int news: May 2019

Saturday, 4 May 2019

Trump Spoke With Putin About Mueller Report, Sanders Says

Sanders told reporters at the White House that the two leaders “very, very briefly” discussed Mueller’s report, which detailed a Kremlin-directed scheme to interfere in the 2016 election on Trump’s behalf. Mueller didn’t find evidence that Trump or any of his associates conspired with the Russian effort.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Jb1KEK

Do I need a measles booster shot? Is the vaccine effective? Your questions answered

Vaccines are the best way to prevent spreading measles. Some adults might need a booster immunization against the contagious virus.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2DE5fPI

Accused gunman in North Carolina college shooting skips court appearance

Trystan Terrell, 22, was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder after police and witnesses say he began firing a handgun in a classroom full of nearly 50 students on UNC Charlotte's campus shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

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

Measles-plagued Scientology ship leaves St Lucia

A cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology that was quarantined in St Lucia for two days because of a measles case has left the Caribbean island and was headed toward Curacao on Friday, maritime tracking services said. The Freewinds left the port capital Castries on Thursday at 11:15pm (0315 GMT Friday) and was cruising toward Willemstad in Curacao, a distance it previously covered in two days, according to myshiptracking.com and cruisin.me. A spokeswoman for St Lucia's health ministry confirmed that the ship had left the island.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2WgQ4nL

Hardships from Hawaii volcano stretch on 1 year later

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) — A year after a volcano on Hawaii's Big Island rained lava and gases in one of its largest and most destructive eruptions in recorded history, people who lost their homes and farms in the disaster are still struggling to return to their cherished island lifestyle.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2GUYb2N

Rep. Crenshaw: Rep. Omar's Venezuela remarks are not based on facts or reality

Rep. Ilhan Omar faces backlash for blaming Venezuela unrest on the U.S.; Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw reacts.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2H4UEAx

Trump urges 'fight with all our strength' against anti-Semitism

US President Donald Trump called Thursday for an all-out fight against anti-Semitism as he hosted a rabbi shot in a deadly weekend gun rampage at a California synagogue. Yisroel Goldstein was among four worshipers hit -- one fatally -- as a gunman burst into a service and opened fire in the town of Poway, near San Diego, on Saturday. "We will fight with all our strength and everything that we have in our bodies to defeat anti-Semitism," Trump told a national prayer service at the White House.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Wl5zLt

