| Chinese ship hunting for missing Malaysia jet detects 'ping' Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:50 AM PDT  By Siva Govindasamy and Swati Pandey KUALA LUMPUR/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - A Chinese patrol ship hunting for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner detected a pulse signal in the south Indian Ocean on Saturday, the state news agency Xinhua reported, in a possible indicator of the underwater beacon from a plane's "black box". Australian search authorities said such a signal would be "consistent" with a black box, but both they and Xinhua stressed there was no conclusive evidence linking the "ping" to Flight MH370, which went missing on March 8 with 239 people aboard shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. A black box detector deployed by the vessel Haixun 01 picked up the "ping" signal with a frequency of 37.5kHz per second - the same as emitted by flight recorders - at about 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, Xinhua said. Xinhua also reported that a Chinese air force plane had spotted a number of white floating objects in the search area.
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| Relief in Afghanistan after largely peaceful landmark poll Posted: 05 Apr 2014 09:18 AM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati KABUL/KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's presidential election closed on Saturday amid relief that attacks by Taliban fighters were fewer than feared for a vote that will bring the first-ever democratic transfer of power in a country plagued by conflict for decades. It will take six weeks for results to come in from across Afghanistan's rugged terrain and a final result to be declared in the race to succeed President Hamid Karzai. This could be the beginning of a potentially dangerous period for Afghanistan at a time when the war-ravaged country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave. "On behalf of the people, I thank the security forces, election commission and people who exercised democracy and ... turned another page in the glorious history of Afghanistan." One of the eight candidates will have to score over 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off with his nearest rival.
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| Will government ever get tech’ right? A George H. W. Bush Foundation discussion Posted: 05 Apr 2014 06:35 AM PDT  There was no Internet when George Bush got the keys to the White House 25 years ago. There was no Internet when he left it, either – the last president to serve an entire term without the World Wide Web.
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| Army may never learn motive of Fort Hood rampage Posted: 05 Apr 2014 01:21 AM PDT  FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — Despite evidence that suggests Spc. Ivan Lopez had an argument before going on a shooting rampage, investigators said they may never determine what compelled the Fort Hood soldier to kill three soldiers and wound 16 others before taking his own life.
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| UN chief Ban Ki-moon visits C. African Republic Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:01 AM PDT  BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon vowed Saturday that the world would not forget Central African Republic, as he visited the country wracked by sectarian violence that has left thousands dead and forced most of the nation's Muslims to flee.
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| Hagel: US strongly committed to protecting Japan Posted: 05 Apr 2014 07:44 AM PDT  YOKOTA AIR FORCE BASE, Japan (AP) — Against the backdrop of Russia's takeover of Ukraine's Crimean region, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday he will convey to Japanese leaders that the U.S. is strongly committed to protecting their country's security.
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| How a wedding cake became a cause Posted: 05 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT  LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The encounter at Jack Phillips' Masterpiece Cakeshop lasted less than a minute.
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| Gay men concerned after LA meningitis deaths Posted: 05 Apr 2014 08:25 AM PDT  WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — In the heart of this close-knit gay community, Luke Martel reflects the feelings of many when it comes to a strain of meningitis that has killed three gay men this year in Los Angeles County: He's concerned but not overly so.
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| Brazil security forces raid Rio slum before WCup Posted: 05 Apr 2014 07:54 AM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — More than 2,000 Brazilian soldiers stormed into a Rio de Janeiro slum complex Saturday with armored personnel carriers and helicopters in a bid to improve security two months before the start of the World Cup.
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| Climate meeting to discuss future of fossil fuels Posted: 05 Apr 2014 02:21 AM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — After concluding that global warming almost certainly is man-made and poses a grave threat to humanity, the U.N.-sponsored expert panel on climate change is moving on to the next phase: what to do about it.
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| Retired general taking another look at nuke corps Posted: 05 Apr 2014 01:22 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Service leaders took an assessment last year of the nuclear Air Force as an encouraging thumbs-up. Yet, in the months that followed, signs emerged that the nuclear missile corps was suffering from breakdowns in discipline, morale, training and leadership.
