Saudi crown prince bought $450 mn Da Vinci: report

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the actual buyer of a painting by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci that sold for a record-breaking $450 million at auction last month, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The young and dynamic crown prince, known by his initials MBS, used an intermediary to buy the much-sought-after painting of Christ, "Salvator Mundi," the newspaper reported, citing US intelligence and other unnamed sources. The son of Saudi King Salman is seen to be progressively consolidating his power, and is the architect of a wide-ranging plan dubbed Vision 2030 to bring social and economic change to his country's oil-dependent economy.

First Palestinian killed in clashes after Trump Jerusalem move

A Palestinian was shot dead in Gaza by the Israeli army on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said, the first person killed in clashes over US President Donald Trump's planned embassy move. The health ministry confirmed Mahmoud al-Masri, 30, was killed in clashes along the Israeli-Gaza border in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

Iraq is 'totally liberated' from Islamic State: Iraqi armed forces

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has been "totally liberated" from Islamic State, the Iraqi armed forces announced in a statement on Saturday.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2keXKVZ

500 Horses Seen Galloping for Their Lives as Training Facility Falls Victim to California Wildfires

The horses were released after the stables went up in flames.

Saudi crown prince bought $450 mn Da Vinci: report

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the actual buyer of a painting by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci that sold for a record-breaking $450 million at auction last month, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The young and dynamic crown prince, known by his initials MBS, used an intermediary to buy the much-sought-after painting of Christ, "Salvator Mundi," the newspaper reported, citing US intelligence and other unnamed sources. The son of Saudi King Salman is seen to be progressively consolidating his power, and is the architect of a wide-ranging plan dubbed Vision 2030 to bring social and economic change to his country's oil-dependent economy.

Bella Hadid Stands Up For Palestinians After Trump's Jerusalem Move

Bella Hadid is not afraid to use her platform and get political.

Roy Moore's claim that America was 'great' during slavery resurfaces, sparking huge backlash

Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore has sparked outrage among many on the left once again after his comments on slavery from a campaign event earlier this year resurfaced this week.

Unrest erupts in Mideast after Trump's Jerusalem decision

Violent clashes erupted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Thursday as Palestinians protested President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The Latest: Winds to return as newest California fire burns

FALLBROOK, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on Southern California wildfires (all times local):

LaVar Ball 'dunks' on President Trump to escalate the pair's feud

President Donald Trump has a history of tweeting animated GIFs and videos that show him physically dominating his enemies, whether that's Hillary Clinton or CNN.

U.N. Panel Finds Evidence of Iranian Hardware in Yemeni Rebels’ Missile. And American.

Investigation into weapon’s origins yields clues, but no smoking gun.

In Israel, even the left backs Trump on Jerusalem

Jerusalem has a special status in Israeli life and politics, and with few exceptions, parties from across the political spectrum agreed that it was time for America to recognize their country’s capital. But President Trump’s decision highlighted differences with mainstream Jewish groups in America.

Man Says He's The Famous Rabbit Rescuer, But Some Have Doubts

An unidentified man was widely hailed as a hero — and occasionally reprimanded as foolish — after being filmed plucking a rabbit from the side of a highway while fleeing a Southern California wildfire.

Roy Moore Believes America Was Great During Slavery. Twitter Users Detonate.

GOP Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore stunned some listeners when he said he thought America was “great” during the era of slavery.

LAPD Officer Seen Carrying Cat Out of Smoky Scene During California Wildfire Evacuation

“For some it might just be a cat. But to others, it’s a friend, a loved one, a companion," the LAPD wrote.

Bernie Sanders thinks Trump should consider resigning over sexual misconduct

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders thinks that President Trump should think about resigning over the sexual assault allegations against him.

Get Ready, North Korea: F-35s Can Track Ballistic Missiles

Such a technology, quite naturally, enables a wider sensor field with which to identify and track attacking missiles. The F-35’s Distributed Aperture Sensor (DAS) has performed airborne identification and target tracking of a ballistic missile in a test off the coast of Hawaii as part of ongoing development of the 5th-generation aircraft’s ability to conduct airborne ballistic missile defense missions.

