This is why 536 AD was the worst year in human history
11/16/2018, 5:48:37 PMA HORRIFIC combination of darkness, famine and nasty disease pandemics made 536AD the worst year to be alive in, a historian has said. Harvard professor Michael McCormick said 536AD is a prime cand… ✔ Historians have long known that the middle of the sixth century was a particularly dark period in what used to be called the Dark Ages ✔ After that, there were two other massive eruptions in 540 and 547 ✔ Researchers found that a century later in 660AD the silver became the coinage of choice
The day Paradise burned down
11/16/2018, 7:29:20 PMThe full story of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history. ✔ The flames grows bigger around them, and cars become caught in gridlock ✔ Ten days on, it continues to burn and it is unlikely to be fully contained until the end of the month ✔ This piece was produced from original interviews conducted by BBC correspondents, affiliates and UGC staff and incorporates social media posts by survivors
Chris Christie joins everybody else in attacking New Jersey governor about snow commute
11/16/2018, 5:48:31 PMNo stranger to storm troubles and traffic jams himself, Chris Christie piles on current New Jersey governor over long snowstorm commute. ✔ NorthJersey.com assignment editor Matt McGrath reads some of the angry tweets sent to Phil Murphy during Thursday’s snowstorm ✔ Under attack, he tried to deflect blame by suggesting county road crews dropped the ball ✔ South Jersey flooded and Christie in New Hampshire had this to say: I don't know what you expect me to do
Opinion | Not Burned, but Suffocated
11/16/2018, 5:20:19 PMLike much of wildfire-ravaged Northern California, my hometown is engulfed in a smokey, hazardous haze. ✔ My son’s school has a chalky, cooped-up smell, and at my daughter’s preschool the kids look a bit glassy-eyed ✔ Still, it is incredibly troubling to feel it arriving, to hunker in its shadow ✔ Her book of poems Work & Days was named one of the best books of poetry of 2016 by The Times
US might lose war against China or Russia, report to Congress says
11/16/2018, 5:19:41 PM'US military superiority is no longer assured. The implications for American interests and security are severe' ✔ This picture shows the four GRU officers who entered the Netherlands at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on April 10, travelling on official Russian passports ✔ The military would work with all domestic departments of government, law enforcement bodies and other groups to address areas of economic, technological, and informational vulnerabilities, it continued
Washington notched its record 21st heavy rainstorm of 2018 Thursday as Baltimore clinched its wettest year in history
11/16/2018, 5:41:01 PMIf you feel like it's been raining a lot, you're quite right. ✔ With six weeks left in 2018, only three years stand in the way of this becoming Washington’s all-time wettest year: 1878 (60.09 inches), 2003 (60.83 inches) and 1889 (61.33) inches ✔ It’s hard to comprehend that our spate of historically wet weather may only be beginning
Facing Deadlier Fires, California Tries Something New: More Logging
11/16/2018, 6:03:20 PMEnvironmentalists and the timber industry, after long butting heads, increasingly agree that cutting trees to thin forests is vital to reducing fire danger. ✔ A worker logged trees in September as a fire-prevention measure near French Meadows Reservoir in California ✔ After decades of butting heads, some environmentalists and logging supporters have largely come to agreement that forests need to be logged to be saved ✔ Even if we are successful on that [thinning] front, there will undoubtedly be events that simply overwhelm us, Mr. Branham said
Icy roads slow the Washington commute for a second day after early-season snow
11/16/2018, 4:47:11 PMDozens of crashes occurred in the region one day after the season’s first snowfall. ✔ By Dana Hedgpeth Dana Hedgpeth Reporter covering local breaking news Email Bio Follow November 16 at 11:30 AM Icy roads slowed the morning commute for a second consecutive day on Friday, closing a bridge to the District and delaying classes for hundreds of thousands of students before temperatures began to rise ✔ Crews worked throughout the commute to clear roads before temperatures warmed well above freezing later in the morning
The Woman at 1,000 Degrees by HallgrÃmur Helgason review – a blitzkrieg of a novel
11/16/2018, 5:20:12 PMThis irreverent fable narrated by an octogenarian with a hand grenade is funny, shrewd and destined for classic status ✔ Icelandic painter and polymath Helgason delivers a blitzkrieg of a novel, narrated by an octogenarian dying in a ReykjavÃk garage ✔ I couldn’t fit in any damned where and was therefore always looking for the next party ✔ This hugely entertaining tale is surely destined for classic status
