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Friday, November 8, 2013

20 mn kids to get polio vaccine after Syria outbreak

20 mn kids to get polio vaccine after Syria outbreak

20 mn kids to get polio vaccine after Syria outbreak

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:57 PM PST

Syrian refugee children walk in the Bab al-Salam refugee camp in Syria's northern city of Azaz on July 15, 2013Emergency plans are under way to vaccinate more than 20 million children in the Middle East after polio resurfaced in war-torn Syria, the United Nations said on Friday. Unveiling the region's largest-ever polio campaign, the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) and World Health Organisation (WHO) said vaccinations would be carried out over six months in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Syria and Turkey. The initiative was announced 10 days after the WHO reported that polio had re-emerged in Syria for the first time in 14 years, leaving 10 children paralysed. Preliminary evidence suggests the virus in this outbreak -- and also polio samples found in sewage in Egypt, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- came from Pakistan, one of the disease's last bastions, the agencies added.

Pentagon report shows spike in Afghan troop deaths

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:56 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Afghan national security forces killed in combat shot up almost 80 percent during this summer's fighting season, compared with the same time in 2012, as they take the lead in the fight across the country.

Kerry mounts diplomatic push on Iran nuclear talks

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:53 PM PST

US Secretary of State John Kerry smiles as he arrives at Geneva International airport, Switzerland Friday Nov. 8, 2013 for closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices. Four world powers are dispatching their top diplomats to Geneva on Friday to add their weight to negotiations aimed at putting initial limits on Iran's ability to make atomic weapons. French, British and German foreign ministers are joining U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva, who is coming "to help narrow differences in negotiations," according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. (AP Photo//Denis Balibouse,Pool)GENEVA (AP) — With a boost from Russia and China, Secretary of State John Kerry mounted a major diplomatic push Friday to reach an interim nuclear deal with Iran, despite fierce opposition from Israel and uncertainty in Congress.

USDA: 2013 corn harvest a record 13.9B bushels

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:52 PM PST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — This year's corn crop has soared to a new national record, breaking expectations in many states that received too much rain early on and a summer dry spell that brought back drought concerns.

Few options for Obama to fix cancellations problem

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:49 PM PST

A man leaves Access Health CT, Connecticut's health insurance exchange's first insurance store, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in New Britain, Conn. The site, where people can visit to sign up for coverage, is the first in the nation. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he'll do everything he can to help people coping with health insurance cancellations, but legally and practically his options appear limited.

Obama urges support to fix roads, dredge ports, create jobs

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:38 PM PST

U.S. President Obama talks about the importance of growing the U.S. economy while at the Port of New OrleansBy Mark Felsenthal NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made a pitch on Friday to create jobs by fixing roads, dredging ports and modernizing the air traffic control system, urging Congress to focus on these investments as it tries to work out a budget deal by a January deadline. The visit the Port of New Orleans was an opportunity for Obama to focus on the economy and take attention away from the controversy around the launch of his signature healthcare insurance program, widely known as Obamacare. Obama pledged, however, to fix the malfunctioning Healthcare.gov website, and took a veiled jab at Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, who was in the audience, for failing to support a key plank of Obamacare. Louisiana is one of 24 states that has refused federal funds to expand Medicaid to more low-income people, money that Obama said would help 265,000 people in the state gain access to health insurance.

Hurricane? Cyclone? Typhoon? Here's the difference

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:37 PM PST

In this image provided by NOAA Friday Nov. 8, 2013 which was taken at 12:30 a.m. EST shows Typhoon Haiyan as it crosses the Philippines. One of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded slammed into the Philippines on Friday, setting off landslides, knocking out power in one entire province and cutting communications in the country's central region of island provinces. Weather officials say that Haiyan had sustained winds at 235 kilometers (147 miles) per hour, with gusts of 275 kph (170 mph) when it made landfall. (AP Photo/NOAA)WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful typhoon hit the Philippines on Friday and moved out to the South China Sea:

Pump prices at low since December 2011; oil gains

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:36 PM PST

FILE - This Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, file photo, shows a gas pump in Montpelier, Vt. The nationwide average price for a gallon of gas fell a penny Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, to $3.21. That's the lowest average price since December 2011. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)NEW YORK (AP) — The price of gasoline is the lowest in nearly two years, an early holiday gift for U.S. drivers.

CBS says it was 'misled' in Benghazi report

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:36 PM PST

A vehicle and the surrounding area are engulfed in flames after it was set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi late on September 11, 2012In the report, an ex-security officer named Dylan Davies gave harrowing details of what he said he did on the night of the attack -- but CBS said it has now learned he was not telling the truth. "We were wrong," said Lara Logan, the correspondent who prepared the report, on the channel's morning news show. The disputed account also led Simon & Schuster, which had published a book by Davies about the attack, in the city of Benghazi, to decide Thursday to pull it from shelves. Davies "described for us his actions the night of the attack, saying he had entered the compound and had a confrontation with one of the attackers, and that he had seen the body of Ambassador Chris Stevens in a local hospital," Logan explained.

