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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Bay Area governments make big electric-vehicle buy

Bay Area governments make big electric-vehicle buy

Bay Area governments make big electric-vehicle buy

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:52 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A group of San Francisco Bay Area cities, counties and water agencies has joined forces for what is being billed as one of the largest single government purchases of all-electric vehicles in the country.

Slovyansk struggles back after rebels are routed

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:52 PM PDT

A woman, name not given, looks out from her damaged house in the city of Slovyansk, Donetsk Region, eastern Ukraine Monday July 7, 2014. Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko has called the capture of the Pro-Russian separatist stronghold of Slovyansk a "turning point" in the fight for control of the country's east. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — For the first time in three months, Alla Grebenkova says she can go out on the streets of this city in eastern Ukraine without fear of being recognized as Ukrainian.

Afghan candidate rejects election results

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:50 PM PDT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah defiantly told thousands of supporters Tuesday that he will declare victory in the country's election, claiming massive fraud was responsible for preliminary results that put his rival in the lead. The United States warned both camps against trying to seize power, saying international financial and security support was at stake.

Shebab launch major attack on Somalia's presidential palace

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:48 PM PDT

Somali boys chant as they watch hard-line Islamist fighters from Al-Shebab parade in the streets of Mogadishu on October 30, 2009Somalia's Islamist Shebab rebels carried out a major bomb and armed assault against the country's presidential palace late Tuesday, penetrating the heavily-fortified complex before blowing themselves up. Officials said Somalia's internationally-backed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed were not inside the complex at the time and were "both safe". Security sources said they were with guards from the African Union's 22,000-strong AMISOM force. A Shebab spokesman confirmed that the Al-Qaeda-linked group was behind the attack, and claimed their commandos had managed to seize the president's office inside the presidential compound known as the Villa Somalia.

After Slaviansk's fall, splits open in Ukraine rebel ranks

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:47 PM PDT

By Maria Tsvetkova DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - Allies compare him to the general who forced Napoleon's armies out of Russia and support him in his role as the pro-Moscow separatists' defense chief in eastern Ukraine, but for some rebel leaders Igor Girkin's orders carry little authority. The decision by Girkin, better known by his nom de guerre Strelkov, to abandon the rebel stronghold of Slaviansk at the weekend gave Kiev its biggest military victory yet in its three-month campaign against the separatists. It has also exposed major splits in rebel ranks at a time when support from Moscow is looking less certain and the government in Kiev has stepped up its military effort against the insurgents in the east.

Obama seeks money, fast hearings to curb young migrant surge

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:46 PM PDT

Demonstrators picket against the possible arrivals of undocumented migrants who may be processed at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station in CaliforniaBy Steve Holland and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. administration took steps on Tuesday to halt a cross-border surge of children from Central America, asking Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency spending and putting in place plans to make the youngsters' deportation hearings a priority. It was President Barack Obama's most substantive response to date as he struggles to gain control of a humanitarian crisis along the Texas border with Mexico and to fend off Republican Party critics demanding a tougher response. One of those critics, Texas Governor Rick Perry, was due to meet Obama in Dallas on Wednesday. White House officials said they never embraced the lower figure, and knew it would be higher than that.

Grand Canyon plane crash site designated historic

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:44 PM PDT

FILE - In this July 9, 1956 file photo, nearly four hundred relatives and friends of the 70 people who died in the crash of a TWA Super-Constellation over the Grand Canyon June 30, 1956 attend a mass funeral service in Flagstaff, Ariz. Sixty-seven caskets, three of the identified dead having been returned at relatives request to their homes, will be lowered into a common grave. On Tuesday, July 8, 2014, the Grand Canyon National Park will mark the designation of the crash site as a National Historic Landmark in a ceremony overlooking the gorge where the wreckage was scattered over 1.5 square miles. (AP Photo/David F. Smith, File)GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — The National Park Service created a national landmark Tuesday to commemorate a 1956 collision between two airliners over the Grand Canyon, a disaster that helped lead to major changes in aviation safety and creation of what is now the Federal Aviation Administration.

