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Thursday, February 27, 2014

5 San Francisco officers indicted by feds

5 San Francisco officers indicted by feds

5 San Francisco officers indicted by feds

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:32 PM PST

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal grand juries have indicted five San Francisco police officers, charging two with stealing money and drugs seized as part of investigations, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

US: Syria leads human rights violations in 2013

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:31 PM PST

Secretary of State John Kerry speaks about the annual State Department Human Rights report, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, at the State Department in Washington. The U.S. says a chemical weapons attack in Syria that the Obama administration says killed more than 1,000 people was the world's worst human rights violation of 2013. An annual State Department report released Thursday also highlights government crackdowns on peaceful protests in Ukraine and Russia's refusal to punish human-rights abusers. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON (AP) — A chemical weapons attack in Syria last summer that the U.S. says killed more than 1,400 people was the world's worst human rights violation of 2013, the Obama administration concluded Thursday.

In season of tumult, Knicks try to stay hopeful

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:26 PM PST

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony (7) fights for possession against Dallas Mavericks' Jose Calderon during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 24, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)MIAMI (AP) — Something got spilled near where the New York Knicks' bus was parked Thursday morning, which seemed to serve as a perfect microcosm of their season to date.

Cyprus parliament turns down privatization bill

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:25 PM PST

Smoke from a firework covers riot police after being thrown by a protestor outside of Parliament during a strike to protest government plans to privatize state-run organizations, Nicosia, Cyprus, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside Cyprus' parliament to voice opposition against legislation that will pave the way for the privatization of state-owned companies. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus' lawmakers on Thursday effectively forced the government to revise the terms of legislation that would pave the way for the privatization of state-owned companies, a condition of the debt-laden country's rescue deal with international lenders.

Charges filed in crash that killed newlywed bride

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:23 PM PST

Ryan Quinton is seen in an undated photo provided by the Cherokee County Sheriff'sOffice. Georgia State Patrol officials say 28-year-old Ryan Quinton is charged with driving under the influence, vehicular homicide, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane in the Dec. 29 crash that killed 25-year-old Kali Dobson. Authorities say Quinton's blood-alcohol level was 0.114. Georgia's legal limit is .08 percent.CANTON, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man is facing charges in a crash that killed his newlywed wife as they drove back from their wedding reception.

Russian moves raise stakes in Ukraine conflict

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:23 PM PST

Map shows Russia military zones and Ukraine.; 3c x 4 inches; 146 mm x 101 mm;SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Masked gunmen stormed parliament in Ukraine's strategic Crimea region Thursday as Russian fighter jets scrambled to patrol borders, while the newly formed government pledged to prevent a national breakup with strong backing from the West — the stirrings of a potentially dangerous confrontation reminiscent of Cold War brinksmanship.

Plight of minority youths in US an 'outrage': Obama

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:20 PM PST

US President Barack Obama speaks at the Union Depot in St Paul, Minnesota, on February 26, 2014Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Thursday launched a solemn appeal to improve opportunities for minority youths, saying their plight was an "outrage."

Obama plan aims to improve odds for minority boys

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:19 PM PST

President Barack Obama, next to White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, left, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, meets with foundation and business leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, where he discussed his WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday launched his "My Brother's Keeper" initiative, urging stronger efforts to create more opportunities for young minority men and to improve conditions that keep them impoverished and imprisoned in disproportionate numbers.

Boston, NYC mayors to skip St. Pat's parades

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:17 PM PST

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh speaks to media in Boston, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. Walsh will boycott St. Patrick's Day parades to protest policies on gay groups. Walsh said this week he's trying to broker a deal with his city's parade organizers to allow a group of gay military veterans to march. The son of Irish immigrants said that allowing gay groups to participate is "long overdue." (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)BOSTON (AP) — Boston Mayor Martin Walsh is threatening to boycott the St. Patrick's Day parade unless organizers allow a group of gay military veterans to march, joining New York's mayor in protesting parade policies on gay groups.

Rape-murder plot trial for pair opens in NY

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:16 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — A retired Manhattan school librarian muttered "she deserves to die" during surveillance of a target in a ghoulish plot to kidnap, rape and kill women, prosecutors said Thursday as a trial that grew from the case of a police officer accused of plotting cannibalism got underway.

