Friday, January 11, 2013

Microsoft may have exited gadget show prematurely

Microsoft may have exited gadget show prematurely

Microsoft may have exited gadget show prematurely

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:38 PM PST

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, left, and Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs talk about various Windows based products that utilize Qualcomm technology during Jacobs' keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)LAS VEGAS (AP) — Microsoft may have relinquished its starring role in America's gaudiest gadget show a year too early.

3 hurt in blast that levels North Texas house

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:37 PM PST

LEWISVILLE, Texas (AP) — An explosion Friday in a North Texas neighborhood leveled a home that is part of a local nonprofit's affordable housing program, injuring at least three men and scattering debris.

Jackson Jr.'s wife leaves Chicago City Council

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:35 PM PST

CHICAGO (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s wife has resigned from the Chicago City Council.

Top Dems urge Obama to weigh unilateral debt hike

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:35 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's top Democratic allies in the Senate advised him Friday to consider "any lawful steps" to make sure the government does not default of its debts and spur an economic crisis — even if it means acting without approval by Congress.

Biden voices interest in new technology for guns

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:35 PM PST

President Joe Biden, accompanied by Attorney General Eric Holder, gestures as he speaks during a meeting with Sportsmen and Women and Wildlife Interest Groups and member of his cabinet, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Biden is holding a series of meetings this week as part of the effort he is leading to develop policy proposals in response to the Newtown, Conn., school shooting (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON (AP) — Looking for broader remedies to gun violence, Vice President Joe Biden expressed interest Friday in existing technology that would keep a gun from being fired by anyone other than the purchaser. He said evidence shows such technology may have affected events in Connecticut last month when 20 youngsters and six teachers were gunned down inside their elementary school.

It's official: Shafer takes over at Syracuse

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:32 PM PST

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Scott Shafer was introduced Friday as the new coach at Syracuse, and he emotionally vowed to continue what Doug Marrone started four years ago.

Kimmel says he expects to run 3rd in late night

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:31 PM PST

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel says he expects to settle in as the third-rated talk show host in late-night television, even as early ratings suggest he's very competitive in his new time slot.

Fed agency retracts reprimand to flatulent worker

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:29 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal government agency did more than wrinkle its nose at an employee's flatulence problem, issuing an official reprimand after months of malodors. But the agency said Friday that it has since retracted the rebuke.

'Smash' season debut sneak peek begins Monday

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:29 PM PST

This publicity image released by NBC shows actress Jennifer Hudson as Veronica Moore in a scene from the second season of "Smash." "Smash," set in the world of New York theater, stars Debra Messing, Christian Borle and Angelica Huston. Guest stars this season include Jennifer Hudson. (AP Photo/NBC, Will Hart)LOS ANGELES (AP) — NBC is giving viewers a sneak peek at the new season of "Smash."

FAA to review of Boeing 787, but calls plane safe

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:28 PM PST

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2011 file photo, Boeing 787s sit at the company's assembly plant in Everett, Wash. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 that the agency is conducting a comprehensive review of the design, manufacture and assembly of the Boeing 787, even while government officials declared the plane safe despite recent incidents including a fire and a fuel leak earlier this week. (AP Photo/John Froschauer, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The government stepped in Friday to assure the public that Boeing's new 787 "Dreamliner" is safe to fly, even as it launched a comprehensive review to find out what caused a fire, a fuel leak and other worrisome incidents this week.

Malian army retakes central town from Islamists

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:18 PM PST

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's armed forces retook the central town of Konna from Islamist rebels with French military support on Friday, a Malian defense ministry official and residents said. "The Malian army has retaken Konna with the help of our military partners. We are there now," Lieutenant Colonel Diaran Kone told Reuters. A local shopkeeper confirmed that the army had entered the town, which had been seized on Thursday by the al Qaeda-linked insurgents who control Mali's desert north. (Reporting By Bate Felix; Writing by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Sabres G Miller calls NHL lockout 'waste of time'

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:17 PM PST

Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller looks on during an informal NHL hockey workout in Amherst, N.Y., Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/David Duprey)BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is back in Buffalo to rejoin his teammates, eagerly awaiting the start of the regular season, and still upset over the four-month NHL lockout.

