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US Navy Helps Typhoon Victims
Click here for moreThe U.S. Navy arrived with a mammoth aircraft carrier today to bring much-needed aid, to hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who have gone without food and clean water for alomst 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 cyclones on record. -
Syrian army captures suburb south of Damascus
Click here for more 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. For more than a year, much of the belt of neighborhoods and towns just south of Damascus has been a rebel bastion and a key arms conduit for the opposition. -
Government Shutdown Lawnmower Man Gets Reward: Cash and a Chainsaw
Click here for moreRemember the guy who pushed a lawnmower around the National Mall during the 16-day government shutdown?
The volunteer mower, Chris Cox, was back in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, but this time, he wasn’t cutting the grass. Instead, he was being honored for his efforts by two organizations, one of which presented him with an enormous chainsaw. -
Pope Francis 'is mafia target after campaigning against corruption'
Pope Francis's crusade against corruption has made him a target for Italy's all-powerful mafia clans, a leading anti-mob prosecutor has warned. -
Jonathan Martin not expected to return to Dolphins, Miami players focusing on having a winning season
Click here for moreTo no one's surprise, a source close to Jonathan Martin told ESPN Monday that the offensive linemen is not likely to return to the NFL this season.With his Dolphins team preparing to take on the Bucs Monday night in their first game without both Martin and Richie Incognito the teammate accused of bullying Martin the unnamed source said Martin is relieved to be away from the team because the situation has been “unbearable” for him since the alleged hazing began last year during his rookie season -
Obamacare fix, fight rages on in Congress
Click here for moreAfter hearing serious concerns from both Democrats and Republicans over the fact that millions of Americans are being dropped from insurance plans that no longer meet Obamacare standards, President Obama on Thursday offered a contrite apology and an administrative solution to the issue. -
Philippines government defends typhoon response
Click here for moreUnder fire for the slow pace of its relief effort, the Philippine government Friday defended its handling of what might be the worst natural disaster in recent history.Roxas said he had only eight working trucks for the city of 220,000, and that the local government was no longer functioning. -
More teens smoking e-cigarettes
Click here for moreMore middle and high school students are smoking electronic cigarettes, hookahs and cigars, according to a new government report form the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.While rates for those tobacco products have increased, overall youth smoking rates haven't declined at all, a concerning figure for health officials. -
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's ex-staffers detail erratic behavior in documents
Click here for moreExplosive new allegations surfaced about embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in court documents released Wednesday -- the same day the city council voted to ask him to take a leave of absence.The court report, more than 500 pages long, alleges a pattern of drug use, and erratic and sometimes abusive behavior by the mayor. A judge ordered the report's release late last month. -
A Camp For Kids Who Don't Feel Pain
Click Here For MoreWhile most kids end up at camp during the summer, canoeing and rock climbing during the warmest months of the year, the campers of Camp Painless But Hopeful, which kicks off Friday, have to wait until there is a chill in the air before packing up and heading to the lake.That is because the kids who attend Camp Painless but Hopeful all suffer from an extremely rare genetic disorder called congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA). The disorder disrupts signals sent in the nervous -
Catholics In Philippines Turn To Church To Cope With Typhoon
Click Here For MoreAcross the ravaged center of the Philippines on Sunday, people flocked to mass, often in churches that had been severely damaged or destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan.In many villages in Leyte Province, the only structure that survived the storm was the church. Spires and statues of angels look out over fields of smashed houses and twisted typhoon debris. -
Six killed as tornadoes rip through U.S. Midwest
Click Here For MoreA fast-moving storm system triggered multiple tornadoes on Sunday that killed at least six people and flattened large parts of a town in Illinois as it tore across the Midwest, authorities said.The tornadoes leveled scores of homes and demolished entire neighborhoods. Some 80 tornado reports were received, along with 358 reports of damaging winds and 40 reports of large hail, according to Rich Thompson, a lead forecaster with the weather service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. -
Top Syrian rebel commander Abdul Qadir al-Saleh dies
Click here for moreAbdul Qadir al-Saleh, the leader of Liwa al-Tawhid, died overnight, a spokesman told the Associated Press.Liwa al-Tawhid is one of the main rebel forces in Aleppo and is estimated to have between 8,000 and 10,000 fighters.
