General news

• Throngs pack into Times Square for annual New Year's bash

  31-12-2015 23:56 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Thick crowds of revelers packed Times Square in the hours before the midnight ball drop, resolving to celebrate New Year's Eve with gusto and optimism, despite a year filled with headlines of extremist attacks and a heavy security presence.
  
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• Golden State's Curry out for 2nd straight game

  31-12-2015 23:49 via news.yahoo.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — Golden State's Stephen Curry is out for the second straight game Thursday night against Houston with a bruised lower left leg.
  
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• Winter Classic has grown into an outdoor hockey festival

  31-12-2015 23:43 via news.yahoo.com
  
  FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Since the NHL first experimented with outdoor games more than a decade ago, the Winter Classic has grown into a festival of fresh air hockey that this year included for the first time a professional women's game.
  
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• Ward powers Houston past Florida State 38-24 in Peach Bowl

  31-12-2015 23:39 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — Greg Ward Jr. and the Houston Cougars showed they could thrive in a big-game atmosphere against a big-name opponent.
  
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• THE LATEST: Clemson now leads Oklahoma 13-10 at Orange Bowl

  31-12-2015 23:38 via news.yahoo.com
  
  MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The latest developments from the College Football Playoff national semifinal game between Clemson and Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl (all times local):
  
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• Despite fears and huge Dubai fire, New Year revelry rolls on

  31-12-2015 23:38 via news.yahoo.com
  
  On a New Year's Eve haunted by fears of terrorism, a spectacular fire in one of Dubai's tall towers captured the world's attention. With few exceptions, the celebrations rolled on, and while fire still raged, the Dubai Media office declared on Twitter: "New Year celebrations in Dubai will continue as scheduled."
  
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• State: Dozens of old Clinton emails newly classified

  31-12-2015 23:34 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says portions of 275 emails released Thursday from Hillary Clinton's time as secretary of state have been newly classified.
  
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• Spotty service at popular messaging app WhatsApp on NYE

  31-12-2015 23:30 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — They're not ignoring you, it's just WhatsApp.
  
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• Dow, S&P 500 in red for 2015, worst year since 2008

  31-12-2015 23:26 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 racked up their worst annual performance in seven years Thursday after a sell-off in the final Wall Street session of 2015. The S&P 500 fell 0.9 percent to 2,043.94, leaving the broad-based gauge of US stocks down 0.7 percent for the year, its first loss since 2011. The blue-chip Dow dropped 1.0 percent in the session to 17,425.03, taking its annual loss to 2.2 percent.
  
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• Spectacular fireworks as hotel burns

  31-12-2015 23:18 via rss.cnn.com
  
  New Year's revelers watch as fireworks light up the night sky in Dubai near where a massive fire broke out at the high-end Address hotel.
  
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• Floods swamp Missouri, Illinois; nine million people in risk areas

  31-12-2015 23:11 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Record flooding from rain-swollen rivers has washed out hundreds of structures in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and 9.3 million Americans still face flood warnings. At least 28 people have died in the U.S. Midwest's extreme weather since the weekend, mostly from driving into flooded areas after storms dropped up to 12 inches (30 cm) of rain, officials said. The days of downpours have pushed the mighty Mississippi and its tributaries to
  
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• Shackled with head locked in water: What can go wrong?

  31-12-2015 23:07 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The illusionist Darcy Oake will try to escape from a cube of water at the New Year's Day parade in London.
  
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• Nonfatal shootings leave scars on city marred by violence

  31-12-2015 23:06 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BALTIMORE (AP) — Clifton Gerald has seven bullets in his body. His kneecap, destroyed by a gunshot wound, is plastic and he's lost feeling in his right leg and his left hand. He's got a scar bisecting his belly — a reminder of when he lost his spleen. In one shooting in 1990, he took 13 bullets to the torso. He was shot again in 2004, in both legs and in the chest.
  
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• Hard-fought legal battles expected in the Cosby case

  31-12-2015 23:06 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bill Cosby's lawyers went on the attack Thursday after the comedian's arrest, calling the sexual assault charges a flawed, politically motivated case that will not hold up in court.
  
