Thursday, December 27, 2012

A look at military-style semiautomatic rifles

A look at military-style semiautomatic rifles

A look at military-style semiautomatic rifles

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:56 PM PST

File-In this Thursday, July 26, 2012 file photo an AR-15 style rifle is displayed at the Firing-Line indoor range and gun shop, in Aurora, Colo. Similar weapons have been used in at least four high-profile shootings in the past year, including most recently the Connecticut school shootings and the Christmas Eve killings of two New York firefighters. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)PHOENIX (AP) — Military-style semiautomatic rifles have been used in at least four high-profile shootings in the past year. Bushmaster variations of the weapon have been used in two recent attacks, including the Newtown, Conn., school shootings and the Christmas Eve ambush slayings of two New York firefighters. While commonly called the AR-15, Colt and Armalite have been the only companies to make weapons by that specific name. Many other manufacturers, however, now sell similar versions of the rifle largely styled after the military's fully automatic M-16.

AP IMPACT: Ordinary folks losing faith in stocks

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:52 PM PST

In this Sept. 12, 2012, photo, Andrew Neitlich poses in front of one his investment homes in Venice, Fla. Neitlich once worked as a financial analyst picking stocks for a mutual fund. During the dot-com crash 12 years ago, Neitlich didn't sell his stocks, but like many others he is selling now. An analysis by The Associated Press finds that individual investors have pulled at least $380 billion from U.S. stock funds since they started selling in April 2007. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)NEW YORK (AP) — Andrew Neitlich is the last person you'd expect to be rattled by the stock market.

Obama back from Hawaii, Congress bickers on cliff

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:51 PM PST

President Barack Obama waves to reporters as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, as he returns early from his Hawaii vacation for meetings on the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama returned to the White House on Thursday from a vacation shortened by government gridlock while congressional Democrats and Republicans snarled across a partisan divide without evidence of compromise on a year-end "fiscal cliff" that threatened across-the-board tax increases and cuts to government programs.

Timeline: Key dates ahead as U.S. nears edge of "fiscal cliff"

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:51 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sharp U.S. tax increases and government spending cuts will take effect in January as part of the "fiscal cliff" unless Congress and President Barack Obama can agree soon on a deal to avoid it. With few signs at the moment of such an agreement emerging, here are some key dates ahead: * December 27. Senate reconvenes after holiday break. Spends day debating measures unrelated to the fiscal cliff. * December 28. Senate expected to continue debating measures unrelated to the fiscal cliff. * December 30. House of Representatives expected to reconvene. * January 1. ...

Shipping lanes off Calif tweaked to protect whales

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:49 PM PST

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ship traffic off the California coast will be re-routed under new rules designed to protect slow-moving endangered whales from ship collisions.

Mississippi River drops, threatening barge traffic

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:47 PM PST

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Mississippi River level is dropping again and barge industry trade groups warned Thursday that river commerce could essentially come to a halt as early as next week in an area south of St. Louis.

Egypt's Mubarak moved to army hospital on health concerns

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:44 PM PST

Former Egyptian President Mubarak sits inside a cage in a courtroom in CairoCAIRO (Reuters) - Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian strongman ousted last year after 30 years in power, was moved to an army hospital from a prison hospital on Thursday following a fall that raised fresh concerns about his fragile health. Mubarak, 84, was forced out in a 2011 uprising and sentenced to life in prison in June of this year for his role in killing protesters during the revolt. He was admitted to a prison hospital that month following what security officials called a "health crisis". ...

Woman set on fire in LA as she sleeps on bench

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:43 PM PST

A burned city bus bench seen in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Thursday Dec. 27,2012 after police arrested a man for allegedly setting a 67-year-old woman on fire who was sleeping on the bus stop bench. Authorities said the man, who is in his 20s, was arrested early Thursday. Police said the attack occurred shortly after 1 a.m. outside a drug store. A witness said he saw a man come out of the store and pour something on the woman who had been sleeping on a bench before striking a match and setting her ablaze. The woman, who may be homeless, was taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition. (AP Photo/Greg Risling)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police have identified a man arrested for allegedly setting a 67-year-old woman on fire as she was sleeping on a bus bench.

Husband charged in killing of Wisconsin officer

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:39 PM PST

This undated photo provided by the Wauwatosa Police Department shows officer Jennifer L. Sebena, who was found shot to death Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Police on Tuesday released a statement saying they're pursuing multiple leads. (AP Photo/Wauwatosa Police Department)MILWAUKEE (AP) — Prosecutors on Thursday charged a suburban Milwaukee police officer's husband with killing her while she was out on patrol alone early on Christmas Eve.