Spears confirms she and X Factor are splitting

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:14 PM PST

FILE - This Nov. 5, 2012 file photo shows singer and celebrity judge Britney Spears at the "X-Factor" Finalists Party in Los Angeles. A person familiar with plans for Fox's "The X Factor" says Britney Spears is out of the show. Spears was a mentor on the singing contest for one season, reportedly drawing a $15 million paycheck but failing to pull reviews to match. The person who confirmed reports of her departure wasn't authorized to comment publicly, speaking Thursday on condition of anonymity. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, file)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears said Friday she has made the "difficult decision" to leave Fox's "The X Factor" after one season.

Analysis: Israel left wing sees Jewish state's end

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:13 PM PST

An Israeli ultra-orthodox Jewish man walks past an election campaign billboard of Israeli Prime Minister and Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. A strikingly apocalyptic tone has emerged in Israel's hitherto muted election season, with opposition leaders and others desperately warning that a few more years of rule by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's heavily favored right wing might actually destroy the Jewish state. The idea is that by holding onto the lands Palestinians want for their state -- avoiding negotiations and continuing to sill them with Jewish settlers -- the Israeli right is marching blindly toward a future in which Arabs could outnumber Jews in the country and ultimately take over. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An apocalyptic tone has crept into Israel's hitherto muted election season, with opposition leaders and others sounding increasingly desperate warnings that a few more years of rule by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's heavily favored right wing might well destroy the Jewish state.

Zookeepers, growers prepare for California freeze

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:11 PM PST

Heidi Blood carries her dog to the side of the road for a drink of water while waiting in line with her car along Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles on Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. The California Highway Patrol has partially reopened a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles that was closed for many hours due to snow. The CHP began escorting southbound motorists through the high mountain pass Friday morning. Northbound lanes are still closed. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)SAN DIEGO (AP) — Zookeepers turned up the heat for chimpanzees and strawberry growers covered their crops as Californians braced Friday for three days of freezing temperatures.

Robbers assault some hostages at Los Angeles store

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:10 PM PST

A Los Angeles police investigators carries evidence bags from a Nordstrom Rack store at Howard Hughes Center near Los Angeles International Airport Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. Robbers stabbed a clothing store employee and sexually assaulted another during an hours-long hostage drama that ended early Friday with a police SWAT team surging into the shop and rescuing 14 workers. No robbers had been found by mid-morning. The ordeal began at about 11 p.m. when a man called 911 and reported that his girlfriend had called and said there were gunmen in the store, Lt. Andy Neiman said. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)LOS ANGELES (AP) — It was another routine night at a Nordstrom's Rack at a Los Angeles mall until two armed robbers stormed inside as the workers prepared to go home.

Stocks mixed; S&P 500 slips from 5-year high

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:10 PM PST

In this Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, photo, specialist Edward Zelles works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wall Street futures were mostly flat in world markets prior to the opening bell Friday Jan. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing little changed on Wall Street as the Standard & Poor's 500 index eases just below a five-year high reached the day before.

Man mauled by tiger at NYC zoo pleads not guilty

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:08 PM PST

A man who jumped into a tiger den at the Bronx Zoo and was mauled by a 400-pound animal told police, "Everyone makes choices," a court complaint says.

Spain arrests 2 over suspected Iran nuclear export

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:03 PM PST

MADRID (AP) — Spanish police have arrested two people and seized equipment made by a Spanish company that was to be illegally shipped to Iran for use in its nuclear program, officials said Friday.

ICE says activist's role didn't spur mom's arrest

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:58 PM PST

FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2012 file photo, young immigrant Erika Andiola, of Mesa, Ariz., poses for a portrait at a site where people line up to get guidance on a new federal program, called Deferred Action, that would help them avoid deportation in Phoenix, Arizona. The mother and a brother of Andiola were arrested Thursday evening, Jan. 10, 2013 at the family's Phoenix-area home. Andiola says ICE agents said there was a long-pending deportation order for her mother. The brother was released early Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, while the mother was transported to an immigration detention center in Florence. Another brother says the family has been told by the Mexican consulate in Mexico that the mother would be released after being returned to Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)PHOENIX (AP) — Federal immigration officials on Friday released the mother of an immigration activist, less than a day after the woman and another relative were arrested at the family's Phoenix-area home.

Reports of hit list probed in CA school shooting

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:56 PM PST

This image provided by the Taft Midway Driller/Doug Keeler shows paramedics transporting a student wounded during a shooting Thursday Jan. 10, 2013 at San Joaquin Valley high school in Taft, Calif. Authorities said a student was shot and wounded and another student was taken into custody. (AP Photo/Taft Midway Driller, Doug Keeler) MANDATORY CREDITTAFT, Calif. (AP) — California authorities are investigating allegations that a 16-year-old boy held in a classroom shooting that wounded a classmate had been suspended from school last year for having a hit list.

Mo. court to appoint lawyer for Belcher baby

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:55 PM PST

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri court will appoint a lawyer to protect the interests of the 4-month-old daughter of the late Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher as her grandparents argue over custody.

Brazil police: Artist's death a possible suicide

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:54 PM PST

Tourist from Germany take photos on a stairway that was decorated by Chilean artist Jorge Selaron, which he titled the "Selaron Stairway" in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013. Selaron, an eccentric Chilean artist and longtime Rio resident who created a massive, colorful tile stairway in the bohemian Lapa district that's popular with tourists, was found dead on the stairway on Thursday. He was 54. Authorities are investigating the cause of death. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Artist Jorge Selaron may have taken his own life by setting himself on fire on the very steps of his masterpiece, a brilliantly colored public staircase that became a symbol of Rio de Janeiro, the homicide police chief said Friday.

Air Force memo outlines sweeping budget cuts

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:52 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Air Force leaders will cut flying hours by nearly 20 percent and prepare for a possible end to all noncombat or noncritical flights from late July through September if Congress can't agree on a budget and billions of dollars in automatic cuts are triggered.

Obama, Karzai agree to speed up Afghan military transition

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:51 PM PST

Obama and Karzai shake hands after a news conference in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed on Friday to speed up the handover of combat operations in Afghanistan to Afghan forces this year, underscoring Obama's determination to move decisively to wind down the long, unpopular war. Signaling a narrowing of differences, Karzai appeared to give ground in White House talks on U.S. demands for immunity from prosecution for any U.S. troops who stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014, a concession that could allow Obama to keep at least a small residual force there. ...

Central African Republic signs peace deal with rebels

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:47 PM PST

Leader of CAR's Seleka rebel alliance Djotodia shakes hands with CAR's President Bozize during peace talks in LibrevilleLIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Central African Republic's government and rebels agreed on Friday to the formation of a national unity government under a ceasefire deal to end an insurgency that swept to within striking distance of the capital. The agreement, signed in Gabon's coastal capital Libreville after three days of talks mediated by regional neighbors, averted the biggest threat to President Francois Bozize's decade in charge of the mineral-rich former French colony. Aid groups had warned that a rebel attack on the capital Bangui could trigger a humanitarian crisis. "God is great. ...

Kerry's words on Assad certain to draw scrutiny

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:43 PM PST

FILE - This April 1, 2010 file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian President Bashar Assad meeting with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., President Barack Obama's choice to become the next secretary of state, at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria. Kerry's past words of encouragement for Syrian President Bashar Assad are certain to draw scrutiny at his confirmation hearing for secretary of State as the Mideast ruler's brutal crackdown has plunged the country into months of deadly civil war and turned Assad into a pariah. (AP Photo/SANA, File) ** EDITORIAL USE ONLY **WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John Kerry has held up Syria as a country that could bring peace and stability to the Mideast and predicted that the now-disgraced government of President Bashar Assad would pursue a legitimate relationship with the United States. Those assertions are certain to draw scrutiny at Kerry's confirmation hearing to be secretary of state as Assad's brutal crackdown has plunged his country into civil war.

Hackers sentenced for Michael Jackson music theft

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:41 PM PST

LONDON (AP) — A British court sentenced two hackers to 100 hours of community service on Friday for stealing a treasure trove of unreleased music — including Michael Jackson tracks — from the U.S. servers of Sony Music Entertainment.

Cubans eager to try new law easing travel rules

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:40 PM PST

In this Jan. 7, 2013 photo, people wait to enter the U.S. Interests Section to apply for U.S. visas in Havana, Cuba. New travel rules taking effect Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, raise from 11 to 24 months the amount of time Cubans can be gone without losing residency rights back home, making it easier for people to work or study abroad longer while maintaining ties to the island, potentially sending money to relatives or even returning with hard-currency earnings to invest in newly legalized small businesses or cooperatives. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)HAVANA (AP) — Like many Cubans, 16-year-old Ana Liliam Garcia is excited at the thought of seeing the world beyond this Communist-run island smaller than the state of Pennsylvania.

Can Europe's markets climb through the slump?