Baghdad motorbike blast, other attacks kill 52 in Iraq

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:14 PM PST

Masked Sunni Muslims gunmen take up position with their weapons during a patrol in FallujaBy Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 52 people were killed Wednesday as a motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated in Baghdad's Sadr City and militants targeted mostly Shi'ite neighborhoods around the country. Blood covered the ground, storefront windows were shattered and shoes and motorcycle parts were strewn around the market, according to a Reuters correspondent at the scene. "I was hit in my face and my hands and when I got up, everyone was screaming and running towards me away from the blast." It was not clear who was behind the bombing but violence against Shi'ites is often blamed on the Sunni Muslim Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an al Qaeda-linked group. Baghdad has been hit by wave after wave of bombings since April as the precarious peace enjoyed since the end of Iraq's sectarian war in 2008 has unraveled.

Bulls drive S&P 500 to fresh record

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:11 PM PST

The New York Stock Exchange is seen through the statue of George Washington at Federal Hall in Manhattan, on February 19, 2014New York (AFP) - The S&P 500 set a new record Thursday as buyers pushed up stocks helped by a cautiously positive view of the economy from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

Standard & Poor's 500 index closes at record high

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:10 PM PST

FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, file photo, Trader Christopher Forbes, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The stock market is little changed as investors pick over more earnings reports from retailers and other U.S. companies. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)NEW YORK (AP) — The Standard & Poor's 500 index is closing at a record high and has turned positive for the year.

First Egyptian film at Oscars not shown at home

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:03 PM PST

Jehane Noujaim, right, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary film "The Square," poses with the film's producer Karim Amer at a reception featuring the Oscar nominees in the Documentary Feature and Documentary Short Subject categories on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Oscars will be held on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)CAIRO (AP) — Directors of Egypt's first Oscar-nominated film will be walking the red carpet at the Oscars ceremony next week in Los Angeles, but most Egyptians have yet to see the hard-hitting movie that chronicles the country's unrest over the past three years.

Fugitive Ukrainian president said to be in Moscow

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:02 PM PST

File- This Feb. 19, 2014, file photo shows Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych addressing the nation on a live TV broadcast in Kiev, Ukraine. The fugitive president said in a statement published by three Russian news agencies that he is asking Russia's protection from "extremists." Yanukovych, who fled from Ukraine's capital Kyiv last week, said in the Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, statement that he still considers himself to be the legitimate leader. (AP Photo/Andrei Mosienko, Pool, File)MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's fugitive president may be enjoying VIP treatment under Moscow's protection, said to have been spotted at an opulent five-star hotel and a Kremlin country retreat. But beneath the surface, the embrace has been chilly: State-run TV has portrayed him as a coward who betrayed those who stood by him.

Standard & Poor's 500 index closes at a record high 1,854 points, turns positive for the year

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:02 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — Standard & Poor's 500 index closes at a record high 1,854 points, turns positive for the year.

Polar bears join natural wonders at Google Maps

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:02 PM PST

A mother Polar Bear sleeps on the frozen tundra with her cubs waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze over on November 13, 2007 outside Churchill, Mantioba, CanadaGoogle on Thursday added polar bears to the natural splendor people can glimpse from the comfort of their homes at the Internet giant's free online mapping service. Members of the Google Maps team joined forces with non-profit group Polar Bears International to venture into tundra in a remote part of Canada's Churchill, Manitoba, late last year for images of the majestic animals waiting for sea ice to freeze. Polar bears range the tundra in quests for food and mates. However, even here the Google Maps images only captured a few sightings of the polar bears, whose population is being threatened by warming global temperatures dramatically altering the frigid environment on which they depend.

Review: Lots of innovations beyond iOS and Android

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:59 PM PST

A device is running with Firefox OS software during the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. Expected highlights include major product launches from Samsung and other phone makers, along with a keynote address by Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — When it comes to smartphones, consumers have an array of choices from Apple to... well, Android.

Senate blocks Dems' bill boosting vets' benefits

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:57 PM PST

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., stands in defeat after a divided Senate derailed Democratic legislation providing $21 billion for medical, education and job-training benefits for the nation's veterans, as the bill fell victim to election-year disputes over spending and whether to slap sanctions on Iran, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Senate on Thursday derailed Democratic legislation that would have provided $21 billion for medical, education and job-training benefits for the nation's veterans. The bill fell victim to election-year disputes over spending and fresh penalties against Iran.

