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New Zealand marks one week since mosque attack with prayers, scarves

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will lead thousands of mourners expected to gather at a park in front of the Al Noor mosque, where most of the victims died, for a prayer followed by two minutes of silence. Ardern, who has labeled the attack as terrorism, announced a ban on military-style semi-automatic and assault rifles under tough new gun laws on Thursday. The prime minister is expected to be accompanied in the Christchurch prayers with community leaders and other foreign dignitaries.

I hope Joe Biden runs for president. After Donald Trump, we need a compassionate leader.

Biden is the greatest threat and contrast to Trump. He doesn't have to pretend to show empathy. He doesn’t need a note card prompting him to care.

FBI joins criminal probe into Boeing 737 Max 8 safety certification in wake of crashes

The FBI has joined the widening criminal probe into how Boeing's 737 Max 8 jets were deemed as safe in the months before two of them crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia,

The Latest: Minnesota to help Nebraska flood fight

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on Midwest flooding (all times local):

Citigroup to sell Venezuelan gold in setback to President Maduro: sources

Maduro's government has since 2014 used financial operations known as gold swaps to use its international reserves to gain access to cash after a slump in oil revenues left it struggling to obtain hard currency. Under the terms of the 2015 deal with Citigroup's Citibank, Venezuela was due to repay $1.1 billion of the loan on March 11, according to four sources familiar with the situation. Citibank plans to sell the gold held as a guarantee - which has a market value of roughly $1.358 billion - to recover the first tranche of the loan and will deposit the excess of roughly $258 million in a bank account in New York, two of the sources said.

Glyphosate under fire from San Francisco to Sri Lanka

Glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto's weedkiller Roundup, is the subject of fierce controversy across the globe and is classified by the World Health Organization as "probably" being carcinogenic. A California court on Tuesday found that Roundup was a "substantial factor" in Edwin Hardeman, 70, getting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after spraying the weedkiller on his garden for decades.

Fox News contributor called ‘complete moron’ for falsely saying US was first to end slavery

Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich attempted to counter Senator Elizabeth Warren’s call to discuss the injustices of slavery, and its lasting systemic impact on generations of African-Americans, by claiming that the United States does not get “enough credit” for ending slavery. While discussing reparations to descendents of enslaved people on Fox News’ "Outnumbered" on Tuesday, Ms Pavlich claimed that the US was the first country to abolish slavery. “They keep blaming America for the sin of slavery but the truth is, throughout human history, slavery existed, and America came along as the first country to end it within 150 years,” she said.

These Are the World’s Happiest (and Most Miserable) Countries

According to the report published on Wednesday, Finland has witnessed modest but steady gains since 2014, and the country is now “significantly ahead” of other countries in the top 10, the researchers said. The data “offer the world’s governments and individuals the opportunity to rethink public policies as well as individual life choices, to raise happiness and well-being,” said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

11-Year-Old Charged With Attempted Murder Appointed Public Defender

An 11-year-old charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder made his first court appearance in Memphis.

Australian fury as Erdogan invokes Gallipoli after Christchurch massacre

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, has sparked a diplomatic confrontation with Australia and New Zealand over the Christchurch massacre by threatening that anti-Muslim Westerners would be sent home “in coffins” like those killed the Battle of Gallipoli.  The Turkish leader has made the killings in New Zealand a centre-piece of his political campaign ahead of local elections at the end of the month and has been playing footage of the mass killing before crowds at his rallies.    In a speech near the site where thousands of New Zealander and Australian troops were buried after the 1915 Battle of Gallipoli, Mr Erdogan said the Christchurch shooter and the First World War soldiers were both motivated by anti-Islamic sentiments.  “Your grandfathers came and saw that we're here. Then some of them walked back, while others left in coffins,” Mr Erdogan said. “If you come with the same intention, we'll be waiting for you.” His comments were met with fury in Australia, where Scott Morrison, the prime minister, summoned Turkey’s ambassador and demanded that Mr Erdogan retract his remarks.  “Remarks have been made by the Turkish President Erdogan that I consider highly offensive to Australians, and highly reckless in this very sensitive environment,” Mr Morrison said. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would consider 'all options' in reviewing ties  Credit: Getty "I will wait to see what the response is from the Turkish government before taking further action, but I can tell you that all options are on the table.” Mr Morrison said Australia was reviewing its travel advice for Turkey. Thousands of Australians and New Zealanders are expected in Turkey on April 25 to commemorate Anzac Day, marking the first landings in Gallipoli.  Around 8,000 Australians and nearly 3,000 New Zealanders were killed during the disastrous year-long campaign against Ottoman forces, which was overseen by Winston Churchill. Around 130,000 were killed in total on both sides.  Mr Morrison said Mr Erdogan’s comments violated a pledge made by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, who reportedly said “after having lost their lives on this land [the fallen soldiers] have become our sons as well.” New Zealand mosque massacre - In pictures Mr Erdogan had already been sharply rebuked by New Zealand for his comments and for using gruesome video shot by the Christchurch mosque gunman as an election campaign prop. New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters protested on Monday that such politicisation of the massacre "imperils the future and safety of the New Zealand people and our people abroad, and it’s totally unfair". Mr Peters announced on Tuesday that he would be travelling to Turkey this week at Istanbul’s request to attend a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. “Our deputy prime minister will be confronting those comments in Turkey,” Ms Ardern told reporters in Christchurch. “He is going there to set the record straight, face-to-face.” Turkey's Vice-President Fuat Oktay (R) and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (C) speak to the media after visiting Al Noor mosque in Christchurch Credit: Getty Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, said she was dispatching her deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, to Turkey to confront Mr Erdogan’s comments about the massacre which left 50 people dead at the hands of a white supremacist gunman.  “Our deputy prime minister will be confronting those comments in Turkey,” Ms Ardern said in Christchurch. “He is going there to set the record straight, face-to-face.” Mr Erdogan earlier threatened that if “If New Zealand fails to hold the attacker accountable, one way or another we will hold him to account.” However, in a comment piece in the Washington Post, Mr Erdogan praised Ms Ardern for showing “courage, leadership and sincerity”. He called on all Western leaders to follow her example and "embrace Muslims living in their respective countries”. He also said there was no difference between the hateful ideology of Brenton Tarrant, the mosque gunman, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).  Mr Erdogan has made a habit of provoking fights with foreign governments ahead of elections as a way of whipping up his base of nationalist voters.  Ahead of a referendum to change Turkey’s constitution in 2017, Mr Erdogan accused Dutch and German ministers of being Nazis. He expelled Israel’s ambassador from Ankara a month before the 2018 presidential elections.  Mr Erdogan often presents himself as a global champion of Muslims facing repression, from the occupied Palestinian territories to western China, where up to 1 million Uighur Muslims are believed to be detained by the Chinese government.  Sign up for your essential, twice-daily briefing from The Telegraph with our free Front Page newsletter.

Trump attacks called 'deplorable.' This time by GOP

From George Conway to Donald Trump's tweets, here's Wednesday's top news.

Unprecedented spring flooding possible, US forecasters say

The stage is set for unprecedented major flooding this spring for most of the nation, U.S. weather officials said Thursday.

Firearm deaths of US school-age children at 'epidemic' levels, study says

A new study announced an alarming increase in the number of firearm deaths of school-age children in the United States:  38,942 in those 5 to 18 years old from 1999 to 2017.

'Generation Nazarbayev' jokes, hopes after Kazakh leader resigns

People under 30 in Kazakhstan have only known one leader -- Nursultan Nazarbayev, who announced his resignation this week after shepherding the country from the Soviet era. "The word 'Nazarbayev' means something like the word 'parent'," said 18-year-old film student Madi Makanov, who lives in the country's largest city Almaty. Kazakhstan has a young population, with around 40 percent of people under 24, according to estimates based on UN figures.

