South and North Korean athletes unite during opening ceremony in Pyeongchang
Hosts South Korea produced a show of unity with neighbours North Korea during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
bbc.com
Pence skips dinner with N Koreans
US Vice-President Mike Pence has skipped a dinner at which he was due to share a table with North Korea's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam.
bbc.com
Shutdown averted as Trump signs budget bill
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping budget bill approved by Congress to re-open the government after it was briefly closed overnight.
bbc.com
Global Stock Turmoil Persists Amid Rate Jitters
The convulsions rocking U.S. equity markets continued Friday, with major indexes headed for the worst week in almost seven years after falling back from early gains. Treasury declines eased as investors sought havens from gold to the yen.
bloomberg.com
Germany coalition: SPD's Schulz gives up cabinet role to save deal
The leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), Martin Schulz, has abandoned a plan to serve as foreign minister in a new coalition government.
bbc.com
Misconduct complaints rise in US military, but fewer senior officers found guilty
While the number of complaints filed against senior US military and defense officials increased, fewer Department of Defense officers were actually found guilty of misconduct last year, according to data from DoD investigators.
rt.com
Colombia: FARC Suspends Political Campaign amid Safety Concerns
Rodrigo Londoño, the former head of the rebel group, who launched a presidential bid in January, has been confronted by angry and at times violent crowds.
telesurtv.net
US, France Planning Direct Strikes Against Syrian Gov’t: Report
Recent reports of alleged chemical attacks by Syrian forces would be used as a pretext for the strikes according to sources.
telesurtv.net
No reliable evidence of chlorine use by Syrian govt – French defense minister
France has no reliable evidence that the chemical agent chlorine was used by the Syrian government forces, and thus cannot yet speak of a ‘red line’ having been crossed, the French Defense Minister said.
rt.com
Trump Administration Is Weighing Emergency Aid for Some Coal Plants
After failing to win a bailout for cash-strapped coal plants, some Trump administration officials are considering emergency orders that could keep at least some coal generators online, people familiar with the discussions said.
bloomberg.com
Rubio Says World Would Support Venezuela ‘Removing a Dictator’
Marco Rubio took to Twitter on Friday morning to suggest that the world would support Venezuela’s military if it decided to “restore democracy by removing a dictator” as the country’s President Nicolas Maduro prepares for an April election some are already predicting to be rigged.
bloomberg.com
Trump-Linked Extremist Settlers Try to Kidnap Palestinian Kids
The Yitzhar settlers, who received money from a foundation directed by Trump’s son-in-law, are considered extreme by Israel itself.
telesurtv.net
Mattis: Immigrant Service Members Won't Face Deportation
The nearly 850 immigrants currently serving in the military or waiting to start basic training won't face deportation despite the ongoing federal wrangling over the fate of people who came to America illegally as children, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.
bloomberg.com
Engineers of ‘max security’ nuke center busted trying to mine cryptocurrency on supercomputer
A powerful supercomputer located at a Russian nuclear research facility in Sarov was reportedly targeted by a pair of engineers who wanted to use it to mine cryptocurrencies.
rt.com
