Sahara hostage siege turns Mali war global

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Twenty-five foreign hostages escaped and six were killed on Thursday when Algerian forces launched an operation to free them at a remote desert gas plant, Algerian sources said, as one of the biggest international hostage crises in decades unfolded. Fast-moving details of the military operation to free the hostages were difficult to confirm. Algeria's official APS...

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Wall Street flat as Apple gains; Boeing drags Dow

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks held near the unchanged mark on Wednesday as concerns about global economic growth and a drop in Boeing shares offset strong bank results and gains in technology stocks. Goldman Sachs shares hit their highest level since May 31, 2011 as earnings nearly tripled on increased revenue from dealmaking and lower compensation expenses, while JPMorgan Chase said...

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Eagles get their man, hire Oregon's Chip Kelly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles have hired Chip Kelly after he originally chose to stay at Oregon.The 49-year-old Kelly becomes the 21st coach in team history and replaces Andy Reid, who was fired on Dec. 31 after a 4-12 season.Kelly, who was 46-7 in four years at Oregon, interviewed with the Eagles, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills after leading the fast-flying Ducks to a victory over...

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Mangroves Are Nature’s Super Heroes, But They’re Not Invincible

Mangrove forests are the X-Men of the environment: persecuted, little understood, but protecting innocents from death and destruction. Mangroves provide coastal areas with natural barriers from the devastation of hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis, and tidal waves—super storms that threaten to become the new normal if manmade climate change continues unmitigated. Superheroes they may be, but mangroves...

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Gruesome toll of cluster bombs in Syria

STORY HIGHLIGHTSHuman Rights Watch says cluster bombs were used on Syrian town of LatamnehCluster bombs release dozens of smaller bombs, which can maim or kill long after impactSyrian regime has previously denied cluster bombs on civiliansEditor's note: Mary Wareham is the Arms Division's Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch and chief editor of 'Cluster Munition Monitor 2012.' (CNN) -- It was...

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Obama unveils biggest gun-control push in decades

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama proposed a new assault weapons ban and mandatory background checks for all gun buyers on Wednesday as he tried to channel national outrage over the Newtown school massacre into the biggest U.S. gun-control push in decades.Rolling out a wide-ranging plan for executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, Obama set up a fierce clash with the powerful U.S....

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Dozens held after Islamists attack Algerian gas field

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Islamist militants attacked a gas field in Algeria on Wednesday, claiming to have kidnapped up to 41 foreigners including seven Americans in a dawn raid in retaliation for France's intervention in Mali, according to regional media reports. The raiders were also reported to have killed three people, including a Briton and a French national. An al Qaeda...

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Wall Street pulls flat as Apple pares losses, retailers gain

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks pared losses and pulled near the unchanged mark on Tuesday as tech heavyweight Apple came off earlier lows and economic data helped retailers advance. Apple fell for the third day in a row as the biggest drag on both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 <.ndx> after reports on Monday of cuts to orders for iPhone parts. Shares were down nearly 2.5 percent at...

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Oprah: Lance Armstrong admitted doping

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lance Armstrong has finally come clean.Armstrong confessed to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped Monday, just a couple of hours after a wrenching apology to staff at the Livestrong charity he founded and has now been forced to surrender.The day ended with 2 1/2 hours of questions from Winfrey at a downtown Austin hotel, where she said the world's most famous cyclist...

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W.Va. average gas prices rise 2 cents per gallon

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Motorists are paying more for gas in West Virginia than they did a week ago.AAA East Central says the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $ 3.44, up 2 cents from a week ago.The national average remained unchanged at $ 3.30.The highest average price is in Martinsburg, where a gallon of regular costs $ 3.60. Motorists in Parkersburg are paying the lowest price...

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