Aggressive Instagramming is ruining Southern California's super bloom

People trampled California's poppies for the 'gram, and ruined it for the rest of us. Fields of fiery "super bloom" poppies are lighting up the hills of Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore, a city about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Thanks to uncommonly heavy rains this winter, much of Southern California is seeing a massive burst of wildflower blooms across the state. The poppies in Walker Canyon are so lush, they can be seen from space. > Superbloom visible from space - California poppies (orange) near Lake Elsinore, CA > > [15 March 2019; Sentinel-2 satellite; https://t.co/fy8NaGcTwN] pic.twitter.com/ZdSqCvjbuY> > -- Zack Labe (@ZLabe) March 18, 2019With the bloom came hordes of influencers, mommy bloggers, and YouTubers, all eager to snap a few photos of themselves sitting among the flowers.But it's making life absolute hell for Lake Elsinore, which has a population of 60,000. On Sunday, about 100,000 visited Walker Canyon, overwhelming Lake Elsinore and creating the traffic of nightmares. Since the poppies went viral -- even getting their own Twitter moment --the city has tried to cope with the flood of visitors by closing, then reopening, then closing the fields. SEE ALSO: Death Valley, the driest place in North America, is now a sea of yellow flowersIn a Facebook post over the weekend, the city of Lake Elsinore closed Walker Canyon because "the situation has escalated beyond our available resources." The city also closed the highway ramps leading to the canyon because traffic was so bad. By Monday, Walker Canyon was open to the public again, albeit with "extremely limited" parking. Explaining that it is "not feasible" to keep visitors out, the city stated that "this is something unlike anything we have ever experienced in our city and may never again." "Lake Elsinore is the destination for so many unique and incredible features," the Facebook post said. "And this attraction has brought thousands of people from around the world to not only see our city, but to shop in our stores and dine in our restaurants."But by noon, Mayor Steve Manos asked people to come another time because the fields were so full. "As you can see behind me, there are a large number of people here again," Manos said in an Instagram video recorded in front of the blooms. "We've expended lots of resources over the weekend ... But we are full." He added that the city just didn't have the resources to keep Walker Canyon closed because of the sheer amount of people sneaking in and parking on the freeway. Never underestimate the tenacity of an Instagram devotee.> View this post on Instagram> > SuperBloom Update: Steve Manos, Lake Elsinore Mayor provides update regarding why City was forced to reopen Walker Canyon and encourages visitors to choose other options. Walker Canyon is full. City is evaluating all options. We must remain flexible to this once in a lifetime opportunity and crisis facing our city.> > A post shared by City of Lake Elsinore (@cityoflakeelsinore) on Mar 18, 2019 at 12:02pm PDTManos is hopeful that the city will figure out a solution, though. "We've gone through fires and floods, we'll get through the flowers," he told CBS This Morning. By Tuesday afternoon, Lake Elsinore once again closed the freeway ramps in both directions. In a Facebook post citing "severe congestion," the city said that the decision was made by California Highway Patrol, not the city. In the meantime, here are some photos of the super bloom if you can't (or consciously won't) see them in person. > View this post on Instagram> > A post shared by Momo Twins ~ Leia & Lauren (@leialauren) on Mar 18, 2019 at 10:20pm PDT> View this post on Instagram> > A post shared by ⠀ ⠀⠀J i m e n a R e n o (@renosaurio) on Mar 18, 2019 at 8:04am PDT> View this post on Instagram> > A post shared by Gerd Ludwig (@gerdludwig) on Mar 19, 2019 at 12:51pm PDT> View this post on Instagram> > A post shared by J E S S (@jess.wandering) on Mar 14, 2019 at 8:30am PDT> View this post on Instagram> > A post shared by Lil' Sawyer the Labradoodle (@sawyertheminidood) on Mar 19, 2019 at 7:26am PDTAnd don't forget that if you do end up visiting, stick to the wildflower etiquette guide.   WATCH: Elon Musk did it - Tesla's $35,000 Model 3 is finally finally finally here

Robert Kraft's plea deal offer for prostitution charges hinders real progress on sex trafficking

Those who buy sex have more power and privilege than those who sell it. There's a disgusting imbalance in every commercial sex interaction.

