world news: 2019-01-06

Saturday 12 January 2019

Renault audit finds no fraud yet as Ghosn learns fate

The board of French automaker Renault on Thursday said an ongoing audit into executive pay had found no sign of fraud in the last two years, as CEO Carlos Ghosn could face fresh charges in Japan. Directors gave no hint in their statement of any deliberations into Ghosn's future at Renault, as Japanese prosecutors reportedly prepare to press new formal charges likely to keep the once-towering auto boss behind bars. The Renault meeting comes two days after Ghosn made his first court appearance over alleged financial impropriety during his years as head of the carmaker's alliance partner Nissan.

911 call reveals moment woman in vegetative state gave birth: 'Baby's turning blue!'

The emergency dispatcher asks how the mother of the newborn is doing. The staff then reveal that somebody has performed CPR on the newborn baby to save it. The publication of the recording, obtained from police by KPHO-TV, is the latest turn in the story of the young woman at the care of Hacienda HealthCare, whom police say was sexually assaulted.

Fiat Chrysler agrees to $800 million U.S. diesel-emissions settlement

Flu deaths in California: Illness killed 42 people since September 2018

The flu has killed 42 people in California since September of 2018, health officials said.

Detained ex-Canadian diplomat gets consular visit in China

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian diplomats have visited former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig for the second time since his arrest in China a month ago.

Trump Says He's Eyeing Citizenship Path in Worker Visa Program

“H1-B holders in the United States can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship,” Trump said Friday on Twitter. The H1-B visa program allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in some skilled occupations.

Saudi teen who fled family leaves Thailand for asylum in Canada

BANGKOK/TORONTO (Reuters) - An 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled her family saying she feared for her life has been granted asylum in Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday, as Thai officials confirmed the teen was en route to Toronto. Trudeau said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had asked Canada to take in Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who grabbed international attention this week after she barricaded herself in a Bangkok airport hotel room to resist being sent home to her family, which denies any abuse. "Canada is a country that understands how important it is to stand up for human rights, to stand up for women's rights around the world, and I can confirm that we have accepted the U.N.'s request," he told reporters.

10 Things to Know for Today

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

Brooksville airport: Person 'decapitated by helicopter blades' in Florida

Authorities are investigating a decapitation involving a helicopter at a Florida airport, according to multiple local media reports. A Fire Rescue official, confirmed to local CBS station 10News that the victim was decapitated by the rotor of the helicopter. Deputies of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office are on the scene at Flight Path Drive in the grounds surrounding the airport.

China declares its Moon landing a success as it releases photos of the far side of the Moon

China has plenty of reason to celebrate here in early 2019, and not just because it's a new year. The country's space agency, CNSA, successfully landed its Chang'e 4 lunar lander on the far side of the Moon and deployed a rover which scientists will use to study the surface. It's a monumental achievement for China, which has been playing a bit of "catch up" in space exploration lately. Now, with its rover exploring the hidden side of the Moon for the first time, the country is declaring the mission a success, and it's shared some new images to boot. "The No. 4 mission is the first mission of the fourth phase of China's lunar exploration project," CNSA said in a translated statement. "For the first time in human history, the spacecraft made a soft landing and patrol survey on the back of the moon, and for the first time realized the relay communication with the Earth on the back of the moon, and with many countries." CNSA emphasized that the success of the mission was thanks to cooperation and contributions from many different countries, citing "significant international cooperation" a major reason for the mission's success. CNSA also published some new panorama and 360-degree images taken by the lander. While China certainly has reason to celebrate the accomplishments thus far with the Chang'e 4 mission, the country still has months of scientific observation and study ahead of it before it can declare all of its objectives complete. One of the most interesting experiments that CNSA will carry out is the observation of a "Lunar Micro Ecosystem" which was installed on the lander prior to its departure. A small module contains a self-sustaining ecosystems consisting of plants, soil, water, and silkworms. The enclosed unit will be used to study the effects of low gravity on an Earth-like ecosystem, but that will take some time. The lander's mission is expected to stretch on for a full year, while the rover will have a shorter three-month mission. China's declaration of success obviously doesn't mean it's ready to wrap things up, but it's nice to know the country's space agency is happy with what it's accomplished thus far.