Bernanke: Fed has greater power to combat crises

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:36 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke says the Federal Reserve is drafting rules to close large insolvent banks without bringing down the broader financial system, one of many steps regulators must take to prevent another financial crisis.

US economy adds surprise 204,000 jobs in October

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:26 PM PST

A veteran attends the annual "Honor a Hero - Hire a Vet" job resource fair in Van Nuys, California, on October 24, 2013The US economy added a surprise 204,000 jobs in October despite uncertainty over the government shutdown that analysts feared would discourage businesses from hiring, the Labor Department reported Friday. The figure was more than double what was expected, and coupled with revisions that added 60,000 net new jobs to the previous two months' numbers, painted a picture of an economy healthier than many believed. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 7.3 percent, in part due to the counting of some of the hundreds of thousands of federal workers laid off temporarily during the October 1-16 shutdown. It took the participation rate in the jobs market to 62.8 percent, the lowest level in 35 years, suggesting it is too early to write a clean bill of health for the economy.

McCarthy: Not enough time for immigration in House

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:19 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The third-ranking Republican in the House has told immigration advocates that there's not enough time left this year to deal with the issue.

Twitter's goal in IPO: to avoid becoming Facebook

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:18 PM PST

The Twitter Inc. logo is displayed on screens prior to its IPO on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New YorkAs Twitter Inc's chief financial officer planned the company's initial public offering this year, he had one overriding goal: to avoid becoming the next Facebook Inc. Twitter CFO Mike Gupta grilled banks about how to sidestep the problems that beset Facebook's IPO from start to finish, asking detailed questions about everything from how to pick an exchange to how to communicate with analysts. "They wanted a lot of different perspectives and to make sure that they did this right." In the end, Twitter made different choices from its rival social networking site for its IPO. Facebook selected Morgan Stanley as its lead underwriter, while Twitter picked Goldman Sachs.

Kevin Chappell takes early lead at Sea Island

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:15 PM PST

Martin Flores hits out of the bunker on the 13th hole during the second round of the McGladrey Classic golf tournament on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, in St. Simons Island, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — The wind blew the fortunes of Kevin Chappell all over Sea Island until he settled atop the leaderboard Friday in the McGladrey Classic.

Kerry: Still differences in Iran nuclear talks

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:15 PM PST

US Secretary of State John Kerry smiles as he arrives at Geneva International airport, Switzerland Friday Nov. 8, 2013 for closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices. Four world powers are dispatching their top diplomats to Geneva on Friday to add their weight to negotiations aimed at putting initial limits on Iran's ability to make atomic weapons. French, British and German foreign ministers are joining U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva, who is coming "to help narrow differences in negotiations," according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. (AP Photo//Denis Balibouse,Pool)GENEVA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Friday of significant differences between Iran and six world powers trying to fashion a nuclear agreement, as he and three European foreign ministers tried to narrow the gap. But Russia expressed optimism about a deal.

Broncos coach John Fox released from hospital

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:13 PM PST

FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2012 file photo, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio watches the action during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago. On Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, the Broncos named Del Rio as the teams interim head coach, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway announced. Coach John Fox remained hospitalized Sunday as he awaits aortic valve replacement surgery in North Carolina. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos coach John Fox has been released from the hospital four days after undergoing heart surgery in Charlotte, N.C.

Mike Shanahan, Washington in familiar spot at 3-6

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:11 PM PST

Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 34-27. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Almost exactly one year ago, when his Redskins fell to 3-6 after an embarrassing loss to a deeply flawed opponent that had one previous victory, coach Mike Shanahan sounded as if he were throwing in the towel — and Washington promptly went out and won its next seven games.

Protesters call for justice after porch killing

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:07 PM PST

In this Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 photo, Charles Hannah lights Theresa Walker's candle, left, at a candlelight vigil for Renisha McBride in the front of the home where she was shot in Dearborn Heights, Mich. No charges have been filed after authorities said McBride, of Detroit, was killed by a shotgun blast to the face early Saturday in Dearborn Heights. According to police, the homeowner told investigators that he thought someone was trying to break into his home and accidentally discharged the gun. (AP Photo/Detroit News, Ricardo Thomas) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUTDEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — Protesters and civil rights groups are calling for justice after a suburban Detroit homeowner fatally shot a 19-year-old woman on his porch.

