Special News and Updated: December 2018

Monday, 31 December 2018

Why legalising gay sex in India is not a Western idea

India's decision to decriminalise gay sex has taken the country back to its roots, some historians say.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2ApBWzF

New top story on Hacker News: Writing and coding by voice with Talon

Writing and coding by voice with Talon
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Year-End Storm in the Philippines Kills More Than 60

By JASON GUTIERREZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2R55gWI

Philippine President Says He Sexually Abused Housemaid as a Teenager

By JASON GUTIERREZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2AqsfRv

C.I.A.’s Afghan Forces Leave a Trail of Abuse and Anger

By MUJIB MASHAL from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2EZjOjT

In Orange County, a Republican Fortress Turns Democratic

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ROBERT GEBELOFF from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2F0FQSR

Consejos para vivir mejor en 2019

By Por MARINA FRANCO from NYT Universal https://nyti.ms/2QXpu4p

‘The Train Was So Packed That It Was Difficult For Me to Do What I Always Did’

By Unknown Author from NYT New York https://nyti.ms/2SrN1ar

2 of New York’s Most Influential Offices Are About to be Held by One Person

By J. DAVID GOODMAN from NYT New York https://nyti.ms/2Tllzvc

What’s on TV Monday: New Year’s Eve Celebrations and Taylor Swift

By SARA ARIDI from NYT Arts https://nyti.ms/2AmjsAe

Armed Man in Tactical Clothing Headed to a Texas Church to ‘Fulfill a Prophecy,’ Police Say

By SANDRA E. GARCIA from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2CH9f2G

Trump Digs In, Darkening Hopes for a Deal to End the Shutdown

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2Qdoeov

Obamacare, Ruled Invalid by Federal Judge, Will Remain in Effect During Appeal

By SARAH MERVOSH from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2GQ7rIL

Lindsey Graham Suggests Syrian Troop Drawdown Will Take Longer Than 30 Days

By MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2GIQ7p0

Quotation of the Day: C.I.A.-Led Afghan Forces Leave Grim Trail of Abuse

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper https://nyti.ms/2GMzf0B

Ravens and Eagles Claw Their Way to the N.F.L. Playoffs

By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/2Als4qM

Cowboys Send Giants to Another Late Loss

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/2QVaF2l

Alabama and Clemson Are Putting a Trademark on the Title Game

By MARC TRACY from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/2QXVEgb

No Corrections: December 31, 2018

By Unknown Author from NYT Corrections https://nyti.ms/2BOloBb

A Closed Brooklyn Bridge and 40,000 Pounds of Deli Meat: New York Is That Crowded

By TYLER PAGER from NYT New York https://nyti.ms/2CHhv2E

Shutdown, McKinsey, Gaza: Your Monday Briefing

By REMY TUMIN from NYT Briefing https://nyti.ms/2LIPH0A

‘Outlander’ Season 4, Episode 9: Fraser Hospitality

By GENEVIEVE VALENTINE from NYT Arts https://nyti.ms/2EWOnH6

With U.S. departure, Syria's Manbij braces for upheaval

U.S. forces have underpinned stability in Manbij since Islamic State's defeat here in 2016. Some 30 km (20 miles) from the Turkish border, it occupies a critical spot in the map of the Syrian conflict, near the junction of three separate blocks of territory that form spheres of Russian, Turkish and - for now - U.S. influence. While U.S. forces have yet to leave, the consequences of Trump's decision are already playing out in Manbij.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2GLTewv

California authorities seek motive in triple slaying

ORCUTT, Calif. (AP) — California authorities are trying to determine why a Central Coast man stabbed and beat his sister, mother and a third person to death in their home.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2BP0SR6

6 people injured in jetway collapse at Baltimore-Washington International Airport

At least 6 people were injured, according to a Tweet sent out by BWI airport. However, none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EY9EiE

Two right-wing ministers form new party ahead of Israel polls

Two right-wing Israeli government ministers on Saturday launched a new party aimed at winning over secular voters ahead of snap elections in April. Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said they were quitting the far-right Jewish Home party to found the New Right party. Nationalist Jewish Home -- of which Bennett was the head and Shaked deputy leader -- has been part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition with eight seats in parliament.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EUtcEM

