General news

• Robert Redford addresses diversity in film at Sundance

  21-01-2016 23:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — As the Sundance Film Festival kicked off on Thursday, founder Robert Redford weighed in on the controversy over the lack of diversity this year among Oscar nominees in acting categories.
  
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• Appeals court: Clean Power Plan can proceed pending review

  21-01-2016 23:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — In what environmentalists hailed as a victory for efforts to curb climate change, an appeals panel in Washington on Thursday rebuffed efforts to delay enforcement of President Barack Obama's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions until legal challenges are resolved.
  
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• Some Democrats fear Clinton's message is failing

  21-01-2016 23:33 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Clinton has questioned Bernie Sanders' electability. She's criticized his plans for health care, foreign policy and Wall Street. And she's tagged him with flip-flopping on gun control.
  
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• Washington shuts down metro with snow looming

  21-01-2016 23:29 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Washington's entire underground railway system will be shut for the weekend along with city bus routes, officials said Thursday, as the US capital braces for a massive snow storm. Washington's metro system will close at 11:00 pm Friday (0400 GMT Saturday) and will not reopen until Monday morning. "The actions we are taking today are all in the interest of our customers' and employees' safety, and will help us return to service once the storm passes and the snow is cleared," said the metro system
  
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• Film gives look at Gleason's life with Lou Gehrig's disease

  21-01-2016 23:29 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason was never going to turn a film documenting his life with Lou Gehrig's disease into a sanitized, feel-good story of triumph in the face of tragedy.
  
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• The Latest: Ex-officer's victim says justice was done

  21-01-2016 23:16 via news.yahoo.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The latest in the sentencing of a former Oklahoma City officer convicted of rape and sex assaults (all times local):
  
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• Leader of armed group at wildlife refuge is speaking to FBI

  21-01-2016 23:12 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The leader of an armed group that for nearly three weeks has occupied a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon has begun speaking with the FBI.
  
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• Michigan governor will be called to congressional hearing on Flint water crisis

  21-01-2016 23:11 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Fiona Ortiz CHICAGO (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and other officials will be called to testify next month to a congressional panel about the crisis over lead-contaminated water in the city of Flint, a congressional office said on Thursday. U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence, a Democrat, requested the Feb. 3 hearing of the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee last week, said her communications director, Tracy Manzer. Susan Hedman, administrator for t
  
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• Key things to know about federal land grazing in the West

  21-01-2016 23:09 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Two brothers leading an armed group that has taken up residence for nearly three weeks at a national wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon plan to hold a ceremony Saturday for ranchers to renounce federal control of public land and tear up their grazing contracts.
  
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• Judge tosses civil case against Chicago officer in shooting

  21-01-2016 23:05 via news.yahoo.com
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge again criticized the city of Chicago Thursday for how it dealt with a police-shooting video as he tossed a civil case against one of two officers involved in a fatal 2013 shooting of a black teenager suspected in a carjacking.
  
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• Appeals court upholds FEC rule on disclosure requirements

  21-01-2016 23:01 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday dealt a setback to campaign finance reform advocates in a ruling about who pays for political ads.
  
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• US stocks rise as energy stocks rally after big slump

  21-01-2016 22:59 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose Thursday and recovered some of their steep losses from the day before. The price of oil also recovered from a big decline. That lifted energy companies, which have been struggling as energy prices tumble.
  
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• 'Jiajia touched a special place in our heart'

  21-01-2016 22:59 via rss.cnn.com
  
  CNN's Michael Holmes speaks to Jeri and Brian Wilson about why they've chosen to adopt a Chinese orphan and the outpouring of public support they've received.
  
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• Former US Marine released from Iran back home in Michigan

  21-01-2016 22:58 via news.yahoo.com
  
  FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A former U.S. Marine recently released from Iran in a prisoner-swap deal returned to his home state of Michigan on Thursday and thanked those who "traveled this road with me."
  
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• A new life: JiaJia's adoption

  21-01-2016 22:58 via rss.cnn.com
  
  CNN first met JiaJia in a Beijing orphanage in 2015. He'd been waiting for years to be adopted, since being abandoned by his mother outside a fertility clinic in Xinyang, Henan province. Now he's been taken to the U.S. by a new family -- the Wilsons -- who are determined to give him a better life.
  
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• Would Flint crisis happen in wealthier, whiter community?

  21-01-2016 22:55 via news.yahoo.com
  
  FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Ever since the full extent of the Flint water crisis emerged, one question has persisted: Would this have happened in a wealthier, whiter community?
  
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• Husband charged with doctor's slaying in affluent NYC suburb

  21-01-2016 22:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SCARSDALE, N.Y. (AP) — The husband of a pediatrician at a New York City children's hospital was charged with murder after she was found stabbed in a shower at their multimillion-dollar suburban home, authorities said Thursday.
  
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• SAT tests canceled in China, Macau over cheating concerns

  21-01-2016 22:51 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PITTSBURGH (AP) — The firm that oversees registrations for the SAT has canceled college entrance exams on Saturday in China and Macau, because some students may have already seen copies of the tests.
  