Don't be fooled: Joe Biden is no friend of unions

The former vice-president is dressing up his candidacy in a blue-collar costume. But he’s never taken a political risk for workersThe former vice-president Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally at Teamsters Local 249 union hall on Monday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Jeff Swensen/Getty ImagesIn San Francisco there’s a high-end boutique called “Unionmade”. There you will find expensive work jackets and overalls, lit by bare bulbs and displayed on unvarnished metal shelves. The aesthetic could not convey its message any more clearly: buy these clothes, and access a bygone era of authenticity and American craftsmanship. But it’s a lie – the clothes on offer are largely not union-made. “The unfortunate reality is that there are not many unions left in the garment industry and so the name was cultivated as a signifier of well-made and aesthetically timeless goods,” explains a spokesperson.As the industrial working class has faded, its afterimage has become available for appropriation in commerce, in culture and in politics. Such appropriation need not entail commitment to the workers’ movement. Everyone from Levi’s jeans to Donald Trump has made this move – and now, Joe Biden, the would-be candidate of labor.Biden is the Unionmade of politicians. The former vice-president is taking great care to dress up his new candidacy in a blue-collar costume; as Andrew Epstein puts it, he is an “aesthetic populist”. His kickoff rally was on Monday in a union hall in Pittsburgh, where the president of the United Steelworkers of America promised his members would be present “wearing their USW gear”.The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), whose president has long been close to Biden, has endorsed him. Bob Casey, the Pennsylvania senator of the old New Deal variety (anti-abortion, pro-labor), chimes in that Biden has an “electric” connection with “old-school union guys”.When he was considering running in 2016, CNN observed, “Joe Biden’s relationship with America’s working men and women is at the core of his political soul.” Yet the idea that Biden is some kind of working-class hero has no discernible substance. Like the myth on the right that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an empty-headed idiot, it’s pure projection – though one that he’s at great pains to encourage.To be sure, Biden is a nominally pro-union liberal. Like any Democrat, he won’t cross a picket line. He loves to talk in union halls. He’s always saying things like, “There’s an old saying – all men are created equal but then a few became firefighters,” and “The best place for me to be my whole career is surrounded by organized labor. And I know how to say ‘union’.”The notional blue-collar appeal of Joe from hard-luck Scranton was widely understood to be one of the main reasons that Barack Obama – famously the effete “wine track” candidate – selected him as a running mate. But where does this appeal come from? Biden’s not a scion of wealth, but he grew up in the middle class: his father was a used-car salesman, not a factory worker.At no point in his career has Biden proven willing to take the slightest political risk on behalf of workers. His appearances in union halls occur when he needs something from labor. On the other hand, when Biden went to vacation in the Hamptons during the 2011 Verizon strike, workers in the area sought him out “just to possibly get a show of support, a thumb’s-up, a head nod, anything” – to no avail. That same year in Wisconsin, labor leaders specifically asked Biden to come to rally their resistance to the brutal, ultimately successful attack by Scott Walker; Biden declined.In fact, I can find reports of only two instances of Biden appearing on a picket line or otherwise supporting embattled workers at any point in his very long public life: once in Iowa, during his 1987 presidential campaign, and just this month in Boston. Now, his first major presidential fundraiser is being hosted by the founder of one of the country’s leading anti-union law firms. The man running to be labor’s champion is sponsored by someone who has made millions choking the life out of the labor movement.Nor does Biden have a public policy record favorable to the working class. In 1977-1978, during unions’ big push for labor law reform, he vacillated for months and sabotaged the proposal with public criticism. He voted for Nafta and supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He authored the punishing 2005 bankruptcy bill, a reward to creditors and punishment to debtors. Worse still, he has been one of the main legislative architects of mass incarceration, a regime that has devastated the heavily policed and punished American working class.But this brings us to the real substance of the problem. Biden would surely not recognize the targets of mass incarceration as members of what he imagines as the “working class”. As he put it in a speech to the IAFF in March, “In my neighborhood you grew up either to be a firefighter or a cop, a tradesman or a priest.” This stratum is what has often been called the “aristocracy of labor”. These occupations and their unions have historically been hostile to women and people of color and de facto segregated. They are more economically comfortable and politically conservative than the rest of the working class, and are notorious for pursuing their own immediate interests over broader working-class solidarity. The building trades, for instance, have played a central role in leading organized labor’s opposition to the Green New Deal.When Biden cracked a joke several weeks ago about his habit of touching women without consent, he was speaking to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. While the IBEW today takes a strong public stand for workplace equality, both the union and the industry have deep histories of ignoring sexual harassment and racial discrimination. According to a 2013 study, only one-quarter of women in the building trades believe they are equally respected on the job. This context makes Biden’s joking about the accusation of a Latina before that particular crowd seem altogether more insidious. Harassment, after all, is nothing if not a workplace issue. You’d only joke about it to a union crowd if you didn’t think women were really workers.But Biden’s vision of a better deal for labor is, explicitly, to turn back the clock. “There used to be a basic bargain in this country,” he is fond of saying. “All we’re trying to do is get it back to where we were.”The unions that are considering supporting Biden are the blue-collar ones that were party to what he calls the “basic bargain” of mid-century. The leaders of those organizations were unnerved by how strongly Donald Trump ran among their members, and it is this anxiety that fuels their attraction to Biden, who they hope will do their persuasion work for them.Unions closer to politicians than to their members are unions waiting to die. As labor’s fortunes have declined, so has the imaginative scope of many labor leaders. Each year of shrinking membership has driven them to behave more narrowly and defensively, to abandon the initiative.This is all the worse in a moment that invites broad and radical vision. More workers went on strike in 2018 than in any year since 1986. Over 90% of those who did worked in either healthcare or education – sectors that were not included in the mid-century “basic bargain”.What’s remarkable is that Biden’s proletarian minstrel act has worked for this long. When he dropped out of the 1988 presidential race, it was after getting caught plagiarizing a monologue by the British Labour party leader, Neil Kinnock, on his coalminer roots. Biden’s spokesperson explained that, while Biden had no immediate relations who were coalminers, the “people that his ancestors grew up with in the Scranton region, and in general the people of that region were coalminers.” In fact, Biden did have an ancestor in the coal industry, Patrick F Blewitt, who died in 1911. But he wasn’t a miner – he was a boss.

