| | |
| 'Preferred' pronouns gain traction at US colleges Saturday, Nov 30, 2013 02:32 AM PST  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The weekly meetings of Mouthing Off!, a group for students at Mills College in Oakland, Calif., who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, always start the same way. Members take turns going around the room saying their names and the personal pronouns they want others to use when referring to them — she, he or something else. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea showcases detained U.S. pensioner as war criminal Saturday, Nov 30, 2013 03:42 AM PST  By Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea accused a detained U.S. veteran on Saturday of killing civilians during the Korean War 60 years ago and showed a video of the 85-year-old making a full confession and apology as if the battles are still raging. The North's KCNA news agency said Merrill E. Newman, a former special forces officer, was a mastermind of clandestine operations and had confessed to being "guilty of a long list of indelible crimes against DPRK government and Korean people." In the patchy video, Newman appears composed and is shown reading aloud from a handwritten statement dated Nov 9, 2013 in a wood-paneled meeting room. "I realize that I cannot be forgiven for my offensives (offenses) but I beg for pardon on my knees by apologizing for my offensives (offenses) sincerely toward the DPRK government and the Korean people and I want not punish me (I wish not to be punished)," Newman, who has a heart rhythm disorder, was quoted as saying by KCNA. DPRK is short for the North's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Full Story | Top |
| Obama says 'nowhere to go but up' after HealthCare.gov debacle Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:08 PM PST By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's popularity has taken a beating over the botched October 1 launch of Obamacare, but in a television interview set to air on Friday, Obama said he believes Americans eventually will appreciate his signature healthcare reform. Reflecting on his poll numbers in an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters, Obama said: "I've gone up and down pretty much consistently throughout. "But the good thing about when you're down is that usually you got nowhere to go but up," Obama added, according to excerpts released by ABC. The interview was taped last week as the Obama administration scrambled to meet a self-imposed November 30 deadline to overhaul HealthCare.gov, the website used in 36 states to shop for insurance under the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. Full Story | Top |
| Obama visits immigration hunger strikers in US capital Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:14 PM PST  US President Barack Obama paid a visit Friday to hunger strikers calling for immigration reform, who are camped out on the National Mall in Washington. Accompanied by his wife, Michelle, the president stopped by the grassy esplanade several hundred meters (yards) from the White House, in a trip that was not mentioned in his official daily agenda. The president and the first lady were visiting individuals taking part in "Fast For Families" on the National Mall to "offer their support for those who are fasting on behalf of immigration reform," the White House said. During their visit, the Obamas thanked the activists for their "sacrifice and dedication" according to a White House official. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. healthcare website down overnight for extended upgrade Friday, Nov 29, 2013 04:52 PM PST By Roberta Rampton and Sharon Begley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said it would take down the website at the center of President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms for an extended 11-hour period overnight on Friday as technology experts push to complete upgrades by a November 30 deadline. The website, HealthCare.gov, was supposed to make it easy to shop for health insurance required by the Obamacare law when it launched on October 1, but quickly turned into a political disaster after errors and timelags prevented most people who visited the site from signing up. They had worked on software and hardware upgrades through the U.S. Thanksgiving week to double its capacity so as many as 50,000 people could shop at the same time on the site. Just ahead of that self-imposed Saturday deadline, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the website would be down for an unusually long period, from 9 p.m. EST on Friday until 8 a.m. EST on Saturday. Full Story | Top |
| Helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof Friday, Nov 29, 2013 05:27 PM PST LONDON (AP) — A police helicopter crashed Friday night through the roof of a popular pub in Glasgow, sending injured revelers there to see a ska band fleeing through a cloud of dust in what witnesses called a scene of horror. Scotland's leader warned that fatalities are likely. Full Story | Top |
| US advises carriers to comply with China air zone Friday, Nov 29, 2013 08:00 PM PST  BEIJING (AP) — The United States advised U.S. carriers to comply with China's demand that it be told of any flights passing through its new maritime air defense zone over the East China Sea, an area where Beijing said it launched two fighter planes to investigate a dozen American and Japanese reconnaissance and military flights. Full Story | Top |
| Obamacare website faces crucial weekend after technology overhaul Saturday, Nov 30, 2013 07:38 AM PST  By Roberta Rampton and Sharon Begley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans are getting their first look on Saturday at whether a five-week, round-the-clock technology overhaul has made it easier to use the troubled website that is the backbone of President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare overhaul. The White House had pledged that HealthCare.gov, which has been plagued by errors, outages, and slow speeds since its disastrous October 1 launch - would be working for most people this weekend. Fixing the crisis, one of the biggest of Obama's presidency, has enormous political stakes for the administration and its Democratic allies who are heading into congressional elections next year. The administration said on Saturday that 90 percent of website users can now create an account on the system, which is meant to help millions of people sign up for new health insurance plans. Full Story | Top |
| NKorea says detained American tourist apologizes Friday, Nov 29, 2013 10:57 PM PST  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea state media claimed Saturday that an elderly U.S. tourist detained for more than a month has apologized for alleged crimes during the Korean War and for "hostile acts" against the state during a recent trip. Full Story | Top |
| Did Comet ISON survive? Scientists see tiny hope Friday, Nov 29, 2013 12:58 PM PST  STOCKHOLM (AP) — A comet that gained an earthly following because of its bright tail visible from space was initially declared dead after grazing the sun. Now, there is a sliver of hope that Comet ISON may have survived. Full Story | Top |
