Russia executes de facto takeover of Crimea region

Russia executes de facto takeover of Crimea region
Pakistani Taliban announces ceasefire to revive peace talks
James Tague, key JFK assassination witness, dies
UN says 703 killed in Iraq in February attacks
Pakistani Taliban announces 1-month cease-fire
California soaked but little drought help, damage
Clinton advisers sought to soften her image
Oscar Pistorius: His entire life story on trial
Oscars animation affair a riot per John C. Reilly
At heart of Ukraine drama, a tale of two countries
How Crimea differs from the rest of Ukraine
27 dead in knife attack at SW China train station
Russia approves use of military in Ukraine
Obama to Russia: There will be 'costs' for Ukraine
Knife-wielding men attack SW China train station
Lawmakers allow Putin to use military in Ukraine
Jailed Venezuela protest leader mocks Maduro's talks
Scam tricks caller ID to show real tech support numbers
Foreigners detained as Venezuela protesters, security clash
Has Wall Street finally beat 'The Oracle of Omaha'?
Under the Rock: Secret tunnels found under Alcatraz
Woman receives FedEx box of strangers' sensitive documents
Official: Toxic mix of drugs caused actor's accidental death

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 10:25 AM PST

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia executed a de facto military takeover of a strategic region in Ukraine as the parliament in Moscow gave President Vladimir Putin a green light Saturday to proceed to protect Russian interests. The newly installed government in Kiev was powerless to react to the swift takeover of Crimea by Russian troops already in Ukraine and more flown in, aided by pro-Russian Ukrainian groups.

Pakistani Taliban announces ceasefire to revive peace talks

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 07:37 AM PST

By Katharine Houreld and Mehreen Zahra-Malik ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday announced a one-month ceasefire aimed at reviving peace talks after receiving what it said were government assurances it would not be attacked. A government negotiator could not confirm that there were such guarantees, but said talks could be restarted if the ceasefire was honored. Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that the Pakistani military is planning an offensive against the insurgents after talks between the militants and government broke down. "The senior leadership of the Taliban advises all subgroups to respect the Taliban's call for a ceasefire and abide by it and completely refrain from all jihadi activities in this time period," spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said in a statement.

James Tague, key JFK assassination witness, dies

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 09:57 AM PST

James Tague, a material witness whose testimony contributed to the controversial "magic bullet theory" in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, has died. He was 77.

UN says 703 killed in Iraq in February attacks

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 10:39 AM PST

BAGHDAD (AP) — The United Nations said Saturday that violence across Iraq in February killed 703 people, a death toll higher than the year before as the country faces a rising wave of militant attacks rivaling the sectarian bloodshed that followed the U.S.-led invasion.

Pakistani Taliban announces 1-month cease-fire

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 10:12 AM PST

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistani Taliban announced Saturday that the group will observe a one-month cease-fire as part of efforts to negotiate a peace deal with the government, throwing new life into a foundering peace process.

California soaked but little drought help, damage

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 10:13 AM PST

AZUSA, Calif. (AP) — A storm that brought some of the highest rainfall totals to the Los Angeles area in years, including eight inches on some mountains, was just the beginning of what the region needs to pull out of a major drought.

Clinton advisers sought to soften her image

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 12:31 AM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton's advisers sought to "humanize" what they saw as her stern, defensive public image during her husband's White House days and as she embarked on her groundbreaking Senate campaign in New York.

Oscar Pistorius: His entire life story on trial

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 07:49 AM PST

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — With his past triumphs now tarnished because he shot to death his girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius on Monday will enter court to be confronted with the jarring possibility that he will be sent to prison for at least 25 years.

Oscars animation affair a riot per John C. Reilly

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 03:03 AM PST

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Leave it to John C. Reilly to turn a question and answer session with this year's animated feature Oscar nominees into a gut-wrenching comedic affair.

At heart of Ukraine drama, a tale of two countries

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 01:42 AM PST

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — In the afternoon, when the shift ends at the coal mine and the miners walk out into the cold and past the old concrete statue of Lenin, they often head to a tiny corner store a block away. There they'll stand in the parking lot for a while, drinking little bottles of the vodka called "Truthful."