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

The Latest: Baby found dead after raft flips on Rio Grande

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on migrants missing after their raft flipped on the Rio Grande (all times local):

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2GVMg4P

What Happens Next with the Mueller Report? The Answer May Lie in the Footnotes

"The devil is truly in the details," writes former FBI agent Asha Rangappa

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

Nadler blasts no-show Barr before empty seat at House Judiciary hearing

In a remarkable scene inside the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Thursday, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler blasted Attorney General William Barr for failing to appear before the committee.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2WkQV6Z

Guaido calls for protests at military bases as Maduro rallies troops

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Thursday called for peaceful demonstrations at army bases, days after a military uprising in support of his bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro fizzled out. The latest appeal came after Maduro called on the armed forces of the crisis-wracked nation to oppose "any coup plotter", as the embattled leader dug in his heels in the face of ongoing protests and international pressure, especially from the United States. Guaido -- recognized by more than 50 countries as Venezuela's interim president -- had on Tuesday called on the military to rise up against Maduro, and a small group heeded his call.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2DG17PV

Police escort honors Riley Howell, hero killed in UNC Charlotte rampage

The mother of University of North Carolina Charlotte shooting victim Riley Howell said his family is 'beyond proud' of his actions.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2ZRx0yz

Young Indians Helped Put Modi in Power. Can He Count On Them Again?

By KAI SCHULTZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2LlhfN7

Local elections: Tories call for unity after election drubbing

Ministers urge the Conservative party to unite - but Sajid Javid warns worse may be to come.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2H3skhT

North Korea 'test fires short-range missiles'

The firings took place early on Saturday from the east of the country, says South Korea.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2H1Ka4J

Boeing 737 skids into Florida river on landing

The jet carrying 143 people slid off a runway after landing in Jacksonville during a thunderstorm.

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

'Trash Girl' Nadia Sparkes moves schools over bullying

Nadia Sparkes, 13, was shown a knife and punched following taunts about her litter-picking.

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

Thailand's King Vajiralongkorn crowned

This is first of three days of rites to consecrate King Vajiralongkorn as god's representative.

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

Meet the scientists studying seal poo

Scientists in the Antarctic are monitoring seal poo to keep track of what's happening in the environment.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2DMz3L5

Shamima Begum: IS bride ‘would face death penalty in Bangladesh’

Bangladesh's foreign minister says the 19-year-old IS bride has "nothing to do" with his country.

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

Cyclone Fani: Indians shelter from cyclone's onslaught

More than a million people shelter from Cyclone Fani, one of the region's most powerful storms in years.

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

Diamond League: Caster Semenya wins 800m in Doha two days after losing case against IAAF

Caster Semenya wins the 800m at the first Diamond League meet of the season in Doha and vows to not quit the sport after IAAF ruling.

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

Trump calls Putin and talks of 'Russian hoax'

The two agreed there was "no collusion" between the Trump campaign and Russia, said the White House.

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

Leonardo's 'claw hand' stopped him painting

Leonardo da Vinci may have suffered nerve damage in a fall, impeding his ability to paint in later life.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2H39hUV

The Papers: 'Shattered Tories' and 'new Maddie suspect'

The papers focus on the local election results - on what was a bad night for both main parties.

