Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Congress considers pick for US ambassador to Iraq

Congress considers pick for US ambassador to Iraq

Congress considers pick for US ambassador to Iraq

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:58 PM PDT

Democrats and Republicans pressed ahead on President Barack Obama's choice for U.S. ambassador to Iraq, even though a top GOP lawmaker has "grave concerns" about the nomination of Brett McGurk.

UN: Syria permits aid workers to enter 4 provinces

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:51 PM PDT

This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network ENN, purports to show Syrian rebels gathered on their vehicle in the northern town of Kfar Nebel, in Idlib province, Syria, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. Rebel forces killed scores of Syrian soldiers in the past few days and activists claimed Tuesday the toll was more than 100 in what appeared to be some of the heaviest losses for government troops since the uprising began 15 months ago. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTOSyria's government has agreed to a written deal with the United Nations and other international organizations that would allow aid workers and supplies to enter four hard-hit provinces, U.N. officials announced Tuesday.

New TV series awards bunker to winning survivalist

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:50 PM PDT

This artist rendering released by Vivos, an underground shelter network, shows a design for an underground bunker. Spike TV will be airing a six-episode series called "Last Family on Earth" a competition in which survivalists will compete for an underground bunker in an undisclosed location. The series will air in the fall. (AP Photo/Vivos via Spike TV)The Spike television network is airing a competition this fall to award a fortified bunker to a family that believes the end of the world is near.

US official: Al-Qaida No. 2 killed by US drone

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:48 PM PDT

FILE - This March 25, 2007, file image, made from video posted on a website frequented by Islamist militants and provided via the IntelCenter, shows al-Qaida militant Abu Yahia al-Libi. A CIA drone strike Monday, June 4, 2012, targeted al-Qaida's second in command, Abu Yahia al-Libi, in Pakistan, but it was unclear whether he was among those hit, U.S. officials said. U.S. officials say fewer than five people were hit, although Pakistani officials say more than a dozen people were killed in two days of strikes in Pakistan. (AP Photo/IntelCenter, File) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAS NO WAY OF INDEPENDENTLY VERIFYING THE CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS VIDEOA U.S. drone strike has killed al-Qaida's second-in-command, an American official said Tuesday, a significant blow to the terror network that has lost a string of top leaders since the death of Osama bin Laden last year.

THE RACE: Obama follows Wisconsin vote from afar

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:46 PM PDT

President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton wave to the crowd after speaking at a campaign event at the New Amsterdam Theatre, Monday, June 4, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Sometimes in presidential politics you have to know where not to go.

US says Al-Qaeda number two died in drone strike

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:34 PM PDT

This video grab, released by Al-Qaeda's as-Sahab Media in 2007, shows Abu Yahya al-LibiThe United States said Tuesday that Al-Qaeda number two Abu Yahya al-Libi was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan, claiming its top terror scalp from the group since eliminating Osama bin Laden.

ECB holds off to force politicians' hand in crisis

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:34 PM PDT

FILE - In this May 31, 2012 file picture President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi reports to the Economic Committee, in capacity as the head of the European Systemic Risk Board, at the European Parliament in Brussels. The European central Bank's 23-member governing council meets Wednesday June 6, 2012. No cut is expected in its benchmark interest rate, which has already been lowered to a record low 1 percent. Draghi wants politicians such as Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and European Commmission President Jose Manuel Barroso to come together on far-reaching and potentially controversial action to fix what's really wrong with the euro at a summit June 28-29 in Brussels. Then, analysts say, more help might be forthcoming. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)The European Central Bank has a powerful weapon that just might push political leaders into helping solve the continent's financial crisis: withholding further support.

Investigator visits fatal Utah tanker crash site

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:29 PM PDT

A federal investigator on Tuesday arrived at the scene of a deadly air tanker crash in Utah and began scouring the 600-yard debris field for clues about why the plane went down while battling a wildfire.

3 jurors picked for Sandusky child sex abuse trial

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:28 PM PDT

Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives for the first day of jury selection as his trial on 52 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 boys over a period of 15 years gets underway at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., Tuesday, June 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)Three of the 16 jurors and alternates needed for former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky's child sex abuse trial were selected Tuesday morning as the high-profile case got under way in earnest after months of legal wrangling and intense publicity.