Jared Kushner: Trump's son-in-law uses WhatsApp and personal email for official White House business, attorney says

Jared Kushner uses private messaging apps and personal email to communicate about official Trump administration matters with foreign leaders – a violation of a laws governing White House records - a congressional committee has been told. Elijah Cummings, the Democratic congressman who heads the House of Representative’s oversight committee, said the lawyer of the president’s son-in-law.

Missouri governor declares state of emergency amid rising floodwaters in Midwestern U.S.

Flooding triggered by last week's so-called "bomb cyclone" storm has already inflicted damage estimated at nearly $1.5 billion in Nebraska, killed at least four people in Nebraska and Iowa and left a man missing below Nebraska's collapsed Spencer Dam. "The rising floodwaters are affecting more Missouri communities and farms, closing more roads and threatening levees, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure," Governor Mike Parson said in issuing his emergency declaration. "We will continue to work closely with our local partners to assess needs and provide resources to help as Missourians continue this flood fight and as we work to assist one another," Parson said.

Justice Clarence Thomas breaks three-year silence in Mississippi case about racial bias in jury selection

The Supreme Court's senior justice, who seldom speaks during oral argument, broke a three-year silence to ask questions in a race discrimination case.

New Zealand Bans Assault Rifles in Wake of Deadly Attacks

The ban takes immediate effect to prevent stockpiling of firearms while the legislation is being drafted, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters on Thursday. Further changes in gun laws to tighten licensing and increase controls over ammunition will be made in coming months. “I strongly believe that the vast majority of legitimate gun owners in New Zealand will understand that these moves are in the national interest, and will take these changes in their stride,” she said.

Chief of staff to Venezuela's Guaido arrested

Venezuelan intelligence officers Thursday arrested the chief of staff of Juan Guaido, the opposition leader recognized by the US and other countries as interim leader, Guaido and the opposition-ruled congress said on Twitter. Roberto Marrero was grabbed by SEBIN officers when they staged a pre-dawn raid on his Caracas home, according to Guaido and a recorded voice message by Marrero published on social media. The United States has repeatedly warned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government against arresting Guaido or his aides, and Washington's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo quickly called for Marrero's release.

USC Just Named a New President. Here's What She Said About the Admissions Scandal

"I am not afraid about taking on challenges," Carol Folt said.

Jump-seat pilot reportedly saved Boeing Max jet one day before Lion Air crash

A day before a Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed off of Indonesia last year, killing all 189 people aboard, pilots struggled for control of the same aircraft.

Correction: Mob Shooting story

NEW YORK (AP) — In a story March 16 about an arrest in the killing of a reputed Gambino crime boss, The Associated Press erroneously reported where the victim was born. Francesco Cali was born in New York City, not in Sicily.

Pence arrives in Nebraska as U.S. Midwest reels from historic floods

Vice President Mike Pence in Nebraska on Tuesday took stock of the devastation unleashed across the U.S. Midwest by floods that have killed four people, left one missing and caused more than a billion dollars in damage to crops, livestock and roads. The way communities come together and people volunteer to put themselves in harm's way to help others," Pence said Tuesday in Omaha, according to an official statement. Pence also said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is working to expedite a request from Nebraska's governor for a federal emergency declaration, which will provide more aid to the state.

2020 election: Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke jump in new poll, but Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders tie as frontrunners

A new poll has revealed early gains for Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke in the growing field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates — but they’re still far from being the frontrunners at this stage in the game. Joe Biden, the former vice president who has yet to formally announce his candidacy, has been leading the pack in a slate of polls putting him ahead of his lesser known potential opponents. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is now tied with Mr Biden at 26 per cent of total support from Democratic voters, however, according to a new Emerson poll released on Wednesday.