Fla. man pleads guilty in NY in $1M dino dispute

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:38 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida man has pleaded guilty in New York to smuggling dinosaur fossils into the United States, admitting that he lied to U.S. customs authorities.

Charge won't be pursued against Swift trespasser

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:36 PM PST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors on Thursday declined to pursue a criminal trespassing charge against a Wisconsin man arrested earlier this month for climbing a fence at a Nashville home linked to country star Taylor Swift.

Unprecedented east Jerusalem building in pipeline

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:34 PM PST

FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2011 file photo, a construction worker works on a new housing unit in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa. Israel is planning its biggest construction surge in east Jerusalem in decades, settlement opponents say, a move that would complicate prospects for restarting peace talks with the Palestinians. With more than 9,000 apartments in the pipeline, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reaffirming his opposition to ceding any parts of the holy city to the Palestinians, who say there can be no peace accord without partitioning the holy city.(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is planning its biggest construction surge in east Jerusalem in decades in a move that critics argue would cement its grip on the contested territory, further complicate any prospects for peace with the Palestinians, and badly rattle Israel's already rocky relations with the rest of the world.

No deal in sight as deadline for fiscal deal nears

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:32 PM PST

President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One to return to Washington, at Honolulu Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, after spending Christmas with his family in Hawaii, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)WASHINGTON (AP) — A last-gasp effort Thursday to avoid automatic tax increases and spending cuts got off on the same convulsive, partisan tone that marked congressional attempts to resolve the impasse before lawmakers headed home for Christmas.

Police offer 'virtual ridealongs' via Twitter

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:31 PM PST

In this Nov. 21, 2012 photo provided by The Rapid City Police Department Officer Ron Terviel, left, and Officer Carmen Visian wait while paramedics check a hit-and-run suspect during a Tweetalong in Rapid City, S.D. On a virtual ridealongs on Twitter, or Tweetalongs, officers post regular updates to Twitter about what they are seeing as they perform their normal on-duty routine. The tweets, which also include photos and links to videos of the officers, can encompass an array of activities. (AP Photo/Rapid City Police, Tarah Heupel)SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Riding side by side as a police officer answers a call for help or investigates a brutal crime during a ridealong gives citizens an up close look at the gritty and sometimes dangerous situations officers can experience on the job.

House may extend session to January 2: Republican aide

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:29 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican leaders in the House of Representatives may keep the House in session from Sunday evening through January 2, the final day of the current Congress, a senior House Republican aide said on Thursday. The next Congress, elected in November with a slightly diminished Republican majority, will be convened for the first time on January 3. (Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Sandra Maler)

SeaWorld files to go public with $100 million IPO

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:29 PM PST

FILE - In this Monday, March 7, 2011, file photo, park guests watch as a killer whale flips out of the water at SeaWorld Orlando's Shamu Stadium in Orlando, Fla. SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, filed for an initial public offering of stockthat could raise $100 million.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Looks like Shamu may soon be making a splash in the stock market.

Storm blows through East; 200K in dark in Arkansas

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST

A vehicle stands abandoned facing in the wrong direction as traffic flows around floodwaters on Route 35 in Keyport, N.J., where an overnight storm caused coastal flooding, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A muted version of a winter storm that has killed more than a dozen people across the eastern half of the country plodded across the Northeast on Thursday, trapping airliners in snow or mud and frustrating travelers still trying to return home after Christmas.

Biden swears in Schatz as new senator for Hawaii

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST

Vice President Joe Biden, right, re-enacts the swearing in of Sen. Brian Emanuel Schatz, D-Hawaii., left, as wife Linda Schatz, holds the bible and watches at center, during a ceremony in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie named Schatz, his lieutenant governor, to fill the Senate seat left vacant following the death of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. Earlier, Biden officially administered the Senate oath to Schatz on the Senate floor. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON (AP) — Brian Schatz symbolized a generational change in Hawaii's U.S. Senate delegation, taking the hand of his new colleague, 88-year-old Sen. Daniel Akaka, moments before being sworn in Thursday as the successor to the late Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye.

Central African Republic president urges U.S., France to help fight rebels

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:23 PM PST

BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic President Francois Bozize on Thursday urged the United States and former colonial master France to help push back rebel forces who have advanced towards the capital Bangui. "We are asking our cousins the French and the United States, which are major powers, to help us push back the rebels to their initial positions in a way that will permit talks in Libreville to resolve this crisis," Bozize told a crowd at a main square in Bangui. ...

Central African Republic appeals for French help against rebels, Paris balks

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:23 PM PST

Residents of Central African Republic participate in a protest near of the French Embassy in the capital BanguiBANGUI (Reuters) - The president of the Central African Republic appealed on Thursday for France and the United States to help push back rebels threatening his government and the capital, but Paris said its troops were only ready to protect French nationals. The exchanges came as regional African leaders tried to broker a ceasefire deal and as rebels said they had temporarily halted their advance on Bangui, the capital, to allow talks to take place. ...

Egypt: Mubarak once again in military hospital

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:22 PM PST

FOR USE AS DESIRED, YEAR END PHOTOS - FILE - In this June 2, 2012 file photo, Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak lays on a gurney inside a barred cage in the police academy courthouse in Cairo, Egypt. Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killing of protesters during last year's revolution that forced him from power, a verdict that caps a stunning fall from grace for a man who ruled the country as his personal fiefdom for nearly three decades.(AP Photo/File)CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's deputy interior minister says that ousted President Hosni Mubarak has been transferred to a military hospital from his prison cell for the second time in a week following complications from a recent injury.

Jackson to step down as Obama's environmental chief

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:21 PM PST

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, speaks during a news conference in Rio de JaneiroWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson, who spearheaded the Obama administration's crackdown on carbon emissions, said on Thursday that she will be stepping down after almost four years of battles with Republicans and big industry over her proposed regulations. Under her leadership, the agency declared for the first time that carbon dioxide was a danger to human health and could be regulated under the Clean Air Act, leading the EPA to develop a new regulatory regime to limit carbon emissions. ...

House to return to session Sunday evening

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:20 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will be back in session Sunday evening as the "fiscal cliff" looms, threatening across-the-board tax increases and spending cuts with the new year.

Americans blame Republicans more than Democrats for "fiscal cliff": Reuters/Ipsos poll

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:17 PM PST

U.S. House Speaker Boehner and House Majority Leader Cantor leave after a news conference on the "fiscal cliff" in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans blame Republicans in Congress more than congressional Democrats or President Barack Obama for the current "fiscal cliff" crisis, as the deadline approaches for action to avert big tax increases and spending cuts, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Thursday. When asked who they believed to be more responsible for the "fiscal cliff" situation, 27 percent blamed Republicans in Congress, 16 percent blamed Obama and 6 percent pointed to Democrats in Congress. The largest percentage - 31 percent - blamed "all of the above. ...

C. African Republic president seeks foreign help

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:15 PM PST

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — The president of Central African Republic on Thursday urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching this capital city, but French officials declined to offer any military assistance.

Volunteers toughen up bobcat kitten who's too nice

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:12 PM PST

PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California animal rescue group is trying to help an orphaned bobcat kitten with a problem: She's too nice.

Gun group offers training for Utah teachers

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:11 PM PST

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (AP) — English teacher Kevin Leatherbarrow holds a license to carry a concealed weapon and doesn't see anything wrong with arming teachers in the aftermath of the deadly Connecticut school shooting.

Mexico City seeks beauty in public-space makeover

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:10 PM PST

Pedestrians stand in front of the Arch of the Revolution monument in Mexico City, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. The once-neglected plaza with an Arc de Triumph-style monument to Mexico's 1910 revolution has been remade from a homeless encampment to a place where families visit and children run through spurts of water gushing out of the pavement. The copper dome of what started out as the congressional rotunda is newly polished and gleaming. Mexico City's government is trying to transform one of the world's largest cities by beautifying public spaces, parks and monuments. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)MEXICO CITY (AP) — The plan is as big as this mammoth city: Turn a seedy metro hub into Mexico City's Times Square; clear swarms of feisty vendors and remodel the historic Alameda Central; illuminate the plazas and walkways of a park twice the size of New York's Central Park.

Newtown trying to give kids a sense of normalcy

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:06 PM PST

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — The children at the Sandy Hook Elementary school won't be returning to classes for another week, but officials from the town, school district and local agencies are doing their best in the meantime to keep them occupied following a massacre at their school two weeks ago.

College student's turtle project takes dark twist

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:04 PM PST

In this Dec. 12, 2012 photo, Clemson University student Nathan Weaver holds a fake turtle he is using in his research to try and save the animals in Clemson, S.C. Weaver is placing the fake turtle in roads near campus and seeing how many drivers intentionally run over it. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson University student Nathan Weaver set out to determine how to help turtles cross the road. He ended up getting a glimpse into the dark souls of some humans.

