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Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito
Click Here Allegations of racial slurs and threats of violence against Dolphins lineman Jonathan Martin have left Pro Bowler Richie Incognito suspended from the Miami Dolphins and sparked widespread chatter about just what kind of behavior is tolerated in the NFL. -
Report: Syria peace conference won't happen before December
Click Here December would be the earliest that any conference on brokering an end to the Syrian civil war would happen, Russian state news agency Itar-Tass reported Tuesday, citing a source close to talks among the United Nations, Russia and the United States. A proposed "Geneva II" conference in Geneva, Switzerland, was tentatively scheduled for the end of November. It had been delayed several times previously. -
Rob Ford, Toronto mayor, vows to stay in office after crack admission
</a>Rob Ford
A defiant Toronto Mayor Rob Ford declared Monday that he intends to stay in office despite immense pressure to step aside after admitting he smoked crack cocaine.
"I'm not going anywhere, guaranteed," Ford told a supporter as he walked back to City Hall after giving a speech during Remembrance Day ceremonies honoring veterans. -
Typhoon Haiyan leaves 1,774 dead, 'hideous' destruction
Click Here The Philippines struggled to bury the dead and get food, water and medicine to the living Tuesday, four days after Super Typhoon Haiyan claimed untold lives and flattened countless buildings.
"Right now, we don't have enough water," typhoon survivor Roselda Sumapit told CNN in Tacloban, a city of more than 200,000 that was flattened by the storm. What they can get may not be clean, she said -- but she added, "We still drink it, because we need to survive." -
Lack of Medicine after Typhoon Haiyan
Click Here The cries of the suffering carried through a small, cramped one-story clinic in typhoon-ravaged Tacloban where the medicine was all but gone Thursday, but the number of wounded in the hard-hit Philippine city continued to grow.
The clinic at the airport in the decimated capital city of Leyte province is one of the few places where those injured in Super Typhoon Haiyan and its aftermath can turn for help, what little help there is six days after the storm. -
Syrian Army Capturing a Suburb South of Damascus
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Syrian troops captured a contested suburb of Damascus on Wednesday as the government forged ahead with a punishing military offensive that already has taken four other opposition strongholds south of the capital, state media said. -
U.S. Navy Helping Victims of Typhoon Haiyan
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The U.S. Navy arrived with a mammoth aircraft carrier Thursday to bring much-needed aid to hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who have gone without food and clean water for nearly a week. The Navy cut short the shore leave of the crew of 5,500 to send it on the relief mission to the area ripped apart last week by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest cyclone -
Evidence of 3.5-billion-year-old Bacterial Ecosystems May Be Earliest Sign of Life on Earth
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Scientists have discovered what may be the earliest sign of life on Earth. Remains of nearly 3.5-billion-year-old bacteria has been found in north-west Australia. Evidence of the never-before-seen bacteria was found in sedimentary rocks in the remote Pilbara region, home to the world's oldest rock formations. -
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he's getting professional help
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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford announced Thursday he's getting help from health care professionals but again refused to step aside over his drug use and drinking. He also threatened to take legal actions against former staffers who spoke to police about his behavior and denied making sexual advances toward a female staffer. -
Italian Prosecutor Warns of Mafia Threat Against Pope Francis
Click Here A state prosecutor in Italy warned that Pope Francis could be a target of a mafia group, who he says are becoming “very nervous” about the pope’s effort to reform the church. Nicola Gratteri, a prosecutor from the Calabria region of Italy, where the ‘Ndrangheta organized crime organization is the most active, said “if the godfathers can find a way to stop him, they will seriously consider it,” according to the Religion News Service. -
Obamacare's Unanswered Questions
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President Obama went in front of the cameras today and basically fell on his sword, taking full blame for the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act's website and telling Americans he's not a perfect man. At a press conference today, he also announced new rules to help people whose health insurance has been canceled under Obamacare. -
Philippine government defends response to typhoon as death toll rises
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The Philippine government on Friday defended its efforts to deliver assistance to victims of Typhoon Haiyan, many of whom have received little or no assistance since the monster storm struck one week ago. -
E-cigarettes and hookahs rise in teen popularity
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Unconventional tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and hookahs are becoming more popular among U.S. teens, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2012, 1.1 percent of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes, up from 0.6 percent in 2011. -
Villagers mob U.S. aid choppers as Philippine relief effort spreads
Click Here Philippines— Mobbed by hungry villagers, U.S. military helicopters dropped desperately needed aid into remote areas of the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines, as survivors of the disaster flocked to ruined churches on Sunday to pray for their uncertain future. The Philippines is facing up to an enormous rebuilding task from Typhoon Haiyan, which killed at least 3,974 people and left 1,186 missing. -
Midwest Tornadoes: Severe Storms Sweep Across 12 States, Killing 6
Click Here Entire blocks in Washington were leveled. Other area towns were heavily damaged, too, and officials at Chicago's Soldier Field evacuated the stands and delayed the Bears-Baltimore Ravens game. The wave of thunderstorms that brought the damaging winds and tornadoes affected 12 states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and western New York. -
Key Syrian rebel leader dies of shrapnel wounds
Click Here The leader of one of Syria's most prominent rebel units died early Monday of shrapnel wounds sustained during shelling by government troops last week, his group said. The death of Abdul-Qadir Saleh, founder of the Tawhid Brigade, was another blow to the rebels, reeling from a series of recent battlefield losses to President Bashar Assad's forces. -
Ford says he didn't lie about crack use
Click Here Toronto Mayor Rob Ford would have admitted to smoking crack cocaine long before his eventual admission, he says. It's just that no one asked him the right question.
