New top story on Hacker News: No Great Technological Stagnation (2016)

No Great Technological Stagnation (2016)
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Ebola Survivor Dr. Rick Sacra Receiving Prestigious Award to Expand Medical Mission in Liberia

Dr. Rick Sacra was exposed to the Ebola virus in 2014 while caring for pregnant women at a Christian hospital in Liberia. He narrowly survived.

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

Top Pakistani Court Upholds Acquittal, Frees Captive Christian Asia Bibi

Asia Bibi is now free to leave Pakistan and join her daughters in Canada after more than eight years of prison and detention. The Islamic country's highest court has just upheld its acquittal of Bibi, clearing her of all charges of blasphemy.

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

'Desecration': ISIS Behind Deadly Double Bombing that Killed 27 Churchgoers?

The Islamic State group, ISIS, has allegedly claimed responsibility for the deadly twin bombings that hit a Catholic Church in Jolo, Sulu in the southern Philippines, on Sunday morning. 

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

Not Safe Yet: Pakistan's Supreme Court Reconsiders Decision to Free Asia Bibi

Pakistan's Supreme Court will re-examine its decision to acquit Asia Bibi on all blasphemy charges Tuesday after Islamic extremists pressured the government to execute her immediately. 

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

Auschwitz Survivors Pay Homage as World Remembers Holocaust

The world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday amid a revival of hate-inspired violence and signs that younger generations know less and less about the genocide of Jews, and others during World War II.

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

20 Dead as Bombs Target Sunday Mass in Philippine Cathedral

Two bombs minutes apart tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern Philippine island where Muslim militants are active, killing at least 20 people and wounding 111 others during a Sunday Mass, officials said.

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

40 Dead, Many Feared Buried in Mud After Brazil Dam Collapse

The death toll from the collapse of a dam holding back mine waste in southeastern Brazil rose to 40 on Saturday as searchers flying in helicopters and rescuers laboring in deep mud uncovered more bodies. An estimated 300 people were still missing and authorities expected the death toll to increase during a search made more challenging by intermittent rains.

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

Imprisoned in China: Pastor John Cao's Appeal Hearing Delayed for Fourth Time as His Health Deteriorates

Pastor John Cao, a US permanent resident from Greensboro, North Carolina, has been incarcerated in a Chinese prison for almost two years after being convicted and sentenced by a Chinese court without any evidence against him. Now comes word that the trial court has postponed Cao's appeal hearing for the fourth time and the pastor's health is failing.   

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

'Lord Jesus, We Trust in Your Great Love': Latin American Christians Cry Out for God's Mercy Over Venezuela

Christians in Venezuela are taking up the fight for the country's future – in prayer.

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

New York subway: new demand for accessibility after young mother's death

Just a quarter of stations in the nation’s largest transit system are accessible, leaving wheelchair users and parents with small kids struggling

New Yorkers have stepped up their criticism of the lack of elevators in city subway stations after the death of a young mother shed new light on the inaccessibility of the nation’s largest transit system.

Only a quarter of subway stations – 118 out of 472 – are accessible, leaving people who use wheelchairs, parents with small kids, and others struggling to get around the city.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2MO5ImR

How the religious right gained unprecedented access to Trump

As the president offers a sympathetic ear – and policies to match – critics see a de facto advisory committee, violating federal law

The US health secretary sat for an interview with a man experts say is the leader of a hate group known for “defaming gays and lesbians”, just two days after Karen Pence, the US second lady, was criticized for teaching at a Christian school that bans homosexuality.

Alex Azar, secretary of health and human services, was interviewed by the Family Research Council President, Tony Perkins, at an anti-abortion event called ProLifeCon in mid-January.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2sYuozS

'That income is gone': shutdown pain lingers for unpaid contract workers

Unlike federal employees, contractors don’t expect Congress will vote to pay them back wages for work missed

Hundreds of thousands of US government contractors went back to work early this week after the end of a record 35-day government shutdown, but Tamela Worthen, who works as a security guard at the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC, wasn’t among them.

