US shutdown: Senate bill on verge of collapse amid rancour
The Republican-controlled Senate's bid to avert a US government shutdown is teetering on the brink of collapse as it races against a midnight deadline.
bbc.com
Tim Hortons franchise owners tell workers to blame Wynne for benefit cuts and to 'not vote Liberal'
A staff memo written by a couple of Tim Hortons franchise owners in Whitby, Ont., blames cuts to employee benefits on the Ontario government and its minimum wage hike.
cbc.ca
Turkey Seeks Russian, Iranian Consent for Syria Airstrikes
Turkey drew closer to its threatened offensive against Kurdish separatist fighters in northwest Syria, sending top security chiefs to Russia to seek permission to use Syrian airspace for strikes.
bloomberg.com
Turkey shells Syria's Afrin region, minister says operation has begun
Turkish artillery fired into Syria’s Afrin region on Friday in what Ankara said was the start of a military campaign against the Kurdish-controlled area.
reuters.com
Rising Threats From China and Russia Dominate Trump’s Defense Strategy
The U.S. must prepare to wage a great-power competition with China and Russia as those nations narrow their technological gap with the U.S. military and seek “to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model,” according to a new Defense Department strategy report.
bloomberg.com
Amid US Blackmail, Belgium Donates $23M to Palestinian Refugees
Belgium and European states become the biggest donors to the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees as U.S. slashes aid for blackmail.
telesurtv.net
Trucks v protesters: Okinawa police forcibly remove anti-US base sit-in
Japanese police have forcibly removed protesters staging a sit-in protest in Henoko neighborhood in Okinawa as dozens of trucks carrying materials for the construction of a new US military base arrived in the area.
rt.com
German election would further harm SPD, Schulz warns
The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats on Friday urged members of his center-left party to endorse coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives or risk facing new elections that could further damage the party.
reuters.com
6.5 quake strikes Gulf of California near Mexico
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has struck the east coast of the Mexican state of Baja California, the United States Geological Survey has reported.
rt.com
U.S. Supreme Court Halts Redrawing of North Carolina Voting Map
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked a ruling that would force North Carolina to redraw its congressional voting map to give Republicans less of a partisan advantage.
bloomberg.com
Trump Made Stormy Daniels Watch 'Shark Week,' Spank With Forbes Magazine: Report
Much has been made about the recent Wall Street Journal report about adult film actress Stormy Daniels ’s alleged sexual relationship with president Donald Trump. Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen allegedly paid Daniels $130,000 in late 2016 to ensure her silence on the matter, the latest scandal for president who is approaching the anniversary of his inauguration.
ibtimes.com