Meanwhile, senior figures from the Syrian regime are in Moscow to discuss plans for a peace conference. -
The afterlife of a rape survivor: Readers say story on Mathura gave voice
Click here for more(CNN) -- As a rape survivor, I have always wanted to give voice to victims of violence. But it was only this week, after the publication of a very personal piece on rape, that I understood how important it is to do so.The response to my story about Mathura, a woman at the center of a landmark rape case in India, was overwhelming. On Twitter, on Facebook and on e-mail, the messages kept coming. -
Ford says he didn't lie about crack use
Click here for moreToronto 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.After more than five months of denials, Ford admitted that he had indeed smoked crack in a "drunken stupor" about a year ago. The admission came amid a drug investigation that has led to charges against a friend and occasional driver, though not so far against Ford himself. -
NSA Releases 1,000 Pages Of Newly Declassified Files
Click here for moreThe 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. -
Syria Peace Conference Likely in Mid-December
Click here for moreUnited Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he expected a long-delayed peace conference on Syria's bloody conflict will be held in "mid-December" with a specific date to be set next week, AFP reported. "I am not able to announce at this time any date. Our target is mid-December," Ban told reporters during a visit to Lithuania. -
Kerry presses Iran to prove its nuclear program peaceful
Click here for moreU.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. -
Obama ratings fall over health care problems
Click here for moreAnother poll reflects the political damage done to President Obama by the botched health care rollout.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll says 55% of respondents now disapprove of Obama's performance, the worst rating of his presidency; 44% "strongly disapprove" of the way Obama is handling his job.Obama's approval rating is 42%, tied for his all-time low and a drop of six points over the past month. -
Typhoon Aid Reaches Remote Areas of Central Philippines
Click here for moreInternational aid is starting to reach remote areas of the central Philippines, 10 days after the region was devastated by super Typhoon Haiyan.U.S. military helicopters delivered food, water and other supplies to villagers on Leyte island and in other remote communities Monday. The U.S. relief operation has so far delivered 11 tons of aid supplies and airlifted more than 8,000 survivors to safety. The Defense Department says 1,200 American soldiers are on the ground in the Philippines. -
U.N. disaster chief stresses long-term needs for Philippines
Click here for moreThe 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.Valerie Amos toured the devastated coastal town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar, where Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall on November 8 wiping out just about everything in its path, as a government official estimated the reconstruction bill would reach $5.8 billion. -
George Zimmerman charged for allegedly pointing gun at girlfriend
Click here for moreGeorge Zimmerman was charged with assault and battery for allegedly pointing a long-barreled shotgun at his new girlfriend Monday afternoon, authorities said.The former neighborhood watchman, 30, pushed Samantha Scheibe, 27, from their Florida home at gunpoint and barricaded the door with furniture, according to the sheriff's office. -
World powers, Iran in new attempt to reach nuclear deal
Click here for moreWorld powers aim to reach a preliminary deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in politically charged talks resuming in Geneva on Wednesday.Seeking to end a long standoff and head off the risk of a wider Middle East war, the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany came close to winning concessions from Iran on its nuclear work in return for some sanctions reli -
Indonesia halts Australia co-operation amid spying row
Click here for moreIndonesia has suspended co-ordinated military co-operation with Australia amid an ongoing row over reports Canberra spied on Jakarta officials.President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the suspension included operations to stop people-smuggling, joint military exercises and intelligence exchange. -
NASA rocket lights night sky over Maryland
Click here for moreA rocket streaked through the sky Tuesday night in Maryland and for hundreds of miles across the eastern U.S. as NASA launched a mission from the Delmarva peninsula.