Kerry urges Russia to join U.S., allies in helping Ukraine

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:56 PM PST

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russia on Thursday to join the United States and allies in stabilizing Ukraine and said he would watch closely whether Moscow keeps its word not to interfere in the internal affairs of the former Soviet republic. Kerry's comments came as Ukraine warned Russia about troop movements after armed men seized the parliament in Ukraine's Crime region and raised the Russian flag. Kerry said he spoke by phone on Thursday to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who reaffirmed earlier statements by President Vladimir Putin that Moscow would respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Lavrov also underscored that Russian military exercises on the border of Ukraine were previously scheduled and not related to events in Ukraine, Kerry added.

Report: UK spies intercept webcam pics, nudity

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:56 PM PST

LONDON (AP) — Britain's signals intelligence division is stealing screenshots from hundreds of thousands of innocent Yahoo users' webcam videos, according to the Guardian newspaper, which also reported that the years-long operation has swept up a huge haul of intimate photographs.

Teen helps scientists study her own rare disease

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:55 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A teenager who survived cancer decided to study her own rare disease, and helped point scientists to a gene flaw that might spur it.

Bumpy ride ahead through pothole purgatory

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:54 PM PST

A vehicles drives past a pothole in Philadelphia on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014. Since Dec. 1, 2013, PennDOT workers have applied more than 2,000 tons of patching material in the five counties around the city, according to spokesman Gene Blaum. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Hate potholes? Well, unless you and your elected officials are ready to cough up billions more for better roads and proper preventive maintenance, buckle up, 'cause it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Yellen: Fed monitoring recent weaker economic data

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:53 PM PST

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, before the Senate Banking Committee to deliver the semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress. Yellen noted that some recent economic data have pointed to weaker-than-expected gains in consumer spending and job growth. She said the Fed will be watching to see whether the slowdown proves only a temporary blip caused by severe winter weather. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen noted Thursday that recent economic data have pointed to weaker-than-expected gains in consumer spending and job growth. She said the Fed will be watching to see whether the slowdown proves only a temporary blip caused by severe winter weather.

California Gov. Jerry Brown will seek re-election

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:51 PM PST

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown announced Thursday he will seek re-election this year, an expected step into a contest in which he is the favorite.

Chief: San Francisco police officers suspended

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:47 PM PST

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco police chief says five officers indicted by federal prosecutors have been suspended without pay and had their guns taken away.

Kerry: Russia pledges to respect Ukraine's borders

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:45 PM PST

Secretary of State John Kerry and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier shake hands after their joint news conference, after a private meeting, Thursday Feb. 27, 2014, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has told the United States that it will respect the sovereignty of Ukraine and that military exercises near the Russian-Ukraine border are not a prelude to an intervention, Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday.

FA bans Anelka 5 games for anti-Semitic gesture

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:44 PM PST

FILE - This Saturday Dec. 28, 2013 file photo shows West Bromwich Albion's Nicolas Anelka, right, as he gestures to celebrate his goal against West Ham United during their English Premier League soccer match at Upton Park, London. The English Football Association has banned Nicolas Anelka for five games after finding the West Bromwich Albion striker guilty of causing racial offense with a goal celebration deemed anti-Semitic. Anelka had denied that his use of the gesture, which is known in France as a "quenelle" and has been described as an "inverted Nazi salute," was anti-Semitic in a Premier League match in December. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)LONDON (AP) — Nicolas Anelka was banned for five games by the English Football Association on Thursday and immediately suspended by West Bromwich Albion for a racially aggravated goal celebration.

Still in the saddle, 'War Horse' goes digital

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:43 PM PST

This image released by Matt Ross Public Relations shows a performance of "War Horse." Fathom Events, National Theatre Live and BY Experience will team up for a special live broadcast of the show Thursday night from London's West End. More than 300 movie theaters across America will show the broadcast, just the latest in a wave of theatrical shows that are being beamed to screens as producers seize on technological improvements and a willingness to let live shows be recorded. (AP Photo/Matt Ross Public Relations)NEW YORK (AP) — The play "War Horse" is certainly living up to its name. The touching love story between a boy and his horse has become a reliable, dependable draw wherever it goes. Now it's going somewhere new — digital.

Mormons: People don't get own planets in afterlife

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:38 PM PST

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon Church is pushing back against the notion that members of the faith are taught they'll get their own planet in the afterlife, a misconception popularized in pop culture most recently by the Broadway show "The Book of Mormon."

Braun homers in first at-bat back from drug ban

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:37 PM PST

Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun pours sunflower seeds into his mouth after taking outfield fly ball drills during spring training baseball practice, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)PHOENIX (AP) — Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer Thursday in his first at-bat for the Milwaukee Brewers since completing a season-ending, 65-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's anti-drug agreement.