Watch live: Police give update on Jayme Closs case

Law enforcement authorities in Barron, Wisconsin, are scheduled to hold a news

PG&E restores gas service to Paradise customers affected by wildfire

(Reuters) - PG&E Corp, the electricity provider in the northern California region ravaged by a deadly wildfire, on Thursday said it has restored natural gas services to nearly all Paradise customers who were able to receive it.

Tech products focusing on reproductive health at CES 2019

Women's reproductive health is taking center stage at this year's CES with products designed to help make life easier and give peace of mind. Digital Healthcare company Bongmi has launched its first ever Smart Ovulation Tracker for women at this year's CES. The data will also be saved to to the accompanying app so women have a record and can see when their next most fertile window will be.

GM sees higher 2019 profits on job cuts, solid US, China sales

General Motors projected strong 2019 profits Friday, fueled by savings from a deep restructuring including job cuts, and by solid sales in the United States and China. GM, which has faced criticism from President Donald Trump and other US politicians over the planned layoffs, expects $2-2.5 billion in additional profits this year due to the restructuring, pushing its earnings-per-share forecast well above analyst expectations. GM also said it expects 2018 earnings per share to exceed analyst expectations.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Returns to Florida Early After Hundreds Are Sickened With Norovirus

At least 277 guests and crew on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship have come down with norovirus.

FBI agents petition Congress for immediate funding amid shutdown

The FBI Agents Association are petitioning Congress and the White House to fund the bureau as the government shutdown drags on.

'Bird Box' challenge to blame for car wreck in Utah, police say

Despite warnings from Netflix and just general common sense, it looks like people are still participating in that stupid Bird Box Challenge. Now, it has reportedly caused a car crash. On Friday morning, the Layton Police Department of Layton, Utah shared the images showing the aftermath of a car crash in which one of the drivers was allegedly trying to drive with their eyes covered. They reportedly called out the Bird Box Challenge specifically. > Bird Box Challenge while driving...predictable result. This happened on Monday as a result of the driver covering her eyes while driving on Layton Parkway. Luckily no injuries. pic.twitter.com/4DvYzrmDA2 > > -- Layton Police (@laytonpolice) January 11, 2019 Police told KSL that the driver, a 17-year-old girl, was driving the pickup truck seen in the photos above on Monday when the incident occurred. Additionally, Layton Police Lt. Travis Lyman said of the 17-year-old driver: Of course, if you've seen Bird Box, you know there's a scene in which several characters make a white-knuckle drive in a car with the windows covered, and it's hardly a smooth ride. SEE ALSO: Absolutely no one knows the meaning of 'Bird Box' so just stop asking It's also -- and I can't believe we're at the point where this actually has to be said -- an incredibly dangerous stunt to pull off the in real world. Luckily, no one was hurt as a result of the crash. But whatever punishment the driver faces, authorities should also consider revoking their Netflix account if this is how they're gonna behave. ## WATCH: Netflix is begging people to stop doing the 'Bird Box' challenge

The Latest: Syrian state TV reports air attack near Damascus

BAGHDAD (AP) — The latest on Syria and U.S. military pullout (all times local):

‘Strong Explosion’ Tears Through Paris Shop

By AURELIEN BREEDEN from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Rm1GaG

Rivals unite in Indian state in bid to beat Modi in elections

Two political rivals in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh will form an alliance in a bid to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in national election scheduled for May, leaders of the parties said.

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

Philippine president renews attack on Catholic church

(This Jan. 10 story corrects the priest's comments and removes the words "played down")

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Fk3Dhu

No other Congress has ever looked this much like me. Now how will female lawmakers use that power?

To continue to smash the old boys' club, female lawmakers in the historically diverse 116th Congress must embrace each other, and their differences.

