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‘Yellow Jacket’ protests paralyze Paris and threaten Macron’s government

The fourth weekend of violent protests in France paralyzed the capital, as demonstrators called for the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron.

2 Nuns Accused Of Embezzling $500,000 From Catholic School

Two Roman Catholic nuns have admitted to embezzling $500,000 from a parochial

Neon sea creatures light up ocean with vibrant colors

Incredible neon sea creatures have been captured lighting up the ocean with their vibrant colors – in what looked like a scene from Avatar. Photographer Simon Pierce, 39, took the images over several months after visiting both Nosy Sakatia in Madagascar and Mafia Island in Tanzania recently. He was thrilled to spot the biofluorescence creatures – which produce their own light – he managed to capture, including fireflies and glow worms. Simon, who is also a marine biologist, from New Plymouth, New Zealand, said: “I felt like I was in the film Avatar capturing these images. ...

Cyntoia Brown, Sex-Trafficking Victim, Must Serve 51 Years Before Release, Court Says

Cyntoia Brown, a Tennessee woman who was convicted as a teenager for shooting

In Gaza protests, Israeli troops aim for the legs

GAZA CITY, Gaza (AP) — Israeli forces deployed along the volatile border with the Gaza Strip have fired live rounds at rock-throwing Palestinian protesters ever since demonstrations against Israel's long-running blockade of Gaza began in March.

Britain's May will seek further assurances from EU on Brexit backstop

Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday she would do all she could to secure further assurances from the European Union on the so-called backstop arrangement in the Brexit deal that has angered so many across parliament. Announcing that she would delay a vote on her agreement with the EU she looked set to lose, May told lawmakers if they wanted an alternative arrangement with the bloc, they must be honest about the downsides of the other options - a second referendum, continued single market membership and a no deal Brexit.

Indian tycoon Mallya to find out extradition fate

Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya will appear in a London court on Monday to find out whether he will be extradited to his homeland, where he is accused of fraud. Mallya, chairman of the UB Group drinks conglomerate and chief executive of the Force India Formula One team, will discover his fate at Westminster Magistrates' Court. The loans from the state-owned IDBI bank were intended to bail out his failed carrier Kingfisher Airlines.

Meng Wanzhou: US ambassador told to 'immediately correct' arrest of Huawei CFO as diplomatic row deepens

China has summoned the US ambassador to Beijing to demand Washington cancel an arrest warrant for a senior executive of telecoms giant Huawei. The arrest of chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on 1 December has threatened to reignite a trade war between the two powers. Officials reportedly told Ambassador Terry Branstad the detention was “extremely egregious” and said the US must “immediately correct its wrong actions”.

Jared Kushner Gave Saudi Crown Prince Advice After Khashoggi Slaying: NY Times

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, flouted

I Drove Drunk And It Cost 6 People Their Lives. Here's How My Own Life Changed Forever.

On Nov. 1, 2003, I was involved in a drinking and driving accident. I cost six

Dan Abrams on Cohen court filing: 'Biggest legal threat we've seen so far' for Trump

Dan Abrams, Chris Christie and Asha Rangappa weigh in on the sentencing memo for Michael Cohen from the Southern District of New York and the special counsel's filing on Paul Manafort.

Kavanaugh, Supreme Court Let Stand Rulings Favoring Planned Parenthood

Kavanaugh voted to leave intact lower court rulings that let Planned Parenthood sue Kansas and Louisiana to try to preserve the Medicaid funds. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said Monday they would have heard the appeals, which contended the federal Medicaid law doesn’t allow lawsuits by providers who are kicked out of the program.

Anti-Semitic Flyers Found In Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Neighborhood: Police

Police are investigating anti-Semitic pamphlets found in Pittsburgh, including

Evers not optimistic Wisconsin Gov. Walker will veto bills

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers said Sunday he's not optimistic that outgoing governor Scott Walker will veto bills approved by the Republican-dominated Legislature that would limit the new governor's power.

Would Taiwan Fight China Without U.S. Support?

It is in the interests of the United States to send reassuring signals to the public in Taiwan about the U.S. determination to assist and defend Taiwan.