Ukraine warns Russia after gunmen seize Crimea parliament

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:36 PM PST

Men stand during a pro-Russian rally outside the Crimean parliament building in SimferopolBy Alessandra Prentice and Alissa de Carbonnel SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - Armed men seized the parliament in Ukraine's Crimea region on Thursday and raised the Russian flag, alarming Kiev's new rulers, who warned Moscow not move troops beyond the confines of its navy base on the peninsula. Crimea, the only Ukrainian region with an ethnic Russian majority, is the last big bastion of opposition to the new leadership in Kiev since President Viktor Yanukovich was ousted at the weekend and provides a base for Russia's Black Sea fleet.

US slaps Briton with fresh hacking charges

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:32 PM PST

The United States slapped two extra charges against a British man accused of hacking into thousands of US government computer systems, officials saidThe United States on Thursday slapped two extra charges against a British man accused of hacking into thousands of US government computer systems, officials said. Prosecutors in New York indicted Lauri Love, 28, on one count of hacking into the Federal Reserve and one count of aggravated identity theft. He was already facing up to five years in prison and and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, on each of two counts in New Jersey. He has been charged there with hacking the computer networks of US Army, Missile Defense Agency, NASA and other agencies.

UK seeks public input on making 3-parent embryos

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:27 PM PST

LONDON (AP) — Britain is inviting the public to weigh in on draft rules allowing scientists to create embryos using DNA from three people — a man and two women — to prevent mothers from passing on potentially fatal genetic diseases.

Spain starts privatisation of nationalised Bankia

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:27 PM PST

A woman uses an automated teller machine outside a branch of Bankia in Madrid on July 3, 2013Spain's government is to begin the privatisation of nationalised lender Bankia by selling off 7.5 percent through its banking assistance fund FROB, according to a filing with the stock market regulator CNMV on Thursday. Bankia is Spain's fourth-largest bank. Bankia became the symbol of Spain's financial crisis when it lost 19.2 billion euros ($26 billion) in 2012 but made a profit of 608 million euros last year. Under the terms of the European Union's 2012 bailout, the Spanish government has until 2017 to sell its 68 percent stake in Bankia.

Sen. Cruz won't endorse Cornyn in Texas GOP race

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2014 file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks in Washington. Senate sniping between establishment Republicans and tea partyers resumed Thursday Cruz refused to endorse his fellow GOP Texan in next week's primary. Sen. John Cornyn, the Senate's second-ranking Republican leader, faces tea party-backed Rep. Steve Stockman in Tuesday's primary. Cruz declined to tell reporters how he plans to vote. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The sniping between establishment Republicans and tea partyers resumed Thursday as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz refused to endorse his state's senior senator in next week's Republican primary.

Married man to become Maronite priest in US

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

ST. LOUIS (AP) — When Deacon Wissam Akiki is ordained as a Maronite Catholic priest Thursday night in St. Louis, he's expected to have hundreds of supporters there for him, including his wife and daughter.

Syrian group demands investigation into killings

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:22 PM PST

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian government forces stand next to the bodies of rebels south of Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014. Syrian army troops killed scores of rebels Wednesday state media reported, a major attack targeting mostly al-Qaida-linked fighters as part of a government effort to secure the capital.(AP Photo/SANA)BEIRUT (AP) — The main Western-backed Syrian opposition group demanded an investigation Thursday into an ambush by government forces that state media said killed 175 rebels near Damascus a day earlier.

Shale brings high hopes in Mississippi, Louisiana

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:21 PM PST

In this Dec. 23, 2013 photograph, Amite County Supervisor Max Lawson describes the convoy of about 200 trucks carting in a drilling rig and other gear on what was pasture land at his Gillsburg, Miss., farm. After a little more than a two-year wait, Encana Corp., contractors were finally drilling. Oil companies plan a big increase in drilling activity in 2014 in southwest Mississippi. They're trying to extract oil from a formation called the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, which one study says could hold 7 billion barrels. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)GILLSBURG, Miss. (AP) — Residents living above an oil-rich shale formation that stretches across southwest Mississippi and Louisiana have been waiting on a boom for years. A steady trickle of drilling is already boosting the rural region's economy, and spending by two oil companies could make 2014 the year that many other locals finally cash in on the oil far beneath their feet.

Another slow start for Tiger at Honda Classic

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:16 PM PST

Golfer Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the Honda Classic golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Zach Johnson made a quadruple-bogey 8 on his second hole and still managed a 67 in the Honda Classic on Thursday.
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