Syrian government forces gain ground in Ghouta: monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and allied militias gained ground on Wednesday in clashes with rebels in eastern Ghouta near Damascus as fighting raged despite a Russian ceasefire plan, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2t3u2e4

Britain's Johnson says Northern Irish border issue being used to frustrate Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) - The issue of Northern Ireland's border with the Republic of Ireland is being used to try and keep Britain in a customs union with the European Union and frustrate Brexit, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2FbwHr2

Syrian government forces gain ground in Ghouta: monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and allied militias gained ground on Wednesday in clashes with rebels in eastern Ghouta near Damascus as fighting raged despite a Russian ceasefire plan, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2t3u2e4

Britain's Johnson says Northern Irish border issue being used to frustrate Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) - The issue of Northern Ireland's border with the Republic of Ireland is being used to try and keep Britain in a customs union with the European Union and frustrate Brexit, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.

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Toys R Us and Maplin face collapse with 5,500 jobs at risk

The two chains are understood to have put administrators on standby after failing to secure sale deals.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2F0GkoS

Levi Strauss to use lasers instead of people to finish jeans

The company has developed new software that works with lasers to speed up its jean-making process.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2HMVyQp

Foxtons hit as London housing market ebbs

The estate agent reports a slump in profits as it warns that the London market is near historic lows.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2ovJj2v

Cannes property show accused of sleaze and sexism

The organisers of MIPIM, held in Cannes, say they are reminding delegates of its code of conduct.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2GL6soc

US slaps fresh tariffs on Chinese aluminium

Washington accuses Beijing of 'unfair imports' and says it will protect its workers.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2BVqUDN

iQiyi: 'China's Netflix' to list on US stock market

Baidu's iQiyi streaming platform has a growing user base but has yet to make a profit.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2BWdxn1

Amazon buys 'smart' doorbell firm Ring

Ring makes doorbells that stream videos of people approaching or ringing the front door to phones.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2CNYfxf

Disney plans €2bn expansion at Disneyland Paris

The firm plans to expand with new areas devoted to hit films Frozen and Star Wars.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2HS3nV0

Takata airbag scandal: Australia recalls 2.3 million cars

Millions of vehicles have faulty Takata airbags, forcing one the nation's biggest consumer recalls.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2GQxydP

Trump reaches informal Air Force One deal with Boeing

The White House says it has reached an informal deal with Boeing to provide two Air Force One planes.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2BVJw6T

Diesel ban approved for German cities to cut pollution

German cities will be able to ban older, more polluting vehicles from some areas in a landmark ruling.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2EZjGgX

Doorstep lender to return £169m to customers

Provident Financial reports loss for 2017 and is raising £330m to cover compensation bill.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2ETv6GM

Ryanair to axe Glasgow Airport base

The airline will close its base at Glasgow Airport, warning that 300 jobs could go as a result.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2GMxQ5k

Credit card debt: Deadline set for new rules

Firms have made large profits from those in persistent debt but must do more to help them by September.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2EWkl2p

The app that helps feed kids

Marie Farmer came up with the idea during her maternity leave, and it has now led to her quitting her job.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2GOZ8bm

Moon to get 4G mobile network

Vodafone and Nokia lay out plans to put a 4G mobile network on the Moon in 2019.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2otVPzp

Huawei: US scared we are too competitive

Huawei says the US wants to keep the Chinese firm out of the country because it is "too strong".

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2ovKC1m

Drink up

Indian beer company Bira 91 has be ambitions to dominate global beer sales, says founder Ankur Jain.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2CqiXHO

Waiting game

After Beijing moved on the insurance and financial giant, others are likely to be worried.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2FB3pjp

Pay Me a Pineapple

By DIANA OLIVA CAVE from NYT World http://ift.tt/2BTJNai

Why the World Should Learn to Say ‘Heimat’

By JOCHEN BITTNER from NYT Opinion http://ift.tt/2Fb6tVi

Portrait of a Turkish Novelist as Prisoner

By AHMET ALTAN from NYT Opinion http://ift.tt/2FDkJUW

Boys and Men

By NATALIE PROULX from NYT The Learning Network http://ift.tt/2CqRsxO

Word + Quiz: ascetic

By THE LEARNING NETWORK from NYT The Learning Network http://ift.tt/2F3Z3QF

Where Pedestrian Deaths Are Up, Is Marijuana to Blame?

By NEAL E. BOUDETTE from NYT Business Day http://ift.tt/2Fa2isT

Diesel Cars, Italy’s Upcoming Election, Jared Kushner: Your Wednesday Briefing

By PATRICK BOEHLER from NYT Briefing http://ift.tt/2GSiqwD

What’s on TV Wednesday: ‘The Looming Tower’ and ‘Waco’

By ANDREW R. CHOW from NYT Arts http://ift.tt/2CK4hil

As Xi Tightens His Grip on China, U.S. Sees Conflict Ahead

By MARK LANDLER from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2BTTBkt

Hope Hicks Acknowledges She Sometimes Tells White Lies for Trump

By NICHOLAS FANDOS from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2Fdx6cB

11 Sickened by Hazardous Envelope Opened on Military Base

By THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2F9Q0AL

Judge Orders Tarps Removed From Confederate Statues in Charlottesville

By MATTHEW HAAG from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2BWXLs5

Quotation of the Day: N.R.A. Battle Pits Business Against G.O.P.

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper http://ift.tt/2EYl6MG

Review: ‘The Amateurs’ Takes On God, Noah’s Ark and the Plague. For Laughs.