Yellow vests protests are 'a catastrophe for our economy' warns French finance minister

The French finance minister warned that France’s worst street protests in decades were “an economic disaster” as burned out cars and debris were cleared from the streets of Paris and other cities on Sunday. “It’s a catastrophe for trade. It’s a catastrophe for our economy,” said Bruno Le Maire, a conservative serving under Emmanuel Macron, the embattled centrist president who came to power last year promising to modernise France with sweeping pro-business reforms. Mr Le Maire promised that the state and insurance companies would foot the repair bill. Tax payments due at the end of the year will be postponed for retailers whose shops were ransacked only two weeks before Christmas, he said. Dozens of cars were torched in Paris on Saturday as protesters roared “Macron resign”. Clashes also broke out in Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse during the fourth consecutive weekend of protests. Tourism has suffered a blow, with Paris hotel bookings over Christmas and New Year, normally a busy period, down by at least 20 per cent.  Yellow vest protesters clash with police in Paris, in pictures Emmanuel Grégoire, deputy mayor of Paris, said the damage to property was worse than in the previous weekend’s riots. “The protests spread over a much larger area, so many more places were hit,” he said.  But there was less violence thanks to an increase in police numbers and more efficient tactics. Officers swiftly detained hooligans, arresting more than 1,700, a record for a single day in post-war France. Jean-Yves Le Drian, the foreign minister, rebuked Donald Trump for a provocative tweet in which he appeared to back the protesters and claimed they were chanting his name on the streets of Paris. Telegraph reporters, placed across the city, heard no such chants. “We do not take part in domestic American politics and we want that to be reciprocated,” Mr Le Drian said.  Thousands of protesters continued blockading petrol stations and barricaded roads across the country on Sunday. Thomas Lebrun, a 62-year-old pensioner demonstrating near Vierzon, in central France, said: “We won’t stop until our demands are met. We want action not words.” The increasingly unpopular president is expected to make a televised address to the nation on Monday or Tuesday. Under fire for remaining silent for the past week, Mr Macron’s approval ratings have plunged to record lows of below 20 per cent. With critics accusing him of being arrogant and remote, he faces an enormous challenge in trying to win back public support amid the most serious unrest since students and workers rioted in May 1968.  He has already scrapped increases in “green” taxes on fuel, but the protesters want further concessions such as tax cuts for people on low incomes and tax increases for businesses.  Such measures would mark a humiliating U-turn for the president, who has been trying to attract foreign investors and entice banks and finance companies to relocate from London to Paris by offering tax breaks. Benjamin Griveaux, the government spokesman, warned: “All the problems of the ‘yellow vests’ can’t be settled by waving a magic wand.” But he added that Mr Macron would make “important announcements”. According to French media, he may raise the minimum wage and pensions, and  introduce a tax-free bonus for workers on low incomes.   The “yellow-vest” movement, which takes its name from the high-visibility jackets worn by demonstrators, began as a  protest against fuel tax increases four weeks ago. It has since widened to encompass a range of demands such as 40-per-cent increases in the minimum wage and benefits, and the re-introduction of a wealth tax on high earners, scrapped by Mr Macron as part of a drive to promote investment. French intelligence is investigating claims that the movement, which began on social media, spread with the help of Russian trolls. Hundreds of social media accounts linked to Russia allegedly played a role in spreading disinformation, but officials said no evidence of Russian state involvement had been uncovered so far.

Rand Paul Calls Trump's Nomination Of William Barr For Attorney General 'Very Troubling'

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Sunday bashed President Donald Trump's nomination of

An '(Unintentional) Grinch' Tried To Ban Christmas From The Classroom

An elementary school principal from Omaha, Nebraska has been placed on

Trade Bear David Woo Hasn't Been This Nervous Since 2008

The Bank of America strategist is the most worried about volatility in global markets -- particularly in the developing world -- since the 2008 financial crisis. "We’ll have a $1 trillion budget deficit, a big fight over the debt ceiling, gridlock and the U.S. economy will be slowing at the same time," Woo said from New York.

Former beauty queen sent nude pictures to 15-year-old student on Snapchat, police say

A former beauty pageant queen is facing up to 20 years in prison after allegedly sending nude photographs of herself to a 15-year-old boy. Ramsey Bearse, now a teacher at Andrew Jackson Middle School outside Charleston, West Virginia, was arrested and charged with distribution or display of obscene matter to minors after allegedly sending the lewd images to the former student. According to the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, Ms Bearse sent the teenager at least four topless photos using multimedia messaging app Snapchat over a period of three months.

China says U.S. should withdraw arrest warrant for Huawei executive

China called lodged a "strong protest" over the arrest in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive, and said the U.S. should withdraw its arrest warrant.

The Best Green Monday 2018 Deals We've Seen So Far

Regret missing out on some of those Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals last

Marco Rubio Warns Trump: It Would Be A 'Terrible Mistake' To Pardon Paul Manafort

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Sunday said it would be a "terrible mistake" for

11 Useful Gifts For The Person Who Can't Cook To Save Their Life

Learning to cook can be intimidating for a lot of people. Maybe they are a

Heavy snow batters North Carolina and Virginia, leaving thousands of drivers stranded

At least four deaths have been blamed on "mammoth" snowstorm in the Southeast, causing drivers to abandon their cars on the road due to dangerous conditions.

Teachers union: Tentative deal to end charter schools strike

CHICAGO (AP) — The nation's first teachers' strike against a charter school operator will end after their union and management struck a tentative deal Sunday that includes protections for students and immigrant families living in the country illegally.

Social media tops print as news source for Americans: study

Social media has overtaken print newspapers as a news source for Americans, researchers said Monday, highlighting the growing importance of services such as Facebook and Twitter as well as the troubled state of legacy news organizations. The Pew Research Center report found 20 percent of US adults say they often get news via social media, compared with 16 percent from newspapers. In 2016, newspapers were more important that social networks and in 2017 the percentages were roughly even for both sources, according to Pew surveys.

Gavin McInness: Proud Boys founder and far-right activist ‘dropped’ by conservative US TV channel

A far-right activist linked with English Defence League (EDL) founder Tommy Robinson has reportedly been ditched by an American television channel less than a week after he was recruited as a host. Gavin McInnes, the founder of right-wing group Proud Boys, which the FBI labelled an “extremist organisation with ties to white nationalism”, is no longer working with BlazeTV, the company announced. An FBI agent later denied having called the group extremist, saying it had been trying to characterise the potential threat from individuals in the Proud Boys.

Why Israel Confronted Hezbollah’s Tunnel Threat

The impact of Israel’s operation will have wider regional implications.

New Zealand leader apologies for death of British tourist

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made an emotional apology Monday to the family of a 22-year-old British tourist who police say was murdered.

James Comey: If Trump Weren't President He'd Be 'In Serious Jeopardy' Over Cohen

James Comey, the former director of the FBI, speculated Sunday that if

Body found in hunt for missing British backpacker in New Zealand 

A body has been found by detectives searching for British backpacker Grace Millane near Auckland. Det Insp Beard said investigators had "located a body which we believe to be Grace". The 22-year-old from Wickford in Essex had not been seen since last Saturday. "The formal identification process will now take place, however based on the evidence we have gathered over the past few days we expect that this is Grace," said Mr Beard at a press conference near the scene. "Obviously this brings the search for Grace to an end. It is an unbearable time for the Millane family and our hearts go out to them." Ms Millane's brother, Declan, posted an emotional tribute to his sister on Instagram, writing "you are my sunshine, my only sunshine" underneath pictures of the pair together.  View this post on Instagram ��♥️You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are gray You'll never know, dear, how much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away A post shared by Declan Millane (@declan_millane) on Dec 9, 2018 at 2:16am PST A suspect is in custody and is expected to be charged with murder on Monday. He is due to appear at Auckland District Court. The 26-year-old man was questioned by detectives after he was traced by police to an address in central Auckland on Saturday afternoon. The announcement follows a review of CCTV footage, the forensic examination of a hotel where Millane was last seen on Saturday 1 December, and the discovery of a vehicle. Millane was last seen entering the four-star CityLife Hotel at 9.41pm with a man. Before the CityLife Hotel footage emerged, the last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane had been CCTV of her dressed for a night out as she left the Sky City casino complex at 7.15pm. She was wearing a pink £5,000 prize draw wristband, suggesting she planned to return to the casino, just a few minutes from the hotel. Millane's family have been left "devastated" by the development, Auckland City Police Detective Inspector Scott Beard said. Police released a CCTV image (left) showing Miss Millane at the CityLife Hotel in Auckland on Saturday evening. Her family say it is very out of character for her not to stay in contact Credit: Auckland City Police "Sadly the evidence we have gathered to this point in the inquiry has established that this is a homicide," he told an earlier press conference. "Grace's family have been advised of this development and they are devastated." DI Beard added: "Obviously this means we are treating Grace's disappearance as a homicide investigation. We still do not know where Grace is. We are determined to find her and return her to her family." David Millane, her father, arrived in New Zealand on Friday morning and had fought back tears as he described his "lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-oriented daughter". He said she typically “bombarded” the family with messages and photographs. Miss Millane, who completed a degree in advertising and marketing at Lincoln University, was on a yearlong trip and arrived in New Zealand on Nov 20 after a four-week group tour to Peru. Her family raised concerns after she failed to make contact for several days, including on her 22nd birthday last Sunday. The scene outside the CityLife Hotel on Friday Credit: Hannah Peters/Getty Images Investigators have been examining the scene at the hotel complex where Ms Millane was last seen with a "male companion". Searches have also been carried out at the backpackers' accommodation where she was staying. Earlier on Saturday police released images of her necklace and watch and urged anyone who recognised the items to come forward. "Several of her belongings, including her passport, are missing and police believe it is likely that Grace has these items with her," DI Beard said. On Friday Mr Millane, a property developer, appealed to anybody who had seen or spoken to his daughter to provide details – “no matter how small” - to police. “We are all extremely upset, and it's very difficult at this time to fully describe the range of emotions we are going through," he said. Ms Millane was staying at the Base Backpackers hostel and was last seen by her roommates there on Saturday. Her brother Declan Millane said most of her belongings had been left at the hostel.

