General news

• California oil spill firm questioned over past leaks

  21-05-2015 23:57 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The oil company behind a crude spill on the California coast vowed Thursday to do the "right thing" to clear up the mess, even as reports emerged of past leaks involving its pipelines. Plains All American Pipeline made the pledge as it said nearly 8,000 gallons of oil had been scooped up, out of some 21,000 gallons believed to have flooded into the ocean near Santa Barbara, northwest of Los Angeles. "We will remain committed to doing the right thing," company executive Patric
  
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• God left out of Ireland's gay vote

  21-05-2015 23:53 via edition.cnn.com
  
  Irish voters take to the polls to decide if their constitution should be amended to allow same-sex marriage. CNN's Phil Black reports.
  
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• Six Baltimore police officers indicted over Freddie Gray death

  21-05-2015 23:50 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A grand jury indicted six Baltimore police officers Thursday over the death of African-American man Freddie Gray in their custody last month, a state attorney said. The six officers were previously charged and are now indicted in connection with the arrest and death of 25-year-old Gray, who succumbed to a serious spinal injury suffered while in the back of a police van in April. State Attorney Marilyn Mosby said the grand jury found probable cause to formally indict the officers, adding they wer
  
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• House passes bill to reform US-funded broadcasts

  21-05-2015 23:47 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee unanimously approved a bill on Thursday to reform U.S.-funded broadcasting to counter what a California congressman dubs the "weaponization of information" from Russia and anti-American propaganda being aired by Iran and Islamic State militants.
  
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• As NCAA fends off challenges, antitrust exemption debated

  21-05-2015 23:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  For years there have been discussions within NCAA membership about seeking an antitrust exemption to provide protection from the types of lawsuits that are threatening to forcefully overhaul college sports.
  
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• The Latest on Waco shooting: Many detainees lack convictions

  21-05-2015 23:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  4:35 p.m. (CDT)
  
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• EU defies Russian 'bully' but disappoints ex-Soviets

  21-05-2015 23:45 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Alastair Macdonald and Adrian Croft RIGA (Reuters) - European Union leaders met six ex-Soviet neighbors on Thursday in Riga, rejecting Russian "bullying" in the 18 months since their last summit in a once Kremlin-ruled EU capital sparked conflict in Ukraine. "The European Union stays the course despite the intimidation, the aggression, even the war, of the last year," said summit chair Donald Tusk.
  
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• Washington officer shoots men accused of earlier beer theft

  21-05-2015 23:43 via news.yahoo.com
  
  OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were not armed with guns when they were shot Thursday by a police officer who confronted them in Washington state's capital city.
  
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• Freddie Gray death: All six police officers indicted by Baltimore grand jury

  21-05-2015 23:34
  
  A Baltimore grand jury has formally brought charges against all six police officers involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died last month while in police custody, allowing the prosecution to move forward.
  
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• Environmentalists seize on latest Santa Barbara oil spill

  21-05-2015 23:31 via news.yahoo.com
  
  GOLETA, Calif. (AP) — The oil spill this week on the Santa Barbara coast is just a drop in the bucket compared with the catastrophic blowout here in 1969, but it has become a new rallying point for environmentalists in their battle against drilling and fossil fuels.
  
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• Bugged phones and double barbed wire: far fewer North Koreans defect

  21-05-2015 23:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Ju-min Park and James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) - It's much more dangerous, and twice as expensive, to defect from North Korea since Kim Jong Un took power in Pyongyang three and a half years ago, refugees and experts say, and far fewer people are escaping from the repressive and impoverished country. With barbed-wire fencing erected on both sides of the Tumen River that marks the border with China, more guard posts and closer monitoring of cross-border phone calls, the number of North Kor
  
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• Isiah Thomas wants people to keep open mind about new job

  21-05-2015 23:26 via news.yahoo.com
  
  GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — Isiah Thomas knew there would be questions when it was announced two weeks ago that he would be the new president of the New York Liberty. Thomas hopes that people will just keep an open mind.
  
