Thursday, 31 January 2019

Sarah Sanders says 'God wanted Trump to be president'

In an interview, the White House press secretary says Donald Trump had divine support.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Bm9a3B

Saudi Arabia ends major anti-corruption campaign

Hundreds of princes and billionaires were held and more than $100bn recouped by the state since 2017.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2S0hQGQ

Bastia attack: Gunman found dead in police raid

France's interior minister says "the fanatic committed suicide" after killing one and injuring five.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2B96bLC

Senator Rand Paul wins damages after neighbour attack

Senator Rand Paul was awarded more than $580,000 (£441,000) in damages after his neighbour attacked.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2UopeIW

Mystery illness sees Canada halve its Cuba embassy staff

A 14th employee at Canada's embassy in Havana falls ill, and the country cuts staff there by half.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2sWTxuQ

China's factory activity shrinks as slowdown worries rise

The data comes as several global firms warn China's slowing economy will hit their bottom line.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2UvE5l2

Emiliano Sala: Missing Cardiff striker's former club Nantes pay tribute

Nantes pay tribute to missing former striker Emiliano Sala during their 1-1 draw with Saint Etienne.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2SbuBxT

The story of a US raid on al-Qaeda in Yemen

The BBC has gained rare access to Athlan village, the site of a major US attack on al-Qaeda in Yemen.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2UqHYHO

Polar vortex: What is it and how does it happen?

The deep freeze gripping much of the US has been blamed on a polar vortex. Here's what that means.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Sex5LW

Actor 'tasted brutality of hatred'

Stars support Empire actor Jussie Smollet, the victim of a suspected hate crime in Chicago.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2CRvIJi

The Afghan Invictus athletes claiming asylum in Australia

The fears of six athletes who claimed asylum in Australia after the 2018 Invictus Games.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2S8Sgz1

Zimbabwe women raped as government crackdown continues

Six women tell the BBC they were raped by security forces as part of a government crackdown.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2CRqD3G

MP defends unmasking shot reporter

Kennedy Agyapong tells the BBC he regrets journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale’s death, but has a clear conscious.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2sVKNEY

'Why I fled Saudi Arabia and sought asylum in the UK'

Two Saudis who sought asylum in the UK explain why they risked everything.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2SdhEnb

Richard E Grant in tears over Barbra Streisand's reply to 1970s fan letter

The actor and superfan was "overcome with emotion" when Streisand replied to his childhood letter.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2MGAb66

The Lord of the Ringos? Peter Jackson to direct a Beatles film

The Lord of the Rings director will use unseen footage of the tense sessions for their final album.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2SdIgEx

Bulgarians decry ‘eco vandalism’ on coast

Social media outcry puts controversial construction on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast under scrutiny.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Uxh9C1

Why some Japanese pensioners want to go to jail

Japan is in the grip of an elderly crime wave. Poverty and loneliness are two of the possible causes.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2sUSv2f

How do you compost a human body - and why would you?

A US state could become one of the first places in the world to allow corpses to become fertile soil.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2S04WbU

The Indians sharing their villages with crocodiles

In most places, a crocodile would send people scurrying in fear. But not in this part of India.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Sbqv8X

Maduro and Guaidó: Who is supporting whom in Venezuela?

The international community is split over who it recognises as the country's current president.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2BbqOqp

Nastya Rybka: Model who got caught up in the Trump-Russia row

The story of Nastya Rybka, who was questioned in a Thai jail by the FBI about the Trump-Russia inquiry.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2HHJ9kz

Why Dutch fear Brexit no deal will leave onions to rot

Imagine onions - tonnes of them, rotting in a customs queue. It's a Dutch farmer's Brexit nightmare.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2DLoiZL

House price growth at near six-year low

The annual rise in house prices "almost ground to a complete halt" in January, the Nationwide says.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2DJKi77

Seven out of 10 water firms fail bills test

Firms have to set out how they will cut water bills as part of the regulator's five-year review.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2HQS6bg

How has business been affected by Brexit so far?

With two months to go until the UK is due to leave the EU, how are firms and the UK economy faring?

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2HHrR7r

China's factory activity shrinks as slowdown worries rise

The data comes as several global firms warn China's slowing economy will hit their bottom line.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2UvE5l2

MPs say fast fashion brands inaction on ethics is shocking

JD Sports, Sports Direct, TK Maxx, Amazon, Boohoo and Missguided must do more, say MPs.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2HHsiyB

Brexit: Car investment halves as industry hits 'red alert'

The UK industry's trade body warns of "permanent devastation" if Britain leaves the EU without a deal.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2BbLdM1

Facebook users continue to grow despite privacy scandals

The number of people who logged into the site at least once a month rose 9% last year.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2Uu7wUu

It's deadline day - can you handle the pressure?

