| Despite the name calling, Putin is not crazy Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:49 AM PST  The Russian president may be calculating, sources say, even miscalculating.
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| Ukrainian leader declares Crimea referendum illegal Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:18 AM PST  Parliament will take steps to block the referendum and dismiss lawmakers behind it.
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| Pistorius weeps as witness recalls shooting scene horror Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:24 AM PST  A weeping Oscar Pistorius shielded his ears as a witness in his murder trial on Thursday gave harrowing evidence about desperate attempts to save Reeva Steenkamp's life after she was shot. Rocking back and forth in the dock, Pistorius put his hands over his ears as neighbour and radiologist Johan Stipp recounted how he entered his house to find the distraught Paralympian bent over, attempting to resuscitate his girlfriend. Stipp noticed a wound on Steenkamp's right thigh, right upper arm, and "blood and hair and what looked like brain tissue intermingled with that" on top of the skull. Amid the scene of horror, Stipp said he quickly realised the 29-year-old model would not survive the injuries.
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| Sleepless in Kiev: Anderson Cooper talks shop from the Ukraine Posted: 05 Mar 2014 03:17 PM PST  CNN's prime-time host talks to Yahoo News about the situation on the ground in the Ukraine capital, his approach to storytelling, and the time he slipped into Burma with a fake press pass — and found his calling.
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| General admits guilt on 3 counts; denies assault Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:01 AM PST  FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — An Army general accused of sexual assault is pleading guilty to three lesser charges, but maintains his innocence on five remaining counts.
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| What you should hear at CPAC—but won’t Posted: 06 Mar 2014 04:00 AM PST  Expect lots of chatter about taxes, Russian expansionism and a spineless president, says Matt Bai.
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| State Dept. considers adding Russians to sanctions list over human right violations Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:55 AM PST  The United States is "actively considering" adding names of Russians involved in the incursion in Ukraine to the "Magnitsky list" of human rights offenders subject to visa bans and asset freezes, a U.S. State Department official said on Thursday. "We are actively considering adding new names," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rubin said at a House of Representatives committee hearing on the crisis in Ukraine. Under a 2012 U.S. law named after Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in prison, the United States targeted Russian officials involved in human rights abuses with visa bans and asset freezes. The State Department placed 18 Russian individuals on a public list of those affected, and a handful of other senior officials are on a list that was not made public.
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| Museum's sculpture may be idol stolen in India Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:43 AM PST  TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — An 11th-century Indian statue owned by an Ohio art museum may have been stolen before the institution purchased it.
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| Crimea parliament votes to join Russia Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:10 AM PST  The Moscow-backed government sets a referendum on the decision within 10 days.
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| General to admit guilt on 3 counts; denies assault Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:23 AM PST RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A U.S. Army general accused of sexual assault was set to plead guilty to three lesser charges Thursday in a move that his lawyer says will strengthen his position going into trial. |
| Pope very popular in U.S., but no 'Francis effect': poll Posted: 05 Mar 2014 09:09 PM PST  One year after his election, Pope Francis is "immensely popular among American Catholics," a survey said on Thursday, but there is no sign of a "Francis effect" inspiring more to attend Mass or do volunteer work. The Washington-based Pew Research Center said 85 percent of Catholics in the United States viewed the Argentine-born pontiff favorably, with 51 percent reporting a "very favourable" view of him, while only 4 percent expressed a negative opinion. Among Catholics, 68 percent thought he represented "a major change for the better," a view shared by 51 percent of the non-Catholics responding to the poll in telephone interviews of 1,340 Americans from February 14 to 23. "Nor has there been a statistically significant change in how often Catholics say they go to Mass." Forty percent of Catholics said they were now praying more often and 26 percent were "more excited" about their faith, but their frequency of going to confession or volunteering at church has not changed.
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| Congress rushes to put in place Russia sanctions Posted: 06 Mar 2014 05:09 AM PST  Lawmakers hope Europe will follow the U.S. lead in upping the pressure on Vladimir Putin.
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| Military sexual assault bill heads for Senate vote Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:22 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Opponents of legislation stripping senior military commanders of their authority to prosecute rapes and other serious offenses expressed confidence on Thursday that the far-reaching measure would fall short in a highly anticipated Senate vote.
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| Conservatives: GOP needs to stand on principle Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:43 AM PST  OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Republican leaders implored conservatives to offer a stark contrast to President Barack Obama's policies and stand firm on principles as a way to win back Senate control in the fall elections and prepare for the 2016 presidential campaign.
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| Judge: Texas man can be tried in childhood crime Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:05 AM PST  CONROE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man accused of dousing a boy with gasoline and setting him on fire when he was a teenager can be tried as an adult for murder after the victim died from his burns nearly 13 years later, a judge ruled Thursday.