Hospital pharmacist charged in theft of 200K pills

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:42 PM PDT

This Tuesday, June 8, 2014 photo provided by the New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor's Office shows Anthony D'Alessandro. The former pharmacy chief for Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in Manhattan allegedly stole nearly 200,000 oxycodone pills from the medical center over more than five years and has been charged under a state drug-kingpin law more often aimed at accused street dealers, narcotics prosecutors said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Special Narcotics Prosecutor's Office)NEW YORK (AP) — A major hospital's former pharmacy chief stole nearly 200,000 oxycodone pills from the medical center over more than five years and has been charged under a state drug-kingpin law more often aimed at accused street dealers, narcotics prosecutors said Tuesday.

Israel says no casualties after reported Hamas rocket fire on cities

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:41 PM PDT

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said it knew of no casualties from a long-range Palestinian rocket salvo on Tuesday that Hamas said targeted cities including central Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as well as Haifa in the north. "We are not getting reports of casualties from any of the impact areas," the chief military spokesman, Brigadier-General Motti Almoz, told Israel's Channel 10 television. He did not elaborate on the locations. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Tree toppled onto coaster; left riders dangling

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:40 PM PDT

Members of the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park security staff monitor the situation at the exit of the park after riders were injured on the Ninja coaster, not shown, Monday, July 7, 2014, in Valencia, Calif. The roller coaster hit a tree branch dislodging the front car, leaving four people slightly injured and keeping nearly two dozen summer fun-seekers hanging 20 to 30 feet in the air for hours as day turned to night. Two of the four people hurt on the Ninja coaster were taken to the hospital as a precaution, but all the injuries were minor, fire and park officials said. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Daily News, Andy Holzman)SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) — An entire tree fell onto a roller coaster's tracks in California, dislodging the front car and keeping nearly two dozen riders hanging 20 to 30 feet in the air for hours, according to the state agency that investigates workplace accidents.

US consumer borrowing rises at slower pace in May

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:39 PM PDT

FILE - This Sept. 5, 2007, file photo shows credit card decals on a store window in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. The Federal Reserve reports on consumer borrowing in May on Tuesday, July 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers increased their borrowing at a slower pace in May compared to the prior month.

Forgotten vials of smallpox found in storage room

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:38 PM PDT

FILE - This 1975 file electronmicrograph from the Centers for Disease Control shows the smallpox virus. Government officials say workers cleaning a storage room at the National Institute of Health's campus in Maryland made a startling discovery last week _ decades-old vials of smallpox forgotten in a cardboard box. (AP Photo/CDC, File)A government scientist cleaning out an old storage room at a research center near Washington made a startling discovery last week — decades-old vials of smallpox packed away and forgotten in a cardboard box.

Rain + mud = messy good time for hundreds of kids

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:37 PM PDT

WESTLAND, Mich. (AP) — Mud Day was even muddier than usual this year.

Fans start gathering for Brazil-Germany semifinal

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:37 PM PDT

A Brazil supporter poses with his face paint before the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Brazil and Germany at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Tuesday, July 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) — At a local bar long before noon, a German supporter danced along with Brazilians playing samba.

Sen. Menendez wants federal probe of Cuba role

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:36 PM PDT

FILE - This March 27, 2014 file photo shows Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. on Capitol Hill in Washington. Menendez says his attorney has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the Cuban government had a role in allegations against him that have prompted a federal probe of the New Jersey Democrat. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Robert Menendez said Tuesday that he has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the Cuban government had a role in allegations against him that have made him a target of a federal probe.

