| US icebreaker heads to Antarctic to help stuck ships Posted: 04 Jan 2014 01:04 PM PST  US icebreaker Polar Star was Sunday set to sail for the Antarctic to assist a Russian vessel trapped in heavy ice and a Chinese ship which went to its aid, officials said. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the US Coast Guard had accepted its request to help the stranded Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy and Chinese icebreaker Xue Long, which itself became trapped after using its helicopter to ferry dozens of passengers to the safety of an Australian ship.
|
| U.S. Midwest, Northeast brace for Arctic blast, record lows Posted: 04 Jan 2014 01:03 PM PST By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - Many parts of the U.S. Midwest braced for a blast of Arctic air this weekend that could bring some of the coldest temperatures in two decades before advancing to the Northeast, where residents are still digging out from a deadly snowstorm. Starting Sunday, the deep freeze will be felt in the northern U.S. plains, including North and South Dakota, and through the Great Lakes region and Ohio Valley, according to the National Weather Service. "The last really big Arctic outbreak was 1994, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. They aren't unheard of, but they are unusual." This push of Arctic air could bring record low temperatures in areas from Montana to Michigan, and move to the Northeast where it will arrive by early Tuesday, forecasters said. |
| Rescued Antarctic passengers resume journey home Posted: 04 Jan 2014 01:01 PM PST  CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian icebreaker carrying 52 passengers who were retrieved from an icebound ship in the Antarctic resumed its journey home on Saturday, leaving behind another two icebreakers trapped in pack ice.
|
| Iraq city falls fully into hands of al-Qaida group Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:52 PM PST  BAGHDAD (AP) — The city center of Iraq's Fallujah has fallen completely into the hands of fighters from the al-Qaida-linked Islamic State in Iraq and Levant, police said Saturday, yet another victory for the hardline group that has made waves across the region in recent days.
|
| US braces for record lows in big freeze Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:50 PM PST  United States authorities warned residents to stay indoors and stock up on food after a fierce winter storm killed at least 11 people, with forecasters saying Saturday that the Arctic blast could hit record lows. One of the coldest Arctic outbreaks in the past two decades is now set to plunge the Midwest close to record lows, weather forecasters said, predicting Chicago could see some of its coldest weather ever on Monday, with temperatures hovering around minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 degrees Celsius). Gusty winds could bring what forecasters at the National Weather Service called "very dangerous levels" of wind chill.
|
| Louisville: 'No decision' from Strong on leaving Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:46 PM PST  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Charlie Strong remains Louisville's football coach for the moment, telling assistants Saturday morning he hasn't decided to accept Texas' offer to become its coach.
|
| Titans fire Mike Munchak after 3 years as coach Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:46 PM PST  The Tennessee Titans have fired Mike Munchak after three seasons as head coach and 31 years combined with this franchise as a player and coach.
|
| NJ trial set in unusual white-collar mob case Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:43 PM PST CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — In many ways, it's your run-of-the-mill white-collar case. But this one has a mob twist. |
| Kerry cites some progress in Mideast diplomacy Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:42 PM PST  RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday cited progress on the Mideast peace process, yet acknowledged that some of the most intractable disputes between Israelis and Palestinians were unsolved after more than 20 rounds of negotiations.
|
| Al-Qaida group says responsible for Beirut bombing Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:39 PM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — An al-Qaida linked group claimed responsibility on Saturday for a suicide car bombing last week in a Shiite-dominated neighborhood in Lebanon, as its fighters fought other rebels in neighboring Syria in the most serious infighting since the uprising began.
|
| Syria rebels unite and launch new revolt, against jihadists Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:38 PM PST  Syrian rebels have united to kill and capture dozens of jihadists in a new "revolution" against an Al-Qaeda affiliate they accuse of worse abuses than the hated President Bashar al-Assad, activists said Saturday. Three powerful rebel alliances have taken on fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant during two days of fierce combat in Aleppo and Idlib provinces that Syria's main opposition National Coalition said it "fully supports." And in new signs the nearly three-year conflict is spreading, ISIL seized the city of Fallujah in neighbouring Iraq, and claimed a suicide bomb attack in a Beirut stronghold of Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite movement fighting alongside Assad's forces. "At least 36 members and supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have been killed since Friday in Idlib and more than 100 have been captured by rebels" in Idlib and Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
|
| Obama eyes modest momentum on Capitol Hill in 2014 Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:38 PM PST HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama returns to Washington this weekend eager to test whether a modest budget deal passed in the waning days of 2013 can spark bipartisan momentum on Capitol Hill. As he opens his sixth year in office, he also faces legacy-defining decisions on the future of government surveillance programs and the American-led war in Afghanistan. |
| Historic freeze could break Midwest temp records Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:26 PM PST SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The deep freeze expected soon in the Midwest, New England and even the South will be one to remember, with potential record-low temperatures heightening fears of frostbite and hypothermia. |
| Iraq's Fallujah falls to Qaeda militants as 65 killed Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:24 PM PST  Fallujah (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraq has lost Fallujah to Al-Qaeda-linked fighters, a senior security official said Saturday, putting militants back in control of the city in Anbar province where American forces repeatedly battled insurgents. And fighting in Anbar killed 65 people -- eight soldiers, two government-allied tribesmen and 55 militants from the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), security officials said.