"If someone would have said, came up to me and said, 'Have you ever smoked crack? Have you ever smoked weed? I would have said, 'Yeah, I have,' " Ford said. "But when you come and accuse me of being a crack addict and say, 'Do you smoke crack?' No I don't. Have I? Yeah, OK. Have I drank, have I acted like an idiot when I drank? Yeah, -
Federal Student Loan Profits Help Duncan Cut Education Spending To Lowest Level Since 2001
Click Here The U.S. Department of Education says it has been working to help borrowers who are struggling under the weight of crushing student loan debt. But as Washington focuses on reducing annual federal budget deficits, the huge profits off those same borrowers may prove too alluring for Education Secretary Arne Duncan. In the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, his department reaped more than $42.5 billion in profit from federal student loans, according to federal budget documents. -
Kerry presses Iran to prove its nuclear program peaceful
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday pressed Iran to finalize an agreement that can prove to the world its nuclear program is peaceful, but said he has "no specific expectations" for talks in Geneva this week between major powers and Iran. Last week, a senior U.S. official said the six major powers and Iran are getting closer to an initial agreement, but Kerry appeared to tamp down expectations two days before talks resume. -
George Zimmerman charged with felony after allegedly pointing gun at girlfriend
Click Here George Zimmerman was charged Monday with felony aggravated assault after allegedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend, according to Dennis Lemma, chief deputy with the Seminole County, Florida, Sheriff's Office. Zimmerman, who was acquitted earlier this year of murdering teenager Trayvon Martin, was arrested after the incident at the home of Samantha Scheibe, Lemma said. -
U.N. disaster chief stresses long-term needs for Philippines
Click Here The head of U.N. disaster relief visited the heart of the Philippine disaster zone on Tuesday and stressed the need for long-term planning as well as emergency relief to ensure farmers and fishermen can resume their livelihoods. -
China says on path to eventually scrap one-child policy
Click Here China will eventually scrap family planning restrictions, a senior official said on Tuesday, days after the government announced it will allow millions of families to have two children. China, with nearly 1.4 billion people, is the world's most populous country. The government says the policy of limiting families to one child, which covers 63 per cent of the population, has averted 400 million births since 1980. -
Iran lawmakers seek block on nuclear concessions as possible deal with West looms
Click Here Iranian lawmakers questioning a possible nuclear deal with world powers are seeking to block likely concessions offered by Tehran in exchange for easing Western sanctions. The effort is mostly symbolic on the eve of negotiations in Geneva but it shows Iran's deepening internal rifts. It's unclear whether enough signatures can be collected for a vote in parliament, the results of which would also need the approval by the ruling clerics. -
Australia's Tony Abbott refuses to apologize over Indonesia spy scandal
Click Here Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Tuesday refused to apologize over damaging allegations that Australia's intelligence services spied on Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, tapping his personal mobile phone and those of his inner circle. -
Air Force sending 29 satellites into space at once
[Click Here ](Air Force sending 29 satellites into space at once)Look to the heavens along the East Coast on Tuesday night, and you might be able to see the Air Force blast 29 satellites into orbit at once. The 29 satellites, the most ever launched at one time, will be aboard a single Minotaur I rocket scheduled to lift off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 7:30 p.m. They include the main payload, the Air Force's Space Test Program Satellite-3, and 28 tiny satellites called CubeSats. -
NSA Releases 1,000 Pages Of Newly Declassified Files
Click Here The National Security Agency reported its own violations of surveillance rules to a U.S. intelligence court and promised additional safety measures to prevent similar missteps over and over again, according to more than 1,000 pages of newly declassified files about the federal government's controversial program of collecting every American's phone records during the past seven years. -
Car bomb kills 10 soldiers in Egypt's restive Sinai region
Click Here A car bomb exploded Wednesday in Egypt's restive Sinai region, killing 10 soldiers and injuring 31 others who were on their way to the capital on leave. State media reports said a suicide bomber set off the blast as two minibuses carrying infantry soldiers were passing by. -
Paris police issue second photo of Liberation newspaper shooting suspect
