UK's Hammond accused of failing to release funding for no-deal Brexit: The Telegraph

UK Finance Minister Philip Hammond has been accused by his colleagues in the cabinet of failing to release the necessary funding required to prepare Britain for a no-deal Brexit, the Telegraph newspaper reported late on Sunday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2s1T7CF

Iraq hints at bigger role in Syria after U.S. withdrawal

Iraq's prime minister said on Sunday that top security officials from Baghdad had met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, and hinted at a bigger Iraqi role fighting Islamic State militants as U.S. troops withdraw from Syria.

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

Graham says Trump committed to smart Syria withdrawal

Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said President Donald Trump reassured him about his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and his commitment to defeating Islamic State during a White House meeting on Sunday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Rnnzp7

Fishing: New EU rules could have 'grave' impact on UK industry

Fishers can no longer discard fish to avoid busting quota - but that could put boats off the water.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2ApOAyD

Cyber-attack disrupts distribution of multiple US newspapers

The malware, which affected papers owned by Tribune Publishing, is believed to be from outside the US.

from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2Q8aWd2

Syria conflict: Trump 'slowing troop withdrawal', says Lindsey Graham

A top Republican says the president remains determined to defeat the Islamic State group in Syria.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2SrBV5i

Bangladesh election: PM Sheikh Hasina wins landslide in disputed vote

Sheikh Hasina wins a third consecutive term in a vote marred by violence and claims of vote rigging.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2EWFJbC

Angela Merkel: Germany to take on greater global responsibility

Germany will assume greater international responsibility, Angela Merkel says in her New Year address.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2SzaEhv

Mexico wall: Trump aide says concrete wall idea was dropped early on

Outgoing chief of staff John Kelly appears to contradict the US president on the border wall plan.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2EXMmcP

'Dangerous orange pill' prompts Australia festival warning

Festival-goers are told that a "dangerous" drug is circulating in Australia, following a man's death.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2AmSDfb

Californian law change means pet shops can sell only rescued animals

The state bans retailers from selling animals sourced from breeders, to cut down on "puppy mills".

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2EXbrFC

American college football: Huge bald eagle lands on fans

A bird named Clark goes rogue in front of 90,000 fans at a college game.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Tg7r6c

UAE helicopter crash kills four crew on rescue mission near zipline

Four die in a helicopter crash near the world's longest zipline, in the UAE's northern-most emirate.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2QXx536

France to help combat Channel smuggling

Six Iranian migrants are found on the Kent coast as the home secretary cuts short a holiday to deal with the issue.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Ak3q9S

DoubleTree Portland hotel fires staff who evicted black guest

Police escorted Jermaine Massey out of the DoubleTree Portland after he called his mum in the lobby.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Tist3Y

What it’s like to be Black and Argentine

Afro-Argentines often feel like they’ve been written out of history and are mistaken for foreigners in their own country.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2s2fJ6c

Bangladesh election: Voting disrupted by violence

Clashes between ruling party and opposition supporters have resulted in 17 deaths.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Sv4fni

Spoken word poet Dylema: On a stroll through Africa in 2018

Dylema leads us through key events on the continent this year in a specially commissioned poem.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2BZzjVp

Lederhosen love among Austria's millennials

Lederhosen and dirndl dresses are making a comeback in Austria.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2AmkSL1

Female fightback... 2018 in hashtags

A look at the year's most influential hashtags used by women on social media.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2RntUB7

The 90-year-old back-flipping daredevil

This Canadian man is being called the world's most extreme grandpa.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2AntDnS

In search of Leonard, my martyred ancestor

Eli Melki looks for traces of a relative who was killed at 33 during a wave of attacks against eastern Turkey's Christians.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2BMln0I

2018 in news: The alternative end-of-the-year awards

From the ridiculous to the more ridiculous, here are the weird stories that caught our eye this year.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2s3oDAp

Why legalising gay sex in India is not a Western idea

India's decision to decriminalise gay sex has taken the country back to its roots, some historians say.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2ApBWzF

Remembering the entertainment and arts figures we lost in 2018

Remembering some of the figures from music, film, TV, radio and literature who died in 2018.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2F03HlD

Bangladesh clothing factories: Are they safe now?

Are garment factories in Bangladesh safe five years after the Rana Plaza disaster?

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2s3oVat

Africa's year in pictures 2018

A selection of the best photos from across and about Africa this year.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2GIKAyK

Year-End Storm in the Philippines Kills More Than 60

By JASON GUTIERREZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2R55gWI

Philippine President Says He Sexually Abused Housemaid as a Teenager

By JASON GUTIERREZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2AqsfRv

C.I.A.’s Afghan Forces Leave a Trail of Abuse and Anger

By MUJIB MASHAL from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2EZjOjT

In Orange County, a Republican Fortress Turns Democratic

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ROBERT GEBELOFF from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2F0FQSR

Consejos para vivir mejor en 2019

By Por MARINA FRANCO from NYT Universal https://nyti.ms/2QXpu4p

‘The Train Was So Packed That It Was Difficult For Me to Do What I Always Did’

