General news

• Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams to meet Prince Charles

  18-05-2015 23:59 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Prince is making two-day visit to western Ireland including to the beauty spot where IRA killed Lord MountbattenContinue reading...
  
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• No firearm damage to US train windshield: investigators

  18-05-2015 23:59 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Investigators said Monday there was no evidence that a firearm damaged the windshield of the US train that crashed last week in one of the country's deadliest rail disasters in recent years. Eight people were killed and more than 200 passengers injured when Amtrak Train 188 derailed in Philadelphia on May 12. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was called to determine if a projectile had hit the train before it derailed. An assistant conductor reported that she heard the train's engine
  
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• Scientists watching Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano for new eruption

  18-05-2015 23:58 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Volatile changes in lava lake level concern volcanologistsEruption in south-west rift zone unlikely to pose a risk to people Continue reading...
  
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• Greek finance minister says bailout deal is very close

  18-05-2015 23:52 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said Monday that he expects an agreement with bailout creditors within the next week, which would save the cash-strapped country from fast-approaching bankruptcy.
  
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• Fierce fighting as ISIS push towards Baghdad

  18-05-2015 23:49 via edition.cnn.com
  
  ISIS fighters push on towards Baghdad -- just 110km away -- after seizing control of Ramadi, with tribal forces and police fighting to stop the advance and U.S. planes flying overhead.
  
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• The Latest on a child-support bill nixed by Shariah concerns

  18-05-2015 23:47 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — 3 p.m. (MDT)
  
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• Obama announces restrictions on military gear for police – as it happened

  18-05-2015 23:47 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  President praises ‘new model of community policing’Clinton returns to Iowa for campaign eventChristie attacks ‘civil liberties extremists’ Read the latest blog summary Continue reading...
  
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• Christie calls for new government surveillance powers

  18-05-2015 23:45 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie offered a vigorous defense of post-Sept. 11 surveillance tactics on Monday, backing existing programs and calling for an expansion of intelligence-gathering capabilities even as Congress seeks ways to rein in the programs.
  
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• Bird flu could cost nearly $1 billion in Minnesota and Iowa

  18-05-2015 23:41 via news.yahoo.com
  
  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bird flu could cost nearly $1 billion in the economies of the two states hardest hit, Minnesota and Iowa, agricultural economists said Monday, and the virus is still spreading.
  
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• B.B. King viewing set for Vegas ahead of Mississippi funeral

  18-05-2015 23:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  LAS VEGAS (AP) — A public viewing for blues legend B.B. King will be held in Las Vegas before his body is sent to Mississippi, where plans are being made for services in his hometown next week, King's business manager said Monday.
  
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• Jeb Bush hardens position, says he opposes gay marriage

  18-05-2015 23:37 via news.yahoo.com
  
  (Reuters) - Republican Jeb Bush said in a weekend radio interview that he does not believe the U.S. Constitution grants a right to gay marriage, moving away from his previous urging of "respect" for all Americans on the gay and lesbian marriage issue. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected by the end of June to make a landmark ruling that could make gay marriage the law of the land or return the decision to individual states. "It's at the core of the Catholic faith and to imagine
  
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• ILO says only one-fourth of the world's workers have solid jobs

  18-05-2015 23:36 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The International Labour Organization report revealed a clear shift away from reliable full-time jobs, as short-term contracts and irregular hours become more widespread. ILO chief Guy Ryder said the shift was contributing to the "widespread insecurity" affecting many workers worldwide. The dwindling share of steady jobs comes against the backdrop of soaring global unemployment, with 201 million people jobless last year -- 30 million more than before the 2008 financial crisis, ILO said
  
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• ISIS shows off spoils of Ramadi victory

  18-05-2015 23:34 via edition.cnn.com
  
  ISIS captured the key Iraqi city of Ramadi, but CNN's Barbara Starr reports U.S. intelligence struck a counterblow to the group, killing a key commander.
  
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• Security expert said he accessed plane controls mid-flight

  18-05-2015 23:29 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A security researcher told federal agents he was able to hack into aircraft computer systems mid-flight numerous times through the in-flight entertainment systems, and at one point he caused a plane he was on to move sideways, according to an FBI agent's affidavit.
  
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• Lawmakers debate child-support bill nixed by Shariah concern

  18-05-2015 23:26 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho lawmakers returned to the Capitol Monday for a special session to address failed legislation that has jeopardized U.S. participation in an international treaty that aims to make it easier for parents worldwide to collect child-support payments.
  
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• Kraft-Goodell relationship frayed by NFL investigation

  18-05-2015 23:26 via news.yahoo.com
  
  FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Robert Kraft has repeatedly stood up for Roger Goodell, supporting the NFL commissioner's high salary, playing a key role in ending the 2011 lockout, even vouching for his friend amid missteps in the Ray Rice domestic violence case.
  
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• Success and failure in was against ISIS

  18-05-2015 23:25 via edition.cnn.com
  
  Is ISIS winning? There are no easy answers in the back-and-forth conflict that dominates the Mideast.
  
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• Why fall of Ramadi matters

  18-05-2015 23:23 via edition.cnn.com
  
  The fall of Ramadi to militants from the Islamic State over the weekend has once again illustrated the group's power, despite nine months of U.S. and coalition airstrikes that have targeted it in Iraq and Syria. And it has also raised important questions about the effectiveness of U.S. strategy in the region.
  
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• Saudi Arabia hiring eight new executioners as part of 'unprecedented spike' in killings

  18-05-2015 23:23
  
  Saudi Arabia is advertising for eight new executioners, in a recruitment drive which leading human rights charity Amnesty International has warned is symptomatic of an “unprecedented spike” of judicial killings in the country.
  
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• Records: Marion Barry's son to plead guilty in bank outburst

  18-05-2015 23:23 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The son of former District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry has agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from his outburst at a downtown Washington bank.
  
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• Charges filed against 170 motorcycle gang members in Texas

  18-05-2015 23:21 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WACO, Texas (AP) — About 170 members of rival motorcycle gangs were charged with engaging in organized crime Monday, a day after a shootout at a Texas restaurant that killed nine people and wounded 18.
  
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• Global energy subsidies to hit $5.3 tn this year: IMF

  18-05-2015 23:18 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The International Monetary Fund voiced alarm Monday about energy subsidies across the world, saying they were expected to reach $5.3 trillion in 2015, more than government health spending. The report estimated that this year's energy subsidies represent 6.5 percent of the global economy, likely exceeding government health spending across the world. Long an opponent of energy subsidies, the IMF defines them as the difference between the amount of money consumers pay for energy and its "
  
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• Iraq War vet Phil Klay wins Chautauqua Award, a $7,500 prize

  18-05-2015 23:16 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Iraq War veteran Phil Klay has written one book and is receiving a growing number of awards.
  
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• The Real life 'Monuments Men' in Syria

  18-05-2015 23:15 via edition.cnn.com
  
  Syrian Antiquities Expert Amr Al-Azm talks to Christiane Amanpour about trying to protect Syria's cultural heritage, which has become "a casualty of war."
  
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• Taylor Swift: 'Misogyny is ingrained in people from the time they are born'

  18-05-2015 23:14 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The pop star spoke about the importance of feminism, calling it the ‘most important movement’ people can embrace, in an interview with Maxim Continue reading...
  
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• Kurd: 6,000 Iraqi police officers fell to 150 ISIS fighters

  18-05-2015 23:14 via edition.cnn.com
  
  Ali Khedery, Former adviser to U.S. Central Command, tells Christiane Amanpour the Ramadi takeover "is a major setback" for both Iraq and the coalition.
  
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• Obama on police gear: 'We're going to prohibit some equipment made for the battlefield' – video

  18-05-2015 23:11 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  President Obama announced new restrictions on the use of military equipment by police departments, following unrest in US cities over the deaths of black men at the hands of police officers.Obama is banning police use of equipment such as explosive-resistant vehicles with tracked wheels like those seen on army tanks. For other types of equipment, such as MRAP (mine-resistant ambush protected) vehicles and riot shields, departments will have to provide added justification for their use Continue r
  
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• Police acquittals in riot deaths

  18-05-2015 23:06 via edition.cnn.com
  
  Two French police officers have been acquitted in the deaths of two teens in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois nearly a decade ago.
  
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• Nauru sex assault allegations not reported to workplace watchdog

  18-05-2015 23:04 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: In contravention of its own reporting guidelines, the Australian immigration department failed to notify Comcare of serious allegations at the detention centre Continue reading...
  
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• Doctor group seeks to clear confusion in cancer screening

  18-05-2015 23:03 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Mammograms at 40 or 50? Every year or every other year? What's the best colon check?
  
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• Court agrees Samsung copied Apple, but tosses some damages

  18-05-2015 23:00 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a jury's finding that Samsung illegally copied some patented features in Apple's iPhone, but it sided with Samsung on one point that could reduce the $930 million in damages the South Korean company had been ordered to pay.
  
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• Where there is oil and gas there is Schlumberger

  18-05-2015 23:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  It’s ubiquitous in fossil fuel operations across the world, has more staff than Google, turns over more than Goldman Sachs, and is worth more than McDonald’s – yet you won’t have heard of it. Meet the oil world’s most secretive operatorContinue reading...
  
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• Cavs' Irving says he's ready for Game 1 vs. Hawks

  18-05-2015 22:59 via news.yahoo.com
  
  INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kyrie Irving finished an animated post-practice shooting game of "Around The World" with LeBron James and then quickly removed any doubt about his playing status for Game 1.
  
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• Rout in Ramadi calls US Iraq strategy into question

  18-05-2015 22:57 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The fall of Ramadi calls into question the Obama administration's strategy in Iraq.
  