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• New at Westminster dog show: 7 breeds, obedience contest

  21-01-2016 22:48 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A bumper crop of seven new dog breeds will get a shot at being best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club competition next month, while a new obedience contest makes more room for mixed-breed dogs at the nation's premier canine competition.
  
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• The Latest: US drops rivalry to multilateral Argentine loans

  21-01-2016 22:47 via news.yahoo.com
  
  DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The latest developments from the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where top executives and world leaders are gathered this week. All times local.
  
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• Photos: The Rock Kicks Back on the Set of 'Ballers'

  21-01-2016 22:47
  
  See your favorite stars transform into the characters you love.
  
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• Iraqi minister says 'blackmail' behind kidnapping of U.S. citizens

  21-01-2016 22:47 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Iraq's defense minister said on Thursday the three Americans who went missing in Baghdad last week had been seized by an "organized gang that carries out abductions for blackmail". In an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Khaled al-Obaidi did not elaborate.The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp, under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the matter. Iraqi intelligence and U.S. government sources said on Tuesda
  
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• U.S. East Coast braces for up to 30 inches of snow

  21-01-2016 22:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington D.C., New York and other East Coast cities readied fleets of snow plows, airlines canceled flights and residents stocked up on groceries on Thursday ahead of a winter storm expected to dump up to 30 inches (76 cm) of snow. Blizzard warnings were out in the nation's capital and Baltimore, with extreme conditions expected to begin on Friday afternoon, while New York City was under a blizzard watch for Saturday morning. The Washington Metropolitan Ar
  
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• Latest: Ex-US Marine released from Iran grateful for support

  21-01-2016 22:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The latest on the return to the United States of former Iranian prisoner Amir Hekmati (all times local):
  
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• ACC schedule takes hit because of approaching snowstorm

  21-01-2016 22:38 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The Atlantic Coast Conference on Thursday moved two games involving No. 13 Virginia back a day because of forecasts for heavy snow.
  
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• EPA actions in Flint water crisis to be examined: White House

  21-01-2016 22:37 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will ensure that federal officials are held accountable if any wrongdoing is uncovered in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's handling of the water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, the White House said on Thursday. "The president believes that the principle of accountability is important, particularly when the stakes are this high," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a briefing. Noting that the Justic
  
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• Cheaper fuel boosts 4Q profit at United, Southwest

  21-01-2016 22:37 via news.yahoo.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Lower fuel prices are boosting airline profits and leaving enough left over for passengers to get slightly lower fares.
  
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• Russia displays naval might off Syria's Mediterranean coast

  21-01-2016 22:19 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ONBOARD THE VICE ADMIRAL KULAKOV (AP) — Russian warships equipped with an array of long-range missiles cruise off Syria's coast to back the air campaign in Syria and project Moscow's naval power worldwide.
  
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• Photos: Presidential Hopefuls Campaign Through the Snow

  21-01-2016 22:13
  
  A collection of images of past and present United States presidential candidates in the snow.
  
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• Djokovic faces Italy's Seppi in third round of Australian Open

  21-01-2016 22:09 via news.yahoo.com
  
  World number one Novak Djokovic faces his toughest test at the Australian Open so far on Friday when he takes on Italian Andreas Seppi, who stunned Roger Federer at the same stage last year. The Serbian top seed is relegated to Margaret Court Arena for his night match, bumped off the centre court Rod Laver Arena by combustible local hope Nick Kyrgios, who is against sixth seed Tomas Berdych. Djokovic, gunning for an 11th Grand Slam title, is wary of the threat posed by Seppi, seeded 28.
  
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• 1st of 9 defendants sentenced in massive Navy bribery case

  21-01-2016 22:09 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SAN DIEGO (AP) — The first of nine defendants in a massive U.S. Navy bribery case was sentenced to 27 months in prison Thursday for providing classified information to a Malaysian defense contractor.
  
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• Russian ruble hits record low against dollar, central bank convenes meeting

  21-01-2016 21:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The Russian ruble slumped to an all-time low against the dollar Thursday, prompting the central bank to convene an evening meeting as chief Elvira Nabiullina cancelled her trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Russia's national currency also fell against the euro, dropping to around 93.7 rubles per euro before firming back up to 89.2. The Kremlin insisted that the ruble's plunge was "not a collapse" and that authorities would be able to stop the slide.
  
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• No domestic violence charges filed against Chapman

  21-01-2016 21:48 via news.yahoo.com
  
  New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman will not face domestic violence charges in connection with an October 30 incident involving his girlfriend, authorities in South Florida said Thursday. Chapman had been under investigation after an argument with 22-year-old Cristina Barnea, but prosecutors decided that insufficient evidence and conflicting accounts of the incident made a conviction unlikely. "We are all pleased that the Davie Police Department and the Office of the State Attorney took the
  
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• Spy's horrific death reveals terror of chemical war

  21-01-2016 21:46 via rss.cnn.com
  
  British parliamentary reports don't often make global headlines, but that is exactly what happened with a report released Thursday that looked into the 2006 death of a former Russian secret agent in London.
  
