US slams China over worsening human rights record

China National News (ANI) Saturday 3rd August, 2013

A U.S. human rights official has said China's human rights record continues to be of a very poor standard and way short of acceptable international standards.

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Uzra Zeya expressed concern about Chinese authorities treating relatives of dissidents, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

Zeya was in Beijing to attend the 18th round of the annual human rights dialogue between the U.S. and China.

Meanwhile, human right activists have criticised the talks for being more of a diplomatic exercise than a serious tool to press China on the human right issues.

More than a dozen activists have been arrested in recent weeks in connection with the New Citizens Movement, a public campaign urging government officials to disclose their assets in a bid to curb corruption in the country. (ANI)

Source: http://www.chinanationalnews.com/index.php/sid/216211666/scat/9366300fc9319e9b

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MobileSpaces Raises $8.6M From Marker LLC, Accel To Boost Enterprise Mobile Security

One of the complaints I often hear from VCs here in Silicon Valley is that there just aren’t enough enterprise mobility startups. Clearly, with employees bringing their own devices to work in lieu of company issued Blackberries and Apple now dominating the enterprise tablet market with 88 percent of activations, there’s a market opportunity here. Silver Spring, Maryland-based MobileSpaces is one of the few companies attacking this space and they’re raising an $8.6 million second round of funding from Marker LLC and Accel Partners. (Accel has been in a few other enterprise mobility deals like 3LM, which sold to Motorola back in 2011. They previously led MobileSpaces’ $3 million Series A with partner Rich Wong joining the board.) MobileSpaces secures mobile apps and covers the 1.5 million apps available in both Apple and Google’s stores. They use proprietary application virtualization technology to create a secure workspace where employees can use any mobile app — whether it’s a custom, public or built-in one. IT administrators of companies can create policies for workspace use of each of these apps. They can remotely deploy applications, whitelist specific ones for company use and remotely remove or wipe apps from employees’ phones. Within that workspace, these enterprise apps can run natively just like consumer ones while their data gets secured and isolated. IT managers can set up of copy and paste restrictions to prevent data leakage, separate a file system, prevent personal apps from using enterprise data and remotely wipe company data. MobileSpaces’ technology creates a divide between the personal data of employees and corporate data. The company says that other mobile device management competitors only typically allow for employees to use a handful of apps, while MobileSpaces covers the full range of apps available in the two major stores. The company has a pretty experienced team as well with co-founder David Goldschlag formerly serving as McAfee’s vice president of mobile.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/B4bRpUXBDyE/

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Pelosi backs more scrutiny of NSA (Washington Bureau)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/320551441?client_source=feed&format=rss

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FACT CHECK: Obama spins health insurance rebates | Local ...

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Another year, another round of exaggeration from President Barack Obama and his administration about health insurance rebates.

In his speech defending his health care law Thursday, Obama said rebates averaging $100 are coming from insurance companies to 8.5 million Americans. In fact, most of the money is going straight to employers who provide health insurance, not to their workers, who benefit indirectly.

Obama danced around that reality in remarks that also blamed problems in establishing affordable insurance markets on political opponents, glossing over complex obstacles also faced in states that support the law.

A look at some of his claims and how they compare with the facts:

?"Last year, millions of Americans opened letters from their insurance companies. But instead of the usual dread that comes from getting a bill, they were pleasantly surprised with a check. In 2012, 13 million rebates went out, in all 50 states. Another 8.5 (million) rebates are being sent out this summer, averaging around 100 bucks each."

? After introducing several people who got rebate checks last year: "And this is happening all across the country. And it's happening because of the Affordable Care Act. Hasn't been reported on a lot. I bet if you took a poll, most folks wouldn't know when that check comes in that this was because of Obamacare that they got this extra money in their pockets. But that's what's happening."

?" If they're (insurers) not spending your premium dollars on your health care ? at least 80 percent of it ? they've got to give you some money back."

THE FACTS: Just as he did a year ago, Obama made a splashy announcement about rebates that incorporates misleading advertising.

The health care law requires insurance companies that spend too much on administrative expenses to issue rebates to customers. But those customers are often employers that in turn offer insurance to workers and bear the bulk of the costs. In workplace plans, the rebate goes to the employer, which must use it for the company health plan but does not have to pass all or part of it on to the worker. People who buy their own insurance and qualify for a rebate get it directly.

Obama was on solid ground in saying "millions of Americans" got rebate checks last year, but the number was not close to 13 million as he implied.

Of the 12.8 million rebates announced last year, health policy experts estimated 3 million would go directly to the insured. The government didn't know how many.

Nearly two-thirds of the 12.8 million were only entitled to pro-rated and decidedly modest rebates, because they were covered by employers that pay most of their premiums. Workers typically pay about 20 percent of the premium for single coverage, 30 percent for a family plan. Employers pay the rest.

And employers can use all the rebate money, including the workers' share, to benefit the company health plan, perhaps restraining premiums a bit or otherwise improving the bottom line. The law requires insurers to spend at least 80 percent of premiums they collect on medical care and quality improvement, or return the difference to consumers and employers.

Altogether, this year's rebates are worth $500 million, down from $1.1 billion returned last year. The government says the lower rebates mean insurance companies are becoming more efficient.

___

?"I'm curious, what do opponents of this law think the folks here today should do with the money they were reimbursed? Should they send it back to the insurance companies?"

THE FACTS: Even in that unlikely event, most people could not send it back to insurance companies because the money doesn't go "in their pockets" and they have no control over what their employers do with it.

___

?"In states that are working hard to make sure this law delivers for their people, what we're seeing is that consumers are getting a hint of how much money they're potentially going to save because of this law. In states like California, Oregon, Washington, new competition, new choices, market forces are pushing costs down."

THE FACTS: It is simply not known whether health insurance will become less expensive in those states ? or nationally ? than it is now, or than it would have been absent the law. And hitches in setting up the new insurance marketplaces called exchanges are not limited to Republican-led states where leaders object to the law, although that political pushback is certainly part of what's going on.

In California, for example, where there is plenty of competition by health insurers wanting to get into the exchange, an actuarial report commissioned by Covered California, the state agency running the insurance marketplace, found that middle-income residents could see individual health premiums increase by an average of 30 percent while costs go down for lower income people.

In West Virginia, Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin ? also a cooperative partner in expanding Medicaid and setting up an exchange ? complained to federal officials this week about delays in rules and guidelines from Washington as the state struggles to meet deadlines under the law.

"Many West Virginia families have expressed frustration" trying to find out how much policies from the exchange will cost them and whether they will get a subsidy, he said, and the state is "dangerously close" to falling short of requirements under the law.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE _ An occasional look at political claims that take shortcuts with the facts or don't tell the full story

Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Source: http://www.kpic.com/news/local/FACT-CHECK-Obama-spins-health-insurance-rebates--216170471.html

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London borough to ban public spitting

LONDON: If a proposal by British ministers and parliamentarians goes through, spitting on sidewalks or anywhere in public could land a person on the wrong side of the law. A council bylaw in the works could lead to a ban on public spitting, a common practice among South Asian communities.

The London Borough of Enfield has applied to secretary of state for local government Eric Pickles for provisional approval to the new law prohibiting spitting on the streets. In a letter, the ministers highlighted the reassurances given by Enfield council about the robustness of the proposed bylaws and the effective enforcement that the council intends to take. The bylaw was supported by Labour and Conservative groups on the council.

The bylaw makes it an offence to spit on the streets "without reasonable excuse". However, it would not cover spitting into a handkerchief or tissue.

"Spitting is a deeply anti-social and unpleasant practice. Spitting on Britain's streets is not socially acceptable," said Pickles. "In light of the cross-party support, we are giving the go-ahead to the council."

Councils across Britain have bylaws in place to tackle anti-social behaviour ? from dog fouling to urination. Ministers are of the view that public spitting falls in the same category.

"The public should be able to enjoy public spaces, their parks, streets and town centres, without nuisance or annoyance and bylaws can help prevent any nuisance to enhance public enjoyment of open spaces," the minister said.

Times View

Not only do we welcome this initiative, we strongly recommend that Indian cities should follow suit. Unfortunately, too many Indians tend to exhibit a deplorable lack of civic sense. However, where norms are clearly laid down and rigorously enforced, as with the Delhi Metro, a clear improvement becomes visible. Making not just spitting but even defecation in public illegal would go a long way in making Indian cities less of an eyesore.

Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/c/33039/f/533994/s/2ee9c42d/l/0Ltimesofindia0Bindiatimes0N0Cworld0Cuk0CLondon0Eborough0Eto0Eban0Epublic0Espitting0Carticleshow0C2117980A10Bcms/story01.htm

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iPhone Apps of the Week: Clipper, Potluck, and More

Make beautiful memories, read all the best web content, catch up with family, and watch all the videos your little heart desires. Sound like an impossible number of multitasking? Nah?not if you have this week's round of iphone apps to help you out.

Read more...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/iphone-apps-of-the-week-clipper-vlc-and-more-842985122

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Kids on bikes invited to join 'Kidical Mass Ride' in the West Seattle Grand Parade

Kids on bikes are invited to ride in the West Seattle Grand Parade July 20th as part of the "Kidical Mass" this Saturday. Riders of all ages are welcome and kids and families are encouraged to join in the fun.

Kidical Mass is a grass roots movement to get more kids and families excited about bike riding. Escort your child on their decorated bike as you join Sustainable West Seattle, West Seattle Spokespeople and West Seattle Bike Connections in the parade for this family-friendly ride.

Meet at Alki Bike and Board 2606 California Ave. SW at 11 AM Saturday July 20th to ride in the parade. For more details contact alkistu@hotmail.com.

• 

Source: http://www.westseattleherald.com/2013/07/18/features/kids-bikes-invited-join-kidical-mass-ride-wes

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'Divergent' Hits Comic-Con! - Video-News - TDNPost.com

Just two days after filming wrapped on ?Divergent,? stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James hit Comic-Con to talk about the big screen adaption of the best-selling book series. (July 19)

Keywords: Shailene Woodley, Entertainment, Animation and comics, Entertainment, Arts and entertainment

The Daily News Post India (tdnpost)

Source: http://tdnpost.com/videos/divergent-hits-comic-con-340647.html

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Shocking! India ranks 119 in economic freedom

India?s economic development has been marred by corruption, says The Heritage Foundation.