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:39 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — The big worry a year ago was that Greece would collapse under its debts, upend Europe's markets and set off a global financial crisis. But the world's most dangerous bond market turned out to be one of the world's best bets last year: Greece's government bonds soared 97 percent as the debt crisis eased. Across Europe, many of the region's stock markets outpaced those in the U.S.

Missing 13-year-old Utah girl found unharmed

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:38 PM PST

Unified firefighter Chris Thurman points out a meeting point to Christi Green and other volunteers before they leave to help search for 13-year-old Brooklyn Gittins a in Herriman, Utah, on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013. Several hundred volunteers dressed for the cold showed up at a Mormon meetinghouse Thursday to help search for a 13-year-old Utah girl who went missing without her shoes, coat or cellphone. (AP Photo/Kristin Murphy, Deseret News) NO SALES; MAGS OUT; SALT LAKE TRIBUNE OUT; PROVO DAILY HERALD OUTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A 13-year-old girl who disappeared this week without shoes or a coat in chilly weather has been found unharmed, but questions abound about where she was and what she was doing while 1,000 volunteers searched for her for two days.

U.S. launches safety review of 787 after recent issues

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:37 PM PST

Airport staff send off All Nippon Airways' Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner plane before it's take off for Tokyo-San Jose flight service at New Tokyo international airport in Narita, JapanWASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government ordered a wide-ranging review of Boeing's latest passenger jet, the 787 Dreamliner, citing concern over a fire and other recent problems but insisting the plane was still safe to fly. It was unclear how long the review will take or how much it will ultimately cost Boeing, but the company was concerned enough that it sent a top executive to a Washington press conference on the problem. Boeing shares fell 3 percent. ...

Mali's president declares state of emergency on national television amid Islamist advance.

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:37 PM PST

BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's president has declared a state of emergency on national television a day after Islamists pushed the closest ever from the north toward government-held territory.

U.S., Russia talks on Syria end without breakthrough

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:35 PM PST

GENEVA (Reuters) - International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi and envoys from Russia and the United States - backers of opposing sides in Syria's civil war - failed to make a breakthrough in talks on Friday seeking a political solution to the conflict. "We stressed again that in our view there was no military solution to this conflict," Brahimi said in a joint statement read out after his closed-door talks in Geneva with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. ...

Syria rebels seize base as envoy holds talks

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:35 PM PST

Members of the Free Syrian Army pose with their weapons and a snowman at the Jouret al Shayah area in HomsBEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - Rebels seized control of one of Syria's largest helicopter bases on Friday, opposition sources said, in their first capture of a military airfield used by President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Fighting raged across the country as international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi sought a political solution to Syria's civil war, meeting senior U.S. and Russian officials in Geneva. But the two world powers are still deadlocked over Assad's fate in any transition. ...

Cowboys hire Monte Kiffin to replace Rob Ryan

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:34 PM PST

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have hired former Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin as the replacement for Rob Ryan.

Syrian rebels seize key air base, activists say

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:33 PM PST

This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian rebel carrying food supplies, as he walks in front of a damaged helicopter at Taftanaz air base that was captured by the rebels, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Friday Jan. 11, 2013. Islamic militants seeking to topple President Bashar Assad took full control of a strategic northwestern air base Friday in a significant blow to government forces, seizing helicopters, tanks and multiple rocket launchers, activists said. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian rebels and Islamic militants overran a major military air base in the north Friday and, buoyed by the victory, intensified their offensive on two other bases in their most aggressive campaign yet to erode the air supremacy on which the regime of President Bashar Assad has increasingly relied the past year.

Venezuela VP to travel to Cuba see Chavez, family

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:33 PM PST

A supporter of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez holds up a painting of him during a symbolic inauguration rally for Chavez outside Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013. The government organized the unusual show of support for the cancer-stricken leader on the streets on what was supposed to be his inauguration day. Vice President Nicolas Maduro said that even though it wasn't an official swearing-in, Thursday's event still marks the start of a new term for the president following his re-election in October. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's vice president said he will travel to Cuba on Friday to visit ailing President Hugo Chavez and his family.

Hollywood mobsters helping mom-and-pop theaters

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:33 PM PST

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Some of Hollywood's big-name mobsters joined forces with a Florida-based non-profit Friday to help save small-town theaters.

Could janitors be one school's line of defense?

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:30 PM PST

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A rural school district in Ohio is drawing attention with its plans to arm a handful of its non-teaching employees with handguns this year — perhaps even janitors.
Posted by Harshad at 1:51 PM

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