| Trump signals a US shift from 'soft power' to military might Posted: 28 Feb 2017 04:21 PM PST ![Trump signals a US shift from 'soft power' to military might]( "Trump signals a US shift from 'soft power' to military might") The United Nations' Human Rights Council opened its annual session in Geneva Monday amid chatter that the United States was weighing withdrawal from the world's top rights watchdog body. Now reports have surfaced that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is questioning the council's value to the US and considering a range of options – including simply pulling out. On Monday, a White House budget outline proposed as much as a 30 percent cut in State Department spending to help offset a $54 billion increase in military spending.
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| Should North Korea be suspended from the UN for Kim Jong Nam's murder? Posted: 28 Feb 2017 02:00 PM PST ![Should North Korea be suspended from the UN for Kim Jong Nam's murder?]( "Should North Korea be suspended from the UN for Kim Jong Nam's murder?") South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se said the murder of Kim Jong Nam should be a "wake-up call" to the international community, calling for the United Nations to punish North Korea for what it describes as the North Korea-authored assassination of ruler Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother. "North Korea is reported to have not just grams but thousands of tonnes of chemical weapons, including VX, all over the country," said Yun at the UN Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Recommended: Kim 101: How well do you know North Korea's leaders?
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| Norway’s model of prudence in oil wealth Posted: 28 Feb 2017 01:31 PM PST ![Norway's model of prudence in oil wealth]( "Norway's model of prudence in oil wealth") This natural wealth has long been a tempting source of easy cash for a government's short-term needs or budgetary holes. In recent years, the world has seen a rapid rise in the number of government-run kitties, or "sovereign wealth funds." In all, more than 75 of these funds now hold $7.4 trillion. It also helps that the world's largest sovereign wealth fund is also a model.
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| Fountains of lava spray from Italy's Mount Etna Posted: 28 Feb 2017 12:43 PM PST ![Fountains of lava spray from Italy's Mount Etna]( "Fountains of lava spray from Italy's Mount Etna") Italy's Mount Etna erupted Monday evening, spewing fiery lava into the eastern Sicilian sky. The volcano's eruptions have been known to last anywhere from days to weeks. Monday's eruption began around 6 p.m. local time, and peaked in intensity between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. this morning, according to Corriere della Serra, Italy's national newspaper.
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| Trump says GOP is now party of the working class. Is he right? Posted: 28 Feb 2017 12:40 PM PST ![Trump says GOP is now party of the working class. Is he right?]( "Trump says GOP is now party of the working class. Is he right?") Is the Republican Party now the political home of the American worker? For generation upon generation it was the Democrats who were the blue-collar party, the representatives of factory workers, plumbers, and retail clerks. Now – per Trump – this group's long transition into the GOP may be complete.
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| Salvadorans mourn the violent death of Gustavito the hippo Posted: 28 Feb 2017 12:16 PM PST ![Salvadorans mourn the violent death of Gustavito the hippo]( "Salvadorans mourn the violent death of Gustavito the hippo") A mysterious and deadly attack on Gustavito the hippo has left Salvadorans searching for answers. The beloved animal died from his wounds at El Salvador's National Zoological Park late Sunday following an attack earlier in the week. Despite pervasive gang activity that has numbed many Salvadorans to violence, Gustavito's death shocked a nation.
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| Podcast: How to hack the Pentagon Posted: 28 Feb 2017 12:10 PM PST ![Podcast: How to hack the Pentagon]( "Podcast: How to hack the Pentagon") Bug bounty programs are a big part of the Pentagon's push to solve complex IT problems.
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| 'Pakistan's Mother Teresa': Google Doodle honors Abdul Sattar Edhi Posted: 28 Feb 2017 11:21 AM PST !['Pakistan's Mother Teresa': Google Doodle honors Abdul Sattar Edhi]( "'Pakistan's Mother Teresa': Google Doodle honors Abdul Sattar Edhi") On what would have been his 89th birthday, Google Doodle is honoring Abdul Sattar Edhi, who went from begging for donations to his own volunteer philanthropic foundation to presiding over Pakistan's largest humanitarian organization. It was a lifetime's work for Mr. Edhi, who dedicated his life to caring for the poor when he was himself a penniless refugee in newly independent Pakistan. In 1951, he established the Edhi Foundation, and as the foundation drew donations and volunteers over the following decades, its reach expanded across Pakistan and, ultimately, internationally.
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| In Ukraine, blockade threatens to force issue at heart of civil war Posted: 28 Feb 2017 10:24 AM PST ![In Ukraine, blockade threatens to force issue at heart of civil war]( "In Ukraine, blockade threatens to force issue at heart of civil war") Something very unusual is happening along the frozen line of contact between the Ukrainian Army and Russian-backed rebels in the Donbass, where almost three years of bitter fighting has killed about 10,000 people. More than 74,000 train cars laden with anthracite coal from the rebel regions and bound for Ukrainian power stations have been halted for the past month by armed men beyond the control of either side. Backed by a coalition of oligarchs, nationalist militias, and opposition politicians, the aim of the blockade is apparently to compel a beleaguered President Poroshenko to abandon hopes of integrating the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk back into Ukraine, as called for under the Minsk II agreements, and officially declare them "occupied territories" of Russia.
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| Ohio review finds evidence of non-citizen voting – in very small numbers Posted: 28 Feb 2017 09:54 AM PST ![Ohio review finds evidence of non-citizen voting – in very small numbers]( "Ohio review finds evidence of non-citizen voting – in very small numbers") Ohio announced on Monday that 82 non-citizens voted illegally in November. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted released the latest installment of voter fraud data the state has been collecting since 2013. In 2016, he said, they identified 385 non-citizens on the voter rolls.
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| AP-NORC poll: Teens cynical about politics, yet many remain hopeful Posted: 28 Feb 2017 07:45 AM PST ![AP-NORC poll: Teens cynical about politics, yet many remain hopeful]( "AP-NORC poll: Teens cynical about politics, yet many remain hopeful") At the same time, teenagers are uniquely optimistic about the possibilities of the future, with 56 percent indicating that America's best days are ahead. Amid concerns about disillusionment and undue influence on the political process, from fake news to hacking allegations, today's teens provide some with a thread of hope. America's youth are engaged and increasingly media-savvy – traits they will carry into adulthood, observers suggest.
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| Passcode at SXSW: Ad blockers, spies, hackers, and Hollywood Posted: 27 Feb 2017 04:36 PM PST ![Passcode at SXSW: Ad blockers, spies, hackers, and Hollywood]( "Passcode at SXSW: Ad blockers, spies, hackers, and Hollywood") For a third straight year, Passcode is bringing a crew of digital security and privacy all-stars to the Austin festival, to chat about the future of biometric tracking, the security risks of smart streets, and so much more.
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