Click Here French police have released a second photo of the man suspected of shooting a photographer at the daily newspaper Liberation Monday, as their manhunt continues. A gunman shot the 23-year-old assistant photographer twice near the heart with a shotgun in the lobby of the newspaper's offices in Paris. -
Meet the people making 'made in China' a fashion force to be reckoned with
Click Here China's new rich have rushed to show off their wealth by spending on luxury status symbols, with the country now the world's second biggest market for designer goods. It has meant boom times for European brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Now, a small but growing group of taste-makers say China's fashion landscape is changing. Home-grown designers and brands are ready to challenge their Western counterparts as a new generation of consumers seek out items that reflect their own culture, -
South Africa: rescue workers search debris after 1 killed in collapse of partly built mall
Click Here Rescue workers in South Africa are searching for any survivors in the rubble of a shopping mall under construction that partially collapsed, killing one person and injuring 29. Police Lt. Mandy Govender said Wednesday that authorities were trying to ascertain the whereabouts of several workers who were reported missing following the collapse on Tuesday in Tongaat, near the eastern coastal city of Durban. -
Serial killer Franklin executed after hours of delay
White supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin was executed Wednesday morning after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final requests for a stay, prison officials in Bonne Terre, Missouri, said. CNN affiliate KMOV reported Franklin was executed at 6:17 a.m. CT (7:17 a.m. ET). The execution, which had been scheduled for shortly after midnight Wednesday, was delayed for hours because of court appeals. -
Man detained in Liberation newspaper shooting probe
Click Here French prosecutors named the suspect held in connection with a newspaper shooting this week as Abdelhakim Dekhar. Dekhar allegedly shot a photographer at the daily newspaper Liberation in Paris on Monday. On Thursday, French President Francois Hollande thanked police for capturing him. It "prevented the worst from happening again," he said in a statement. -
Rebecca Sedwick bullying case: Charges dropped, lawyers say
Click Here Two teenage girls accused of aggravated stalking in the case of a young Florida girl who jumped to her death no longer face criminal charges, lawyers said Wednesday. Attorney Jose Baez, the attorney for Katelyn Roman, said the state had dropped the felony charge against her in the bullying case of Rebecca Sedwick, who was 12 when she committed suicide in September. -
U.S. drone kills senior militant in Pakistani seminary
Click Here A suspected U.S. drone strike on an Islamic seminary in Pakistan killed a senior member of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network early on Thursday, Pakistani and Afghan sources said. It was the first drone strike in the nuclear-armed South Asian nation since Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed on November 1 in an attack that sparked a fierce power struggle within the fragmented insurgency. -
Beirut Bombs Strike at Iran as Assad’s Ally
Click Here A double bombing struck the Iranian Embassy compound in Beirut on Tuesday, in the deadliest assault on Iran’s interests since it emerged as the most forceful backer of the Syrian government against an armed insurgency. The frontal attack struck a symbol of the country’s powerful influence in Lebanon and neighboring Syria. -
Greenpeace Arctic 30: A shift in focus for campaigners
Click Here Greenpeace set out to protest about oil companies drilling in the Arctic Ocean, but now finds itself fighting to free a group of 30 from a Russian jail. What effect is the case having on the group's environmental aims?
"The primary focus is getting the Arctic 30 free and home with their loved ones. That's what we are spending every hour working on." Ben Ayliffe used to be head of Greenpeace's Save the Arctic campaign. But now even his job title is different. -
California man pulled off plane in North Korea, detained, son says
An 85-year-old American man on an organized tour of North Korea was pulled off a departing plane in Pyongyang just minutes before it was to depart, the man's son told CNN on Wednesday. The family has had no contact with Merrill Newman of Palo Alto, California, since he was detained on October 26, his son Jeff Newman said. -
Pat McCrory: We Didn't 'Shorten Early Voting,' We 'Compacted The Calendar'
Click Here On Aug. 13, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed into law a voter ID bill that was widely denounced by civil rights advocates. Not only did it mandate government-issued photo IDs at the polls, but it reduced the state's early voting period from 17 to 10 days. According to McCrory, however, he didn't actually shorten the voting. -
Iran reaches nuclear deal with world leaders -- now what?