An Air Force Minotaur I rocket lifted off at 8:15 p.m. from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The launch is performing various tests as part of the Air Force's Operationally Responsive Space Office's ORS-3 mission deploying satellites in space. -
Car Bomb attack kills 10 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai
Click here for moreISMAILIA, Egypt - Ten Egyptian soldiers were killed and 35 wounded in a car bomb attack near the North Sinai city of El-Arish on Wednesday, a security official said. The attack was one of the deadliest in the Sinai Peninsula, which is near Israel and the Palestinian-run Gaza Strip, since al-Qaida-inspired militants began stepping up assaults following the army's ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July. -
Manhunt for Paris shooter enters third day
Click here for moreFrench police continued the search Wednesday morning for a gunman who went on a shooting spree on Monday. A huge manhunt continued in Paris Wednesday morning for a lone gunman who went on a city-wide shooting spree Monday, critically injuring a photographer at the offices of one of the nation’s most-read newspapers, opening fire at a bank headquarters and then high-jacking a car to the Champs-Elysées before disappearing into the metro. -
Serial killer Franklin executed after hours of delay
Click here for moreWhite 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. -
George W. Bush tells Jay Leno: Not worried how history will judge
Click here for moreIt seems George W. Bush can take a joke -- and tell one. But before the former President sat down with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show late Tuesday, the comedian turned his successor, Barack Obama, into the brunt of his hard jabs. Leno raked him over the coals over Obamacare. Bush has largely avoided it since he left the White House in 2009, and Leno couldn't help but immediately pry into the reason why. -
South Africa: rescue workers search debris after 1 killed in collapse of partly built mall
Click here for moreRescue 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. -
Paris shooting suspect Abdelhakim Dekhar previously lived in London
Click here for moreThe man suspected of Monday's gun attack on a French newspaper had lived until recently in London, it emerged on Thursday. Abdelhakim Dekhar, 52, was was arrested on Wednesday night as he lay semi-conscious in a car in an underground car-park near Paris after taking an overdose. Authorities said that his DNA matches traces left by the gunman who grievously wounded a young photographer in the lobby of Liberation on Monday morning. -
Charges dropped against girls in Florida cyber-bullying suicide case
Click here for moreFlorida prosecutors have dropped stalking charges against two girls who were accused of harassing a 12-year-old before she committed suicide, the sheriff who had them arrested said on Wednesday. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who slapped the 12-year-old and 14-year-old with a third-degree felony, defended that decision even as a lawyer for one of the girls said he might sue him. “He should get a lawyer and a darn good one because he’s gonna need it," Jose Baez, who represents the younger girl, -
US drone strike kills senior Haqqani leader in Pakistan
Click here for moreA US drone strike in northwest Pakistan killed six people including a senior leader of the ruthless Haqqani network, officials said, in only the second such strike outside the country's lawless tribal districts. The missile attack hit a religious seminary that militants and security officials said belonged to the terror outfit -- blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan -- in the Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. -
Beirut Bombs Strike at Iran as Assad’s Ally
Click here for more 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 for moreBen Ayliffe used to be head of Greenpeace's Save the Arctic campaign. But now even his job title is different. As head of the Arctic 30 campaign, he spends his time trying to get 30 activists and journalists freed from prison in St Petersburg.They were arrested in September by Russian forces after some tried to scale an offshore oil platform, and currently face up to seven years in prison on charges of hooliganism. -
California man pulled off plane in North Korea, detained, son says
Click here for more 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. -
Rob Ford’s scandal-filled mayoral years, through the eyes of people who lost. To him.
