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| High stakes for US families losing jobless benefit Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 01:34 PM PST  WESTMINSTER, Calif. (AP) — The end of unemployment checks for more than a million people on Saturday is driving out-of-work Americans to consider selling cars, moving and taking minimum wage work after already slashing household budgets and pawning personal possessions to make ends meet. Full Story | Top |
| First state-licensed marijuana retailers to open Jan. 1 in Colorado Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 04:19 AM PST  By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - The world's first state-licensed marijuana retailers, catering to Colorado's newly legal recreational market for pot, are stocking their shelves ahead of a New Year's grand opening that supporters and detractors alike see as a turning point in America's drug culture. Possession, cultivation and private personal consumption of marijuana by adults for the sake of just getting high has already been legal in Colorado for more than year under a state constitutional amendment approved by voters. But starting January 1, cannabis will be legally sold and taxed at specially regulated retailers in a system modeled after a regime many states have in place for alcohol sales - but which exists for marijuana nowhere outside of Colorado. For the novelty factor alone, operators of the first eight marijuana retailers slated to open on Wednesday morning in Denver and a handful of establishments in other locations are anticipating a surge in demand for store-bought weed. Full Story | Top |
| In quest for Obama library, Hawaii plays underdog Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 05:23 AM PST  HONOLULU (AP) — On these sun-bathed shores, Barack Obama was born and spent his formative years, soaking in an island sensibility that his wife and friends say is indispensable to understanding who he is as president. Yet in the search for a home for his future presidential library, Hawaii has become the underdog, stuck in Chicago's perpetual shadow. Full Story | Top |
| Obama faces smattering of protests on Hawaiian vacation Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 01:25 PM PST  The serenity of President Barack Obama's Hawaiian vacation was rattled a little on Saturday when demonstrators aired grievances against unmanned aircraft and other issues in a small protest zone near the first family's upscale rented house. Returning from an early morning gym visit at nearby Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Obama's motorcade passed a few dozen protesters holding signs with slogans including "Drones: Unethical and Illegal," "U.S. Bases Out" and "Close Guantanamo Now." Others expressed their opposition to genetically modified foods. It marked a second day of peaceful protest surrounding Obama, who is spending a two-week vacation in Kailua with wife Michelle, daughters Malia and Sasha, the first lady's mother, Marian Robinson, and the family's Portuguese Water Dogs, Bo and Sunny. "Other than a friendly 'shaka sign' from the president as he drove by in his motorcade, we have not received a formal response from the White House," said Mike Hasselle of the MoveOn Honolulu Council, one of the organizers of the action. Full Story | Top |
| 'Benghazi attack not work of Al-Qaeda' Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 04:59 PM PST  Al-Qaeda had no direct involvement in the attack on the US mission in Benghazi that left four Americans dead on September 11 last year, The New York Times reported Saturday. Based on interviews with Libyans in Benghazi that the Times said had direct knowledge of the attack, the newspaper "turned up no evidence that Al-Qaeda or other international groups had any role in the assault," it said. "The attack was led, instead by fighters who had benefited directly from NATO's extensive air power and logistics during the uprising," against the country's long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi, killed in October 2011. The newspaper, citing American officials briefed on a criminal probe into the killings, alleged that a local rebel leader named Ahmed Abu Khattala, said to have disdain for the United States despite its help to overthrow Kadhafi, is the prime suspect for orchestrating the Benghazi killings. Full Story | Top |
| Syria's Assad sends message to pope Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 12:47 PM PST  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent a message to Pope Francis Saturday, that state media said expressed his determination to defend Syrians of all religions against hardline Islamists among the rebels. The message was passed on through a Syrian government delegation that held talks at the Vatican with the pontiff's Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and foreign affairs official Dominique Mamberti. "The delegation brought a message from President Assad for the Holy Father and explained the position of the Syrian government," a statement said. The official Syrian Arab News Agency said Assad expressed his government's "determination to exercise its right to defend all its citizens, whatever their religion, against the crimes committed by the takfiri (Sunni Muslim extremist) bands who attack them in their homes, in their places of worship and in their neighbourhoods." Full Story | Top |
| Rescue of stranded Antarctic ship stalls Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 09:12 AM PST  The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which is coordinating the rescue of the Russian passenger ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, said the icebreaker came within six-and-a-half nautical miles of the ship but had to stop. "The Chinese vessel unfortunately encountered some heavy ice that it's not capable of breaking through," AMSA spokeswoman Andrea Hayward-Maher told AFP. Passengers are now waiting for the arrival, expected late Sunday, of Australia's Antarctic resupply ship Aurora Australis which has the highest icebreaking rating of the three vessels originally asked to respond. It is not yet clear whether the Aurora Australis will be able to go any further than the Chinese vessel, the Snow Dragon. Full Story | Top |
| Obama's presidency beset by fits, starts in year 5 Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 10:07 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a moment for Barack Obama to savor. Full Story | Top |
