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

Trump’s ex-fixer Cohen to offer new Russia details to U.S. Congress: source – (Reuters)
President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen plans to tell U.S. lawmakers this week that Trump asked him several times about a proposed skyscraper project in Moscow long after he secured the Republican presidential nomination, a person fami…

Trump, Kim in Hanoi for second round of nuclear talks – (Associated Press)
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — After long journeys to Vietnam, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are in place for their second summit Wednesday to address perhaps the world’s…

Fed’s Powell: ‘Patient’ policy still warranted despite ‘solid’ U.S. growth – (Reuters)
Rising risks and recent soft data shouldn’t prevent solid growth for the U.S. economy this year, but the Federal Reserve will remain “patient” in deciding on further interest rate hikes, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday.

EU could grant Britain short Brexit delay: officials – (Reuters)
The European Union would be ready to approve a short Brexit delay should Britain need more time to ensure parliamentary ratification of their divorce agreement, three EU officials said on Tuesday.

Iran’s Rouhani stands by moderate ally Zarif after surprise resignation – (Reuters)
President Hassan Rouhani stood behind one of his highest profile allies in Iran’s moderate faction on Tuesday, holding back from accepting the resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, which an ally blamed on criticism of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Brexit may clip wings of UK game shooters – (Reuters)
It may be a lesser consequence of Brexit, but Britain’s shooting parties may find themselves short of pheasants and partridges to kill next season if transport delays prevent chicks being imported from France, game exporters say.

UK PM May gives parliament the chance to delay Brexit – (Reuters)
Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday offered lawmakers the chance to vote in just over two weeks time on whether to delay Brexit or go for a potentially disorderly no-deal exit from the European Union if her attempt to ratify a divorce deal fails.

Singer Shakira to face tax fraud accusation in Spanish court in June – (Reuters)
Colombian singer Shakira has been called to appear in a Spanish court on June 12 to face accusations of failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($16.5 million) in tax, the court in the Catalonia region said on Tuesday.

Exclusive: Despite sanctions, Russian tanker supplied fuel to North Korean ship-crew members – (Reuters)
A Russian tanker violated international trade sanctions by transferring fuel to a North Korean vessel at sea at least four times between October 2017 and May 2018, two crew members who witnessed the transfers said.

The Latest: US President Trump greets officials in Vietnam – (Associated Press)
DONG DANG, Vietnam (AP) — The Latest on the summit in Vietnam between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump (all times local):9:15 p.m.U.S. President Donald…

Trump in Vietnam for summit with Kim – (BBC News)
The US president lands in Hanoi for his second summit with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

Trump and Kim Jong-un Meet Again: Here’s What’s at Stake – (The New York Times)
As President Trump and Kim Jong-un arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, the goal of denuclearization remained elusive.

Opioid crisis engulfs blockaded Gaza Strip – (Associated Press)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — An opioid crisis has quietly spread in the Gaza Strip, trapping thousands in the hell of addiction and adding another layer of misery to the blockaded and impoverished…

US train stuck since weekend in snow – (BBC News)
Passengers says diapers and female sanitary products are running out and stress levels are rising.

Cohen expected to claim lying, racism and cheating by Trump – (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is expected to give a behind-the-scenes account of what he will claim is Trump’s lying, racism and cheating, and…

Brexit: Parliament gets to decide between no deal and delay – (Associated Press)
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May bowed to intense political pressure Tuesday and handed control of Brexit to Parliament, telling lawmakers they will get to choose between leaving…

Trump lands in Vietnam for second summit with North Korea’s Kim – (Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump both arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday, the eve of their second summit at which they will tackle how to implement a North Korean pledge to give up its nuclear weapons.

India strikes inside Pakistan after deadly Kashmir attack – (Associated Press)
BALAKOT, Pakistan (AP) — A pre-dawn airstrike inside Pakistan that India said targeted a terrorist training camp and killed a “very large number” of militants ratcheted up tensions on Tuesday…

Theresa May Promises U.K. Parliament a Vote to Delay Brexit – (The New York Times)
Her hand was forced by cabinet ministers who said they were prepared to risk being fired rather than accept an E.U. withdrawal without an agreement.

After India’s Strike on Pakistan, Both Sides Leave Room for De-escalation – (The New York Times)
Amid the escalation of hostilities over an attack in Kashmir, the leadership of each country seemed to give itself a way out of pushing the conflict into war.

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From various sources

Lau refuses to apologize to Otzma Yehudit – (The Jerusalem Post)
Prominent rabbi compared far-right party’s views to Nazism, was subsequently hit with slander lawsuit.

Israeli navy to be equipped with worlds most advanced 3D radar – (The Jerusalem Post)
Sa’ar 6 corvettes to be equipped with world’s most advanced radar. ELM-2248 MF-STARs Multi-Function Digital Radars systems can track multiple threats and targets simultaneously.

Inside the obsessive world of the Mueller trackers – (Vice News)
The special counsel’s investigation has created an underworld of online sleuths

Passenger describes conditions on stranded Amtrak train – CNN Video – (CNN)
Rebekah Dodson details her experience while trapped on an Amtrak train stranded in Oregon after it hit a tree that had fallen onto the tracks.