| 'Numerous' casualties in Glasgow pub copter crash Friday, Nov 29, 2013 10:11 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — An unknown number of people remained trapped inside an unstable Glasgow pub after a police helicopter crashed through its roof during a packed concert, causing "numerous" casualties, officials said early Saturday. Full Story | Top |
| Helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub, multiple casualties - BBC Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:37 PM PST (Reuters) - A helicopter crashed into a pub in Glasgow on Friday, causing multiple injuries, the BBC reported on its website. BBC News quoted Member of Parliament Jim Murphy as saying: "It's a well established Glasgow pub. It's a horrible, horrible scene, but well done to the folk who were here. Everyone formed a chain of people from inside the pub to outside, and the fire brigade and everyone were here very quickly." The BBC named the pub as the Clutha Vaults in Stockwell Street. Full Story | Top |
| Illinois union leaders bash pension plan as details emerge Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:52 PM PST  By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois union leaders on Friday criticized the details of a controversial deal to reform the state's woefully under-funded public pensions, as legislative leaders revealed more specifics of the deal they reached on Wednesday. The agreement contains proposals to raise the retirement age and reduce automatic increases in pension payments, according to an overview of the bill released by the office of powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Union opponents of the plan say it is little changed from a Madigan-backed proposal that was overwhelmingly defeated by the Illinois Senate earlier this year. "It's a bad rerun of a movie that we saw months ago and for public servants and retirees, it's a horror film," said Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Full Story | Top |
| Obamacare website: Will it be ready by Saturday for a surge in use? Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:10 PM PST That was the phrase used a month ago by Jeffrey Zients, tapped by President Obama to lead a "tech surge" to fix the website, to describe how things would be going by the end of November. The Obama administration's self-set deadline of Nov. 30 is just about here. But the administration hasn't gotten very specific about what its "work smoothly" promise means – and whether it can deliver for an expected rush of users next month. As of Wednesday, administration officials have been saying they expect the site to work properly for 80 percent of users. Full Story | Top |
| After years on the sidelines, New York's liberals retaking control Saturday, Nov 30, 2013 04:11 AM PST  By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - With Bill de Blasio taking office as mayor in January, New York City appears poised for a resurgence of liberal policies. After 20 years of Republican leadership, not only will America's largest city have the most liberal mayor in a generation, helping him implement change will be a progressive-leaning City Council and a longtime liberal ally in the new public advocate. The city was governed for the last 12 years by Michael Bloomberg, a political independent who was first elected as a Republican, and for eight years before that by Republican Rudolph Giuliani. To observers as well as Democratic legislators, the last election marked a major change in New York City politics, with a new breed of highly liberal politicians ready to enact a series of progressive policies that would have been dead on arrival under Bloomberg or his predecessor Giuliani. Full Story | Top |
| Space Shuttle Replica Vandalized with Graffiti in Houston Friday, Nov 29, 2013 06:24 PM PST  A replica of a NASA space shuttle on display in Houston was defaced Wednesday (Nov. 27), when vandals sprayed racial and political graffiti on the side of the full-size mockup. "Unfortunately, someone vandalized our high-fidelity mock shuttle," said Melanie Johnson, the director of education for Space Center Houston, the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center where the model is located. The graffiti, which included the phrase, "Houston, we are the problem," was limited to the side of the space shuttle that faced away from the center's parking lot. "To the person who did this — you really need to check yourself, because you're making it bad for all other decent people in this town," the driver told Houston CBS-affiliate KHOU. Full Story | Top |
| Unforgotten fighter of Korean war: U.S. pensioner a POW at 85 Saturday, Nov 30, 2013 06:37 AM PST  By Ju-min Park and James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) - As autumn descended on a Korean countryside devastated by three years of intense war, a group of anti-communist guerrillas presented U.S. serviceman Merrill Edward Newman with a gold ring. He returned to North Korea last month as an American tourist and was snatched by authorities from his plane moments before it was due to depart for Beijing. The North Korean regime has nourished memories of the 1950-53 Korean War as the inspiration for the country's identity and acts as if the conflict is still happening. No peace treaty was signed between the United States, South Korea and North Korea. Full Story | Top |
| China readies to launch first moon rover mission Saturday, Nov 30, 2013 02:26 AM PST  China will launch its first ever moon rover mission on Monday, state media said, as Beijing embarks on the latest stage in its ambitious space programme. "The Chang'e 3 is set to be launched for its moon mission from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Dec. 2," state broadcaster CCTV said on its verified Twitter account on Saturday. Official news agency Xinhua also confirmed the launch date, citing officials at the satellite launch centre in Sichuan province. If successful, the launch will mark a major milestone in China's space exploration programme, which aims to create a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send someone to the moon. Full Story | Top |
| Mitt Romney's son helps family of four after SUV crash Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:07 PM PST By Jennifer Dobner SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - Josh Romney, the son of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, took to Twitter on Friday to share his role in helping a family whose SUV had crashed into a house in a Salt Lake City suburb. Romney, 38, tweeted a smiling photo of himself standing at the door of the vehicle following the accident on Thursday evening in Holladay. The occupants of the sport utility vehicle - a couple and their two teenage children - were treated by paramedics for minor injuries, said Salt Lake City Unified Police Department spokesman Lieutenant Justin Hoyal. Full Story | Top |
| Scottish leader: Fatalities likely in copter crash Friday, Nov 29, 2013 04:42 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Scotland's leader has warned that fatalities are likely after a police helicopter slammed late Friday night into the roof of a popular pub in Glasgow. Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment