Ban Urges Countries to Press on Political Deal at Climate Summit
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New York: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging countries to seize the opportunity presented by next month´s climate change conference in Copenhagen to clinch a political agreement that will help chart the way forward on a new legally binding pact to combat global warming.
"Opportunity is knock...
At 11:15 p.m. Eastern Time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the historic passage of a health care bill revamping the health care system and bringing about the reforms promised by President Obama during the November 2008 election.
The vote was 220 to 215 with one Republican, Representative C...
$1 billion minimum required annually to reach children still at risk.
WASHINGTON, DC | GENEVA -- Reversing a downward trend, immunization rates are now at their highest ever and vaccine development worldwide is booming, according to a new assessment released today by the World Health Organizati...
Barely nine months into office, President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, substantially boosting his prestige and standing in the United States and internationally.
The Nobel Committee said the President won the award for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diploma...
More than 400 of the nation's most respected health care leaders issued a joint Open Letter to Congress declaring that the health care system is in crisis and is unsustainable and calling on Congress to act now on meaningful reforms. They state that Congress has a moral and ethical obligation to imp...
Speaking to a joint session of Congress last night, President Obama gave a clear, inspiring and unusually detailed explanation of our nation´s health care crisis and his plan to address it.
The President outlined the two key goals of health care reform: safety and security for those already insu...
Stay in school and take personal responsibility are two messages President Barack Obama delivered to U.S. school children.
Obama's speech to the nation's school children Tuesday encouraged them to do the best they can.
"(At) the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most...
The number of people hit by deadly floods across West Africa has now topped 600,000, and the heavy rains have also destroyed crops and infrastructure in a region already hard hit by poverty, the United Nations humanitarian arm reported today.
The rains that began in June have claimed nearly 160 l...
GENEVA -- Monitoring of outbreaks from different parts of the world provides sufficient information to make some tentative conclusions about how the influenza pandemic might evolve in the coming months.
WHO is advising countries in the northern hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic ...
A strong earthquake struck Indonesia Wednesday, killing at least 13 people, injuring 18 others and damaging several older buildings, witnesses said.
The earthquake, centered about 150 miles from Jakarta, initially was categorized at 7.4 magnitude before being downgraded to 7 by geological official...
By William M. Welch
LOS ANGELES -- Two firefighters died in a wildfire Sunday in the San Gabriel Mountains that threatened more than 10,000 homes and the century-old Mount Wilson Observatory.
Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bryant said the two firefighters died in the Angeles Nationa...
Praise for the long political career of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., began coming in early Wednesday as word of his death was reported.
The Kennedy family released a brief statement announcing the death and thanking those who cared for the senator in his last months.
"He loved this count...
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told assembled bankers and policymakers in Wyoming Friday to expect the U.S. economy to grow soon.
"Fears of financial collapse have receded substantially," Bernanke said at the Fed's annual retreat in Jackson Hole.
"After contracting sharply over the...
A tropical storm warning was issued Sunday for Florida and Alabama as a tropical depression organized off the Gulf Coast, meteorologists said.
The depression, on the brink of becoming Tropical Storm Claudette, was located about 125 miles south-southeast of Apalachicola and moving toward the Florid...
By Karen Jeffrey, Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.
HYANNIS -- Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 88, an internationally acclaimed advocate for people with physical and development disabilities, died early this morning at Cape Cod Hospital, according to a statement from the family.
Born into the privilege...
Former Democratic President achieves diplomatic coup.
By Matt Williams
Two American reporters were freed from North Korea's notorious labour camps after former President Bill Clinton flew in for talks. Clinton met Kim Jong-il yesterday during a surprise visit to the secretive Asian state.
...
Inspectors General fault Bush-Era surveillance tactics for questionable effectiveness and circumvention of legal safeguards.
Top federal investigators from the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, CIA, Directorate of National Intelligence, and the National Security Agency issued a detai...