Israeli military steps up Gaza offensive

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:36 PM PDT

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on Gaza, as seen from the Israel-Gaza Border, Tuesday, July 8, 2014. The Israeli military launched a major offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Tuesday, striking more than 100 sites and mobilizing troops for a possible ground invasion in what Israel says is an operation aimed at stopping a heavy barrage of rocket attacks from the Palestinian territory.(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military launched a major offensive Tuesday in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, striking more than 100 sites and mobilizing troops for a possible ground invasion in what Israel called an operation aimed at stopping a heavy salvo of rocket attacks from the Palestinian territory.

Ukraine takes aggressive stance toward separatists

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:35 PM PDT

A man speaks phone near a broken window in his house after shelling in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine Tuesday, July 8, 2014. Local residents said it was a shelling from the Ukrainian army's side. The Ukrainian government will restart cease-fire negotiations with pro-Russian insurgents in the country's east only once the rebels lay down their weapons, the defense minister said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's government took an increasingly aggressive stance Tuesday toward the pro-Russia separatists, vowing to expunge them from their reduced area of control and imposing new conditions before peace talks can restart.

Luxury Rolls-Royce car sales soar worldwide

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:34 PM PDT

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2013 file photo, models pose beside the Rolls-Royce Canton Glory at the company's booth during Guangzhou 2013 Auto Show in China's southern city of Guangzhou. Britain-based Rolls-Royce on Tuesday, July 8, 2014 said that global sales in the first half of the year were up 33 percent compared with the same period in 2013. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)LONDON (AP) — They are rolling symbols of wealth and excess, starting at $263,000 a pop, with many buyers choosing custom options that can easily double the price. And they are more popular than ever before.

US diplomat says Bahrain expulsion 'not about me'

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:32 PM PDT

In this Sunday, July 6, 2014 photo released by the Bahraini opposition group, Al Wifaq, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski, second left, visits with Sheikh Ali Salman, head of Wifaq National Islamic Society, left, former member of the Bahraini parliament, Abdul Jalil Khalil, second right, Timothy J. Pounds, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Bahrain, right, and others at a traditional weekly Ramadan gathering or Majlis, in Manama Bahrain. Bahrain ordered Malinowski to leave the country on Monday after they said he met with a leading Shiite opposition group Sunday. The Foreign Ministry said Malinowski intervened in the country's domestic affairs by holding meetings with some groups at the expense of others. Al Wifaq spokesman Abdul Jalil Khalil told The Associated Press that Malinowski was scheduled to hold a joint meeting with them and other opposition groups on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Al Wifaq)MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A senior U.S. diplomat who was ordered to leave the Middle Eastern nation of Bahrain after meeting with a leading Shiite opposition group said Tuesday that the American ally's move appears aimed at undermining reconciliation efforts between the government and the opposition.

Verizon data queries nearly 150,000 in 2014

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:32 PM PDT

The Verizon Building in Manhattan is seen from the Brooklyn Bridge on June 6, 2013 in New York CityUS telecom giant Verizon said Tuesday it received nearly 150,000 requests for customer data from US law enforcement agencies in the first half of 2014. The total including subpoenas, warrants and other orders was 148,903, roughly in line with the full-year total from 2013 of 321,545, Verizon said in its "transparency report." Verizon has joined other tech and Internet firms in releasing these figures in light of the outcry over government snooping following the revelations from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. In its report, Verizon said it rejects about three percent of the law enforcement requests it receives.

Troops retake stormed Somali presidential palace

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:31 PM PDT

Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu, on April 12, 2014Somalia's government said its troops have retaken the presidential palace in the capital of Mogadishu Tuesday, after Islamic militants forced their way in and exchanged heavy gunfire with troops and guards.

Yemen Shiite rebels capture northern city

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:30 PM PDT

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Fighters from a Yemeni Shiite rebel group took control Tuesday of a northwestern city where they have been fighting for weeks with conservative Sunnis from one of the country's largest tribes, government and military officials said.

Stocks fall for a second day; Nasdaq slumps

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:28 PM PDT

Specialist Jason Hardzewicz, left, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, July 8, 2014. U.S. stocks are opening lower for a second day in a row as investors position themselves for corporate earnings reports. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks declined in afternoon trading Tuesday as investors waited for corporate earnings reports due out this week. Technology and small companies fell sharply.

