Associated Press - Page 27

By GRAHAM DUNBARAP Sports WriterGENEVASenior IOC member Gian Franco Kasper defended his comments about corruption in the multi-billion-dollar spending on the Sochi Olympics, saying Friday they are based on a common perception in Russia. Kasper, the long-time president of the

By COLLEEN LONGAssociated PressNEW YORKThe bong-tossing case against Amanda Bynes will be dismissed if the actress stays out of trouble for six months and goes to counseling twice a week, a judge ruled Friday. Bynes was charged in New York

Fidel Castro, Cuba’s despot for the better of a half a century turned secretive retiree, allegedly made his first public appearance in nine months at an art show in Havana this week.  The New York Times reports that video has

(AP) Chemical spill shuts down much of W.Va. capitalBy JOHN RABYAssociated PressCHARLESTON, W.Va.Schools and restaurants closed, grocery stores sold out of bottled water, and state legislators who had just started their session canceled the day’s business after a chemical spill

(AP) Deep freeze may have cost economy about $5 billionBy STEVE KARNOWSKIAssociated PressMINNEAPOLISHunkering down at home rather than going to work, canceling thousands of flights and repairing burst pipes from the Midwest to the Southeast has its price. By one

(AP)By JOSH LEDERMANAssociated PressWASHINGTONPresident Barack Obama is setting up a panel to study the United States’ energy strategy and then report to the president every four years. In a presidential memorandum, Obama says the U.S. needs a comprehensive, coordinated strategy

(AP) Christie fires aide, apologizes for traffic jamsBy ANGELA DELLI SANTI and GEOFF MULVIHILLAssociated PressTRENTON, N.J.Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday apologized to his constituents and said he was “embarrassed and humiliated” by his staff but had no idea his aides

(AP) Food companies cut 6.4 trillion caloriesBy MARY CLARE JALONICKAssociated PressWASHINGTONSome of the nation’s largest food companies have cut calories in their products by more than 6.4 trillion, according to a new study. The study sponsored by the Robert Wood

(AP) Forced abortion highlights abuses in China policyBy DIDI TANGAssociated PressBEIJINGWhen her mind is clear, Gong Qifeng can recall how she begged for mercy. Several people pinned her head, arms, knees and ankles to a hospital bed before driving a

(AP) Business lobby seeks major push on immigrationBy JIM KUHNHENNAssociated PressWASHINGTONThe president of the US Chamber of Commerce says the nation’s biggest business lobby intends to “pull out all the stops” to pass an overhaul of immigration laws. That would

(AP) Republicans promote ways of helping the poorBy KEN THOMASAssociated PressWASHINGTONFaced with an empathy gap before the 2014 midterm elections, Republicans are trying to forge a new image as a party that helps the poor and lifts struggling workers into

(AP) Director Zhang Yimou fined $1.2M for having 3 kidsBy DIDI TANGAssociated PressBEIJINGFamed film director Zhang Yimou must pay more than $1.2 million in fines for having three children in violation of China’s strict family planning rules, officials said Thursday.

The U.S. Departments of Education (DOE) and Justice (DOJ) issued a joint release Wednesday of what they have referred to as a “discipline guidance package that will assist states, districts and schools in developing practices and strategies to enhance school

On Tuesday, the Omaha Police Officers Association posted a video on its website of a toddler hurling profanities and racial slurs after being encouraged by a number of adults. According to the Associated Press, the toddler has since been put

(AP) Dennis Rodman apologizes for Bae commentsBy ERIC TALMADGEAssociated PressPYONGYANG, North KoreaDennis Rodman has apologized for comments about captive American missionary Kenneth Bae in an interview with CNN. A day after the former basketball star sang “Happy Birthday” to North

(AP) Iraq: Fighters urged to go as supplies run shortBy QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and ADAM SCHRECKAssociated PressBAGHDADTribal leaders in the besieged city of Fallujah warned al-Qaida-linked fighters to leave to avoid a military showdown, echoing a call by Iraq’s prime minister

(AP) 4 suspects in NJ mall carjacking plead not guiltyBy SAMANTHA HENRYAssociated PressNEWARK, N.J.Four men charged in the fatal carjacking of a young lawyer outside an upscale New Jersey mall pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony murder and other charges.

(AP) Wisconsin governor dismissed after serving on juryBy DINESH RAMDEAssociated PressMILWAUKEEWisconsin Gov. Scott Walker served two days as Juror No. 20 on a personal-injury case, but he was dismissed just before deliberations began Wednesday because the CEO of a company

(AP) Le Batard gave his Hall vote to website DeadspinBy The Associated Press ESPN host Dan Le Batard (right) says he gave his baseball Hall of Fame ballot to the website Deadspin because he detests the “hypocrisy” in the voting

(AP) Gov’t: End overly zealous discipline in schoolsBy KIMBERLY HEFLINGAP Education WriterWASHINGTONThe Obama administration is urging schools to abandon overly zealous discipline policies that civil rights advocates have long said lead to a school-to-prison pipeline that discriminates against minority students.The

(AP) Rodman sings happy birthday to North Korean leaderBy ERIC TALMADGEAssociated PressPYONGYANG, North KoreaDennis Rodman sang “Happy Birthday” to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before leading a squad of former NBA stars onto the court Wednesday at a Pyongyang

(AP) Polar air blamed for 21 deaths nationwideBy RAY HENRYAssociated PressATLANTAFountains froze over, a 200-foot Ferris wheel in Atlanta shut down, and Southerners had to dig out winter coats, hats and gloves they almost never have to use. The brutal

(AP) UN warns of humanitarian threat in western IraqBy SINAN SALAHEDDINAssociated PressBAGHDADThe top United Nations official in Iraq is warning of a “critical humanitarian situation” in the country’s west as government forces attempt to regain control of two key cities

(AP) India takes aim at privileges held by US diplomatsBy ELIZABETH A. KENNEDYAssociated PressNEW DELHIIndia chipped away at America’s diplomatic perks Wednesday, ordering the envoys to obey local traffic laws and warning that a popular U.S. Embassy club violates diplomatic

By MANUEL VALDESAssociated PressSEATTLEA former community college professor who won a surprising citywide election was sworn in Monday as the first socialist City Council member in Seattle’s modern history. Kshama Sawant of the Socialist Alternative party took her oath and

(AP) UN decides to stop updating Syria death tollBy JOHN HEILPRINAssociated PressGENEVAThe U.N.’s human rights office has stopped updating the death toll from Syria’s civil war, confirming Tuesday that it can no longer verify the sources of information that led

(AP) Syrian activists say colleagues killed by al-QaidaBy DIAA HADIDAssociated PressBEIRUTAn al-Qaida group fighting in Syria against rebels trying to dislodge it from opposition-held parts of the country has killed at least four activists it held captive in the area,

(AP) Group unveils Satan statue design for OklahomaBy SEAN MURPHYAssociated PressOKLAHOMA CITYA satanic group unveiled designs Monday for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan it wants to put at the Oklahoma state Capitol, where a Ten Commandments monument was placed in

(AP) Attacks in Iraq kill 4 as siege in Anbar continuesBy SINAN SALAHEDDINAssociated PressBAGHDADOfficials say attacks in Iraq have killed at least four people as government troops continue their siege of two cities overrun by al-Qaida in western Anbar province.

By RICK CALLAHANAssociated PressINDIANAPOLISFrigid air that snapped decades-old records will make venturing outside dangerous for a second straight day, this time spreading to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. and keeping many schools and businesses shuttered. Meanwhile, residents driven

(AP) ‘Polar vortex’ pushes subzero temps into MidwestBy TAMMY WEBBER and KERRY LESTERAssociated PressCHICAGOA whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a “polar vortex” descended Monday into much of the U.S., pummeling parts of the country with a dangerous cold

(AP) Growing number of seniors caring for other seniorsBy MATT SEDENSKYAssociated PressNOBLESVILLE, Ind.Paul Gregoline lies in bed, awaiting the helper who will get him up, bathed and groomed. He is 92 years old, has Alzheimer’s disease and needs a hand

(AP) Man reunited with family after AP photo publishedBEN NUCKOLSAssociated PressWASHINGTONNicholas Simmons disappeared from his parents’ house in a small upstate New York town on New Year’s Day, leaving behind his wallet, cellphone and everything else. Four days later, an

(AP) Rodman and ex-NBA All Stars arrive in North KoreaBy ERIC TALMADGEAssociated PressPYONGYANG, North KoreaDennis Rodman and a team of former National Basketball Association players arrived in North Korea on Monday for a game he says will be a “birthday