Click Here Just a day after Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for lighter economic sanctions, the difference in the moods on the streets of Tehran and Jerusalem couldn't be starker.
"I'm very happy about this agreement," one man told CNN in Tehran. "We hope all the world knows we use this nuclear (power) just for peace, not for war." -
Nasty weather wallops much of U.S. just before Thanksgiving
Click Here The wicked wintry weather that pummeled the West Coast is now barreling across the country, threatening to wreck millions of holiday travel plans just before Thanksgiving.
More than 300 flights have already been canceled in the Dallas-Fort Worth area -- not exactly a bastion for snowstorms. Sleet and freezing rain will keep blanketing parts of the Southern Plains and Southern Rockies on Monday. -
Ukraine protests: Thousands march through capital
Click Here Thousands of pro-Europe demonstrators are marching through the Ukrainian capital in protest at President Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign an EU trade deal. Crowds gathered in a park before moving toward Kiev's Independence Square, in defiance of a court order banning rallies in the city centre. They are demanding new elections, and the impeachment of the president. -
U.S. 'deeply concerned' about citizens held in North Korea, including Newman
Click Here The U.S. government pleaded Saturday for North Korean authorities to release 85-year-old Merrill Newman, with a spokeswoman saying officials are "deeply concerned" about him and another American being held in the isolated East Asian nation.
"Given Mr. Newman's advanced age and health conditions, we urge (North Korea) to release Mr. Newman so he may return home and reunite with his family," said National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden. -
New York passenger train derails, killing 4 and hindering Monday commutes
Click Here Even though the train was careening around a curve, Amanda Swanson felt the wreck in slow motion. All seven passenger cars jumped the tracks. The windows of the coaches broke out. Then "gravel came flying up in our faces," said Swanson, 26.
"I really didn't know if I would survive," she said. "The train felt like it was on its side and dragging for a long time." Swanson, a waitress who was on her way to work at a Midtown Manhattan restaurant, put her bag in front of her face to block the rubble. -
Thailand protests: Teargas fired amid renewed clashes
Click Here Thai authorities fired tear gas amid renewed skirmishes with anti-government protesters outside key government buildings. Some schools and universities closed, amid a call for a general strike on the ninth day of demonstrations. Over the weekend, protesters attempted to storm the prime minister's office, Government House. Four people have died in Thailand's worst political turmoil since the 2010 rallies that ended in violence. -
PISA: Poor academic standards – and an even poorer test
Click Here The news that the UK had done badly in the new OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) league tables was leaked over the weekend, and greeted with a blast of triumphalism by the Opposition. They swiftly blamed the fact that our teenagers lag behind their counterparts in the Far East on Michael Gove’s reforms: “All his frenetic, attention-seeking changes have not delivered the step change in standards we need,” wrote shadow education minister Tristram Hunt in a Sunday newspaper -
China warplanes tail U.S. and Japan fighter jets
Click Here China launched two fighter planes Friday to investigate flights by a dozen U.S. and Japanese reconnaissance and military planes in its new maritime air defense zone over the East China Sea, state media said. It was the first time since proclaiming the zone on Nov. 23 that China said it sent planes there on the same day as foreign military flights, although it said it merely identified the foreign planes and took no further action. -
Shanghai teens top international education ranking, OECD says
Click Here When it comes to mathematics, reading and science, young people in Shanghai are the best in the world, according to a global education survey released Tuesday. In all three subjects, Shanghai students demonstrated knowledge and skills equivalent to at least one additional year of schooling than their peers in countries like the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. -
Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
Click Here If Amazon can imagine delivering books by drones, is it too much to think that Google might be planning to one day have one of the robots hop off an automated Google Car and race to your doorstep to deliver a package? Google executives acknowledge that robotic vision is a “moonshot.” But it appears to be more realistic than Amazon’s proposed drone delivery service, which Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, revealed in a television interview. -
Biden visits China amid tensions over air defense zone
Click Here After reassuring U.S. ally Japan that Washington shares its concerns over China's new air defense zone, Vice President Joe Biden flew from Tokyo to Beijing Wednesday and raised the issue directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Biden appeared somber and subdued as he and Xi spoke to reporters after a meeting that ran about an hour longer than scheduled. The two planned another meeting and a working dinner Wednesday evening. -
Newtown to release 911 recordings from Sandy Hook shooting