Former Cop Acquitted Of Fatally Shooting Unarmed Man Who Begged For His Life

After a former Arizona cop this week was acquitted of murder in the shooting death of an unarmed man, officials released video of the victim’s final moments.

3 Members Of Trump Panel Warn Of Voter Fraud To Influential Conservative Group

NASHVILLE — Three members of President Donald Trump’s voter fraud commission raised alarms about allegedly widespread voter fraud and poked at a popular voting reform on Thursday, while speaking before one of the country’s most powerful conservative groups.

US warns Russia over Ukraine at OSCE meeting

The United States warned Russia on Thursday that its ties with the West can never recover until it pulls its forces out of Ukraine, as OSCE foreign ministers met in Vienna. Diplomats had hoped that meetings on the sidelines of the 57-nation body would make progress on agreeing terms for a UN peacekeeping force for war-torn Ukraine. Tillerson met Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov behind closed doors, but when they had addressed the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) council earlier in the day, they traded allegations about interference in Ukraine and there appeared little room for compromise.

'It's insane': White House insiders question Trump's grasp of Jerusalem fallout

President Trump pivoted from decades of U.S.-Israel foreign policy precedent on Wednesday when he announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and eventually move the embassy from Tel Aviv.

57 Holiday Jell-O Shots That Will Get Your Holiday Party LIT

San Diego Blaze Sparks New Fears As Los Angeles Still Battles Spate Of Wildfires

As the Los Angeles area battles massive wildfires that have scorched more than 140,000 acres and forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate, a rapidly advancing blaze in nearby San Diego County is sparking new concerns.

Roy Moore accuser Beverly Nelson admits she wrote part of Moore's yearbook inscription

One of the women who accused Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct when she was a teenager has admitted to forging a portion of the high school yearbook inscription used as proof in her accusations.

As Russia Subverts Missile Treaty, U.S. Looking at New Weapons

Since 1987, Europe has been off limits for medium-range missiles. Russia — and now the United States — seems ready to tear up that detente.

Everyone's sharing this video of a man saving a rabbit from the California wildfires

Destructive wildfires have torn across thousands of acres in Southern California since Monday night, destroying homes, forcing evacuations, and displacing thousands of residents as a result.  In the days since, nightmarish photos and videos of three massive wildfires in the Los Angeles area have been widely circulated. On Thursday morning, one video in particular seems to have struck a chord for its sweetness: A brief clip that appears to show an unnamed man rescuing a rabbit from the blaze in Ventura County. SEE ALSO: Wildfires lead to hellish scenes for Los Angeles commuters The man in the clip from RMG News (shared on Twitter by ABC News) reportedly declined to share his story on camera.  (It should go without saying that getting this close to a wildfire is extremely dangerous and not recommended.) Per CNN, more than 110,000 Southern California residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as the fires spread.  Thursday in particular looks to be a potentially devastating day for the area, with exceptionally strong winds and extreme dry air. The Storm Prediction Center estimates that Thursday's conditions will affect 9.5 million people. As Mashable reported, powerful Santa Ana winds have enabled wildfire to move quickly across hundreds of thousands of acres of land, and may continue to do so into Saturday.  WATCH: California wildfire victims returning to their destroyed homes is absolutely heart-wrenching

Former Police Officer Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Death Of Walter Scott

Former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager was sentenced Thursday to 19 to 24 years in prison for fatally shooting Walter Scott, an unarmed black man, during a traffic stop in 2015.

Two Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli army as US isolated at UN over Donald Trump's Jerusalem decision