Nearly two million people are estimated to have left it until the last minute to fill in their tax returns.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2Gabtd6

Fed puts future rate rises on hold as pledges patience

The US central bank says it can "afford to wait" before making further interest rate rises.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2MHkewu

Bosses' group head in abrupt departure

Stephen Martin has been director general of the Institute of Directors for less than two years.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2MH51vx

Foxconn reconsiders Wisconsin factory plans

President Donald Trump had hailed Foxconn's investment as the start of a manufacturing revival.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2sTNqXY

Tesla reports profit as issues stabilise

The firm, which has routinely posted losses, reports a small profit for a second consecutive quarter.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2RsHcYT

Barclays shifts billions of pounds to Dublin because of Brexit

The High Street bank "cannot wait any longer" to shift business to Dublin because of Brexit.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2FYGv8q

Electric checks in rented homes confirmed by government

Landlords in England must organise a check every five years, mirroring rules already in place in Scotland.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2CTnznC

Brexit: Firms may speed up no-deal plans, says CBI

Latest twist feels like a "throw of the dice" and does nothing to take no-deal off the table, says the CBI.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2Sgmwrw

Carlos Ghosn says 'plot and treason' behind arrest

The ex-Nissan chairman says some executives were opposed to his plans for the Japanese carmaker.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2sUfASF

Haidilao: Robots staff China's top hotpot chain

Robot waiters and chefs form the future of hotpot chain Haidilao.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2HGanbw

The data that can save lives in rural Kenya

An app is helping healthcare workers in rural Kenya to collect data and improve their service to patients.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2G8iLhk

The unlikely stars bucking the High Street slump

Museum and gallery shops are reporting rising sales and greater interest. What is their recipe for growth?

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2CRvcuO

Has Vale become Brazil's most hated company?

Can the country's mining giant Vale recover after its second major disaster in four years?

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2SlbwJK

Cost-conscious Chinese tourists staying closer to home for Lunar New Year

Trade tensions with the United States and a slowing economy are keeping Chinese tourists to budget-friendly destinations closer to home for the Lunar New Year holiday, with more likely opting for Bangkok than Sydney or San Francisco.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2WydHIP

China's military-run space station in Argentina is a 'black box'

LAS LAJAS, Argentina - When China built a military-run space station in Argentina's Patagonian region it promised to include a visitors' center to explain the purpose of its powerful 16-story antenna.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2FZcWn8

Russia, U.S. last-ditch talks to break nuclear pact deadlock fail: agencies

Russia and the United States failed to bridge their differences over a landmark Cold War-era arms treaty at last-ditch talks in Beijing, Russia's deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Thursday.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2HICNBH

Watchdog shows Afghan defense forces declining as peace talks edge forward

The strength of the embattled Afghan defense forces has declined to its lowest level in four years, a U.S. watchdog said on Thursday, as talks between Washington and the Taliban continue over the possible withdrawal of foreign troops.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Tn7PjV

African churches boom in London's backstreets

On a cold, grey Sunday morning, in a street lined with shuttered builders' yards and storage units, songs of prayer in the West African language of Yoruba ring out from a former warehouse that is now a church.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Ghioky

Soft power: Australia uses hard game to tackle China in Pacific

Australia will direct more foreign aid to develop the sport of rugby league in the Pacific, officials say, bolstering a soft power offensive against China's growing influence in the region.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2CZMGp4

Myanmar court rejects appeal by jailed Reuters reporters

A Myanmar court on Friday rejected the appeal of two Reuters reporters sentenced to seven years in jail on charges of breaking the Official Secrets Act, saying the defense had not provided sufficient evidence to show they were innocent.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2H6IGIw

Don't deal in Venezuelan gold, White House says, in anti-Maduro push

The White House warned traders on Wednesday not to deal in Venezuelan gold or oil following its imposition of stiff sanctions aimed at forcing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Sfmksz

Saudi Arabia winds down 15-month anti-corruption campaign

Saudi Arabia has ended a sweeping crackdown on corruption ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that it said had recovered more than $106 billion through settlements with scores of senior princes, ministers and top businessmen.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2HGUaCX

Tug-of-war: U.S. refiner Citgo caught in Venezuela political upheaval

Citgo Petroleum Corp, the eighth largest U.S. refiner and Venezuela's top foreign asset, is in the middle of a tug-of-war as the Trump administration tries to use the company as leverage to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2MGllfJ

Citgo expatriate workers in U.S. ordered to return to Venezuela: sources

Venezuela has told dozens of expatriate staff working for Citgo Petroleum Corp in the United States that they must return to Caracas by the end of February, people familiar with the matter said, following U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2GifBrJ

BHP, Rio call for permanent indigenous voice in Australia's parliament

Australia's two biggest mining firms on Thursday backed calls for an indigenous advisory body in parliament, saying Prime Minister Scott Morrison's opposition to the proposal did not "stand up to scrutiny."


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2FVWJz6

Need for speed: Carts on rails help Manila's commuters dodge gridlock

Thousands of commuters flock to Manila's railway tracks every day, but rather than boarding the trains, they climb on to wooden carts pushed along the tracks, to avoid the Philippine capital's infamous traffic gridlock.


from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2HQsETg