Click here for moreOn a recent morning, in the second week of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s self-immolation tour, George Smitherman was getting his morning coffee at a Starbucks when the man behind him in line recognized his face. “George,” the man said, we wished it had been you.Smitherman has been hearing that a lot lately. In the 2010 city election, Smitherman, a member of the Ontario Liberal Party, had 290,000 votes to Ford’s 384,000. He lost. To Rob Ford. -
San Francisco Transforms Into Gotham City For Boy’s Batman Wish
Click here for more A young leukemia patient realized his dream to become Batman for a day as an army of volunteers transformed part of San Francisco into ‘Gotham City’ Friday. 5-year-old Miles Scott from Siskiyou County traversed the city Friday, maneuvering through huge throngs of admirers as a superhero named “Batkid,” fighting crime with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. -
Congressional leaders cautious but accepting of Iran nuclear deal for now
Click here for moreLeading members of Congress cautiously greeted the news of the six-month nuclear deal with Iran announced Saturday night as even Republicans critical of President Barack Obama’s approach signaled a resigned acceptance of the accord. “This is in essence it, and the deal has been made,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R- Tenn., the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, implying that Congress really couldn’t undo the accord at this point. -
Paul Walker Dead: Cause of Crash Under Investigation
Click here for moreInvestigators are working to determine the cause of a fiery crash that killed "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker and his driver-friend as fans gathered at the crash site to erect a makeshift memorial in honor of the actor. The crash also killed Walker's friend, professional driver Roger Rodas, according to Walker's publicist, Ame Van Iden. She said Walker was a passenger in the car when they drove away from a fundraiser in the community of Valencia Saturday. in a business park j -
Investigators Recover Black Boxes in Deadly Metro-North Train Derailment
Click here for moreInvestigators searching for the cause of a New York commuter train derailment that killed at four and injured more than 60 people have recovered both black boxes from the train. The black boxes, also known as event data recorders, will provide information on whether speed, mechanical problems or human error may have caused the Metro-North to derail as it rounded a riverside curve in the Bronx borough of New York City Sunday morning. The event data recorders were said to be in good condition. -
SquareContinue reading the main storyRelated StoriesQ&A: EU-Russia struggleMedia decry violenceEU-Russia rivalry loomsDemonstrators are blockading government buildings in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, as they step up their campaign for the resignation of th
Click here for moreDemonstrators are blockading government buildings in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, as they step up their campaign for the resignation of the government. Protesters have put up barricades on Independence Square, while others are entrenched inside city hall.The unrest was triggered in November by President Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign a deal on closer EU ties. -
PISA: Poor academic standards – and an even poorer test
Click here for moreThe 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 -
Joe Biden to visit Japan, China as air zone dispute smolders
Click here for more U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will visit Japan and China this week as a dispute seethes over Beijing's recent claim of a large swath of airspace in the region. The Chinese declaration less than two weeks ago has prompted a war of words between governments and flights through the contested air zone by military planes from the United States, China, Japan and South Korea. -
Here's What Congress Actually Accomplished This Year
Click here for moreCongress' numbers are bad on all fronts. In addition to the most recent Gallup poll that put public approval of Capitol Hill at just 9 percent, Congress is poised to pass the fewest number of laws in 66 years. As the last month of the year begins, Congress has passed fewer than 60 new laws since January. Some of them -- such as increasing relief after Hurricane Sandy, reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, and maintaining military pay during the shutdown -- were crucial. -
Thailand protests: Teargas fired amid renewed clashes
Click here for moreThai 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. -
Andy Rubin's next Google moonshot project: robots
Click here for moreWhen Andy Rubin handed leadership of the Android project to Sundar Pichai, the speculation began about what Rubin would be doing next for Google. Now we know: robots. In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Rubin said his robotics project is at the heart of one of Google's long-term, big-deal "moonshot" programs that also have included self-driving cars and Google Glass. -
Biden visits China amid tensions over air defense zone
Click here for more 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. -