The country's economic freedom score is 55.2, making its economy the 119th freest in the 2013 Index.?

Its score is 0.6 point higher than last year, with improvements in the management of public finance and monetary freedom offsetting a continuing decline in freedom from corruption, says The Heritage Foundation, in partnership with?The Wall Street Journal?which has tracked economic freedom of countries around the world.

?In the absence of a well-functioning legal and regulatory framework, corruption throughout the economy is becoming a more serious drag on the emergence of a more dynamic private sector, states the study.

Launched in 1995, the?Index?evaluates countries in four broad areas of economic freedom: rule of law; regulatory efficiency; limited government; and open markets.?

Take a look at the nations that score high on economic freedom?

A dancer in an traditional Indian dress poses in front of an elephant.

Source: http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-shocking-india-ranks-119-in-economic-freedom/20130719.htm

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Mursi supporters rally in Egypt, no signs of compromise

By Alexander Dziadosz and Ulf Laessing

CAIRO (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi gathered in Cairo on Friday for a rally to demand the restoration of the ousted Islamist, with his opponents also planning protests nearby.

More than two weeks after Egypt's powerful military shunted the contested Mursi from office, there was still no sign of a possible deal to defuse the crisis, which has divided the world's most populous Arab state and alarmed its Western allies.

The Muslim Brotherhood has called for demonstrations around the country, accusing the head of the armed forces, General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, of staging a coup to sweep Egypt's first freely elected president from power.

The army said it had to intervene after mammoth street protests against Mursi, who was criticized as incompetent and partisan, and has installed an interim cabinet to prepare for elections. It includes no members of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood or other Islamist parties previously in government.

Mursi backers have set up a round-the-clock vigil outside a mosque in the Cairo suburb of Nasr City. Thousands of sympathizers flocked to the site on Friday to join protests that normally gather momentum after noon prayers.

"Tonight, tonight, tonight, Sisi is going down tonight," a man shouted out, leading the chants.

A huge banner showed a picture of the bearded Mursi against Egyptian flags and read: "Together to support legitimacy."

Egypt's closest Western ally, the United States, has tried to tread softly through the crisis, still undecided whether to brand the downfall of Mursi a military coup - a move that would force Washington to suspend its large aid programs for Cairo.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned Egypt's new foreign minister, Nabil Fahmy, expressing hopes that the transitional period of government would be successful, a spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Friday.

CHAOS

In his first address since taking office, interim President Adli Mansour promised on Thursday night to fight people he said wanted to destabilize the nation.

"We are going through a critical stage and some want us to move towards chaos and we want to move towards stability. Some want a bloody path," he said in a televised address. "We will fight a battle for security until the end."

Tamarud, the youth movement which organized enormous anti-Mursi protests on June 30, is also planning rallies on Friday, including one close to the Muslim Brotherhood's Nasr City vigil.

It dubbed its protests as "the people against terrorism", blaming Mursi followers for recent violence.

Policing was intensified on Friday and 10 armored personnel carriers were parked on a Nile bridge in central Cairo, a route Islamist protesters would have to cross if they tried to reach Tahrir Square, a focal point for the anti-Mursi camp.

At least 99 people have died in violence since Mursi's removal, more than half of them when troops fired on Islamist protesters outside a Cairo barracks on July 8.

Muslim Brotherhood leaders say they will not resort to violence in their campaign to reinstate Mursi, held by the army incommunicado since July 3, and insist they will not back down.

"The goal of our peaceful mass rallies and peaceful sit-ins in squares across Egypt is to force the coup plotters to reverse their action and force the coup supporters to change their position," Essam el-Erian, a senior Brotherhood official, said on his Facebook page.

"Egypt will be free and independent," he wrote.

(Additional reporting by Maggie Fick and Yasmine Saleh; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-president-promises-fight-chaos-pro-mursi-rallies-061427456.html

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DEP study: Fracking chemicals didn't taint water

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? A landmark federal study on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, shows no evidence that chemicals from the natural gas drilling process moved up to contaminate drinking water aquifers at a western Pennsylvania drilling site, the Department of Energy told The Associated Press.

After a year of monitoring, the researchers found that the chemical-laced fluids used to free gas trapped deep below the surface stayed thousands of feet below the shallower areas that supply drinking water, geologist Richard Hammack said.

Although the results are preliminary ? the study is still ongoing ? they are a boost to a natural gas industry that has fought complaints from environmental groups and property owners who call fracking dangerous.

Drilling fluids tagged with unique markers were injected more than 8,000 feet below the surface, but were not detected in a monitoring zone 3,000 feet higher. That means the potentially dangerous substances stayed about a mile away from drinking water supplies.

"This is good news," said Duke University scientist Rob Jackson, who was not involved with the study. He called it a "useful and important approach" to monitoring fracking, but cautioned that the single study doesn't prove that fracking can't pollute, since geology and industry practices vary widely in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

The boom in gas drilling has led to tens of thousands of new wells being drilled in recent years, many in the Marcellus Shale formation that lies under parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia. That's led to major economic benefits but also fears that the chemicals used in the drilling process could spread to water supplies.

The mix of chemicals varies by company and region, and while some are openly listed the industry has complained that disclosing special formulas could violate trade secrets. Some of the chemicals are toxic and could cause health problems in significant doses, so the lack of full transparency has worried landowners and public health experts.

The study done by the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh marked the first time that a drilling company let government scientists inject special tracers into the fracking fluid and then continue regular monitoring to see whether it spread toward drinking water sources. The research is being done at a drilling site in Greene County, which is southwest of Pittsburgh and adjacent to West Virginia.

Eight new Marcellus Shale horizontal wells were monitored seismically and one was injected with four different man-made tracers at different stages of the fracking process, which involves setting off small explosions to break the rock apart. The scientists also monitored a separate series of older gas wells that are about 3,000 feet above the Marcellus to see if the fracking fluid reached up to them.

The industry and many state and federal regulators have long contended that fracking itself won't contaminate surface drinking water because of the extreme depth of the gas wells. Most are more than a mile underground, while drinking water aquifers are usually within 500 to 1000 feet of the surface.

Kathryn Klaber, the CEO of the industry-led Marcellus Shale Coalition, called the study "great news."

"It's important that we continue to seek partnerships that can study these issues, and inform the public of the findings," Klaber said.

While the lack of contamination is encouraging, Jackson said he wondered whether the unidentified drilling company might have consciously or unconsciously taken extra care with the research site, since it was being watched. He also noted that other aspects of the drilling process can cause pollution, such as poor well construction, surface spills of chemicals, and wastewater.

Jackson and his colleagues at Duke have done numerous studies over the last few years that looked at whether gas drilling is contaminating nearby drinking water, with mixed results. None of them have found chemical contamination but they did find evidence that natural gas escaped from some wells near the surface and polluted drinking water in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Scott Anderson, a drilling expert with the Environment Defense Fund, said the results sound very interesting.

"Very few people think that fracking at significant depths routinely leads to water contamination. But the jury is still out on what the odds are that this might happen in special situations," Anderson said.

One finding surprised the researchers: Seismic monitoring determined one hydraulic fracture traveled 1,800 feet out from the well bore; most traveled just a few hundred feet. That's significant because some environmental groups have questioned whether the fractures could go all the way to the surface.

The researchers believe that fracture may have hit naturally occurring faults, and that's something both industry and regulators don't want.

"We would like to be able to predict those areas" with natural faults and avoid them, Hammack said.

Jackson said the 1,800-foot fracture was very interesting, but also noted it is still a mile from the surface.

The DOE team will start to publish full results of the tests over the next few months, said Hammack, who called the large amount of field data from the study "the real deal."

"People probably will be looking at the data for years to come," he said.

___

Follow Kevin Begos at https://twitter.com/kbegos

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dep-study-fracking-chemicals-didnt-taint-water-113723089.html

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Officials say new anti-leak measures set at NSA

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) ? The National Security Agency is implementing new security measures because of the disclosures by former NSA-systems-analyst-turned-fugitive Edward Snowden, top defense officials said Thursday.

NSA chief Keith Alexander said his agency had implemented a "two-man rule," under which any system administrator like Snowden could only access or move key information with another administrator present. With some 15,000 sites to fix, Alexander said, it would take time to spread across the whole agency.

"Some of your sites are small ... and you only have one system administrator, so you've got to address all of those, and we are working our way through it," he said after speaking to an audience at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

Alexander said that server rooms where such data is stored are now locked and require a two-man team to access them ? safeguards that he said would be implemented at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies after a pilot program at the NSA.

Snowden leaked to the media information revealing that the NSA was gathering millions of U.S. phone records and intercepting some U.S. Internet traffic.

"This was a failure to defend our own networks," Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said at the forum.

"In an effort for those in the intelligence community to be able to share with each other, there was an enormous amount of information concentrated in once place. That's a mistake," Carter said. "The loading of everything onto a server creates a risk."

Carter said they are also looking at how to better monitor individuals with access to that kind of information and suggested the Pentagon might monitor intelligence workers just as it monitors staff at nuclear installations.

"When it comes to nuclear weapons, you watch people's behavior in a special way. We don't let people all by themselves do anything," he said. "There is always some aberrant individual and you've got to recognize that."

Alexander said he hoped to more quickly implement a new intelligence sharing system in which all such information uploaded to a server was encrypted, such that only analysts that needed access to certain information would have the code to read it.

Alexander, Carter and National Counterterrorism Center director Matthew Olsen all said the Snowden leaks damaged national security. Olsen said during the forum that al-Qaida and related groups are seeking to change how they communicate to avoid U.S. detection and surveillance because of Snowden's leaks. Previously, U.S. officials have said anonymously that Snowden's leaks to the media have been damaging and prompting terrorists to change their ways.

