reality after a jury hit them with a $500 million bill for infringing on the rights of a video-game maker.
Facebook's virtual-reality subsidiary and two of its founders are facing a sobering reality after a jury hit them with a $500 million bill for violating the intellectual property rights of video-game maker ZeniMax Media.
The verdict reached Wednesday in a Dallas federal court represents about one-fourth of the $2 billion that Facebook paid two years ago to buy Oculus, a developer of virtual-reality gear and software.

Spokesman: Congolese opposition leader Tshisekedi dies at 84

In this file photo taken on, Wednesday, July 31, 2016, Congo opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi speak during a political rally in Kinshasa, Congo. Congo's opposition icon Etienne Tshisekedi, who pushed for democratic reforms for decades in this vast Central African nation and once declared himself president after saying the election was rigged by the incumbent, has died, his political party said late Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017.
Congo's opposition icon Etienne Tshisekedi, who pushed for democratic reforms for decades in the vast Central African nation throughout dictatorship and civil war, has died, his political party said late Wednesday. He was 84.
His death comes at a politically fragile moment for Congo, where he was heavily involved in the recent deal to get President Joseph Kabila to agree to step down by the end of this year after months of deadly protests. The parties signed a deal that has yet to be implemented.

1 February 2017

Iranian general acknowledges missile test

Iran's defense minister said Wednesday that his country recently carried out a missile test, days after the White House said it was looking into reports of an Iranian ballistic missile launch that may have contravened a U.N. resolution.
Gen. Hossein Dehghan was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying "the recent missile test is in line with our plans and we will not let any foreigner meddle with our defense issues." He did not say when the test was carried out or specify the type of missile, but said the test was not in violation of U.N. resolutions or the 2015 nuclear accord.

Indian government cuts taxes, pledges to boost rural economy

Indian laborers work at a flyover construction site in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Feb.1, 2017. India's finance minister Wednesday pledged relief for middle class taxpayers and small and medium-sized companies while planning billions of dollars in spending to double farmers' incomes over the next five years and improve the country's ramshackle infrastructure and provide cheap homes to people.
India's finance minister pledged relief for middle class taxpayers and small and medium-sized companies on Wednesday, saying the government would spend billions of dollars to double farmers' incomes, upgrade ramshackle infrastructure and provide cheap housing.
In presenting to Parliament the budget for fiscal year that starts April 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the economy was doing well despite slowing growth in other emerging economies and a massive demonetization order late last year that affected the country's mostly cash-based business activities.