Moscow protesters strike out against Ukraine and the West

Moscow protesters strike out against Ukraine and the West
Pentagon chief: US considering slowing exit from Afghanistan
Road rage? Mistaken identity? Questions raised in Vegas case
With deal, West Coast seaports tackle huge cargo backlog
Hundreds to mark 50th year since Malcolm X's assassination
Another winter storm to pummel eastern United States with snow and sleet
Seeing red: Traffic cameras hot topic in Chicago mayoral race
Minneapolis police officer wounded in shooting
Cuomo's fracking ban has some New York towns contemplating secession
Fire races up high-rise Dubai tower, but claims no lives
Analysts: West looks impotent as Ukraine ceasefire frays
Massive fire engulfs Dubai skyscraper
NASCAR suspends Kurt Busch before Daytona 500
Greece wins eurozone bailout deal with strict conditions
Suspect in blast near NAACP office: Target was accountant
Ex-Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell sentenced

Posted: 21 Feb 2015 08:00 AM PST

MOSCOW (AP) — For the thousands of Russians gathered near Red Square on Saturday, Maidan — the square in Kiev synonymous with pro-European protests last year — is nothing to celebrate.

Pentagon chief: US considering slowing exit from Afghanistan

Posted: 21 Feb 2015 09:03 AM PST

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The United States is considering slowing its military exit from Afghanistan by keeping a larger-than-planned troop presence this year and next because the new Afghan government is proving to be a more reliable partner, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Saturday.

Road rage? Mistaken identity? Questions raised in Vegas case

Posted: 21 Feb 2015 02:48 AM PST

A mother of four who just finished giving her daughter a driving lesson is followed by a driver they encountered on their way home.

With deal, West Coast seaports tackle huge cargo backlog

Posted: 21 Feb 2015 10:08 AM PST

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Labor-management peace is returning to West Coast seaports — and with it, eventually, the free flow of cargo across docks that handle about one-quarter of U.S. international trade.

Hundreds to mark 50th year since Malcolm X's assassination

Posted: 20 Feb 2015 11:47 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — Activists, actors, and politicians will remember civil rights leader Malcolm X with a ceremony at the New York site in Harlem where he was killed 50 years ago.

Another winter storm to pummel eastern United States with snow and sleet

Posted: 21 Feb 2015 10:31 AM PST

(Reuters) - A fresh band of winter weather was pounding parts of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys with snow and rain on Saturday as it headed toward the U.S. East Coast, threatening to bring more misery to storm-weary Boston. The system cut a 2,000 mile path from southern Missouri to Maine, with a winter storm warning in effect until Sunday for parts of southern Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. In Kentucky and Tennessee, forecasters warned of possible flooding as rain fell on frozen ground. The system was expected to bring a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow from Washington to New York City, followed by another blast of bone-chilling cold.

Seeing red: Traffic cameras hot topic in Chicago mayoral race

Posted: 21 Feb 2015 09:53 AM PST

By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - It is one of the most dreaded pieces of mail in Chicago - the $100 ticket that comes after being caught by one of the city's red light or speed cameras. Chicago is hardly the only U.S. city to install such cameras. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who supports the nation's largest automated camera system, is polling slightly under the 50 percent plus one vote he needs to avoid a run-off against the second-highest vote-getter. Chicago has red-light cameras at 174 intersections and 144 speed cameras near schools and parks around the city.

Minneapolis police officer wounded in shooting

Posted: 21 Feb 2015 08:09 AM PST

(Reuters) - A Minneapolis police officer was shot and wounded on Saturday after responding to a burglary call in what police said appeared to be a targeted attack. The officer was shot before 5 a.m. local time in north Minneapolis as he returned to his squad car, Minneapolis Police Department spokesman John Elder said. The incident follows the fatal shooting of two police officers in New York City in December by a gunman who had written that he wanted to avenge the killing of unarmed black men by police.

Cuomo's fracking ban has some New York towns contemplating secession

Posted: 20 Feb 2015 03:14 PM PST

$Is the New York fracking ban hurting their economy?$ Environmentalists praised New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's ban on hydraulic fracturing. But in New York's struggling Southern Tier, the ban was seen not as cause for celebration but as the final straw, prompting some towns to consider seceding to Pennsylvania.

Fire races up high-rise Dubai tower, but claims no lives

Posted: 21 Feb 2015 07:42 AM PST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — One of the world's tallest residential towers caught fire early Saturday in Dubai's Marina district, sending hundreds of residents pouring into the streets as bright yellow flames raged several stories high. No one was reported killed.

Analysts: West looks impotent as Ukraine ceasefire frays

Posted: 20 Feb 2015 10:50 PM PST

The continued fighting in eastern Ukraine has made a mockery of the West's latest attempts to negotiate a ceasefire but may ultimately pave the way for a more durable peace, say analysts. It did not take long for the latest truce, brokered by France and Germany and signed in the Belarussian capital Minsk last week, to look as impotent as previous deals. With barely a pause, pro-Russian rebels continued their assault on the key transport hub of Debaltseve, ultimately forcing the Ukrainian military into a humiliating retreat. "It was a classic case of good intentions paving the way to hell," said Ievgen Vorobiov of the Polish Institute of International Affairs.

Massive fire engulfs Dubai skyscraper

Posted: 20 Feb 2015 04:40 PM PST

Hundreds have reportedly been evacuated from one of the tallest buildings in the world.

NASCAR suspends Kurt Busch before Daytona 500

Posted: 20 Feb 2015 04:32 PM PST

The suspension comes hours after a judge said he committed an act of domestic violence.

Greece wins eurozone bailout deal with strict conditions

Posted: 20 Feb 2015 02:58 PM PST

The 19 eurozone finance ministers reached the hard-won deal at tense talks pitting Greece against an angry Germany, suspicious that the new radical leftist government in Athens was looking to ditch its austerity obligations. "The meeting was intense because it was about building trust between us," said Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem, after the talks ended with a two-page statement setting out the tough conditions Athens will have to fulfil. Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said the deal marked a new era for Athens and its relationship with the European Union, after two painful bailouts put together at the height of the debt crisis to save the euro. Athens claimed the rescues and the austerity measures it had to follow since its first 2010 bailout had wrecked the Greek economy, making it impossible to manage its mountain of debt.

Suspect in blast near NAACP office: Target was accountant

Posted: 20 Feb 2015 09:11 PM PST

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The man accused of setting off a small explosion last month that rattled nerves because of its proximity to a Colorado NAACP office says he was in a rage over his financial problems and was actually targeting his accountant, according to court documents filed Friday.