General news

• Ford executives say they are open to partners on small cars

  28-01-2016 23:53 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Bernie Woodall DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co Chief Executive Mark Fields said on Thursday he is "always open to talking with others" about partnerships on small cars. Fields was speaking generally about partnering on small cars without directly addressing whether he would consider a vehicle-making alliance with rival Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV . Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Wednesday the company would stop making two sedans, the compact Dodge Dart and midsize
  
  Read more

• Germany to tighten asylum rules as Sweden, Finland plan deportations

  28-01-2016 23:52 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Germany moved Thursday to toughen its asylum policies, as Finland and Sweden announced plans to deport tens of thousands of people in a bid to contain the migrant crisis. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel announced that Germany will place Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia on a list of "safe countries of origin" -- meaning their nationals would have little chance of winning asylum. Some migrants will also be blocked from bringing their families to join them in Germany for two years, Gabriel said.
  
  Read more

• Germany moves to tighten asylum rules to stem migrant flow

  28-01-2016 23:49 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Germany's coalition partners agreed new measures Thursday to tighten asylum policies in an effort to stem an unprecedented influx of migrants, notably by making it easier to send back arrivals from North Africa and by delaying family reunifications. The measures are part of a package announced by Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the Social Democrats, after a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democrats and Horst Seehofer of Bavaria's Christian Social Union. The tough
  
  Read more

• 'Affluenza' teen sent back to Texas, 'docile' in detention

  28-01-2016 23:48 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Marice Richter and Anahi Rama FORT WORTH, Texas/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The American teenager derided for claiming a defense of "affluenza" in the killing four people while driving drunk arrived back in Texas on Thursday after being deported from Mexico and was placed in juvenile detention. After his flight landed, Ethan Couch, 18, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sporting a beard, was seen with his hands behind his back being escorted by uniformed officers through the Dallas-Fort Worth airpor
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Germany moves to cut asylum claims

  28-01-2016 23:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Germany unveils plans to add Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to its list of safe countries, as it tightens rules on dealing with an influx of migrants.
  
  Read more

• Carrie Underwood to honor military families during tour

  28-01-2016 23:45 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country star Carrie Underwood is working with Carnival Cruise Line and Operation Homefront to honor military families throughout her upcoming "Storyteller" tour.
  
  Read more

• Iran, France hail 'new relationship'

  28-01-2016 23:29 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and his French counterpart Francois Hollande hailed a "new relationship" between their countries Thursday as the leader of the Islamic Republic visited Paris to seal a host of post-sanctions deals. A commitment for Tehran to buy 118 Airbus aircraft was the most eye-catching of the deals that also included agreements for carmaker Peugeot to return to Iran and for Total to buy Iranian crude oil. "A new era in our relationship starts today," Hollande said at a press
  
  Read more

• In the US, a day on Chinese goods

  28-01-2016 23:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  From bacon to Grindr - taking over the US market
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Las Palmas 0-1 Valencia

  28-01-2016 23:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Valencia reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals with victory over Las Palmas to ease the pressure on boss Gary Neville.
  
  Read more

• Amazon shares slide on sales miss

  28-01-2016 23:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amazon missed analysts' estimates for the fourth quarter despite a 21.8% rise in sales, sending its shares tumbling.
  
  Read more

• Oregon occupation simmers as few holdouts surrounded by law enforcement

  28-01-2016 22:51 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A handful of armed protesters remained holed up in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon on Thursday, surrounded by police and federal agents, despite impassioned pleas from their jailed leader for them to stand down after the death of an activist. One of the holdouts at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, David Fry, said in a YouTube message on Thursday that their number had dwindled to four following the departure of another occupier on Wednesday night. Fry said that the small group had been i
  
  Read more

• Amazon delivers big profit boost, but misses forecast

  28-01-2016 22:48 via news.yahoo.com
  
  US online giant Amazon on Thursday reported a doubling of profits in the past quarter, lifted by its membership service and video, but the results fell short of Wall Street forecasts. Amazon shares slid 11 percent in after-hours trade on the results, which showed a fourth-quarter profit of $482 million, up from a $214 million profit a year earlier. The results marked the third consecutive quarterly profit for the company, which is a heavyweight in online retail as well as cloud computing, and mo
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Crew saved from listing ship in heavy seas

  28-01-2016 22:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Spanish coastguard has rescued 22 crew from a ship off Cape Ortegal.
  