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

How do you tell your Pakistani dad you don’t want a career in medicine?

Studying medicine is considered as a stereotypical career your parents want you to do, but what happens when you want to study a less conventional subject?

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

Leuser rainforest: Are palm oil farmers shooting orangutans?

Deforestation caused by palm oil cultivation is pushing orangutans closer to farmers who see them as pests.

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

Week in pictures: 27 April - 3 May 2019

A selection of the best news photographs from around the world, taken over the past week.

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

How Avengers put Disney at the top of the charts

How Avengers: Endgame helped make Disney the dominant force in world cinema.

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

'I realised not everyone has to be a Paralympian'

Artists Jackie Hagan and Conor A join BBC Ouch at the I'm Here, Where Are You? festival

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

How Peter Mayhew became Chewbacca

A chance spot by film producers led Peter Mayhew to go from hospital porter to Star Wars Wookiee.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2VL8Czm

'It's like somebody's pulled the plug' on our loch

Locals have been left bemused after the water in a Highland loch started to vanish.

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

The boy who survived a plane crash in Alaska

Willy Phillips, 13, was one of four survivors in a crash that killed his father and a senator.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2IUzE1e

Why David Cameron set Tina Fey a secret mission to change British TV

She says the ex-PM asked her to persuade the UK TV industry to make as many episode as US shows do.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2Y8ZbHH

Has life expectancy fallen in Britain?

Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May disagree about whether life expectancy has fallen.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2vKZs7H

The women desperate to leave Nepal

The trafficking of Nepali women, sharply higher since the 2015 earthquake, has been helped by social media.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2DN0Cno

Preserving a loved one's tattoos after death

"Why would I want to have all these hours of tattoo work put into my body to be buried with them?"

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2XYJPW2

Women's FA Cup: How Claire Rafferty prepares for a big game

The inside story from West Ham's Claire Rafferty, who's won the trophy twice.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2ZRSc7C

The M&S stores closing their doors for the final time

The century-old retailer is closing shops as it plans to make a third of clothing and homeware sales online.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2WoE3N5

Everton beat Burnley to maintain Europa League hopes

Everton beat Burnley to keep their hopes of qualifying for next season's Europa League alive.

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

Ireland v England: Tourists overcome batting collapse to register four-wicket win

Top-ranked side England survive a scare to narrowly beat Ireland by four wickets in the one-day international at Malahide.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2VAq8qf

Higgins cuts Gilbert's lead to two - highlights & report

Four-time champion John Higgins cuts David Gilbert's lead to 13-11 and Judd Trump leads Gary Wilson 9-7 in the World Championship semi-finals.

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

Venezuela opposition figure, facing arrest warrant, says he met with generals

Suggesting coordination continues with armed forces figures in the campaign to oust Maduro, Lopez said more "military movements" were on the way. The pre-dawn military uprising on Tuesday, urged on by opposition leader and Lopez ally Juan Guaido, failed to gain steam as security forces loyal to Maduro cracked down on demonstrators who had taken to the streets in support of Guaido. Lopez, a firebrand politician and Guaido's mentor, was arrested during a protest movement in 2014 and transferred to house arrest in 2017.

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

AJ Freund was forced to take cold shower before death because he lied about soiling underwear: court records

AJ Freund, the 5-year-old Illinois boy found dead last month, was punished before he died, records show. He died of blunt force head trauma.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2DLktn2

For Jews, America was once exceptional. Now, anti-Semitism is as strong here as in Europe.