Click Here Recordings of 911 calls from the Newtown school shooting are being released, days after a state prosecutor dropped his fight to continue withholding them. For nearly a year, the AP has been asking for an opportunity to review the tapes, which will now be released Wednesday to the news cooperative in addition to other media organizations. The AP will review the tapes' content and determine what might meet its standards before releasing material to subscribers. -
Photos show scale of North Korea's repressive prison camps
Click Here North Korea is showing no signs of scaling back its fearsome labor camp system, with torture, starvation, rape and death a fact of life for tens of thousand of inmates, according to human rights group Amnesty International. The rights group released satellite images, purportedly showing evidence of expansion, including the construction of new housing blocks and production facilities, at two of the isolated regime's largest camps or "kwanliso" --15 and 16 -- used to hold political prisoners. -
NSA reportedly collects 5 billion cell phone location records a day
Click Here The NSA collects nearly 5 billion records a day on the locations of cell phones overseas to create a huge database that stores information from hundreds of millions of devices, including those belonging to some Americans abroad, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. Documents provided to the Post by NSA leaker Edward Snowden detail how this database is able to track people worldwide and map out their relationships with others. -
Wage Strikes Planned at Fast-Food Outlets
Click Here Seeking to increase pressure on McDonald’s, Wendy’s and other fast-food restaurants, organizers of a movement demanding a $15-an-hour wage for fast-food workers say they will sponsor one-day strikes in 100 cities on Thursday and protest activities in 100 additional cities. -
2 million Facebook, Gmail and Twitter passwords stolen in massive hack
Click HereHackers have stolen usernames and passwords for nearly two million accounts at Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo and others, according to a report released this week. The massive data breach was a result of keylogging software maliciously installed on an untold number of computers around the world, researchers at cybersecurity firm Trustwave said. -
Mexico: Stolen radioactive material found
Click Here Thieves in Mexico may have stolen more than they bargained for when they targeted a truck this week. The stolen vehicle was carrying delicate cargo -- a radioactive element used for medical purposes that also can be used to make a so-called dirty bomb. Mexican authorities said they found the stolen truck and recovered likely all of the radioactive cobalt Wednesday in a remote area about 40 km (25 miles) away from where it was taken. -
Nelson Mandela: His impact on American activism, politics and pop culture
Click Here Word of Nelson Mandela's death spread quickly across the United States, bringing with it a mix of reverence and grief for a man who was born in South Africa but in the end belonged to the world. President Barack Obama ordered American flags to be lowered immediately to half-staff until Monday in tribute to Mandela, a rare honor for a foreign leader. Memorials to the former South African president popped up from Los Angeles to Chicago. -
'He is now at peace': Nelson Mandela dead at 95
Click Here Nelson Mandela, the revered South African anti-apartheid icon who spent 27 years in prison, led his country to democracy and became its first black president, died Thursday at home. He was 95.
"He is now resting," said South African President Jacob Zuma. "He is now at peace."
"Our nation has lost its greatest son," he continued. "Our people have lost a father." A state funeral will be held, and Zuma called for mourners to conduct themselves with the dignity and respect that Mandela personified. -
U.S. officials prepare to destroy Syrian chemical weapons at sea
Click Here If all goes according to plan, the bulk of Syria’s chemical weapons stocks could be destroyed early next year inside the specially modified hold of a U.S. ship somewhere at sea, Pentagon officials said Thursday. Spurned by one country after another in recent weeks, the roughly 1,000 metric tons of toxins may be eliminated miles away from any port, under the supervision of trained U.S. technicians in protective suits. -
Tech companies seek limits on government surveillance
Click Here Some U.S. technology giants are asking the Obama administration and Congress to rein in government surveillance. Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Google and Microsoft are among the companies signing an open letter arguing that surveillance has gone too far. The companies say they're improving encryption and fighting to limit surveillance requests, but they're also asking for new legal changes to limit surveillance. -
Ukrainians call for Yanukovych to resign in protests sparked by EU u-turn
Click HereUkraine saw its largest popular protests since the 2004 Orange Revolution on Sunday when at least 300,000 people took to the streets calling for the resignation of the president, Viktor Yanukovych. Furious at Ukraine's 11th-hour decision to back away from an EU integration pact in favour of closer relations with Russia, Ukrainians defied a court ban on protests. On the fringes, the mood turned violent as small groups of protesters stormed government building. -
Thousands of flights canceled as wintry weather wallops East Coast
Click Here Canadian James Archibald has lived at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for four days as a bizarre deep freeze forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights.