  Read more

• Syria peace talks derailed as opposition stays away

  28-01-2016 22:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi, John Davison and Stephanie Nebehay AMMAN/BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition said it will not attend peace talks due to begin in Geneva on Friday, derailing the first attempt in two years to hold negotiations aimed at ending the five-year-long war. An opposition council convening in Riyadh said its delegation would "certainly" not be in Geneva on Friday, saying it had not received convincing answers to its demands for goodwill steps including an end to air str
  
  Read more

• Microsoft quarterly profit slips but tops expectations

  28-01-2016 22:35 via news.yahoo.com
  
  San Francisco (AFP) - Microsoft shares jumped on Thursday after the software colossus reported quarterly profit was down but better than Wall Street had expected.
  
  Read more

• 26 migrants drown off Greek island

  28-01-2016 22:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Twenty-six migrants drown off the Greek island of Samos near Turkey, as a continuing migrant influx puts pressure on the EU.
  
  Read more

• Facebook shares jump 15.5 percent after strong results

  28-01-2016 22:33 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Facebook Inc shares surged 15.5 percent on Thursday, their biggest percentage increase since July 2013, after the social networking service posted quarterly results that blew away expectations on every key measure. Facebook's strong quarter contrasted with a disappointing performance by Apple Inc , which is worth about $519 billion, making it the most valuable U.S. company. "FB has built a remarkable ad platform that enables marketers of all stripes to serve targeted ads to nearly every consumer
  
  Read more

• Bipartisan probe faults gov't with migrant child abuse

  28-01-2016 22:32 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Migrant children in the government's care fell prey to human trafficking after the Health and Human Services Department failed to protect them, according to a bipartisan congressional investigation released Thursday.
  
  Read more

• Harvey Weinstein honored at amfAR New York Fashion Week gala

  28-01-2016 22:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The Foundation for AIDS Research is recognizing film producer Harvey Weinstein at its annual New York Fashion Week gala.
  
  Read more

• Four-time finalist Murray faces Raonic hurdle at Australian Open

  28-01-2016 22:23 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Andy Murray faces Milos Raonic in the Australian Open semis on Friday as he aims for his fifth final in Melbourne and another tilt at a title which has so far remained tantalisingly out of reach. The Scot, seeded second, has lost all four finals he has played in Melbourne with the big-serving Canadian, now working under former world number one Carlos Moya, his last obstacle to reaching a fifth. A pumped-up Murray, who was taken on an emotional rollercoaster after his father-in-law's collapse las
  
  Read more

• Pentagon chief seeks to improved family leave, child care

  28-01-2016 22:22 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday unveiled a series of family-friendly proposals for the military that would increase parental leave, child care and health care coverage to bolster efforts to recruit and retain high-quality service members.
  
  Read more

• Oscars presenters unveiled amid row

  28-01-2016 22:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Academy Awards unveils a diverse group of presenters and performers for this year's Oscars, amid an ongoing row about the lack of diversity.
  
  Read more

• Australia's drive for coal seam gas raises protests

  28-01-2016 22:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Australia's controversial drive for coal seam gas
  
  Read more

• Lawmakers consider bill inspired by the late Peter Falk

  28-01-2016 22:09 via news.yahoo.com
  
  AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Lawmakers in Maine and other states are considering legislation stemming from a dispute among family members of actor Peter Falk near the end of his life.
  