Israel opposition leader slams Netanyahu in key speech

A key Israeli opposition figure on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public criticism of authorities investigating him on graft allegations, saying such behaviour was not "normal". "In a normal country the prime minister does not attack the justice authorities," Labour party leader Avi Gabbay told a party convention for the first time since the start of campaigning for April's general election. Police have recommended Netanyahu be indicted in three separate corruption cases and the attorney general is expected to announce his decision on whether to indict the premier in the weeks or months ahead.

Australia says no timeframe to decide case of Saudi teen asylum seeker

The U.N. refugee agency has referred Qunun to Australia for consideration for refugee resettlement. "Following the UNHCR referrals, Australia is now going through the steps we are required to do in relation to the assessment process and then when that is complete an announcement will be made," Payne said in Bangkok, after arriving on a visit arranged before Qunun sought asylum. Qunun is staying in a Bangkok hotel under the care of the UNHCR.

Bernie Sanders apologises to female staffers over sexual harassment allegations against 2016 campaign staff

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has apologised to female staffers who have alleged that they were harassed by a male aide while working on his 2016 presidential campaign. The liberal senator, who is reportedly mulling a second bid for the White House for the Democrats, apologised for the mistreatment during a news conference to discuss prescription drug prices. “It appears that as part of our campaign, there were some women who were harassed and mistreated — I thank them from the bottom of my heart for speaking out”, Mr Sanders said.

No U.S. Troops Have Yet Been Withdrawn From Syria, Pentagon Says

“We have taken a number of logistical measures to support an ordered withdrawal,” Commander Sean Robertson, a Defense Department spokesman, said in a statement. “However, we will confirm that there has been no redeployment of military personnel from Syria to date,” Robertson said. The administration’s strategy toward Syria has appeared muddled since Trump’s abrupt announcement last month of a U.S. exit, a statement that included no details but sparked the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the top American envoy to the global coalition to defeat Islamic State.

The History of American Teacher Strikes—And Where Los Angeles Fits In

Los Angeles county school teachers are striking after failed negotiations to get smaller class sizes, higher pay, and increased funding.

Syrian jihadists cement grip, forcing deal on Idlib rebels

The northwest of Syria near the Turkish border is the last part of the country still in the hands of fighters seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad, but control has been divided between jihadist factions and other rebels backed by Turkey. On Thursday Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist group listed as terrorists by the United States, Turkey and others, forced factions from the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) to accept a peace deal recognizing civilian control by an HTS-backed administration. The success of the jihadists in recent days raises doubt over the future of a deal agreed in September between Turkey and the Assad government's main ally Russia to avert an army assault.

EU adviser sides with Google on 'right to be forgotten' dispute

An advisor to the European Court of Justice has sided with Google in a dispute over the “right to be forgotten” rule, which allows European residents to remove some references to themselves from search engine results. France’s data regulator has argued that the right to be forgotten should apply to the entirety of Google’s search engine, not just the separate versions created for countries in Europe. Google, however, has argued that the rule only applies to its search engine in Europe. On Thursday, Advocate General Maciej Szpunar told the European Court of Justice that EU law "should limit the scope of the de-referencing that search engine operators are required to carry out, to the EU.” The non-binding opinion is a victory for Google, although the Luxembourg-headquartered European Court of Justice is yet to follow the recommendation. Judges typically follow the legal opinions of the advocate general, however. “If worldwide de-referencing were permitted, the EU authorities would not be able to define and determine a right to receive information,” Mr Szpunar wrote, “let alone balance it against the other fundamental rights to data protection and to privacy.” Technology intelligence - newsletter promo - EOA The opinion did not entirely back Google’s argument, however. Mr Szpunar recommended that Google must uniformly apply the right to be forgotten across all Google search engines in the EU, rather than removing search results from international versions of the site when accessed from the country which the complaint originated from. In a statement, a spokesman for Computer & Communications Industry Association, a lobbying body for technology giants including Google, welcomed the opinion. The opinion "balances EU residents' right to be delisted while respecting the constitutional rights of citizens outside of the EU," said CCIA Senior Manager Alexandre Roure. "We hope the final court ruling will take the same pragmatic and balanced approach," he added. A final judgement is not expected from the European Court of Justice until three to six months time.

