Target thieves got PIN data, too

Target thieves got PIN data, too
Extended unemployment benefits ending for 1.3 million
First recreational retail pot licenses up for grabs in Colorado
Newtown shooting report expected to shed light on gunman
U.S. judge upholds NSA phone surveillance program
Iranian official calls for direct talks with U.S.
India cuts U.S. privileges, seeks tax violations
Lebanese say 'nowhere is safe' after Beirut blast
Opponents to fight new US military base on Okinawa
Police: 4 dead after La. shootings, 3 injured
ACLU will appeal NY NSA phone surveillance ruling
Car bomb kills politician, 5 others in Lebanon
Push to recruit Arab Christians into Israeli army
Boston Marathon bombing AP sports story of year
Immigration fears spark political firestorm in UK
South Sudan government agrees to end hostilities
NY judge rules NSA phone surveillance is legal
Okinawa governor gives go-ahead for new US base
Official business behind him, Obama looks to 2014
Icebound Antarctic ship edges closer to rescue
Three NATO personnel killed in Kabul suicide car bomb: NATO
Lebanon bombing kills 5, including ex-minister
Bobby Bowden's grandson killed in crash
29 killed in Thailand bus accident: police
Shoppers or shippers – who’s to blame for ruining Christmas?

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 10:05 AM PST

The retailer confirms that "strongly encrypted" data was taken in Black Friday breach.

Extended unemployment benefits ending for 1.3 million

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 10:01 AM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 1 million Americans are bracing for a harrowing, post-Christmas jolt as extended federal unemployment benefits come to a sudden halt this weekend, entailing potentially significant implications for the recovering U.S. economy and setting up a tense battle when Congress reconvenes in the new year.

First recreational retail pot licenses up for grabs in Colorado

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 11:07 AM PST

DENVER (AP) — The first batch of Denver businesses approved to sell recreational marijuana got their licenses Friday, the owners mugging for pictures and saying they never thought they'd see the day when they'd get a permit to sell pot.

Newtown shooting report expected to shed light on gunman

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 06:03 AM PST

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — The planned release Friday of thousands of pages of police documents from the investigation into last year's school massacre in Newtown could shed additional light on the world of the 20-year-old gunman.

U.S. judge upholds NSA phone surveillance program

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 10:15 AM PST

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge ruled that a National Security Agency program that collects records of millions of Americans' phone calls is lawful, calling it a "counter-punch" to terrorism that does not violate Americans' privacy rights. Friday's decision by U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan dismissed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the program, whose existence was first disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. It also diverges from a December 16 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., who said the "almost Orwellian" program was likely unconstitutional. The program also faces a legal challenge from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a data privacy group.

Iranian official calls for direct talks with U.S.

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 09:04 AM PST

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The top foreign adviser to Iran's supreme leader on Friday called for separate talks directly with the United States amid the multilateral negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

India cuts U.S. privileges, seeks tax violations

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 07:55 AM PST

The country takes further steps in retaliation for a diplomat's arrest and strip search.

Lebanese say 'nowhere is safe' after Beirut blast

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 06:43 AM PST

The deadly car bomb that ripped through downtown Beirut shook buildings and rattled windows, triggering fear among many people that "nowhere is safe" anymore in Lebanon. The country, which fought a long civil war between 1975 and 1990, is no stranger to violence and has seen a rise in attacks linked to the fighting in neighbouring Syria, but Friday's explosion in the heart of Beirut brought the unrest even closer to home. Street cleaner Ali Aoun was carrying out his daily chores when the car exploded, killing six people, including prominent anti-Syria politician Mohammad Chatah. Chatah was an advisor to Saad Hariri, whose late father, the billionaire prime minister Rafik Hariri, led the rebuilding of the city centre after it was reduced to rubble in the civil war, which claimed an estimated 150,000 lives.

Opponents to fight new US military base on Okinawa

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 10:02 AM PST

TOKYO (AP) — Threatening lawsuits and protests, opponents are gearing up to fight a decision by Okinawa's governor that could pave the way for a new U.S. military base on the southern Japanese island.

