By MIKE SCHNEIDERAssociated PressORLANDO, Fla.The rock bands Heart and Barenaked Ladies along with country singer Willie Nelson have canceled their planned performances at SeaWorld in Florida, citing the recent documentary “Blackfish,” which raises questions about the effects of captivity on
Almost three quarters of the 2,153 U.S. military fatalities in the 12-year-old Afghanistan war have taken place since Obama was first inaugurated, according to an Associated Press (AP) tally. Using the AP’s Afghanistan casualties database, Breitbart News calculated that between
(AP) Car bomb and roadside bombings kill 15 in IraqBy SAMEER N. YACOUBAssociated PressBAGHDADA car bomb outside a cafe and other attacks in central Iraq killed at least 15 people on Monday, officials said. The car bomb went off outside
(AP) Nasty weather hits several NFL gamesBy The Associated PressThe NFL often promotes football as a bad weather sport. It got its share early Sunday in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Pittsburgh. Blowing snow made traction and visibility difficult for Lions
(AP) Tea party battles business over Braves stadiumBy BILL BARROWAssociated PressATLANTAA deal for hundreds of millions of dollars in public money to draw the Atlanta Braves north of their downtown home is pitting conservative tea party activists against the elected
(AP) Thai crisis deepens as opposition quits ParliamentBy TODD PITMANAssociated PressBANGKOKThailand’s main opposition party resigned from Parliament on Sunday to protest what it called “the illegitimacy” of an elected government with which it can no longer work. The move deepens
(AP) US vet Merrill Newman, 85, home from North KoreaBy HAVEN DALEYAssociated PressSAN FRANCISCOA tired but smiling 85-year-old U.S. veteran detained in North Korea for several weeks returned home to applause from supporters, yellow ribbons tied to pillars outside his
(AP) Party celebrates Washington pot anniversaryBy GENE JOHNSON and MANUEL VALDESAssociated PressSEATTLECrowds of people bundled in winter coats celebrated the anniversary of marijuana legalization in Washington state Friday by sparking up at a city-sanctioned party under Seattle’s Space Needle. Marijuana
(AP) North Korea deports US tourist and Korean War vetBy FOSTER KLUGAssociated PressSEOUL, South KoreaNorth Korea on Saturday freed an 85-year-old U.S. veteran of the Korean War after a weekslong detention, ending the saga of Merrill Newman’s attempt to visit
(AP) Mandela to be buried Dec. 15By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIAAssociated PressJOHANNESBURGFlags were lowered to half-staff across South Africa and people in black townships, in upscale mostly white suburbs and in the country’s vast rural grasslands commemorated Nelson Mandela with song, tears
(AP) French troops move into Central African RepublicBy KRISTA LARSONAssociated PressBANGUI, Central African RepublicFrench troops rumbled into Central African Republic on Friday, trying to quell violence in the capital a day after armed Christian fighters raided Muslim neighborhoods, leaving nearly
By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIPAssociated PressSEATTLEGay weddings made up 17 percent of marriages in Washington this past year, the first year gay marriages were legal in the state, state officials reported Wednesday. About 7,071 same-sex couples got married in Washington between
By LARRY NEUMEISTER and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOVAssociated PressNEW YORKU.S. claims that dozens of Russian diplomats and their spouses cheated to get health care aid meant for the poor drew a sharp rebuke Thursday from a top Russian official who blamed the
(AP) American teacher shot dead in Libya’s BenghaziBy ESAM MOHAMED and RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTIAssociated PressTRIPOLI, LibyaAn American chemistry teacher was shot to death as he was jogging in Benghazi on Thursday, highlighting persistently tenuous security in the eastern Libyan city where
On Thursday, the Associated Press reports, “President Barack Obama is ordering the federal government to nearly triple its use of renewable sources for electricity by 2020.” In October, the Department of Energy announced $60 million in subsidies for solar energy
By BRETT ZONGKERAssociated PressWASHINGTONCreative industries led by Hollywood account for about $504 billion, or at least 3.2 percent of U.S. goods and services, the government said in its first official measure of how the arts and culture affect the economy.