"I just don't understand why they can't get the ice off the runway," he said. "I know it's for our own safety, but its getting a bit silly." As Texas begins to thaw this week, Archibald may be able to take to the air. But passengers on the East Coast: brace yourselves. -
India's Supreme Court declares homosexual sex illegal
Click Here Sex between consenting homosexual partners is once again illegal in India after the country's Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling Wednesday. Four years ago, India's High Court decriminalized such a relationship, in what was then hailed by gay rights groups as a landmark ruling. The Supreme Court overturned that ruling. -
The Obama-Castro handshake that shocked the world
Click Here With a quick handshake, President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro whipped up a frenzy Tuesday that led many to wonder whether a shift is coming between the former Cold War nations. Others just thought it was a nice thing to do. Obama became the first U.S. president since 2000 to shake hands with a Cuban leader. The gesture came as the two took their seats at Nelson Mandela's memorial service just before each leader eulogized the fallen icon. -
Ukraine police stand down after protest grows
Click Here Ukrainian police on Wednesday pulled back as protesters claimed victory after an overnight face-off in which authorities removed barricades and tents and scuffled with demonstrators occupying Kiev's main square. Squadrons of police in helmets and bearing metal shields converged at about 1 a.m. on Independence Square, but thousands of protesters put up fierce resistance for hours, shoving back at police lines to keep them away from key sites. -
Journalists in Syria at great risk of being kidnapped
Click HereThe kidnappings are believed to be by jihadist groups as well as government militias and gangs. The kidnappings are sometimes for ransom, but are often intend to intimidate journalists and disrupt independent journalism. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists 30 journalists are currently being held by groups in Syria, and 52 have been killed since the start of the civil war. -
Pope Francis named Time Person of the Year 2013
Click Here Time named Pope Francis its person of the year Wednesday after nine months of a papacy that has brought accolades from reformers, raised fears among conservatives, and drawn widespread adulation from people around the world for his man-of-the-people ways.
"He took the name of a humble saint and then called for a church of healing," Time wrote in its announcement. "The septuagenarian superstar is poised to transform a place that measures change by the century." -
Ukraine Police Retreat, Protesters Dig In
Click Here Antigovernment protesters used metal fencing, bags stuffed with snow and even a trip wire to reinforce their makeshift camps after an aborted attempt by authorities to evict them from Kiev's main square, as President Viktor Yanukovych gave little sign of capitulating. Hundreds of shield-wielding riot police who had tried to sweep the area retreated after clashing with demonstrators defending their encampment. -
U.S., Britain suspend aid to north Syria after Islamists seize weapons store
Click Here The United States and Britain suspended non-lethal aid to northern Syria after Islamist fighters seized Western-backed rebel weapons warehouses, highlighting fears that supplies could end up in the wrong hands. The rebel Free Syrian Army fighting President Bashar al-Assad said the U.S. and British moves were rushed and mistaken. "We hope our friends will rethink and wait for a few days when things will be clearer," FSA spokesman Louay Meqdad said. -
Robert Levinson, American Missing In Iran, Was Working For CIA
Click Here In March 2007, retired FBI agent Robert Levinson flew to Kish Island, an Iranian resort awash with tourists, smugglers and organized crime figures. Days later, after an arranged meeting with an admitted killer, he checked out of his hotel, slipped into a taxi and vanished. For years, the U.S. has publicly described him as a private citizen who traveled to the tiny Persian Gulf island on private business. An Associated Press investigation reveals that Levinson was working for the CIA. -
Texas teen Ethan Couch gets 10 years' probation for driving drunk, killing 4
Click Here To the families of the victims, Ethan Couch was a killer on the road, a drunken teenage driver who caused a crash that left four people dead. To the defense, the youth is himself a victim -- of "affluenza," according to one psychologist -- the product of wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits for the boy. To a judge, who sentenced Couch to 10 years' probation but no jail time, he's a defendant in need of treatment. -
Newtown anniversary: Daily drumbeat of child homicides gets little notice
Click Here To mourn the 20 children and six educators killed a year ago at Sandy Hook elementary, residents of the Connecticut suburb of Newtown will take a quiet action on Saturday: placing candles in windows to remember the lives lost. But who will put a candle in the window for the hundreds of American children each year killed in everyday violence, closer to home, usually by someone they knew? The nightmare gripped parents across the nation after the pop-pop-pop of gunfire on a crisp December morning. -
North Korea says leader's uncle was executed
Click Here An uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been executed for trying to overthrow the government, the Korean Central News Agency reported early Friday.
