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Thursday, October 23, 2014

Nigeria pledges 600 volunteers as Africa steps up Ebola fight

Nigeria pledges 600 volunteers as Africa steps up Ebola fight

Nigeria pledges 600 volunteers as Africa steps up Ebola fight

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 01:07 PM PDT

By Felix Onuah and Umaru Fofana ABUJA/FREETOWN (Reuters) - Nigeria pledged on Thursday to send a contingent of 600 volunteers to help fight the worst ever outbreak of Ebola on record which has killed nearly 5,000 people in West Africa. With financial pledges flowing in from around the world but trained doctors and nurses scarce in the three worst effected countries -- Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the African Union appealed last week to member states to urgently fill the gap. ...

US stocks surge on earnings; Nasdaq +1.6%

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 01:06 PM PDT

Traders at the New York Stock Exchange where at the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 16,673.63, up 213.31 pointsNew York (AFP) - US stocks bolted higher Thursday following a series of mostly strong earnings reports from Dow members Caterpillar, 3M and others.

Alleged MLB drug supplier pleads not guilty

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 01:03 PM PDT

MIAMI (AP) — A man described by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a black-market chemist who concocted athletic performance-enhancing drugs in his garage pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal charges arising from Major League Baseball's recent drug scandal.

Coalition airstrikes in Syria killed over 500

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 01:01 PM PDT

Thick smoke from an airstrike by the US-led coalition rises in Kobani, Syria, as seen from a hilltop on the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014. Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab, and its surrounding areas, has been under assault by extremists of the Islamic State group since mid-September and is being defended by Kurdish fighters. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)MURSITPINAR, Turkey (AP) — U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Syria have killed more than 500 people since they began last month, mainly Islamic militants, activists said Thursday, as fighting flared yet again in the northern Syrian border town of Kobani.

Police say Ottawa gunman was not under surveillance before the attack

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:55 PM PDT

OTTAWA, Quebec (AP) — Police say Ottawa gunman was not under surveillance before the attack.

AP Interview: Libya FM wants Tripoli negotiations

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:53 PM PDT

A man with an armed group of Libyan people holds a weapon to defend their local area from Islamic militias in Benghazi, Libya, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. Mohamed Dayri, Libya's newly appointed foreign minister, said Thursday that he hopes to see a negotiated solution to the standoff in the capital, Tripoli, where Islamist-allied militias have taken over the city and forced out the elected lawmakers. However, the minister was less optimistic on Benghazi, where a different set of Islamist militias have taken control since August. (AP Photo/Mohammed Elsheiky)CAIRO (AP) — Libya's newly appointed foreign minister said Thursday that he hopes to see a negotiated solution to the standoff in the capital, Tripoli, where Islamist-allied militias have taken over the city and forced out the elected lawmakers.

White House fence jumper held without bond

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:51 PM PDT

Secret Service respond on the North Lawn of the White House after a man jumped the White House fence, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Washington. The Secret Service apprehended the man who jumped over the White House fence. This latest incident comes about a month after a previous White House fence jumper sprinted across the lawn, past armed uniformed agents and entered the mansion. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON (AP) — The 23-year-old Maryland man who climbed over the White House fence was ordered held without bond in an appearance Thursday before a federal magistrate judge.

Ex-Mountie hero of shooting at Canada's Parliament

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:51 PM PDT

The Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers receives a standing ovation as he enters the House of Commons Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014 in Ottawa. Vickers was among those who opened fire on Michael Zehaf Bibeau, who stormed Parliament Hill on Wednesday. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld )OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The standing ovation began even before Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers entered the Parliament chamber in his black robe, carrying the golden ceremonial mace on his right shoulder.

US journalist returns home after Ebola recovery

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:43 PM PDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — An American video journalist who recovered from Ebola is home in Rhode Island.

Races for governor carry 2016 implications

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:41 PM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2014 file photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie listens to a question as he addresses a gathering at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack. Republicans in search of clues to the 2016 presidential contest might find them in this year's governor races. GOP candidates are defending seats in Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio and trying to defeat a Democratic incumbent in Colorado. Taken together, the five states account for 72 electoral votes, or more than a quarter of the total needed to win the White House. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans in search of clues to the 2016 presidential contest might find them in this year's governor races.

Border deaths drop to 15-year low

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:40 PM PDT

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The number of people who die trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border has dropped to the lowest level in 15 years as more immigrants turn themselves in to authorities in Texas and fewer are taking their chances with the dangerous trek across the Arizona desert.