Instead, she was at home recovering from an emergency room visit on Monday after a dangerously-elevated blood pressure left her dizzy and feeling like she couldn’t breathe. Worthen has hypertension and after a month of missed paychecks, she was unable to afford her medication this month, causing the flare-up.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2DLdjja

'Cold as ºF': Chicago residents make best of life in 'Chiberia' during polar vortex

Residents brave the weather to post photographs on social media showing just how cold things have got

• Polar vortex: deaths as Arctic air spreads across US midwest

In “Chiberia” – as locals have dubbed Chicago as temperatures have plummeted to -23F (-30C) – it is cold enough to freeze an egg on the sidewalk. Or to turn a bubble blown outside into a beautiful frosty snow globe before it splinters with the cold.

A blast of polar air has swept across many cities in the US leading to the lowest temperatures in a generation. Schools and businesses have closed, flights have been cancelled and as of Wednesday evening, at least eight deaths had been linked to the system.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2FYpCL5

Polar vortex: eight dead as Arctic air spreads across midwest

Thousands of flights canceled, schools close, and post office halts deliveries as Chicago lows approach record

Frozen Arctic winds brought record-low temperatures across much of the US midwest on Wednesday, as a blast of Arctic air known as the polar vortex unnerved residents accustomed to brutal winters.

As of Wednesday evening, at least eight deaths were linked to the system, including an elderly Illinois man who was found several hours after he fell trying to get into his home and a University of Iowa student found behind an academic hall several hours before dawn. A man was struck by a snowplow in the Chicago area, a young couple’s SUV struck another on a snowy road in northern Indiana and a Milwaukee man froze to death in a garage, authorities said.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2FXY74f

Republicans and Democrats meet to avoid new government shutdown – as it happened

Manson cult: panel recommends parole for youngest member

Commissioners find Leslie Van Houten, 69, suitable for release, prompting 150-day review before governor makes decision

A California panel on Wednesday recommended that Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten be paroled after serving more than four decades in prison.

After a hearing at the women’s prison in Chino, California, commissioners of the Board of Parole Hearings found for the third time that the 69-year-old Van Houten was suitable for release.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Gc9dlF

New York: woman who died after subway fall may have had pre-existing condition

Malaysia Goodson’s cause of death is still pending but she had no significant trauma, said city’s chief medical examiner

Authorities say the death of a young woman who fell down stairs at a Manhattan subway station with her one-year-old daughter appears to be related to a pre-existing medical condition.

The city’s chief medical examiner said on Wednesday the cause of death is still pending but that 22-year-old Malaysia Goodson, of Stamford, Connecticut, had no significant trauma.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2S1q81t

Russians leaked Mueller investigation evidence online, prosecutors say

More than 1,000 files shared confidentially appeared to have been uploaded to a filesharing site, according to court documents

Evidence gathered by Robert Mueller, the special counsel, was obtained by Russians and leaked online in an attempt to discredit his inquiry into Moscow’s interference in US politics, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Related: Mueller investigation is almost finished, says acting attorney general

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2CTbE9h

Social justice, unspoken truths, and Bradley Cooper: inside Kamala Harris's book

The 2020 candidate plays her cards close to the chest in her new book. But readers can learn a lot from what she doesn’t say

Hollywood stars never tell you what they’re actually allowed to eat, and political memoirs never tell you how a politician actually got elected.

Senator Kamala Harris’s new autobiography, released just before she announced her presidential campaign, reveals very little about the California senator’s fascinating, historic rise in Democratic politics. Campaign memoirs are not a literary exercise: they’re an excuse for a speaking tour. Like most examples of the genre, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey is a mix of copy-pasted policy papers and “relatable” personal anecdotes. Harris repeats, sometimes nearly word for word, many of the stories she has shared in speeches and interviews.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RUlPF7

Sorry, Howard Schultz – America doesn't want another billionaire president | Luke Savage

Schultz opposes Medicare for All and raising the top tax rate – his middle-of-the-road vision is not what America needs

Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO, has a bold plan to rescue America, and it involves putting another billionaire in the White House to put a stop to dangerous ideas like universal healthcare and higher taxes on the wealthy.

Related: Howard Schultz heckled as 'egotistical asshole' who would aid Trump in 2020

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2FYBBID

How Facebook robbed us of our sense of self

Fifteen years ago, the social network site was set up to connect people. But now, with lives increasingly played out online, have we forgotten how to be alone?

‘Thefacebook is an online directory that connects people through social networks at colleges. We have opened up Thefacebook for popular consumption at Harvard University. You can use Thefacebook to: search for people at your school; find out who are [sic] in your classes; look up your friends’ friends; see a visualization of your social network.”

