| Obama: U.S. won't stop confronting ISIL Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:44 AM PDT  After beheading of U.S. journalist, Obama said he's standing firm in face of ISIL's threats to do it again.
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| China, Russia, Egypt scold US on aftermath in Ferguson Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:50 AM PDT  By Angus MacSwan LONDON (Reuters) - Governments scolded by the United States over their human rights records have seized on racial unrest and a police crackdown in the Missouri town of Ferguson to wag their fingers back in disapproval. Adversaries and uneasy allies from Russia and Iran to China and Egypt have accused the United States of hypocrisy as images of police brandishing lethal weapons and tear-gassing protesters have been shown around the world. Many of the countries draw criticism of their own democratic credentials from independent rights group as well as the U.S. Nonetheless, activists say the events in Ferguson, where the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white policeman has provoked 11 nights of protests, undermine the United States' credibility in criticizing others.
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| Marine killed in crash on surprise visit to little brother Posted: 20 Aug 2014 09:44 AM PDT  FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado Marine killed in a crash in Utah last week was on his way home to surprise his little brother on the first day of school.
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| Highest US authorities: ISIS video authentic Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:47 AM PDT  Analysis of video showing journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff indicates it's for real.
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| Zombie fungus has horrific way of spreading Posted: 20 Aug 2014 07:50 AM PDT  A fungus that turns worker ants into zombie henchmen has a surprisingly clever strategy to recruit new hosts. The parasitic fungus in question, Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis, is named for the species of carpenter ant that it inhabits, Camponotus rufipes.
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| Ashamed Jackie Chan apologizes for son's drug bust Posted: 20 Aug 2014 07:22 AM PDT  BEIJING (AP) — Jackie Chan apologized to the public Wednesday over his son's detention on drug charges in Beijing, saying he's ashamed and saddened.
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| Chicago hostage standoff ends, 4 freed Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:17 AM PDT  Two suspects captured ending deadlock that lasted more than 20 hours.
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| Israel steps up air strikes as Gaza buries dead Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:50 AM PDT  Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza Wednesday as furious mourners buried the wife and child of Hamas's top military commander, baying for revenge as nine days of calm exploded into bloodshed. Mohammed Deif, who has topped Israel's most wanted list for more than a decade, escaped the strike with Hamas saying he was still alive and calling the shots in the ongoing confrontation. So far, 20 Gazans have been killed since Palestinian militants launched a barrage of rockets on southern Israel on Tuesday and F16 fighter jets carried out retaliatory air strikes, Palestinian medics say. The bloodshed pushed to 2,038 the number of Gazans killed in six weeks of the most violent confrontation between Israel and Hamas militants since the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising (2000-2005).
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| Macy's settles racial profiling suit to tune of six-figure sum Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:29 AM PDT  The retailer will also adopt new policies on police access to its security camera monitors.
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| Big mistake leads wanted man right into cops' hands Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:28 AM PDT  SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say a wanted man has been arrested after he rear-ended a Spokane, Washington, detective's car.
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| More weapons heading for Iraq's kurds, from unlikely source Posted: 20 Aug 2014 05:52 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is prepared to send arms to Kurdish security forces in northern Iraq fighting Islamic State militants, Germany's foreign and defence ministers said on Wednesday. Military equipment such as helmets and security vests would be sent immediately, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, adding that Berlin had agreed also to send weapons. "We can imagine providing further equipment, including weapons. Great Britain, Italy and France have decided to send such goods and we are prepared to do so too," he told reporters. ...
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| Massive humanitarian airlift to N. Iraq starts Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:49 AM PDT  A humanitarian airlift to northern Iraq began on Wednesday, kicking off a 10-day operation to provide tents and other aid to half a million displaced people who are struggling for survival, the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR said. "This is a massive logistics operation ... to help the hundreds of thousands of desperate people who have fled suddenly with nothing but their lives and are now struggling to survive in harsh conditions," said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes since the militant Islamic State group swept through much of the north and west of Iraq in June, threatening to break up the country. Iraq's escalating crisis means that the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq is now hosting more than 600,000 internally displaced civilians, including more than 200,000 people who fled the Sinjar area since early August, the UNHCR said. In all, an estimated 1.2 million people have been uprooted in Iraq so far this year, including half a million in the western Anbar region, it said.
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| UK searches for info on Foley's killer Posted: 20 Aug 2014 05:33 AM PDT  British government "urgently investigating" identity of hooded, apparently British executioner.