By Unknown Author from NYT New York https://nyti.ms/2SrN1ar

2 of New York’s Most Influential Offices Are About to be Held by One Person

By J. DAVID GOODMAN from NYT New York https://nyti.ms/2Tllzvc

What’s on TV Monday: New Year’s Eve Celebrations and Taylor Swift

By SARA ARIDI from NYT Arts https://nyti.ms/2AmjsAe

Armed Man in Tactical Clothing Headed to a Texas Church to ‘Fulfill a Prophecy,’ Police Say

By SANDRA E. GARCIA from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2CH9f2G

Trump Digs In, Darkening Hopes for a Deal to End the Shutdown

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2Qdoeov

Obamacare, Ruled Invalid by Federal Judge, Will Remain in Effect During Appeal

By SARAH MERVOSH from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2GQ7rIL

Lindsey Graham Suggests Syrian Troop Drawdown Will Take Longer Than 30 Days

By MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2GIQ7p0

Quotation of the Day: C.I.A.-Led Afghan Forces Leave Grim Trail of Abuse

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper https://nyti.ms/2GMzf0B

Ravens and Eagles Claw Their Way to the N.F.L. Playoffs

By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/2Als4qM

Cowboys Send Giants to Another Late Loss

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/2QVaF2l

Alabama and Clemson Are Putting a Trademark on the Title Game

By MARC TRACY from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/2QXVEgb

No Corrections: December 31, 2018

By Unknown Author from NYT Corrections https://nyti.ms/2BOloBb

A Closed Brooklyn Bridge and 40,000 Pounds of Deli Meat: New York Is That Crowded

By TYLER PAGER from NYT New York https://nyti.ms/2CHhv2E

Shutdown, McKinsey, Gaza: Your Monday Briefing

By REMY TUMIN from NYT Briefing https://nyti.ms/2LIPH0A

‘Outlander’ Season 4, Episode 9: Fraser Hospitality

By GENEVIEVE VALENTINE from NYT Arts https://nyti.ms/2EWOnH6

Affordable Care Act Can Stay In Effect While Under Appeal, Judge Says

The federal judge in Texas issued a stay on the health care law more than two weeks after ruling it unconstitutional due to a recent elimination of a tax penalty on uninsured people.

(Image credit: AP)

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2AlczyY

Congolese Hold Their Breath, Wondering If This Presidential Election Will Be Credible

Election day delays kept polling stations open for hours after they were supposed to close in the capital Kinshasa, with one of the big issues attributed to new voting machines.

(Image credit: FREDRIK LERNERYD/AFP/Getty Images)

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2GLsZq3

Minimum Wages Rising In 20 States And Several Cities

The minimum wage will increase on or around January 1 in 20 states and 21 cities, impacting millions of American workers. Twenty-nine states will have set minimum wages above the federal level.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2BN8KTd

Stolen Calculators, A Search Warrant And 2 Varying Memories Of What Happened

Greg McKelvey says his interactions with Andrew Halbert, a police officer at his Oregon high school, traumatized him. Eight years on, McKelvey's tweets led them to reflect on their shared experiences.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Greg McKelvey)

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2s3hH6o

More Than A Million Florida Felons Aren't Sure Yet Whether They Can Register To Vote

The incoming Florida governor and other politicians in the state say they will need to weigh-in before the amendment passed by voters in Nov., giving voting rights back to felons, is implemented.

(Image credit: Wilfredo Lee/AP)

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2QW8tI3

American Flown To Nebraska After Possible Ebola Exposure

The University of Nebraska Medical Center is monitoring an American health care worker who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus after treating patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

(Image credit: Alexis Huguet /AFP/Getty Images)

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2BOVygq

On Jan. 1, Books, Movies And Music From 1923 Enter Public Domain

James Boyle and Jennifer Jenkins of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain talk with NPR's Leila Fadel about the movies, music and books from 1923 entering the public domain on Jan. 1.

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2VgM7iJ

Nancy Grace Roman, 'Mother Of Hubble' Space Telescope, Has Died, At Age 93

Roman was one of the first female executives at NASA, its first chief of astronomy and she played an instrumental role in making the Hubble Space Telescope a reality. She died on Dec. 25.

(Image credit: Courtesy of NASA)

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2Qbk4xA

N.C. Congressional Seat In Limbo As Voter Fraud Investigation Continues

In the race for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District, there's still no winner. Investigations into alleged election fraud are still ongoing. And now a court ruling has created even more chaos.

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2VkkxRC

Nicaraguan Government Cracks Down On Dissenters

As Nicaragua cracks down on dissenters and journalists, the U.S. has imposed sanctions and the Organization of American States branded Daniel Ortega's leftist government a dictatorship.

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2VgM5Y9

Journalist Dies In Self-Immolation, Prompting Protests In Tunisia

NPR's Leila Fadel talks with Chaima Bouhlel about protests in Tunisia after the self-immolation of a journalist. Bouhlel is a former president of Al Bawsala, a local watchdog group.

from News : NPR https://n.pr/2QbPjsh