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• Women, let's get rid of man panels

  31-12-2015 23:02 via rss.cnn.com
  
  When foreign ministers from 10 countries -- Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE and United States -- met in Paris in December to discuss possible solutions to the crisis in Syria, the absence of women was noticeable and inexcusable, despite the fact that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 explicitly says all parties in any conflict should support women's participation in peace negotiations.
  
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• Prisoner mistakenly released early charged with killing teen

  31-12-2015 23:02 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SEATTLE (AP) — An inmate mistakenly released from a Washington state prison three months early has been charged with shooting and killing a teenager when he should have been locked up, officials said Thursday.
  
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• Caitlyn Jenner settles suit by woman injured in deadly crash

  31-12-2015 23:02 via news.yahoo.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman injured in a fatal crash involving Caitlyn Jenner settled her lawsuit against the Olympic gold medalist, according to court papers.
  
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• Republican Ben Carson's campaign manager, 20 staff quit

  31-12-2015 22:58 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Emily Flitter and James Oliphant NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Ben Carson's 2016 presidential bid was thrown into chaos on Thursday when his campaign manager and some 20 other staff members quit amid infighting, dropping poll numbers and negative media coverage. Barry Bennett, who oversaw Carson's rapid rise to the top tier of Republican contenders and his later fall, said he quit over differences with another top adviser to Carson, Armstrong Williams. Specifically, Bennett
  
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• Senior staff quit US presidential hopeful Carson's campaign

  31-12-2015 22:53 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Carson, a conservative Christian, once rivaled frontrunner Donald Trump in the quest for the Republican White House nomination, but has been struggling in the polls in recent weeks. First to go were campaign manager Barry Bennett and communications director Doug Watts. A third staffer, deputy campaign manager Lisa Cohen, then quit later in the day.
  
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• Iowa, Stanford see Rose Bowl as solid substitute for playoff

  31-12-2015 22:51 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Hogan will make a bit of Rose Bowl history when he steps behind center Friday for his record-tying third start for Stanford in the Granddaddy of Them All.
  
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• Oil drags Wall Street to 2015 losses

  31-12-2015 22:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Wall Street finished its final day of 2015 down, marking its worst annual performance in seven years.
  
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• AP PHOTOS: Happy New Year! World celebrates 2016

  31-12-2015 22:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  As 2015 came to an end, cities around the world were celebrating the start of a new year and bidding goodbye to one marred by terrorist attacks that left people on edge. Despite the rattled nerves, most places were pressing on with their holiday revels.
  
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• Arrest foils attack on New York state bar

  31-12-2015 22:45 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Justice Department officials announced Thursday they had thwarted a Rochester man's plans to kill New Year's Eve participants in the name of ISIS at an upstate New York bar and restaurant.
  
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• California condor that helped save species returns to wild

  31-12-2015 22:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Banking into the wind and then gliding out of sight, a male California condor flew back into the wild after a captive breeding program that helped save North America's largest species of land bird.
  
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• Motley Crue signs off, promising film version of farewell blowout

  31-12-2015 22:35 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Bad boy rockers Motley Crue are retiring with the end of 2015 -- but plan to return in the new year with a film version of their final blowout. The glam metal band, known for its unabashed celebration of hedonism, has declared its nearly 35-year career over with a "Crue Years Eve" concert Thursday night at the Staples Center in hometown Los Angeles. Motley Crue also played the Staples Center on Monday and Wednesday, capping a year and a half of shows on five continents as part of the final tour.
  
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• Stocks slip, close year mixed; oil ends ugly 2015 with slight gain

  31-12-2015 22:34 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Stock and bond markets in major economies closed 2015 with a mixed performance, while oil prices and emerging markets cemented big losses during a year that provided few safe places for investors. While equity markets in Japan and Western Europe gained strongly amid ongoing ultra-easy monetary policy, concerns about global growth and a robust U.S. dollar crushed petroleum prices and took down emerging markets, copper and other metals.
  
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• Witness stories: 'I felt the heat on my back'

  31-12-2015 22:32 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The fire at Dubai's Address hotel spread so fast that it engulfed much of the building before witnesses fully wrapped their heads around what was happening.
  
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• What's next for brutal, ruthless ISIS?

  31-12-2015 22:28 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Five of CNN's correspondents gathered recently to discuss how the world changed in 2015 and what may come in the year ahead. Nick Paton Walsh, Nima Elbagir, Ivan Watson, Clarissa Ward and Arwa Damon sat down with videographer Claudia Morales and talked about the stories, issues and people they had covered. See their conversations in a series of videos and catch up on the key stories of our time. Here, ISIS. Also in the series: The refugee crisis; Russia
  
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• Huge fire erupts at Dubai hotel, near New Year celebrations

  31-12-2015 22:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A huge fire ripped through a luxury Dubai hotel Thursday night, injuring 16 people, just a few hours before the emirate celebrated the new year with a spectacular fireworks display nearby. The Address Downtown hotel, which is a few blocks from the iconic Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, was engulfed in flames across several floors as sirens wailed and helicopters hovered overhead, witnesses said. Dubai's police chief said all the hotel's residents had been evacuated from the scene of the
  
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• Spurs' Tim Duncan will play Saturday vs Rockets

  31-12-2015 22:23 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tim Duncan will play Saturday when San Antonio hosts the Houston Rockets after missing the previous three games.
  
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• Woman's amazing reason for drink driving

  31-12-2015 22:15 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Imagine being charged with a DUI when it's been hours since you've had a drink, only to later discover that your body brews its own alcohol.
  
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• Throngs expected in Times Square for annual New Year's bash

  31-12-2015 22:15 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Revelers have begun to fill New York City's Times Square in the hours before the midnight ball drop, resolving to celebrate New Year's Eve despite headlines of extremist attacks around the world and a heavy security presence.
  
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• Photos: Photos Show Devastating Floodwaters in Midwest

  31-12-2015 22:15 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Severe weather sweeps through several states.
  
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• Nonfatal shootings soar past Baltimore's high homicide rate

  31-12-2015 22:13 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BALTIMORE (AP) — Clifton Gerald has seven bullets in his body. His kneecap, destroyed by a gunshot wound, is plastic and he's lost feeling in his right leg and his left hand. He's got a scar bisecting his belly — a reminder of when he lost his spleen. In one shooting in 1990, he took 13 bullets to the torso. He was shot again in 2004, in both legs and in the chest.
  
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• US stocks edge lower; S&P 500 goes red for the year

  31-12-2015 22:07 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Stocks are closing out 2015 on a downbeat note.
  
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• Source: Obama to act next week on gun background checks

  31-12-2015 22:07 via news.yahoo.com
  
  HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama is expected to take executive action next week to expand background checks on gun sales, according to an individual whose gun control advocacy group has been briefed by administration officials about the timing.
  
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• Blaze hits Dubai skyscraper, New Year's fireworks proceed nearby

  31-12-2015 22:01 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Noah Browning DUBAI (Reuters) - Fire engulfed a 63-storey skyscraper in Dubai on Thursday night, but with the block evacuated and only minor injuries reported authorities went ahead with a New Year's fireworks display at the world's tallest building a few hundred meters away. Tongues of flame shot skywards from one side of the luxury Address Downtown Dubai hotel and residential block, which stands across a plaza from the 160-storey Burj Khalifa tower where people had gathered for fireworks to
  
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• High security in Central African Republic as vote count starts

  31-12-2015 21:55 via news.yahoo.com
  
  UN troops stood guard over the main vote-counting centre in Bangui on Thursday after a peaceful election in the Central African Republic aimed at turning the page on years of inter-religious violence. While initial reaction to the voting process was positive, there were some reports of minor irregularities and the national electoral commission, admitting a number of "logistical difficulties", urged candidates to use legal means to address any grievances. How the country dealt with any contentiou
  
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• Republican Ben Carson's campaign manager, other aides quit