I was used to being harassed, abused and put in danger when I prayed in synagogues abroad. Never did I think America would become just as dangerous.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Jk2pUJ

'Nobody Is Above the Law.' Nancy Pelosi Accuses William Barr of Lying to Congress

Mueller may testify within the next few weeks

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Lim8qs

Sweden's Ericsson launches AI lab in Canada

Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson on Thursday announced the launch of its "global artificial intelligence accelerator" in Montreal, where other tech heavyweights like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested in AI research and development. The specialized lab will focus on "using AI and automation technologies to create data-driven, intelligent products and services" -- work that will specifically impact 5G networks, the company said in a statement. "Maturing AI capabilities will have a significant impact on 5G and existing networks' automation and evolution," said the head of Ericsson Canada, Graham Osborne.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2vCepJ3

Japan's New Emperor Naruhito Starts Reign at 83% Approval Rating

A similar number — 80 percent — also support the ascension of a female emperor, according to the poll released by Kyodo News on Thursday. The numbers underscore how enduringly popular the monarchy remains in Japan, where the emperor has few powers and serves as a national symbol under the constitution. The streets around Tokyo’s Imperial Palace were filled with people looking to get a glimpse of the new emperor on Wednesday as he traveled to and from royal ceremonies.

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

10-month-old baby dead, 3 missing after migrant raft overturns in Rio Grande along Mexico border

A man told a border official that a raft carrying nine people had overturned and his baby son and nephew had been swept away.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Y9nTrx

UPDATE 1-GM recalls 368,000 larger duty trucks for fire risks

General Motors Co said Friday it is recalling 368,000 medium- and heavy-duty diesel trucks equipped with engine-block heaters for fire risks after 19 reports of fires. The recall covers some 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4500, 5500 and 6500 trucks, 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks equipped with Duramax 6.6-liter diesel engines and an optional engine-block heater, including 324,000 U.S vehicles. The engine block heater cord or the terminals may short circuit and fail, GM said.

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

Man plummets off 300-foot cliff into caldera of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano

The man allegedly climbed past a metal railing at the Steaming Bluff overlook and got extremely close to the edge before losing his footing.

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

Spain refuses to hand over Venezuela opposition leader taking refuge in embassy

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez said president Nicolas Maduro's generals are willing to defect from his regime imminently, as Spain vowed to protect the politician. Speaking from the gates of the Spanish ambassador's residence in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, on Friday Mr Lopez said: "It's a crack that will become a bigger crack... that will end up breaking the dam". Mr Lopez said he had spoken with senior members of the military who supported the end of Mr Maduro's socialist government amid a failing economy and nationwide blackouts. Spain has refused to hand Mr Lopez, a leading figure in the country's opposition movement, over to Venezuelan authorities, saying "Spain trusts that the Venezuelan authorities will respect the inviolability of the Spanish Ambassador's residence." The politician had been under house arrest for months but escaped to appear alongside his successor in the movement, Juan Guaido, on Tuesday as they called for a military uprising aimed at toppling Mr Maduro. Lopez emerged on Tuesday from two years of house arrest with the help of defecting soldiers Credit: Anadolu He later sought refuge in the Spanish embassy after the uprising stalled and a court issued a warrant for his arrest. Mr Lopez claimed he had met with generals who were committed to ending Mr Maduro's "usurpation" and helped him escape his house arrest. "I had meetings in my house when I was under house arrest. I met there with commanders, I met there with generals. I met there with representatives of specific parts of the armed forces and specific parts of the police forces," he said. He added that he believed Mr Maduro's government would fall "in weeks." That brought a rebuke from Venezuela's ambassador in Madrid Mario Isea, who accused Mr Lopez of using "the ambassador's residence as an operational base to abet a military uprising". Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demonstrate against the US President Donald Trump Credit: YURI CORTEZ/ AFP Spain's acting foreign minister Josep Borrell later warned Mr Lopez not to turn the embassy into "a centre of political activism." After a week of growing tensions Donald Trump, the US president, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin talked for more than an hour on Friday during which time they discussed Venezuela. Mr Trump said he stands by the Venezuelan people and urged a peaceful solution to the crisis during the phone call with Mr Putin. The two leaders also talked about a new arms control treaty, North Korea and briefly discussed special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian election meddling. Mr Trump's national security team and the commander of US Southern Command said they held a meeting at the Pentagon to review and refine military planning and various options for responding to the crisis in Venezuela. The ongoing unrest claimed a fifth fatality on Friday when 15-year-old boy was killed during a protest in the northwestern state of Merida. The non-government Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict said Yonder Villasmil was killed during a demonstration over power outages on Thursday night. More than 200 people have been injured in clashes rocking the nation this week after Mr Guaido, called for protests to spark a military uprising. Mr Guaido has called for a return to the streets on Saturday morning, saying at a press conference that Venezuelans should try talking to soldiers directly and telling them to "join the movement."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2LhMw3D