The US was on Friday scrambling to contain the diplomatic fallout of Donald Trump’s decision on Jerusalem as Arab leaders threatened to cancel meetings with the vice president and allies rounded on it at the UN.  Israel carried out airstrikes in Gaza in response to rockets fired from the territory and two Palestinian men were killed during clashes with Israeli forces.   As protests broke out across the Middle East, US diplomats were working to salvage the visit by Mike Pence, the vice president, to the region amid public pressure on leaders not to meet with him.  Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, threatened to cancel his planned meeting with Mr Pence, the first time in years that a Palestinian leader has so publicly challenged the White House.  “Jerusalem is more important than the American administration and we will not give up on it in return for a meeting with the US vice president,” a spokesman for Mr Abbas told al-Jazeera.  Another senior Palestinian official said Mr Pence, who stood is a strong supporter of Israel and stood at Mr Trump’s side during his Jerusalem speech was “unwelcome in Palestine”.  The same message was scrawled in graffiti on walls in Bethlehem, where Mr Pence was scheduled to meet Mr Abbas.  US officials said they had expected Palestinian anger over Mr Trump’s announcement but warned that it would “counterproductive” for the Palestinian president to so publicly snub America’s second-highest leader.  As well as visiting Israel and the occupied West Bank, Mr Pence is expected to travel to Egypt.  His office had requested a meeting with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Egypt’s most senior Muslim cleric, but the sheikh said he would refuse to meet him until the US reversed its decision on Jerusalem.  A spokesman for Mr Pence said: “We are still finalising the vice president’s travel schedule and will make more of it public in the coming days.” Israeli security forces aim towards Palestinian protestors during clashes at Hawara checkpoint, south of the West Bank city of Nablus, following a demonstration against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 8 Two men in Gaza were shot dead after clashes with Israeli troops near the border fence. The Palestinian health ministry said 14 people were injured, including a young baby, when Israel warplanes struck targets in the north.   The Israeli military said several rockets had been fired from Gaza, one of which landed in the Israeli city of Sderot, apparently with no casualties. Israeli jets struck two Hamas targets in response, a spokesman said.  And America found itself isolated at the UN Security Council where France and other allies accused Mr Trump of violating international law. Francois Delattre, France’s UN ambassador, called the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “null and void” because it contradicted a 1980 UN Security Council resolution on the status of Jerusalem.  "It is henceforth necessary for the US to specify how President Trump's announcement complies with international law,” he said. "At stake is respect for international law.” Fourteen of the council’s 15 members, including the UK, criticised the decision leaving US ambassador Nikki Haley to sit and listen as nation after nation denounced Mr Trump’s decision. When it was her turn to speak, Ms Haley was defiant and defended the unilateral US move.  “The UN has done much more to damage the prospects of peace than advance it,” she said. “The United States will not be lectured to by any country that does not treat Israel fairly.”  Several thousand young Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces. The Red Crescent said around 250 injuries were recorded.  The violence was not as serious as some had feared after Hamas and other Palestinian factions called for a “Day of Rage” in response to the US move.  Thousands more demonstrated outside the US embassy in the Jordanian capital Amman, where there is a large Palestinian population, and there were more demonstrations in Cairo, Tunis and Tehran.    The Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s executive committee, chaired by Mr Abbas, is due to meet on Saturday to formulate its official response to the US move and decide on whether to meet with Mr Pence.  Grant Rumley, a political analyst who recently wrote a biography of Mr Abbas, said the Palestinian president was under significant public pressure not to go ahead with the meeting.  “There is a lot of animosity among the Palestinian people towards the US right now and a lot of that is direction of Mike Pence. A lot of Palestinians would not want to see their president meet with him,” Mr Rumley said. “On the other hand, Pence is still the vice president of the US and its an opportunity for Abbas to be productive and try to forge forward.” 

Bitcoin flirts with $16,000, alarm bells ring louder

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin rocketed to a lifetime high just shy of $16,000 on Thursday after climbing some 60 percent over one week, intensifying the debate about whether the cryptocurrency is in a bubble about to burst. The largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange struggled to keep up with record traffic as the price surged, with an upcoming launch of the first bitcoin futures contract further fuelling investor interest. Proponents say bitcoin is a good medium of exchange and a way to store value, much like a precious metal.

Czech PM designate: EU should not push us over migrants - paper

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The designated Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that the European Union should not push Czechs over their refusal to shelter asylum-seekers, because it could strengthen extremist parties in the country.

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Explore Bears Ears, a Disputed Land

By KC McGINNIS, NEETI UPADHYE, JOSHUA THOMAS and SAMANTHA QUICK from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2BnIEbx

Welcome to China’s Florida: Sun, Sand and Retired Snowbirds

By AMY QIN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2yRJBGv

With Alabama Senate Raced Defined by Scandal, Policy Issues are Overlooked

By ALAN BLINDER, JESS BIDGOOD and RICHARD FAUSSET from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2A9eVyZ

The Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi Got a Major Makeover. Here Is a First Look.