"Traitor Jang Song Thaek Executed" blared the headline posted by the state-run news agency about the man who, until recently, had been regarded as the nation's second-most powerful figure. -
Better-looking teens more likely to graduate college, study findshttp://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-looks-teens-college-study-20131211,0,4286257.story#ixzz2nMOCh9sj
Click Here What does it matter if you were cute in high school? More than you might think. A new study undertaken by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Texas at Austin finds that teens rated as good-looking in high school got higher grades and were ultimately more likely to graduate college and get bigger paychecks as adults. -
UN Inspectors Confirm Syria Chemical Attack
Click Here Chemical weapons were probably used in four locations in Syria this year, in addition to the confirmed attack near Damascus in August that forced the government to abandon its secret chemical stockpile, U.N. inspectors have said. In a report released Thursday, the experts, led by Swedish professor Ake Sellstrom, examined seven alleged chemical weapons attacks and said it lacked information to corroborate the allegations at two locations. The inspectors' limited mandate barred them from identif -
17-year-old Colo. school shooting victim remains in coma
Click Here A 17-year-old student at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo. remained in a coma Sunday evening, more than 48 hours after she was shot at point-blank range by a fellow student, 18-year-old Karl Pierson. The parents of Claire Davis issued a statement Sunday saying that she was in stable but critical condition.
"The first responders got Claire to the right place, at the right time, and the doctors and hospital staff are doing a wonderful job taking care of her," the statement read. -
Newtown a year later: Nation reflects on legacy of its 2nd-deadliest mass shooting
Click Here Horror struck Newtown, Connecticut, in such a disturbing way that the nation still struggles with its impact a year later. The legacy of the second-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history is so profound that it cannot hold just one meaning. It holds several. That's because the crime itself conveys multiple issues in its summary. A mentally ill 20-year-old recluse obsessed with school shootings enters Sandy Hook Elementary School after the morning bell. -
Ukraine, Russia to sign trade roadmap, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov says
Click Here Ukraine and Russia plan to approve a road map to improved trade relations on Tuesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Sunday in a late-night interview on Ukraine's national broadcaster, Inter TV. The announcement comes just hours after a European Union officer said the EU had halted work on a trade agreement with Ukraine, after Kiev failed to show "clear commitment" to signing the deal. -
China Moon Landing: 'Jade Rabbit' Rover Basks in Lunar Bay of Rainbows
Click Here China's first-ever moon rover is driving on the lunar surface after successfully separating from its carrier lander to begin exploring its landing locale: the Bay of Rainbows. The Chang'e 3 lunar lander reached the moon Saturday (Dec. 14) at about 9:12 p.m., Beijing time, making China only the third country in the world to achieve such a moon feat after the former Soviet Union and the United States. The lander also delivered the robotic rover Yutu ("Jade Rabbit") to the lunar surface. -
Judge's Word on NSA Program Won't Be the Last
Click Here A federal judge made headlines Monday by declaring that the National Security Agency's bulk collection of millions of Americans' telephone records is likely unconstitutional. But even he realized his won't be the last word on the issue. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon put his decision to grant an injunction against the NSA on ice, predicting a government appeal would take at least six months. -
Why Pope Francis Is Different From His Predecessors
Click Here An ABC News/Washington Post poll showed today that 9Before he was a priest, Pope Francis worked as a bouncer at a club, the Catholic News Service reported last week. Pope Francis told a crowd of parishioners outside of Rome on Dec. 1 about his work as a bouncer. He also worked sweeping floors and running tests in a chemical laboratory as a teenager, according to the report. -
Obama Meeting With Tech Chiefs Pushing Surveillance Limits (1)
Click Here President Barack Obama today will face a group of executives including Apple Inc. (AAPL:US)’s Tim Cook and Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO:US)’s Marissa Mayer whose companies are pushing the U.S. to curb broad government spying on communications. The executives intend to press Obama to act on the changes to surveillance policies proposed in a letter sent to the president and lawmakers last week, according to a representative of one of the companies, who asked not to be identified. -
Snowden's open letter offers to help Brazil investigate NSA surveillance
Click Here National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has written an "open letter to the people of Brazil" offering to help investigate U.S. surveillance of Brazilian citizens. The letter was posted on the website pastebin and on the Facebook page of David Michael Miranda, partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald, according to a tweet from Greenwald. In the letter, Snowden says he has told Brazilian lawmakers that he is willing to help investigate "suspected crimes against Brazilian citizens." -
Russia deal saved Ukraine from bankruptcy
Click Here Ukraine's decision to suspend a deal on closer EU ties and sign a Russian aid agreement instead has helped avoid bankruptcy, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has told ministers in Kiev. The government's surprise U-turn on an EU association agreement last month has sparked weeks of mass demonstrations. But Mr Azarov said the package from Russia would provide stability. Russia has agreed to buy $15bn (£9.2bn, 11bn euros) of government bonds and slash the price of gas. -
