Dec 19 Putin pardons former oil tycoon, along with members of Pussy Riot and Greenpeace activists Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images In his annual press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will pardon former billionaire tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who has been jailed for a decade. Continue reading
Dec 19 What we're watching Thursday In Putin's annual press conference, the Russian president said NSA surveillance is necessary but must have limits. He also criticized Western sanction on Iran as "counter-productive", denied Russia has mined Snowden for information, and reinforced Russia's commitment to supporting… Continue reading
Dec 18 'Mary Poppins' and 'Pulp Fiction' among films selected for Library of Congress preservation Screenshot of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 cult hit "Pulp Fiction." From silent films to sci-fi flicks, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress contains hundreds of motion pictures that span… Continue reading
Dec 18 Move over 'O Holy Night,' only half of Americans see Christmas as religious Christmas is a traditionally considered a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, but a recent study shows just over half of Americans see it as a religious holiday. Photo by Sebastien Nogier/AFP/Getty Images While the vast majority… Continue reading
Dec 18 Stronger job market means Fed will reduce upcoming QE3 bond purchases During a Dec. 18, 2013 news conference Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke notes that the U.S.'s economic activity is expanding at a moderate pace. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it will begin… Continue reading
Dec 18 White House releases task force report with recommended changes to NSA spying WASHINGTON (AP) -- A presidential advisory panel has recommended dozens of changes to the government's surveillance programs, including stripping the National Security Agency of its ability to store Americans' telephone records and requiring a court to sign off on the… Continue reading
Dec 18 'Great Train Robber' Ronnie Biggs dies at 84 Ronnie Biggs, a notorious participant in the Great Train Robbery, has died http://t.co/iGb2vk6SlZ pic.twitter.com/hr4Avbr7cF— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 18, 2013… Continue reading
Dec 18 Former BP drilling engineer convicted of federal investigation obstruction Hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico each day after a blowout in BP's PLC Macondo well in April 2010. Video still by PBS NewsHour Kurt Mix, a former BP drilling engineer,… Continue reading
Dec 18 EU to reduce pollutants by 20 percent by 2030 Photo by Flickr user rytc The European Commission laid out plans to reduce pollutants by 20 percent from current levels by 2030, the BBC reports. The Commission says the measures will prevent 58,000 premature deaths a… Continue reading
Dec 18 From Bo to Batkid, moments that inspired us on Twitter in 2013 By Colleen Shalby At its best, Twitter connects people and ideas miles, states, even worlds apart. In 2013, 500 million tweets were sent per day. We took a look at some of those moments of inspiration, amusement and wonder. Continue reading