Author: Sunfire

RT

The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry says it has granted citizenship to Julian Assange. The reaction of the ministry comes one day after Quito reportedly issued an ID card to the WikiLeaks editor.

The passport could provide Assange’s first step to obtaining diplomatic immunity, as Ecuador wants to resolve his indefinite embassy stay. The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for five years.   Continue reading “Ecuador has granted citizenship to Julian Assange, says Foreign Ministry”

Mail.com

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Trump administration’s anti-marijuana move has some members of the president’s voting base fuming. Fans of President Donald Trump who use marijuana say Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ move to tighten federal oversight of the drug is the first time they’ve felt let down by the man they helped elect. The move feels especially punitive to Trump voters who work in the growing industry around legalized marijuana that has taken root in states of all political stripes.

It remains to be seen whether Trump’s pot-loving voters will take their anger to the ballot box in 2018 and 2020. But pro-legalization conservatives are also chiding the administration’s anti-pot move as an affront to personal liberties and states’ rights.  Continue reading “Some fans of Trump and pot feel allegiances go up in smoke”

Mail.com

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has acknowledged being “unfaithful” in his marriage but denies allegations that he blackmailed a woman to stay quiet, following a bombshell news report that overshadowed his annual address to the Legislature.

The Republican governor and his wife released a statement late Wednesday after St. Louis television station KMOV reported that he had a sexual relationship with his former hairdresser in 2015. The station reported that the woman’s ex-husband alleged Greitens photographed her nude and threatened to publicize the images if she spoke about the affair.   Continue reading “Missouri Gov. Greitens acknowledges affair, denies blackmail”

Mail.com

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The father of an 8-year-old Pakistani girl whose rape and killing shocked the nation accused the police on Thursday of being slow to respond when his daughter went missing in eastern Punjab province.

The father, Anees Ansari, who was on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia with his wife at the time of his daughter’s disappearance, spoke after meeting with the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Sharif travelled to the city of Kasur to visit the family hours after Ansari returned home from Saudi Arabia to attend his daughter’s funeral Wednesday.  Continue reading “Pakistani father of slain girl blames police for slow action”

RT

A US-based news producer, which provides content for Russian news agency Sputnik, is being forced to register as a foreign agent, as the US apparently continues to single-out Russian news outlets as a threat to America.

RT

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has become the wealthiest person in history and the first to outrank Microsoft’s Bill Gates on the rich list, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Gates was the only one to have made 13-figure fortune.

Bezos’ net fortune amounted to $106 billion on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as Amazon market capitalization advanced nearly 57 percent in 2017. The surge was mostly triggered by enormous holiday sales. The Seattle-based corporation managed to make up 89 percent of online spending among major retailers in five days after Thanksgiving in the US.   Continue reading “Richest man in history: Amazon’s Bezos earns more in 5 days than most could in 5 lifetimes”

Mail.com

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal judges ruled Tuesday that North Carolina’s congressional district map drawn by legislative Republicans is illegally gerrymandered because of excessive partisanship that gave the GOP a rock-solid advantage for most seats and must quickly be redone.

The ruling marks the second time this decade that the GOP’s congressional boundaries in the state have been thrown out by a three-judge panel. In 2016, another panel tossed out two majority black congressional districts initially drawn in 2011, saying there was no justification for using race as the predominant factor in forming them. The redrawn map was the basis for a new round of lawsuits.  Continue reading “Judges: North Carolina must redo map skewed by partisanship”

RT

Brent crude has surpassed $68 per barrel for the first time since May 2015. Oil prices have been buoyed by information that joint production cuts between Russia and Saudi Arabia-led OPEC are working.

The European benchmark Brent touched $68.29 per barrel on Tuesday before retreating to $67.91. The US West Texas Intermediate benchmark was also trading near multi-year highs at $61.95.  Continue reading “Oil hits highest level since 2015 as Russian-Saudi output cuts bring result”

RT

Men who dream of starting a family may want to pass on the ibuprofen the next time they have a headache. A new study says the well-known painkiller could cause fertility issues in males.

The study, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), monitored 31 healthy white men aged 18 to 35. The volunteers were interviewed, completed a questionnaire assessing their physical activity, and gave a blood sample. The men were then divided into two groups, 14 in an ibuprofen group and 17 in a placebo group.    Continue reading “Male infertility among many side effects linked to ibuprofen – study”

Mail.com

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is set to deliver his final state of the state address. The Republican governor will address the Democratic-led Legislature on Tuesday afternoon at the Statehouse.

