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An explosive eruption of restive Taal volcano no longer appears imminent, Philippine authorities said Sunday as they lifted most of a mass evacuation order but warned residents to remain ready to flee. Warning signs such as earthquakes have been steadily waning since Taal burst to life two weeks ago with plumes of ash and lava, forcing over 135,000 people into shelters over fears a massive blast was coming. The nation's seismological agency said steadily shrinking ash and gas emissions were signs of "decreased tendency towards hazardous explosive eruption", leading them to lower the alert by a notch.

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 06:31:58 -0500

Police in northern India on Sunday bid goodbye to the historic British-era bolt-action rifles after using them for one last salute during the annual Republic Day parade. The Lee-Enfield .303 rifle was the main firearm of British colonial military forces and, despite being designated "obsolete" around 25 years ago, it has been the main weapon used by police in Uttar Pradesh state over seven decades. "They have been in use since independence (from the British in 1947) and now they'll be replaced by INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) and SLRs (Self-Loading Rifles)," said police superintendent Amit Verma.

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 05:59:29 -0500

For Marija Frlan it's as symbolic as it can get: A survivor of a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, the Slovenian woman turns 100 years old on Monday, the international Holocaust Remembrance Day. Frlan, who was held at the Nazi's Ravensbruck camp in northern Germany for over a year in 1944-45, will join other survivors and officials in Poland on Monday for ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. “The ones who didn’t survive this, they can’t understand, no," the energetic woman said at her home in the small village of Rakek in southwestern Slovenia.

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 04:38:05 -0500

The first Saturday Night Live episode of 2020 opened with Beck Bennett’s Mitch McConnell and Cecily Strong’s Susan Collins conferring about the impeachment trial in the Senate. “We all know this impeachment proceeding is a sham and a hoax,” the Senate majority leader said. “Republicans are simply requesting a fair trial: no witnesses, no evidence. That way we can acquit President Trump and focus on the real problem in this country: teenagers who try marijuana.” “Well, the evidence against Trump is pretty damning, so I’m still on the fence,” Collins replied with a wink.But soon they were joined by the night’s big guest star: former SNL cast member Jon Lovitz as Trump’s defense attorney Alan Dershowitz. Trevor Noah Destroys Alan Dershowitz’s Impeachment Hypocrisy“Yes, hello, everyone, it’s I, Alan Dershowitz,” he said. “It’s wonderful to be here. Because I’m not welcome anywhere else. There’s a lot of haters out there, for no good reason. But like I said to my client and dear friend Jeffrey Epstein, haters gonna hate!” When Dershowitz was told he should probably avoid talking about Epstein, he instead compared Trump to his previous client, O.J. Simpson. Then the cold-open sketch took a hard left turn as Dershowitz appeared to have a heart attack, finding himself in hell, where he was joined by Epstein, as portrayed by this week’s host Adam Driver. “What are you doing here?” Dershowitz asked, to which Epstein replied, “Just hangin’.” “I’ve gotta say, I love what you’ve been doing for the president,” Epstein added. “All we get down here is Fox News and it’s been a joy to see you work.” For more, listen to the most recent episodes of The Last Laugh podcast. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 01:02:06 -0500

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The ability of the new coronavirus to spread is strengthening and infections could continue to rise, China's National Health Commission said on Sunday, with nearly 2,000 people in China infected and 56 killed by the disease. A handful of cases have been reported outside China, including in Thailand, Australia, the United States and France, with health authorities around the world racing to prevent a pandemic. The newly-identified coronavirus has created alarm because there are still many unknowns surrounding it, such as how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people.

Sat, 25 Jan 2020 21:24:15 -0500