Drone images show how fire reduced 10,000 Paradise buildings to rubble
11/16/2018, 7:13:05 PMShocking before and after aerial photos show how a Paradise shopping center was reduced to ashes after the Camp Fire that started on November 8 ripped through the small town, killing 63. ✔ Driving past the smoldering ruins of downtown, 49-year-old Patrick Knuthson, a fourth-generation local, struggled to make sense of what he was seeing ✔ The small camp, which sits on a patch of wasteland next to the Chico branch of Walmart, contained approximately 45 tents and two RVs as of Thursday, but more people have arrived since
PG&E shares, debt rebound as regulator soothes bankruptcy fear
11/16/2018, 6:51:41 PMShares of embattled utility PG&E Corp surged 37 percent on Friday as fears it co... ✔ Its yield dropped more than 1 percentage point to 5.68 percent from 6.84 percent late on Thursday ✔ The company’s debt had come under broad pressure earlier this week after the utility borrowed $3.3 billion under its credit lines and warned it could face liabilities in excess of its insurance coverage should its equipment be found to have caused the fire ✔ Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles
Camp Fire smoke closes UC-Berkeley and other Bay Area colleges
11/16/2018, 4:02:14 PMAs wildfires rage in California, smoke has made the air quality unhealthy. ✔ The University of California at Berkeley canceled classes and shut down all but essential operations through Friday, Chancellor Carol Christ announced ✔ The air quality was another sign of the pervasive impact of the wildfires tearing through California ✔ The Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, rampages through the town of Paradise, Calif., earlier this month
PG&E options traders bet stock not out of the woods yet
11/16/2018, 5:16:16 PMThe wild swings in the shares of PG&E Corp over the past week have drawn a rush ... ✔ Investors’ expectation for volatility, however, remained elevated ✔ Some of the concerns have eased, but options traders expect the volatility to continue in the short term, said Fred Ruffy, options analyst at Trade Alert ✔ Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles
Here are resources for California fire victims and the best ways to contribute
11/16/2018, 6:03:15 PMWith hundreds of people still missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced across California because of the recent fires, many may be looking to donate time, money or space. Here are some options: Officials in Butte County, where the Camp fire ignited last week and claimed at least 63 lives, is a... ✔ The county is directing people to United Way of Northern California, both to donate and to apply for emergency funds ✔ Purple: approximate fire perimeter; yellow: Ventura/L.A ✔ Officials said Thursday would be a turning point in the fight ✔ (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Click here for a gallery of more photos from the Camp fire
Nothing Can Prepare The People Who Have To Search For Charred Bodies After The California Wildfires
11/16/2018, 4:11:47 PM“It’s like a total cremation of a town. It’s hard to see.” ✔ Last Thursday morning, those pathways were jammed full with frantic evacuees ✔ They shower, hang up their respiratory masks and grab coffee or a hot meal ✔ On Thursday it was spaghetti, the iceburg lettuce drenched in dressing and the garlic bread a bit too buttery ✔ It’s engrained in us, the need to know, so we can move on
Investigators say they've ruled out all possible causes for Hill fire except human activity
11/16/2018, 6:13:47 PMOfficials investigating the cause of the Hill fire said Friday morning they’ve ruled out all potential causes other than human activity. ✔ Strong inversions and relatively light winds will allow wildfire smoke to continue to impact interior Norcal this weekend ✔ Calmer conditions Thursday after strong winds battered the region and fanned the flames for three consecutive days gave crews a welcome opening ✔ Officials said Thursday would be a turning point in the fight
‘Do NOT lecture us!’ Emmanuel Macron CONDEMNED for patronising the French
11/16/2018, 5:17:18 PMFORMER French President François Hollande has warned his embattled successor Emmanuel Macron: don’t lecture the French. ✔ The young leader, who won power in a landslide election just 18 months ago, is now facing problems on all fronts ✔ The tax increases are designed to encourage drivers to switch to more environmentally-friendly vehicles, part of Mr Macron’s so-called energy transition plan ✔ The public’s anger is reflected in opinion polls, which showed this month support for Mr Macron hovering at around 30 per cent