Trump Pours Gas on GM's Already Smoldering Relations With UAW

In a series of tweets starting Saturday, Trump attacked both General Motors Co. and the UAW over the closing of a Chevrolet Cruze factory in Lordstown, Ohio. GM and the UAW each pushed back, but the two have otherwise been very much at odds entering bargaining over a new four-year labor contract.

'It looked like an ocean': Severe Midwest flooding could last all spring

Flooding will carry on in waves and varying degrees of severity over the central United States, including a large part of the Mississippi River watershed, through the spring.

New Zealand Prime Minister announces immediate ban on all assault weapons

New Zealand will ban military-style semi-automatic and assault rifles under tough new gun laws following the killing of 50 people in the country's worst mass shooting, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday. In the immediate aftermath of Friday's shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, Ms Ardern labelled the attack as terrorism and said New Zealand's gun laws would change. "On 15 March our history changed forever. Now, our laws will too. We are announcing action today on behalf of all New Zealanders to strengthen our gun laws and make our country a safer place," Ms Ardern told a new conference. “All semi-automatic weapons used during the terrorist attack on Friday 15 March will be banned." Ms Ardern said she expects the new laws to be in place by April 11 and a buy-back scheme will be established for banned weapons. The buyback would cost up to NZ$200 million ($138 million), she said. All military style semi-automatics (MSSA) and assault rifles would be banned, along with parts used to convert weapons into MSSAs and all high-capacity magazines. Under existing New Zealand gun laws, A-category weapons can be semi-automatic but limited to seven shots. Live-streamed video of a gunman in one of the mosques showed a semi-automatic weapon with a large magazine. Australia banned semi-automatic weapons and launched a gun buy-back after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 in which 35 people were gunned down. Ms Ardern said that similar to Australia, the new gun laws will allow for strictly enforced exemptions for farmers to conduct pest control and animal welfare. "I strongly believe that the vast majority of legitimate gun owners in New Zealand will understand that these moves are in the national interest, and will take these changes in their stride." Floral tributes to those who were gunned down at the two mosques are seen against a wall bordering the Botanical Garden in Christchurch Credit:  MARTY MELVILLE/AFP New Zealand, a country of less than 5 million people, has an estimated 1.2-1.5 million firearms, around 13,500 of them MSSA type weapons. Most farmers in the Pacific country own guns, which they use for killing pests such as possums and rabbits, and for putting down injured stock. Recreational hunting of deer, pigs and goats is popular for sport and food, while gun clubs and shooting ranges dot the country. That has created a powerful lobby which has thwarted previously attempts to tighten gun laws after other mass shootings in New Zealand and overseas. Federated Farmers, which represent thousands of farmers, said it supported the change. "This will not be popular among some of our members but...we believe this is the only practicable solution," Federated Farmers Rural Security spokesman Miles Anderson said in a statement. The changes exclude two general classes of firearms which are commonly used for hunting, pest control, stock management on farms, and duck shooting. "I have a military style weapon. But to be fair, I don't really use it, I don't really need it," said Noel Womersley, who slaughters cattle for small farmers around Christchurch. "So I'm quite happy to hand mine over, to be fair." Ms Ardern said the next tranche of reforms will cover the firearm registry and licencing. Also on Thursday, police said they'd inadvertently charged Tarrant with the murder of a person who is still alive. Police said in a statement they had apologized to the person incorrectly named on the document and would change the charge sheet. They said the charge remains valid, so there was no chance the suspect would be released as a result of the error. Police did not offer further details of what went wrong or make anybody available for an interview. The name of the person on the charging sheet has been suppressed by court order. Officials said more charges against Tarrant would follow. Tarrant, 28, is next scheduled to appear in court on April 5, and Bush said investigations into him were continuing. Police have said they are certain Tarrant was the only gunman but are still investigating whether he had support.

