Big Bird joins Twitter, chirps ‘Tweet’
With just one word, the yellow-feathered star of “Sesame Street” on Friday joined the ranks of famous Twitterers. His first tweet sounded a little tentative. – Big Bird’s Twitter debut…
Author: CNN
Second Argentine prosecutor renews probe of President
An Argentine prosecutor said Friday there is enough evidence to continue an investigation into whether President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner hid Iran’s alleged role in a deadly 1994 bombing, a…
Oregon man pleads guilty to role in 2009 suicide bombing
Reaz was accused of helping Ali Jaleel, a citizen of the Maldives Islands, and two others believed to have carried out the attack by using a large, bomb-laden truck to…
Why America’s Yemen policy is failing
News that the United States has suspended operations at its embassy in Yemenand reports that Houthi rebels have seized U.S. Marines’ weaponshave laid bare the failure of U.S. policy in…
Girl’s best friend indeed: 100-carat ‘perfect’ diamond up for auction
The 100.20-carat, D color (meaning it is colorless), internally flawless stone is one of just five comparable quality diamonds over 100 carats, a release from Sotheby’s auction said, and is…
‘Greek tragedy’ leads to governor’s resignation
Adding a touch of comedy to the drama, Kitzhaber reportedly decided to resign on Tuesday, calling his secretary of State home from Washington — before changing his mind. By Thursday, state…
Why President Obama must address anti-Muslim bigotry
Last week, I was among 14 American Muslims who met with President Barack Obama at the White House, where I delivered a handmade Valentine’s Day card from two California sisters,…
Read Gov. John Kitzhaber’s resignation letter
“I am announcing today that I will resign as Governor of the State of Oregon. It is not in my nature to walk away from a job I have undertaken…
New York City goes 11 days without a homicide — a modern record
The last reported homicide was February 1, or Super Bowl Sunday, in Upper Manhattan, a police representative said Friday. – CNN’s Michael Martinez and Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.
Rapper Drake drops surprise album
http://t.co/KcZooNLcPE pic.twitter.com/s6krTAeuke – Releasing unexpected music seems to be all the rage since singer Beyoncé dropped a surprise album in 2013. The self-titled album was a huge hit, selling more…
More than $27K raised for heroic dog hurt in Ohio house fire
The injured dog, owned by Ben Ledford of Goshen Township, is doing much better in an animal hospital recovering from smoke inhalation, said Phil Ledford, the victim’s brother, on the…
40 reasons why ‘Saturday Night Live’ is still awesome at 40
It wasn’t called “Saturday Night Live” then. It was “NBC’s Saturday Night,” because there was another “Saturday Night Live,” hosted by Howard Cosell, over on ABC. And its Not Ready…
Obama: FBI investigating ‘brutal and outrageous murders’
“No one in the United States of America should ever be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, or how they worship,” Obama said in a statement….
U.S. slips again in press freedom ranking with blame on Obama administration
The decline from its position at No. 20 in 2009 has been spurred by the Obama administration’s aggressive prosecution of whistleblowers, said Delphine Halgand, the organization’s U.S. director. “We consider…
The end of humanitarian space?
I did not know Kayla Mueller, the American aid worker and ISIS hostage whose death was confirmed by her family this week. But like many people who read her letter…
On Valentine’s Day, speak the language of love with African romance anthology
Each story is no more than 1,000 words and has also been translated into languages spoken by all the writersIgbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Kiswahili, Kpelle, pidgin and French. Contributors include celebrated…
Supermodel, 83, graces magazine cover
“I had a very respectable career but I didn’t have a specific look,” said Dell’Orefice. “I was a chameleon.” – That may be why some advertisers are following suit. Oscar…
Jimmy Carter: Women’s rights the fight of my life
There are so many wrongs to right. Yet among them, Carter is putting one ahead of all others: Violence and injustice against girls and women. “This is going to be…
Rights group report: Sudanese soldiers raped more than 200 women, girls
But these nightmares aren’t all in the far past, according to Human Rights Watch. Citing 130 interviews with locals, the advocacy group said this week that in October, Sudanese soldiers…
When it comes to love after 50, has Cupid lost his aim?
To be clear, I’m not just talking about the kind of love that sweeps you off your feet with red roses and chocolates on Valentine’s Day. I’m talking about intimacy…
Never-ending war: What might a more serious conflict in Ukraine look like?
A deal aimed at imposing a ceasefire in Ukraine from this Sunday was concluded following talks between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany. Yet despite 17 hours of…
Please, respect my son’s rights
My son Jason Rezaian and his wife were taken at gunpoint from their apartment in Iran more than 200 days ago. Since then, he has been languishing in a jail…
A new fight for rights in Alabama
Even at dark moments for this countryafter 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, for examplemy tendency is always to scout out the sliver of hope for future progress. But I’ve got to…
The 13 states that still ban same-sex marriage
In some cases, such as in Illinois, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York, lawmakers opened the doors voluntarily. In othersmost recently Alabamait’s been state or federal judges forcing the toehold long…
U.N.: Boko Haram carries out first known lethal attack in Chad
The fighters killed four civilians and a soldier in the predawn attack on the fishing village of Ngouboua on the shores of Lake Chad, according to residents and Chadian security…
Boehner holds signing ceremony for Keystone bill destined for veto
“The new majority is getting Congress back to work for the American people,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. – Senate Republicans are expected to hold a vote to…
Kids as young as 5 concerned about body image
Nineteen-year-old Juliana Lyons calls herself a “confident girl,” and yet she still strugglesevery daywith body image. “I change outfits eight times before I leave. I can’t ever find something that…
Why executions won’t win Indonesia’s drug war
Indonesia has announced that death row inmates and ringleaders of the Bali Nine drug smuggling ring, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, will be transferred from Kerokoban prison. It’s the first…
Groups push for federal hate crime probe into N.C. killings of 3 Muslims
In a letter Friday to Attorney General Eric Holder, the groups said there is enough circumstantial evidence to “warrant a federal hate crime investigation” into the deaths of Deah Shaddy…
Fox on the box: What happened to the U.S. World Cup TV war?
It’s one of the biggest sporting events on the planet and in a growing market for new fans, football’s global governing body has cut a media rights deal for the…