Greenpeace activists Arctic 30, including Tasmanian Colin Russell, set to avoid trial after amnesty bill passes
Click Here The Greenpeace activists known as the Arctic 30, including Tasmanian Colin Russell, are set to avoid trial after the Russian parliament approved an amnesty bill to commemorate the ratification of its current constitution. The group, which includes 28 activists and two journalists from 17 countries, were facing charges over their protest in September against plans by energy giant Gazprom to drill for oil in the Arctic. -
Obama includes openly gay athletes in 2014 Olympic delegation
Click Here Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will lead the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics next year in Sochi, Russia. The White House says tennis champion Billie Jean King and U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul will join the opening ceremony delegation. So will figure skater Brian Boitano and presidential adviser Rob Nabors. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns will lead the closing ceremony delegation. -
Blind man, guide dog survive fall onto NYC subway tracks
Click Here A blind New York City man survived being run over by a subway train and credited his guide dog with saving his life. Cecil Williams, 61, of Harlem, was at the 145th Street station at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday when he began to feel faint. Despite the best efforts of the dog, a black Labrador named Orlando, Williams tumbled over the platform edge and onto the tracks. -
Europe launches satellite that will map 1 billion stars, hunt for new planets
Click Here The European Space Agency successfully launched its star-surveying satellite Gaia into space Thursday in a bid to produce the most accurate three-dimensional map of the Milky Way, and provide an insight into the evolution of our galaxy. The satellite was lifted into space from French Guiana at 6:12 a.m. (0912 GMT; 4:12 a.m. ET) aboard a Russian-made Soyuz rocket, the agency said. It is heading to a stable orbit on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. -
US company reinvents wheel to make bikes electric
Click Here A new device has been launched that can transform almost any bicycle into an electric-hybrid vehicle. The Copenhagen Wheel is a self-contained unit that replaces the rear hub of a bicycle wheel. It stores energy, which can later be released if a cyclist needs help. -
How do you know if you've made it in life?
Click Here According to a new Ipsos survey, most Chinese people - 71% - measure their success in life by the things they own. China topped the list, compared with 58% of people in India, which came second, and just 7% of people in Sweden. The global average hovered at 34%. Another 68% of Chinese people admitted they were under pressure to make money and be successful, though just 56% expressed optimism when asked about their personal prospects for the year ahead. -
Death penalty in the United States gradually declining
Click Here A shortage of lethal injection chemicals has contributed to declining use of capital punishment in the United States with a new report on Thursday noting only 39 executions this year.
It is only the second time in the past two decades the annual number of inmates put to death has dropped below 40.
The total represents a 10 percent reduction from last year. No further executions are scheduled in 2013.
Un-tested drugs used in executions
"Twenty years ago, use of the death penalty was increasing. -
All 52 passengers rescued from ship trapped in Antarctic ice
Click Here After 10 days stranded far from home, all 52 passengers from a ship stuck in Antarctic ice have now been transferred by helicopter to an Australian icebreaker.
"It's 100% we're off! A huge thanks to all," tweeted Chris Turney, an Australian professor among the group of scientists, journalists and tourists marooned on the ship. A helicopter from a nearby Chinese icebreaker ferried passengers Thursday to the Australian icebreaker, the Aurora Australis. -
Recreational Marijuana Shops Open In Colorado
Click Here Click Here For more than 70 years, the sale of marijuana for recreational use has been criminally prohibited in the United States. But that ban, as it has existed for decades, ended Wednesday in Colorado. The historic first, legal sales of recreational marijuana to those 21-and-older began in the morning at select dispensaries in Colorado -- the first state in the nation, and the first government in the world, to control and regulate a legal recreational marijuana industry. -
Snapchat hack leaks 4.6m users’ details
Click Here Photo-sharing site Snapchat has been hit by a cyber attack that reportedly exposed the usernames and phone numbers of 4.6 million users. The data was posted on a website called SnapchatDB.info, which has since been suspended. The hackers censored the last two digits of the phone numbers "in order to minimise spam and abuse", but offered to disclose the uncensored database "under certain circumstances". -
Blizzard, sub-zero wind chills and foot of snow ready to hit Northeast
Click Here If you live in the Northeast, get ready to get pummeled.
A complicated storm system "will raise havoc" this week, dumping a foot of snow and spreading sub-zero wind chills across parts of the region, the National Weather Service said.
On top of the bone-chilling cold, much of Long Island, New York, will be under a blizzard warning from Thursday night to Friday afternoon.
"Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely," the Weather Service said. -
Scenes from the 2013 DARPA Robotics Challenge
Click Here Seventeen teams from the United States, China, Japan, and Korea participated in the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s Robotics Challenge Trials at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway from Dec. 20 to Dec. 21. The event was a test of some of the most advanced robots in the world, competing to prove the feasibility of using robots to assist humans when natural and man-made disasters strike.
