Scott Neuman appears in the following:
Tunisia, Cradle Of Arab Spring, In Historic Presidential Vote
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Updated at 12:20 p.m. ET
Tunisians are going to the polls today to choose a president in a runoff election that represents a choice between the country's interim leader, swept to power in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring revolution, or a candidate with ties to the ousted ...
Obama Calls North Korean Hack 'Cybervandalism'
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET
President Obama told CNN that he doesn't consider North Korea's hack of Sony Pictures an act of war, but instead a case of "cyber-vandalism." But he stands by his criticism of the movie studio for pulling the satirical film The Interview because its plot ...
Gunman Made Anti-Police Posts Before Killing NYPD Officers
Sunday, December 21, 2014
The gunman who ambushed and killed two New York City police officers in their patrol car before committing suicide reportedly posted messages on social media suggesting the assault was revenge for deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of authorities.
Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, posted on an Instagram ...
Many States Now Have $2 Gasoline, Analyst Says
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Remember when we told you earlier this month that a gas station in Oklahoma City had lowered its price for regular unleaded to $1.99 a gallon?
Well, now that trend is nationwide: GasBuddy.com, which monitors prices across the country, says the $1.99 sign is up over pumps ...
Decorated Tuskegee Airman Lowell Steward Dies At 95
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Lowell Steward, one of the famed World War II Tuskegee Airmen, has died at age 95 at a hospital in Ventura, Calif., his family says.
Steward, a Los Angeles native who flew 143 missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross among other awards, died on Wednesday.
He ...
U.N. Reports More Than 7,000 Ebola Deaths Since March
Saturday, December 20, 2014
The number of people who have died from the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola has crossed the 7,000 mark, the World Health Organization reports, after it recorded another 392 deaths from its previous total of 6,900 earlier this week.
The total number of infected, nearly all of them in West Africa, ...
4 Gitmo Prisoners Released For Return To Afghanistan
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Updated at 10:45 a.m. ET
The United States has released four Afghan detainees from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who were returned to Afghanistan — the latest in a series of releases of inmates in recent weeks.
Reuters says: "The men were flown to Kabul overnight aboard ...
Russia Says It Won't 'Cave In' To New Western Sanctions
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Russia, battered by the falling price of oil, its chief export, and a tumbling ruble, lashed out against the U.S. and EU for new sanctions that President Vladimir Putin says already account for "25 to 30 percent" of his country's eroding currency.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman says today that ...
North Korea Has An Interesting Offer. And Another Threat
Saturday, December 20, 2014
North Korea, which denies that it had anything to do with a hack against Sony Pictures Entertainment, now wants to help the U.S. root out the real culprit. But true to form for Pyongyang, the dubious offer comes tinged with a threat of "serious" consequences should Washington decline.
An unidentified ...
New EPA Standards Label Toxic Coal Ash Non-Hazardous
Friday, December 19, 2014
The Environmental Protection Agency has issued new national standards designating coal ash – a nearly ubiquitous byproduct of coal-fired power plants that contains arsenic and lead – as non-hazardous waste.
NPR's Christopher Joyce reports that coal-fired power plants produce more than 130 million tons of the coal ash each year ...
Apple Responds To BBC On Conditions At Asian iPhone Suppliers
Friday, December 19, 2014
Jeff Williams, Apple's senior vice president for operations, has responded to a BBC report that workers at Asian suppliers for the iPhone 6 are mistreated and overworked, saying he's "deeply offended" by the accusations.
In an email to some 5,000 Apple staff in the United Kingdom, Williams hit back at ...
Obama's Wide-Ranging, Year-End News Conference
Friday, December 19, 2014
Updated at 6 p.m. ET
President Obama spoke to reporters in a year-end news conference at the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House.
One of the topics that came up was Sony Pictures Entertainment's decision to cancel distribution of the film The Interview following North Korea's cyber attack ...
Education Dept. Issues Framework For New College Rating System
Friday, December 19, 2014
Beginning next year, colleges and universities will be judged on three broad criteria when it comes to meting out federal financial aid: access, affordability and student outcomes, according to a new "framework" released by the Education Department.
The ratings plan was first announced by President Obama in August 2013, but ...
Thailand Says It Was Unaware Of CIA 'Black Site' On Its Soil
Friday, December 19, 2014
Thailand's prime minister says his government had no knowledge of a secret location inside the country where the CIA is said to have waterboarded top al-Qaida operatives in 2002.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha was responding to the so-called "torture report" released by the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month ...
Immigration Is Driving Broad Demographic Shifts In U.S., Report Says
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Native-born Americans are making up a smaller percentage of those living in some areas of the U.S. as immigration moves to become the key factor in population growth within the next quarter-century, according to a new analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts that examined county-level census data.
The U.S. ...
Boko Haram Suspected In New Round Of Killing And Kidnapping
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Updated at 4:30 p.m. ET
Islamist extremists are being blamed for an attack in northeastern Nigeria that killed at least 33 people and resulted in the kidnapping of about 200 others.
The Associated Press quoted officials saying that the number of dead in the village of Gumsuri was ...
India Tests Crew Capsule, New Heavy-Lift Rocket
Thursday, December 18, 2014
India took a giant leap forward toward its ambitious goal of sending humans into space, launching an unmanned crew capsule aboard a powerful new rocket.
The Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, launched the 630-ton rocket from its facility at Sriharikota on the country's southeast coast. It was the first ...
Montana Man Found Guilty Of Killing German Exchange Student
Thursday, December 18, 2014
A Montana man's shooting in April of a German exchange student was a test of the state's "castle doctrine," which says a man's home is his castle and can be defended as such. But on Wednesday, a jury convicted Markus Kaarma of deliberate homicide in the death of 17-year-old Diren ...
Putin: Sanctions, Falling Oil Prices Causing Ruble's Tumble
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the West in a year-end news conference today, blaming international sanctions and a steep plunge in oil prices for the precipitous drop in the value of the ruble.
Putin, speaking during a more than three-hour news conference attended by some 1,200 journalists, "promised ...
Playlist: Inspiring Stories You'll Want To Share
Thursday, December 18, 2014
This playlist includes some blockbuster TED talks that have already inspired millions. These stories about growing up, shaping identity, and finding courage will have you forwarding them to family and friends.