Government shutdown news: Trump will not declare national emergency 'right now' as Pelosi says he must make next move over impasse

Thousands of federal workers missed their first pay cheque of the year on Friday as the US government shutdown neared an ignominious record for the longest in the nation’s history. Donald Trump had threatened to declare a national emergency to bypass congress and force through the spending plan at the centre of the dispute, which includes $5.7bn (£4.5bn) funding for the president’s controversial border wall contested by Democrats. The government shutdown will become the longest in US history on Saturday, surpassing the 21-day deadlock seen between December 1995 and January 1996 during Bill Clinton’s presidency.

In a Divided Poland, Pope John Paul II Is Claimed by All Sides

By MARC SANTORA from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2soUprI

Fellow Dems Chastise Ocasio-Cortez: ‘She Doesn’t Understand How the Place Works’

Veterans of the Democratic establishment, unsettled by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s lack of deference to seniority and party unity, have cautioned the freshman lawmaker to direct her potent social-media attacks toward Republicans rather than centrist Democrats. “I’m sure Ms. Cortez means well, but there’s almost an outstanding rule: Don’t attack your own people,” Representative Emmanuel Cleaver (D., Mo.) told Politico.

Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs found alive after being missing for nearly three months

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald announced Thursday that Douglas County officials located the 13-year-old.

Trump interview: President says border situation is 'national emergency' as he edges closer to declaration

Donald Trump has doubled down on his threat to declare a national emergency to free up federal funds to build a wall on a visit to Texas as part of an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity. Despite the fact any such move would bring legal challenges, Mr Trump said the law is "100 per cent on my side". Critics have accused Mr Trump of "manufacturing" a border crisis to try and get the wall as part of a deal to end a partial government shutdown.

Astronomers spot black hole spinning unbelievably fast as it swallows up a star

Black holes are some of the most interesting features of our universe, but they're also not very well understood. Studying distant black holes in any great detail is very difficult due to the fact that nothing, including light, can escape their grasp once its gets too close. Now, a black hole sitting some 290 million light years from Earth has offered scientists the rare opportunity to measure its speed, and the numbers are mind-boggling. Researchers using the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae telescope network detected "a burst of light" from a specific spot in the sky back in 2014. Upon closer inspection and observations using additional instruments, scientists determined that the blast of X-ray energy was coming from a star, but not just any star. This star was in the midst of being torn apart by a black hole. The star itself had no hope of escaping the black hole's grasp once it drifted into its event horizon -- the area around a black hole from which nothing can escape -- but the X-ray emissions from the star's fractured body were still visible as the debris circled the super-dense body. It was determined that the signal coming from the black hole was repeating every 131 seconds, giving researchers the incredibly special chance to measure the speed at which the black hole is spinning. "The fact that we can track this region of bright X-ray emission as it circles the black hole lets us track just how quickly material in the disk is spinning," MIT's Dheeraj Pasham, lead author of a study published in Science discussing the observations, said in a statement. "That gives us information about the spin rate of the supermassive black hole itself." But how fast is it? The researchers estimate that the black hole is spinning at roughly half the speed of light, or maybe even faster. Light travels at nearly 300 million meters per second, or around 671 million miles per hour. Even at half that speed, the black hole is rotating at a truly unimaginable rate compared to anything humans are used to seeing. "A non-spinning black hole is already an extraordinarily powerful object," study co-author Chris Fragile noted. "With rapid spin the black hole's power is turned up even higher."

The Oceans Are Warming Faster Than We Thought, a New Study Says

Sea levels could rise 30cm by the year 2100, according to newly published data

Ginsburg's recovery 'on track' but will miss more U.S. high court arguments

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who missed three days of oral arguments this week, will miss another three days next week but her recovery from lung cancer surgery is "on track," a court spokeswoman said on Friday. Ginsburg, 85, will continue to work from home and participate in all the cases she has missed, spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said in a statement. "Her recovery from surgery is on track.