"We have concrete proof that terrorist groups and others are taking action, making changes, and making our job tougher," Alexander said.

His comments and those of the other officials seemed at odds with testimony only a day earlier by John C. Inglis, the deputy director of the NSA. He told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that while the impact of Snowden's disclosures can be very harmful, "it's too soon to tell whether, in fact, adversaries will take great note of the things that he's disclosed."

Alexander defended the surveillance and data collection programs Snowden disclosed, one that gathers U.S. phone records and another that monitors U.S.-based Internet servers for foreign terrorist or espionage-related activity.

He told the Aspen audience that the secrecy about how the programs work was needed "not to hide it from you, it's to hide it from those who walk among you and are trying to kill you."

Alexander said the congressional intelligence committees were looking at whether it was feasible in terms of cost for the private companies to hold the data themselves instead of handing it over to the NSA. He said it would take an act of Congress to require them to hold the data, and added that he thought his agency could figure out how to process and analyze the information if that's what Congress deemed necessary.

In a separate development, Alexander and Carter both said the Pentagon is close to launching a 4,000-person cybersquad of both offensive and defensive teams that would both protect Defense Department systems and launch cyberattacks against enemy networks when the White House orders it.

___

Follow Dozier on Twitter: http://twitter.com/kimberlydozier

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/officials-anti-leak-measures-set-nsa-015038390.html

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Gawker: Money won't be used to buy mayor video

TORONTO --?

The website Gawker says money raised to buy a video purporting to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine will instead go to four Canadian community health organizations.

John Cook, editor of the U.S.-based website, said in May that he'd seen a video of Ford inhaling from what appeared to be a crack pipe. Cook said he'd been shown the video by a drug dealer who had been trying to sell it for a six-figure sum.

The website raised $192,000 through an online campaign but said it lost contact with the owner. Gawker said on its website Thursday the money will be split between the four organizations.

Ford has said the video does not exist, though he has never said he has never smoked crack.

Source: http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/07/18/2830257/gawker-money-wont-be-used-to-buy.html

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Detroit, cradle of U.S. auto industry, seeks ... - Automotive News

The Renaissance Center, left, GM's global headquarters, rises above Detroit, which became the biggest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy on Thursday. The Detroit 3 voiced support for the city after it sought court protection from creditors to eliminate a budget deficit and cut long-term debt. Photo credit: BLOOMBERG

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July 18, 2013 - 7:02 pm ET -- UPDATED: 7/18/13 7:44 pm ET - adds details

DETROIT -- Detroit, cradle of the U.S. auto industry, became the most populous American city to file for bankruptcy, seeking court protection from creditors while it tries to eliminate a budget deficit and cut long-term debt.

"I authorize this necessary step as a last resort to return this great city to financial and civic health for its residents and taxpayers," Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, said in a letter Thursday authorizing Kevyn Orr, the city's emergency manager, to file the petition.

Michigan's largest city has seen its population decline to 707,000, down 7 percent since 2010, according to U.S. Census data. Median household income was less than $28,000, compared with $49,000 statewide, and more than 36 percent of residents lived in poverty as of 2011, Census data show. The median home value of $71,000 was barely half the $137,000 value statewide.

The city listed assets and debt of more than $1 billion in a Chapter 9 petition filed today in court in Detroit. Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code is reserved for municipalities and differs from the rules used by bankrupt companies in Chapter 11.

Orr warned in May that the city might run out of cash. His proposal to restructure more than $17 billion in debt and long-term obligations includes cutting pension payments for public employees, ending cost-of-living increases, removing some workers from the system and making the rest pay more.

"Significant restructuring"

"Without a significant restructuring of its debt, the city will be unable to break the cycle of damaging cutbacks in essential municipal services and investments," Orr said in a report.

William Nowling, spokesman for Orr, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the filing.

A state court judge today temporarily barred Snyder and Orr from taking any action that would allow cuts in pension benefits for city retirees, while allowing the bankruptcy to proceed. The pension funds sued Wednesday to stop the filing.

Detroit joins Jefferson County, Alabama, and the California cities of San Bernardino and Stockton in bankruptcy.

The move was inevitable, said Steven Rattner, a New York financier who headed President Barack Obama?s auto-industry task force in 2009 that put the predecessors of General Motors and Chrysler Group into bankruptcy reorganizations.

?It?s analogous to the auto companies, in that you have too many stakeholders whose claims are too underwater to have realistically ever worked this out without some kind of bankruptcy,? Rattner said in an interview. ?I felt the same way about the auto companies as I did about Detroit from the first moment -- bankruptcy was the only option. Unfortunately, I think it was always inevitable.?

GM and Chrysler each emerged from Chapter 11 reorganizations in about six weeks and have since developed popular new models and returned to profitability. Detroit won?t be as easy to fix, Rattner said.

Much messier

?This will be much messier than the auto companies,? he said. ?This will go on for a long time.?

?You?re going to have much bigger haircuts for the workers and that?s going to mean much more pain than the workers for the auto companies were asked to bear,? Rattner said.

Years of job losses at U.S. automakers intensified a decline that began in the 1950s, when white homeowners began moving to the suburbs, Scott Martelle, author of "Detroit: A Biography," said in an e-mail before the filing.

"As the tax base eroded, basic city services eroded, too," he said. Detroit today "is too big geographically -- 140 square miles -- for its dwindling and impoverished tax base to support."

Detroit was once synonymous with U.S. manufacturing prowess. Its automotive giants switched production to planes, tanks and munitions during World War Two, earning the city the nickname of "Arsenal of Democracy."

GM, which has emerged from bankruptcy a healthier company with less debt and fewer brands, said it is hopeful Detroit can rebuild itself into a stronger city.

Proud home

The company, in a statement after the city's filing, said it does not expect the city's bankruptcy to impact its operations or business outlook.

"GM is proud to call Detroit home and today's bankruptcy declaration is a day that we and others hoped would not come," the automaker said. "We believe, however, that today also can mark a clean start for the city."

GM employs nearly 3,000 people in the city, mostly at its headquarters in the Renaissance Center downtown. It also has more than 1,000 employees at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, which borders both Detroit and Hamtramck.

Chrysler employs more than 5,800 employees in the city.

The bulk of the company's Detroit work force staffs the company's Jefferson North assembly plant, home of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs, on the city's east side.

Chrysler also employs about 75 employees at Chrysler House in downtown Detroit.

"We not only continue to invest in the city and its residents by adding to our presence in Detroit, we also are committed to playing a positive role in its revitalization," Chrysler said in a statement.

Ford Motor Co., based in nearby Dearborn, Mich., said it hopes Detroit's bankruptcy will help reinvent the community.

"The city has a difficult job ahead, and we are optimistic that governmental leaders will be successful in strengthening the community," Ford said in a statement.

Financial crisis

In February, a state report concluded the city was in the midst of a fiscal crisis, a finding required under Michigan law before the city could be eligible to seek court protection from creditors.

Chapter 9 will give Detroit an advantage over companies using Chapter 11 to reorganize. Unlike companies, municipalities don't need to ask the bankruptcy court for permission to pay any bills they ran up before filing for court protection, including wages, utility bills and rents.

That means creditors can't put as much pressure on a city over its spending habits, as sometimes happens in Chapter 11 cases. Chapter 9 creditors also can't offer their own reorganization plan and aren't entitled to form an official committee with legal fees paid by the municipality. Unsecured creditors typically have those rights under Chapter 11, which is used by companies to try to stay in business and reorganize.

Biggest drains

Among the biggest drains on the city's general fund, which pays for police, fire and other basic services, are health benefits paid to 18,500 retired city workers, mostly former police and firefighters, according to Orr's May report. Without changes, the city will pay $163 million for retiree health-care costs in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, the report found.

The city has been operating under a financial stability agreement with the state. With the state's help, the city issued $130 million in new bonds, part of which was used to pay off short-term debt. To get access to the remaining proceeds, the city was forced to hire a restructuring firm and, in December, the law firm of Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone Plc to help formulate a recovery plan.

Detroit ran short of cash last year and was forced to borrow $92.2 million from other funds, including its solid waste, street and risk management funds. At the end of June, the city also owed its retirement funds $60.5 million, according to the audit.

Detroit's bond ratings were cut deeper into non-investment grade last year by Moody's Investors Service, which cited the possibility of bankruptcy or default within two years.

David Phillips of Automotive News, Bloomberg and Reuters contributed to this report.

Contact Automotive News

Source: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130718/OEM/130719844/detroit-cradle-of-u-s-auto-industry-seeks-bankruptcy-protection

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Top 10 reasons to carry the Union Plus Rewards Credit Card

Posted on July 17, 2013

Need a reason to get the credit card designed to meet the needs of hard-working union members like you? Here are 10!

1. Cash rewards card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases
2. No complicated earning categories and you can earn unlimited cash back
3. Low Intro APR for 12 months
4. Competitive rates
5. Improved assistance benefits for eligible cardholders in times of need
6. $0 Fraud Liability if your card is lost or stolen
7. Card design that shows off your union pride
8. No annual fee
9. All customer service calls answered in the U.S. 24/7
10. Issued by Capital One?, a U.S.-based bank

Need one more reason? It was designed for Union Members like YOU!

For details about the rewards card and to find out about the alternative Low Intro Rate card, visit UnionCardApply.com
?

Source: http://www.unionplus.org/blog/deals-and-discounts/top-10-reasons-credit-card

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Emma Roberts arrested for domestic violence in Canada

Emma Roberts and Evan Peters at 'The Lone Ranger' premier in June. (Credit: Frazer Harrison Getty Images)

Sweetheart actress Emma Roberts was arrested in Canada on a domestic violence charge after fighting with her actor boyfriend and bloodying his nose.

TMZ is reporting today that Roberts, 22, daughter of Eric, niece of Julia, was taken into custody on July 7 in Montreal, after police said she got into a fight with Evan Peters, a star of American Horror Story.

TMZ's anonymous sources are everywhere, including Canada. They say someone called the cops to report a fight in a hotel room. When the cops showed up, they found Peters with a bloody nose and, supposedly, a bite mark.