  31-12-2015 21:47 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Emily Flitter and James Oliphant NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The campaign manager of U.S. Republican Ben Carson's 2016 presidential run and other aides resigned on Thursday in a dispute over the direction of Carson's foundering campaign only a month before the nomination process begins in earnest. Barry Bennett, who oversaw Carson's rapid rise to the top tier of Republican contenders and his equally precipitous fall, said he quit over differences with another top adviser to Carson, Armstr
  
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• Dubai's New Year fireworks go ahead despite skyscraper fire nearby

  31-12-2015 21:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  DUBAI (Reuters) - An elaborate New Year's fireworks display began in Dubai on Friday at the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, even though fire was still raging at a 63-storey hotel and apartment block nearby. Dubai authorities had said the festivities would go ahead despite the fire at the Address Hotel, which they said was 90 percent under control. The hotel was evacuated and most of the injuries were reported to be minor. (Reporting By Noah Browning; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
  
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• Oil ends 2015 down 35 percent; long, painful hangover seen

  31-12-2015 21:43 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Barani Krishnan and Ahmad Ghaddar NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Thursday but fell as much as 35 percent for the year after a race to pump by Middle East crude producers and U.S. shale oil drillers created an unprecedented global glut that may take through 2016 to clear. Global oil benchmark Brent and U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rose between 1 and 2 percent on the day on short-covering and buying support in a thinly traded market ahead of the New Year ho
  
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• Dubai's New Year's fireworks kick off amid tower blaze

  31-12-2015 21:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A massive fireworks display kicked off for New Year's at the world's tallest tower in Dubai, while plumes of smoke billowed in the air from a fire raging at a nearby luxury tower.
  
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• Newly released emails reveal coordination after teen's death

  31-12-2015 21:36 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The Chicago mayor's office, police and the body that investigates police shootings closely coordinated their actions in the days after a white officer fatally shot a black teenager in 2014, emails released ...
  
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• No plea bargain for 'not guilty' Bill Cosby, lawyer says

  31-12-2015 21:33 via news.yahoo.com
  
  (Reuters) - Comedian Bill Cosby's lawyer said on Thursday that the entertainer would not consider a plea bargain on charges he sexually assaulted a woman in 2004 after giving her drugs and alcohol. Lawyer Monique Pressley, speaking on NBC's "Today Show," also accused the district attorney's office in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, of playing "political football" with Cosby by making the case a focal point in a recent election. Asked if the defense was open to a plea agreement, Pressley replied
  
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• Aide to 98-year-old architect I.M. Pei charged with assault

  31-12-2015 21:33 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A home health aide to 98-year-old renowned architect I.M. Pei has been charged with assaulting him inside his New York City home.
  
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• Nipple spat over public breastfeeding

  31-12-2015 21:22 via rss.cnn.com
  
  A New Hampshire state House debate about public breastfeeding is getting ugly, following a legislative proposal that would make it a misdemeanor to expose nipples while in public.
  
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• Hollande invokes French terrorism threat, defends passport-stripping

  31-12-2015 21:17 via news.yahoo.com
  
  President Francois Hollande said on Thursday France was "not finished with terrorism" and used a new year's message to defend controversial plans to strip citizenship from those convicted of terrorism offences. The proposals, yet to go before the French National Assembly and Senate, have divided Hollande's ruling Socialists and drawn veiled criticism from his own justice minister, Christine Taubira. "I made a choice in good conscience that was proportionate to what France has suffered," Hollande
  
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• Luxury in flames

  31-12-2015 21:11 via rss.cnn.com
  
  A massive fire broke out on New Year's Eve at the high-end Address hotel in downtown Dubai.
  
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• People were screaming, running

  31-12-2015 21:08 via rss.cnn.com
  
  CNN en Español Correspondent Jaqueline Hurtado was celebrating New Year's Eve in Dubai when she witnessed a fire break out at the Address hotel.
  
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• Hotel guests evaucuate

  31-12-2015 21:07 via rss.cnn.com
  
  A fire broke out Thursday night at the high-end Address hotel in downtown Dubai, the government of the United Arab Emirates' said.
  
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