|
| AP Source: Titans fire Mike Munchak as coach Posted: 04 Jan 2014 12:06 PM PST A person familiar with the decision say Titans President Tommy Smith has fired Mike Munchak after three seasons as his head coach and 31 years combined with this franchise as a player and coach. |
| 'Putin's Games' could still be compliment or curse Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:57 AM PST  After a journey of joy across nine time zones and into space, the Olympic torch relay is approaching something the Winter Games' organizers and Russia's leaders didn't plan for and certainly didn't want: A city in mourning.
|
| Cubans aghast at car prices as new law kicks in Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:54 AM PST  HAVANA (AP) — Talk about sticker shock!
|
| Veteran NY newsman Donald Forst dies at 81 Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:48 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Newsday and Village Voice editor Donald Forst has died. He was 81.
|
| 'Royal' Tiger leads Dubai all-star line-up Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:47 AM PST  Tiger Woods will join 20 other former champions to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dubai Desert Classic later this month, the leading event official said Saturday. Woods will also be joined by Javier Ballesteros who will represent his late father Seve at the event commencing on January 30 at the Emirates Club. Woods is a two-time former Dubai Desert Classic winner and has been enticed to Dubai to compete for a first occasion since 2011 after teeing up the past two years in nearby Abu Dhabi. "Anyone who has ever visited Emirates Golf Club, and I mean kings, queens, presidents or prime ministers, no one attracts more attention coming here than Tiger Woods," said tournament director, Adrian Flaherty.
|
| South Sudan rivals set stage for peace talks with a hug Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:42 AM PST  By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - South Sudanese rebels and government negotiators will hold their first face-to-face talks on Sunday, after several days of delay, to thrash out a ceasefire deal and end weeks of ethnic fighting in the world's youngest state. The run-up has been overshadowed by continued clashes between President Salva Kiir's SPLA government forces and rebels loyal to former vice president Riek Machar centered around the strategically located town of Bor. The head of the rebel delegation in Addis Ababa, Taban Deng Gai, repeated Machar's call for the release of several senior politicians allied to Machar and for the state of emergency imposed by Kiir in two states of South Sudan to be lifted. Western and regional powers, many of which supported the negotiations that led to South Sudan's independence from Sudan in 2011, are pressing for a peace deal, fearing the new fighting could slide into civil war and destabilize east Africa.
|
| Nadal wins Qatar Open, tops Monfils in 3-set final Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:20 AM PST  DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Rafael Nadal opened his 2014 campaign by winning his first title of the year in defeating Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2 at the Qatar Open on Saturday.
|
| Bangladesh vote unlikely to stem wave of violence Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:19 AM PST  DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The run-up to Sunday's general election in Bangladesh has been marked by bloody street clashes and caustic political vendettas, and the vote threatens to plunge this South Asian country even deeper into crisis.
|
| Delayed South Sudan peace talks to begin Sunday Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:17 AM PST  ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Peace talks between warring parties in South Sudan scheduled to be held in Ethiopia were delayed Saturday because the sides haven't yet agreed upon an agenda, officials said.
|
| Former first lady Barbara Bush leaves hospital Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:10 AM PST  Former first lady Barbara Bush went home Saturday after six days in hospital for pneumonia, a statement from the office of her husband, former president George H.W. Bush, said. The 88-year-old thanked the doctors and nurses at the Texas hospital where she was admitted "for making sure I got the best treatment and got back to George and our dogs as quickly as possible," the brief statement said. She is also the mother of former president George W. Bush, who was in the White House between 2001 and 2009. After being admitted to Texas's Houston Methodist Hospital on December 30, she received public messages of support and wishes for a speedy recovery from President Barack Obama and former president Bill Clinton.
|
| Experts warn of frostbite, dead batteries in cold Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:06 AM PST  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — There's cold. And then there's subzero, frostbite cold.
|
| Turkey to mull proposals for military re-trial Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:05 AM PST  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government is considering legal arrangements that could lead to the re-trial of hundreds of military officers and other people who were convicted of plotting to topple the government, the head of Turkey's bar association said Saturday.
|
| Retreating U.S. stimulus poses risk to world recovery Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:04 AM PST  By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The world economy should finally overcome its hangover from the global financial crisis this year as growth picks up and house prices rise, but reduced U.S. monetary stimulus will pose a challenge. After months of angst, investors will see how the U.S. Federal Reserve handles its decision to curtail its policy of easy money, starting from this month. U.S. jobs data on Friday will give markets a sense of the pace at which the Fed plans to pare back its bond-buying program, while minutes on Wednesday from its December 18 meeting will throw light on the central bank's thinking. "The United States will be the main focus given the Fed has finally started to taper its asset purchases," said James Knightley, a senior economist at ING in London, referring to what economists call the "tapering" of U.S. stimulus.
