Obamas Send Holiday Greetings

AFP
Tunisian town gripped by youth exodus
When Mohamed Lafi vanished at sea one fateful night, it marked yet another tragedy for a Tunisian town struggling with the exodus of its youth.The families have urged Tunisian authorities to bolster economic conditions, educational programmes and cultural activities in the town of around 6,000 people to encourage youths to stay.
AFP
Panama to vote in presidential election with eight contenders
Panamanians vote in presidential elections Sunday from a crowded field of eight candidates, with the protege of a graft-convicted ex-head of state in the lead.On Friday, Panamanian salsa legend and activist Ruben Blades called his compatriots not to vote for a man he described as "a frontman for a confirmed crook."
TODAY
'Star Wars' star Mark Hamill gives Joe Biden a nickname from a galaxy far, far away
Mark Hamill is bringing the force to the White House and discussed meeting the president at a press briefing.
Reuters
North Korea's UN ambassador says new sanctions monitoring groups will fail
SEOUL (Reuters) -Efforts led by the U.S. and other Western countries to form new groups to monitor sanctions on North Korea will fail, the country's U.N. envoy said on Sunday, according to state media KCNA. Ambassador Kim Song made the comment in response to a joint statement the U.S. and its allies issued this week calling to continue the work of a U.N. panel of experts monitoring longstanding sanctions against Pyongyang for its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
CBS News
Police investigating multiple bomb threats against New York City synagogues
Police say multiple bomb threats were reported at synagogues across New York City on Saturday.
Reuters
Trump, RNC raise over $76 million in April, half from small donors
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's election campaign and the Republican National Committee said on Saturday that they raised more than $76 million in April, over half of it from small donors. The monthly fundraising haul exceeded the $65.6 million raised in March by Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and the RNC.
Reuters
UAW workers ratify US labor deal with Daimler Truck
(Reuters) -Members of the United Auto Workers on Saturday ratified a new labor contract with Daimler Truck that includes at least a 25% general wage increase over the four-year deal. The vote was 94.5% in favor of the new contract, which covers more than 7,300 hourly UAW workers after a tentative agreement was reached in late April, averting a strike at the 11th hour. The contract covers hourly workers at six facilities in southern states where unionization has traditionally been low, including four factories in North Carolina and parts warehouses in Georgia and Tennessee.
Associated Press
Frank Stella, artist renowned for blurring the lines between painting and sculpture, dies at 87
Frank Stella, a painter, sculptor and printmaker whose constantly evolving works are hailed as landmarks of the minimalist and post-painterly abstraction art movements, died Saturday at his home in Manhattan. Gallery owner Jeffrey Deitch, who spoke with Stella's family, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. Stella’s wife, Harriet McGurk, told the New York Times that he died of lymphoma.
Associated Press
Jury foreperson in New Hampshire youth center abuse trial 'devasted' that award could be slashed
Attorneys for a New Hampshire man who prevailed in a landmark lawsuit over abuse at a state-run youth detention center are asking for a hearing after the jury foreperson expressed dismay that the $38 million award could be slashed to $475,000. Jurors on Friday awarded $18 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in enhanced damages to David Meehan, who alleged that the state’s negligence allowed him to be repeatedly raped, beaten and held in solitary confinement as a teenager at the Youth Development Center in Manchester. Jurors were not told of the cap, but they were asked how many incidents it found Meehan had proven.
Reuters
France's Macron set to press visiting Xi on trade, Ukraine
China's President Xi Jinping heads to Paris on Sunday for a rare visit, with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron set to press him to reduce trade imbalances and try to convince him to use his influence on Russia over the war in Ukraine. Neither aim will be easily fulfilled during Xi's two-day stay in France, where he arrives at a time of growing trade tensions between Europe and China. France is backing a European Union probe into Chinese electric vehicle exports and in January Beijing opened an investigation into imports of brandy - which is mostly made in France - a move widely seen as tit-for-tat retaliation amid a growing set of EU probes.
USA TODAY
Trump celebrates Billboard success of J6 Prison Choir recording at donor retreat
Former President Donald Trump hosted GOP donors for a luncheon at Mar-a-Lago Saturday, where he touted a song he recorded with Jan. 6 defendants.
AFP
Israel army says five Palestinians killed in West Bank raid
The Israeli army said troops killed five Palestinian "terrorists" barricaded in a building during a 12-hour siege in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.At least 496 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers, according to an AFP tally.
Associated Press
Orthodox Russians mark Easter with night-time service in Moscow cathedral
Worshippers including President Vladimir Putin packed Moscow’s landmark Christ the Savior Cathedral for a night-time Easter service led by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and an outspoken supporter of the Kremlin. The traditional sung service begun late Saturday, with Kirill delivering well-wishes to Orthodox believers which were broadcast on Russian TV. Most Western churches observed Easter on March 31, but the Russian Orthodox Church follows a different calendar.
NBC News
University leaders face calls for accountability after crackdowns on pro-Palestinian encampments
Pro-Palestinian activists have launched encampments at more than 70 campuses to bring attention to Israel’s monthslong military assault on the Gaza Strip and to demand that schools divest from companies doing business with the country.
Reuters
Togo ruling party wins sweeping majority in legislative poll, final provisional results show
Togo's ruling party has won 108 out of 113 seats in parliament, according to the final provisional results of last month's legislative election announced on Friday. The sweeping majority secured by President Faure Gnassingbe's UNIR party follows the approval of controversial constitutional reforms by the outgoing parliament that could extend his 19-year rule. The election had been delayed twice because of a backlash from some opposition parties who called the constitutional changes a manoeuvre to allow Gnassingbe to rule for life.
CNN
Trump trades the courtroom for RNC retreat in Florida
Former President Donald Trump is trading the New York courtroom for Florida banquet halls this weekend, where he’ll mingle with his vice presidential contenders and wealthy donors during the Republican National Committee’s spring retreat.
NBC News
Flood watch extended for Houston as more heavy rain is expected throughout weekend
A flood watch has been extended into Sunday for Houston following catastrophic flooding that turned backyards and streets into rivers and prompted water rescues in nearby communities.
Associated Press
Georgian protesters against 'Russia-style' media law mark Orthodox Easter with candlelight vigil
Several thousand Georgians marked Orthodox Easter with a candlelight vigil outside Parliament on Saturday evening as daily protests continue against a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union. The proposed bill would require media, non-governmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. Protesters and the Georgian opposition denounce it as “the Russian law,” saying Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent journalists and those critical of the Kremlin.
Associated Press
Warren Buffett's company rejects proposals, but it faces lawsuit over how it handled one last year
Shareholder proposals are usually uneventful at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting. Peter Flaherty with the National Legal and Policy Center came back with another proposal this year on a different subject even after he was cut off in the middle of his presentation last year and arrested for trespassing. The charges were later dropped, but Flaherty decided to sue because of the way he was treated to stand up for any shareholder who wants to bring a proposal.
Yahoo Finance
Why Warren Buffett's billions in cash at Berkshire Hathaway is a bearish stock market signal
Berkshire Hathaway cut its stake in Apple by about 13% as its cash pile hit a record high in the first quarter. A bearish signal all around?

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