By JESSE GREEN from NYT Theater http://ift.tt/2F86dXk

Flying Taxis May Be Years Away, but the Groundwork Is Accelerating

By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI from NYT Technology http://ift.tt/2F7jbVj

Corrections: February 28, 2018

By Unknown Author from NYT Corrections http://ift.tt/2CO6N7j

What We’re Reading

By Compiled by ANDREA KANNAPELL from NYT Times Insider http://ift.tt/2GPr7aU

Marching Orders

By DEB AMLEN from NYT Crosswords & Games http://ift.tt/2FBKzZp

Steve Wynn Is Accused of Rape and Coercion in Police Reports

By ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Business Day http://ift.tt/2CMHqmz

UK weather: Warning for commuters as further heavy snow hits UK

Disruption is expected across roads and public transport, and hundreds of schools remain closed.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GPdc4K

EU to publish first draft of Brexit treaty

It is expected to say Northern Ireland may have to follow EU single market rules to avoid a hard border.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2EX0kJ5

Toys R Us and Maplin face collapse with 5,500 jobs at risk

The two chains are understood to have put administrators on standby after failing to secure sale deals.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2F0GkoS

'Bucket list' killer Jemma Lilley gets 28 years for murder

Briton Jemma Lilley garrotted, stabbed and buried Aaron Pajich at her home in Australia.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2ozE5C2

Vandal destroys Washington DC traffic camera

Police believe these could be the people who attacked 11 traffic cameras in one day in Washington DC.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2HSnIJw

Most UK cannabis 'super strength skunk'

High-potency cannabis now makes up 94% of the UK market, samples seized by the police suggest.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GOu2R3

N Korea 'providing materials to Syria chemical weapons factories'

Pyongyang has been sending equipment to the country, a UN report finds.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2FBYu1D

BBC charity sacked six over sexual misconduct

International development charity BBC Media Action reveals six people were dismissed over 10 years.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GPTkyi

Oxfam: What's gone wrong with the foreign aid sector?

After Oxfam's handling of a sex scandal in Haiti, the foreign aid sector faces tough questions.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2HTj12q

Satisfaction with GP services at record low

And overall public happiness with the NHS falls to its lowest level since 2011, a survey finds.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2EUdGd8

Worker died in fall at 'lethal' Qatar World Cup stadium

Zachary Cox fell to his death while working at a stadium that will host the 2022 World Cup.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2CN69a4

Trump son-in-law's security clearance downgraded

President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser will no longer receive top-level briefings.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2FAI5ua

Newspaper headlines: 'Snow storm chaos' and prospect of hard Irish border raised

Winter weather sweeps across the UK and Boris Johnson raises the prospect of a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2BWMojS

News Daily: Big freeze worsens and Brexit legal draft published

Your morning briefing for 28 February 2018.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2CoiCFu

Skins: The TV show with an A-list alumni

How one hit E4 show of the 2000's has produced the Oscar nominees of today.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GOPAwX

Meet the woman teaching others how to fight off sex attackers

Emily Moser was beaten up in an attempted rape. Now she teaches women self-defence.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2Coq8QH

Star Wars: The Last Jedi visual effects revealed

Click meets Ben Morris of the Oscar nominated visual effects team behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2EWZpfS

The app that helps feeds kids

Marie Farmer came up with the idea during her maternity leave, and it has now led to her quitting her job.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GOZ8bm

Homeless students: Finding shelter outside the classroom

One in five students in Los Angeles face housing insecurity - so where are they living?

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GNXC9s

UK weather: Snowy scenes across the UK

Bitterly cold weather and heavy snow sweep in from the east, causing disruption and delight.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2F5kDYl

UK weather: How to stay fashionable in the freeze

London College of Fashion students and staff tell us how they look cool in the cold.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2oxCJrw

Boris Johnson's Irish border remarks lampooned

The foreign secretary is ridiculed for comparing the border to London's congestion charge zone.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2FCodae

Nando's confirms it uses McCain chips

The chicken chain confirms it uses frozen chips - but says they're not the ones sold in shops.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2F71K7c

Is there a problem with unregistered schools?

Inspectors say there are more than 350 unregistered schools but they have few powers to investigate.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2oBoemG

Blackburn: The town that fails to elect Asian women

Areas with a similar demographic have managed it, so why hasn't Blackburn?

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GLFOMb

Superorganism interview: 'We're a non-stop pop production house'

At home with Superorganism - the eight-piece pop group who made a hit single before they'd even met.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2HTdWXW

Oscars 2018: What's up for best foreign language film?

What you need to know about the five movies competing for the best foreign language film Oscar.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GORxcL

Beast from the East: How the weather got a Hollywood makeover

No longer is it enough to simple refer to the weather as "winter". So what's changed?

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2HMMbA1

Winter Olympics: Is window for US-N Korea peace closing?

A small window for diplomacy emerged during the "peace Olympics" in Pyeongchang, but it's closing fast.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2ou8WR8

Afghanistan's Ghani offers talks with Taliban 'without preconditions'

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group on Wednesday as part of a proposed political process that he said could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2sXfwUY

China's military flexes muscles for domestic objective: more funding

BEIJING (Reuters) - With stealth jets entering service, leaked pictures of new high-tech naval artillery and proud reports of maneuvers that "dare to shine the sword," China's armed forces are putting on a show of power as they lobby for greater defense spending.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2BXTLrk

Saudi crown prince says corruption purge supports budget: Washington Post

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince said the kingdom's anti-corruption crackdown was needed to meet budget targets, comparing the purge to chemotherapy in an interview with the Washington Post published on Wednesday.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2BXd2Jt

Jerusalem's Church of Holy Sepulchre reopens after protest

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered as the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial, reopened on Wednesday after Israel backtracked on Tuesday from a tax plan and draft property legislation that triggered a three-day protest.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2FBA7kn