NY Police Say Teen Charged with Murder in Fatal Stabbing, Mother Faces Charges

The teen suspect allegedly seen on surveillance video in the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old in Brooklyn has been charged with murder, police said. David Lopez is accused of stabbing Rohan Burke to death. He is charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Moments after the stabbing, surveillance video shows the alleged attacker pass the murder weapon to his mother, 38-year-old Barbara Galloza, whom police believe tried to cover up the crime.

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

One Democrat has a plan to run against Trump on immigration

Three years into the presidency of Donald Trump, who launched his campaign with a call to crack down on illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America, the United States is on track to see the largest number of migrants arriving at the southwest border without proper documentation in more than a decade.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Y9Zylt

Attack of the clones as Star Wars fans design own lightsabers

Frustrated by the lack of quality lightsabers in toy shops, Makoto Tsai did what any self-respecting hardcore Star Wars fan would do -- he studied engineering at college and then spent years perfecting a replica. As fans gather globally on May 4th for what has become the unofficial Star Wars Day -- this year mourning the death of towering Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew -- many will be clutching one of Tsai's lightsabers, made in his workshop near Taipei. Local and ethnic Chinese fans are offered a half price discount, providing that they pass a written test "to prove they have enough passion for Star Wars".

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2ZP9X7y

Tesla ends 'Spartan diet' and seeks $2.3 billion to fund expansion

Tesla's plan to issue shares and convertible debt comes after the company repeatedly pushed back forecasts for turning a profit. Many analysts had calculated that Tesla - which burned through $1.5 billion in the first quarter - would not be able to carry out its growth plans without new cash. Shares of Tesla rose 4.3 percent to close at $244.10, while the yield on Tesla's existing $1.8 billion junk bond fell to its lowest level in over a month.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2GS5cBA

1 dead, 3 missing after migrant raft overturns in Rio Grande

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 10-month-old baby was found dead Thursday and three other migrants were feared drowned after their raft flipped in the night on the Rio Grande as they tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, law enforcement officials said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2UVSl6l

Man falls 70 feet into Hawaii's Kīlauea volcano — and survives

A man was rescued but seriously injured after falling into Hawaii's Kīlauea caldera this week, National Park Service officials said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Jkz9ND

Caribbean nation of St. Lucia quarantines cruise ship over measles case

Dr. Merlene Frederick-James said in a video statement posted to YouTube on Tuesday that the St. Lucia Ministry of Health ordered the restriction after conferring with the Pan American Health Organization and others about the risk of exposure to islanders. The ministry learned of the confirmed measles case from "two reputable sources," and in light of current measles outbreaks in the United States and the highly infectious nature of the disease "we thought it prudent that we quarantine the ship," Frederick-James said. NBC News, citing a St. Lucia Coast Guard sergeant, reported the boat in question is named Freewinds, which is the name of a 440-foot vessel owned and operated by the Church of Scientology.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2VKD9xa

As Trump Allows Cuba Lawsuits, Young Lawyer Sees Vindication

For the first time, the Trump administration will allow lawsuits in U.S. courts against firms operating on seized Cuban property, including multinational corporations based in Canada and Europe, which accounts for the island’s biggest source of foreign investment. Some Cuba watchers are projecting a flurry of legal activity, while foreign governments and corporations are preparing to defend billions in assets. The European Union and Canadian governments have jointly warned that suits could prompt them to complain to the World Trade Organisation.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Ll7Ipn

'It was a lot of shots': 911 calls from UNC Charlotte shooting describe campus in chaos