South Africa president prefers people over pets

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:04 PM PST

People walk their dogs outside the home of former president Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, Thursday, Dec. 27 2012. President Jacob Zuma made critical remarks about pet care that touch on sensitive race relations in South Africa, which was dominated by whites until apartheid was dismantled almost two decades ago, The Star newspaper reported Thursday. The newspaper cited Zuma as saying in a speech Wednesday that the idea of having a pet is part of "white culture" and that people should focus on family welfare. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's president says a dog should not be man's best friend.

Net loss: Brooklyn fires coach Avery Johnson

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:01 PM PST

Brooklyn Nets head coach Avery Johnson reacts to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)NEW YORK (AP) — Avery Johnson was fired Thursday as coach of the Brooklyn Nets, who have fallen to .500 in their season of new surroundings and elevated expectations.

McElroy has concussion, Sanchez to start for Jets

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:50 AM PST

New York Jets quarterback Greg McElroy, right, is sacked by San Diego Chargers defensive end Corey Liuget, left, during the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Chargers won 27-17. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets' wacky quarterback situation took yet another twist.

EPA Administrator Jackson announces resignation

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:50 AM PST

FILE - This photo April 17, 2012 file photo shows Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson during an interview with The Associated Press at EPA Headquarters in Washington. Jackson, The Obama administration's chief environmental watchdog, is stepping down after a nearly four-year tenure marked by high-profile brawls over global warming pollution, the Keystone XL oil pipeline, new controls on coal-fired plants and several other hot-button issues that affect the nation's economy and people's health. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the Obama administration's chief environmental watchdog, is stepping down after nearly four years marked by high-profile brawls over global warming pollution, the Keystone XL oil pipeline, new controls on coal-fired plants and several other hot-button issues that affect the nation's economy and people's health.

'La Boheme' transformed in 2012 stagings on DVD

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:48 AM PST

This undated publicity photo provided by Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Classics, U.S. shows the cover of the DVD for Puccini's "La Boheme," starring Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala from a 2012 Salzburg Festival staging of the production. Daniele Gatti leads the Vienna Philharmonic. The DVD and BluRay were released on December 11, 2012 in the US. (AP Photo/Deutsche Grammophon & Decca Classics, U.S.)Various Artists, "La Boheme" (Electric Picture, Deutsche Grammophon)

Russia's Putin signals he will sign U.S. adoption ban

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:40 AM PST

Russian President Putin, PM Medvedev and speaker of the Federation Council Matviyenko attend a session of the State Council in MoscowMOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin signaled on Thursday he would sign into law a bill barring Americans from adopting Russian children and sought to forestall criticism of the move by promising measures to better care for his country's orphans. In televised comments, Putin tried to appeal to people's patriotism by suggesting that strong and responsible countries should take care of their own and lent his support to a bill that has further strained U.S.-Russia relations. "There are probably many places in the world where living standards are higher than ours. ...

Egypt's opposition leaders under investigation

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:35 AM PST

FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012 file photo, former Egyptian presidential candidate, Hamdeen Sabahi, left, speaks to former director of the U.N.'s nuclear agency and Nobel peace laureate, Mohamed El Baradei, during a news conference flanked by other prominent politicians, not shown, from outside the Muslim Brotherhood, to decry what was interpreted as a de facto declaration of emergency law by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, in Cairo Egypt. An Egyptian official says the country's top prosecutor has ordered an investigation into accusations against opposition leaders, Mohammed ElBaradei, Amr Moussa, and Hamdeen Sabahi, of incitement to overthrow the regime. (AP Photo/Mostafa El Shemy, File)CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's chief prosecutor ordered an investigation on Thursday into allegations that opposition leaders committed treason by inciting supporters to overthrow Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Argentine court rejects intervention in media case

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:35 AM PST

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's Supreme Court rejected a proposal by the government to use a new legal regulation to get the top court to intervene in the case of a law opposed by the country's top media group.

Stocks drop as consumers get nervous, cliff nears

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:35 AM PST

In this Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, photo, Daniel Kryger, left, and Kevin Lodewick Jr., right, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Stocks are edging higher on Thursday as hopes dim that a budget deal will be reached before a deadline at the end of the year. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)NEW YORK (AP) — The market sent a gloomy message Thursday: The economy is still far from repaired, the "fiscal cliff" negotiations far from sealed.

Schatz to be sworn in as US senator for Hawaii

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:22 AM PST

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz speaks the state Capitol in Honolulu on Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 after Gov. Neil Abercrombie, right, announced he was appointing Schatz to fill the seat vacated by the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)HONOLULU (AP) — Incoming U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz was scheduled to be sworn into office Thursday afternoon, a day after being appointed by Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie and flying to Washington with President Barack Obama aboard Air Force One.
Posted by Harshad at 1:07 PM

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