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| Girl Scouts asked to end partnership with Barbie Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:03 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — A few weeks after her foray into the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, Barbie is entangled in controversy again, this time over her ties with the Girl Scouts.
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| Stunning panoramic photo taken atop WTC spire Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:29 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — A new interactive photo taken from the spire of the nearly completed World Trade Center tower offers stunning 360-degree views that can be zoomed in and out.
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| Witness: Pistorius prayed over his shot girlfriend Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:36 AM PST  PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — As the girlfriend he shot lay dead or dying in his home, a weeping, praying Oscar Pistorius knelt at her side and struggled in vain to help her breathe by holding two fingers in her clenched mouth, a witness testified Thursday at the double-amputee runner's murder trial.
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| Obama says Crimea separation would violate law Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:14 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says a referendum for Ukraine's Crimea region to separate and become part of Russia would violate international law.
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| EU leaders slap initial sanctions on Russia Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:33 AM PST  BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union suspended talks with Russia on a wide-ranging economic pact and on a visa deal Thursday, punishing Moscow for its military incursion into the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine.
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| Crimea lawmakers schedule vote on joining Russia Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:08 AM PST  SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Lawmakers in Crimea voted unanimously Thursday to split from Ukraine and join Russia instead, and scheduled a referendum in 10 days for voters on the disputed peninsula to support or reject their decision.
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| In Crimea, old fears combine with new propaganda Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:31 AM PST SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Sometimes, the old actor remembers the war far too clearly. Though he was only a small child, he can tell you about the explosions, and the Nazi soldiers patrolling the streets. He can list the friends and relatives who didn't survive. He punctuates his stories with angry imitations of machine-gun fire: "TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT." The last thing he wants is for war to return to Crimea. |
| US announces visa restrictions on some Russians Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:32 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration slapped new visa restrictions Thursday on Russian and other opponents of the new Ukraine government in Kiev and cleared the way for financial sanctions as the West began punishing Moscow for its occupation of Ukraine's Crimea region. |
| EU leaders to slap initial sanctions on Russia Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:45 AM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders were poised Thursday to impose sanctions on Russia to protest its military incursion into Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, according to European officials. |
| Canceled health plans get 2-year extension Posted: 05 Mar 2014 03:27 PM PST  Decision helps defuse a political problem for Democrats in fall re-election battles.
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| Chicago family accused in $7 million shoplifting spree Posted: 05 Mar 2014 04:18 PM PST  CHICAGO (AP) — A father, mother and daughter from a posh Chicago suburb stole $7 million in merchandise during a decadelong shoplifting spree — traveling to stores nationwide and targeting dolls, toys, cosmetics and other valuables — according to a federal complaint released Wednesday.
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| Biden highlights $35 million proposal for rape kit testing Posted: 05 Mar 2014 03:20 PM PST  Vice President Joe Biden proposed $35 million in grant funding on Wednesday afternoon to help clear the hundreds of thousands of backlogged rape kits off the shelves of police stations and labs.
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| Photos: UK's underground wonders Posted: 05 Mar 2014 10:59 AM PST  Sewer Tunnel, The River Westbourne, London. (Mike Deere/Caters News) |
| Lawyers: Boston suspect's 'incriminating' remark meant to be funny Posted: 05 Mar 2014 01:51 PM PST  BOSTON (AP) — Lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev say a remark he made to his sister during a prison visit was meant to be funny and wasn't incriminating, as prosecutors have suggested.
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| GOP looks to tell candidates' personal stories with 'film' series Posted: 05 Mar 2014 01:25 PM PST  Republicans want to set the narrative on their Senate candidates early — before Democrats define them first.
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| College Board announces sweeping changes to the SAT Posted: 05 Mar 2014 03:32 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Essay optional. No penalties for wrong answers. The SAT college entrance exam is undergoing sweeping revisions.
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| Russia's top diplomat snubs Ukrainian peer Posted: 05 Mar 2014 12:20 PM PST  Foreign minister resists pressure to meet but says talks with U.S. and others to continue.
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| House hearing on IRS scandal dissolves in shouting Posted: 05 Mar 2014 09:34 AM PST  By Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A brief congressional hearing ended in shouting and confusion on Wednesday after a former U.S. Internal Revenue Service official refused to answer questions about a 10-month-old controversy involving IRS scrutiny of conservative political groups. Lois Lerner, who was at the center of last year's so-called Tea Party targeting scandal, declined to answer questions from Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Issa, who has relentlessly pursued the tax agency over the controversy for months, dismissed Lerner and gaveled the hearing to a close after just 15 minutes, cutting off remarks by Representative Elijah Cummings, the panel's top Democrat. That was days after she issued a public apology, in answer to a planted question from the audience at a legal conference, in which she said the IRS had done "inappropriate" targeting of political groups with the words "Tea Party" in their names.
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