On 4 February 2004, this rather clunky announcement launched an invention conceived in the dorm room of a Harvard student called Mark Zuckerberg, and intended to be an improvement on the so-called face books that US universities traditionally used to collect photos and basic information about their students. From the vantage point of 2019, Thefacebook – as it was then known – looks familiar, but also strange. Pages were coloured that now familiar shade of blue, and “friends” were obviously a central element of what was displayed. However, there was little on show from the wider world: the only photos were people’s profile pictures, and there was no ever-changing news feed.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2FZ8XHc

The key to winning victories against big oil? Perseverance | Bill McKibben

Vermont’s Middlebury College has reversed its course on fossil fuel companies and is leading the way on renewable energy

Vermont’s Middlebury College announced on Wednesday that it was divesting its holdings in fossil fuel companies. Given that more than a thousand institutions with endowments totaling more than $8tn have made similar pledges, it might not seem so newsworthy – but Middlebury was one of the first to reverse course. Six years ago the college flatly rejected divestment, and the shift makes it clear why big oil’s purchase on our economy and our society is eroding.

Much of the explanation, of course, stems from local factors, and since I’m employed there I’ve had a firsthand view. The college’s students never gave up, passing on the activist torch to each new entering freshman class – indeed, some of the students who pioneered the fight were on hand for today’s announcement. And along the way the college got a new president: religion scholar Laurie Patton proved an adept conciliator able to help her institution move.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2sYwXBG

Worse than plastic waste: the burning tyres choking India | George Monbiot

The British government is already flouting its own rules, allowing scrap tyres to be sent abroad for burning – what will happen post-Brexit?

What we see is not the economy. What we see is the tiny fragment of economic life we are supposed to see: the products and services we buy. The rest – the mines, plantations, factories and dumps required to deliver and remove them – are kept as far from our minds as possible. Given the scale of global extraction and waste disposal, it is a remarkable feat of perception management.

Related: The Guardian view on recycling exports: stop the rubbish launderers | Editorial

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2TkrMYp

MPs have voted for a fantasy. It’s an indictment of our entire political class | Jonathan Freedland

History will damn the architects of Brexit – and the politicians on both sides whose delusions are leading us to disaster

Stressed out by Brexit? I have a mindfulness exercise for you, one guaranteed to bring calm. Instead of imagining a deep, cool lake or a beach of bone-white sand, comfort yourself by imagining the day, several years from now, when a Chilcot-style inquiry probes the epic policy disaster that was Brexit. As you take deep breaths, and with your eyes closed, picture the squirming testimony of an aged David Cameron under sustained interrogation. Look on as Boris Johnson is at last called to account for the serial fictions of the 2016 campaign. Or perhaps contemplate the moment the panel delivers its damning, final report, concluding that this was a collective, systemic failure of the entire British political class.

Related: May thinks she’s won. But the reality of Brexit will soon hit her again | Rafael Behr

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2sSsXCS

Parents can police screen time – but good luck telling your children that | Zoe Williams

Stories about its effects spook parents with children glued to YouTube. But do we even understand what we’re fighting?

This morning, I was in bed, listening to the Today programme’s headlines, including a new Ofcom study that finds children are watching less TV, and more YouTube, although since YouTube is a content delivery platform, a better headline would be, “children watch less telly, in preference for more telly”. My 11-year-old was downstairs, also in bed, watching YouTube. I knew this not because I have any kind of parental surveillance system, but because if he wasn’t, that would mean the internet had broken, and I’d have heard about it.

Related: Study links high levels of screen time to slower child development

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RW3JCx

As the Super Bowl approaches, is high school football dying a slow death?

Millions will watch the Rams and Patriots play this weekend. But participation in high-school football is falling, and fears over brain trauma could be to blame

For Mike Kelly, a high school football coach in Manassas Park, Virginia, early August usually means anticipation and excitement. But last year, he had a problem. Practices at Manassas Park High School were drawing only 15 players – a tiny number for a sport in which rosters often exceed 50 athletes. Concluding that Kelly’s team was too undermanned to compete safely, the school cancelled its varsity football season, instead playing a junior varsity schedule.

