Let’s have a look at the stories making headlines today.
Trump clashes with Republicans on guns
US President Donald Trump has stunned lawmakers from both parties by telling them in a live broadcast not to be so “petrified” of the powerful gun lobby the National Rifle Association (NRA). In a break from his party’s stance on gun control, Mr Trump urged lawmakers to come up with a “strong” reform bill.
Travel warnings as more snow falls across the UK
Latest updates as another day of heavy snow causes travel disruption, school closures and icy roads.
Putin vows to halve poverty in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he intends to halve poverty in the country within the next six years, in his annual state of the nation speech in Moscow. The speech is the last before an election he is expected to win in 17 days time.
Australian amnesty yields 57,000 guns
Australians turned in more than 57,000 firearms to authorities last year during a national gun amnesty. The three-month amnesty was the first since Australia’s landmark response to a mass shooting in 1996. It aimed to reduce the number of illicit weapons by allowing people to hand them over without fear of prosecution.
Teaching computing without computers
A teacher in Ghana who educates his students on computer technology – without any computers – has become a hit online. The man from Kumasi used his blackboard to meticulously draw a diagram of the popular Microsoft Word program. “Teaching of ICT in Ghana’s school is very funny,” he said in a Facebook post alongside the photos.
Long-time Trump aide Hope Hicks to resign
Hope Hicks, White House communications director and one of President Trump’s longest serving advisers, to step down.
Is Spotify really worth $23bn?
Spotify, the world’s biggest music streaming service, has filed paperwork to start trading its shares publicly on the New York Stock Exchange. The firm said it expects shares to sell at prices that could value the business at more than $23bn (£16.7bn). The Swedish company will list shares directly on the NYSE, bypassing the traditional stock offering process.
White House Hit With Several Shocking Reports In Less Than A Day
An already complicated day for President Donald Trump ‘s administration was capped with several shocking reports Wednesday night. The barrage of stories shed new light on the extent of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and raised questions about several officials in the president’s inner circle, including communications director Hope Hicks and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Walmart To Raise Age Requirement To Purchase Firearms, Ammunition
Walmart has vowed to raise its age requirement to 21 years old for customers looking to purchase firearms or ammunition from their stores. The retail giant decided to change its firearms policy “in light of recent events,” Walmart said in a statement to reporters on Wednesday.
Trevor Noah Sniffs Out Another Appalling Thing Ben Carson Has Done
Trevor Noah went to town on Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Wednesday’s broadcast of “The Daily Show.” Noah took aim at Carson’s “bullshit” pledge to save his department money following reports he had spent more than $31,000 on a new dining set for his office.
House Committee Is Digging Into Ben Carson’s Pricey Office Redecoration
The House Oversight Committee requested documents Wednesday on Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson ‘s expensive office redecoration. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) signed a letter requesting the documentation after a complaint was filed against Carson’s department with the federal Office of Special Counsel.
Here’s The One Thing That Would Make Oprah Run For President
Oprah Winfrey has already shot down talk of running for president in 2020, but now she’s revealing the one thing that could make her reconsider. After the media mogul’s powerful speech at the Golden Globes in January, rumors swirled that she would run for office.
Sessions pushes back on Trump after ‘disgraceful’ insult
Trump chastised Sessions over an investigation into alleged surveillance abuses, calling his approach “disgraceful.” “Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc,” Trump wrote. “Isn’t the I.G.
China’s top paper says Xi Jinping won’t necessarily serve for life
In a commentary Thursday, the state-run People’s Daily defended the constitutional change as an “important move.” “This amendment does not mean changing the retirement system for party and national leaders, and does not mean a life-long term system for leading officials,” it said.
Berlusconi: Facing a new crisis, Italians turn to an old warhorse
As his 80th birthday approached, the Italian multi-billionaire and former prime minister was recovering from a major heart operation and facing seven years in jail for sex with an underage prostitute at his lavish “bunga-bunga” sex parties — a charge that he denied and that was ultimately overturned.
Lion mauls woman to death at popular South African wildlife sanctuary
The 22-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was visiting a camp at the popular Dinokeng Game Reserve, near Pretoria, when she was attacked close to her vehicle. According to a statement posted to Richardson’s Instagram account, the lioness was pursing an impala at the “big 5” reserve, which is also home to leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo, when it encountered the woman and her friend.
‘African Mona Lisa’ painting sells for $1.6M
Written by Oscar Holland, CNN Jennifer Hauser, CNN A famous painting that went missing for decades before turning up in a London apartment has sold for over $1.6 million (£1,205,000). Often dubbed the “African Mona Lisa,” Ben Enwonwu’s “Tutu” smashed sale estimates at an auction in London on Wednesday.
Social publisher LittleThings shuts down, citing Facebook algorithm changes
From humble beginnings as a blog for a pet food venture, in four years LittleThings accrued millions of followers and views on its social platforms through feel-good content. But the publisher announced that it would be no more on Tuesday, putting the blame largely on Facebook’s algorithm changes in an email to all staff, published by Business Insider .
Stephen Colbert can’t believe Trump’s stance on gun control
What is happening? Did Stephen Colbert just find Donald Trump’s opinion on something “reasonable?” That’s exactly what went down on The Late Show on Wednesday, when the talk show host was left flabbergasted by the president’s stance in a meeting with members of Congress on gun control.
China banned the letter ‘N’ from Weibo and WeChat
In some sort of Sesame Street ‘Letter of the Day’ nightmare situation, the letter N was temporarily banned on many of China’s most popular social platforms. On Sunday, China’s Communist Party announced that it was planning to abolish the presidential two-term limit, which would enable Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely.
Google opens its Slack competitor, Hangouts Chat, to everyone
Google Hangouts is officially a business tool. After months of testing, Google is opening its business messaging platform, Hangouts Chat, to everyone. The Slack-like service for team communication is now open to all of the company’s business customers who use its G Suite services.