Firefighters need at least 2 more weeks to contain Camp Fire, but rain forecast may offer relief
11/16/2018, 7:36:35 PMRain expected early next week could help shorten the battle but would also complicate the search for more bodies. ✔ 63 people are now known dead in the Northern California wildfire, while the number of unaccounted for has gone higher than 600 ✔ Meanwhile, the National Interagency Fire Center said the estimated cost to suppress the fire so far has reached $46.3 million
California fire: Camp fire evacuees line up for hours to get mail, paychecks
11/16/2018, 7:11:08 PMThe morning fog hadn’t yet burned away in downtown Chico when Paradise resident Kathleen Reed got in line outside the post office along with his fellow displaced residents. Only a few dozen locals were there around 9 a.m. Friday, but everyone said the line was going to get longer. ✔ I drove by on my lunch hour yesterday, thought I’d have time and saw hundreds in line and was like, ‘Nuh-uh,’ said Reed, 56, who was there to collect a package for her mother and a week’s worth of mail that had accumulated since the Camp fire destroyed her home Nov. 8 ✔ The largest of the blazes in the area the Camp fire has charred 142,000 acres in Butte County in just over a week ✔ The number of people missing in the fire jumped Thursday to 631
Sacramento stops handing out respiratory masks to public after county raises health concerns
11/16/2018, 7:50:54 PMSacramento fire stations will no longer be distributing masks to the public, following safety concerns raised by the county. ✔ A reward of $10,000 is available for information leading to a possible responsible party, Cal Fire said ✔ County boundary; red: mandatory evacuation areas; orange: voluntary evacuation areas Road closures Highway 101 offramps from Valley Circle Blvd to Liberty Canyon Road Highway 1 southbound (Pacific Coast Highway) closed at Las Posas Road Bell Canyon Road at Valley Circle Boulevard Borchard at Los Vientos Drive Lynn Road at Reino Road Potrero Road between Rancho Dos Vientos and South Lewis Road Kanan Road between Westlake Boulevard and Lindero Canyon Road Falling Star Avenue at Kanan Road Potrero Road at Wendy Drive State Route 118 eastbound between Topanga Canyon and Yosemite Avenue Mureau Road, Calabasas Boundary to 101 Freeway Cornell Road, Mulholland Hwy to Kanan Road Encinal Canyon Road, Malibu Boundary to Mulholland Hwy Read More
For California fire victims, it will be a long, tough road to rebuild
11/16/2018, 7:50:52 PMThe fires that tore through California in the past week have reduced homes to ash, upending lives and leaving thousands in sudden need of shelter. But beyond the immediate challenges of finding a place to live in a state with a perpetual shortage of housing, property owners could face a number of... ✔ The fire broke out just before 7 a.m. on 1449 North Crescent Heights Boulevard and grew to be a quarter of an acre, said Amy Bastman, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Fire Department ✔ Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters that search crews recovered seven more bodies in the burn area: three in Magalia, three in Paradise and one in Concow
Brandi Cyrus 'wants to cry' when she thinks about sister Miley's home
11/16/2018, 6:12:10 PM'It always makes me want to cry when I think about it,' said older sister Brandi, 31. And Brandi said being far away didn't help the situation. 'It was hard for me because I was in Denver at the time.' ✔ 'And unfortunately, Miley is halfway across the world working right now, so for her, she's probably feeling the worst of it because she feels so helpless from so far away.' 'We were just so lucky that Liam was home and able to get all the animals out he had just enough time to do that and it's not just, like, piling dogs in a truck,' she explained
BREXIT WARNING: Dutch PM Rutte says Brexiteer attempts to ditch May's plan are FUTILE
11/16/2018, 5:56:16 PMDUTCH Prime Minister Mark Rutte has joined fellow European Union leaders in telling Brexiteers that any attempts to demand renegotiation of Theresa May’s controversial Brexit withdrawal deal are futile. ✔ Mr Rutte insisted EU and UK officials had spent enough time pondering over the 585-page withdrawal agreement for any significant changes to be made so late in the negotiating process ✔ He said: We can avoid a hard border by signing up for the agreement that has been negotiated
More Than 600 People Remain Missing in Deadly California Fires as Massive Blazes Claim 66 Lives