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| Fears Ebola has spread to another African country Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT  Democratic Republic of Congo has sent its health minister and a team of experts to the remote northern Equateur province after several people died there from a disease with Ebola-like symptoms, a local official and a professor said on Wednesday. "An illness is spreading in Boende but we don't know the origin," said Michel Wangi, a spokesman for the governor's office. "The government has sent a team of experts from the INRB(National Institute of Biomedical Research) this morning led by the health minister (Felix) Kabange Numbi and acting governor Sebastian Impeto." A professor accompanying the delegation in the presidential plane confirmed that they were en route this morning to find out "the exact nature of the illness that caused the Boende deaths". An Equateur resident who asked not to be named said that around ten people had died, including four health care workers, after suffering from fever, diarrhoea and bleeding from the ears and nostrils - all symptoms of the deadly Ebola virus.
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| What happens when an old, dead oil well gets 're-fracked'? Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:54 AM PDT  Hydraulic fracturing, which has upended global energy markets by lifting U.S. Canada's Encana Corp invested $2 million to refrack two wells in Louisiana's Haynesville shale formation earlier this year, after seeing its production in the area dip 27 percent from 2012 levels. "There were a significant number of wells that we considered unstimulated," said David Martinez, Encana's senior manager for Haynesville development. Using minuscule plastic balls, known as diverting agents, pumped at high speeds with water into the old wells, most of which are three to five years old, Encana blocked some the older fractures, or cracks. "The thought is that the diverting agent will go to the cracks with the least amount of pressure," bypassing cracks with higher pressure and boosting the pressure of the entire well so output climbs, Martinez said. He said the process can't be as precisely controlled as an initial round of hydraulic fracturing, in which water, chemicals and sand into are blasted into rock to unlock oil and gas.
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| North Korea insults John Kerry over his looks Posted: 20 Aug 2014 12:33 AM PDT  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In its latest personal attack on a prominent official from a rival country, North Korea on Wednesday called U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry a wolf with a "hideous lantern jaw."
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| Remembering James Foley, killed by ISIS Posted: 19 Aug 2014 10:40 PM PDT  Journalist "gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people," says mother.
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| Disaster hits Hiroshima, 36 dead Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:36 AM PDT  By Toru Hanai HIROSHIMA (Reuters) - At least 36 people, including several children, were killed in Japan on Wednesday, when landslides triggered by torrential rain slammed into the outskirts of the western city of Hiroshima, and the toll could rise further, police said.
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| Stunning sight above Moscow angers Kremlin Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:45 AM PDT  A Ukrainian flag was unfurled on the top of a Moscow skyscraper within sight of the Kremlin on Wednesday, officials said, as fighting in eastern Ukraine has frayed bilateral ties. The Soviet star crowning the Stalin-era skyscraper, located just a kilometre (half a mile) from the Kremlin, was also painted in the yellow and blue colours of the national flag. "The flag was attached by unidentified criminals to the top of the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment skyscraper," a spokesman for the Russian emergencies ministry, Roman Kilkeyev, told AFP. Tensions between Moscow and Kiev have soared since Viktor Yanukovich was chased from power in Ukraine and replaced with a pro-Western government in February.
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| Ferguson protests smaller, more subdued Posted: 20 Aug 2014 09:46 AM PDT  Despite some clashes, the overall scene was more restrained than the past five nights.
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| Fall Previews : Miami's 12 Most Anticipated Fall Openings, 2014 Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:44 AM PDT  Now that summer in Miami is finally over, the cool and breezy fall weather will settle in (yeah, right) and several exciting new restaurants will make their debut. So, without further ado, here are 12 of Miami's most anticipated...
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| Curbed Features: How Julia Morgan Gave California Women Space for Leisure Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:43 AM PDT  For much of her professional life, California architect Julia Morgan was on the move, scaling the scaffolding of her projects, traveling up and down the state each week to visit construction sites. Responsible for over 700 buildings, she worked...
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| Afghanistan orders NYT reporter to leave country Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:43 AM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan ordered a New York Times correspondent Wednesday to leave the country in 24 hours and barred him from returning over a story he wrote saying that a group of officials were considering seizing power because of the impasse over who won its recent presidential election, the attorney general's office said in a statement.
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| Lunch Wire: Atlantic Station smokehouse/raw bar The Pig... Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:41 AM PDT  Atlantic Station smokehouse/raw bar The Pig and the Pearl has released a new lunch menu on Facebook. Specials are $12 for a main and side, or $15 for a main and two sides with options such as various smoked meats,...