Iran hopeful on atomic talks if "rights" respected

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:28 PM PDT

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili attend a meeting in BaghdadVIENNA/DUBAI (Reuters) - If the world recognizes Iran's "nuclear rights", negotiations aimed at easing a standoff with the West later this month could have a positive outcome, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader was quoted as saying on Tuesday. But Washington said Iran had to move first to make its nuclear work compatible with international law and demanded it let U.N. inspectors into a military site that the West believes has been used for weapons-related nuclear research. Iran has been under U.N. ...

Lawyer: Prior bat attack foreshadowed cannibalism

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:26 PM PDT

A victim left blinded by a baseball bat attack at a Maryland university now believes a cannibalism suspect in another case may have been planning to eat his organs, too, his attorney said Tuesday.

In Web video, 'The Wire' turned into a musical

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:26 PM PDT

This image from video released by Funny or Die, actor Michael Kenneth Williams, best known as Omar Little in the HBO series, "The Wire," reprises his role for the comedy video "The Wire: The Musical." The video appears as a four-minute commercial that advertises comically sunny songs like "Omar's Comin,'" "It's All in the Game" and "I'm Just a Burner" _ a sad lament from one of the disposable cellphones used by the drug dealers on the show. (AP Photo/Funny or Die)Omar, the shotgun-toting stick-up man of "The Wire," is finally getting his chance to belt out a solo.

Spain offers dour prediction, but US stocks rise

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:26 PM PDT

FILE - In this June 4, 2012, file photo, trader Lewis Vande Pallen, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. US stock futures are sliding along with investor confidence in the ability of the world's economic leaders to unravel Europe's worsening debt crisis. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)As world leaders searched for a way out of Europe's mounting debt crisis, U.S. investors moved to the sidelines.

Canadiens hire Michel Therrien as coach again

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:24 PM PDT

FILE - This Oct. 8, 2002 file photo shows Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien gesturing during a team practice in Montreal. The Canadiens have hired Therrien as their coach again. He was fired by the Canadiens during the 2002-03 season. (AP Photo/Paul Chiasson, File)Michel Therrien is coach of the Montreal Canadiens again, a home-gown product who rejoins a storied franchise that fell to last place this season and angered many fans across Quebec over a previous coaching hiring.

Al-Libi's death a "major blow" to al Qaeda: White House

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:23 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday described the death of al Qaeda deputy leader Abu Yahya al-Libi as a "major blow" to the militant group and said there was no clear successor to take over his role. White House spokesman Jay Carney, citing U.S. intelligence sources, said Libi was al Qaeda's "general manager" responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations in the tribal areas of Pakistan, and managing relations with affiliates. "We have confirmation of his death," Carney told a news briefing, declining to say where or how the network's deputy leader died. ...

Djokovic saves 4 match points in win over Tsonga

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:23 PM PDT

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning his quarter final match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday June 5, 2012. Djokovic won in five sets 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)Four times, the stands at Roland Garros were ready to erupt, a beloved Frenchman standing one point from beating the world's top player and ending his quest for history.

Peru high court clears way to extradite Dutch killer to US

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:23 PM PDT

Dutch national Joran Van der Sloot arrives for a hearing in Lima in JanuaryPeru's top court has allowed the extradition to the United States of Dutch national Joran Van der Sloot, but only after he serves a 28-year sentence here for the murder of a young Peruvian woman.

Iran: EU ignores request for early nuclear talks

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:22 PM PDT

Iran's state TV reported Tuesday that the European Union had ignored a request for preparatory talks before key nuclear negotiations later this month, but an EU spokeswoman denied that was the case.

Report of first doctor to reach shot Lincoln found

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:21 PM PDT

This undated photo provided by the Library of Congress shows Dr. Charles A. Leale, who was the first doctor to treat President Abraham Lincoln after he was shot at a Washington theater on the night of April 14, 1865. Now, 147 years later, a researcher with the Papers of Abraham Lincoln Project has discovered an original copy of Dr. Leale's clinical 21-page report from the night Lincoln was shot. (AP Photo/Library of Congress)Researchers have found the long-lost report of the first doctor to treat President Abraham Lincoln after he was shot at a Washington theater.