|
| Saul Zaentz, producer of Oscar winners, dies at 92 Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:58 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Saul Zaentz, a music producer whose second career as a filmmaker brought him best-picture Academy Awards for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," ''Amadeus" and "The English Patient," has died. He was 92.
|
| Nadal holds off Monfils to clinch Qatar title Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:49 AM PST  Rafael Nadal at last made a title-winning start to a year when he held off Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 to clinch the Qatar Open on Saturday. It was world number one Nadal's 61st career title and took him to eighth on the all-time list, passing Andre Agassi. I had match points against Davydenko in the final a few years back," said Nadal, who was runner-up to Russia's Nikolay Davydenko in 2010.
|
| Don Everly receives 'special spiritual message' Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:31 AM PST  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The infighting and hard feelings between the Everly Brothers were well-known, but surviving brother Don felt he had a special moment with his brother Phil before Phil's passing Friday — even if the two weren't together at the time.
|
| Music world pays tribute to Phil Everly Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:27 AM PST  The music world paid tribute on Saturday to Phil Everly, half of the famed 1950s and '60s pop duo the Everly Brothers, who has died at the age of 74. Everly, a longtime smoker, died on Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his widow Patti Everly told the Los Angeles Times. Everly and his older brother Don, who survives him, rose to fame in the 1950s with hits such as "Wake Up Little Susie," "All I Have to Do is Dream" and "Bye Bye Love." The duo, who are credited with influencing rock and country singers for decades, were among the first performers to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and in 2001 they were also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
|
| Kerry says progress in peace talks, more work needed Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:18 AM PST Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry insisted Saturday he was making progress in tough talks with Israel and the Palestinians, but admitted more time was needed to agree a framework to guide the negotiations. The top US diplomat emerged from his second round of talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to say everyone was "working with great intensity" and commitment to try to overcome decades of animosity. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat sought to counter snipes from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Palestinians were not serious about peace. "No-one stands to lose more from failure than the Palestinians," Erakat told reporters, shivering on a chilly night in the courtyard of Abbas's West Bank headquarters in Ramallah. |
| Ascendant Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown faces challenges Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:12 AM PST  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown is sprinting into the final year of his third term as governor with a series of policy successes and powerful financial backers boosting his all-but-certain run for another term.
|
| Bangladesh election marred by opposition boycott, violence Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:03 AM PST  By Serajul Quadir and Nandita Bose DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh holds a parliamentary election on Sunday, a contest boycotted by the main opposition, marred by violence that has killed more than 100 people and shunned by international observers. Polls were due to open at 8 a.m. (0200 GMT) and close at 4 p.m., although with fewer than half of the 300 parliamentary seats being contested, the ruling Awami League was poised to sweep to victory. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) urged voters to stay away from the "farcical" election. Either Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina or BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia has been prime minister for all but two of the past 22 years and the two are bitter rivals.
|
| Phil Everly and brother were architects of harmony Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:02 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Art Garfunkel answered the door to his Manhattan apartment holding a framed black-and-white picture of two smiling men. It was a test. |
| 10 Things to Know: This Week's Takeaways Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:57 AM PST  Looking back at the stories to remember from the past week:
|
| Ex-first lady Barbara Bush leaves Houston hospital Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:57 AM PST  HOUSTON (AP) — Former first lady Barbara Bush praised the staff of a Texas hospital where she spent nearly a week being treated for pneumonia before going home Saturday.
|
| Kerry sees progress on Israeli-Palestinian framework deal Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:54 AM PST  By Arshad Mohammed and Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinians are making progress towards a "framework agreement" to guide their talks on a formal peace deal but still have some way to go, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday. "I am confident that the talks we have had in the last two days have already fleshed out and even resolved certain kinds of issues and presented new opportunities for others," he said after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Since arriving in the region on Thursday, Kerry has spent about eight hours each with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he met again in Jerusalem on Saturday. CORE ISSUES Broad Arab support is viewed as crucial if the Palestinians are to make the compromises likely to prove necessary to strike a peace deal with Israel.
|
| Early days of Obamacare bring trickle, not flood, of patients Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:47 AM PST  By Sharon Begley and Lewis Krauskopf NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. medical providers are seeing only a trickle of patients newly insured under President Barack Obama's healthcare law, as insurers, hospitals and doctors try to work out any hitches in coverage. More than 2 million people have signed up for new private health plans that took effect on Wednesday under the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. Already on Friday, Senate Republicans opposed to the law seized on scattered media reports of a handful of people having difficulty confirming their new insurance policies, feeding into a narrative of Obamacare's harms that is expected to intensify ahead of Congressional elections in November. Central Ohio Primary Care, a 250-physician practice, is holding off on filing claims for patients who say they bought plans through the HealthCare.gov exchange, said Chief Executive Officer Dr. William Wulf.
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment