| Crime and lawsuits cloud new 'American Sniper' movie Posted: 26 Dec 2014 12:54 PM PST  By Marice Richter DALLAS (Reuters) - The real-life story behind Hollywood's "American Sniper," rolled out this holiday season, has been a dark tale of lawsuits and a pending murder trial for the man accused of gunning down the movie's hero. Iraq War veteran Eddie Ray Routh is to stand trial in February on charges of murdering Chris Kyle, the former Navy SEAL whose best-selling autobiography "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" was the basis for the film from director Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper. ...
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| Islamic State claims Iraq suicide bombing that killed 38 Posted: 26 Dec 2014 11:32 AM PST  The Islamic State group on Friday claimed it carried out a suicide bombing south of Baghdad that targeted Sunni fighters who oppose the jihadists, in which 38 people were killed. IS spearheaded a sweeping militant offensive that has overrun much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland since June -- areas that Shiite-led government forces have sought local Sunni help to recapture. The Sahwa, or "Awakening" in Arabic, dates back to the height of the US-led war in Iraq, when Sunni tribesmen joined forces with the Americans to battle insurgents including IS's predecessor organisation, the Islamic State of Iraq. The Sahwa were key to greatly but temporarily reducing the violence, but when Iraq's government took over responsibility for their salaries they were sometimes paid late or not at all.
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| Long-delayed U.S. high-speed rail plans may ride on Texas express Posted: 26 Dec 2014 11:16 AM PST  By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - With high-speed rail in the United States long on plans and short on construction, a Texas company is aiming to fast-track service between Dallas and Houston. The Texas Central Railway Company plans to use private investment and Central Japan Railway bullet train technology to run a line between two of the largest U.S. cities. Company officials say service could begin in 2021. ...
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| China's likely role in North Korea's cyber prowess Posted: 26 Dec 2014 10:29 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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| Mourners to gather for slain New York policeman Posted: 26 Dec 2014 10:12 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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| 'Facilitator' of Taliban school attack killed in Pakistan Posted: 26 Dec 2014 07:57 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. Named only as "Saddam", the militant was killed Thursday night in a gunfight with security forces in the restive Khyber tribal area, which borders the northwestern city of Peshawar where last week's horrific attack took place. "Commander Saddam was a dreaded terrorist, who was killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Jamrud town of Khyber tribal region," top local administration official Shahab Ali Shah told a press conference in Peshawar. He described Saddam as an important commander in the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and said he had masterminded several bomb attacks.
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| Anti-police Oakland protesters break windows, trash Christmas tree Posted: 26 Dec 2014 07:24 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. ... |
| When Bernie Sanders will reveal 2016 plans Posted: 26 Dec 2014 06:50 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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| Sri Lanka floods, mudslides kill 14 Posted: 26 Dec 2014 06:03 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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| Update on hospitalized George H.W. Bush Posted: 26 Dec 2014 05:15 AM 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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| The weirdest political stories of 2014 Posted: 26 Dec 2014 04:39 AM PST  There's everyone from Sarah Palin to Seth Rogen to Hillary Clinton.
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| U.S. police struggle to uncover threats on social media Posted: 26 Dec 2014 04:23 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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| Asia remembers devastating 2004 tsunami Posted: 26 Dec 2014 03:02 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 10:03 PM PST  President Barack Obama marked the end of more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan by paying tribute to America's military, telling troops on Christmas Day that their sacrifices have allowed for a more peaceful, prosperous world to emerge out of the ashes of 9/11.
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| On Christmas visit with troops, Obama lauds end of Afghanistan mission Posted: 25 Dec 2014 09:47 PM PST  By Julia Edwards KANOEHE BAY, Hawaii (Reuters) - One week before the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan draws to a close, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, thanked American troops on Thursday during a Christmas Day visit to Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kanoehe Bay. One man in the crowd yelled "Huah!", a traditional cheer of the U.S. military, and the audience applauded as Obama spoke of the United States officially ending its fighting role in Afghanistan after 13 years of conflict. ...
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| Capacity crowds pack screenings of 'The Interview' Posted: 25 Dec 2014 07:39 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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| Russia offers support to North Korea amid Sony hack Posted: 25 Dec 2014 06:00 PM 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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| Storm brings white Christmas to Rockies; soggy weekend to Southeast Posted: 25 Dec 2014 04:41 PM PST By Victoria Cavaliere (Reuters) - A winter storm pushing across the Rockies on Thursday was expected to drop a foot of snow in some areas as it fanned eastward, threatening soggy conditions and potential weekend travel delays across a wide swath of the United States, forecasters said. The storm was one of several predicted to produce snow, rain, fog and other treacherous conditions in the coming days as millions of travelers head home after the Christmas holiday, the National Weather Service said. ... |
| Two more NY men arrested for threatening police Posted: 25 Dec 2014 04:26 PM PST  (Reuters) - Two more men have been arrested for threatening New York police, including one who called the precinct headquarters of two officers killed as they sat in their patrol car and asked to speak to one of them, a police spokesman said on Thursday. The arrests bring to six the number of those detained for threats against the New York Police Department since officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot on Saturday by a gunman seeking revenge for unarmed black men killed by police. ...
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| Can GOP shatter 'Obama coalition' in 2016? Posted: 25 Dec 2014 03:51 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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| Asia remembers devastating 2004 tsunami with prayers, memorial services Posted: 25 Dec 2014 01:41 PM PST  By Gayatri Suroyo BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - Survivors of Asia's 2004 tsunami and relatives of its 226,000 victims gather along shorelines of the Indian Ocean on Friday for prayers and memorial services to mark the 10th anniversary of a disaster that still leaves an indelible mark on the region. When a 9.15-magnitude quake opened a faultline deep beneath the ocean a decade ago on Dec. 26, it triggered a wave as high as 17.4 meters (57 feet) which crashed ashore in more than a dozen countries, wiping some communities off the map in seconds. ...
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