Cremation fears leave empty Ebola beds in Liberia

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:39 PM PDT

In this photo taken Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, a burial team in protective gear buries a person suspected to have died of Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia. Even as Liberians get sick and die of Ebola, many beds in treatment centers are empty because of the government's order that the bodies of all suspected Ebola victims be cremated. The edict violates Liberians' values and cultural practices and has so disturbed people that the sick are often being kept at home and, if they die, are being secretly buried, increasing the risk of more infections. (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Even as Liberians fall ill and die of Ebola, more than half the beds in treatment centers in the capital remain empty because of the government's order that the bodies of all suspected Ebola victims in Monrovia be cremated.

Family of abused boy gets GOP to change attack ad

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:33 PM PDT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Republican Party scrambled Thursday to revise a television ad that accuses Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton of incompetence after the grandmother of a 4-year-old boy whose death was highlighted in the spot complained it was inappropriate.

Ebola: A crash course in fear and how it hurts us

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:33 PM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2014 file photo, three children on their way home from school stop to peer through the gate down at a building at The Ivy Apartments in Dallas where a man was diagnosed with having the Ebola virus was staying with family at the complex. Ebola is giving Americans a crash course in fear. Yet, they're incredibly less likely to get the disease than to get sick worrying about it. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Ebola is giving Americans a crash course in fear.

'Little Dancer' musical readies for opening in DC

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:27 PM PDT

In this Monday, Oct. 6, 2014 photo, Boyd Gaines, right, performs during a dress rehearsal for the musical production "Little Dancer," in New York. The $7 million Kennedy Center musical opens Saturday, Oct. 25, for previews and runs through Nov. 20, in Washington. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)WASHINGTON (AP) — "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen," a famous sculpture by Edgar Degas that can be seen in museums around the world, is coming to life in a new musical exploring the story of a mysterious 14-year-old dancer and the artist who portrayed her.

Warren running for president? 'I don't think so'

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:22 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren tends to stick to the script when she's asked about a potential 2016 presidential campaign: "I am not running for president." So her latest response has touched off new speculation about her future.

Baby killed by Palestinian driver in Jerusalem was American: U.S.

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:21 PM PDT

An Israeli policeman stands next to a car wreck in JerusalemWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 3-month-old baby killed in Jerusalem when a Palestinian man slammed his car into pedestrians was an American, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday. Eight other people were hurt on Wednesday when the driver crashed the vehicle at a light railway stop and then fled before being shot by police, officials said. He later died of his injuries. "The baby was an American citizen," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in a briefing on Thursday. She gave no other details on the infant or the family, citing privacy concerns. U.S. ...

Comcast wins more Internet customers, ad sales up

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:20 PM PDT

FILE - This Feb. 15, 2011 file photo, shows a Comcast logo on a Comcast installation truck in Pittsburgh. Comcast reports quarterly financial results on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast Corp.'s third-quarter net income jumped 50 percent in the third quarter, helped by a one-time tax settlement, growth in Internet subscribers and fewer defectors from its cable service.

CDC details new Ebola response and prep teams

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:18 PM PDT

President Barack Obama, back left, with Ebola coordinator Ron Klain and members of his team coordinating the government's Ebola response, speak to the media after their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Washington. At front left is Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Ambassador Nancy Powell, Special Coordinator for Ebola Response Unit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)ATLANTA (AP) — New federal Ebola response squads — likened to public health SWAT teams — are being readied to rush to any U.S. city where a new Ebola case might be identified, officials say.

U.S. warns of sanctions on buyers of Islamic State oil

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:16 PM PDT

By Anna Yukhananov WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Thursday threatened to slap sanctions on anyone buying oil from Islamic State militants in an effort to disrupt what it said was a $1-million-a-day funding source. Islamic State has seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria in a brutal campaign, and could pose a threat to the United States and its allies if it is not stopped, U.S. Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen said. ...

New survey details vast scope of teen dating abuse

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:12 PM PDT

FILE- In this Feb. 11, 2011 file photo, more than 300 people participate in Barry University's first ever College Brides Walk, with many walking 7.5 miles in bridal gowns to bring awareness of domestic and dating violence. According to the National Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence, which is federally funded, a majority of boys and girls describe themselves as both victims and perpetrators of abusive dating behavior. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter, File)NEW YORK (AP) — From violence to verbal taunts, abusive dating behavior is pervasive among America's adolescents, according to a new, federally funded survey. It says a majority of boys and girls who date describe themselves as both victims and perpetrators.