How F-22 and F-35 'DNA' Will Make the 'New' F-16 Viper a Real Killer

Here is all we know.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2LFnR5w

California Will Become First State to Require Pet Stores to Sell Only Rescue Animals

The bill, "would require all sales of dogs and cats authorized by this provision to be in compliance with laws requiring the spaying or neutering of animals, as specified."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Aku1nm

Origin of virus that hobbled newspapers still unclear

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The origins of a suspected computer attack that disrupted the Los Angeles Times and Tribune Publishing newspapers remained unclear Sunday after causing delivery delays and being brought to the attention of federal investigators.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2SyWlcN

UK to spend over $130 million on ferries to cope with no-deal Brexit

Just three months before the United Kingdom is due to leave the world's largest bloc, the risk of a no-deal Brexit is rising -- the nightmare scenario for many businesses, which are now planning for an economic shock. To ease a potential backlog, the government has awarded three contracts to provide additional freight capacity on routes from English south-coast ports including Poole, Portsmouth and Plymouth.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2RngW69

Egypt kills 40 'terrorists' in crackdown after Giza attack

Egyptian police killed 40 suspects in a crackdown on Saturday after a roadside bomb hit a tour bus claiming the lives of three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian guide. Thirty alleged "terrorists" were killed in separate raids in Giza governorate, home to Egypt's famed pyramids and the scene of Friday's deadly bombing, while 10 others were killed in the restive North Sinai, the interior ministry said without directly linking them to the attack. A security source said the raids took place early Saturday morning, hours after Friday evening's roadside bombing which officials said hit a tour bus in the Al-Haram district near the Giza pyramids killing the three Vietnamese holidaymakers and their Egyptian guide.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2RoYJW6

UK trade minister says '50-50' chance Brexit may be stopped: paper

Britain's trade minister Liam Fox said there is a "50-50" chance that Brexit may be stopped if parliament rejects the government's divorce deal with the European Union next month. "If we were not to vote for that, I'm not sure I would give it (Brexit) much more than 50-50," Fox, a leading supporter of leaving the EU, told the Sunday Times newspaper. With three months left until the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on March 29, May's Brexit deal is floundering, opening up a range of possibilities from a Brexit without a trade deal to calling Brexit off.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EY7NKY

Syria's Assad authorizes Iraqi forces to strike IS in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad authorized Iraqi forces on Sunday to attack the Islamic State group inside Syria without waiting for permission from authorities in Damascus, the state news agency SANA said, as the two allies coordinate their fight against extremists ahead of a planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Amjt6S

Sherman, T-34 and Cromwell: These Three Allied Tanks Won World War II

Allied tanks were engineered for mass production and to handle routine battlefield tasks well, rather than being over-engineered to survive the heaviest guns or penetrate the thickest armor.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Rnqqyj

Heads up: Israeli woman stumbles upon Roman busts

An Israeli woman walking near ancient ruins noticed a head sticking out of the ground, leading to the uncovering of two Roman-era busts, archaeologists said Sunday. The life-size sculptures, carved in limestone, were found in the northern city of Beit Shean earlier this month, with the Israel Antiquities Authority dating them to the late Roman period, some 1,700 years ago. The well-preserved busts are of men, one of them bearded, sculpted in the Oriental style that was becoming fashionable at the end of the Roman period, according to Eitan Klein, deputy head of the IAA's theft prevention unit.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2QXCpTZ

Bali's Agung volcano spews ash in fresh eruption

A volcano on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali erupted Sunday, belching ash high into the air and over nearby villages as officials warned tourists to keep clear of the area. Mount Agung has been erupting periodically since it rumbled back to life in 2017, when it grounded hundreds of flights and left 120,000 visitors stranded. "Residents near Mount Agung as well as climbers and tourists should not carry out any activity in the danger zone or within four-kilometre radius from the crater," the centre said in a statement.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2LHA8WZ

Partial government shutdown hitting some Bay Area National Parks hard

If you're visiting any National Parks in the near future, plan ahead! You don't want to show up to find out the attractions are closed...