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• Pentagon says US anti-armor weapons due in Iraq next week

  21-05-2015 23:23 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says an expedited shipment of 2,000 lightweight anti-armor weapons should arrive in Iraq as soon as next week.
  
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• Grand jury indicts Baltimore police in death of Freddie Gray

  21-05-2015 23:19 via news.yahoo.com
  
  (Reuters) - A grand jury has returned charges against six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, Baltimore City State Attorney Marilyn Mosby told a news conference on Thursday. Gray, 25, died on April 19 of injuries suffered while in police custody and Mosby had filed charges against the six officers early this month. They will be arraigned on July 2, Mosby said. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington and Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Sandra Maler)
  
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• Aaron Hernandez sports neck tattoo at latest court hearing

  21-05-2015 23:16 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BOSTON (AP) — Former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, sporting a new neck tattoo while making his first court appearance since being sentenced to life in prison for murder, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge he tried to silence a witness in a separate double murder case by shooting him in the face.
  
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• Broncos DE Antonio Smith under investigation in Texas

  21-05-2015 23:15 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos defensive end Antonio Smith is under investigation in Texas over a criminal allegation the local sheriff described Thursday as "sexual in nature."
  
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• Prosecutor: 6 officers indicted in death of Freddie Gray

  21-05-2015 23:14 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BALTIMORE (AP) — The state's attorney in Baltimore says all six officers charged in the police-custody death of Freddie Gray have been indicted by a grand jury.
  
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• HP sells stake in China unit for $2.3 billion

  21-05-2015 23:14 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Hewlett-Packard announced Thursday it was selling a 51 percent stake in its China-based server business, creating a joint venture with Tsinghua Holdings that will be a sector leader in China. The US tech giant said it would sell the stake for $2.3 billion, creating a new business called H3C worth $4.5 billion that would be the leader in China in computer servers, storage and technology services. The deal brings together HP with the investment arm of China's Tsinghua University in a company
  
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• The Latest on Waco shooting: Neighbor eatery sues Twin Peaks

  21-05-2015 23:11 via news.yahoo.com
  
  4 p.m. (CDT)
  
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• Banged-up Cavaliers, Hawks adjust for Friday's Game 2

  21-05-2015 23:10 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — While the Atlanta Hawks try to figure out who will guard LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers are just grateful the four-time MVP is still standing.
  
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• Flavor Flav arrested in Vegas, suspected of impaired driving

  21-05-2015 23:09 via news.yahoo.com
  
  LAS VEGAS (AP) — Authorities in Las Vegas say entertainer Flavor Flav has been arrested on allegations of driving under the influence, speeding, possessing less than an ounce of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol in the 2005 black BMW he was driving.
  
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• Motorcyclists to gather around US for Memorial Day weekend

  21-05-2015 23:07 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Memorial Day is one of the biggest holidays on the calendars of motorcycle riders. This year, just about a week after nine people were killed and more were wounded in a shootout involving what authorities say were outlaw motorcycle gangs during a gathering in Waco, Texas, rallies around the country will attract hundreds of thousands of everyday motorcycle enthusiasts. These are some of the larger motorcycle rallies in the United States:
  
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• Prosecutor: Grand jury indicts 6 officers in police-custody death of Freddie Gray

  21-05-2015 23:06 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BALTIMORE (AP) — Prosecutor: Grand jury indicts 6 officers in police-custody death of Freddie Gray.
  
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• A look at Palmyra, the historic Syrian town captured by IS

  21-05-2015 23:03 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BEIRUT (AP) — A look at Palmyra, the Syrian archaeological gem captured by Islamic State fighters.
  
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• McDonald's CEO 'proud' of pay hike; protesters want more

  21-05-2015 23:02 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook said Thursday he was "incredibly proud" of a decision to bump pay for some workers, even after protesters called on the company to do more outside its annual shareholder meeting.
  