Hamas says fired rocket toward Haifa, northern Israel

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:26 PM PDT

By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Hamas said it fired a rocket at the city of Haifa, northern Israel, on Tuesday in what would be the longest-range such Palestinian attack from the Gaza Strip. There was no immediate word of any impact in Haifa, on the Mediterranean coast 140 km (88 miles) from Gaza. A Haifa resident said he had heard no sirens in the city. The announcement came shortly after air raid sirens sounded in nearby Binyamina in what Israeli media subsequently said may have been a false alarm. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Settlement reached in suit over Remington rifles

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:26 PM PDT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — One of the nation's leading gun manufacturers has reached a settlement in a nationwide lawsuit claiming a popular hunting rifle has a defective trigger mechanism that can cause injury and death.

Jury begins hearing Ventura's defamation case

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:25 PM PDT

Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, right, makes his way out of the Warren E. Burger Federal Building during the first day of jury selection in a defamation lawsuit, Tuesday, July 8, 2014 in St. Paul, Minn. Ventura filed the defamation lawsuit against the Chris Kyle estate, claiming that Kyle's account of a bar fight in a book he wrote was false. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Elizabeth Flores) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUTST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Attorneys for former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and the estate of late "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle are disputing whether Kyle actually punched out Ventura in a barroom scrap.

Somalia's government says presidential compound has been secured following militant attack

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's government says presidential compound has been secured following militant attack.

5 things to know about the Tour de France

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT

Stage winner Marcel Kittel of Germany celebrates his third victory on the podium of the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 163.5 kilometers (101.6 miles) with start in Le Touquet and finish in Lille, France, Tuesday, July 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)LILLE, France (AP) — Giant-Shimano rider Marcel Kittel won yet again on the Tour de France, grabbing his third stage of four in the sprint into Lille on Tuesday.

US consumer borrowing up $19.6 billion in May; gains slow after sudden April acceleration

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:18 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — US consumer borrowing up $19.6 billion in May; gains slow after sudden April acceleration.

Iraqi parliament to meet early next week

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:15 PM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's parliament Tuesday officially rescheduled its next session for early next week after criticism over initial plans for a five-week break, amid pressure for political leaders to agree on a new government that can confront militants who have overrun much of the country's north and west.

Somali presidential compound attacked, president safe

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:13 PM PDT

By Feisal Omar and Abdirahman Hussein MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Islamist militants attacked Somalia's presidential compound on Tuesday with a car bomb and gunmen broke through a perimeter wall but were repulsed by security forces, and the president was not there at the time, the interior ministry said. Up to five members of the al Shabaab Islamist group, which claimed responsibility, were killed, Interior Minister Abdullahi Godah Barre told Reuters. The assault was the most dramatic in a string of attacks in the capital Mogadishu by al Shabaab since it launched a campaign during the current Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It was the second time since February that al Shabaab had attacked the sprawling compound, which includes the presidential buildings and other government offices.

Israel bombards Gaza; militants' rocket fire reaches Tel Aviv

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:12 PM PDT

Israeli soldiers ride atop a tank outside the southern Gaza StripIsrael launched an aerial offensive in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, calling it part of a campaign named "Operation Protective Edge" targeting Hamas Islamist militants firing rockets at the Jewish state. The military urged Israelis within a 40-km (24-mile) radius of the southern coastal territory to stay within reach of protected areas and ordered summer camps shut as a precaution against rocket fire. Palestinian officials said two air strikes were launched before dawn against homes in southern Gaza, one of which was identified by a neighbour as belonging to a Hamas member. The Palestinian Health Ministry said nine neighbours were wounded by debris from that strike.