US ends funding for Pakistan's 'Sesame Street'

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:59 PM PDT

FILE - In a Oct. 13, 2011 file photo, a Pakistani artist, left, gives final touches to characters of Pakistani Sesame Street in Lahore, Pakistan. The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan says it terminated funding for a $20 million project to develop a local version of Sesame Street amid reports of corruption. Embassy spokesman Robert Raines said Tuesday, June 5, 2012, the U.S. terminated funding but declined to provide details. (AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary, file)The U.S. has terminated funding for a $20 million project to develop a Pakistani version of "Sesame Street" in response to alleged corruption by the local puppet theater working on the initiative, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

After jubilee success, monarchy faces the future

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:11 PM PDT

From left Britain's Prince Charles Queen Elizabeth Prince William, and his wife Kate Duchess of Cambridge, stand on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in central London Tuesday June 5, 2012. Four days of nationwide celebrations during which millions of people have turned out to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee conclude on Tuesday with a church service and carriage procession through central London. (AP Photo/Stefan Wermuth, Pool)There were six figures on the balcony, three generations of royalty — and one large absence.

SpaceX capsule back on solid ground after flight

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:10 PM PDT

FILE - This Thursday, May 31, 2012 photo provided by SpaceX shows the Dragon spacecraft on a ship in the Pacific Ocean. The capsule arrived by barge at the Port of Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 5, 2012. The unmanned supply ship splashed into the Pacific, west of Baja California, Thursday following an unprecedented trip to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/SpaceX)The history-making Dragon spacecraft is back on solid ground.

Wisconsin holds recall more than a year in making

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:10 PM PDT

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker votes Tuesday, June 5, 2012, in Wauwatosa, Wis. Walker faces Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in a special recall election. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)After a brief but bruising campaign that followed a more than yearlong fight over union rights and Wisconsin's cash-strapped budget, voters in the narrowly divided state began casting ballots Tuesday on whether to recall Gov. Scott Walker.

Major al-Qaida leaders killed in US drone strikes

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:09 PM PDT

Major al-Qaida leaders killed in U.S. drone strikes over the last year:

Germany's Merkel wants European jobs integration

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:08 PM PDT

MESEBERG, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for the full integration of Europe's labor market on Tuesday, saying that moving where jobs were available should be made easier. "If you see how unequal the search for skilled labor is on the one side in Germany and high unemployment in other countries, then the framework for being able to move freely must be improved," Merkel said after meeting with representatives of industry and labor unions. ...

2 California cities vote on public pension cuts

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:07 PM PDT

As state and local governments across the country struggle with ballooning pension obligations, voters in two major California cities cast ballots Tuesday on sweeping measures to curb retirement benefits for government workers.

NTSB: Fatigued driver caused deadly NY bus crash

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:05 PM PDT

FILE - In this March 12, 2011, file photo, emergency personnel investigate the scene of a bus crash on Interstate 95 in the Bronx borough of New York. Safety officials are planning to release Tuesday, June 5, 2012, the results of an investigation into a deadly tour bus crash in New York last year that killed 15 passengers and helped prompt a crackdown on rogue bus operators by federal regulators. (AP Photo/David Karp, File)A tour bus crash last year that claimed 15 lives was caused by a driver suffering from too little sleep and a bus company that provided too little safety oversight, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

Djokovic, Federer survive epic French Open battles

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:05 PM PDT

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning against France's Jo-Wilfried TsongaNovak Djokovic and Roger Federer survived five-set struggles at the French Open on Tuesday to set up a mouth-watering semi-final where the Swiss legend will attempt to shatter the world number one's Grand Slam dream.

NFL refs association: no strike contemplated

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:02 PM PDT

The NFL Referees Association is disputing a claim by the league that the officials threatened to take a strike vote after their contract expired.

Paul supporters say RNC is blocking festival plans

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:02 PM PDT

FILE - In this April 5, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron†Paul, R-Texas, gestures while speaking at the University of California at Berkeley, Calif. Paul supporters are unhappy that Republican National Convention organizers aren't letting them throw a festival honoring the Texas congressman and presidential candidate the weekend before the gathering. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)Ron Paul supporters are unhappy that Republican National Convention organizers aren't letting them throw a festival honoring the Texas congressman and presidential candidate the weekend before the gathering.