Theresa May to impose agricultural tariffs in no-deal Brexit – (Financial Times)
Protection for sensitive sectors contrasts with slashing of duties on other goods

Are foldable phones more than just a gimmick? – (Financial Times)
Handset makers are yet to prove consumers will want design changes enough to upgrade

Vatican finance chief convicted of child sex abuse – (Financial Times)
Cardinal George Pell is highest profile Catholic official to be found guilty of the crime

StanChart investors give new strategic plan a guarded welcome – (Financial Times)
Emerging markets lender unveils new profit targets alongside further cost cuts

House GOP leaders hold press event – (Fox News)

Senate Finance Committee holds hearing – (Fox News)

What shape could a US-China trade agreement take? – (Financial Times)
Series of key elements to be included in the contours of a possible deal

Sean Hannity: It’s scary how prominent Dems, the media are supporting Ocasio-Cortez and her socialist views – (Fox News)
A sitting member of Congress, a powerful member of our government, is questioning whether or not it’s OK for you, me — we, the American people — to have children.

The Cotswolds Palace: Britain’s biggest new home spanning 68,000 sq ft – (Daily Mail)
St Johns House, near Ramsden in Oxfordshire, could one day be a 68,000ft mega-mansion with more than 80 rooms and the equivalent floor space of 60 average-sized family homes.

The Apple Watch will soon monitor your sleep quality: report – (Mashable)
If all goes well in testing, Apple is looking at a 2020 launch for an Apple Watch with sleep monitoring features.

Referendum commission for vote on reducing divorce wait time established – (The Irish Times)
Vote will take place on May 24th, the same date as the local and European elections

Video shows cattle carcasses left to decay alongside starving animals – (Daily Mail)
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. This shocking video shows rotting cattle carcasses left to decay alongside starving animals in ‘appalling’ conditions at Penffynnon Farm in Ceredigion, Wales.

May offers chance to delay Brexit – (News.com.au)
British Prime Minister Theresa May has bowed to intense political pressure and handed control of Brexit to parliament, telling politicians they will get to choose between leaving the European Union on schedule — with or without a divorce deal — and asking the…

Great British Menu chef pleads guilty to assaulting his wife – (Daily Mail)
Mark Poynton, 38, appeared in the dock at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court today to admit the attack on Shauna McGuinness (pictured together) at the Regal in Cambridge on January 3.

MP Fiona Onasanya is driven away from prison after serving 28 days – (Daily Mail)
Onasanya was sentenced to three months in jail at the end of January for perverting the course of justice after lying about a speeding ticket, but is being let out as part of an early-release scheme.

Student given ‘gold card’ video recommendation to join ISIS is jailed – (Daily Mail)
Mohammed Aqib Imran (pictured) made arrangements to join ISIS, around the time Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman, 21, was set on a suicide attack on the heart of the UK Government.

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All about Trump

Trump and Kim Will Meet at Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel: Yonhap – (Fortune)
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un will meet at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi in the heart of Vietnam’s capital city, Yonhap reports.

Trump in Vietnam for Kim face-off – (News.com.au)
Donald Trump has flown into Vietnam on Air Force Onbe for his summit with Kim Jong-un, who made a dramatic arrival by armoured train, before switching to a limousine for a tour of Hanoi.

Live: President Trump meets with Kim Jong Un – CNNPolitics – (CNN)
President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are holding their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Follow here for the latest.

North Korea state media joins Donald Trump in bashing Democrats and intelligence chiefs ahead of Kim summit – (Newsweek)
President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the assessments of the U.S. intelligence community, which has contradicted Trump’s claims that North Korea no longer poses a threat to the U.S.

White House press corps booted from Kim Jong Un’s hotel – (USA Today)
Before summit with Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s security appear to have forced organizers to move White House reporters from his hotel.

Trump in Vietnam for summit with Kim – (BBC News)
The US president lands in Hanoi for his second summit with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

Joe Scarborough Issues Stark Warning To Republicans Backing Trump’s Emergency – (The Huffington Post)
The MSNBC host said they’d “never, ever” again be able to pretend they were defenders of the Constitution.

Trump and Kim Jong-un Meet Again: Here’s What’s at Stake – (The New York Times)
As President Trump and Kim Jong-un arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, the goal of denuclearization remained elusive.

This 21-year-old tweeted lies about Robert Mueller and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Now, he’s eyeing the 2020 election – (USA Today)
Jacob Wohl, 21, who left a career in finance amid allegations of fraud, specializes in deceitful schemes and spreading false claims in support of President Trump.

Spike Lee rounds on Donald Trump over Twitter attack – (The Guardian (UK))
Oscar-winning director responds to the president’s claim that his acceptance speech was ‘a racist hit’

President Donald Trump Lands in Hanoi Eager for a Deal With Kim Jong Un – (Time)
So long as Kim doesn’t provoke his counterpart, the two should be on course for a closing handshake

Trump Arrives in Vietnam as North Korea Summit Off to Rough Start – (Fortune)
The slapdash nature of Donald Trump’s second summit with Kim Jong Un was exposed on Tuesday

Trump lands in Vietnam for North Korea summit as shadow of Mueller, Cohen loom over him – (NBC News)
President Donald Trump is desperate for a win as he sits down with Kim Jong Un — and that’s concerning to foreign policy hands

Michael Cohen to testify Trump broke the law in office, reports say – live – (The Guardian (UK))
Trump’s former fixer testifies in first of three Washington hearings, while president heads to Vietnam for summit with Kim Jong-un

Cohen set to tell-all on Trump – (News.com.au)
US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen will start a three-day gauntlet of congressional appearances by giving a closed-door interview to the Senate intelligence committee, where he is expected to detail what he claims to know about M…

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2019-02-26

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