Roberts was immediately arrested because Peters had obvious injuries, but sources close to her denied biting him, TMZ said. Nevertheless, the indefatigable website illustrated its story with close-up shots of Emma's "chompers." Charming.

On Twitter, where only a few days ago fans were exclaiminghow good Roberts looked as a blonde, reacted with shock as TMZ and other gossip tweeters reported the arrest today.

But as it turned out, it all blew over. Roberts was released hours later because Peters, 26, did not want to press charges.

Last seen together at The Lone Ranger premier, the couple are now reported back together and working on American Horror Story, TMZ said. Roberts is due to appear in a forthcoming comedy, We're the Millers, with Jennifer Aniston.

Source: http://newyork.metromix.com/movies/article/emma-roberts-arrested-for/3568051/content

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Bank of Canada leaves rate unchanged

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Source: www.montrealgazette.com --- Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Governor Stephen Poloz adjusts forward guidance language but leaves expectations alone. ...

Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F6939/~3/bg0v7Uontl8/story.html

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Hitachi wins ?1.2 billion UK train carriage order

LONDON (Reuters) - The Department of Transport (DfT) on Thursday said it had awarded Hitachi's European rail arm a 1.2 billion pound order to build more train carriages to be used on one of Britain's busiest intercity routes.

The trains are due to be introduced on the East Coast Main Line that connects London with Newcastle and Aberdeen in 2018.

Hitachi Rail Europe will build the 270 carriages for the train, called the class 800 series, in Britain. The contract comes after the DfT agreed an initial order last year for 596 carriages with Agility Trains, a consortium of Hitachi and British infrastructure project manager John Laing.

"This new order for class 800 series trains is part of the government's commitment to invest in our nation's infrastructure," Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said.

The latest carriage order will be operational on the train line from 2019 and will boost passenger capacity by 18 percent as well as cut journey times between London, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, the DfT said.

Hitachi Rail Europe's Chief Executive Alistair Dormer said the deal would extend firm orders until the end of the decade at its new factory in County Durham, north east England, where the carriages will be built.

(Reporting by Brenda Goh, Editing by Kate Holton)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japans-hitachi-wins-1-8-billion-order-build-062047807.html

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Oil down slightly; gasoline highest since June 10

NEW YORK (AP) Gasoline rose to the highest price in five weeks Tuesday in the U.S. as the recent spike in oil continues to filter down to the consumer level.

The average price for a gallon of gas rose 2 cents overnight to $3.635 (96 cents a liter), the highest since June 10. That's 15 cents a gallon more expensive than a week ago and 24 cents more than drivers were paying at this time last year.

Oil is up about 10 percent so far this month. It has been jolted higher by unexpectedly sharp drops in U.S. crude and gasoline inventories, which suggest stronger demand. The military ouster in early July of Egypt's president has also added a premium to crude, reflecting the risk of supply disruption from political instability in a country that controls the Suez Canal.

On Tuesday the price of oil moved lower along with U.S. stock markets. By late morning, benchmark crude for August delivery was down 28 cents at $106.04 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The rise in gasoline futures this month has been even steeper. As of Monday they'd risen 35 cents, or 13 percent, to $3.10 a gallon.

This week's direction in oil and gasoline futures could be determined by fresh information on U.S. stockpiles.

Data for the week ending July 12 is expected to show a decline of 2.5 million barrels in crude oil stocks and no change in gasoline stocks, according to a survey of analysts by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.

The American Petroleum Institute will release its report on oil stocks later Tuesday, while the report from the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration the market benchmark will be out on Wednesday.

If the market forecast is confirmed, it could bolster the case of those traders and analysts who believe oil will rise further because U.S. energy demand is rising in step with faster hiring.

In London, Brent crude was down 6 cents to $108.02 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

In other energy futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange:

Wholesale gasoline was up a penny at $3.12 a gallon.

Heating oil gained 1 cent to $3.04 a gallon.

Natural gas rose 3 cents to $3.70 per 1,000 cubic feet.

__

Pablo Gorondi in Budapest contributed to this report.

AP

This story has been automatically published from the Associated Press wire which uses US spellings

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10899131&ref=rss

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NCAA pulls out of EA Sports? popular NCAA Football video game series

It?s a sad day for fans of the?NCAA Football?video game series. The NCAA announced on Wednesday that it will no longer allow EA Sports to use its logo and name in video games. The current licensing contract expires in June 2014 and the association will not renew the deal.

The decision to pull out of the popular video game series is in part because the NCAA is fighting a legal battle with former student-athletes for profiting from their likeness in television, video games and elsewhere. The battle began with a lawsuit filed by former UCLA standout Ed O?Bannon, and several others, including Oscar Robertson, have since jumped on board.

The NCAA Football?series is coming to an end ? ?NCAA Football ?14,? released last week, will be the final edition ? but?EA Sports plans to continue producing college football-themed games in the future without the NCAA brand.?The first non-NCAA-affiliated EA Sports college football video game will be called ?College Football 15,? according to ESPN.com.

As an avid?NCAA Football?gamer, this almost brings me to tears.

Source: http://kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=136934

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The Importance Of An Online Advertising Agency In Every Business ...

By Jeff Samuel

All entrepreneurs want to succeed on their venture. Whether you have a small or large enterprise, it?s important that you know how to manage it. In order to make your company become internationally popular, you need to have good online marketing strategies. To make certain that your business is going to flourish, hire an online advertising agency to manage your company?s status on the World Wide Web. It?s a big advantage when you realize the importance of the role of this agency in giving a boost for your company?s popularity. It will definitely provide fast and great results. Your sales and profits will immediately increase once you depend with an outstanding and reputable marketing group.

The quickly growing number of online businesses simply shows that there are bigger opportunities in the online world. However, it is expected that the competition is also quite challenging. If you really want to succeed on your venture, then you must realize that hiring a marketing firm is not a choice but a must. This is a very effective way to beat the competition. Regardless of countless competitors you have, there are still ways to be able for your company to stand out among its rivals.

Because of the internet, online social media became the most popular and powerful methods that give a boost to many companies. Entrepreneurs should learn to depend on this modern way of advertising if they want to obtain a competitive edge. Anyone who advertises their products and services through online business promotions can certainly get satisfying results if they do it correctly.

There is a risk when you decide to advertise your products and services on the internet. You must be equipped with the knowledge and skills in doing online marketing techniques. Keep in mind that this can either make or break your firm?s reputation and progress. Therefore, you need to know the kinds of strategies to be used for your business in order to get beautiful results. Don?t waste your time and effort doing something that you are not sure if it is effective or not.

Focus on online advertising methods that give fast results without having to spend a lot of money. Moreover, you must choose the ones that can easily attract many clients. This way, you can easily generate huge profits and your targeted market sales will be obtained.

Bear in mind that consumers are the most important factors that could make your enterprise flourish. Find ways on how to get their interest by using powerful and convincing marketing techniques. With the help of an internet marketing agency, your firm will definitely have a good social networking reputation. Relying on expert marketers is the best decision that you could ever make.

The author writes for http://www.marketease.com.au which provides information regarding online advertising agency. Market Ease specializes in helping businesses grow by leveraging the power of the internet and digital media to drive leads and sales through their website.

Source: http://theboardmagazine.com/2013/07/the-importance-of-an-online-advertising-agency-in-every-business/

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Oh, #Florida!

Garden gnome, deadly weapon?

Photo by Luke MacGregor/Reuters.

?Brothers and sisters, this morning I intend to explain the unexplainable?find out the undefinable?ponder over the imponderable?and unscrew the inscrutable." ?Florida poet James Weldon Johnson

Every day weird news comes out of Florida. As with the famous saying about porn, we know what it is when we see it. But what elements combine to make a story that occurs in Florida fit the definition of ?weird Florida??

Thanks to a lifetime of observing Florida weirdness all around me, I have formulated a few general rules. I also consulted a couple of experts on this subject: Brendan Farrington, who since 1998 has compiled an annual roundup of bizarre behavior in Florida for the Associated Press; and Barbara Hijek, who writes the FloriDUH blog for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Here's what we came up with:

1)????? The story generally involves an unusual weapon. A machete is okay. A samurai sword will do. A lawn gnome is waaaaaaaaaay better.

2)????? Nudity is not essential, but it is recommended.

3)????? The presence of an animal helps, especially an alligator, whether large or small. Some sort of big snake is good. Monkeys are an old standby. Llamas are the new hotness.

4)????? The participation of Florida's many sex-industry workers tends to boost the story's visibility.

5)????? You'd be amazed how many stories there are about sexual encounters gone horribly awry (and how great the mugshots are). Note: Said encounter does not have to involve a couple. It may, however, involve something from No. 3.

6)????? You'd also be amazed at what people post on Facebook.

7)????? For ?the Happiest Place on Earth,? Disney World manages to generate a lot of weirdness.

8)????? You can always count on some help from 911.

9)????? Florida thieves steal the strangest things.

10)? Mistaken identity stories are frequently good for a laugh.

One word of caution: Don't ever look back to see what happened next to the people in these stories. What you find might bring a tear to your eye.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/florida/features/2013/oh_florida/weird_florida_stories_weapons_animals_nudity_facebook_and_mistaken_identities.html

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Internet and Social Media Marketing July 23 at Grayson College ...

The Grayson College Small Business Development Center, in partnership with the Denison Chamber of Commerce and the Sherman Chamber of Commerce, is offering local business owners and managers an opportunity to learn about Internet and Social Media Marketing from a leading expert in the field.

Eric Spellman, with Spellmann and Associates, Inc., the largest web design firm between Dallas and Denver, will be a guest presenter for three seminars at Grayson College on July 23, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

With nationwide clientele and a unique model for measuring online success, Spellmann has established Spellmann and Associates, Inc., as a leader in helping customers meet their online goals. He also helps companies realize even greater success by understanding and utilizing the most effective social media for a particular company.

