| The weirdest political stories of 2014 Posted: 26 Dec 2014 12:02 AM PST  There's everyone from Sarah Palin to Seth Rogen to Hillary Clinton.
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| China's likely role in North Korea's cyber prowess Posted: 26 Dec 2014 09:46 AM PST  North Korea may be facing explosive hacking accusations, but analysts are questioning how an isolated, impoverished country with limited Internet access could wage cyber sabotage -- and many experts believe China plays a role. The US has accused Pyongyang of hacking Sony Pictures, which was intimidated into initially cancelling the comedy film "The Interview" that mocks North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, before deciding to release it online and in selected US cinemas on Christmas Day. While much of the focus has been on the so-called cyber warfare between Washington and Pyongyang -- especially after North Korea's Internet temporarily went down -- many analysts speculate China is a necessary partner in facilitating any attack by the North. "North Korea's cyber capacity relies on Chinese support in terms of both hardware and software," Willy Lam, a politics expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told AFP.
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| 'Facilitator' of Taliban school attack killed in Pakistan Posted: 26 Dec 2014 09:25 AM PST  Pakistani security forces have killed a Taliban commander who allegedly facilitated the Peshawar school massacre, which left 150 people dead in the country's worst ever terror attack, officials said Friday.
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| Senator to reveal major decision in March Posted: 26 Dec 2014 08:05 AM PST  BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders says he'll decide by March whether to launch a 2016 presidential campaign and, if so, whether he'll seek the Democratic nomination. Either way, Sanders says he wouldn't run just to nudge the debate to the left.
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| Update on hospitalized George H.W. Bush Posted: 25 Dec 2014 04:29 PM PST  (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush remained hospitalized on Thursday near his home in Houston after experiencing shortness of breath this week, and was in "great spirits," his spokesman said. Bush, 90, was taken by ambulance to Houston Methodist Hospital on Tuesday. Spokesman Jim McGrath said on Wednesday that the 41st president's prognosis was positive and that he remained hospitalized as a precaution. "President Bush had another terrific day and is in great spirits," McGrath said on Thursday in an emailed statement. ...
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| Sri Lanka floods, mudslides kill 14 Posted: 26 Dec 2014 05:17 AM PST  Floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 14 people in Sri Lanka and driven 80,000 from their homes, police and officials said Friday, as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the tsunami.
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| Asia remembers devastating 2004 tsunami Posted: 26 Dec 2014 06:12 AM PST  Survivors and relatives of the disaster's 226,000 victims gathered for memorial services.
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| On Christmas, Obama marks end of Afghan combat Posted: 25 Dec 2014 08:33 PM PST  The president tells troops in Hawaii that their sacrifices have made the world safer.
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| Capacity crowds pack screenings of 'The Interview' Posted: 25 Dec 2014 07:12 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Critics and early viewers agree that "The Interview" is less than a masterpiece. But thanks to threats from hackers that nearly derailed its release, it has become an event.
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| U.S. police struggle to uncover threats on social media Posted: 26 Dec 2014 04:05 AM PST  By Edwin Chan and Alex Dobuzinskis SAN FRANCISCO/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement agencies are a long way from being able to effectively track threats of the kind a gunman posted on Instagram before his execution-style murder of two New York City policemen last weekend. Police need more data analytics and mining software to monitor social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter , as well as trained personnel to make sense of what could be a deluge of data, say law enforcement officials and security experts. ...
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| Mourners to gather for slain New York policeman Posted: 26 Dec 2014 09:46 AM PST  By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hundreds of mourners were due to gather at a New York City church on Friday to pay their respects for one of two policemen shot by a gunman who said he was avenging the killings this summer of unarmed black men by white officers. Targeted for their uniform, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were slain last weekend while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. The two officers had been reassigned from another precinct following complaints about violent crime from residents at a housing project. ...
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| Anti-police Oakland protesters break windows, trash Christmas tree Posted: 26 Dec 2014 07:10 AM PST (Reuters) - Demonstrators in Oakland, California, broke store windows and vandalized a public Christmas tree during a march protesting police shootings, media reports said. Vandals who were among about 50 largely peaceful marchers broke store windows in downtown Oakland late on Thursday, looted a liquor store and pulled ornaments and lights off the Christmas tree, the SFGate news website reported. An Oakland police spokesman said there were no arrests but had no other details about the protest. ... |
| Can GOP shatter 'Obama coalition' in 2016? Posted: 25 Dec 2014 06:34 PM PST  ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans crowed in 2004 that freshly re-elected President George W. Bush had established a "permanent governing majority" for the GOP. Eight years later, Democrats were touting the enduring power of the "Obama coalition" to keep their party in the White House.
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| Russia offers support to North Korea amid Sony hack Posted: 25 Dec 2014 08:28 AM PST  Russia on Thursday offered sympathy to North Korea amid the Sony hacking scandal, saying the movie that sparked the dispute was so scandalous that Pyongyang's anger was "quite understandable." ...
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| Cuba expats in America weigh return to island Posted: 25 Dec 2014 10:07 AM PST  Cuban expatriates in America, including many who risked their lives to escape the communist island, are torn about whether to return after Havana and Washington formally reestablish ties next year. US President Barack Obama last week announced the normalization of relations with Cuba, which were severed in 1961. Marisol Camarota said she wouldn't think twice about returning to live in her homeland -- provided she can make a living comparable to what she earns in the United States. By contrast, Hector Martinez -- who fled Cuba years ago on a rickety raft -- wouldn't dream of ever setting foot in Cuba again.
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| Saudi women drivers referred to terrorism court Posted: 25 Dec 2014 11:50 AM PST  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two Saudi women detained for nearly a month in defiance of a ban on females driving were referred on Thursday to a court established to try terrorism cases, several people close to the defendants said.
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