How Crimea differs from the rest of Ukraine

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 10:47 AM PST

The Crimean peninsula, the main flashpoint in Ukraine's crisis, is a pro-Russia part of Ukraine separated from the rest of the country geographically, historically and politically. It also hosts Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine has accused Russia of invading it, while Moscow argues that the new Ukrainian government is illegitimate and poses a threat to ethnic Russians in Crimea. Here's some key information about the region:

27 dead in knife attack at SW China train station

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 09:33 AM PST

BEIJING (AP) — A group of knife-wielding men attacked a train station in southwestern China on Saturday, leaving at least 27 people dead and another 109 injured, the official Xinhua News Agency said, making it one of the deadliest attacks in China in recent years.

Russia approves use of military in Ukraine

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 10:04 AM PST

Obama to Russia: There will be 'costs' for Ukraine

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 12:57 AM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is warning Russia "there will be costs" for any military maneuvers it launches in Ukraine, a move U.S. and Ukrainian officials say they believe to be already underway.

Knife-wielding men attack SW China train station

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 07:52 AM PST

BEIJING (AP) — A group of knife-wielding men attacked a train station in southwestern China on Saturday, causing injuries, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Local media said at least one person was killed.

Lawmakers allow Putin to use military in Ukraine

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 07:40 AM PST

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia's parliament granted President Vladimir Putin permission to use the country's military in Ukraine and also recommended Saturday that Moscow's ambassador be recalled from Washington over comments made by President Barack Obama.

Jailed Venezuela protest leader mocks Maduro's talks

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:58 PM PST

By Andrew Cawthorne and Daniel Wallis CARACAS (Reuters) - Jailed Venezuelan protest leader Leopoldo Lopez scoffed on Friday at President Nicolas Maduro's efforts to open talks with opponents and businessman after a month of demonstrations and violence that have killed at least 17 people. Maduro, 51, seems to have weathered the worst of an explosion of protests against his socialist government that exposed deep discontent with economic problems and brought the nation's worst unrest in a decade. Some students are still setting up roadblocks and clashing with police in Caracas and the western state of Tachira. But the number of protesters has dropped, and many Venezuelans have begun heading for the beach to enjoy a long weekend for Carnival celebrations.

Scam tricks caller ID to show real tech support numbers

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:31 AM PST

How Fraudsters Are Using a Clever Scheme to Appear as Real Tech Support

Foreigners detained as Venezuela protesters, security clash

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:46 PM PST

At least 41 people, including foreign reporters, were arrested in Caracas as security forces battled protesters angry at the policies of Venezuela's leftist government.

Has Wall Street finally beat 'The Oracle of Omaha'?

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:07 PM PST

By Luciana Lopez NEW YORK (Reuters) - A five-year bull market may have finally outdueled one of the U.S. stock market's biggest bulls, and Warren Buffett will probably tell investors on Saturday that his 43-year run of beating the Street has come to an end. By his own benchmark for performance, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc almost certainly lagged a red-hot stock market in 2013 and probably also fell short over the previous five years, his favored timeframe for measuring the firm's return for its investors. Using the gain in Berkshire's book value per share after taxes, which Buffett traditionally contrasts with the pre-tax total return, including dividends, on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, Berkshire will be hard pressed to match the S&P's 128.2 percent gain in the five years ended December 31, 2013. The whopping 32 percent total return on the S&P last year only makes it more likely that Berkshire's book value did not match the index's five-year performance.

Under the Rock: Secret tunnels found under Alcatraz

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:01 PM PST

Just when you thought you knew everything there is to know about the island of Alcatraz, a group of scientists comes along and discovers tunnels buried under the former prison's walls that experts had thought were destroyed long ago.

Woman receives FedEx box of strangers' sensitive documents

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST

Paging Sherlock Holmes. Your talents of deduction are needed to help solve the mystery of a woman who says she received a FedEx box full of strangers' credit card information and medical records.