“Finding out that you are not going to have a program, that has a big impact on not just the kids [on the team], but on the school itself and the community,” said Kelly, who has coached at the the school for four seasons and played football himself at the University of Virginia. “You don’t feel good.”

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2SdsqK9

Majority of Clemson's black players declined Trump's fast food reception, report says

• Majority of Clemson’s black players skipped White House trip
  
• The Root quotes three members who cite Trump as reason why

Three African American members of Clemson University’s national championship football team have attributed the “racism” and “divisive politics” of Donald Trump to why nearly three-quarters of the team’s black players declined to attend the traditional congratulatory reception at the White House earlier this month, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The players, who spoke to news site the Root on the condition of anonymity, separately confirmed the US president as the reason why approximately one-third of the entire team passed on the visit to the executive mansion, which made national headlines for Trump’s decision to serve a lavish spread of “McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King’s with some pizza” with the White House chefs furloughed due to a partial government shutdown.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2FWN9vU

Newcastle close to record deal to sign Miguel Almirón from Atlanta

• Fee for Paraguay midfielder believed to be around £20m
• Rafael Benítez hopeful Almirón will be first January signing

Newcastle have agreed a deal in principle to sign Miguel Almirón from Atlanta United for a club-record fee believed to be around £20m.

The Paraguay midfielder is keen to move to the Premier League club, despite late interest from Napoli and Internazionale, and is expected to arrive for a medical on Wednesday or Thursday.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2CQw5ns

'Politics forever': McGregor fined $50,000, Nurmagomedov $500,000 for UFC 229 brawl

• Nurmagomedov banned for nine months, McGregor for six
• Punishments follow ugly scenes at UFC 229 in Las Vegas

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have both received lengthy bans for the ugly scenes after their fight at UFC 229 ended with brawls spreading into the crowd.

McGregor has been fined $50,000 and suspended for six months while Nurmagomedov received the heavier penalty, being docked $500,000 and banned for nine months. The suspension are backdated to the fight, which took place in early October last year. Nurmagomedov’s ban will be reduced by three months if he agrees to record an anti-bullying message for the Las Vegas Police Department. His fine will be deducted from his purse for UFC 229, according to the terms handed down by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Rne4Cw

State of the Union: women of both parties invited to wear 'suffragette white'

The House Democratic women’s working group says it will be a symbol of solidarity

Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress could be an overwhelmingly white affair, and we’re not just talking about Senate Republicans.

The House Democratic women’s working group is inviting female members of both parties to wear white to the address next week as a symbol of solidarity.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GhoVft

Kamala Harris: resurfaced video on truancy prosecutions sparks backlash

Critics responding to 2010 speech said they disapproved of her willingness to use law enforcement tactics on parents of truant children

In a 2010 speech, Kamala Harris laughed as she described the backlash to her decision to start prosecuting the parents of children who were truant from school.

Related: What Kamala Harris's book reveals between the lines

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2HFEobl

Wednesday US briefing: Brexit, brain drain and Venezuela's future

Top story: MPs agree Brexit backstop plan but EU refuses to renegotiate. Plus, the woman jailed for child abuse she did not commit

Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Tn1Qvo

Federal shutdown's legacy may be brain drain to private sector

Government employees – especially in science, research and technology – could find higher pay and more stability

The longest government shutdown in US history has come to an end, but experts fear its long-term consequences will include a brain drain among professionals who won’t want to work for a federal government they can’t count on to stay open.

The pain of the shutdown and fear of another one may drive away current and would-be government employees – especially those in highly skilled fields such as science, research and technology who can often command bigger paychecks in the private sector.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Tmfij3

Markets surge on positive earnings from tech firms and Fed move to hold rates

Dow climbs 1.8% and S&P 500 rises 1.6% amid relief over Microsoft and Facebook results, while Tesla earnings miss expectations

Wall Street breathed a sigh of relief after Microsoft and Facebook reported positive earnings on Wednesday, while the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep US interest rates the same added to optimism that a slowdown in the global economy may not be as sharp as economists have feared.

While the market reacted positively, Microsoft’s results initially disappointed investors, with revenue coming in at $32.47bn, slightly lower than the $32.51bn expected by analysts, causing shares in the Seattle giant to fall 3%.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Gdhaqw

Stocks surge as Fed leaves US interest rates on hold and promises 'patience' - as it happened

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