One of the callers told a 911 operator she had escaped from the class where the shooting unfolded. “He was still shooting when we left.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Wl03Za

Economy Surges in April, Adding 263,000 Jobs

Economic growth exceeded expectations in April as the market added 263,000 new jobs and unemployment sank to its lowest level in 49 years, according to Labor Department data released Friday.The 263,000 new jobs easily surpassed the 217,000 analysts had predicted, while unemployment dropped 0.2 points to 3.6 percent, its lowest level since December 1969.The average wage grew 0.2 percent, 6 cents, to $27.77 an hour, falling just short of expectations. Average hourly earnings growth held steady at 3.2 percent year over year, while the average work week shrank by a tenth of an hour to 34.4 hours.The economic expansion is months away from breaking the record for the longest in U.S. history as the economy continues to add jobs despite a labor market close to saturation: The drop in the unemployment rate was aided by the exit of 490,000 workers from the labor force, bringing the labor-force-participation rate down to 62.8 percent.The biggest gains were seen in professional and business services, which added 76,000 new jobs, construction, which added 33,000 new jobs, health care, which added 27,000 new jobs, and social assistance, which added 26,000 new jobs.The Labor Department also revised job-gain estimates for the previous two months to 189,000 new jobs in March and 56,000 in February, for a total of 16,000 more new jobs than previously estimated.

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

Sri Lanka blasts show Asia is fertile ground for IS ideology

The Islamic State group's self-proclaimed "caliphate" may have collapsed in the Middle East but Asia provides fertile territory for a resurrection, analysts say, as last month's bloody Easter Sunday suicide attacks in Sri Lanka have shown. Factors including poverty, discrimination, radicalisation via social media, weak governance, and poor gathering and sharing of intelligence mean the region is vulnerable to attacks by extremists operating under the IS banner -- even if they aren't directly supported by the group. IS lost the last of its Middle East territory in late March but analysts warned the defeat would not kill off their ideology, and just weeks later the group claimed responsibility for one of the worst militant strikes on civilians in Asia.

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

40+ Fresh Summer Vegetable Recipes To Bring To Your Next Cookout

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

UPDATE 3-Pepsi withdraws Indian potato farmer lawsuits after political pressure

PepsiCo Inc has agreed to withdraw lawsuits against Indian potato farmers it alleged infringed a patent by cultivating a variety grown exclusively for its Lay's potato chips. "After discussions with the government, the company has agreed to withdraw the cases against the farmers," a PepsiCo India spokesman said on Thursday, adding that this applied to all nine. The decision comes at a particularly sensitive time in India, which is about halfway through a 39-day general election in which its rural population still has a dominant voice.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Y1ZpQT

UPDATE 3-Caterpillar gives details on services push, hikes dividend

Caterpillar Inc on Thursday provided investors with details on its push to grow its services business while also laying out dividend increases and more consistent share repurchases in the coming years. Deerfield, Illinois-based Caterpillar's main customers are in businesses like mining and construction, which are prone to wide swings with the business cycle. "Services will help dampen the impact of cycles, but we will never be immune from the cycle,” Chief Executive Jim Umpleby said at an investor meeting at a Caterpillar equipment factory in Clayton, North Carolina.

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

Trump Says Putin Not ‘Involved’ in Venezuela, Despite U.S. Claim

“He is not looking at all to get involved in Venezuela other than he’d like to see something positive happen for Venezuela,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, following a call with the Russian leader earlier in the day. “And I feel the same way.

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

The Latest: Lawyer: Family got 'transformational' settlement

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on the city of Minneapolis paying a $20 million settlement to the family of an unarmed woman shot and killed by a police officer in 2017 (all times local):

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

'An Islamist War Against Jesus': How This Imam Is Fighting Radical Islam to Build Peace with Christians, Jews

"This is an Islamist war against Jesus. Pick a side. I am standing with Jesus." Mohammad Tawhidi calls himself an "Imam of peace" and is urging fellow-Muslims to support Christians and other people of faith who routinely suffer for their beliefs.

from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2VI4lwD