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| Obama urges joint effort to end jihadist 'cancer' Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:41 AM PDT  US President Barack Obama called for a joint effort to eliminate the "cancer" of jihadist terror in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, after Islamic State militants murdered an American journalist. Obama said the entire world was appalled by the beheading of 40-year-old reporter James Foley, which the IS fighters videotaped and published on the Internet. "There has to be a common effort to extract this cancer so it does not spread. It has to be a clear rejection of these kind of nihilistic ideologies," Obama said.
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| German culture minister backs authors against Amazon Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:41 AM PDT  A German minister on Wednesday threw her weight behind the authors battling US online retail giant Amazon over its alleged strong-arm negotiating tactics with publishers. "Market power and domination over central distribution channels should not endanger our cultural diversity," said state minister for culture and media Monika Gruetters. Her statement "welcomes and supports" a campaign by authors, some of whom have been caught in the cross-fire as Amazon re-negotiates its deals with publishers. German-language authors have accused Amazon of delaying the release of books and boycotting authors signed to publishing houses in dispute with the US company.
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| Megadevelopments: Evo's Super Tall Student Housing Is Move-In Ready Right Now Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:41 AM PDT  Photo: James Jennings, Campus Crest Evo at Cira Centre South is nearing completion and reps tell us that the building will be completed by September 1st — all 33 floors of it. Designed...
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| George W. Bush takes ice bucket challenge Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:41 AM PDT  KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) — Former President George W. Bush took the ice bucket challenge then nominated former President Bill Clinton to do it next.
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| Texas Gov. Perry formally enters not guilty plea Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:41 AM PDT  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry has formally pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of leveraging his power to try to oust a Democratic district attorney convicted of drunken driving, according to court documents obtained Wednesday.
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| Eater Inside: Rooftop Cocktail Oasis Blooms in the East Village Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:40 AM PDT  When CH Projects took over the Petco Park-adjacent space for Rare Form, their bar-meets-deli which opened in June, it came with a rooftop bar. Instead of using it as an extension of...
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| Slain journalist's parents: He died a hero Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:40 AM PDT  ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The parents of an American journalist slain by Islamic State militants say their son died a hero for revealing the stories of oppressed people in war-torn lands.
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| Prosecutor: Oregon shooting victim on coast tour Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:40 AM PDT  Zachary Levi Brimhall had picnicked with his parents at a remote spot in Oregon's Coast Range last weekend then stayed to camp.
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| Fall Previewing: The Most Anticipated San Francisco Bars of the Fall Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:40 AM PDT  Now that we've previewed the restaurants coming your way this fall, we turn our attention to bars. This fall's most anticipated spots offer an eclectic mix, including an arcade bar from the team behind Blackbird, the Bon Vivants and...
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| Happenings: Swan Lake Performed Atop (What Else?) Swan Boats Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:40 AM PDT  If you think you've seen it all, we ask: have you ever seen Swan Lake performed atop a swan boat in the Public Garden? Unless you had the chance to catch the Boston Ballet do just that—over 30 years...
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| Rapper Gucci Mane sentenced on federal gun charge Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:39 AM PDT  ATLANTA (AP) — Rapper Gucci Mane was sentenced Wednesday to serve three years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to a federal firearms charge several months ago.
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| The Airing of Grievances : Grievances: Ansel, Sweetgreen, Small Plates, and More Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:39 AM PDT  As a Shitshow Week special, Eater asked some of New York's best food writers to anonymously share their gripes and frustrations about the restaurant world. Yesterday we heard 10 gripes, and now it's time for 10 more. What follows...
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| European stock markets drop, banks in focus Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:39 AM PDT  European stock markets retreated on Wednesday after two days of strong gains, while the euro briefly hit a one-year low against the dollar as markets focused on central bank action. European stock markets dipped on Wednesday, with Frankfurt's main DAX index shedding 0.21 percent to 9,314.57. London's benchmark FTSE 100 lost 0.35 percent, ending on 6,755.48 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 fell 0.32 percent to 4,240.79 points, as traders banked recent profits. By midday in New York, the Dow Jones was up 0.17 percent to 16,948.01 points while the tech-rich Nasdaq nudged 0.03 percent higher at 4,528.79.
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| Chef Shuffles: Tim Moody OUT at Husk Nashville, Brian Baxter IN as New Chef de Cuisine Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:38 AM PDT  It didn't take long for another change in the kitchen at Husk, as chef de cuisine Tim Moody has left the position after just a little over five months. Taking his place is executive sous chef Brian Baxter, who has...
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| The Shutter: After only a few months in... Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:37 AM PDT  After only a few months in business, the Upper West Side location of Bocca di Bacco is dark, according to the West Side Rag. The spot is up for grabs on Craigslist for $35000 a month, plus $300,000 in key...
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