William Rockefeller, Metro-North Engineer, Fell Asleep Before Fatal Train Derailment
Click here for moreInvestigators believe the motorman at the controls in the deadly Metro-North Railroad derailment in the Bronx Sunday dozed off for a few fateful moments and woke up too late to stop the speeding train from hurtling off the tracks, DNAinfo New York has learned. Veteran engineer William Rockefeller all but admitted he was falling asleep as the train came roaring to a curved section of track north of Spuyten Duyvil in statements made shortly after four people were killed and dozens were injured in -
Wage Strikes Planned at Fast-Food Outlets
Click here for moreSeeking 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. As the movement struggles to find pressure points in its quest for substantially higher wages for workers, organizers said strikes were planned for the first time in cities like Charleston, S.C.; Providence, R.I.; and Pittsbur -
2 million Facebook, Gmail and Twitter passwords stolen in massive hack
Click here for moreHackers 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. The virus was capturing log-in credentials for key websites over the past month and sending those usernames and passwords to a server controlled by the -
Ohio Judge Poisoned With Antifreeze, Wife of 45 Years in Jail
Click here for moreCarla Rae Hague, 71, is sitting in a jail cell next to the courthouse where her husband is a judge. She is accused of poisoning her husband, Judge Charles Hague, with antifreeze. Hague, a retired nurse who has been married to the judge for 45 years, has been charged with felonious assault and is expected to be charged with attempted murder and possible tampering with evidence, the Ashtabula County Sheriff told ABCNews.com. -
Afghan Art Project Could Be Casualty of US Pullout
Click here for moreIn the face of a U.S. threat to pull all of its troops out of Afghanistan next year – and the nosedive in foreign donations expected to come along with it – Franchesca Recchia's experience has taught her one thing. Art is usually the first thing on the chopping block. "Culture is always the least on the agenda," she explains. -
NSA reportedly collects 5 billion cell phone location records a day
Click here for moreThe 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. -
Nelson Mandela, rights activist, dies
Click here for moreNelson Mandela, whose successful struggle against South Africa's apartheid system of racial segregation and discrimination made him a global symbol for the cause of human rights and earned him the Nobel Prize, died Thursday. He was 95. South African President Jacob Zuma announced Mandela's death at a news conference, saying, "We've lost our greatest son." Mandela had been in failing health for months. -
Syrian chemical weapons set to be destroyed at sea
Click here for moreA plan has been hatched to destroy Syria's chemical weapons at sea using US Navy auxiliary vessel MV Cape Ray. Industry sources told BBC Newsnight the plan will put a mobile destruction plant aboard that uses water to dilute the chemicals to safer levels. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has set 31 December as its deadline for removing the toxic substances from Syria. So far countries have shown a marked reluctance to take on the task. -
Calif. Man Hopes to Build 'Anheuser-Busch of Marijuana'
Click here for moreA business school drop-out from Los Angeles wants to build what he calls the "Anheuser-Busch of marijuana," readying for the day when pot's "prohibition" fully ends in the U.S. Justin Hartfield, 29, dropped out of University of California, Irvine's part-time business school program to launch Emerald Ocean Capital with a business partner. Though smoking marijuana is not legal federally, he wants to position his private equity fund to manufacture and distribute marijuana if or when it does becom -
Tech giants call for controls on government surveillance
Click here for moreEight major technology companies have joined forces to call for tighter controls on government surveillance, issuing an open letter Monday to President Barack Obama arguing for reforms in the way the U.S. snoops on people. The companies, which include Google, Facebook and Twitter, said that while they sympathize with national security concerns, recent revelations make it clear that laws should be carefully tailored to balance them against individual rights. -
Ukrainians call for Yanukovych to resign in protests sparked by EU u-turn
Click here for moreUkraine 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. -
North Korea Purges Kim Jong Un’s Powerful Uncle for ‘Depraved Lifestyle’
Click here for moreNorth Korea confirmed a major shakeup Monday in top leadership with its purge of Kim Jong Un’s uncle, who was accused of drug abuse, improper relations with women and living a “capitalist lifestyle.” The news comes just as the reclusive country’s neighbor, South Korea, announced on Sunday an expansion of its own Air Defense Identification Zone. Seoul’s new ADIZ now overlaps with airspace claimed by both Japan and China. statement from the Stat -
India's Supreme Court declares homosexual sex illegal
Click here for moreSex 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.b The Supreme Court overturned that ruling. -
Obama-Castro handshake - a sign of Mandela-like reconciliation?
