US (MSM)

Illinois policeman's death was staged suicide: authorities

The northern Illinois policeman whose early September death prompted an extensive manhunt for murder suspects committed a “carefully staged suicide,” authorities said on Wednesday. Fox Lake Police Lieutenant Charles Joseph Gliniewicz used department money for personal purchases, stealing and laundering money over seven years, Lake County Major Crime Task Force Commander George Filenko said. Gliniewicz was found wounded on Sept. 1 after reporting that he was pursuing suspects on foot.

Illinois policeman's death was staged suicide: authorities

The northern Illinois policeman whose early September death prompted an extensive manhunt for murder suspects committed a “carefully staged suicide,” authorities said on Wednesday. Fox Lake Police Lieutenant Charles Joseph Gliniewicz used department money for personal purchases, stealing and laundering money over seven years, Lake County Major Crime Task Force Commander George Filenko said. Gliniewicz was found wounded on Sept. 1 after reporting that he was pursuing suspects on foot.

Oklahoma woman charged in parade crash that killed 4

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — A woman accused of running a red light and purposely driving around a barricade and over a police motorcycle before crashing into spectators at Oklahoma State University’s homecoming parade was formally charged Wednesday with four counts of second-degree murder and 46 counts of felony assault.

Oklahoma woman charged in parade crash that killed 4

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — A woman accused of running a red light and purposely driving around a barricade and over a police motorcycle before crashing into spectators at Oklahoma State University’s homecoming parade was formally charged Wednesday with four counts of second-degree murder and 46 counts of felony assault.

U.S. Senate panel probing Valeant, Turing over drug costs

A U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday launched a bipartisan probe into pharmaceutical drug pricing, seeking documents from four drugmakers including Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Turing Pharmaceuticals, two companies embroiled in controversy over price hikes on lifesaving drugs. “The sudden, aggressive price hikes for a variety of drugs used widely for decades affect patients and health care providers and the overall cost of health care,” Collins said, adding that her committee is

U.S. Senate panel probing Valeant, Turing over drug costs

A U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday launched a bipartisan probe into pharmaceutical drug pricing, seeking documents from four drugmakers including Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Turing Pharmaceuticals, two companies embroiled in controversy over price hikes on lifesaving drugs. “The sudden, aggressive price hikes for a variety of drugs used widely for decades affect patients and health care providers and the overall cost of health care,” Collins said, adding that her committee is

Obama's counterterrorism chief takes fresh stab at closing Guantanamo

A new U.S. plan to close the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is likely to be unveiled in the coming days, with much at stake not only for President Barack Obama but also his counterterrorism chief, Lisa Monaco. As a top Justice Department official in 2009, Monaco was summoned to the White House Situation Room in the first weeks of Obama’s tenure to discuss how to fulfill his campaign

Obama's counterterrorism chief takes fresh stab at closing Guantanamo

A new U.S. plan to close the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is likely to be unveiled in the coming days, with much at stake not only for President Barack Obama but also his counterterrorism chief, Lisa Monaco. As a top Justice Department official in 2009, Monaco was summoned to the White House Situation Room in the first weeks of Obama’s tenure to discuss how to fulfill his campaign

Activision buys Candy Crush maker King for $5.9 billion

Activision Blizzard announced today it will acquire King Digital Entertainment, the company behind mobile hits Candy Crush Saga and Bubble Witch Saga, in a $5.9 billion deal. The acquisition of King will make Activision Blizzard “one of the largest global entertainment networks with over half a billion combined monthly active users in 196 countries,” according to a release. The acquisition is subject to approval by King’s shareholders and the Irish

Customer in Washington State sues Chipotle amid E. coli outbreak

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington state on Monday, cites at least 22 confirmed cases of E. coli in Washington and Oregon linked to the Chipotle outbreak and said the number is expected to rise. The outbreak is Chipotle’s third food-safety incident this year. The customer, Charmaine Denise Mode, of Kelso, Washington, ate a burrito bowl at the Vancouver Chipotle on or about Oct. 21, and is seeking

Ohio voters to decide on legalizing recreational marijuana use

Ohio voters will decide on Tuesday whether to become the first U.S. Midwestern state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, although a rival ballot measure could kill the law before it takes effect. Issue 3 would add an amendment to the state constitution that legalizes both the personal and medical use of marijuana for those over 21 years old. If it passes, Ohio would become the fifth and most

Accuser of NHL's Kane no longer wants to cooperate in rape probe

(Reuters) – A woman who accused Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane of rape has told prosecutors that she no longer wants to cooperate in the investigation, five sources with knowledge of the case told The Buffalo News. The investigation has created a great deal of stress for her and her family, and she no longer wants to participate in the case against the National Hockey League All-Star, she told authorities,

WORLD (MSM)

Two migrant children drown as UN predicts Greece arrival spike

The cold Aegean Sea claimed the lives of two more migrant children early Thursday, sparking protests in Greece as the UN warned another 600,000 people could arrive by February. The Greek coastguard said the children died off the island of Kos hours before Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and European Parliament chief Martin Schulz began a visit to neighbouring Lesbos, another migration flashpoint. “A crime is committed in the Aegean (Sea)

Plane crashes in South Sudan, witnesses say dozens killed

By Denis Dumo JUBA (Reuters) – A Russian-built cargo plane with passengers on board crashed on Wednesday after taking off from the airport in South Sudan’s capital, killing dozens of people, witnesses said. The precise death toll was not immediately clear after the Antonov-12 B plane turbo prop plane crashed soon after take off, leaving chunks of wreckage, bodies and cargo strewn along a bank of the White Nile River.

