Lawmaker, university spar over 'control' of Chinese dissident in U.S.
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:08:46 -0400
By Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressman who has been blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng's main champion in Washington said people working for New York University have tried to keep him from meeting Chen, barging into a meeting on Capitol Hill and pulling Chen out on one occasion. U.S. Representative Chris Smith, an outspoken supporter of Chinese dissidents since the 1980s, described repeated instances of various people he says were from NYU interfering in his attempts to meet with Chen. ...
North Carolina governor signs law aimed at restarting executions
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:20:27 -0400
By Colleen Jenkins WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - North Carolina's governor, hoping to resume executions in his state, on Wednesday signed the repeal of a law that has allowed death row inmates to seek a reduced sentence if they could prove racial bias affected their punishment. The Racial Justice Act, the only law of its kind in the United States, had led to four inmates getting their sentences changed to life in prison without parole after taking effect in 2009. ...
Stop force-feeding Guantanamo prisoners: Senator
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:07:32 -0400
By Jane Sutton GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein urged the Pentagon on Wednesday to stop force-feeding hunger-striking prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and called the practice "out of step" with medical ethics and international norms. Feinstein, a California Democrat who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, saying the Guantanamo force-feeding policy was also out of synch with policies in the civilian federal prisons. ...
Tropical Storm Barry headsforms off Mexican coast
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:56:47 -0400
VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Barry is bearing down on Mexico's Gulf Coast, poised to make landfall within hours.
Attorneys meet to discuss Jodi Arias case
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:54:27 -0400
PHOENIX (AP) — Jodi Arias returns to court Thursday for the first time since the penalty phase of her case ended in mistrial last month as lawyers discuss plans for a new trial to decide the punishment for the convicted murderer.
Birth control shots could alter life in poor areas
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:45:52 -0400
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A decade ago, the Rosebud Sioux Indians in South Dakota were paying people to catch and shoot wild dogs. Dogs that weren't caught were covered in mange and parasites. Some froze. Some starved. In packs, they survived be eating each other. And dog bites were 20 times worse than the national average.
Bulger trial: The hit man of Country Club Lane
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:42:38 -0400
MILFORD, Mass. (AP) — He parks his silver Mercedes-Benz sedan behind his condo, below a deck decorated with white and pink flowers, where a couple of small dogs bark at the few passers-by.
Homes evacuated as wildfire flares near Denver
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:09:36 -0400
EVERGREEN, Colo. (AP) — Dozens of homes were evacuated near Denver as a wind-driven wildfire flared, one of many in the western states where hot and windy conditions were making it easy for the wild land blazes to start and spread.
Zimmerman jurors reveal personal details
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:05:14 -0400
SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — One potential juror at George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial belongs to the National Rifle Association. Another says she was the victim of a violent crime that is constantly on her mind. A third is a competitive arm-wrestler.
Medical care lags behind Afghan military growth
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:42:54 -0400
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHINWAR, Afghanistan (AP) — The young Afghan soldier lay in great pain on a cot at an army base, his uniform pants cut up to his thigh so medics could clean the wound in his right knee where he was shot fighting insurgents.