?His entertaining presentation style, plain English and jargon-free actionable tips will supercharge your marketing strategies and give you the tools you need to compete successfully on line,? said Karen Stidham, SBDC executive director. Stidham adds, ?He will take business owners step-by-step through the essential strategic processes necessary to guarantee successful online results. Seminar participants will be provided critical information needed to build an on-line business in three days or less, and will provide details on on-line marketing strategies that work for every business.?

Stidham says if a business owner is just beginning to think about expanding marketing efforts and starting or increasing visibility on line through web page development, Facebook, twitter, etc., this seminar is a must. This seminar is also a must for entrepreneurs whose businesses already have an internet presence but need improvement or expansion.

Spellmann?s GC appearance is only one of many state and national conferences that he conducts every year. The seminar is free of charge but advanced registration is required.? The seminars will have limited seating, with registrations accepted in the order received.? Registration confirmations will be sent on or before July 19. For more detailed information or to make a reservation, call the Grayson College SBDC at 903-463-8787 or e-mail jeffcoatsh@grayson.edu.

Article source: http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_84021.shtml

Source: http://residualrx.com/2013/07/16/internet-and-social-media-marketing-july-23-at-grayson-college-north-texas-e/

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Yahoo! News - Top Stories

http://news.yahoo.com/topstories/ en-USCopyright (c) 2013 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reservedWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:35:34 -04005http://news.yahoo.com/topstories/ http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142c.gif<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/house-gop-seek-delay-health-care-provisions-072436181.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/SLCIWk9o6WopFQz1b7b8lw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/27510769e84bd217370f6a7067001fb3.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this July 11, 2013 file photo. Boehner stood on the House floor Tuesday July 16, 2013 and ridiculed Democratic comments that the law has been &quot;wonderful&quot; for the country saying &quot;The law isn&#039;t wonderful, it&#039;s a train wreck. You know it. I know it. And the American people know it. Even the president knows it. That&#039;s why he proposed delaying his mandate on employers.&quot; The House has scheduled votes Wednesday to delay the health care law&#039;s individual and employer mandates, the 38th time the GOP majority has tried to eliminate, defund or scale back the program since Republicans took control of the House in January 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)" align="left" title="FILE - House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this July 11, 2013 file photo. Boehner stood on the House floor Tuesday July 16, 2013 and ridiculed Democratic comments that the law has been &quot;wonderful&quot; for the country saying &quot;The law isn&#039;t wonderful, it&#039;s a train wreck. You know it. I know it. And the American people know it. Even the president knows it. That&#039;s why he proposed delaying his mandate on employers.&quot; The House has scheduled votes Wednesday to delay the health care law&#039;s individual and employer mandates, the 38th time the GOP majority has tried to eliminate, defund or scale back the program since Republicans took control of the House in January 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)" border="0" /></a>WASHINGTON (AP) ? House Republicans, politically emboldened by President Barack Obama&#039;s delay of a key requirement of his health care law, are taking another run at scrapping his signature domestic policy.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/house-gop-seek-delay-health-care-provisions-072436181.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:35:34 -0400Associated Presshouse-gop-seek-delay-health-care-provisions-072436181<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/house-gop-seek-delay-health-care-provisions-072436181.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/SLCIWk9o6WopFQz1b7b8lw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/27510769e84bd217370f6a7067001fb3.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this July 11, 2013 file photo. Boehner stood on the House floor Tuesday July 16, 2013 and ridiculed Democratic comments that the law has been &quot;wonderful&quot; for the country saying &quot;The law isn&#039;t wonderful, it&#039;s a train wreck. You know it. I know it. And the American people know it. Even the president knows it. That&#039;s why he proposed delaying his mandate on employers.&quot; The House has scheduled votes Wednesday to delay the health care law&#039;s individual and employer mandates, the 38th time the GOP majority has tried to eliminate, defund or scale back the program since Republicans took control of the House in January 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)" align="left" title="FILE - House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this July 11, 2013 file photo. Boehner stood on the House floor Tuesday July 16, 2013 and ridiculed Democratic comments that the law has been &quot;wonderful&quot; for the country saying &quot;The law isn&#039;t wonderful, it&#039;s a train wreck. You know it. I know it. And the American people know it. Even the president knows it. That&#039;s why he proposed delaying his mandate on employers.&quot; The House has scheduled votes Wednesday to delay the health care law&#039;s individual and employer mandates, the 38th time the GOP majority has tried to eliminate, defund or scale back the program since Republicans took control of the House in January 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)" border="0" /></a>WASHINGTON (AP) ? House Republicans, politically emboldened by President Barack Obama&#039;s delay of a key requirement of his health care law, are taking another run at scrapping his signature domestic policy.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/bank-americas-earnings-soar-70-percent-111728878.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zsFkm5Ln2SH8beAVGfPP2g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5f69389be809d117370f6a706700bcdf.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A customer uses a Bank of America ATM in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Bank of America Corp. reports quarterly financial results before the market open on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)" align="left" title="A customer uses a Bank of America ATM in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Bank of America Corp. reports quarterly financial results before the market open on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)" border="0" /></a>NEW YORK (AP) ? Bank of America says its second-quarter profits soared, helped largely by cost-cutting.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/bank-americas-earnings-soar-70-percent-111728878.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:34:04 -0400Associated Pressbank-americas-earnings-soar-70-percent-111728878<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/bank-americas-earnings-soar-70-percent-111728878.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zsFkm5Ln2SH8beAVGfPP2g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5f69389be809d117370f6a706700bcdf.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A customer uses a Bank of America ATM in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Bank of America Corp. reports quarterly financial results before the market open on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)" align="left" title="A customer uses a Bank of America ATM in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Bank of America Corp. reports quarterly financial results before the market open on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)" border="0" /></a>NEW YORK (AP) ? Bank of America says its second-quarter profits soared, helped largely by cost-cutting.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/official-iran-open-nuke-talks-once-team-named-113236208.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/7aso2YxDI1.fbQpwfC1oUQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/50b53f20aaa2a317370f6a706700c15b.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - In this Monday, June 17, 2013 file photo, Iranian President-elect Hasan Rouhani, places his hand on his heart as a sign of respect, after speaking at a news conference, in Tehran, Iran. Rouhani on Monday leveled his first criticism of the outgoing administration since June&#039;s election, saying it has mismanaged the country&#039;s economy. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)" align="left" title="FILE - In this Monday, June 17, 2013 file photo, Iranian President-elect Hasan Rouhani, places his hand on his heart as a sign of respect, after speaking at a news conference, in Tehran, Iran. Rouhani on Monday leveled his first criticism of the outgoing administration since June&#039;s election, saying it has mismanaged the country&#039;s economy. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)" border="0" /></a>TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran&#039;s foreign minister says Tehran will be ready to resume nuclear talks with world powers as soon as the country&#039;s president-elect puts together his negotiating team.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/official-iran-open-nuke-talks-once-team-named-113236208.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:32:36 -0400Associated Pressofficial-iran-open-nuke-talks-once-team-named-113236208<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/official-iran-open-nuke-talks-once-team-named-113236208.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/7aso2YxDI1.fbQpwfC1oUQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/50b53f20aaa2a317370f6a706700c15b.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - In this Monday, June 17, 2013 file photo, Iranian President-elect Hasan Rouhani, places his hand on his heart as a sign of respect, after speaking at a news conference, in Tehran, Iran. Rouhani on Monday leveled his first criticism of the outgoing administration since June&#039;s election, saying it has mismanaged the country&#039;s economy. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)" align="left" title="FILE - In this Monday, June 17, 2013 file photo, Iranian President-elect Hasan Rouhani, places his hand on his heart as a sign of respect, after speaking at a news conference, in Tehran, Iran. Rouhani on Monday leveled his first criticism of the outgoing administration since June&#039;s election, saying it has mismanaged the country&#039;s economy. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)" border="0" /></a>TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran&#039;s foreign minister says Tehran will be ready to resume nuclear talks with world powers as soon as the country&#039;s president-elect puts together his negotiating team.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/special-report-smugglers-security-forces-prey-asias-boat-011011301.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/8JDPfZ2NPYwrZvHvTzytcQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T113132Z_2_CBRE96G039N00_RTROPTP_2_MYANMAR-EXODUS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Narunisa is reunited with her children after returning to a shelter for Rohingya women and children in Phang Nga" align="left" title="Narunisa is reunited with her children after returning to a shelter for Rohingya women and children in Phang Nga" border="0" /></a>By Jason Szep and Stuart Grudgings PADANG BESAR, Thailand (Reuters) - The beatings were accompanied by threats: If his family didn&#039;t produce the money, Myanmar refugee Abdul Sabur would be sold into slavery on a fishing boat, his captors shouted, lashing him with bamboo sticks. It had been more than two months since Sabur and his wife set sail from Myanmar with 118 other Rohingya Muslims to escape violence and persecution. Twelve died on the disastrous voyage. The survivors were imprisoned in India and then handed over to people smugglers in southern Thailand. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/special-report-smugglers-security-forces-prey-asias-boat-011011301.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:31:32 -0400Reutersspecial-report-smugglers-security-forces-prey-asias-boat-011011301<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/special-report-smugglers-security-forces-prey-asias-boat-011011301.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/8JDPfZ2NPYwrZvHvTzytcQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T113132Z_2_CBRE96G039N00_RTROPTP_2_MYANMAR-EXODUS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Narunisa is reunited with her children after returning to a shelter for Rohingya women and children in Phang Nga" align="left" title="Narunisa is reunited with her children after returning to a shelter for Rohingya women and children in Phang Nga" border="0" /></a>By Jason Szep and Stuart Grudgings PADANG BESAR, Thailand (Reuters) - The beatings were accompanied by threats: If his family didn&#039;t produce the money, Myanmar refugee Abdul Sabur would be sold into slavery on a fishing boat, his captors shouted, lashing him with bamboo sticks. It had been more than two months since Sabur and his wife set sail from Myanmar with 118 other Rohingya Muslims to escape violence and persecution. Twelve died on the disastrous voyage. The survivors were imprisoned in India and then handed over to people smugglers in southern Thailand. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/coroner-glee-actor-monteith-died-overdose-210710946.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/r1A3aQJU1d.V1dlHW4NFMw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/0a7ab9ecacecad17370f6a706700b98d.