Loesch: CNN's gun control townhall was an embarrassing display of bias

CNN townhall on gun control wins award; radio host Dana Loesch on the hostility she faced during the townhall.

The Supreme Court Ruled That Immigrants With a Criminal Past Can Be Detained Years After Serving Time

The 5-4 ruling gives the federal government the power to detain immigrants with a criminal past years after they finish serving time

Pilots searched for right checklist before Lion Air crash: investigators

The details revealed at a press conference corroborated a Reuters report on Wednesday that was based on three sources with knowledge of the cockpit voice recorder's contents. Investigators said they have 90 percent of the data needed for a final report on the October crash that killed 189 people. Nurcahyo Utomo, an investigator at Indonesia's national transportation committee (KNKT) said the recording showed there was "panic" in the cockpit in the last 20 seconds of the flight.

Trump slams Russia probe but says report should be public

President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a prolonged attack on the integrity of a huge probe into whether he or his election campaign colluded with Russia or obstructed justice -- but did say that the final report should be released. "If you want to let them see it, let them see it," Trump said of the report, which independent special prosecutor Robert Mueller is believed to be close to finishing. Trump has been investigated for almost two years, following suspicions that he or his team had improper ties to Moscow.

Midwest flooding could be costly: In Nebraska, tab is $1.3 billion and rising with waters

Midwest flooding that has overwhelmed levees and swamped wide swaths of Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa is creating a 'slow-moving natural disaster' that could cost some states billions.

'We just want the guns back': New Zealand announces immediate ban of assault rifles

New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern announces ban on assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and military-style semi-automatic rifles after mosque shootings.

Harvard 'shamelessly' profits from photos of enslaved people, descendant claims in lawsuit

A descendant of enslaved people has sued Harvard University, alleging that the Ivy League institution has “shamelessly” profited from photos of her ancestors. Tamara Lanier, of Norwich, Connecticut, claims that Harvard has ignored requests to surrender images of a man named Renty, whom she says is her great-great-great grandfather, and his daughter Delia. Lanier is suing Harvard for “wrongful seizure, possession and expropriation” of the images, asking the university to return the photos to her, pay unspecified damages, and recognise her ancestry.

Fed Says It Won’t Hike Rates in 2019, Citing Economic Slowdown

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged Wednesday and predicted that it will not raise them again for the entirety of the coming year due to a recent slowdown in economic growth.In a widely anticipated move, the central bank’s policy-making Federal Open Market Committee abandoned its previous prediction, made just three-months ago, of continued strong economic growth that would necessitate two rate hikes this year.After predicting in December that the economy would continue to grow at 2.3 percent on the year, officials revised their assessment to 2.1 percent. As a result, the benchmark-funds rate will remain between 2.25 percent and 2.5 percent. The Fed has generally kept rates low since the 2008 financial crisis, but began raising them incrementally under Janet Yellen.The new economic-growth forecast further widens the chasm between the central bank and the White House, which has consistently provided the rosier prediction of 3.2 percent growth this year.The decision to halt rate hikes will likely please President Trump, who, following the Fed's December announcement, lambasted Chairman Jerome Powell for threatening the bull market he's enjoyed since taking office.> It is incredible that with a very strong dollar and virtually no inflation, the outside world blowing up around us, Paris is burning and China way down, the Fed is even considering yet another interest rate hike. Take the Victory!> > -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 17, 2018Powell, for his part, has resisted criticizing the president and has repeatedly asserted the Fed's independence from the Trump administration.

Netanyahu says Iran has 'sensitive information' on rival, Tehran denies hack

Without providing any evidence or details, Netanyahu said Iran had gleaned "sensitive information". Polls put Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and Gantz's centrist Blue and White party neck-and-neck, with election day three weeks away. Iran denied that its intelligence services had hacked Gantz's phone.