Height of 1 World Trade Center debated in Chicago

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:05 PM PST

This combination made from file photos shows Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, in Chicago on March 12, 2008, left, and One World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 5, 2013. Soaring above the city at 1,776 feet, 104-story One World Trade Center is in contention with Willis Tower for the title of America's tallest building. A committee of architects recognized as the arbiters on world building heights is meeting Friday Nov. 8, 2013 in Chicago to decide whether a design change affecting One World Trade Center's needle disqualifies its hundreds of feet from being counted, which would deny the building the title of nation's tallest giving the title to the 110 story Willis Tower at 1,450 feet. (AP Photo)CHICAGO (AP) — Rising from the ashes of 9/11, the new World Trade Center tower has punched above the New York skyline to reach its powerfully symbolic height of 1,776 feet and become the tallest building in the country. Or has it?

Bobcats coach Steve Clifford hospitalized

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:05 PM PST

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins said head coach Steve Clifford remains hospitalized after being admitted late Thursday night because he was not feeling well.

Publisher withdraws CBS source's Benghazi book

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:04 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — Publication has been halted for a disputed book about the attack last year on a U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Home Depot apologizes for racist tweet

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:02 PM PST

Home DepotNEW YORK (AP) — Home improvement maker Home Depot Inc. on Thursday apologized for a tweet that showed a picture of two African-American drummers with a person in a gorilla mask in between them and asked: "Which drummer is not like the others?"

New rule demands parity for mental health coverage

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:02 PM PST

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, right, thanks Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, after Sebelius announced easier access to mental health care during the 29th annual mental health policy symposium at the Carter Center on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Tulis)WASHINGTON (AP) — It's final: Health insurance companies now must cover mental illness and substance abuse just as they cover physical diseases.

Judge seeks to hear Conn. 911 calls before ruling

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut judge said Friday that he wants to hear the 911 recordings from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting before ruling whether they can remain secret as a state prosecutor and the town of Newtown fight an order to release them.

Publisher suspends CBS source's Benghazi book

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:55 AM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — Publication has been halted for a disputed book about the attack last year on a U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Dolphin virus outbreak in Atlantic is deadliest ever

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:53 AM PST

A mother and juvenile bottlenose dolphinThe deadliest known outbreak of a measles-like virus in bottlenose dolphins has killed a record number of the animals along the US Atlantic coast since July, officials said Friday. A total of 753 bottlenose dolphins have washed up from New York to Florida from July 1 until November 3, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. That is more than 10 times the number of dolphins that would typically turn up dead along East Coast beaches, said Teri Rowles, program coordinator of the NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program. "It is expected that the confirmed mortalities will be higher," said Rowles.

US businesses boost hiring despite the shutdown

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:52 AM PST

FILE -In this Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, file photo, job applicants arrives for an internship job fair held by the Miami Marlins, at Marlins Park in Miami. The government issues the October jobs report, on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, which had been delayed a week because of the government shutdown. ( AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The 16-day government shutdown didn't seem to hurt the economy after all.

Calif. school dons skirts in honor of burn victim

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:49 AM PST

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Students and staff members at a small private high school in California wore skirts to class on Friday to show solidarity with an 18-year-old senior who suffered serious burns when his clothes were set on fire on a public bus.

Stocks rise on unexpectedly strong job gains

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:46 AM PST

Trader Michael Zicchinolfi on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. Stocks edged higher in early Friday trading as investors reacted to an unexpectedly strong October jobs report. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)NEW YORK (AP) — An unexpectedly strong jobs report gave stocks a lift on Friday.

Alabama man mauled by pet deer, faces charges

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:46 AM PST

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man was charged with illegally keeping seven deer as pets, including a buck that mauled and partially blinded him, wildlife officials said Friday.

UK marine convicted of murdering Afghan in Helmand

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:45 AM PST

Undated handout issued by Britain's Ministry of Defence of footage captured by a camera mounted on the helmet of a Royal Marine during a patrol in Afghanistan in which an insurgent was murdered in Sept 2011. A Royal Marine, known as Marine A, was Friday Nov. 8 2013 convicted by a court martial board of that murder partly on the evidence inadvertently recorded by another soldier only identified as Soldier B. Marine A shot the injured Afghan national, who had attacked his base, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol before quoting a phrase from Shakespeare as the man convulsed and died in front of him. (AP Photo/ Ministry of DefenceLONDON (AP) — A royal marine murdered an injured insurgent in Afghanistan by shooting him in the chest at close range, a British court martial board found Friday. According to prosecutors, he told fellow soldiers to hush it up and acknowledged "I just broke the Geneva Convention."

Citizens take fight to Mexican cartel, and win

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:43 AM PST

In this Nov. 5 photo, armed men from to a self-defense group create a checkpoint in the town of Las Colonias, Mexico. Several communities have created their own self-defense groups after a pseudo-religious cartel, known as the "Knights Templar," has for years demanded protection payments from cattlemen, lime growers and other businesses. The groups say they are free of the cartel in several municipalities of the Tierra Caliente, or TEPALCATEPEC, Mexico (AP) — For lime grower Hipolito Mora, it was time to organize and pick up arms when a packing company controlled by a brutal drug cartel refused to buy his fruit. For Bishop Miguel Patino Velazquez, it was seeing civilians forced to fight back with their own guns that made him speak out. For Leticia, a lime picker too afraid of retribution to give her last name, it was the day she saw a taxi driver kidnapped in front of his two young children that convinced her to join those taking the law into their own hands.

Airports hold silent tribute for slain TSA officer

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:43 AM PST

TSA officer Fritz Corros salutes at Los Angeles International Airport, during a moment of silence Friday Nov. 8, 2013, to honor the Transportation Security Administration officer Gerardo Hernandez, killed by a gunman at the airport a week ago.(AP Photo/Nick Ut)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Airports around the nation observed a moment of silence Friday to honor the Transportation Security Administration officer killed by a gunman at Los Angeles International Airport a week ago.

Russian report stirs new confusion in Arafat death

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:41 AM PST

A Palestinian child works at a shop across from a poster of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. The writing on the poster, part of a quote from one of Arafat's speeches, reads, "Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand." Israel is the only suspect in the 2004 death of Yasser Arafat, Tawfik Tirawi, the chief Palestinian investigator in the case, said Friday, a day after Swiss scientists said the Palestinian leader was probably poisoned by radioactive polonium. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Four investigations, hundreds of testimonies and stacks of medical reports on Yasser Arafat's unexplained death in 2004 have failed to produce hard evidence of what killed him — and findings presented Friday only created more confusion.

Rickets making a comeback in the UK, doctors say

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:39 AM PST

FILE - In this June 3, 1943 file photo, physical therapist Estrid Dane carefully supports two-year-old Anthony Bull, seen here walking up a corrugated ladder during exercises which are designed to strengthen his legs in East London. Rickets, the childhood disease that once caused an epidemic of bowed legs and curved spines during the Victorian era, is making a shocking comeback in 21st-century Britain. Derived from the Old English word LONDON (AP) — Rickets, the childhood disease that once caused an epidemic of bowed legs and curved spines during the Victorian era, is making a shocking comeback in 21st-century Britain.

Jurors hear alleged pirate make demands on call

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:39 AM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jurors in the piracy trial of a Somali man who served as a translator during a hostage siege heard him making demands on a recorded phone conversation with a negotiator for the ship' owner.

Bombings, shootings in Iraq kill 19 people

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:38 AM PST

An Iraqi man inspects his car destroyed in a suicide car bomb in the Baghdad al-Jadidah district, Iraq, Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. Officials in Iraq said a series of attacks, including a bomb attack have killed and wounded civilians on Thursday. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)BAGHDAD (AP) — A bomb exploded on a busy street filled with shoppers in northern Iraq, part of a series of attacks that killed at least 19 people Friday, officials said, the latest in a wave of violence roiling the country.

Lawyer says Toronto mayor 'considering' rehab

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:37 AM PST

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford arrives at his office, surrounded by the media in Toronto on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. Ford's lawyer says the mayor is considering his options, including going into rehab. Dennis Morris tells The Associated Press that it is up to Ford to say he what he plans to do himself because "when you go left, he goes right." A new video surfaced showing Ford spewing profanities and threatening to murder someone, was a defining day for the mayor. Ford apologized, saying he was extremely inebriated and embarrassed, but refused to identify the target of, or reason for, his rage. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is considering entering a rehab program, his lawyer said Friday, in the first indication that the mayor might bow to heavy pressure to seek help — if not take a leave of absence — after he admitted to smoking crack and a video surfaced of him ranting and threatening to kill someone.

AP source: Martin to meet with NFL investigator

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 11:33 AM PST

FILE - In this July 22, 2013, file photo, Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin in interviewed after an NFL football practice in Davie, Fla. In the stadium program sold at the Miami Dolphins' game on Halloween, Richie Incognito was asked who's the easiest teammate to scare. His answer: Jonathan Martin. The troubled, troubling relationship between the two offensive linemen took an ominous turn Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, with fresh revelations: Incognito sent text messages to his teammate that were racist and threatening, two people familiar with the situation said.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin will meet late next week in Los Angeles with the NFL's special investigator to discuss allegations in the team's harassment scandal, a person familiar with the situation said Friday.
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