AVE MARIAH FOR MICHAEL; STARS FLOCK TO MEMORIAL AS 17,000 FANS FIND OUT OF THEY'VE GOT A TICKET
By Keith McLeod
Mariah Carey will sing the Jackson Five's classic I'll Be There as Tinseltown pays tribute to the King of Pop today.
Maria, who had a hit with the haunting ballad in 1992, is o...
Protesters hit the streets of Tehran again Tuesday to express anger over election results they say were manipulated to keep Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.
The government has begun cracking down harder on the demonstrations that have turned deadly, while reaction from world leaders remains subdued, ...
By Marie McCullough, The Philadelphia Inquirer
The tobacco-control movement celebrated another milestone yesterday as the U.S. Senate easily passed a bill giving the government unprecedented power over the making and marketing of tobacco products.
Supporters say the law will enable the Food ...
By PAUL KANE; JOBY WARRICK
FORMER US vice-president Dick Cheney personally oversaw at least four briefings with senior members of Congress about controversial interrogation programmes, part of a secretive and forceful defence he mounted throughout 2005 in an effort to maintain support for the hars...
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York for the U.S. Supreme Court positioning the longtime federal jurist to become the first Hispanic member of the nation's high court.
Sotomayor, a former federal prosecutor who first was appointed to the fed...
North Korea claimed Monday it had "successfully" conducted a nuclear test, its second since October 2006, to "bolster its nuclear deterrent for self-defense."
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported the testing comes in the wake of the Communist country's warning last month about its nuclear pla...
Poor weather conditions prevented the the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis from landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said Friday.
The landing was rescheduled for Saturday.
Two landings were waved off at the center because weather conditions wouldn't permit a safe landing, the space agen...
Los Angeles - Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, sank six free throws in the final 30.5 seconds and came up with the game-sealing rebound in the final seconds, as the Lakers rallied to beat Denver, 105-103, in the opener of the Western Conference finals.
Bryant had 18 of his points in the fourth quarte...
By Tom Troy, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame University gave a thunderous welcome during Sunday's graduation ceremony to President Obama and cheered him throughout the program despite stark differences on abortion that prompted protests on the Catholic campus.
Mr. Obama w...
Pope Benedict XVI, in Israel on his Middle East tour, called for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would lead to a homeland for both sides.
The pontiff said, "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstandin...
By Bangor Daily News, Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday signed a gay marriage bill passed just hours before by the Maine Legislature.
Baldacci made his announcement within an hour of the Maine Senate giving its final approval to LD 1020. The Senate voted 21-13 in favor o...
Washington – During a debate on hate crimes legislation taking place last week in the well of the United States House of Representatives, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) claimed that Matthew Shepard's murder and torture were "a hoax."
While Matthew's mother, Judy Shepard looked on from above in the H...
By DENIS STAUNTON
US SUPREME court justice David Souter is set to retire this summer, offering President Barack Obama his first opportunity to shape the court after almost a decade of conservative government.
Mr Obama yesterday declined to comment on Mr Souter's decision, which had yet to be m...
By ADAM THOMSON
Governments and health authorities worldwide went on the alert over the weekend for a possible influenza pandemic as the death toll from a new strain of swine flu in Mexico reached 81.
Janet Napolitano, US homeland security secretary, yesterday declared a "public health emergen...
By Sandy Bauers and John Shiffman, The Philadelphia Inquirer
WASHINGTON -- In a landmark move that countered eight years of inaction by the Bush administration, the Environmental Protection Agency determined yesterday that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare because they contribu...
By Rachel Stassen-Berger, Pioneer Press
Democrat Al Franken won last year's U.S. Senate race, three judges decided Monday.
The decision comes after a tough and testy two-year campaign, a two-month statewide hand recount and a detailed seven-week trial.
In the cool spring evening Monday, F...
Pope Benedict XVI began the Easter Vigil late Saturday at St. Peter's in Rome, celebrating the mass that opens the holiest day of the Christian calendar.
The service began in darkness, the BBC reported. After Benedict lit a candle to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he was joined by thousand...
Vote to override Governor's veto makes Vermont first state to recognize marriage for lesbian and gay couples through legislative process. Vermont becomes the fourth state to recognize gay marriage.
Momentum in favor of same-sex marriages increases following similar victory for marriage equality ...
By Rod Boshart, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
In a precedent-setting ruling, the Iowa Supreme Court Friday upheld a lower court decision legalizing same-sex marriages in Iowa.
The unanimous landmark decision is expected to carry national implications as Iowa becomes the first Midwest state...
By Erica Werner, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The House is poised to thrust tobacco companies under government control after years of attempts in legislatures and the courts to tame one of the country's signature industries.
"We cannot and we must not wait a moment longer to protect our...
By Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press
BONN, Germany - From an Antarctic research base to the Great Pyramids of Egypt and beyond, the world switched off the lights Saturday for Earth Hour, dimming skyscrapers, city streets and some of the world's most recognizable monuments for 60 minutes to high...
By Ben Feller, Associated Press
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- President Barack Obama consigned the Iraq war to history Friday, declaring he will end combat operations within 18 months and open a new era of diplomacy in the Middle East.
"Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our comb...
Chinese President Hu Jintao met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Beijing Saturday amid calls for closer ties between the nations, officials said.
Hu and Clinton said the need to deepen and develop ties between China and the United States is becoming ever more important, Xinhua, the ...
Top Headlines
WASHINGTON _ Without a vote to spare, Democrats pushed their health-care overhaul legislation over its first obstacle on the Senate floor Saturday, as the chamber voted to begin formal debate of a sweeping measure to guarantee medical coverage for all Americans.
The U.S. Senate voted Saturday to begin floor debate on an $848 billion healthcare bill backers say would extend coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans.
Nov. 21--GAINESVILLE -- So this is what $425,000 buys you in college football these days.
(EDITORS: Update expected after final Senate vote this evening.)
Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams held a "cordial" meeting Saturday, their first since the Vatican targeted disaffected Anglicans.
Gainesville, FL (Sports Network) - Tim Tebow ran for a touchdown and threw for a pair of scores, as top-ranked Florida extended the nation's longest winning streak to 21 straight games with a 62-3 rout of Florida International at the Swamp.
Ann Arbor, MI (Sports Network) - Daniel Herron ran for 96 yards and caught a touchdown pass, while Brandon Saine added 84 yards rushing with a score, as ninth-ranked Ohio State captured the outright Big Ten title with a 21-10 victory over arch-rival Michigan.
Three holdout Democrats say they will vote for a procedural measure Saturday to allow floor debate to start in the U.S. Senate on a healthcare reform bill.
Nov. 21--The recession might have put a lot of folks in austerity mode, but not enough to keep them from friends and family this holiday weekend.
Nov. 21--Kristina Lehr has good reason to be thankful for her annual mammogram this year.
Nov. 21--Ending black lung disease will be a major push of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration during the tenure of newly appointed Director Joe Main.
Nov. 21--WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate on Friday talked itself toward a crucial showdown vote over the weekend to begin formal consideration of a historic but highly controversial health-care reform bill.
E-mails stolen by hackers prove some leading British climate change scientists falsified information to prove their case, skeptics of global warming say.
The suspect in the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings allegedly traded coded e-mails regarding money transfers with a radical Muslim cleric, authorities said.
Nov. 21--LEOMINSTER -- The release this week of a controversial report suggesting new timing for routine breast cancer screenings should encourage women to talk openly with their doctors about breast health, according to HealthAlliance Hospital Chief Medical Officer Val W. Slayton.
Business
It's part of an agreement to resolve liability for a $2 billion debt involving other Houston buildings and dozens of other properties across the country.
Nov. 21--sdharris@mercurynews.com
Nov. 21--September marked the 13th month in a row that the city of Boulder posted declines in sales tax revenues.
