The Pentagon will consider opening more small military outposts that would provide artillery support and other aid to Iraqi forces as they prepare to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants, a senior military officer on the Joint Staff said Wednesday. Rear. Adm. Andrew Lewis, the vice… Read More
Bizarre case of police cannibalism goes to retrial
A German appeals court on Wednesday ordered a retrial in the case of a police officer convicted of murder for allegedly killing and dismembering a man he met in an internet chat forum devoted to cannibalism. The Federal Court of Justice in Leipzig said in its ruling that the Dresden… Read More
Pope Francis helps blind 5-year-old complete her “visual bucket list”
Pope Francis on Wednesday blessed the eyes of a 5-year-old Ohio girl who suffers from a rare genetic disease that is gradually robbing her of her sight. Lizzy Myers and her family, including 3-year-old sister Michaela, had special seats for Francis’ Wednesday general audience, and Francis spent several minutes with… Read More
White House shifting funding from Ebola to Zika
Federal money left over from the largely successful fight against Ebola will now go to combating the growing threat of the Zika virus, the Obama administration announced Wednesday. Most of the $589 million would be devoted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for research on the virus and… Read More
This famous author’s chair sold for… HOW MUCH!?
A 1930s-era oak chair that J.K. Rowling used while writing the first two books of the Harry Potter series has sold for $394,000. Heritage Auctions held the sale Wednesday in New York. The chair was one of four mismatched chairs given to the then little-known writer for her flat in… Read More
Rule changes ahead for airfare pricing – Here’s how they could cost you
The three largest U.S. airlines have changed the way they price multi-city trips, forcing those who book such itineraries to pay hundreds of extra dollars in airfare. Most fliers buy simple roundtrip tickets and won’t be affected. But travelers visiting several cities on one trip, especially those flying for business,… Read More
Stricter rules coming for retirement brokers
The Obama administration acted Wednesday to require that brokers who recommend investments for retirement savers meet a stricter standard that now applies to registered advisers: They must act as “fiduciaries” — trustees who are obligated to put their clients’ best interests above all. The action, in rules issued by the… Read More
Ex-CEO sentenced to prison after deadly coal mine explosion
A judge sentenced former coal executive Don Blankenship to a year in prison Wednesday for his role in the deadliest U.S. mine explosion in four decades, saying he was part of a “dangerous conspiracy.” One day after the sixth anniversary of the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion, which killed 29… Read More
Pay attention, Bernie! Socialist Venezuela rationing electricity
Public employees in Venezuela are being given long weekends in a bid to stave off a nationwide power crisis. President Nicolas Maduro says late Wednesday he is signing a decree giving state workers a Friday furlough for the next two months. Together with other measures, he hopes to reduce electricity… Read More
Country music legend dies
Country giant Merle Haggard, who celebrated outlaws, underdogs and an abiding sense of national pride in such hits as “Okie From Muskogee” and “Sing Me Back Home,” died Wednesday at 79, on his birthday. Haggard’s manager, Frank Mull, said the country icon died in Palo Cedro, California, of pneumonia. A… Read More