By SHIVANI VORA from NYT Travel http://ift.tt/2BYC9ZF

‘You Know, I Never Told You This’

By NANCY WARTIK and JOSEPHINE SEDGWICK from NYT Reader Center http://ift.tt/2BnIFfB

How the Fingerling Caught On (Robot Grip and All) as 2017’s Hot Toy

By MICHAEL CORKERY from NYT Business Day http://ift.tt/2BYBzez

10 Hot Toys That Changed the Way People Play

By ZACH WICHTER from NYT Business Day http://ift.tt/2C1gHDF

White House slams 'ridiculous' Trump health questions

Press secretary Sarah Sanders called questions about President Trump slurring his words in a speech Wednesday “ridiculous” and said he will have a checkup at Walter Reed early next year, with results to be shared with the public.

Former Priest Convicted In Decades-Old Beauty Queen Slaying

A former Catholic priest has been found guilty in the death of a South Texas beauty queen nearly 60 years ago.

High school gunman disguised himself to get in

Police say the Aztec High School gunman was on the FBI’s radar in the past, and planned his Thursday attack in advance, making himself look like a student to get into the school.

In Israel, even the left backs Trump on Jerusalem

Jerusalem has a special status in Israeli life and politics, and with few exceptions, parties from across the political spectrum agreed that it was time for America to recognize their country’s capital. But President Trump’s decision highlighted differences with mainstream Jewish groups in America.

Bernie Sanders thinks Trump should consider resigning over sexual misconduct

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders thinks that President Trump should think about resigning over the sexual assault allegations against him.

LAPD Officer Seen Carrying Cat Out of Smoky Scene During California Wildfire Evacuation

“For some it might just be a cat. But to others, it’s a friend, a loved one, a companion," the LAPD wrote.

Roy Moore thinks America was at its best when slavery existed

Roy Moore thinks America was great before the '60s — the 1860s.  Yes, before the Senate candidate was famous for allegations of sexual assault, he was renowned for his blatant racism and homophobia. A quote from a September story in the Los Angeles Times surfaced and went viral on Thursday, and it's a doozy.  SEE ALSO: Jimmy Kimmel addresses his Twitter exchange with Roy Moore "In response to a question from one of the only African Americans in the audience — who asked when Moore thought America was last 'great' — Moore acknowledged the nation’s history of racial divisions, but said: 'I think it was great at the time when families were united — even though we had slavery — they cared for one another…. Our families were strong, our country had a direction.'" That's Roy Moore (in the same speech he referred to Native Americans and Asian Americans as "reds and yellows") expressing nostalgia for a time when slavery was legal in the United States. Decent human beings were outraged.  No. No. No. No. No. No. No. https://t.co/5NN7tnZIYM — Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) December 7, 2017 Never in my lifetime has a leading candidate for Senate been allowed to say the last time America was great was during slavery....and get away with it. LISTEN TO ME....This is not OK. It's deeply disturbing. https://t.co/uqzAyWnVjo — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) December 7, 2017 Just to be absolutely clear,The Republican Party has formally endorsed a candidate for Senate who believes the country was better off during SLAVERY. http://pic.twitter.com/PH1yp7ZtKD — Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) December 7, 2017 America was great when black people were slaves, according to Roy Moore. (PS: many Black people have long known that this is what MAGA meant all along.) https://t.co/VLWfXVkCec — Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) December 7, 2017 So Roy Moore:molests kidsdoesn't think women should hold office. ditto Muslimseven worse about LGBTand thinks there was no time better in America than the era of slavery b/c "families stayed together."missing any lowlights? — Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) December 7, 2017 In the polls, the Donald Trump-approved Roy Moore has a slight edge in the Senate race over Democrat Doug Jones. The people of Alabama hit the polls on Dec. 12. Hopefully, they don't choose the candidate who yearns for a time when it was OK for white slaveowners to buy and sell people of a different race.  WATCH: Cenk Uygur has some advice for dealing with "fake news"