| Health law to put calorie info on vending machines Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 07:39 AM PST  CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Office workers in search of snacks will be counting calories along with their change under new labeling regulations for vending machines included in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law. Full Story | Top |
| Strange New Worlds: The Amazing Alien Planet Discoveries of 2013 Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 11:18 AM PST  While astronomers didn't bag that elusive first "alien Earth" in 2013, they made plenty of exciting exoplanet discoveries during the past year. Here's a list of the top exoplanet finds of 2013, from a tiny world about the size of Earth's moon to a blue gas giant on which it rains molten glass: In February, astronomers announced the discovery of Kepler-37b, the smallest alien world ever found around a sun-like star. Kepler-37b, which was spotted by NASA's prolific Kepler space telescope, lies about 215 light-years from Earth. Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan: 'White Army' militia marches to fight Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 12:05 PM PST JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Twenty-five thousand young men who make up a tribal militia known as the "White Army" are marching toward a contested state capital in South Sudan, an official said Saturday, dimming hopes for a cease-fire. Full Story | Top |
| Scientists Petition U.S. Congress for Return to the Moon Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 11:18 AM PST  China's Chang'e 3 robotic landing on the moon has helped spur a political crusade in the United States to more aggressively explore and utilize the moon. At the heart of the campaign is the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), a group chartered by NASA Headquarters to assist in planning the scientific exploration of the moon. LEAG is organizing a letter writing campaign to Congress to underscore the importance of the moon. The LEAG scripted strategy is being orchestrated under the banner "Destination Moon" with a key, straightforward goal highlighted in a flyer: "Use the moon to create a sustained human space-faring capability, advancing exploration of the Solar System." [See photos from China's first moon lander and rover] The flyer is to be sent, along with a cover letter, to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate committees that have influence on NASA funding, and to all the lawmakers of the LEAG executive committee members. Full Story | Top |
| Judge ends Katrina flooding lawsuits against feds Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 02:29 PM PST  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Dozens of lawsuits seeking damages from the federal government for Hurricane Katrina-related levee failures and flooding in the New Orleans area are over. Full Story | Top |
| Facility found for Calif. teen on ventilator Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 03:49 AM PST  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An attorney says a nursing home has agreed to provide long-term care for a 13-year-old girl, who has been declared brain dead but whose family maintains is still alive. Full Story | Top |
| Veiled Egyptian rapper speaks for women's rights Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 05:44 AM PST  CAIRO (AP) — As soon as the beat started, the young veiled woman bobbed her head to the rhythm, raised her hands to get the crowd clapping and then unleashed a flood of rap lyrics that tackled some of the biggest social challenges women face in the Arab world. Full Story | Top |
| Libya releases 4 US military personnel Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 01:10 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Four U.S. military personnel investigating potential evacuation routes in Libya were taken into custody at a checkpoint and then detained briefly by the Libyan government before being released, U.S. officials said Friday night. Full Story | Top |
| Circle these dates: Health law's key tests in 2014 Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 11:23 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The new year brings the big test of President Barack Obama's beleaguered health care law: Will it work? Full Story | Top |
| GOP governors defend edge over Democrats in 2014 Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 11:24 AM PST  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans swept into governorships on a tea-party fueled wave of discontent four years ago, taking over statehouses long governed by Democrats with promises of conservative economic and social policy makeovers. Full Story | Top |
| Numbers offer complicated story of health care law Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 12:02 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The government churns out tons of numbers, but here's one you won't see: 0.0002. That's the percentage of estimated online visitors to healthcare.gov who actually signed up for coverage the first day. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry in New Year trip to Mideast for peace talks Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 10:08 PM PST  US Secretary of State John Kerry will make a New Year's Day trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories aiming to push forward peace talks as a nine-month deadline looms. The announcement of Kerry's 10th visit to the region since March comes as Israel confirmed it would release another 26 Palestinian prisoners as soon as Monday. "On January 1, Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, and to Ramallah to meet with president (Mahmud) Abbas," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday. "In these meetings, he will discuss the ongoing final status negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, among other issues," she added in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Police: La. shooter embroiled in difficult divorce Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 06:37 AM PST  LOCKPORT, La. (AP) — It might have appeared that Ben Freeman was trying to right some wrongs in his life in the months before police say he killed three people and himself. Full Story | Top |
| Benedict takes up Francis' invite for lunch Saturday, Dec 28, 2013 11:25 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has shared a holiday meal with his successor, Francis, at the Vatican. Full Story | Top |
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