Technology news trend: December 2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

Sinaloa Cartel hands out Christmas presents to local villagers

Mexicans living in the state of Sinaloa have received a delivery of Christmas parcels, with a message wishing them well from a leader of the Sinaloa cartel. Wrapped in clear plastic, the baskets came with a card bearing a short message: “Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year from your friend Cholo Ivan.” “El Cholo Ivan” is Orso Ivan Gastelum Cruz, who was the cartel’s former chief lieutenant, senior hitman and head of security for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman - currently on trial in New York. Gastelum is one of the most infamous of Mexican "narcos", and has had numerous ballads dedicated to him. His fame only rose with his relationship with Miss Sinaloa, Maria Susana Flores, who died in a shootout with police in October 2012, an AK-47 in her hands. A wildly popular television series detailing his life, called El Desconocido, sealed his infamy. Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is currently on trial in New York Gastelum was arrested with Guzman in January 2016, and remains in prison. The Christmas baskets arrived in a series of trucks, driven by men in black, making deliveries in the towns and villages around Mocorito and Salvador Alvarado, in central Mexico. The gifts are not the first time that the cartel has attempted "social work". In September, after a tropical storm ravaged Sinaloa, supplies were sent - mattresses, cooking stoves and rations - with the initials JGL, for Guzman. And last month, a witness for the prosecution in Guzman's trial in New York told how the cartel leader had bought 50 luxury cars in the 1990s, for distribution to his friends, families and supporters.

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Police teargas 'yellow vest' protesters in Paris

Police fired tear gas at "yellow vest" demonstrators in Paris on Saturday but the turnout for round seven of the popular protests that have rocked France appeared low. Several hundred people wearing the symbolic hi-visibility vests had gathered near the offices of several state-run television stations and the BFM TV channel in the centre of the capital shouting "Fake news" and calling for the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron. Protesters spilled onto tram lines and lobbed projectiles at police who replied with tear gas grenades and detained several people.

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US winter storms kill seven: media

Parts of the United States were digging out Saturday from winter storms that media reports said led to at least seven deaths, while warmer regions braced for potential flooding during the New Year's travel period. As storm clouds moved east, they were set to bring heavy rain and probably flooding to the Gulf Coast, and both rain and freezing rain to New England. Flight tracker FlightAware reported more than 129 flight cancellations and 1,006 delays Saturday -- down from more than 500 cancelations and 5,700 delays on Friday -- as the winter storm hit north-central and Midwestern states with up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of snow.

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Key Senator Says Trump Taking Seriously a Shift in Syria Plan

Graham, a South Carolina Republican who sits on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, has been a vocal critic of Trump’s plan to pull forces from the conflict. “I feel better about Syria than I felt before I had lunch,” Graham told reporters after leaving the White House. “I think the president is taking this really seriously, and the trip to Iraq was well timed.” Trump has forged a plan with his generals in the field that “makes sense,” Graham added.

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Cyber-attack hits US newspaper deliveries: report

A malware attack that appears to have originated outside the US delayed the hardcopy distribution of several major newspapers, according to a report. The LA Times said Saturday that the attack, which was first assumed to have been a server outage, hit a computer network at Tribune Publishing which is connected to the production and printing process of multiple newspapers around the country. As a result, the delivery of the Saturday editions of the LA Times and San Diego Union Tribune were delayed.

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Putin Says Russia, Turkey Will Play a ‘Decisive’ Role in Syria Peace

In a New Year’s message to Erdogan published by the Kremlin on Sunday, Putin said that “Moscow and Ankara are making a decisive contribution to the fight against terrorism in Syria, as well as to the promotion of a political settlement in that country.”His comment came a day after the Russian and Turkish foreign and defense ministers, as well as the countries’ intelligence chiefs, held talks in Moscow on Syria as they move to fill the void left by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to order a military pullout. “We reached an agreement on how Russian and Turkish military representatives on the ground will continue to coordinate their actions in these new conditions, with the goal of decisively defeating the terrorist threat in Syria,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters after the talks.

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Better medical checks on migrant children? Not all health officials know status of new screenings

Public health officials in Arizona say they aren't coordinating medical screenings of migrant children in federal custody.

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California inmate who walked away from San Quentin is caught

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) — California authorities on a nearly four-day manhunt for an inmate who walked away from San Quentin State Prison captured him Saturday.

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Syria's Assad authorizes Iraqi forces to strike IS in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad authorized Iraqi forces on Sunday to attack the Islamic State group inside Syria without waiting for permission from authorities in Damascus, the state news agency SANA said, as the two allies coordinate their fight against extremists ahead of a planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria.

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Iraq hints at bigger role in Syria after U.S. withdrawal

Iraq's prime minister said on Sunday that top security officials from Baghdad had met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, and hinted at a bigger Iraqi role fighting Islamic State militants as U.S. troops withdraw from Syria. "This issue has a lot of complications," Adel Abdul Mahdi told reporters, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise announcement this month that he will withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq's neighbor. "If any negative development takes place in Syria it will affect us.