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| Unclear Washington landslide lawsuits could win Posted: 05 Apr 2014 09:16 AM PDT  SEATTLE (AP) — The warnings could hardly have been clearer. One technical report told of the "potential for a large catastrophic failure" of the 600-foot hillside above a rural neighborhood near Oso, on the Stillaguamish River. Another noted plainly that it "poses a significant risk to human lives and private property."
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| Malaysia says it 'will not stop looking' for jet Posted: 05 Apr 2014 07:54 AM PDT  PERTH, Australia (AP) — Malaysia vowed Saturday that it would not give up trying to find the missing jetliner and said a multinational investigation team would to try to solve the aviation mystery, as a Chinese ship involved in the search reported hearing a "pulse signal" in Indian Ocean waters.
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| Britain levels against Italy in Davis Cup quarters Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:45 AM PDT  NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Andy Murray completed a straight sets victory over Andreas Seppi as Britain leveled the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Italy 1-1 on Saturday.
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| Hungary's Fidesz tipped to win big in Sunday vote Posted: 05 Apr 2014 01:25 AM PDT  BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's governing party is tipped to win parliamentary elections Sunday, while a far-right party is expected to make further gains, according to polls.
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| NYC police: Car flips into Queens creek, killing 4 Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:26 AM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — A car heading down a dark, dead-end street in a desolate industrial area flipped over a wooden curb into a creek, killing four passengers, police said Saturday.
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| Afghans hail peaceful election, high turnout predicted Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:33 AM PDT  Long queues formed outside polling stations in cities across the country, despite the threats and cold, wet weather.
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| Issues dominating Afghanistan's elections Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:45 AM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Several issues are at the top of Afghans' minds as they go to the polls Saturday. High among them is deteriorating security as the country undergoes its first democratic transition of power in history. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term in office. The most often mentioned issues include:
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| Detroit police hunt suspects in motorist's brutal beating Posted: 04 Apr 2014 04:55 PM PDT  DETROIT (AP) — As Steve Utash lies in a Detroit hospital bed, with his brain swollen and a gash in his head, he appears to remember the brutal beating that a neighborhood mob inflicted days earlier.
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| Grand jury now probing NJ bridge closing scandal Posted: 04 Apr 2014 04:48 PM PDT  Grand Jury Convened in NJ to Look Further Into the Matter
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| Judge rejects lawsuit over drone strikes that killed U.S. citizens Posted: 04 Apr 2014 03:26 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against Obama administration officials for the 2011 drone-strike killings of three U.S. citizens in Yemen, including an al-Qaida cleric.
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| Why Afghanistan's historic elections matter Posted: 04 Apr 2014 03:30 PM PDT  After 12 years of war, how will democracy fare after the U.S. leaves?
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| 3 million Medicaid enrollments bring Obamacare signup total to 10 million Posted: 04 Apr 2014 12:00 PM PDT  By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three million lower-income Americans have enrolled in the Medicaid program for the poor so far during the rollout of U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, the administration announced on Friday. That brings to more than 10 million the number of people who have signed up for both public and private health coverage since the October 1 launch of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. "The increase in Medicaid enrollments across the country is encouraging," U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a government blog posting. The latest data show for the first time actual enrollments in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from October 1 through February 28 for 46 states that have reported statistics to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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| So what? U.S. regains jobs lost in the recession Posted: 04 Apr 2014 02:49 PM PDT  Analysts downplay milestone as economy is still millions of jobs short of goal.
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| States rebel against powerful new painkiller Posted: 04 Apr 2014 12:52 PM PDT  Officials fear pill that hit market last month will deepen prescription drug abuse crisis.
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| 3 employees suspended following Mo. school rape allegations Posted: 04 Apr 2014 12:17 PM PDT  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Months after vowing to boost security at a Kansas City school where a student says she was dragged to a room and raped, district officials have suspended three employees amid new allegations from a 14-year-old girl who alleges a boy repeatedly raped her at school.
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