  Read more

• Anguish for Brazilian families amid Zika fallout

  28-01-2016 22:09 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Mateus Marcelina da Silva had big dreams for his son, but they were shattered when he was born with brain damage, like thousands of babies in Brazil affected by a birth defect blamed on the Zika virus. Little Pietro looks almost like any other baby, but his head is unusually small and rigid. Soon after he was born, he was diagnosed with microcephaly, a birth defect that has surged in Brazil and which health officials say appears to be caused by pregnant mothers catching Zika, an otherwise mild t
  
  Read more

• Clinton's firewall? Black voters the key in South Carolina

  28-01-2016 22:07 via news.yahoo.com
  
  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — At Hillary Clinton's South Carolina headquarters, a young staffer readies a stack of pictures showing the former secretary of state with her old boss, President Barack Obama. Then the staffer bolts out the door.
  
  Read more

• Oregon standoff dwindles to 4 holdouts demanding no arrests

  28-01-2016 22:06 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BURNS, Ore. (AP) — The armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge dwindled Thursday to just four holdouts demanding assurances they will not be arrested by the FBI if they surrender.
  
  Read more

• Want to feel better? Move to Hawaii, Alaska

  28-01-2016 22:04 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — If you want to improve your sense of well-being, leave the Lower 48.
  
  Read more

• Clarification: France-Government story

  28-01-2016 22:04 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — In a story Jan. 27, The Associated Press reported that former French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira is scheduled to receive an honorary degree from the University of Wisconsin. The story should have specified that the degree is from the University of Wisconsin's Milwaukee campus.
  
  Read more

• Pick to lead Afghanistan forces says situation is worsening

  28-01-2016 22:01 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Thursday the security situation in the war-torn country is deteriorating and assured senators he will do a thorough review of American troop levels needed to stabilize the nation.
  
  Read more

• Bezos says Washington Post to 'lean into future'

  28-01-2016 21:56 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Jeff Bezos, the multibillionaire Amazon founder who bought The Washington Post in 2013, said Thursday the newspaper must look to the future with new technology without losing its "soul" or journalistic traditions. Bezos, speaking at the dedication of the new Post headquarters in the US capital in what was his first major public appearance as owner, said the future of the respected daily will depend on a strong technology team as well as its dedication to journalism. One of the world's richest in
  
  Read more

• Kanye unleashes Twitter rant

  28-01-2016 21:55 via rss.cnn.com
  
  We were so totally here for the Twitter beef between Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa.
  
  Read more

• ISIS claims presidential palace attack

  28-01-2016 21:55 via rss.cnn.com
  
  ISIS militants claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing that killed at least 11 people Thursday outside the palace where Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi resides in Yemen's southern port city of Aden.
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Venezuela says 4,700 suspected Zika cases

  28-01-2016 21:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  GENEVA (AP) — The Latest on the Zika virus that is spreading through Latin America (all times local):
  
  Read more

• Syria opposition to miss start of key peace talks

  28-01-2016 21:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Key Syrian opposition members said Thursday they will miss the start of crucial talks in Geneva aimed at ending the devastating war, as the UN warned the negotiations must not fail. The Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee, meeting in Riyadh, said it would not attend the Geneva negotiations until an agreement was reached on aid entering besieged towns.
  
  Read more

• Inquiry finds sales of concert tickets are a 'fixed game'

  28-01-2016 21:53 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Had a hard time getting a ticket to a concert or sporting event? New York's attorney general says that's probably because more than half of tickets to many events are held for industry insiders or otherwise unavailable to the general public.
  
  Read more

• Barclays faces £700m legal action

  28-01-2016 21:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Barclays confirms it is being sued for more than £700m by deal-maker Amanda Staveley in connection with its emergency fundraising in 2008.
  
  Read more

• How disaster changed NASA

  28-01-2016 21:50 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Much like the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, or the morning of September 11, 2001, most Americans remember where they were when they heard the news of the Challenger disaster.
  