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A pedestrian walks past photographs and flowers placed at a memorial for Canadian actor Cory Monteith outside the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, July 15, 2013. Monteith, 31, was found dead in his room at the hotel on Saturday, according to police, who have ruled out foul play. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)" align="left" title="A pedestrian walks past photographs and flowers placed at a memorial for Canadian actor Cory Monteith outside the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, July 15, 2013. Monteith, 31, was found dead in his room at the hotel on Saturday, according to police, who have ruled out foul play. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)" border="0" /></a>VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) ? &quot;Glee&quot; actor Cory Monteith, who had struggled for years with substance abuse and once said he was lucky to be alive, died of an overdose of heroin and alcohol, the British Columbia coroner&#039;s office said Tuesday.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/coroner-glee-actor-monteith-died-overdose-210710946.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:24:03 -0400Associated Presscoroner-glee-actor-monteith-died-overdose-210710946<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/coroner-glee-actor-monteith-died-overdose-210710946.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/r1A3aQJU1d.V1dlHW4NFMw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/0a7ab9ecacecad17370f6a706700b98d.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A pedestrian walks past photographs and flowers placed at a memorial for Canadian actor Cory Monteith outside the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, July 15, 2013. Monteith, 31, was found dead in his room at the hotel on Saturday, according to police, who have ruled out foul play. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)" align="left" title="A pedestrian walks past photographs and flowers placed at a memorial for Canadian actor Cory Monteith outside the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, July 15, 2013. Monteith, 31, was found dead in his room at the hotel on Saturday, according to police, who have ruled out foul play. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)" border="0" /></a>VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) ? &quot;Glee&quot; actor Cory Monteith, who had struggled for years with substance abuse and once said he was lucky to be alive, died of an overdose of heroin and alcohol, the British Columbia coroner&#039;s office said Tuesday.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/putin-snowden-must-not-damage-relations-us-061407982.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/JaVFQmrRjM5CI1KM1zUZiA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/1caa48efc9a6bb17370f6a706700d4a4.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - In this Friday, July 12, 2013 file photo originally made available by Human Rights Watch, SA leaker Edward Snowden attends a meeting with Russian activists and officials at Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow. Russia&#039;s state RIA Novosti news agency is quoting a Russian lawyer as saying that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has asked for a temporary asylum in Russia. The agency quotes Anatoly Kucherena as saying that Snowden submitted the asylum request Tuesday, July 16, 2013 to Russia&#039;s Federal Migration Service. (AP Photo/Tatyana Lokshina, Human Rights Watch, file)" align="left" title="FILE - In this Friday, July 12, 2013 file photo originally made available by Human Rights Watch, SA leaker Edward Snowden attends a meeting with Russian activists and officials at Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow. Russia&#039;s state RIA Novosti news agency is quoting a Russian lawyer as saying that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has asked for a temporary asylum in Russia. The agency quotes Anatoly Kucherena as saying that Snowden submitted the asylum request Tuesday, July 16, 2013 to Russia&#039;s Federal Migration Service. (AP Photo/Tatyana Lokshina, Human Rights Watch, file)" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (AP) ? National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden could leave the transit zone of a Moscow airport after Russian authorities review his asylum request, his lawyer said Wednesday.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/putin-snowden-must-not-damage-relations-us-061407982.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:21:47 -0400Associated Pressputin-snowden-must-not-damage-relations-us-061407982<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/putin-snowden-must-not-damage-relations-us-061407982.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/JaVFQmrRjM5CI1KM1zUZiA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/1caa48efc9a6bb17370f6a706700d4a4.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - In this Friday, July 12, 2013 file photo originally made available by Human Rights Watch, SA leaker Edward Snowden attends a meeting with Russian activists and officials at Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow. Russia&#039;s state RIA Novosti news agency is quoting a Russian lawyer as saying that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has asked for a temporary asylum in Russia. The agency quotes Anatoly Kucherena as saying that Snowden submitted the asylum request Tuesday, July 16, 2013 to Russia&#039;s Federal Migration Service. (AP Photo/Tatyana Lokshina, Human Rights Watch, file)" align="left" title="FILE - In this Friday, July 12, 2013 file photo originally made available by Human Rights Watch, SA leaker Edward Snowden attends a meeting with Russian activists and officials at Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow. Russia&#039;s state RIA Novosti news agency is quoting a Russian lawyer as saying that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has asked for a temporary asylum in Russia. The agency quotes Anatoly Kucherena as saying that Snowden submitted the asylum request Tuesday, July 16, 2013 to Russia&#039;s Federal Migration Service. (AP Photo/Tatyana Lokshina, Human Rights Watch, file)" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (AP) ? National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden could leave the transit zone of a Moscow airport after Russian authorities review his asylum request, his lawyer said Wednesday.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/south-africans-prepare-mandelas-birthday-092544433.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/FU.50q8Kt9uABlnu5QgAcg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/76a5db20ca8abf17370f6a706700cf36.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A portrait of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where is being treated in Pretoria, South Africa Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Nelson Mandela may be discharged from hospital soon to recuperate at home, said Thabo Mbeki, a former president of South Africa Sunday. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)" align="left" title="A portrait of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where is being treated in Pretoria, South Africa Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Nelson Mandela may be discharged from hospital soon to recuperate at home, said Thabo Mbeki, a former president of South Africa Sunday. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)" border="0" /></a>JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? As Nelson Mandela lies critically ill in a Pretoria hospital, the world is preparing to celebrate his 95th birthday on Thursday, a day declared by the United Nations as a way to recognize the Nobel Prize winner&#039;s contribution to reconciliation.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/south-africans-prepare-mandelas-birthday-092544433.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:21:23 -0400Associated Presssouth-africans-prepare-mandelas-birthday-092544433<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/south-africans-prepare-mandelas-birthday-092544433.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/FU.50q8Kt9uABlnu5QgAcg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/76a5db20ca8abf17370f6a706700cf36.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A portrait of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where is being treated in Pretoria, South Africa Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Nelson Mandela may be discharged from hospital soon to recuperate at home, said Thabo Mbeki, a former president of South Africa Sunday. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)" align="left" title="A portrait of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where is being treated in Pretoria, South Africa Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Nelson Mandela may be discharged from hospital soon to recuperate at home, said Thabo Mbeki, a former president of South Africa Sunday. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)" border="0" /></a>JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? As Nelson Mandela lies critically ill in a Pretoria hospital, the world is preparing to celebrate his 95th birthday on Thursday, a day declared by the United Nations as a way to recognize the Nobel Prize winner&#039;s contribution to reconciliation.</p><br clear="all"/>LONDON (AP) ? Barclays has vowed to fight a fine by U.S. regulators, who allege the bank manipulated the electricity prices in California and other western states to make money off of trades.http://news.yahoo.com/barclays-pledges-fight-us-energy-fine-082926148.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:20:07 -0400Associated Pressbarclays-pledges-fight-us-energy-fine-082926148<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/barclays-fight-453-million-power-fine-u-court-101353256.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/KRvKoxm_6Dg739iWYD.JpA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T111904Z_6_CBRE96F1OU500_RTROPTP_2_CBUSINESS-US-FERC-BARCLAYS-POWERSCHEME.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A woman uses a cash point at a Barclays Bank in Leicester" align="left" title="A woman uses a cash point at a Barclays Bank in Leicester" border="0" /></a>By David Sheppard NEW YORK (Reuters) - Barclays will contest a record $453 million fine imposed by a U.S. energy regulator against the British bank and four of its power traders, setting up a likely federal court battle. The fines, which were upheld by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Tuesday, confirm the top U.S. energy cop will pursue its most ambitious market manipulation case to date. For Barclays, the sanction is the latest of a series of scandals that include a $450 million fine by U.S. and UK regulators for rigging global benchmark interest rates last year. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/barclays-fight-453-million-power-fine-u-court-101353256.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:19:04 -0400Reutersbarclays-fight-453-million-power-fine-u-court-101353256<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/barclays-fight-453-million-power-fine-u-court-101353256.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/KRvKoxm_6Dg739iWYD.JpA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T111904Z_6_CBRE96F1OU500_RTROPTP_2_CBUSINESS-US-FERC-BARCLAYS-POWERSCHEME.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A woman uses a cash point at a Barclays Bank in Leicester" align="left" title="A woman uses a cash point at a Barclays Bank in Leicester" border="0" /></a>By David Sheppard NEW YORK (Reuters) - Barclays will contest a record $453 million fine imposed by a U.S. energy regulator against the British bank and four of its power traders, setting up a likely federal court battle. The fines, which were upheld by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Tuesday, confirm the top U.S. energy cop will pursue its most ambitious market manipulation case to date. For Barclays, the sanction is the latest of a series of scandals that include a $450 million fine by U.S. and UK regulators for rigging global benchmark interest rates last year. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/prominent-assad-supporter-assassinated-lebanon-111526359.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/SDfk1YFEkvt1_plHvpgnVQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/a4f52eaae846d217370f6a706700ccae.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Fatima, right, daughter of Mohammed Darrar Jammo a Syrian political analyst and one of Syrian President Bashar Assad&#039;s strongest defenders, who was gunned down inside his home, is comforted by a relative as she mourns her father, in the southern coastal town of Sarafand, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Clashes between pro and anti-Syrian groups in Lebanon have left scores of people dead in the past months in a spillover of Syria&#039;s civil war into its smaller neighbor. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)" align="left" title="Fatima, right, daughter of Mohammed Darrar Jammo a Syrian political analyst and one of Syrian President Bashar Assad&#039;s strongest defenders, who was gunned down inside his home, is comforted by a relative as she mourns her father, in the southern coastal town of Sarafand, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Clashes between pro and anti-Syrian groups in Lebanon have left scores of people dead in the past months in a spillover of Syria&#039;s civil war into its smaller neighbor. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? Gunmen assassinated a prominent Syrian pro-government figure at his home in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in the latest sign of Syria&#039;s civil war spilling over into its smaller neighbor, security officials said.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/prominent-assad-supporter-assassinated-lebanon-111526359.