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• Ireland looks set to back gay marriage in landmark referendum

  21-05-2015 22:58 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland votes on Friday on whether to allow gay marriage in a referendum that could make the once deeply Catholic country the first in the world to adopt the policy by popular vote. "My message to people is that if you believe in equality, do not be complacent, do not leave it to others," said Prime Minister Enda Kenny, a practicing Catholic who has spoken of his personal journey to become a leading advocate for gay marriage. Tak
  
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• Parents center of Ireland's gay vote

  21-05-2015 22:58 via edition.cnn.com
  
  Irish voters take to the polls to decide if their constitution should be amended to allow same-sex marriage. CNN's Phil Black reports.
  
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• Europe migrant terror threat overblown: experts

  21-05-2015 22:57 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The arrest in Italy of a terror suspect posing as a boat migrant has fuelled nightmare scenarios of jihadist infiltration of Europe, but experts say the threat is overblown and attacks by homegrown extremists are more likely. Right-wing parties have seized on the incident as proof that groups like Islamic State (IS) are taking advantage of Europe's migration crisis, in which thousands of refugees are making the risky Mediterranean crossing to flee war and poverty. NATO's chief Jens Sto
  
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• Purple Heart recipient among bikers killed in Waco shooting

  21-05-2015 22:57 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WACO, Texas (AP) — One of nine bikers killed at a shootout outside a Texas restaurant was a Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient whose family members dispute police claims he was in a criminal group.
  
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• MLB and Reds discussing Rose role at All-Star Game

  21-05-2015 22:56 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Rose's role at the All-Star game in Cincinnati will be determined by Major League Baseball and the Reds after they determine what other obligations the banned career hits leader has.
  
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• Alaska's popular walrus cam streams again after a decade

  21-05-2015 22:56 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A popular webcam showing large male Pacific walruses lying on the beach with a Hitchcockian number of seabirds flying overhead is once again streaming to the Internet.
  
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• Is Putin's rumored girlfriend pregnant?

  21-05-2015 22:54 via edition.cnn.com
  
  The former gymnast who is alleged to be Russian President Putin's girlfriend sparked pregnancy rumors when she appeared at an event wearing a billowy dress. CNN's Matthew Chance reports.
  
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• 'Too old' Gyllenhaal, 37, sparks Hollywood sexism debate

  21-05-2015 22:50 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Oscar-nominated US actress Maggie Gyllenhaal was told she was too old at 37 to play the lover of a 55-year-old man, she said in comments published Thursday which went viral online. "There are things that are really disappointing about being an actress in Hollywood that surprise me all the time," she said in an interview with TheWrap Magazine. Earlier this month the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for government action to confront "widespread exclusion of women directo
  
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• Manfred says Yanks have grounds to not pay A-Rod bonus

  21-05-2015 22:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he thinks the New York Yankees have grounds not to pay Alex Rodriguez a $6 million marketing bonus for tying Willie Mays for fourth place on the career home run list.
  
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• U.N. worried about reported diversion of aid in Syria

  21-05-2015 22:42 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The United Nations children's fund UNICEF is alarmed at reports that some emergency food and other humanitarian aid was not reaching civilians in conflict-torn Syria due to theft by combatants, a U.N. spokesman said on Thursday. The rebel Syrian National Coalition said that the Syrian army and allied fighters have been stealing relief items and distributing to their troops. "UNICEF is extremely concerned at reports that some of its humanitarian supplies in Syria have not reached their intended d
  
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• U.S.-led air strikes target Islamic State Syria, Iraq against Islamic State : U.S

  21-05-2015 22:41 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and coalition forces conducted 18 air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq since Wednesday, the U.S. military said on Thursday. The 10 strikes in Iraq hit targets near Baiji, Fallujah, Makhmur, Mosul, Sinjar and Tal Afar, destroying Islamic State tactical units, a tunnel system, fighting positions and heavy machine guns, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement. ...
  