Danish MP told her baby not welcome in parliament

A Danish MP said on Tuesday she was ordered to remove her infant daughter from parliament's chamber, sparking surprise in a country often hailed as a pioneer in women's rights. "You are not welcome with your baby in the parliament's chamber," speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, an outspoken former leader of the far-right Danish People's Party, allegedly told MP Mette Abildgaard. "I didn't ask for permission to bring her since I had previously seen another colleague bring a child into the chamber without any problems," Ms Abildgaard, whose Conservative party is part of the ruling centre-right coalition, wrote on Facebook. Ms Abildgaard, who is in her 30s, said she found herself in an exceptional situation with her five-month-old daughter, and had never brought her into the chamber before. But she said the infant was "in a good mood and had a pacifier in her mouth." Mette Abildgaard responded to the incident on Facebook Ms Kjaersgaard passed the message to an assistant, who then asked Ms Abildgaard to remove the baby from the room. Ms Abildgaard handed the child to an assistant and returned to the chamber to vote. "MPs should be in the chamber, not babies or children," insisted Ms Kjaersgaard when questioned by news agency Ritzau. She said clear rules would be issued on the subject. The Scandinavian country is often held up as a champion of gender equality and women's rights, and as a child and family-centred nation with generous parental leave. Ms Abildgaard noted that she was entitled to a year's maternity leave with full pay, but that she had chosen to return to work. Her Facebook post garnered more than 600 comments within the space of a few hours. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds her baby after speaking at the UN General Assembly Credit: REUTERS/Carlo Allegri "A chamber that represents mothers, fathers and babies ought to be open to mothers, fathers and babies," one person wrote. In 2016, an Icelandic lawmaker made headlines after breastfeeding her infant while speaking at the podium in parliament. And in September, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern became a symbol for working mothers when she brought her baby to the UN General Assembly in New York.

Google slapped with massive $1.7 billion antitrust fine – its third in three years

Reports a few days ago said that Google would receive a new massive fine in Europe, and the EU on Wednesday delivered its latest ruling against the tech giant. This time around we're looking at a €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) antitrust fine as a result of illegal practices in Google's AdSense business.The EU says that Google abused its dominant position again, this time concerning its AdSense business. The company did it for more than a decade, the European Commission explained, preventing AdSense customers from inking advertising deals with rivals. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager had this to say alongside the judgement:> Today the Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for illegal misuse of its dominant position in the market for the brokering of online search adverts. Google has cemented its dominance in online search adverts and shielded itself from competitive pressure by imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules. The misconduct lasted over 10 years and denied other companies the possibility to compete on the merits and to innovate - and consumers the benefits of competition.Google was slapped with a €4.3 billion ($4.88 billion) antitrust fine last year related to Android, and a €2.4 billion ($2.73 billion) fine the year before for its search business. In total, Google is looking at fines totalling €8.2 billion ($9.31 billion) from the EU in just the last three years. The company has appealed the previous two rulings, and it's likely to do it again with this new fine.What's interesting is that Google earlier this week announced a massive change for Android in Europe that's meant to appease an earlier ruling by the Commission. Users will soon see prompts that will allow them to select the default Internet browser and search engine on their Android devices. That doesn't mean the previous fine relating to Google's Android platform will go away, of course.The EU's full ruling on the AdSense antitrust case is available at this link.

Delta declared America's best airline: The Points Guy

Delta Air Lines tops a new list of the best -- and worst -- airlines in America for its impressive on-time performance and network of lounges. 

Venezuelans Are Dying Amid America's Foreign Policy Fumbles

The least Washington can do is to open its arms to desperate people fleeing the horrors of socialism.

'Change Is Closer Than We Think.' Inside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Unlikely Rise

Every 10 minutes or so, someone knocks on the big wooden door of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s office on Capitol Hill. The noise makes staffers stiffen. It’s…