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• UK judge: Putin 'probably approved' killing of ex-KGB agent

  21-01-2016 21:44 via news.yahoo.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Almost a decade after former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko lay dying in a London hospital bed, a British judge has concluded who poisoned him: two Russian men, acting at the behest of Russia's security services, probably with approval from President Vladimir Putin.
  
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• Terror fears tighten U.S. visas

  21-01-2016 21:43 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The U.S. began implementing changes Thursday to its visa policies that will make it harder for some Europeans to travel to the United States in a bid to keep ISIS adherents out of the country.
  
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• Sledders welcome on Capitol Hill after lawmakers intervene

  21-01-2016 21:43 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — It took an act of Congress, but the children of Washington are finally welcome to sled down on Capitol Hill.
  
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• Exclusive: Saudi Arabia warns against 'nefarious activities' by Iran

  21-01-2016 21:36 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - The lifting of sanctions on Iran as a result of its nuclear deal with world powers will be a harmful development if it uses the extra money to fund "nefarious activities", Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters on Tuesday. Asked in an exclusive interview if Saudi Arabia had discussed seeking a nuclear bomb in the event Iran managed to obtain one despite its atomic deal, he said Saudi Arabia would do "whatever we need to do in order to pro
  
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• Egypt: who's afraid of January 25?

  21-01-2016 21:35 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Ahmed Aboulenein CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian activists Ali al-Khouly and Mohamed Ali had just sat down at a Cairo coffeeshop when plainclothes officers grabbed them and hauled them off to a police station. What they most wanted to know was: what are your plans next Monday? As the fifth anniversary of Jan. 25 protests that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule approaches, the toughest security crackdown in Egypt's history is a clear sign that authorities are worried. "They are employing scare tact
  
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• VA chief to Congress: You can't fire your way to excellence

  21-01-2016 21:33 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald refuted claims by members of Congress Thursday that his scandal-plagued agency hasn't dismissed enough employees, saying, "You can't fire your way to excellence."
  
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• Ex-Oklahoma officer gets 263 years for rapes, sex assaults

  21-01-2016 21:33 via news.yahoo.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A former police officer convicted of raping and sexually victimizing women while on his beat in a low-income Oklahoma City neighborhood was ordered Thursday to spend the rest of his life in prison.
  
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• With days to go, rival camps bicker over teams for Syria peace talks

  21-01-2016 21:32 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By David Brunnstrom and Tom Miles DAVOS/GENEVA (Reuters) - Syrian peace talks will go ahead in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry insisted on Thursday, but with just days to go, rival camps bickered about who should be invited to take part. Kerry conceded that the timetable may slip from a planned Jan. 25 start but there would be no fundamental delay, he said, and U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura would send out invitations on Sunday. "What will happen is on Monday, there will be some
  
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• A light dusting causes chaos as a massive blizzard looms

  21-01-2016 21:31 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The commuter chaos caused by a light dusting of snow in the nation's capital was an ominous prelude to the massive blizzard bearing down on the eastern United States on Thursday.
  
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• Movie theater sues Idaho police over 'Fifty Shades' flap

  21-01-2016 21:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A movie theater is suing the Idaho State Police for threatening to revoke the theater's liquor license because it served alcohol while showing "Fifty Shades of Grey."
  
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• Women suffer Internet hit here

  21-01-2016 21:26 via rss.cnn.com
  
  This week, the African Union is meeting to discuss human rights, and particularly how the continent can realize the full potential of its women.
  
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• Playing chicken before peace talks

  21-01-2016 21:25 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Another round of UN peace talks is set to start, but it's still not clear if they will actually happen - or who would be at the table. CNN's Becky Anderson reports.
  
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• The Latest: Ex-officer gets 263 years for rape, sex assault

  21-01-2016 21:24 via news.yahoo.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The latest in the sentencing of a former Oklahoma City officer convicted of rape and sex assaults (all times local):
  
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• Millions brace for massive US snow storm

  21-01-2016 21:24 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The eastern United States braced Thursday for a blizzard that could bury Washington under more snow than it has seen in nearly a century, before moving on to New York. Washington and neighboring cities including Baltimore could see up to two feet (61 centimeters) of snow accumulate in a short time as a result of the monster storm, which was also expected to generate fierce winds and icy rain in some area, forecasters said. Heavy snow was expected across at least 15 states, according to the Weath
  
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• US announces plan for new visa rules for some Europeans

  21-01-2016 21:22 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is easing new visa requirements for certain European travelers who have visited Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan in the last five years, a move that quickly angered some in Congress who pushed for new travel restrictions.
  
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• Iraqi PM doubts any Iranian link with three missing Americans

  21-01-2016 21:21 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By David Brunnstrom DAVOS (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday that three Americans who disappeared in Iraq last week "just went missing," and he very much doubted any Iranian involvement. Asked by a pool reporter at the start of a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Davos if he thought there was an Iranian link to their disappearance, Abadi said: "I don't know about that. The U.S. sources said Washington had no reason to believe Tehran
  
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