2019-02-25

Headlines:

From Al Jazeera, Associated Press, BBC News, Reuters, The Globe and Mail, New York Times, and Wired

How U.S. retailers turn their bane into boon with ‘click and collect’ – (Reuters)
As retail casualties such as Sears or Toys ‘R’ Us kept piling up, costly real estate often got the blame for traditional retailers’ struggle to keep up with e-commerce rivals.

Oscar moments: Record night for women; Wakanda makes history – (Associated Press)
Spike Lee bounding into the arms of Samuel L. Jackson, and trading shout-outs to Brooklyn (and hats!) with Barbra Streisand. A weeping Lady Gaga in her elegant up-do, extolling the virtues of hard…

Trump says U.S., China ‘very, very close’ on trade deal – (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was optimistic that a final trade deal could be reached with China and that he would hold a summit to sign any pact, but cautioned an agreement may still not happen.

Is it all over for ISIL in Syria? – (Al Jazeera English)

May ‘focused’ on scheduled Brexit date – (BBC News)
The PM says there is “real determination” to leave on 29 March, despite calls from her own party to delay.

Warren Buffett says Berkshire overpaid for Kraft Heinz – (Reuters)
Warren Buffett said on Monday that his Berkshire Hathaway Inc overpaid in the 2015 merger that created Kraft Heinz Co, but he had no plans to flee the struggling packaged foods company.

British PM May says deal within grasp, Brexit delay won’t solve crisis – (Reuters)
Prime Minister Theresa May stepped up her warnings on Monday that delaying Brexit was no way to solve the impasse in parliament over Britain’s departure from the European Union, saying a timely exit was “within our grasp”.

High court deciding fate of cross-shaped Maryland memorial – (Associated Press)
BLADENSBURG, Md. (AP) — Steven C. Lowe says he has always thought that a 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) concrete cross that stands on a large, grassy highway median near his home was odd.For…

GE chief Culp sells biopharma business for $21.4 billion – (Reuters)
Shares of General Electric Co surged 15 percent on Monday after the industrial conglomerate said it would sell its biopharma business to Danaher Corp for $21.4 billion, its first major asset sale under new Chief Executive Officer Larry Culp.

Pence in Bogota to discuss ways to oust Venezuela’s Maduro – (Associated Press)
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The United States is planning new ways to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to give up power and other means to provide assistance to the people of the…

Expectations low as Trump looks for win in NKorea summit – (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will head into his second meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un having reframed what would make a successful summit, lowering expectations for Pyongyang’s…

World shares climb after Trump delays tariffs on Chinese imports – (Reuters)
World stock markets rose on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would delay a tariff hike on Chinese imports, buoying hopes of a resolution to a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

After Putin’s warning, Russian TV lists nuclear targets in U.S. – (Reuters)
Russian state television has listed U.S. military facilities that Moscow would target in the event of a nuclear strike, and said that a hypersonic missile Russia is developing would be able to hit them in less than five minutes.

Barrick makes $18 billion hostile bid for Newmont in gold mega-merger – (Reuters)
Canada’s Barrick Gold Corp offered to buy U.S. rival Newmont Mining Corp for nearly $18 billion in stock on Monday, in a hostile takeover that seeks to combine the world’s two largest gold producers.

Roche ‘steps up’ for gene therapy with $4.3 billion Spark bet – (Reuters)
Roche is buying U.S.-based gene therapy specialist Spark Therapeutics for $4.3 billion after developments in this area convinced the Swiss drugmaker to “step up”, Chief Executive Severin Schwan said on Monday.

Trump delays tariff hike on Chinese goods, citing trade talk progress – (Reuters)
President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would delay an increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods thanks to “productive” trade talks and that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would meet to seal a deal if progress continued.

‘Green Book’ producers thrilled by win, downplay controversy – (Associated Press)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Members of the team behind “Green Book” were amazed and thrilled it was crowned best picture at the Academy Awards despite the controversy that has dogged the segregation-era…

US peace envoy meets Taliban co-founder – (BBC News)
The authority of Mullah Baradar could mean speedier progress on a deal to end the Afghan conflict.