Al Qaeda No. 2 killed in drone strike: U.S. official

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:01 PM PDT

Abu Yahya al-Libi, one of al Qaeda's top strategists and seen as the most prominent figure in the network after leader Ayman al Zawahri, in an undated photo.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In what U.S. officials described as major blow to al Qaeda, the group's second-ranking leader, a militant known as Abu Yahya al-Libi, was killed in a strike by a missile fired from a U.S.-operated drone, an official confirmed on Tuesday. The official said the Libyan-born Libi, a cleric whose real name was Mohamed Hassan Qaid, was killed in a drone strike early morning Monday, Pakistan time. The drone-launched missile was targeted at a suspected militant hideout in Hesokhel, a village in North Waziristan, a tribal region in Pakistan along its border with Afghanistan. U.S. ...

US thought Taliban had nuclear bomb in 2009: book

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT

Former Taliban fighters display their weapons as they join Afghan government forces in Herat on May 2US President Barack Obama confronted the ultimate security nightmare early in his administration -- the possibility that the Taliban had acquired a nuclear bomb, according to a new book published Tuesday.

Kids could someday get on Facebook, without lying

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:59 AM PDT

FILE- In this Friday, May 18, 2012, file photo, a child looks at a laptop displaying Facebook logos in Hyderabad, India. Facebook said Monday, June 4, 2012, it is testing out ways to allow younger kids on its site without needing to lie. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., File)Though Facebook bans children under 13, millions of them have profiles on the site by lying about their age.

Senate GOP blocks Democrats' equal pay bill

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:57 AM PDT

FILE - In this April 30, 2012 file photo, Lilly Ledbetter, left, speaks in Concord, N.H. President Barack Obama and his allies in the Senate pushed Tuesday for a bill that calls for equal pay in the workplace, an election-year effort to merge political appeals to women with the No. 1 concern for all voters: the cash in their wallets on the heels of recession. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)Senate Republicans have blocked a bill that calls for equal pay in the workplace.

Cartin' Martin back in US Open

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:56 AM PDT

Casey Martin, pictured in 2001, has qualified for next week's US Open at The Olympic ClubCasey Martin, forced to ride a cart because of a rare circulatory disorder in his right leg, has qualified for next week's US Open at The Olympic Club, where he played in the major event in 1998.

First lady applauds NYC plan to ban sugary drinks

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:54 AM PDT

First lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Newseum in Washington, Tuesday, June 5, 2012, where she joined the Walt Disney Company to announce that Disney will become the first major media company to introduce new standards for food advertising on programming targeting kids and families. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)First lady Michelle Obama says banning big servings of sugary drinks isn't anything she'd want to do at the federal level but she applauded New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday for proposing to do just that at city eateries.

Congressional study warns of dire US debt outlook

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:54 AM PDT

The National Debt Clock, a billboard-size digital display showing the increasing US debt, is seen in New York in 2011US debt is on track to double the size of the entire economy in the next 25 years, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported Tuesday in its grim view of America's fiscal future.

Factbox: Details of Wisconsin union law that prompted recall

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:51 AM PDT

(Reuters) - Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker faces a recall vote on Tuesday because of a law he championed that severely curtails the power of public sector labor unions in the state. Polls close in Wisconsin at 8 p.m. central time. Here are the details of the law and how it was passed: * Walker was elected governor in 2010 along with Republican majorities in the state legislature. As soon as he took office, the governor said the state faced a $3.6 billion budget shortfall over two years and drastic measures were needed. ...

Obama, Senate Dems court women with fair pay bill

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:49 AM PDT

FILE - In this April 30, 2012 file photo, Lilly Ledbetter, left, speaks in Concord, N.H. President Barack Obama and his allies in the Senate pushed Tuesday for a bill that calls for equal pay in the workplace, an election-year effort to merge political appeals to women with the No. 1 concern for all voters: the cash in their wallets on the heels of recession. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)President Barack Obama and his allies in the Senate pushed Tuesday for a bill that calls for equal pay in the workplace, an election-year effort to merge political appeals to women with the No. 1 concern for all voters: the cash in their wallets on the heels of recession.

US service companies expanded in May

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:49 AM PDT

In this May 29, 2012 photograph, Big Apple Inn grill cook Tyechia Davis prepares the sausage meat for a "smoke" sandwich in Jackson, Miss. U.S. service companies, which employ roughly 90 percent of the work force, expanded at a slightly faster pace in May, marking the 29th straight month of expansion. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)U.S. service companies, which employ roughly 90 percent of the work force, grew at a slightly faster pace in May. It marked their 29th straight month of expansion.
Posted by Harshad at 1:16 PM

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