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Cyberattack hits U.S. newspaper distribution

The cyberattack appeared to originate outside the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a source with knowledge of the situation. The attack led to distribution delays in the Saturday edition of The Times, Tribune, Sun and other newspapers that share a production platform in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported. Tribune Publishing, whose newspapers also include the New York Daily News and Orlando Sentinel, said it first detected the malware on Friday.

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UK trade minister says '50-50' chance Brexit may be stopped: paper

Britain's trade minister Liam Fox said there is a "50-50" chance that Brexit may be stopped if parliament rejects the government's divorce deal with the European Union next month. "If we were not to vote for that, I'm not sure I would give it (Brexit) much more than 50-50," Fox, a leading supporter of leaving the EU, told the Sunday Times newspaper. With three months left until the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on March 29, May's Brexit deal is floundering, opening up a range of possibilities from a Brexit without a trade deal to calling Brexit off.

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Bangladesh opposition calls for fresh election as Sheikh Hasina wins amid violence and vote-rigging claims

Bangladesh's main opposition called for a fresh vote on Sunday as the country's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and her ruling Awami League were declared the winners of an election tainted by violence and vote-rigging allegations. At least 17 people were said to have been killed in election day clashes, while reports flowed in of alleged vote manipulation and people being blocked from entering polling stations by ruling party supporters. As Mrs Hasina's alliance sailed past the 151 seats needed to form a government and headed for a landslide third consecutive term, the country's main opposition leader called for the "farcical" election to be declared void. Kamal Hossain, head of the Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF), the largest opposition alliance, told a press conference in Dhaka that votes had been "rigged on a massive scale across the country". He urged Bangladesh's election commission to dismiss the result and call "fresh elections under a non-partisan caretaker government as soon as possible". Salahuddin Ahmed, a candidate for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the largest single party in the opposition alliance, was stabbed in Dhaka as the election unfolded Credit: Reuters Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed finished delivering the results of the voting early on Monday. Ahmed said the ruling Awami League-led alliance won 288 seats while the JOF, led by former president H.M.Ershad, had 20 seats. An opposition alliance led by Mr Hossain had only seven and others got three out of 300 seats. The poll followed a campaign that had been marred by violence and a crackdown on freedom of speech. Human Rights Watch and other international groups had decried repressive measures which they said had created a climate of fear. Some 600,000 security personnel had been deployed for the election, while authorities ordered the shutdown of high speed internet to prevent the spread of "rumours" that might spark unrest. Vehicles in Dhaka burn after an opposition rally which ended with police using tear gas and batons after the election was announced Credit: AFP On Sunday, polling agents alleged that they had stayed away out of fear. Others claimed they had been beaten up and forced out of voting centres. Rumana Mahmood, a JOF candidate in Sirajganj, 68 miles northwest of Dhaka, claimed that 90 percent of her supporters had been prevented from voting for her. "In most cases they were not allowed to enter the voting centres. Police and the ruling Awami League party cadres blocked them,” she alleged to the Telegraph, claiming that supporters of the ruling party had stuffed ballot boxes in favour of the government. Supporters of Bangladesh Awami League march along a street as they take part in a rally ahead of December 30 general election vote Credit: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP One 65-year-old woman in Ms Mahmood’s constituency claimed that the police had not allowed her to vote freely. "We were around 20 or 25 women from the same locality. The policemen at the gate of the centre said that he would allow us inside if we voted for the boat (symbol of the Awami League),” she said."In my locality there are hundreds of people who have not been allowed in any voting centre today." Bangladesh has become increasingly authoritarian under Mrs Hasina’s rule, moving closer towards a de-facto one-party state while Begum Khaleda Zia, her arch-rival, and leader of the largest opposition party, the Bangladesh National Party, serves a lengthy prison sentence on corruption charges.

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Afghanistan to delay presidential election to July: election body

The announcement follows heavy criticism of October's chaotic parliamentary election, which saw problems ranging from roadside bomb attacks to malfunctioning biometric voter verification equipment, incomplete voter lists and huge delays at polling sites. The timing of the election has also been complicated by talks under way between U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and representatives of the Taliban aimed at launching a full peace process to end the war in Afghanistan. The election was originally scheduled for April 20 but Gula Jan Abdul Bade Sayad, chairman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said mounting problems had forced a delay.

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Federal Government Advised Furloughed Employees to Offer Manual Labor for Rent During Shutdown

"I would like to discuss with you the possibility of trading my services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments"

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Trump aides call on Democrats to make counteroffer on shutdown

Aides to Trump and congressional lawmakers discussed blame for the partial government shutdown

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Graham more upbeat on Syria troop withdrawal after Trump meeting

Senator Lindsey Graham had warned that removing all U.S. forces from Syria would hurt national security by allowing Islamic State to rebuild, betraying U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters of the YPG militia battling remnants of the militant group, and enhancing Iran's ability to threaten Israel. During a morning television interview, Graham said he would ask Trump to slow down the troop withdrawal, which was announced earlier this month and drew widespread criticism. An ally of Trump, although he has opposed some of his foreign policy decisions, Graham was more upbeat after the meeting.

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AP Explains: Why groundbreaking Congo vote could stumble

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Rich in the minerals that power the world's mobile phones and laptops, yet desperately underdeveloped, Congo votes on Sunday for its first new president in nearly two decades. This could be the sprawling country's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power.

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8th Largest Mega Millions Jackpot in History Up for Grabs on New Year's Day

The jackpot climbed to $415 million in a drawing set to take place Tuesday

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Origin of virus that hobbled newspapers still unclear

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The origins of a suspected computer attack that disrupted the Los Angeles Times and Tribune Publishing newspapers remained unclear Sunday after causing delivery delays and being brought to the attention of federal investigators.

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Trump blames child border deaths on Democrats

President Donald Trump on Saturday blamed Democrats for the high-profile deaths of two children along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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UK trade minister says '50-50' chance Brexit may be stopped: paper

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Cyber-attack hits US newspaper deliveries: report

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Anti-India protests erupt in Kashmir after 4 rebels killed

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Anti-India protests and clashes erupted in disputed Kashmir on Saturday after a gunbattle between militants and government forces killed four rebels, police and residents said.

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Trump, holed up in White House amid shutdown, will skip New Year's gala at Mar-a-Lago

The president's incoming chief of staff says Trump will be 'very heavily engaged' on federal shutdown negotiations instead.

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Former Afghanistan commander warns of plans to cut troops

WASHINGTON (AP) — The former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Sunday that withdrawing up to half the 14,000 American troops serving there would reduce the incentive for the Taliban to negotiate a peace deal after more than 17 years of war.

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Graham more upbeat on Syria troop withdrawal after Trump meeting

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Trump moves to freeze pay for federal workers amid government shutdown

If Trump's decision is allowed to stand, the pay freeze would affect about 2.1 million federal employees. The military would not be affected.

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Sinaloa Cartel hands out Christmas presents to local villagers

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The Royals Just Shared Their Favorite Moments of 2018

The year featured many memorable moments for the royal family- including the April birth of Prince William's third child- Prince Louis and the May royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Merkle.

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Donald Trump blames Democrats and the parents of young migrants for the deaths of two children

President Donald Trump has blamed the Democrats for the deaths of two migrant children in US custody, lashing out also at the childrens’ parents for mistreating them. On Christmas Day it was announced that an eight-year-old boy from Guatemala died in US government custody, becoming the second migrant child to pass away while in the administration’s care this month. The death came just weeks after another Guatemalan, seven-year-old Jakelin Caal, died in a hospital on December 8, shortly after being apprehended by border agents. She died of dehydration and shock after crossing from Mexico into the United States illegally with her father. Mr Trump on Saturday said the Democrats – who are refusing to fund his $5 billion (£4bn) plans for a border wall – were to blame for the two deaths. Relatives and friends of the family carry the coffin of Guatemalan seven-year-old Jakelin Caal, who died in a Texas hospital two days after being taken into custody by US border patrol agents “Any deaths of children or others at the Border are strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally,” he tweeted. “They can’t. If we had a Wall, they wouldn’t even try!” He then turned to blame the childrens’ parents. “The two children in question were very sick before they were given over to Border Patrol. “The father of the young girl said it was not their fault, he hadn’t given her water in days. “Border Patrol needs the Wall and it will all end. They are working so hard & getting so little credit!” Mr Trump remains cooped up in the White House, having cancelled his planned Christmas holiday break at his private Florida club. Donald and Melania Trump answer phone calls from children on December 24 The US government shut down on December 21, running out of money after Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on the budget, sparring over funding for the border wall. Mr Trump tweeted earlier on Saturday that he was "in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come on over and make a deal on Border Security." But there has been little direct contact between either side during the stalemate, and Mr Trump did not ask Republicans, who hold a monopoly on power in Washington for another five days, to keep Congress in session. Several federal departments are running on a skeleton staff, and Nasa has dramatically reduced its staffing in the midst of the standoff. On Friday night the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which had the money to function a week longer than some agencies, implemented its shutdown plan at midnight. The Smithsonian Institution has also announced that its museums and galleries will close starting midweek if the partial shutdown drags on.

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Egypt kills 40 'terrorists' in crackdown after Giza attack

Egyptian police killed 40 suspects in a crackdown on Saturday after a roadside bomb hit a tour bus claiming the lives of three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian guide. Thirty alleged "terrorists" were killed in separate raids in Giza governorate, home to Egypt's famed pyramids and the scene of Friday's deadly bombing, while 10 others were killed in the restive North Sinai, the interior ministry said without directly linking them to the attack. A security source said the raids took place early Saturday morning, hours after Friday evening's roadside bombing which officials said hit a tour bus in the Al-Haram district near the Giza pyramids killing the three Vietnamese holidaymakers and their Egyptian guide.

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6 people injured in jetway collapse at Baltimore-Washington International Airport

At least 6 people were injured, according to a Tweet sent out by BWI airport. However, none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

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Anti-India protests erupt in Kashmir after 4 rebels killed

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Putin says Moscow is open for dialogue with the US in New Year letter to Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump in a New Year letter on Sunday that Moscow was ready for dialogue on a "wide-ranging agenda", the Kremlin said following a series of failed attempts to hold a new summit. At the end of November, the US president abruptly cancelled a planned meeting with Mr Putin on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Argentina, citing tensions about Russian forces opening fire on Ukrainian navy boats and then seizing them. Mr Trump and Mr Putin also failed to hold a full-fledged meeting in Paris on the sidelines of the centenary commemoration of the Armistice. The two leaders held their one and only summit in Helsinki in July. "Vladimir Putin stressed that the (Russia - United States) relations are the most important factor for providing strategic stability and international security," a Kremlin statement said. "He confirmed that Russia is open for dialogue with the USA on the most wide-ranging agenda." Mr Putin also wished "well-being and prosperity to the British people" Credit: TASS / Barcroft Images Moscow has said one of the key issues it wanted to discuss with the United States is Washington's plans to withdraw from a Cold War era nuclear arms pact. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying that now it was up to the United States whether to hold a new meeting in 2019. "The issue should be addressed to Washington. Both our president and his representatives have said that we are ready for the talks when Washington is ready for it," TASS news agency quoted Mr Lavrov as saying in televised remarks. In a separate letter to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Mr Putin pledged continuation of aid to the Syrian government and people in the "fight against terrorism, in defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity". Credit: TASS / Barcroft Images Mr Putin also sent New Year greetings to other world leaders including Theresa May and Shinzo Abe of Japan, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr Putin wished "well-being and prosperity to the British people", the Kremlin said. Russia's embassy in London said on Friday Moscow and London had agreed to return some staff to their respective embassies after they expelled dozens of diplomats early this year. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over accusations the Kremlin was behind a nerve toxin attack in March on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury. Russia, which denies any involvement in the poisoning, sent home the same number of British embassy workers in retaliation.

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California inmate who walked away from San Quentin is caught

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) — California authorities on a nearly four-day manhunt for an inmate who walked away from San Quentin State Prison captured him Saturday.

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Cyber-attack hits US newspaper deliveries: report

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Trump aides call on Democrats to make counteroffer on shutdown

Aides to Trump and congressional lawmakers discussed blame for the partial government shutdown

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San Quentin inmate who walked away from prison may be headed toward Los Angeles area, authorities say

Officials say an inmate who walked away from San Quentin State Prison earlier this week was seen in the city of San Miguel on Friday, and investigators believe he is heading toward the Los Angeles area.

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Bangladesh opposition calls for fresh election as Sheikh Hasina wins amid violence and vote-rigging claims

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The Latest: Trump tweets he's waiting for Dems to make deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the partial government shutdown, now in its second week (all times local):

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Blaming Fox for shutdown

Liberal magazine says network pushed Trump.

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Missouri man fatally shoots girlfriend, her kids, her mother

A St. Louis-area man shot to death his girlfriend, her two young children and her mother in the home they all shared, authorities said Saturday. He exchanged gunfire with officers as he fled and was captured several hours later in a convenience store, covered in blood and wounded.

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California inmate who walked away from San Quentin is caught

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) — California authorities on a nearly four-day manhunt for an inmate who walked away from San Quentin State Prison captured him Saturday.

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Syria's Assad authorizes Iraqi forces to strike IS in Syria

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Afghan presidential election delayed until July 20

Afghanistan's presidential election will be postponed until July 20, an official said Sunday, as US-led efforts to end the 17-year war with the Taliban gather steam. The three-month delay, announced by the Independent Election Commission (IEC), comes after weeks of speculation that the vote would be put off to create more space for peace talks with Afghanistan's largest militant group. The presidential ballot was originally scheduled for April 20, which many observers had considered unrealistic given the IEC was still finalising results of October's shambolic and bloody parliamentary elections.

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Boy whose Yemeni mom fought US travel ban to see him dies

LODI, Calif. (AP) — The father of a 2-year-old boy who was separated from his Yemeni mother until she successfully fought the Trump administration's travel ban to see him in the United States laid his body to rest Saturday, a day after the child was taken off life support at a hospital.

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