18 dead, scores trapped as Pakistan factory collapses

By Mubasher Bukari LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – At least 18 people were killed and up to 150 trapped on Wednesday when a factory collapsed near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, officials said, adding to a number of industrial disasters to hit the South Asian nation. Rescue workers digging for survivors with construction equipment have recovered 40 injured people so far, said Mohammed Younis Bhatti, an information officer with Edhi

For Southeast Asia, growing U.S.-China maritime row means a balancing act

By Yeganeh Torbati KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – As the United States and Japan tussled with China over the wording of a concluding statement at an Asian security meeting in Kuala Lumpur this week, caught in the middle was host Malaysia. Plans for a joint statement were eventually dropped by the Malaysian government because of disagreements over the disputed South China Sea. U.S. and Japanese officials wanted to address Beijing’s island-building.

Russia says Lavrov, Kerry hold phone call on Syria crisis

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday held a phone call in which they discussed ways for the international community to help support efforts to end the Syria crisis, Russia’s foreign ministry said. Their discussion included ways to form a united Syrian opposition delegation so as to swiftly improve Syrian national political dialogue and to consolidate positions on fighting terrorism,

Islamic State affiliate in Egypt insists it brought down Russian plane

Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate dismissed in an audio message on Wednesday doubts that it had downed a Russian passenger plane over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all aboard, and said it would tell the world how it did so in its own time. Sinai Province, an Egyptian group loyal to Islamic State, said in a statement the same day that it had brought down the airliner “in response to Russian air

Islamic State affiliate in Egypt insists it brought down Russian plane

Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate dismissed in an audio message on Wednesday doubts that it had downed a Russian passenger plane over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all aboard, and said it would tell the world how it did so in its own time. Sinai Province, an Egyptian group loyal to Islamic State, said in a statement the same day that it had brought down the airliner “in response to Russian air

Brazil's Congress should approve Rousseff's accounts: minister

Brazil’s government has fine-tuned arguments aimed at defending President Dilma Rousseff from a ruling that her administration manipulated federal accounts last year, and expects Congress to approve them, Chief of Staff Jaques Wagner said on Wednesday. The Federal Accounts Court, or TCU, last month said the government had manipulated its accounts in 2014 to disguise a widening fiscal deficit as Rousseff, a leftist, campaigned for re-election, and recommended lawmakers reject

Brazil's Congress should approve Rousseff's accounts: minister

Brazil’s government has fine-tuned arguments aimed at defending President Dilma Rousseff from a ruling that her administration manipulated federal accounts last year, and expects Congress to approve them, Chief of Staff Jaques Wagner said on Wednesday. The Federal Accounts Court, or TCU, last month said the government had manipulated its accounts in 2014 to disguise a widening fiscal deficit as Rousseff, a leftist, campaigned for re-election, and recommended lawmakers reject

Serbia, Bosnia show unity at first post-war joint session

The Bosnian and Serbian premiers held their first joint government session since the 1990s Balkan wars on Wednesday, defying the possibility of new conflict after Germany raised fears of fresh fighting. “We are sending a message to our citizens that we look into the future together,” Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters after the session in Sarajevo. In remarks published Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that fighting could

Serbia, Bosnia show unity at first post-war joint session

The Bosnian and Serbian premiers held their first joint government session since the 1990s Balkan wars on Wednesday, defying the possibility of new conflict after Germany raised fears of fresh fighting. “We are sending a message to our citizens that we look into the future together,” Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters after the session in Sarajevo. In remarks published Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that fighting could

Romanian PM quits amid sleaze scandal, nightclub blaze fallout

Romania’s embattled Prime Minister Victor Ponta, mired in a corruption scandal, resigned Wednesday following a deadly nightclub blaze, a day after more than 20,000 people rallied in Bucharest to demand he step down. The 43-year-old announced his resignation on television, saying it was right that top officials took responsibility for Friday’s tragedy at the Colectiv disco in Bucharest, which left 32 dead and nearly 200 injured of whom many remain

Romanian PM quits amid sleaze scandal, nightclub blaze fallout

Romania’s embattled Prime Minister Victor Ponta, mired in a corruption scandal, resigned Wednesday following a deadly nightclub blaze, a day after more than 20,000 people rallied in Bucharest to demand he step down. The 43-year-old announced his resignation on television, saying it was right that top officials took responsibility for Friday’s tragedy at the Colectiv disco in Bucharest, which left 32 dead and nearly 200 injured of whom many remain

Russia stance on Assad suggests divergence with Iran

By Jack Stubbs and Polina Devitt MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia does not see keeping Bashar al-Assad in power as a matter of principle, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Tuesday in comments that suggested a divergence of opinion with Iran, the Syrian president’s other main international backer. Fuelling speculation of Russian-Iranian differences over Assad, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps suggested on Monday that Tehran may be more

No proof that plane broke up in mid-air: Egyptian authorities

By Lin Noueihed CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s civil aviation ministry said on Tuesday there were no facts to substantiate assertions by Russian officials that the Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Saturday broke up in mid-air. Rahmi said the investigating team, led by Egypt and aided by experts from Russia, Airbus and Ireland, where the plane is registered, had returned to the crash site on Tuesday morning.

Jewish-Arab friction runs raw in the heart of Hebron

By Luke Baker HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) – Israel shut down the main radio station in Hebron on Tuesday and turned part of the city in the occupied West Bank into a closed military zone, with troops clamping down on a district that has become the focal point of violent unrest. The city, 30 km (20 miles) south of Jerusalem, is the largest in the West Bank, with a Palestinian

FEATURED BROADCAST