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2StsfHw

The Economists, Military, Moralists & Politicians Running Brazil

(Bloomberg) -- Traditionally, Brazilian presidents offered ministerial positions to politicians in return for their parties’ support in Congress. But with politics-as-usual deeply discredited in the wake of successive corruption scandals, Jair Bolsonaro is trying a different tack. The new government consists of roughly four separate groups, only one of which is explicitly political.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2AxjC7Z

Germany: Drugged driver forces car onto airport tarmac

BERLIN (AP) — A man forced open a locked gate on the security perimeter of Hannover Airport in northern Germany and drove a car onto the airfield Saturday before coming to a halt underneath an airliner and being detained, police said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Tg6WZN

Putin says Moscow is open for dialogue with the US in New Year letter to Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump in a New Year letter on Sunday that Moscow was ready for dialogue on a "wide-ranging agenda", the Kremlin said following a series of failed attempts to hold a new summit. At the end of November, the US president abruptly cancelled a planned meeting with Mr Putin on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Argentina, citing tensions about Russian forces opening fire on Ukrainian navy boats and then seizing them. Mr Trump and Mr Putin also failed to hold a full-fledged meeting in Paris on the sidelines of the centenary commemoration of the Armistice. The two leaders held their one and only summit in Helsinki in July. "Vladimir Putin stressed that the (Russia - United States) relations are the most important factor for providing strategic stability and international security," a Kremlin statement said. "He confirmed that Russia is open for dialogue with the USA on the most wide-ranging agenda." Mr Putin also wished "well-being and prosperity to the British people" Credit: TASS / Barcroft Images Moscow has said one of the key issues it wanted to discuss with the United States is Washington's plans to withdraw from a Cold War era nuclear arms pact. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying that now it was up to the United States whether to hold a new meeting in 2019. "The issue should be addressed to Washington. Both our president and his representatives have said that we are ready for the talks when Washington is ready for it," TASS news agency quoted Mr Lavrov as saying in televised remarks. In a separate letter to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Mr Putin pledged continuation of aid to the Syrian government and people in the "fight against terrorism, in defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity". Credit: TASS / Barcroft Images Mr Putin also sent New Year greetings to other world leaders including Theresa May and Shinzo Abe of Japan, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr Putin wished "well-being and prosperity to the British people", the Kremlin said. Russia's embassy in London said on Friday Moscow and London had agreed to return some staff to their respective embassies after they expelled dozens of diplomats early this year. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over accusations the Kremlin was behind a nerve toxin attack in March on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury. Russia, which denies any involvement in the poisoning, sent home the same number of British embassy workers in retaliation.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2BPXBB3

Low mileage 1976 Subaru Brat sells for high dollar price

With only 2500 miles on the clock, this classic BRAT is in great condition and has just changed hands for more than $46,000

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2R2W4C7

Ask the Captain: What airplanes did you fly in your career?

Prior to becoming an aviation safety consultant, and USA TODAY columnist, John Cox flew a wide variety of commercial airplanes.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2So6icU

Fears of intimidation, violence as Bangladesh set to vote

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — As Bangladeshis get set to vote in Sunday's parliamentary elections, there are fears that violence and intimidation could keep many away from the polls, including two opposition candidates who said police had barricaded them inside their homes.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Tlqnkd

US winter storms kill seven: media

Parts of the United States were digging out Saturday from winter storms that media reports said led to at least seven deaths, while warmer regions braced for potential flooding during the New Year's travel period. As storm clouds moved east, they were set to bring heavy rain and probably flooding to the Gulf Coast, and both rain and freezing rain to New England. Flight tracker FlightAware reported more than 129 flight cancellations and 1,006 delays Saturday -- down from more than 500 cancelations and 5,700 delays on Friday -- as the winter storm hit north-central and Midwestern states with up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of snow.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2BKTLsY

Will General Motors resurrect the GMC Envoy? Trademark filing raises speculation SUV may be brought back.

General Motors has filed for a trademark on the name Envoy, raising speculation that it will resurrect the once popular GMC SUV.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2CIsMQt

Missouri man fatally shoots girlfriend, her kids, her mother

A St. Louis-area man shot to death his girlfriend, her two young children and her mother in the home they all shared, authorities said Saturday. He exchanged gunfire with officers as he fled and was captured several hours later in a convenience store, covered in blood and wounded.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EYeeyr