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:15:26 -0400Associated Pressprominent-assad-supporter-assassinated-lebanon-111526359<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/prominent-assad-supporter-assassinated-lebanon-111526359.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/SDfk1YFEkvt1_plHvpgnVQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/a4f52eaae846d217370f6a706700ccae.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Fatima, right, daughter of Mohammed Darrar Jammo a Syrian political analyst and one of Syrian President Bashar Assad&#039;s strongest defenders, who was gunned down inside his home, is comforted by a relative as she mourns her father, in the southern coastal town of Sarafand, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Clashes between pro and anti-Syrian groups in Lebanon have left scores of people dead in the past months in a spillover of Syria&#039;s civil war into its smaller neighbor. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)" align="left" title="Fatima, right, daughter of Mohammed Darrar Jammo a Syrian political analyst and one of Syrian President Bashar Assad&#039;s strongest defenders, who was gunned down inside his home, is comforted by a relative as she mourns her father, in the southern coastal town of Sarafand, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Clashes between pro and anti-Syrian groups in Lebanon have left scores of people dead in the past months in a spillover of Syria&#039;s civil war into its smaller neighbor. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? Gunmen assassinated a prominent Syrian pro-government figure at his home in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in the latest sign of Syria&#039;s civil war spilling over into its smaller neighbor, security officials said.</p><br clear="all"/>Andretti Autosport announced Wednesday it has signed on as the third team to compete in the environmentally friendly FIA Formula E championship, which will feature electric cars racing in 10 cities around the world beginning in 2014.http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-andretti-run-electric-car-series-111029972.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:10:29 -0400Associated Pressapnewsbreak-andretti-run-electric-car-series-111029972<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-interim-government-gets-amid-protests-deadlock-055336306.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/NGjuSCVmrH92K9NkhEGpfw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-16T163558Z_4_CBRE96F0RYR00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-EGYPT-PROTESTS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi throws stones at riot police during clashes in the Ramsis square area in central Cairo" align="left" title="A supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi throws stones at riot police during clashes in the Ramsis square area in central Cairo" border="0" /></a>By Noah Browning and Peter Graff CAIRO (Reuters) - Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi called on Wednesday for more mass demonstrations, declaring a &quot;day of steadfastness&quot; to protest against the formation of a new interim cabinet, which began its first day on the job. The army, which removed Egypt&#039;s first freely elected president from power two weeks ago, accused Mursi&#039;s supporters of inciting armed demonstrations near military bases and trying to turn a political dispute into a religious quarrel. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-interim-government-gets-amid-protests-deadlock-055336306.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:09:35 -0400Reutersegypts-interim-government-gets-amid-protests-deadlock-055336306<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-interim-government-gets-amid-protests-deadlock-055336306.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/NGjuSCVmrH92K9NkhEGpfw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-16T163558Z_4_CBRE96F0RYR00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-EGYPT-PROTESTS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi throws stones at riot police during clashes in the Ramsis square area in central Cairo" align="left" title="A supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi throws stones at riot police during clashes in the Ramsis square area in central Cairo" border="0" /></a>By Noah Browning and Peter Graff CAIRO (Reuters) - Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi called on Wednesday for more mass demonstrations, declaring a &quot;day of steadfastness&quot; to protest against the formation of a new interim cabinet, which began its first day on the job. The army, which removed Egypt&#039;s first freely elected president from power two weeks ago, accused Mursi&#039;s supporters of inciting armed demonstrations near military bases and trying to turn a political dispute into a religious quarrel. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-briefs-arabs-peace-bid-egypt-syria-084547775.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/4jVIko2GrJLpMqS2ePqS0A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/170d885ce7eed017370f6a706700ac9f.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, Jordan&#039;s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, right, and Egypt&#039;s Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, left, arrive for a meeting with the Arab League Peace Initiative at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Kerry is briefing senior Arab officials on his efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and on American views of the crises and Syria and Egypt. (AP Photo/Mandel Ngan, Pool)" align="left" title="U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, Jordan&#039;s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, right, and Egypt&#039;s Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, left, arrive for a meeting with the Arab League Peace Initiative at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Kerry is briefing senior Arab officials on his efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and on American views of the crises and Syria and Egypt. (AP Photo/Mandel Ngan, Pool)" border="0" /></a>AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry briefed senior Arab officials Wednesday on his efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and on American views of the crises and Syria and Egypt.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-briefs-arabs-peace-bid-egypt-syria-084547775.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:08:40 -0400Associated Presskerry-briefs-arabs-peace-bid-egypt-syria-084547775<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-briefs-arabs-peace-bid-egypt-syria-084547775.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/4jVIko2GrJLpMqS2ePqS0A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/170d885ce7eed017370f6a706700ac9f.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, Jordan&#039;s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, right, and Egypt&#039;s Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, left, arrive for a meeting with the Arab League Peace Initiative at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Kerry is briefing senior Arab officials on his efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and on American views of the crises and Syria and Egypt. (AP Photo/Mandel Ngan, Pool)" align="left" title="U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, Jordan&#039;s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, right, and Egypt&#039;s Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, left, arrive for a meeting with the Arab League Peace Initiative at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Kerry is briefing senior Arab officials on his efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and on American views of the crises and Syria and Egypt. (AP Photo/Mandel Ngan, Pool)" border="0" /></a>AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry briefed senior Arab officials Wednesday on his efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and on American views of the crises and Syria and Egypt.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/stranded-fugitive-snowden-seeks-temporary-asylum-russia-042112253.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/uLk6K73RzCQiiSwcNJwTYA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T110600Z_2_CBRE96G0F2I00_RTROPTP_2_US-USA-SECURITY-SNOWDEN-RUSSIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Russian President Vladimir Putin looks out of a helicopter window during his visit to Russia&#039;s far eastern Sakhalin region July 16, 2013. REUTERS/Aleksey Nikolskyi" align="left" title="Russian President Vladimir Putin looks out of a helicopter window during his visit to Russia&#039;s far eastern Sakhalin region July 16, 2013. REUTERS/Aleksey Nikolskyi" border="0" /></a>By Denis Dyomkin CHITA, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin gave his clearest signal yet that he will not let a dispute over the fate of former U.S. spy contractor Edward Snowden derail Russia&#039;s relations with the United States. Snowden, who is wanted by Washington for leaking details of U.S. intelligence programs, is seeking temporary asylum in Russia after spending more than three weeks at a Moscow airport trying to fly to a country that will shelter him. Allowing the American to stay in Russia even temporarily would upset Washington. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/stranded-fugitive-snowden-seeks-temporary-asylum-russia-042112253.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:06:00 -0400Reutersstranded-fugitive-snowden-seeks-temporary-asylum-russia-042112253<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/stranded-fugitive-snowden-seeks-temporary-asylum-russia-042112253.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/uLk6K73RzCQiiSwcNJwTYA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T110600Z_2_CBRE96G0F2I00_RTROPTP_2_US-USA-SECURITY-SNOWDEN-RUSSIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Russian President Vladimir Putin looks out of a helicopter window during his visit to Russia&#039;s far eastern Sakhalin region July 16, 2013. REUTERS/Aleksey Nikolskyi" align="left" title="Russian President Vladimir Putin looks out of a helicopter window during his visit to Russia&#039;s far eastern Sakhalin region July 16, 2013. REUTERS/Aleksey Nikolskyi" border="0" /></a>By Denis Dyomkin CHITA, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin gave his clearest signal yet that he will not let a dispute over the fate of former U.S. spy contractor Edward Snowden derail Russia&#039;s relations with the United States. Snowden, who is wanted by Washington for leaking details of U.S. intelligence programs, is seeking temporary asylum in Russia after spending more than three weeks at a Moscow airport trying to fly to a country that will shelter him. Allowing the American to stay in Russia even temporarily would upset Washington. ...</p><br clear="all"/>BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraqi officials say a bombing targeting a stream where youngsters had sought refuge from the summer heat has killed four people.http://news.yahoo.com/officials-bombing-kills-4-people-iraq-110543767.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:05:43 -0400Associated Pressofficials-bombing-kills-4-people-iraq-110543767<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/gaddafis-old-tripoli-fortress-turned-park-110514342.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/QyAeNBe6SHQyaxkkRYYmfw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_ZA/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T110514Z_1_AJOE96G0UST00_RTROPTP_2_OZATP-LIBYA-GADDAFI-COMPOUND-20130717.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="(Blank Headline Received)" align="left" title="(Blank Headline Received)" border="0" /></a>TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi&#039;s Tripoli compound, the city within a city from which he orchestrated eccentric defiance of Western powers and disdain for his own people for four decades, is to be turned into a public park, Tourism Minister Ikram Abdusalam Bash Imam said on Tuesday. The sprawling 6 sq km (2.5 sq mile) Bab al-Aziziya complex once housed a swimming pool, sports pitches, senior officials&#039; villas and gardens as well as an underground bunker, government offices and buildings belonging to the feared and pervasive security apparatus. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/gaddafis-old-tripoli-fortress-turned-park-110514342.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:05:14 -0400Reutersgaddafis-old-tripoli-fortress-turned-park-110514342<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/gaddafis-old-tripoli-fortress-turned-park-110514342.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/QyAeNBe6SHQyaxkkRYYmfw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_ZA/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T110514Z_1_AJOE96G0UST00_RTROPTP_2_OZATP-LIBYA-GADDAFI-COMPOUND-20130717.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="(Blank Headline Received)" align="left" title="(Blank Headline Received)" border="0" /></a>TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi&#039;s Tripoli compound, the city within a city from which he orchestrated eccentric defiance of Western powers and disdain for his own people for four decades, is to be turned into a public park, Tourism Minister Ikram Abdusalam Bash Imam said on Tuesday. The sprawling 6 sq km (2.5 sq mile) Bab al-Aziziya complex once housed a swimming pool, sports pitches, senior officials&#039; villas and gardens as well as an underground bunker, government offices and buildings belonging to the feared and pervasive security apparatus. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/mother-2-sons-killed-crossing-philly-road-2-102559980.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dj54YfDESG92MEpyzsES4g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/62a869e9e854d217370f6a70670076aa.