Media watchdog says Williams cartoon didn’t breach standards – (Associated Press)
SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian Press Council has ruled there was no breach of its standards of practice in a cartoon of tennis star Serena Williams which attracted global condemnation after being…

US man given $21m for false murder charge – (BBC News)
Craig Coley served 38 years in jail, but a review of DNA evidence helped to clear his name in 2017.

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From various sources

Review | Oscar keeps it shorter without a host, but something still needs to done about those speeches – (The Washington Post)
The show no one wanted to host and everyone complained about turned out not to be much fun to watch.

From stopping terror attacks in the West Bank to drilling for war – (The Jerusalem Post)
IDF’s 55th battalion has begun three months of drills in the Jordan Valley after four months of operational activity in the northern West Bank.

Liberal modern-Orthodox rabbis slam PM’s ‘lamentable failure’ over Otzma Yehudit – (The Jerusalem Post)
They said that it was a “legitimate desire” for Netanyahu to seek victory for his political bloc but that the ends do not justify the means.

Balad reports journalist for calling them terror supporters – (The Jerusalem Post)
Shihadeh said that calling the party a terrorist organization “hostility and open incitement against the entire Arab society,” which could encourage violence against the party and its supporters.

Trump thinks Spike Lee’s Oscars speech was all about him – (Vice News)
The director spoke of the historic oppression his family faced, and the desire to be “on the right side of history.”

Ex-campaign worker sues Trump for alleged unwanted kiss: “I immediately felt violated” – (Vice News)
“I can still see his lips coming straight for my face,” Alva Johnson, 43, told the Washington Post.

Fantasy: 2019 NHL Trade Deadline recap – (NHL News)
NHL.com has complete fantasy hockey coverage leading up to the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday at 3 p.m. ET. Here are the Feb. 25 trades with fantasy implications for the players involved and their new and old teammates.

Microsoft proves it is a pioneer in ‘augmented reality’ – (Financial Times)
Tech giant doubles down on corporate customers with latest version of HoloLens headset

Donald Trump’s ‘good soldier’ Mike Pompeo faces North Korea test – (Financial Times)
Secretary of state has put aside policy disagreements to stay in the president’s favour

Clearing Phoenix backlog could take 3-5 years, documents project | CBC News – (CBC News)
As the federal government forges ahead to replace the Phoenix payroll system, internal government documents obtained by CBC News say clearing the backlog is at least three to five years away, and “overall stability” won’t be achieved for 10 or more years.

‘Turning humans into robots’: Injured Broncos player plans to get experimental spinal surgery in Thailand | CBC News – (CBC News)
A hockey player paralyzed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in Saskatchewan last April plans to head to Thailand in his quest to get better.

The way to fix bias in economics is to recruit more women – (Financial Times)
Study shows female economists are more open to new thinkers than their male peers

Pro Rata – (Axios)
Insider views on deals and dealmakers in venture capital, private equity and M&A, by Dan Primack. Weekday mornings

Michael Goodwin: What Trump hate crime ‘victims’ hope to get out of their lies – (Fox News)
Perhaps Smollett fantasized he could get rich like McCabe or suddenly become a giant media star like James Comey.

Emiliano Sala’s pilot ‘made a number of basic errors’ – (Daily Mail)
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has released its interim report into the accident that disappeared off the coast of Guernsey on January 21.

Israel starts counterintelligence push to defend Russia, China cyber spy – (The Jerusalem Post)
Israeli intelligence and defense officials have become more conscious that the Israeli private sector and other aspects of defense face profound cyber spying challenges from Russia and China.

Mourinho: Hazard possesses ‘personality and talent’ to play for Real Madrid – (FourFourTwo)
Jose Mourinho has said he believes Eden Hazard has got what it takes to excel at Real Madrid as rumours continue to circulate around the forward…

John Oliver mocks psychic readings on <em>Last Week Tonight</em> – (Entertainment Weekly)
Hollywood mediums and phony fortune-tellers were the subject of this week’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ episode, and Oliver had a lot to say about them.

Missing Libby Squire’s mum reveals she keeps waking up ‘back in nightmare’ – (Mirror)
University student Libby, 21, was last seen on a bench in Hull in the early hours of February 1 following a night out with pals

How U.S. retailers turn their bane into boon with ‘click and collect’ – (Reuters)
As retail casualties such as Sears or Toys ‘R’ Us kept piling up, costly real estate often got the blame for traditional retailers’ struggle to keep up with e-commerce rivals.

