To start the new month, these are the stories making headlines.
How Hanoi went from being bombed by US to hosting summit
On December 18, 1972, two sorties of hulking US B-52 bombers roared off from the U-Tapao airfield in Thailand and Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to begin what one Air Force officer called “the largest operation in the history of air power.”
Michael Cohen’s shocking picture of Trump’s mob-like world
Michael Cohen’s quest for redemption drew Americans into the mob-like world of Donald Trump. The President’s former personal lawyer has painted a cruel and unseemly picture, shocking even with the nation’s senses dulled by years of Trump-induced controversy.
Edward Nixon dies. He was former President Richard Nixon’s last surviving brother
Edward Nixon, former President Richard Nixon’s youngest and last surviving brother, died Wednesday. He was 88.
As Cohen rivets Washington, White House announces Kushner met with Saudi prince
President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Tuesday in their first face-to-face encounter since the October 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
TikTok hit with record fine for collecting data on children
Tik Tok, a popular video-sharing app, has agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle allegations that it illegally collected personal information from children under the age of 13, such as names, email addresses and their location.
Venezuela’s opposition leader says he will begin exercising his ‘duties as president’
Venezuela’s self-declared interim president Juan Guaido says he will exercise his “duties as president” as soon as he returns to Venezuela from Colombia where he met Monday with US Vice President Mike Pence.
27,000-year-old giant ground sloth tooth is like a climate time capsule
Newly uncovered fossils from an extinct giant ground sloth that lived in Belize 27,000 years ago provide a portrait of what the climate was like for the last year that the sloth was alive, according to a new study.
What is multiple sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system and is considered an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system attacks its own healthy cells. It affects quality of life and can be disabling.
Trump-Kim talks end ‘without agreement’
A summit between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ended with no agreement, the White House announced. The two leaders had “very good and constructive meetings” at the summit in Hanoi in Vietnam, a statement read. But no agreement was reached on the thorny issue of nuclear disarmament.
The exceptional ‘semi-identical’ twins
Doctors have documented what they say is only the world’s second known case of “semi-identical” twins. The boy and the girl, now four, from Brisbane, in Australia, are identical on their mother’s side. But they share only a proportion of their father’s DNA – placing them, genetically, somewhere between fraternal and identical twins.
‘Tiniest baby boy’ leaves Tokyo hospital
A baby boy who weighed just 268g (9.45oz) at birth has been released from hospital in Japan, and is believed to be the smallest boy in the world to be sent home healthy. The baby was born by emergency C-section in August, and was so small he could fit into a pair of cupped hands.
This is how you get banned from Tinder – BBC Three
But it could also have been due to his prolific nature on the app. Tinder’s community guidelines clearly state: “Please don’t maintain multiple accounts” and Jake freely admitted to having made more than 60 over a three-year period (although, for the most part, he used one which he would overhaul regularly).
Broadcaster censors Malek Oscars speech
Chinese broadcaster Mango TV is facing criticism after its online transmission of the Oscars amended a reference to homosexuality in best actor winner Rami Malek’s speech. Accepting the award for his performance in Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic of British rock act Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, Rami Malek said the film could help those struggling with their identity.
Sala pilot search finds ‘no trace’
A crowd funded search has found “no trace” of the pilot of the plane which crashed with Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala on board. David Ibbotson was flying the footballer to the UK when their Piper Malibu aircraft crashed near Guernsey on 21 January.
Amazon patents delivery robot that docks at your house
It’s not enough to have an Amazon Echo in every room, no – in addition to voice-controlled speakers to order Amazon products whenever you want, the e-retailer has plans for an in-home robot.
Watch the noice moment when the ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ cast is told Season 7 is happening
Shows get renewed all the time, but it’s not often we get to see the news delivered to their hardworking cast and crew. On Wednesday, NBC renewed Brooklyn Nine-Nine for a seventh season, and the news was broken during a table read with the show’s cast and crew.
Kelly Rowland doesn’t know what Excel is, which sounds like a dreamy life
To live a life free of macros is a life we’re jealous of. You might remember Kelly Rowland getting angry with Nelly over a text message written in Microsoft Excel on a Nokia 9290 Communicator , as per the video for the 2002 hit “Dilemma.”
Volvo Polestar 2 is the first car to include Google’s native dashboard
On Wednesday, Volvo’s performance brand debuted its first all-electric car, the Polestar 2. But the new Tesla Model 3 competitor is causing a stir in the auto industry not only for its performance, but for being the first car to feature Google’s native version of Android built for cars.
‘Game of Thrones’ themed Oreos are coming
The special release of “Game of Thrones” Oreos is intended to celebrate the eighth and final season of the hit HBO series. According to Instagram accounts CandyHunting, and TheJunkFoodAisle, the cookies will look different than normal Oreos and come in special packaging. Oreo isn’t the first to collaborate with “Game of Thrones.”
In wild exchange, Michael Cohen says Trump asked him to threaten people ‘probably’ 500 times
Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday has been a real journey. One particular gem: Cohen estimated that while he was Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Trump requested that he threaten people “probably” 500 times. That information? Not super surprising.
BBC and ITV to launch new streaming service BritBox in the UK
We might be seeing a lot less British content on Netflix in the future. BBC and ITV have confirmed that they are launching the paid streaming service BritBox later this year in the UK, to rival the dominant streaming service Netflix.