Sears to close stores, lay off about 5,500: Seeking Alpha

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:03 PM PDT

A sign for the Sears department store is seen at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax(Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp is shuttering more than 100 stores and laying off at least 5,457 employees, investor website Seeking Alpha reported on Thursday, indicating the struggling retailer may be stepping up store closures. Sears said in August it had closed 96 stores in the six months since February and planned to close a total of 130 underperforming stores during the full fiscal year. It added at the time that it may shutter additional stores beyond the 130 target. ...

Party committees spending $3M each day on House

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:01 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The political parties' House campaign arms spent almost $51 million in the first two weeks of October — or an average of almost $3.4 million every day — according to campaign finance summaries released Thursday.

911 calls show chaos after Delaware tour bus crash

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:54 AM PDT

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2014 file photo, passengers from a tour bus are treated for injuries near the overturned bus at the Tybouts Corner onramp from southbound Delaware 1 to Red Lion Road in Bear, Del. Recordings obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that 911 operators struggled to learn exactly where the crash occurred because passengers didn't know where they were. (AP Photo/The Wilmington News-Journal, John J. Jankowski, File)DOVER, Del. (AP) — Emergency calls made by passengers and passing motorists capture the chaos, fear and confusion in the aftermath of a tour bus crash in Delaware that left three people dead.

Compton among early leaders at Sea Island

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:53 AM PDT

Padraig Harrington, of Ireland, watches his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the McGladrey Classic golf tournament on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, in St. Simons Island, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Erik Compton made two quick birdies in the morning chill and wound up with a 5-under 65. He was among three players tied for the early lead Thursday in the McGladrey Classic.

Cassidy has many opponents in Louisiana Senate bid

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:53 AM PDT

In this photo taken Oct. 14, 2014 shows Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., background, and Louisiana Republican Senate candidate, Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., foreground, talking to reporters after their debate at Centenary College in Shreveport, La. Mary Landrieu is the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Louisiana, a state that Mitt Romney won easily in 2012 and where President Barack Obama remains highly unpopular. But Landrieu hasn't yet succumbed to her main challenger, Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy, thanks in part to a large base of support among black voters in New Orleans and her strong ties to the state's dominant oil and gas industry. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Mary Landrieu is the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Louisiana, a state that Mitt Romney won easily in 2012 and where President Barack Obama remains highly unpopular.

South Carolina house speaker pleads guilty in ethics case, to resign

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:52 AM PDT

By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON S.C. (Reuters) - South Carolina House of Representatives Speaker Bobby Harrell pleaded guilty on Thursday to criminal ethics charges and agreed to immediately resign from the legislature. Harrell, a Republican who became speaker in 2005, pleaded guilty to six counts that included using campaign funds for personal expenses, misconduct in office and false reporting, in a case that has laid low a key figure in the state Republican Party. ...

Heads roll in Russia as more details emerge of Total crash

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:51 AM PDT

An airport security guard mans the entrance of the Vnukovo-3 Business Aviation Center at Moscow's Vnukovo airport, October 21, 2014Top Russian airport officials quit on Thursday as more employees were detained over the Moscow plane crash that killed the CEO of French oil giant Total. The driver of the snowplough that collided with Total boss Christophe de Margerie's plane as it was taking off from Moscow's Vnukovo airport late Monday was also ordered to be held for two months behind bars for further questioning. "The investigation suggests that these people did not respect the norms of flight security and ground operations, which led to the tragedy," said the powerful Investigative Committee in charge of the probe. Vnukovo airport also said its general director and his deputy had resigned "due to the tragic event" after the management was accused of "criminal negligence" by investigators.

US stocks jump following strong corporate earnings

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:50 AM PDT

This Oct. 2, 2014 photo shows a Wall Street sign adjacent to the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. Earnings gains from General Motors, 3M and other big companies are driving stocks sharply higher in early trading Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose sharply in afternoon trading Thursday, driven by encouraging earnings from companies including Caterpillar and 3M. Investors were also encouraged by some positive manufacturing news out of Europe.

New Mexico wants home of noted artist recognized

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:47 AM PDT

FILE - Sculptor Luis Jimenez, is photographed in March 2003 at his Hondo, N.M. studio with the mockette sculpture "Mustang" along with the larger piece commissioned for display at the Denver International Airport. New Mexico preservation officials are pushing for the home and studios of Jimenez to be added to the National Register of Historic Properties. Jimenez, a successful but often controversial sculptor whose work has been displayed at the Smithsonian and the Museum of Modern Art, died in 2006. (AP Photo/Dick George via The Corpus Christi Caller-Times)ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Artist Luis Jimenez is credited with helping transform the definition of public art in the U.S. with his larger-than-life, debate-provoking fiberglass sculptures.

Tech firm fined for paying workers $1.21 per hour

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:47 AM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Silicon Valley company is paying more than $43,000 in back wages and penalties after labor regulators found eight employees imported from India were being treated like they were in an overseas sweat shop while they were working on a special project in the U.S.

New mass grave evidence at Mladic trial

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:45 AM PDT

AMSTERDAM (AP) — U.N. judges have ruled prosecutors may present evidence from a recently discovered mass grave against former Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic — a decision that will further delay a verdict at his war crimes trial.

Six in quarantine in Connecticut as U.S. steps up Ebola checks

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:44 AM PDT

Coast Guard Corpsman checks the temperature of a traveler at Washington Dulles International AirportBy Richard Weizel WEST HAVEN, Conn. (Reuters) - Connecticut placed six West Africans who recently arrived in the United States under quarantine for possible Ebola exposure, a move that comes as the United States starts new restrictions on those coming from the countries hardest hit by the deadly virus. The family of six West Africans, who arrived Saturday and were planning to live in the United States, will be watched for 21 days, Connecticut state health authorities said Thursday. Officials have yet to say where the family came from. ...

Spanish hospital releases five patients under watch for Ebola

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:44 AM PDT

MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish hospital has released five patients who had been under observation in an isolation ward after having been in contact with a nurse who was infected with Ebola, a government health committee announced on Thursday. Nurse Teresa Romero, 44, was the first person to catch the disease outside West Africa in the current outbreak which has killed thousands in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. She was cleared of the deadly virus by doctors at Madrid's Carlos III hospital this week but not discharged. ...

Insurer Epic offers Ebola cover for U.S. health and emergency workers

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:44 AM PDT

By Carolyn Cohn LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. insurer Epic said on Thursday it had launched Ebola indemnity cover for U.S. healthcare and emergency workers. At least 4,877 people have died in the world's worst recorded outbreak of Ebola, mainly in West Africa. Three cases have been diagnosed inside the United States and the spread of the disease has prompted some insurers to exclude Ebola from their policies. Epic President Richard Kosinski said the group's Ebola cover had been added to an existing policy which also applies to other blood-borne pathogens such as HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. ...

'Outsourcing' changes Georgia race in closing days

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:43 AM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2014, file photo, Republican U.S. Senate candidate David Perdue, center, is greeted by Vietnam war veteran Ronnie Rogers as he campaigns in Marietta, Ga. Democrats are hoping to pull an upset in Georgia after GOP Senate nominee David Perdue has had to spend weeks defending his business record. Perdue has run as a former corporate executive with the experience necessary to help boost the economy. But Democrat Michelle Nunn for weeks has hammered Perdue as an overpaid CEO who mistreated employees. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)NEWNAN, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Democrat Michelle Nunn has spent the past month hammering away at Republican David Perdue's career as a business executive, making his role in outsourcing jobs a hallmark of her campaign for U.S. Senate.

Officials from Albania, Kosovo visit rival Serbia

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:38 AM PDT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Kosovo's foreign minister traveled to Serbia on Thursday for the first time since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, describing the visit as a historic event.

Berlusconi: Let's legalize gay civil unions

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:38 AM PDT

ROME (AP) — Silvio Berlusconi is pushing for the legalization of civil unions between gays in Italy, but not same-sex marriage.

James Corden to take over 'Late Late Show' March 9

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:37 AM PDT

FILE - This June 25, 2014 file photo shows James Corden at the New York premiere of "Begin Again" in New York. CBS has set March 9 for the debut of James Corden as host of "The Late Late Show." Corden is replacing Craig Ferguson, who after a decade in the host chair exits Dec. 18. The show will continue to originate from Los Angeles. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK (AP) — CBS has set March 9 for the debut of James Corden as host of "The Late Late Show."

Canada faces jihadist threat after home-grown attacks

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:35 AM PDT

Canadian security forces guard the parliament on October 23, 2014, in OttawaLawmakers returned to the bullet-chipped halls of Canada's parliament Thursday after two jihadist attacks in three days forced their nation to confront a deadly new home-grown threat. In the House of Commons, members applauded Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, who on Wednesday put aside his ceremonial duties to draw a gun and fire the shot that halted one attacker. "The objective of these attacks was to instill fear and panic in our country and to interrupt the business of government," Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the chamber as business resumed.
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