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All about Trump

Trump thinks Spike Lee’s Oscars speech was all about him – (Vice News)
The director spoke of the historic oppression his family faced, and the desire to be “on the right side of history.”

Ex-campaign worker sues Trump for alleged unwanted kiss: “I immediately felt violated” – (Vice News)
“I can still see his lips coming straight for my face,” Alva Johnson, 43, told the Washington Post.

Donald Trump’s ‘good soldier’ Mike Pompeo faces North Korea test – (Financial Times)
Secretary of state has put aside policy disagreements to stay in the president’s favour

Michael Goodwin: What Trump hate crime ‘victims’ hope to get out of their lies – (Fox News)
Perhaps Smollett fantasized he could get rich like McCabe or suddenly become a giant media star like James Comey.

Man who looks like Kim Jong Un deported from Vietnam ahead of Trump meeting with North Korean leader – (USA Today)
Howard X, a Hong Kong resident who is a Kim Jong Un lookalike, and Trump impersonator Russell White were detained and told to stop their act.

Trump says U.S., China ‘very, very close’ on trade deal – (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was optimistic that a final trade deal could be reached with China and that he would hold a summit to sign any pact, but cautioned an agreement may still not happen.

Ex-campaign staffer says Trump kissed her without consent – live updates – (The Guardian (AU))
Alva Johnson files lawsuit alleging Trump kissed her in August 2016 outside rally in Tampa, and says ‘I immediately felt violated’

Ex-campaign staffer says Trump kissed her without consent – live updates – (The Guardian (UK))
Alva Johnson files lawsuit alleging Trump kissed her in August 2016 outside rally in Tampa, and says ‘I immediately felt violated’

North Korean state media slams Democrats and US intelligence ahead of Trump-Kim summit – (Fox News)
Former adviser to presidents Clinton and Obama Suzan Johnson Cook and Independent Women’s Forum visiting fellow Kelsey Harkness weigh in on the media coverage of the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit.

Expectations low as Trump looks for win in NKorea summit – (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will head into his second meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un having reframed what would make a successful summit, lowering expectations for Pyongyang’s…

World shares climb after Trump delays tariffs on Chinese imports – (Reuters)
World stock markets rose on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would delay a tariff hike on Chinese imports, buoying hopes of a resolution to a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

Trump slams Spike Lee calling director’s Oscars speech a ‘racist hit on your President’ – (ABC News)
Spike Lee accepted his first best director award for “BlacKkKlansman.”

Trump delays tariff hike on Chinese goods, citing trade talk progress – (Reuters)
President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would delay an increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods thanks to “productive” trade talks and that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would meet to seal a deal if progress continued.

Trump takes swipe at Oscar winner – (News.com.au)
US President Donald Trump is going after director Spike Lee, who used his Oscar acceptance speech to urge mobilisation for the 2020 election.

Trump warns fellow Republicans as Congress prepares to vote on rejecting his national emergency – (The Washington Post)
In a morning tweet, the president said GOP senators shouldn’t fall into a Democratic ‘trap.’

Trump Takes Spike Lee’s Call for a Moral Choice of Love vs. Hate As Racist Attack – (New York Magazine)
It’s telling when somebody reads a nonpartisan endorsement of love and morality as a personal attack.

Trump pressures GOP senators ahead of emergency declaration vote: ‘Be strong and smart’ – (The Hill)
President Trump on Monday put pressure on GOP senators ahead of a vote on his national emergency declaration, urging them to be “strong and smart” and avoid falling into “the Democrats “trap.” ”

Donald Trump attacks Spike Lee over ‘racist hit’ during Oscars acceptance speech – (Fox News)
President Trump has blasted Spike Lee after the legendary director took a shot at him during his Oscars acceptance speech.

Trump calls Spike Lee’s acceptance speech a ‘racist hit’ on his presidency – (USA Today)
On Monday morning, Trump tweeted that it would “be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President.”

Donald Trump Calls Spike Lee’s Oscars Speech A ‘Racist Hit’ – (The Huffington Post)
The Oscar-winning director remembered America’s slaveholding past and told voters to get “on the right side of history” in 2020.

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