U.S. officials say the winner of a $1 million lottery jackpot was poisoned last year before he could receive his award money. Authorities this week determined that Urooj Khan ingested a lethal dose of cyanide. Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said a relative had asked authorities to further look into his death after initial […]
Former Congresswoman Giffords Starts Gun Control Group
Posted January 8th, 2013 at 11:05 am (UTC-5)
Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, have launched a campaign to curb gun violence. On the second anniversary of a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and left Giffords critically wounded, the couple said their Americans for Responsible Solutions initiative would help raise money to support greater gun […]
Hagel Nomination Draws Reaction from Israel, Iran
Posted January 8th, 2013 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
President Barack Obama’s nominee for his next defense secretary has caused jitters in Israel and hope in Iran for “practical changes.” The speaker of Israel’s parliament, Reuven Rivlin, says he is “worried” about the nomination of former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel because of his stance toward Israel. But Rivlin added that ties between Israel and […]
Former Congressman to Lobby Against Legalized Marijuana
Posted January 8th, 2013 at 9:40 am (UTC-5)
Former congressman Patrick Kennedy says he has established a group to lobby against legalized marijuana. The former eight-term representative from the northeast U.S. state of Rhode Island says efforts to legalize marijuana are well-intentioned but misguided. He says his group “Project SAM” – for Smart Approaches to Marijuana – will instead lobby for increased treatment […]
Judge: California Man Mentally Unfit to Stand Trial for Shooting Spree
Posted January 7th, 2013 at 8:00 pm (UTC-5)
A judge in Oakland, California has ruled that the suspect in last year’s deadly shooting rampage at a small religious college is mentally unfit to stand trial. The judge agreed Monday with two doctors who say alleged gunman One Goh suffers from paranoid schizophrenia — an illness in which victims hear voices and loses touch […]
Pakistani Suspect Pleads Innocent in British and US Terror Plots
Posted January 7th, 2013 at 4:50 pm (UTC-5)
A Pakistani man pled not guilty Monday in an alleged al-Qaida plot to set off terrorist bombs in New York and Manchester, England. Abid Naseer entered his plea in a U.S. federal court in Brooklyn, New York — where he was extradited from Britain last week. The judge ordered him to remain in jail at […]
Preliminary Hearing Underway for US Theater Shooting Suspect
Posted January 7th, 2013 at 12:45 pm (UTC-5)
Prosecutors have started to make their case against the man charged with carrying out a deadly rampage at a U.S. movie theater in July. The preliminary hearing in the case against 25-year-old James Holmes got underway Monday in Colorado. Prosecutors have filed more than 160 counts against James Holmes for the shooting attack that killed […]
Obama to Nominate Brennan as CIA Chief
Posted January 7th, 2013 at 7:40 am (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to nominate top counterterrorism adviser John Brennan as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Obama first considered Brennan for the CIA job when he took office in 2009, but Brennan withdrew himself from consideration because of criticism about his ties to controversial interrogation techniques. Brennan has […]
Obama Set to Nominate Hagel for Defense Secretary
Posted January 7th, 2013 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected Monday to nominate former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to be the country’s next defense secretary. Prominent Republicans signaled Sunday that the 66-year-old Hagel would likely face a tough confirmation process, with a focus on questions about his stances on Israel and Iran. Hagel has opposed unilateral sanctions against Iran, […]
Inside the US Movie Massacre Case: What’s a ‘Preliminary Hearing’?
Posted January 7th, 2013 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. man accused of killing 12 people at a movie theater in Colorado faces a preliminary hearing this week. But what exactly is a “preliminary hearing”? In U.S. criminal cases, a preliminary hearing is a court proceeding used to determine whether a person charged with a felony should stand trial. Prosecutors present their case […]