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Family members react as they watch investigators at the scene of a fatal accident on Roosevelt Boulevard in the Olney section of Philadelphia on Tuesday evening July 16, 2013. Philadelphia police are investigating whether cars may have been drag racing when a mother and two young sons were struck and killed attempting to cross a busy highway. The woman&#039;s two other sons ages 4 and 5 are in critical condition. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)" align="left" title="Family members react as they watch investigators at the scene of a fatal accident on Roosevelt Boulevard in the Olney section of Philadelphia on Tuesday evening July 16, 2013. Philadelphia police are investigating whether cars may have been drag racing when a mother and two young sons were struck and killed attempting to cross a busy highway. The woman&#039;s two other sons ages 4 and 5 are in critical condition. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)" border="0" /></a>PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Philadelphia police are investigating whether cars were drag racing when a mother and two young sons were struck and killed while attempting to cross a busy highway. The woman&#039;s two other sons were injured.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/mother-2-sons-killed-crossing-philly-road-2-102559980.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:02:31 -0400Associated Pressmother-2-sons-killed-crossing-philly-road-2-102559980<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/mother-2-sons-killed-crossing-philly-road-2-102559980.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dj54YfDESG92MEpyzsES4g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/62a869e9e854d217370f6a70670076aa.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Family members react as they watch investigators at the scene of a fatal accident on Roosevelt Boulevard in the Olney section of Philadelphia on Tuesday evening July 16, 2013. Philadelphia police are investigating whether cars may have been drag racing when a mother and two young sons were struck and killed attempting to cross a busy highway. The woman&#039;s two other sons ages 4 and 5 are in critical condition. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)" align="left" title="Family members react as they watch investigators at the scene of a fatal accident on Roosevelt Boulevard in the Olney section of Philadelphia on Tuesday evening July 16, 2013. Philadelphia police are investigating whether cars may have been drag racing when a mother and two young sons were struck and killed attempting to cross a busy highway. The woman&#039;s two other sons ages 4 and 5 are in critical condition. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)" border="0" /></a>PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Philadelphia police are investigating whether cars were drag racing when a mother and two young sons were struck and killed while attempting to cross a busy highway. The woman&#039;s two other sons were injured.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/major-economies-still-struggling-create-jobs-110137934.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/7FJVpUvg_JtKxbpul8BnMg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/4c802bc9cb7dc417370f6a706700d8ac.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Amaya Munoz Garcia, 31, cries as she receives support from a member of the Victims&#039; Mortgage Platform (PAH) while she waits to be evicted in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Munoz Garcia has accumulated 8,000 euros ($10,503) in debt including interest since she stopped paying rent after she lost her job ten months ago. She has been unable to find a new job. The eviction was finally postponed with the help of the Victims&#039; Mortgage Platform (PAH), who are trying to negotiate a social rent and a payment plan. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)" align="left" title="Amaya Munoz Garcia, 31, cries as she receives support from a member of the Victims&#039; Mortgage Platform (PAH) while she waits to be evicted in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Munoz Garcia has accumulated 8,000 euros ($10,503) in debt including interest since she stopped paying rent after she lost her job ten months ago. She has been unable to find a new job. The eviction was finally postponed with the help of the Victims&#039; Mortgage Platform (PAH), who are trying to negotiate a social rent and a payment plan. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)" border="0" /></a>GENEVA (AP) ? Jobs growth remains weak among the world&#039;s 20 biggest economies, where almost a third of the 93 million unemployed have been out of work for more than a year, top labor and development officials said Wednesday.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/major-economies-still-struggling-create-jobs-110137934.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:01:37 -0400Associated Pressmajor-economies-still-struggling-create-jobs-110137934<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/major-economies-still-struggling-create-jobs-110137934.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/7FJVpUvg_JtKxbpul8BnMg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/4c802bc9cb7dc417370f6a706700d8ac.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Amaya Munoz Garcia, 31, cries as she receives support from a member of the Victims&#039; Mortgage Platform (PAH) while she waits to be evicted in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Munoz Garcia has accumulated 8,000 euros ($10,503) in debt including interest since she stopped paying rent after she lost her job ten months ago. She has been unable to find a new job. The eviction was finally postponed with the help of the Victims&#039; Mortgage Platform (PAH), who are trying to negotiate a social rent and a payment plan. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)" align="left" title="Amaya Munoz Garcia, 31, cries as she receives support from a member of the Victims&#039; Mortgage Platform (PAH) while she waits to be evicted in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Munoz Garcia has accumulated 8,000 euros ($10,503) in debt including interest since she stopped paying rent after she lost her job ten months ago. She has been unable to find a new job. The eviction was finally postponed with the help of the Victims&#039; Mortgage Platform (PAH), who are trying to negotiate a social rent and a payment plan. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)" border="0" /></a>GENEVA (AP) ? Jobs growth remains weak among the world&#039;s 20 biggest economies, where almost a third of the 93 million unemployed have been out of work for more than a year, top labor and development officials said Wednesday.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaida-branch-confirms-no-2-killed-yemen-102604944.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/sdrQIHLaehXJC55ZNqIiBw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/daa20881e7d7d017370f6a706700041f.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - In this undated frame grab from video posted on a militant-leaning Web site, and provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, shows Saeed al-Shihri, deputy leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida says a U.S. drone strike has killed a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who rose to become the group&#039;s No. 2 figure. The announcement, posted on militant websites, gave no date for the death of Saudi-born Al-Shihri. (AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group, File)" align="left" title="FILE - In this undated frame grab from video posted on a militant-leaning Web site, and provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, shows Saeed al-Shihri, deputy leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida says a U.S. drone strike has killed a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who rose to become the group&#039;s No. 2 figure. The announcement, posted on militant websites, gave no date for the death of Saudi-born Al-Shihri. (AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group, File)" border="0" /></a>SANAA, Yemen (AP) ? The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida confirmed on Wednesday that the group&#039;s No. 2 figure, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, was killed in a U.S. drone strike.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaida-branch-confirms-no-2-killed-yemen-102604944.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 07:01:33 -0400Associated Pressal-qaida-branch-confirms-no-2-killed-yemen-102604944<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaida-branch-confirms-no-2-killed-yemen-102604944.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/sdrQIHLaehXJC55ZNqIiBw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/daa20881e7d7d017370f6a706700041f.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - In this undated frame grab from video posted on a militant-leaning Web site, and provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, shows Saeed al-Shihri, deputy leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida says a U.S. drone strike has killed a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who rose to become the group&#039;s No. 2 figure. The announcement, posted on militant websites, gave no date for the death of Saudi-born Al-Shihri. (AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group, File)" align="left" title="FILE - In this undated frame grab from video posted on a militant-leaning Web site, and provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, shows Saeed al-Shihri, deputy leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida says a U.S. drone strike has killed a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who rose to become the group&#039;s No. 2 figure. The announcement, posted on militant websites, gave no date for the death of Saudi-born Al-Shihri. (AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group, File)" border="0" /></a>SANAA, Yemen (AP) ? The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida confirmed on Wednesday that the group&#039;s No. 2 figure, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, was killed in a U.S. drone strike.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/uk-spy-agency-did-not-break-law-using-102247481.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ZsRlPSx_KtgTF8KnEHJM3g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T102247Z_1_CBRE96G0SU700_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-USA-SECURITY-BRITAIN.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Satellite dishes are seen at GCHQ&#039;s outpost at Bude, close to where trans-Atlantic fibre-optic cables come ashore in Cornwall, southwest England" align="left" title="Satellite dishes are seen at GCHQ&#039;s outpost at Bude, close to where trans-Atlantic fibre-optic cables come ashore in Cornwall, southwest England" border="0" /></a>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain&#039;s electronic surveillance agency did not circumvent the law by using data gathered by a clandestine U.S. spy program called PRISM, the British parliament said on Wednesday. Former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden leaked details of PRISM last month, lifting the lid on what he said was a vast surveillance system that vacuumed up emails and phone data - which leaked documents showed were sometimes handed over to Britain&#039;s security services. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/uk-spy-agency-did-not-break-law-using-102247481.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2013 06:59:04 -0400Reutersuk-spy-agency-did-not-break-law-using-102247481<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/uk-spy-agency-did-not-break-law-using-102247481.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ZsRlPSx_KtgTF8KnEHJM3g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-17T102247Z_1_CBRE96G0SU700_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-USA-SECURITY-BRITAIN.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Satellite dishes are seen at GCHQ&#039;s outpost at Bude, close to where trans-Atlantic fibre-optic cables come ashore in Cornwall, southwest England" align="left" title="Satellite dishes are seen at GCHQ&#039;s outpost at Bude, close to where trans-Atlantic fibre-optic cables come ashore in Cornwall, southwest England" border="0" /></a>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain&#039;s electronic surveillance agency did not circumvent the law by using data gathered by a clandestine U.S. spy program called PRISM, the British parliament said on Wednesday. Former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden leaked details of PRISM last month, lifting the lid on what he said was a vast surveillance system that vacuumed up emails and phone data - which leaked documents showed were sometimes handed over to Britain&#039;s security services. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/21-children-die-eating-school-lunch-india-085018081.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qt1cy.rLnRwHqg6GrruCRA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/c8a4becbe752ce17370f6a706700147d.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this Tuesday, July 16, 2013 photo, schoolchildren receive treatment at a hospital after falling ill soon after eating a free meal at a primary school in Chhapra district, in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. At least 20 children have died and more are sick after eating free meals in the school, an official said Wednesday. The children are age 8 to 11. (AP Photo)" align="left" title="In this Tuesday, July 16, 2013 photo, schoolchildren receive treatment at a hospital after falling ill soon after eating a free meal at a primary school in Chhapra district, in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. At least 20 children have died and more are sick after eating free meals in the school, an official said Wednesday. The children are age 8 to 11. (AP Photo)" border="0" /></a>PATNA, India (AP) ? At least 21 children died a

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