Recreational pot sales start in US state of Washington

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:12 PM PDT

Customers shop at Top Shelf Cannabis, a retail marijuana store, on July 8, 2014 in Bellingham, WashingtonRecreational pot sales got underway in the northwestern US state of Washington Tuesday, making it the nation's second state after Colorado to allow people to purchase marijuana in specialized stores. Both states approved the cannabis sales in November 2012 referendums and the first Colorado pot shops opened their doors on January 1. On Tuesday, it was Washington state's turn to make history. Brian Smith, a spokesman for the Washington State Liquor Control Board, said the regulator issued 25 retail licenses to "dedicated stores."

Bernard replaces injured Neymar for Brazil

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:11 PM PDT

Brazil's forward Bernard takes part in a press conference in Granja Comary training complex in Teresopolis, 90 kms from Rio de Janeiro on July 6, 2014 during the 2014 FIFA World CupBelo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) - Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari handed 21-year-old Bernard a start in place of injured star Neymar for Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against Germany in Belo Horizonte.

Factbox: Obama's request for emergency spending for border crisis

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:09 PM PDT

By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday asked Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency spending to deal with a surge in the number of children trying to enter the United States illegally, many of them fleeing crime and violence in Central America. More than 52,000 unaccompanied minors from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have been caught trying to sneak over the U.S.-Mexico border since October, double the number from the same period the year before. Following are some of the details of the president's emergency spending request: DETENTION AND REMOVAL OF UNDOCUMENTED ADULTS Obama is asking for $1.1 billion more for the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, including $879 million to pay for detention and removal of undocumented adults traveling with children.

Cleveland tops Dallas in bid to host RNC in 2016

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:09 PM PDT

In this Jan. 24, 2014 file photo, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is seen at the RNC winter meeting in Washington. Preibus acknowledges the GOP is WASHINGTON (AP) — Cleveland won the unanimous backing of a Republican National Committee panel on Tuesday, all but guaranteeing the GOP's 2016 presidential pick will accept the party's nomination in perennially hard-fought Ohio.

Crumbs shows dangers of focusing on single product

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:09 PM PDT

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2007 file photo, Crumbs Bake Shop managing partner Harley Bauer carries of tray of cupcakes during the store's grand opening in Beverly Hills, Calif. Crumbs on Monday, July 7, 2014 said it is shuttering all its stores, a week after the struggling cupcake shop operator was delisted from the Nasdaq. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Turns out, being a one-hit wonder is risky.

Two dead in shooting at Washington state medical center - police

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:07 PM PDT

Police said two people died on Tuesday in a shooting at a medical center in Spokane, Washington, and that it appeared a man shot a woman before taking his own life. The Spokane Police Department said it appeared to be a case of domestic violence, adding that officers were securing the area and asking the public to stay away. "Early investigation indicates man shot woman and then himself," the police department said on Twitter. "Major Crimes detectives are investigating scene, however there is no threat at this time." Citing unnamed relatives and friends, local broadcaster KHQ said the dead woman was an employee at the Rockwood Cancer Treatment Center and was the mother of two children.

FACT CHECK: Grimes releases first negative TV ad

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:05 PM PDT

FILE - This June 29, 2014 file photo shows Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes speaking in Louisville, Ky. Grimes has released her first attack ad, mischaracterizing Sen. Mitch McConnell's voting record on overhauling Medicare. In the ad, a retired coal miner asks how he and his wife are supposed to afford the extra $6,000 in Medicare costs that McConnell voted for. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — In a new ad from Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, retired coal miner Don Disney looks straight into the camera and asks Mitch McConnell why he voted to raise his Medicare costs by $6,000.

Air raid sirens wail in Jerusalem

Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:04 PM PDT

An Israeli missile explodes on impact in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, July 8, 2014. The Israeli military launched what could be a long-term offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Tuesday, striking nearly 100 sites in Gaza and mobilizing troops for a possible ground invasion aimed at stopping a heavy barrage of rocket attacks against Israel. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)JERUSALEM (AP) — Air raid sirens have wailed across the city of Jerusalem in an apparent rocket attack by Gaza militants.
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