Police: 4 dead after La. shootings, 3 injured

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 09:23 AM PST

HOUMA, La. (AP) — A man embroiled in a custody fight with his ex-wife attacked his former in-laws, his onetime boss at a hospital that fired him and his current wife in a rampage that spanned two parishes in Louisiana, leaving three dead before killing himself, authorities said.

ACLU will appeal NY NSA phone surveillance ruling

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 10:22 AM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — A civil rights lawyer says the American Civil Liberties Union is very disappointed that a New York judge has found that a government program that collects millions of Americans' telephone records is legal.

Car bomb kills politician, 5 others in Lebanon

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 04:40 AM PST

BEIRUT (AP) — A powerful car bomb tore through a business district in the center of the Lebanese capital Friday, killing a prominent pro-Western politician and at least five other people in an assassination certain to hike sectarian tensions already soaring because of the civil war in neighboring Syria.

Push to recruit Arab Christians into Israeli army

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 11:01 AM PST

NAZARETH, Israel (AP) — Dozens of Israeli soldiers respectfully rose from their seats as the Israeli national anthem began playing. The tinny recording of "Hatikva," an ode to the Jewish yearning for the Land of Israel, wrapped up a ceremony, held in Hebrew, during which speakers thanked the troops and handed out awards.

Boston Marathon bombing AP sports story of year

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 08:18 AM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — The Boston Marathon bombing was selected the sports story of the year Friday in an annual vote conducted by The Associated Press.

Immigration fears spark political firestorm in UK

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 08:12 AM PST

LONDON (AP) — They're portrayed as pickpockets who will steal British jobs. There are predictions they will beg, the unruly young ones will stir up riots, and some will even try to sell babies.

South Sudan government agrees to end hostilities

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 10:54 AM PST

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan's government agreed Friday at a meeting of East African leaders to end hostilities against rebels accused of trying to overthrow the young country, but the cease-fire was quickly thrown into doubt because the head of the rebellion was not invited.

NY judge rules NSA phone surveillance is legal

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 09:53 AM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Friday found that the National Security Agency's bulk collection of millions of Americans' telephone records is legal and a valuable part of the nation's arsenal to counter the threat of terrorism and "only works because it collects everything."

Okinawa governor gives go-ahead for new US base

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 08:21 AM PST

TOKYO (AP) — The governor of Okinawa gave the go-ahead Friday for land reclamation to begin for a new U.S. military base, advancing the effort to consolidate the massive American troop presence on the southern Japanese island but also making protests from residents likely.

Official business behind him, Obama looks to 2014

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 12:17 AM PST

HONOLULU (AP) — The last vestiges of 2013's political wrangling officially behind him, President Barack Obama is setting his sights on the coming year, when a number of unfinished tasks will increasingly compete for attention with the 2014 midterm elections.

Icebound Antarctic ship edges closer to rescue

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 08:56 AM PST

A ship that has been stuck in thick ice since Christmas Eve was nearing rescue on Friday.

Three NATO personnel killed in Kabul suicide car bomb: NATO

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 09:04 AM PST

Kabul (AFP) - Three NATO personnel were killed Friday in a Taliban suicide car bomb attack on a military convoy in Kabul, officials said.

Lebanon bombing kills 5, including ex-minister

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 01:24 AM PST

BEIRUT (AP) — A powerful bombing rocked a central business district of central Beirut Friday, setting cars ablaze and killing five people, including a senior aide to former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, officials said.

Bobby Bowden's grandson killed in crash

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 06:44 PM PST

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) — Former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden's grandson was one of two men killed when their car flipped into a small ditch off a central Florida road, officials said Thursday.

29 killed in Thailand bus accident: police

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 10:17 PM PST

A bus carrying New Year travellers plunged off one of Thailand's highest bridges in the kingdom's northeast, leaving at least 29 people dead, police said. The accident occurred around midnight Thursday-Friday in Lom Sak district, Phetchabun province while the bus was en route to the northern province of Chiang Rai. "We suspect the bus driver fell asleep," Major General Sukit Samana, police commander of Phetchabun province, told AFP. Transport Minister Chadchart Sitthipunt said the bus smashed through the safety barrier of the Phamuang bridge, whose highest pillar stands at 50 metres (164 feet) tall and which links north and northeast Thailand.