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• Wall St. ends at new highs, dollar rallies

  18-05-2015 22:56 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Michael Connor NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street stocks rose on Monday to record highs on hopes the Federal Reserve will hold off raising interest rates, while the dollar rallied and Greek bond yields jumped on worries the nation will not be able to make its debt payments. Oil prices retreated, as supply worries triggered by advances by Islamic State militants in Iraq eased. Gains in U.S. stocks were helped by weak economic data and a rise in Apple Inc shares and took the Dow Jones and S&P
  
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• Marathon bomber likely to appeal over Boston trial site

  18-05-2015 22:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BOSTON (AP) — Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's appeal of his death sentence is likely to focus on the judge's refusal to move the trial out of Boston and the prosecution's barrage of heartbreaking testimony from more than a dozen victims of the attack.
  
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• Box Office Top 20: 'Pitch Perfect 2' lands at $69.2 million

  18-05-2015 22:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The a capella singers of "Pitch Perfect 2" proved their box office might with a stunning $69.2 million debut. For a film that cost only $29 million to produce, the Elizabeth Banks-directed sequel is already a smash success and has earned more than the first film's entire domestic run.
  
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• 'Pitch Perfect 2' hits right note at US box office

  18-05-2015 22:51 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Musical comedy sequel "Pitch Perfect 2" hit all the right notes at the North American box office this weekend, drowning out the noisy mayhem of action movie "Mad Max: Fury Road" to take the top spot, data showed Monday. It is believed to be the highest opening weekend for a musical in history, delivering a stunning success for actress-turned-director Elizabeth Banks in her first feature-length movie. The comedy, starring Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson, follows the fortunes of
  
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• Obama tweets, and a million follow: 'It's Barack. Really!'

  18-05-2015 22:50 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sent his first tweet from his very own account on Twitter on Monday, quickly amassing a million followers in five hours, the latest of many White House efforts to amplify his message with social media. Really! Six years in, they're finally giving me my own account," Obama tweeted from his verified @POTUS account. Obama and his advisers embraced social media like Twitter and Facebook as campaign tools and have experimented
  
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• Mayweather's $350k bets wins

  18-05-2015 22:47 via edition.cnn.com
  
  Floyd "Money" Mayweather has stayed true to his nickname by posting online pictures of a series of winning bets that earned him nearly $1 million.
  
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• West Virginia man, 94, graduates from college: 'I've waited a long time for this'

  18-05-2015 22:46 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Anthony Brutto first enrolled for classes in 1939, when tuition cost $50 – and he came back more than three-quarters of a century later to claim his degree Continue reading...
  
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• Emanuel wants focus on youth for 2nd term as Chicago mayor

  18-05-2015 22:41 via news.yahoo.com
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel put the focus on his intentions to help disadvantaged and troubled youth Monday, during an inaugural speech for his second term that touched only briefly on the major fiscal woes facing the nation's third-largest city.
  
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• Real life 'Monuments Men' in Syria

  18-05-2015 22:34 via edition.cnn.com
  
  Syrian Antiquities Expert Amr Al-Azm talks to Christiane Amanpour about trying to protect Syria's cultural heritage, which has become "a casualty of war."
  
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• Obama sets new limits on police use of military equipment

  18-05-2015 22:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Julia Edwards CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday banned police departments from using certain military hardware and restricted the use of riot shields and other equipment, following unrest in U.S. cities over the deaths of black men at the hands of police officers. Obama announced the steps, which are the result of an executive order, during a visit to Camden, New Jersey, where he pushed efforts to encourage trust-building between police and the communities they s
  
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• Burundi president sacks key ministers after coup bid

  18-05-2015 22:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Burundi's president sacked his defence and foreign minister on Monday after a failed coup bid, as hundreds of protesters defied warnings to end demonstrations and resumed weeks of anti-government street marches. Protesters opposed to President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in power gathered in several parts of the capital Bujumbura, singing songs and blowing whistles, each time chased away by soldiers shooting in the air, then regrouping elsewhere. "It was courageous to
  
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• Facing $1 billion deficit, Arizona sharply limits welfare

  18-05-2015 22:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona families can now get welfare for no more than one year in their lifetime — the shortest time limit in the nation.
  
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• Republicans clash over NSA surveillance powers

  18-05-2015 22:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Republicans are clashing over the future of government surveillance programs, highlighting a deep divide among GOP presidential candidates over whether the National Security Agency should be collecting American citizens' phone records in the name of preventing terrorism.
  
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• Nearly 25,000 fled IS attack on Ramadi in Iraq: U.N.

  18-05-2015 22:26 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Close to 25,000 people fled the Iraqi city of Ramadi after it was attacked by Islamic State militants and most of them headed toward Baghdad, the United Nations said on Monday. U.N. and other aid agencies have begun distributing food, water and medical supplies as well as setting up temporary camps and latrines, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Iraq said. Ramadi fell to the militants at the weekend and those fleeing were thought to be escaping from Islamic State fo
  
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• Waco shootout puts spotlight on motorcycle club culture

  18-05-2015 22:23 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Former undercover agent Jay Dobyns says people can be forgiven for thinking Sunday's biker bloodbath in Waco, Texas, was a throwback to a bad 1970s movie.
  
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• Dow, S&P 500 close at record highs

  18-05-2015 22:18 via news.yahoo.com
  
  New York (AFP) - The Dow and S&P 500 closed at fresh highs on Monday, with the blue-chip index notching its first record since March 2, following acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and apparel sectors.
  
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