FEMA reverses decision to stop issuing new flood insurance policies

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said on Friday it will resume issuing new flood insurance policies during the partial U.S. government shutdown, reversing a decision announced two days ago.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2BKKcdm

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Police arrest illegal immigrant suspected in California officer's killing

A suspected illegal immigrant accused of shooting to death a California police officer was arrested on Friday after a two-day manhunt that President Donald Trump cited in his push for building a wall on the border with Mexico, officials said.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2Vf1EQ2

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U.S. limits on coal plant mercury emissions too costly: Trump's EPA

The Trump administration on Friday said limits on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants were unnecessary as they were too costly, sparking an outcry from environmentalists who feared the next step would be looser rules favoring the coal industry at the expense of public health.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2Q8EnM1

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Family of Lion Air co-pilot sues Boeing in Chicago over fatal crash

The family of the Indonesian co-pilot of a Lion Air flight that crashed in October, killing all 189 on board, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Boeing Co in Chicago, adding to litigation piling up against the manufacturer in its hometown.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2AjVyFt

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Trump widens demands in wall standoff, threatens Mexico border closure

President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to close the southern U.S. border with Mexico unless he gets the money he wants for a wall, raising the stakes in a standoff that will present an immediate test next week for the new U.S. Congress.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2AlOYhE

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FCC probes outage of CenturyLink 911 emergency call service

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investigating a nationwide CenturyLink Inc network outage that has affected service on 911 emergency phone calls across the country, agency chairman Ajit Pai said on Friday.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2BLLgxA

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Drug use during pregnancy not child abuse: Pennsylvania top court

A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Friday that mothers who use illegal drugs during their pregnancies are not committing child abuse against their newly-born children.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2EUjZwY

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Bad memories of 2018 'shredded' in NYC ahead of New Year

New York City residents and visitors gathered at a paper shredder in Times Square on Friday to symbolically purge themselves of unpleasant memories of 2018 in the 12th annual Good Riddance Day.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2EUxCLF

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Philadelphia judge grants new appeal to cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal

A Philadelphia judge has allowed convicted police-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal to launch a new appeal, ruling that a former chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court should have recused himself from the inmate's previous appeals.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2CEc2cM

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New York police to use drone for first time at New Year's Eve party

New York City police will use an aerial drone for the first time to monitor the crowds gathered in Times Square on Monday for the New Year's Eve ball-drop celebrations, officials said on Friday, adding there was no known threat to the night's festivities.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2rXtcfk

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Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody had the flu: state officials

The 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in the custody of U.S. border agents this week had the flu before he passed away but the cause of his death is still unknown, state officials said on Friday.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2VcdlY1

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UK to spend £108m on no-deal ferries

French, Dutch and UK firms will provide capacity for 4,000 more lorries a week to cross the channel.

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

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HMV to honour gift cards despite going into administration

The music retailer will accept gift cards so long as stores keep trading, says KPMG.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/2CDK5SH

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Tesla adds Larry Ellison to its board

Tesla beefs up its board with executives from Oracle and Walgreens to reassure investors.

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

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Google and Facebook put ads in child sex abuse discovery apps

Google and Facebook's ad networks placed promotions for major brands before apps were banned.

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

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New best story on Hacker News: 911 emergency services go down across the US after CenturyLink outage

911 emergency services go down across the US after CenturyLink outage
389 by LopRabbit

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Italy PM defends budget as tempers fray in parliament

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday vigorously defended the government's 2019 budget as parliament held an acrimonious debate on the package, which needs to be approved by the end of the year to take effect on Jan. 1.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2rXaip1

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Congo election preparations shaky, monitors say, with opposition ahead

Polling stations in Democratic Republic of Congo are ill-prepared for Sunday's presidential election, diplomats and an observer mission said, as new polling showed opposition candidate Martin Fayulu favored to win.

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

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