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• Senate panel keeps domestic budgets frozen for now

  21-05-2015 22:41 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Ignoring veto threats, Republicans on a key Senate panel Wednesday approved an overall freeze on the annual operating budgets for domestic agencies while padding overseas military accounts to raise Pentagon budget limits by $36 billion.
  
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• Amtrak ordered to install more speed controls after deadly crash

  21-05-2015 22:40
  
  The Federal Railroad Administration has ordered Amtrak to install speed controls along its busiest route, controls experts say likely would have prevented last week's crash that killed eight people and injured more than 200.
  
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• Oil spill hits wildlife and beaches

  21-05-2015 22:37 via edition.cnn.com
  
  What caused an oil spill along the beautiful Santa Barbara coast is still being investigated but its results are all too visible as workers dressed in white protective suits rake up balls of tar from the shore.
  
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• Blues great B.B. King's daughter to host Vegas Strip event

  21-05-2015 22:36 via news.yahoo.com
  
  LAS VEGAS (AP) — B.B. King's eldest daughter says she'll host a free musical tribute event at a Las Vegas Strip venue after a public viewing of her father's body at a funeral chapel.
  
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• Suspect in slaying of wealthy family hunted in New York

  21-05-2015 22:33 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Police and federal agents were searching in New York City Thursday for a welder suspected in the slayings of his former employer, his wife, their 10-year-old son and a housekeeper inside a Washington mansion that was set on fire.
  
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• Birds, lobsters, beaches caught in oil

  21-05-2015 22:31 via edition.cnn.com
  
  See photos from the Santa Barbara coast of California, where oil spilled from a ruptured pipeline.
  
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• Fears mount over Palmyra as IS expands territory in Syria

  21-05-2015 22:30 via news.yahoo.com
  
  DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Fears mounted over the fate of one of the Mideast's most prominent archaeological sites after Islamic State militants overran the historic Syrian desert town of Palmyra, seizing control Thursday of its temples, tombs and colonnades within hours.
  
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• Walker promises pre-emptive strikes to prevent attacks on US

  21-05-2015 22:30 via news.yahoo.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is doubling down on his promises of pre-emptive strikes to prevent what he says are certain future attacks on American soil.
  
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• U.S. oil spills: How much and how they happened?

  21-05-2015 22:30 via edition.cnn.com
  
  The Santa Barbara oil spill has environmentalists and California officials scrambling as an estimated 105,000 gallons of oil may have spilled into the Pacific Ocean and onto the Golden State's coast.
  
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• US stocks notch record as rising oil boosts energy sector

  21-05-2015 22:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market eked out another record close on Thursday as rising oil prices boosted energy stocks.
  
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• US proposal would ease voting access for American Indians

  21-05-2015 22:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is proposing legislation to make it easier for American Indians and Alaska Natives to vote.
  
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• PayPal's new chief promises new services for a mobile world

  21-05-2015 22:25 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — As PayPal prepares to split from its corporate parent, its new chief executive is promising to expand the popular online payment system with a variety of services that consumers can use when shopping on their phones or in traditional stores.
  
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• Islamic State seizes Syria's last border crossing with Iraq

  21-05-2015 22:25 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The Islamic State militant group has seized the last border crossing between Syria and Iraq controlled by the Syrian government after security forces withdrew, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Thursday. Iraqi officials said Iraqi security forces had also withdrawn from their side of the crossing known as al-Waleed in Iraq and al-Tanf in Syria. The crossing is in Syria's Homs province, where Islamic State on Wednesday seized the historic city of Palmyra from govern
  
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• Celtics owner Pagliuca takes over Boston's 2024 Olympic bid

  21-05-2015 22:21 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BOSTON (AP) — The group leading the bid to bring the 2024 Olympics to Boston is shaking up its management.
  
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