(AP) Iraq police storm mall, kill gunmen after standoffBy EMAD MATTIAssociated PressKIRKUK, IraqIraqi police stormed a mall in a northern city that al-Qaida gunmen used to launch an attack on a nearby police station, killing three militants and ending an
(AP) Car bomb hits Yemen’s Defense Ministry, killing 2By AHMED AL-HAJAssociated PressADEN, YemenA suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car Thursday at Yemen’s Defense Ministry, killing at least two people and wounding 20, security and hospital officials said. They said the
(AP) Mexico: Stolen box with radioactive material foundMEXICO CITY *UPDATE* Mexico official: Stolen cobalt-60 found; says no risk so far to surrounding population. Mexico’s nuclear safety director says a stolen container of radioactive material has been found empty. Juan Eibenschutz says
By JAKE COYLE and JUSTIN PRITCHARDAssociated PressNEW YORKUniversal Pictures has shut down production on “Fast & Furious 7” indefinitely following the death of its star, Paul Walker. The studio announced Wednesday that the film will shut down “for a period
(AP) Hezbollah commander killed outside home in LebanonBy ZEINA KARAMAssociated PressBEIRUTA senior commander for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah was gunned down Wednesday outside his home in southern Beirut, security officials said. Hezbollah blamed Israel for the killing, something officials
By MARCELA ISAZAAssociated PressLOS ANGELESBefore his death, “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker was drawing parallels between his real-life role as dad to 15-year-old daughter Meadow and his part as an unexpected father to a newborn baby in the upcoming
By JOHN CARUCCIAssociated PressNEW YORK Billy Joel will perform once a month at Madison Square Garden–as long as the fans will have him. The Grammy Award-winning icon announced Tuesday that he’ll perform a residency at the famed NYC venue every
(AP) Guardian: We have published 1 pct of Snowden leakBy JILL LAWLESSAssociated PressLONDONThe editor of the Guardian said Tuesday that his newspaper has published just 1 percent of the material it received from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden,
Calls to 911 from the heinous crime at Sandy Hook Elementary are expected to be released on December 4. Connecticut State’s Attorney Stephen Sedensky III fought to prevent the calls from being released but gave up after a judge ordered
(AP) Europe rights court to hear of secret CIA prisonsBy GREG KELLERAssociated PressSTRASBOURG, FranceThe secret network of black site prisons across Europe that the CIA used to interrogate terror suspects got a rare public hearing Tuesday at Europe’s human rights
(AP) Mother superior: Nuns abducted by Syrian rebelsBy ALBERT AJIAssociated PressDAMASCUS, SyriaOpposition fighters have abducted 12 nuns from a predominantly Christian village near Damascus and taken them to a rebel-held town, the mother superior of a Syrian convent said Tuesday.
(AP) Sister: Deadly shooting was over ‘Bama lossBy JAY REEVESAssociated PressBIRMINGHAM, Ala.A woman charged with killing a fellow Alabama fan after the end of last weekend’s Iron Bowl football game was angry that the victim and others didn’t seem upset
By JUSTIN PRITCHARD and JAKE COYLEAssociated PressLOS ANGELESThe neighborhood where “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker died in a one-car crash is known to attract street racers, according to law enforcement officials. Walker and his friend and fellow fast-car enthusiast
(AP) Jesse Owens’ Olympic medal up for auctionBy RAQUEL MARIA DILLONAssociated PressLAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.Amid the jerseys and baseball bats held in a secure room at SCP Auctions, there’s a piece of sports memorabilia that speaks to much more than athletic
(AP) Governor: 4 dead, 63 hurt in NYC train derailmentBy VERENA DOBNIK and DEEPTI HAJELAAssociated PressNEW YORKGov. Andrew Cuomo says a Metro-North passenger train derailment in New York City has left four people dead and 63 injured. Cuomo spoke Sunday
(AP) Officials say health care website is improvedBy DARLENE SUPERVILLEAssociated PressWASHINGTONThe errors are fewer, the pages load faster, and more people can log on at the same time to the government’s troubled health care website, according to Obama administration officials.
(AP) Publicist: ‘Fast & Furious’ star dies in car crashBy DAISY NGUYEN and JAKE COYLEAssociated PressLOS ANGELESPaul Walker, the star of the “Fast & Furious” movie series, died Saturday in a car crash that killed one other person north of
By CHARMAINE NORONHAAssociated PressTORONTOEmbattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his brother say they will host an online show so they can take their message straight to “Ford Nation,” the name of the show and the term they use for the
(AP) Column: Best ever? Alabama closing in on titleBy PAUL NEWBERRYAP National WriterAlabama has already established itself as one of college football’s greatest dynasties under Nick Saban. Bu they’re not the best ever. Not quite. Let’s not forget some powerhouses
By SYLVIA HUIAssociated PressLONDONProsecutors showed jurors graphic videotape of the events surrounding the near decapitation of a British soldier on a London street, as the trial of two men opened Friday in the suspected Islamic extremist attack. Michael Adebolajo, 28,
By The Associated PressThe holiday shopping season kicked off early, as several retailers began offering deals on Thanksgiving Day. Many people complained about the early start and the mad rush for deals–yet they went out shopping anyway. There were scattered
(AP) Mexican drug cartels now make money exporting oreBy MARK STEVENSONAssociated PressMEXICO CITYMexican drug cartels looking to diversify their businesses long ago moved into oil theft, pirated goods, extortion and kidnapping, consuming an ever larger swath of the country’s economy.
(AP) Egypt Islamists rally to defy protest lawBy TONY G. GABRIEL and MARIAM RIZKAssociated PressCAIROEgyptian security forces fired tear gas Friday to disperse hundreds of Islamist demonstrators defying a draconian new law restricting protests, which has drawn widespread criticism from
(AP) 18 Sunnis kidnapped in Iraq later found shot deadBy SAMEER N. YACOUBAssociated PressBAGHDADMen dressed as Iraqi soldiers abducted 18 Sunnis, whose bullet-ridden corpses turned up in farmland just south of Baghdad, authorities said Friday, a grim reminder of the