Christie will be turning over state government control to Democratic Gov.-elect Phil Murphy, who takes office on Jan. 16. Christie’s two terms come to a close after he first won election in 2009 before cruising to re-election in 2013.   Continue reading “Christie set to deliver his final state of the state address”

Mail.com

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s Republican House speaker resigned his leadership post, declaring he did not want the secret sexual harassment settlement he signed to be a distraction from the chamber’s legislative work.

But moments into his announcement Monday, he said the state’s Republican governor was spreading lies about him from the “deepest pits of hell” and vowed to expose those he says orchestrated his demise “regardless of who they are and the position they hold.”  Continue reading “Kentucky’s Republican House speaker resigns leadership post”

RT

In the current climate of fake news and pseudo-reporting, I’m honestly having trouble remembering a “report” as misinformed, convoluted and contradictory as this. It simply stinks.   Continue reading “Foreign Policy: Improbable and made-up conspiracy about ISIS children. Because why not?”

RT

Iran has banned teaching English in primary schools, a top education official says. The move comes amid repeated calls from Tehran to put an end to the Western “cultural invasion” of the Islamic Republic.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, said on state TV on Saturday. “This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.”   Continue reading “Iran bans English in primary schools after calls to end Western ‘cultural invasion’”

Mail.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s recent abrupt push to improve ties with South Korea wasn’t totally unexpected, as the country has a history of launching provocations and then pursuing dialogue with rivals Seoul and Washington in an attempt to win concessions.

Still, Tuesday’s planned talks between the Koreas, the first in about two years, have raised hopes of at least a temporary easing of tensions over North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile tests, which have ignited fears of a possible war.   Continue reading “AP Explains: What to expect from North-South Korean talks”

Mail.com

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — In New Jersey and California, top Democratic officials want to let people make charitable contributions to the state instead of paying certain taxes. In Connecticut and New York, officials are exploring a switch from income taxes to new ones on payroll. A few governors have even called for tax cuts.

The ideas are bubbling up as state lawmakers begin their 2018 sessions and assess the effects of the Republican tax overhaul that President Donald Trump signed into law last month. Lawmakers and governors in some states are grappling with how to protect their constituents.   Continue reading “States exploring tax changes in response to federal overhaul”

RT

Oil prices started the year on a high note as some geopolitical tension pushed aside bearish concerns. Both WTI and Brent opened above $60 per barrel for the first time in years.

The protests in Iran were the main driver of the bullish sentiment in the oil market. Anti-government demonstrations swept across the country in recent days, and unlike the widespread protests in 2009, the current rallies are related to economic woes and are also taking place in more cities than just Tehran. “Growing unrest in Iran set the table for a bullish start to 2018,” the Schork Report said in a note to clients on January 2.   Continue reading “Iranian crisis could send oil to $100”

Mail.com

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — There’s no winner yet in Virginia’s hotly contested race for a House seat despite a general election, a recount and a legal battle. Now election officials are turning to a ceramic bowl.

But even that may not be enough. Although a drawing of names is scheduled for Thursday morning to determine who will occupy the seat in the 94th District, the loser could push for a second recount or ask the House to step in and pick a winner.  Continue reading “Officials to draw name from bowl to decide election winner”

Mail.com

HONOLULU (AP) — The deputy city prosecutor wife of a Honolulu police chief convinced a man whose trust she allegedly stole from when he was a child to lie for her before a grand jury looking into corruption allegations against the couple, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

The documents charge Ransen Taito with conspiracy, alleging that he lied to a grand jury about what happened to this trust fund. A grand jury indicted Louis and Katherine Kealoha in October, accusing them and current and former officers of framing her uncle to discredit him in a family financial dispute. The indictment also included allegations that while Katherine Kealoha was in private practice, she stole $150,000 from trusts of two children under her guardianship.   Continue reading “New charges brought in Honolulu corruption case”

Mail.com

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian officials voiced outrage on Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s threat to cut funding to the Palestinian Authority, calling his tweets “blackmail” in the aftermath of the U.S. administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s office rebuffed the U.S. leader’s remarks, saying that “Jerusalem is not for sale, neither for gold nor silver.” Abbas’ spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said that “if the United States is keen on its interests in the Middle East, it must implement the international resolutions which call for a state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”   Continue reading “Palestinians outraged by Trump’s ‘blackmail’ to cut funding”