  Read more

• Sweden and Finland plan to deport tens of thousands of migrants

  28-01-2016 21:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Finland joined Sweden on Thursday in announcing plans to deport tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers in a bid to contain the migrant crisis, as at least 31 more people died trying to reach the European Union. The two Nordic countries are both struggling to cope with an influx of refugees and migrants fleeing misery in the Middle East and elsewhere -- receiving amongst the highest numbers of arrivals per capita in the EU. The Finnish government expects to deport around two thirds of the 32,
  
  Read more

• 'Affluenza' teen back in U.S.

  28-01-2016 21:45 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Ethan Couch, the so-called "affluenza" teen convicted in a fatal 2013 drunken-driving accident and who was taken into custody last month in Mexico, is headed back to the United States, Mexico's National Institute of Migration said Thursday.
  
  Read more

• Factbox: Facts about the Zika virus and the current outbreak

  28-01-2016 21:44 via news.yahoo.com
  
  (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday the Zika virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is "spreading explosively" and may infect 3 to 4 million people in the Americas, including 1.5 million in Brazil. Here are some facts about the virus and the current outbreak. - The virus is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female Aedes mosquitoes, the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
  
  Read more

• Oregon occupiers: We'll leave or die

  28-01-2016 21:43 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The four people who remain holed up inside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon say they are ready to leave peacefully -- or prepared to die.
  
  Read more

• Michigan lawmakers approve $28M more for Flint water crisis

  28-01-2016 21:41 via news.yahoo.com
  
  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers directed another $28 million on Thursday to address Flint's lead-contaminated water supply, allocating money for bottled water, medical assessments and other costs for the financially struggling city.
  
  Read more

• For the world's most scrutinized body, Barbie has a new look

  28-01-2016 21:38 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — At 57, Barbie is getting a major makeover.
  
  Read more

• 'Trooper down!' Officers call for help after chase, shootout

  28-01-2016 21:30 via news.yahoo.com
  
  MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — Police radio calls released Thursday provide a glimpse of the high-speed chase on a busy interstate that ended with the driver of a pickup truck in a shootout with state troopers.
  
  Read more

• Assad's ex-PM: He doesn't want peace

  28-01-2016 21:27 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The day before Syrian peace talks are due to start in Geneva, Switzerland, the leader of a coalition of Syrian opposition groups tells CNN that Bashar al-Assad has no interest in reaching a political solution to the nearly 6-year-old civil war.
  
  Read more

• WHO says Zika virus spreads explosively, 4 million cases forecast

  28-01-2016 21:18 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The Zika virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is "spreading explosively" and could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. Director-General Margaret Chan told members of the U.N. health agency's executive board the spread of the mosquito-borne disease had gone from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions. "The level of alarm is extremely
  
  Read more

• Refugee team to compete at Rio Olympic Games

  28-01-2016 21:18 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A cross-nation team of refugees will participate in this year's Rio Olympics to send a "message of hope", International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said on Thursday. "The IOC has decided to invite the highest-qualified refugee athletes to the Olympic Games in Rio," Bach said at the Eleonas camp in Athens, a facility housing hundreds of migrants hoping to find passage to northern Europe. The refugee team, around five to ten strong, will participate as a delegation in its own right and be
  
  Read more

• More airlines ease policies for bookings to Zika-hit areas

  28-01-2016 21:18 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Lufthansa , British Airways and JetBlue on Thursday became the latest international carriers to offer rebookings or refunds for tickets to areas affected by the Zika virus, as the World Health Organization expressed concern about the swift spread of the mosquito-borne disease. Lufthansa and British Airways both said they would offer pregnant women the opportunity to change their reservations to another destination or delay travel, although they stopped short of offering complete refunds as sever
  
  Read more

• 'Big Bang' star wows with dance

  28-01-2016 21:15 via rss.cnn.com
  
  "The Big Bang Theory" actress Kaley Cuoco floored the crowd with her performance on "Lip Sync Battle."
  
  Read more

Follow @newslock_news on Twitter!