United States

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Iran Allows Swiss Envoys Visit With Detained Hikers

Policy reversal may be gesture of goodwill ahead of nuclear talks

(Newser) - Iran has changed its policy on three detained US hikers, allowing Swiss diplomats—who represent American interests in Iran—to visit them. Officials have been denied access to the three Americans since they were detained in July after crossing the border from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran. Tehran’s reversal may...

US Scrambles for Support for Iran Sanctions

Hopes to build coalition even if Russia and China kill UN move

(Newser) - The US is rushing to assemble support for tougher economic sanctions against Iran ahead of talks scheduled for Thursday. With Russia and China looming as potential spoilers in the UN Security Council, the administration hopes to assemble a coalition that could independently enact sanctions. But the US’ European allies oppose...

China May Invest in Bargain US Real Estate

Sovereign-wealth fund to ramp up spending after quiet 2008

(Newser) - China’s sovereign-wealth fund has its eyes on US real estate, the Wall Street Journal reports. China Investment Corp. laid low throughout 2008 as the global economy teetered but is now opening its coffers. And depressed US commercial property values—off 35% from their peak—coupled with cheap government financing,...

Megrahi Knows 'Truth,' Wants Lockerbie Inquiry

Convicted bomber says he has documents that would exonerate him

(Newser) - Convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi has always maintained his innocence and now he wants an inquiry into the 1988 plane explosion that killed 270 people, the London Times reports. Megrahi claims to hold documents that could shed light on the real culprits and says that interest among the victims’...

US-Canada Border Crossings Plummet

(Newser) - Fewer Americans visited Canada last month than at any time since record-keeping began in 1972, as new passport controls and a weak US dollar kept tourists away. One-day car trips dropped 26% from May to June, and US tourists in Canada fell to half their number 5 years ago. The...

Clinton Leaves Africa 'More Committed' Than Ever

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton ended her African tour today on a note of optimism colored by disdain, the New York Times reports. The secretary of state visited seven nations over 11 days and made her final remarks on the Cape Verde islands off the coast. “I leave Africa after this remarkable...

US Ignores Rising Danger of Misogyny

(Newser) - The gunman in this week's Pittsburgh shooting hated women, but the nation seems not to care much about the rising number of such cases fueled by misogyny, Bob Herbert writes in the New York Times. He recalls the similarly motivated 2006 slayings in an Amish schoolhouse: “There would have...

FDA Cracks Down on Swine Flu Snake Oil

(Newser) - The hysteria over the swine flu pandemic has spawned its share of magic cures, and health authorities are busy combating the snake oil salesmen, the Financial Times reports. Nearly half of the warning letters sent by the FDA to manufacturers and retailers since May have been issued to those hawking...

What Turning 30 Really Means
 What Turning 30 Really Means 
OPINION

What Turning 30 Really Means

(Newser) - What does turning 30 mean, anyway? Sam Greenspan knows, because he got Book of Ages: 30 for his, um, 30th birthday. He runs down 11 factoids on the appropriately named 11 Points website. A sampling:
  • 30-year-olds keep resolutions: Though 26% less likely to make New Years resolutions, 30-somethings are 26%
...

Domesticated Swedes Make Best Husbands

Brits, Americans land in top 5 on 'egalitarian index'; Aussies last

(Newser) - Swedish men make the best husbands, while Australian men, preferring beer and sports over housework, rank lowest on an “egalitarian index” outlined in a study of 12 developed nations. Domestic roles carry less stigma in egalitarian societies, one researcher tells the Telegraph, “so the likelihood of forming a...

Fed Sees More Signs of Recovery

(Newser) - The economy is finally beginning to show signs of stabilizing in some parts of the US, bolstering hopes of a broader-based recovery this year. A Federal Reserve snapshot of economic conditions issued today finds that most of the Fed's 12 regions indicated either that "the pace of decline has...

US, Canada Team Up to Explore Uncharted Arctic

(Newser) - Canada and the US are letting their Arctic rivalry thaw long enough to launch an exploration mission, the Globe & Mail reports. A pair of icebreakers—one from each country—will set off next week into uncharted waters, working in tandem to clear a path and map North America's...

Tucson Tops 'Simple Life' List
 Tucson Tops 'Simple Life' List 

Tucson Tops 'Simple Life' List

(Newser) - Of all the cities and towns in America, Tucson, Ariz., offers the simplest and most rewarding living, USA Today reports. The AARP studied demographic information and a city’s stress index—a measure of suicide, crime, and divorce rates—to pick places a retiree might relax easily, and cheaply. The...

1 NC Jihadi Still at Large: Feds

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors said today that one member of a North Carolina group that sought to wage "violent jihad" is still at large. US Attorney George Holding says authorities hope to soon apprehend an eighth person described in an indictment unsealed yesterday. The person's name is redacted from court papers.

World Thinks Better of US With Obama at Helm: Poll

(Newser) - President Obama’s election has increased America’s standing in the world, new polling shows. Global attitudes toward the US have been bolstered by Obama’s election to levels not seen since the Clinton administration, the New York Times reports. In Indonesia, for instance, where the president spent part of...

Record 10% of US Convicts Serving Life

(Newser) - Almost 10% of prisoners incarcerated in the US are serving life sentences, an all-time high, the New York Times reports. In California, which maintains the nation’s highest prison population, that number is 20%, says a report from the Sentencing Project, a group that wants to eliminate life-without-parole sentences. Two-thirds...

Six Good American Gins
 Six Good American Gins 
OPINION

Six Good American Gins

(Newser) - Gin has always been the province of the British, but some American distilleries hold their own. Clay Risen takes a look at US bottles worth tasting in the Atlantic.
  • Seagram's Extra Dry: Yeah, it's a mass-market gin, but it's "easily the most drinkable as a straight sip, with a
...

Top Towns to Raise Outdoorsy Kids
 Top Towns to Raise 
 Outdoorsy Kids 
OPINION

Top Towns to Raise Outdoorsy Kids

(Newser) - Backpacker combed through info on outdoor programs and proximity to national forests and parks to find the best cities in the US to raise active, crunchy kids. The results:
  • Boulder, Colo.: "Yes, we live here, but Boulder wins on its merits." Close to woods, glaciers, and mountains,
...

Feds Review Terror Alert System

(Newser) - The Homeland Security Department will review the multicolored terror alert system created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has created a task force to determine in 60 days how effective the current system is. The system could get an overhaul—or could be...

Recession's Silver Lining: We're Content With Less

(Newser) - Americans are embracing the no-frills attitude necessitated by the recession, USA Today reports. One-third say they are spending less and plan to keep up the practice as their “new, normal” way of living, according to a study. A whopping 47% of Americans say they have all they need, another...

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