11/16/2018, 7:46:02 PMThe death toll in a string of deadly California wildfires has continued to rise, as authorities work to find more than 600 people missing due to the blazes ✔ We feel really bad for the people who don’t know what happened to their loved ones and our hearts go out to them ✔ To help victims of the California wildfires, visit the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the California Fire Foundation and the American Red Cross, for more information
Inside the meticulous work of fire investigations: 'It’s not like CSI on TV'
11/16/2018, 7:13:10 PMEven before questions are asked about the cause of a fire, investigators are at the scene, and they solve more than 70 percent of the cases. ✔ 63 people are now known dead in the Northern California wildfire, while the number of unaccounted for has gone higher than 600 ✔ Lewis who lives north of Chico, had the day off and decided she needed to be here helping those who have suffered from the Camp Fire
Inside the world's first underground hotel - a £225m property in a disused quarry
11/16/2018, 5:19:10 PMCHINA’S newest luxury hotel isn’t where you think it might be – it’s in a disused quarry pit. The 336-room, £225million InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland opened yesterday in Shanghai after ten y… ✔ CHINA’S newest luxury hotel isn’t where you think it might be – it’s in a disused quarry pit ✔ The project began in 2006 and construction got underway in 2013 ✔ The hotel, which is in Songjiang near Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, opens Tuesday ✔ Rooms are priced from 3,666 to 6,000 yuan (£400 to £670) per night
Xi sees big potential for Pacific partnerships
11/16/2018, 7:22:00 PMChina and Papua New Guinea should strengthen the connection of development strategies under the Belt and Road Initiative framework and enhance cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, investment and finance, President Xi Jinping said on Friday. ✔ Prime Minister O'Neill said it's a historic moment for his country to welcome the Chinese president's visit ✔ Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1976, the two countries have maintained great development, he said, adding that PNG will firmly uphold the one-China policy ✔ Dadae expressed gratitude for China's help in such areas as PNG's infrastructure, education and healthcare
The Woolsey fire nearly destroys Malibu's wine country
11/16/2018, 5:12:15 PMA look at the devastation to the Malibu AVA, or American Viticultural Area, caused by the recent Woolsey fire. ✔ A few vines may have been spared, but for Palmer, that will be the end of his winemaking career ✔ (Existing vineyards were excepted from this ruling.) The fight was spearheaded by environmental groups and preservation-minded residents who wanted their hillsides populated with native flora; it has been fought in the courts ever since
‘What did the people of California do to deserve Trump visiting on top of the wildfires?’
11/16/2018, 4:20:10 PMA presidential visit will accomplish nothing, cost a fortune, and just allow this terminal narcissist another photo opportunity ✔ Interior minister Ryan Zinke visited the town of Paradise, which has been completely destroyed, on Tuesday and said there were lots of reasons for the blaze, adopting a far more appropriate tone ✔ The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal
'I brace myself': anxious search for the missing in California fire
11/16/2018, 7:41:29 PMRose Farrell was an independent-minded 99-year-old determined to live by herself... ✔ Her husband Angello Austin, 87, was more physically active and worked as a baker and a handyman, Donna’s niece Andrea Evans told Reuters by phone ✔ (This story has been refilled to correct date in dateline to Nov 16 from Nov 15) Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles
Just Jane: I fake it just to make him stop
11/16/2018, 5:53:31 PMMY new bloke just isn't good enough in bed. ✔ We were like devils together and he could make me scream just by teasing and tickling me ✔ Apologise for building up his hopes and hurting him ✔ Wish him luck in finding someone who fully appreciates and deserves him while you give yourself a break from dating
Horrible air quality expected to continue through weekend in Northern California
11/16/2018, 4:17:10 PMHorrible air quality expected to continue through weekend in Northern California ✔ (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Firefighters battling the Camp fire in Northern California boosted containment of the massive blaze overnight to 45%, though the inferno continued to expand its footprint ✔ One body in Paradise was found in a car that had been flipped on its side