3 tools for learning a new language, on sale for an extra 15% off with code

Wish you could give someone the world this holiday season? Well, now you can — (somewhat) literally — with the gift of language lessons. Whether your Secret Santa aspires to be a polyglot or just wants to brush up on their vocabulary so they don't sound like an idiot the next time they dine at their local Mexican place, they'll find it easier to navigate the world around them with a subscription to any of these three online language courses and apps. SEE ALSO: Learn Python for cheap: Shop online classes on sale Oh, and speaking of presents — we have a gift for you, dear reader: You can take an additional 15% off your purchase of any of these already-discounted programs by entering the coupon code MERRY15 at checkout. Mondly: Lifetime Subscription Mondly takes a fresh approach to learning a new language by integrating speech-recognition technology into its education. It actually listens to you when you speak, and only offers positive feedback if you correctly pronounce a new word or phrase. (Cool, right?) It's structured around short lessons that emphasize conversational tools in your choice of 33 languages but also lets you take part in chats with native speakers and supplement your learning with a dictionary and a verb conjugator. A $1,199.75 value, you can snag a lifetime subscription to training in five languages through Mondly for only $69.99 plus an extra 15% off using the coupon code MERRY15. Image: ATi Studios Mondly: Lifetime Subscription See Details uTalk Language Education: Lifetime Subscription  Take your pick from more than 130 different tongues and start busting language barriers through uTalk. Available on any device, its lessons emphasize practical vocabulary and verified translations that help you understand how native speakers actually talk. Valued at $64.99, you can purchase lifetime access to any one language's lessons through uTalk for just $19.99, plus an additional 15% off if you enter the coupon code MERRY15 at checkout. Image: uTalk uTalk Language Education: Lifetime Subscription See Details busuu Premium Subscriptions When it comes to learning a new language, "I'm too busy!" is no longer an excuse thanks to busuu Premium. Since it works both on- and offline, you can brush up on your learning from virtually anywhere with its advanced grammar units, vocabulary trainer, and other useful features. By the time you've completed 22 hours of training with busuu Premium, you'll have reportedly learned the equivalent of an entire college semester of language classes. A $69.96 value, you can get lifetime access to 12 different language courses through busuu Premium for only $34.99 — plus an extra 15% off with the promo code MERRY15. Image: busuu busuu Premium Subscriptions See Details

Delta adds four new routes from Boston as airlines battle for business travelers

The Atlanta-based carrier plans to offer nonstop flights between Boston and Chicago, Cleveland, Newark and Washington, D.C. in 2019.

Be Prepared for a Housing Market Price Dive, OECD Warns Australia

In its latest survey of Australia, the Paris-based group forecast economic growth of 2.9 percent next year, leading to a gradual pickup in wages and inflation. While it said the housing market’s cooling was so far orderly, it warned that high property prices and household debt were potential instabilities. “Risk of an overshoot in the price correction -- a hard landing -- remains,” the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said in its report.

Inside the Navy's flyover farewell for President George H.W. Bush

Navy pilots who participated in the 21 aircraft flyover at George H.W. Bush's funeral in Texas describe what it was like to be part of that historic tribute for the late president.

Fox News Contributor: Trump 'Likely To Be Indicted' On Campaign Finance Violations

Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy has bad news for President Donald Trump:

Indian troops kill 3 rebels in 18-hour-long Kashmir fighting

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian troops killed three rebels on the outskirts of disputed Kashmir's main city on Sunday, ending a nearly 18-hour-long gunbattle, officials said.

Mexico's new president boosts Pemex budget by $3.7 bn

Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Sunday he would reverse shrinking investment in the state oil company by pouring $3.7 billion into Pemex in 2019, in a bid to boost crude and refined products' output. "We are going to increase investment in Pemex by 75 billion pesos from what was authorized for 2018," the leftist president said in a speech in his home state of Tabasco. The state oil giant has seen a drop in its production since 2004, when it extracted some 3.4 million barrels per day.