Fiat Chrysler to pay $515 mn in US 'dieselgate' settlements

Fiat Chrysler agreed to a $515 million US settlement on charges it installed "defeat devices" on cars to evade emissions tests, the US Justice Department announced Thursday. The remaining funds will go to civil fines and mitigation payments to the US and the state of California. US officials said FCA's EcoDiesel Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee for model years 2014-2016 were built with software designed to operate differently during emissions tests compared with real-world conditions.

How a Prolonged Government Shutdown May Ripple Down to States

As some 800,000 employees begin missing paychecks, the impact will ripple through economies with a big share of federal workers, including Virginia, Maryland, Hawaii and Alaska, where about 5 percent of workers are employed by the federal government, according to Fitch Ratings. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat whose state has some 130,000 federal employees, said the 2013 shutdown cost residents in the area around the capital $217 million a day in wages -- a hit that was minimized because Congress decided to pay them back. Nationwide, Moody’s Analytics estimates the shutdown will slow economic growth by about 0.04 percentage points for every week that it lasts, which would crimp sales-tax collections for states and cities.

Missing Wisconsin Girl Jayme Closs Didn't Know Where She Was When She Asked for Help, Neighbor Says

The neighbor who found missing Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs described how the girl seemed in shock and didn't know where she was.

A tiny town has been overrun with 'cute' but confused seals

The small Canadian town of Roddickton-Bide Arm is teeming with seals that have wandered inland after a sudden freeze cut off their access to water.

Venezuelan President Maduro sworn in for second term amid international boycott

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in to a second term on Thursday in a ceremony shunned by most of the international community amid a devastating economic crisis. A dozen Latin American governments and Canada in a coalition have rejected the legitimacy of Maduro's next term, and Washington has sanctioned top officials in his government. Paraguay's president, Mario Abdo Benitez, said on Thursday that he was severing diplomatic relations with Venezuela and closing the country's embassy. But Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Bolivian President Evo Morales and President Anatoli Bibilov of a breakaway province of Georgia were among the foreign leaders who attended the ceremony at the country's Supreme Court. Maduro said 94 countries had sent representatives to the inauguration. Residents of Caracas awoke Thursday to unusually quiet streets but with a noticeably increased security presence and armed checkpoints. Bolivia's President Evo Morales arrives for the swearing-in ceremony Credit: Reuters State TV showed Maduro arriving at the Supreme Court where he is took the oath of office from Chief Justice Maikel Moreno. Hundreds of officials gathered inside the court's chambers cheered Maduro. Maduro's second term extends Venezuela's socialist revolution amid widespread complaints that he has stripped Venezuela of its last vestiges of democracy. Maduro denies that he's a dictator and often blames President Donald Trump of leading an economic war against Venezuela that's destroying the country. “Not before, not now, nor will there ever be a dictatorship in Venezuela,” Maduro said in a Wednesday news conference. Oil-rich Venezuela was once among Latin America's wealthiest nations. It produced 3.5 million barrels of crude daily when Chavez took power. Output now has plummeted to less than a third of that. Critics blame years of rampant corruption and mismanagement of the state-run oil firm PDVSA. The economic collapse has left the nation of roughly 30 million in the throes of a historic crisis. An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled their nation's hyperinflation, food and medical shortages over the last two years, according to the United Nations. Those remaining live on a monthly minimum wage equal to less than $5 and falling daily. Venezuela's splintered opposition movement has failed to counter the socialist party's dominance. Maduro's government has jailed or driven into exile its most popular leaders. Anti-government politicians successfully rallied thousands to the streets across Venezuela for four months of demonstrations in 2017, when clashes with government forces left more than 120 protesters dead and thousands injured. Maduro remained squarely in power. In May, he declared victory in presidential election that his political opponents and many foreign nations consider illegitimate because popular opponents were banned from running and the largest anti-government parties boycotted the race.