Nov. 21--When Dave Kellogg arrived at Sequoia Capital on that day in early October 2008, "the last chair in the room was in the front row," he recalled.
Nov. 21--AMESBURY -- On the heels of announcing its intention to raise water and sewer rates in the new year, the town is anticipating a second increase of approximately 30 to 40 percent will be necessary sometime next year in order to afford repayment on the note for the new water treatment plant.
Nov. 21--Capital Investment Services Cos.
Nov. 21--Doug Anderson in West Boise got a nice surprise this fall.
Nov. 20--Soaring demand for gold from savers desperate to take advantage of the record bullion price forced the Royal Mint to more than quadruple production of gold coins in the third quarter of the year.
Nov. 20--It's not every day that someone tries to pawn a handful of teeth.
Nov. 21--CHEYENNE -- A legislative committee will delve into taxing digital products when the Legislature meets this winter, but whether that could mean more taxes for consumers is debatable.
CALGARY, Nov. 20 /CNW/ - Kallisto Energy Corp. (TSX Venture: KEC) (formerly Arrow Energy Ltd. - AOF) ("Kallisto" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed its Q3 2009 financial statements and accompanying Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the period ended September 30, 2009.
TSX Venture Exchange Symbol "CUL"
Nov. 21--The Munster-based parent of Peoples Bank swung to a $1.4 million third-quarter loss as increases in loan loss provisions and deposit insurance premiums bruised earnings.
TSX Symbol: MSP.A
Nov. 21--Entellus Medical Inc., which is developing an easier, more cost-effective way to treat severe chronic sinus infections, has raised an additional $30 million in venture capital.
VANCOUVER, Nov. 20 /CNW/ - Trading resumes in:
Nov 19 (Interfax) - The Central Bank of Russia is ready to buy gold from the State Precious Metals and Gemstones Repository (Gokhran) before the end of this year, CB First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev told reporters.
Sports
RICHMOND, Texas - More rain on already saturated grounds at The Houstonian Country Club washed out play at the LPGA Tour Championship on Saturday, forcing tour officials to cut the season-ending event to 54 holes.
DENVER - Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points and Chauncey Billups had 21, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 112-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Carmelo Anthony just missed a triple-double, finishing with 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, as Denver used a big fourth quarter to upend Chicago, 112-93,
ST. LOUIS _ Kurt Warner has put together one of the most unique careers in NFL history.
TUCSON, Ariz. - Jeremiah Masoli tied it with a touchdown pass to Ed Dickson with six seconds left, then won it with a 1-yard run in the second overtime as No.
Nov. 21--Gleaming metal balls from France flew through the air last weekend as many passersby wondered about all the people wandering around wearing straw Ricard hats.
RALEIGH, N.C. _ The Carolina Hurricanes finally have another victory in regulation.
DURHAM, N.C. _ Radford played a zone against Duke on Saturday but forgot the "defense" part of the equation.
Overnight rains led to Saturday's suspension of second-round play at the LPGA Tour Championship in Houston.
Nov. 21--Caston's sixth sectional championship in boys basketball was certainly a memorable one.
SAN ANTONIO - Tony Parker scored 17 points and the San Antonio Spurs stopped a three-game losing streak with a 106-84 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
ST. LOUIS _ When the Blues opened their six-game home stand with six goals against Vancouver on Nov. 10, the indication was that some of their offensive players were ready to break out of slumps.
LINCOLN, Neb. - A month ago, in the wake of back-to-back home losses, Nebraska's season looked to be going south.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ A couple of hours before FIU took on Florida on Saturday afternoon, Golden Panthers quarterback Paul McCall was greeted by Gators fans two miles short of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - John Napier practically grew up on the bobsled track at Mount Van Hoevenberg.
Westwood ahead by two strokes at Dubai
DALLAS _ Maybe it's time to add a third jersey to the Stephane Robidas youth collection.