Click here for moreFor sure it's just what Nelson Mandela would have wanted, but does it amount to more than that? The historic handshake between U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro at a memorial for Mandela on Tuesday in Johannesburg was greeted on the streets of Cuba with surprise and hopes of improved relations. -
Ukraine risks 'full-scale conflict': Patriarch
Click here for moreThe powerful Ukrainian Orthodox Patriarch Filaret warned on Wednesday that continued violence in Kiev could lead to a civil conflict and called on the government to sign a pact with the European Union. "Force will only radicalise the protest and cause our country to slide into a full-scale civil conflict," the Patriarch said in a statement, calling for dialogue between the government, the opposition and society, and a "moratorium on use of force." -
How the Missing Nevada Family Survived 2 Days in Snow and Subzero Temperatures
Click here for moreRescuers said a Nevada couple and four children were found Tuesday bundled up by a fire after spending two days in subzero temperatures in the wilderness. James Glanton, 34, his girlfriend, Christina McIntee, 25, their two children, a niece and a nephew, never returned after driving into the mountains of northern Nevada Sunday afternoon to play in the snow. -
Media urge Syrian rebels to stop journalist kidnappings
Click here for moreIt is believed that more than 30 journalists are currently being detained in Syria. "I'm quite clear the rebels deliberately set us up to be shot by the Syrian army," he wrote in a blog post on Channel 4's websiteHe said that their deaths at the hands of President Bashar al-Assad's forces would have drawn sympathy to the rebel cause. "Dead journosare bad for Damascus," he said. http://goo.gl/nosPTJ -
U.S., Britain suspend aid to north Syria after Islamists seize weapons store
Click here for moreThe 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. -
Interpreter at Mandela Event Was Hallucinating, Saw Angels
Click here for moreThe man accused of faking sign interpretation while standing alongside world leaders like U.S. President Barack Obama at Nelson Mandela's memorial service said Thursday he hallucinated that angels were entering the stadium, suffers from schizophrenia and has been violent in the past. Thamsanqa Jantjie said in a 45-minute interview with The Associated Press that his hallucinations began while he was interpreting and that he tried not to panic because there were "armed policemen around me." -
Ukraine: Protesters & Police
Click here for moreUndeterred by an overnight crackdown by authorities, protesters in the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, rebuilt barricades Wednesday that had been torn down hour earlier by riot police. As the day continued, police pulled back from the city's Independence Square, or Maidan, and the country's leaders sought to play down fears of a further clampdown. -
Robert Levinson, American Missing In Iran, Was Working For CIA
Click here for moreIn 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.But that was just a cover story. -
HOME>U.S.UN Inspectors Confirm Syria Chemical Attack
Click here for moreChemical 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. -
Ethan Couch gets probation with 'affluenza' defense after crash kills 4
Click here for more A Texas teen has been given probation and counseling -- but no jail time -- for a crash that killed four people in June. The victims' families are stunned. An alleged alcohol-fueled joyride ultimately led to four people being killed. The 16-year-old behind the wheel, Ethan Couch, won't be serving a single day in jail. -
Newtown anniversary: Daily drumbeat of child homicides gets little notice
Click here for moreTo 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? -
Better-looking teens more likely to graduate college, study finds
Click here for moreWhat 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. -
Dad’s Complaint About ‘Ringers’ Gets Son Booted From Football Team
Click here for moreAn Arizona father is seeking an apology from a youth football league that kicked his son off of the team after his dad questioned whether “ringers” were being added to the team for the playoffs. “I asked for the coach to apologize to my son,” Scott Kelly told ABC News. “I think he was hurt by that. He is only 9, but he was smart enough kid to realize what was happening.” -
17-year-old Colo. school shooting victim remains in coma
Click here for moreA 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. -
Sandy Hook shooting, one year later: A solemn day for Newtown
Click here for moreBells tolled 26 times to honor the children and educators killed one year ago in a shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School as local churches held memorial services Saturday and President Barack Obama observed a moment of silence. With snow falling and homes decorated with Christmas lights, Newtown looked every bit the classic New England town, with a coffee shop and general store doing steady business. But reminders of the grief were everywhere. -
Footage released of China Jade Rabbit moon landing
Click here for moreChinese state television had so far only shown a computer-generated image of its path as it approached the surface of the moon late on Saturday. The 300-pound rover on board the probe separated from the much larger landing vehicle early on Sunday, around seven hours after the Chang'e 3 had touched down on a fairly flat, Earth-facing part of the moon. -
Pastor Rebuked for Son's Gay Wedding Looks Ahead
Click here for moreA United Methodist minister punished for officiating at his gay son's wedding is set to talk about his future plans. The Rev. Frank Schaefer is holding a news conference Monday in Philadelphia. He's been ordered to surrender his religious credentials by Thursday if he can't adhere to church doctrine -
Obama Meeting With Tech Chiefs Pushing Surveillance Limits
Click here for morePresident 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 because the meeting plans ar -
Pope Francis takes on allegations and rumors about his papacy: 9 things to know and share
Click here for more Pope Francis has given a new interview in which he tackles several allegations and rumors about his papacy. These concern allegations that he is a Marxist, rumors that he will soon appoint women cardinals, and proposals to give Holy Communion to those who have divorced and remarried without an annulment. -
U.S.Uncle of NJ Carjacking Victim: 'I Want Them to Die'
Click here for moreA relative of the New Jersey attorney who died Sunday when thieves shot and carjacked him at a shopping mall says he wants the perpetrators to die for the "selfishness of their crime." Schare's sharp-worded statement was aimed at assailants who approached Friedland, 30, and his wife, Jamie, in a parking garage Sunday night at Short Hills Mall, where the couple had been Christmas shopping. They shot Friedland, ordered his wife out of the couple's Range Rover and took off in the vehicle, according -
Judge's Word on NSA Program Won't Be the Last
Click here for moreA 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. He said he was staying the ruling pending appeal "in light of the significant national security -
Russia deal saved Ukraine from bankruptcy
Click here for moreThe 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. -
Obama includes openly gay athletes in 2014 Olympic delegation
Click here for moreFormer 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. -
Pope Francis' Christmas Message: 'Place Ourselves at the Service of the Poor'
Click here for more"Good Morning America" anchors Robin Roberts and Josh Elliott met with Pope Francis today after he used his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square to focus attention on the poor as millions of Catholics worldwide prepare for Christmas. Reflecting on the meaning of Christmas, Pope Francis urged the faithful "not to place ourselves above others, but rather lower ourselves, place ourselves at the service of the poor, make ourselves small and poor with them." -
Greenpeace activists Arctic 30, including Tasmanian Colin Russell, set to avoid trial after amnesty bill passes
Click here for moreThe 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. -
Europe launches satellite that will map 1 billion stars, hunt for new planets
Click here for moreThe 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, known as Lagrange 2, where it will ar -
US company reinvents wheel to make bikes electric
Click here for moreA 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. Claire Brennan reports. -
How do you know if you've made it in life?
Click here for moreIn the first few decades after China's communist revolution, most families aspired to own the "three circles and a speaker" - a radio, a bicycle, a wrist watch and a sewing machine. Decades later, the list of Chinese must-haves is a lot more expensive. Chinese people are under pressure to buy their own apartment, a car, a smartphone, a DSLR camera and a laptop, for starters. Others strive for designer clothes and furniture too. -
HOME>MONEY40 Million Card Accounts at Risk After Data Breach, Target Says
Click here for moreTarget says information from approximately 40 million of its customer credit and debit cards swiped in stores may have been compromised by a data breach during the height of the holiday shopping season. The data breach occurred between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013, at U.S. stores, Target said in a statement this morning. Target said it immediately contacted authorities and financial institutions once it became aware of the breach. The Minneapolis based-company said it was teaming with a third-part -
All 52 passengers rescued from ship trapped in Antarctic ice
Click here for moreAfter 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. -
World's first legal recreational marijuana sales begin in Colorado
Click here for moreColorado's ambitious experiment in cannabis policy hit a historic milestone Wednesday, when licensed stores began making the first legal sales of recreational marijuana anywhere in the world. A few people queued up outside pot shops early Wednesday to celebrate and claim bragging rights, but longer lines began forming in Denver as snow fell later in the morning. Police reported no problems. -
Millions of accounts compromised in Snapchat hack
Click here for moreHackers appear to have posted account info for 4.6 million users of quickie social-sharing app Snapchat, making usernames and at least partial phone numbers available for download.
The data were posted to the website SnapchatDB.info. By late Wednesday morning, that site had been suspended. -
Scenes from the 2013 DARPA Robotics Challenge
Click here for moreSeventeen 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. -
Elderly Couple Ran a Marathon Every Day of 2013
Click here for moreA couple in their 60s ran a marathon every day in 2013, completing a year-long run around Australia on Tuesday.
And they did it all while maintaining a raw, vegan diet, they say on their website. Janette Murray-Wakelin, 64, and Alan Murray, 68, finished their 365th consecutive marathon on Dec. 31 in Melbourne with their children and grandchildren among the 200 onlookers, they wrote on their Facebook page. Other runners began to run alongside them for the final stretch.