Worsening air quality in the Bay Area prompts local schools to close
11/16/2018, 4:28:14 PMSeveral Bay Area school districts and colleges cancelled classes on Friday amid worsening air quality caused by fires burning in the region. ✔ (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Firefighters battling the Camp fire in Northern California boosted containment of the massive blaze overnight to 45%, though the inferno continued to expand its footprint ✔ One body in Paradise was found in a car that had been flipped on its side
The welfare system is cruel and misogynistic, UN expert warns in damning report on poverty in UK
11/16/2018, 4:40:36 PMBritain’s welfare system is so sexist it may as well have been compiled by “a group of misogynists in a room,” a UN expert has claimed. ✔ He said the single household payments meant that women were not often able to control the family income, putting them at greater risk of domestic violence ✔ Alston, who angered President Trump's administration earlier this year after a similar inspection resulted in accusations that his White House was implementing cruel policies, will report to the UN's human rights council in June 2019
A Christmas Story Turns 35! Zack Ward Looks Reveals How He Wasn't Originally Cast as the Bully
11/16/2018, 7:10:44 PMActor Zack Ward, who played Scut Farkus in A Christmas Story, tells PEOPLE that originally, "I got the role as the sidekick" ✔ I only had like two lines and I showed up on set right beside Yano Anaya and met [director] Bob Clark for the first time ✔ The film has such a sense of heart because it’s also got a sense of pain, he says ✔ It’s such an amazing thing to be part of, Ward gushes
Hero rescues paraplegic man and pregnant woman from flames
11/16/2018, 7:13:03 PMBartholomew Skhie, 46, helped cops and firefighters rescue a disabled man and pregnant woman as the Camp Fire approached Paradise, staying until the very last moment. ✔ The deadly inferno has already claimed the lives of 66 people, with a further 631 still listed as missing – making it the most catastrophic in California history ✔ She said: 'We had to drive through a tunnel and it was burning on both sides – all the trees ✔ I am not losing my hope and faith that the town will get rebuilt.'
UN envoy blasts UK government for 'great misery' of austerity
11/16/2018, 7:09:19 PMIn damning report, UN envoy accuses UK government of 'denial' over widespread social implications of fiscal programme. ✔ Hammond's October 29 announcement came three weeks after earlier claims by Prime Minister Theresa May that austerity was over and better days were ahead ✔ The government needs to sit up and pay attention to what he has said at this crucial time, not hope that his recommendations get buried in the nonstop rolling news coverage of Brexit, he added
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Netflix’s Godless delivers what the Coen brothers’ new film first promised
11/16/2018, 6:08:22 PMBallad of Buster Scruggs wound up not being a serial Western, but Godless is, and it’s terrific. ✔ Photo: Netflix There are so many streaming options available these days, and so many conflicting recommendations, that it’s hard to see through all the crap you could be watching ✔ Though critically acclaimed and award-winning, Godless became another largely forgotten Netflix prestige drama not long after it debuted, almost exactly one year ago
No body bags, running out of vital drugs: Sydney's newest hospital is a 'shambles'
11/16/2018, 7:35:40 PMThe new $600 million hospital boasts “a stunning view from of the Northern Beaches” but its stockrooms are missing basic medical supplies. ✔ Exclusive National NSW Hospitals No body bags, running out of vital drugs: Sydney's newest hospital is a 'shambles' By Kate Aubusson17 November 2018 12:00am Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size A brand new Sydney hospital boasts ocean views but can't keep its wards stocked with basic medical supplies ✔ Some of the problems would be comical in any other workplace, one staff member said
Is Mike Pence Loyal? Trump is Asking, Despite His Recent Endorsement
11/16/2018, 5:58:55 PMPresident Trump has repeated the question so many times that he has alarmed some of his advisers. But Mr. Trump has not openly suggested dropping Mr. Pence from the ticket in 2020. ✔ WASHINGTON President Trump’s post-midterm election news conference at the White House last week took a surprising turn when a reporter asked about locking down his 2020 ticket ✔ with Hillary Clinton for the president’s re-election effort ✔ He is also fiercely loyal, which is the coin of Trump’s realm
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