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USA Today – by Andrew Griffin, The Independent

The year 2015 will have an extra second — which could wreak havoc on the infrastructure powering the Internet.

At 11:59 p.m. on June 30, clocks will count up all the way to 60 seconds. That will allow the Earth’s spin to catch up with atomic time.

The Earth’s spin is gradually slowing down, by about two thousandths of a second per day, but atomic clocks are constant. That means that occasionally years have to be lengthened slightly, to allow the slowing Earth to catch up with the constant clock.   Continue reading “Computer chaos feared over 2015’s leap second”

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Navy Times – by Karen Jowers

Troops and families in some areas of Europe and the Pacific have been frustrated by empty shelves in commissaries over the last few weeks, shelves that are empty for different reasons.

Commissary officials said they expect the situation to improve in Europe no later than Jan. 14, depending on the location. But for customers in the Pacific, the problems continue.   Continue reading “Commissary shelves still empty in Europe, Pacific”

The Daily Caller – by Casey Harper

One North Carolina city has finally surrendered in a long-fought battle to preserve a veteran’s memorial with a praying soldier and Christian flag.

The city, after spending $50,000 in legal fees, and with little hope of winning a court battle estimated to cost $2 million, ceded to the U.S. army veteran suing the town, the Winston Salem-Journal reports.

The statue of the soldier kneeling before a cross will be removed, as will the Christian flag, from the memorial in the city’s park, ending a four-year dispute.   Continue reading “NC City Agrees To Remove Statue of Praying Soldier, Christian Flag”

ABC News

A family in a minivan called 911 this morning when their car was stuck under a moving semi-truck in Michigan, police said.

A dispatcher received a call at 1:57 a.m. this morning from the family of Matthew Menz, 46, who was traveling northbound on I-75, south of Roscommon, Michigan, according to the Roscommon County Sheriff’s Office.   Continue reading “Desperate 911 Call as Semi Drags Minivan 16 Miles Through Snowstorm”

NBC News – by PETE WILLIAMS, M. ALEX JOHNSON AND JON SCHUPPE

One of the suspects in the Paris attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine has been killed and the two others are in custody, two senior U.S. counterterrorism officials told NBC News.

Authorities earlier had identified the three men as Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, both French and in their early 30s, and 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, whose nationality wasn’t immediately clear.   Continue reading “Paris Attack Suspect Dead, Two in Custody, U.S. Officials Say”

BBC News, January 5, 2015

French President Francois Hollande says he wants Western sanctions on Russia to be lifted if progress is made in talks on the Ukraine conflict this month.

He did not specify which sanctions – imposed by the EU, US and Canada – could be lifted. The sanctions began after Russia annexed Crimea in March.   Continue reading “France seeks end to Russia sanctions over Ukraine”

Daily News – by NINA GOLGOWSKI

A shooting outside an Ohio airport left one person dead following a “confrontation” between officers and a man, an airport official said.

An officer opened fire at the male suspect outside Port Columbus International’s departure area at about 1 p.m., leaving the individual dead, David Whiticker, the airport’s vice president of business development & communications told reporters.

“Through that confrontation, the person who was causing the confrontation was shot and killed by police officers,” Whiticker said.   Continue reading “Shooting outside Port Columbus airport in Ohio leaves one dead after ‘threat’: official”

Washington Free Beacon – by Elizabeth Harrington

Custom and Border Protection’s (CBP) drone program is ineffective and surveys less than 200 miles of the southwest border, according to an audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General.

The program operates 10 Predator B drones at a cost of more than $12,000 for every hour a drone spends in the air, funding which could be put to better use elsewhere, according to the OIG.   Continue reading “Audit: DHS Drone Program Ineffective at Border Security”

CNN – by Dana Ford

Both the victim and the shooter in the incident at the El Paso VA Health Care System have died, Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty told reporters.

“All other VA patients and staff are safe. This is an active crime scene, and the shooting incident is under investigation,” he said.   Continue reading “Gunman kills doctor, then himself, at VA hospital in El Paso, Texas”

CNN – by Catherine E. Shoichet

Onlookers anxiously watched the unveiling Tuesday, worrying the items might not have weathered the years very well.   Continue reading “1795 time capsule opened, centuries after Revere and Adams buried it”

Reuters

Twelve people including two police officers were killed in a shooting at the Paris offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, a police spokesman said in an update on the death toll.

French President Francois Hollande described as without doubt a terrorist attack.   Continue reading “Police put Paris shooting death toll at 12, including two police officers”

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Money Metals Exchange – by Stefan Gleason

The “year that was” brought mostly disappointment to precious metals bulls. Silver prices fell for the third straight year, while gold mostly flat-lined around the $1,200 per-ounce level.

So what about the year to come?

On the one hand, the charts looks ugly. On the other, it is rare for any metal to fall in price four years in a row.   Continue reading “Forecast 2015: The Year Ahead in the Money Metals”

WND – by Jerome R. Corsi

NEW YORK – Since the passage of Obamacare, House Speaker John Boehner has been dogged by critics pointing out his investment portfolio has benefited from owning insurance and medical company stocks that have profited from the legislation.

An analysis of Boehner’s current investment holdings includes a number of stocks benefiting from Obamacare in a total portfolio estimated at between $3.5 and $5 million in current market value.   Continue reading “Boehner Profits from Obamacare Stocks”

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ABC 7 News – by Darsha Philips, Amy Powell and Hanna Chu

MOORPARK, Calif. (KABC) — Investigators in Ventura County are searching for a man who is suspected of setting his wife on fire in front of their three young children.

Deputies and firefighters responded to the 11800 block of Broadway Road in an unincorporated area of Moorpark at about 3:55 a.m. Monday after a woman called 911 reporting that her husband tried to set her on fire.    Continue reading “Search For Man Who Allegedly Set Wife On Fire In Front Of Kids In Moorpark Area”

Reuters – by Ellen Wulfhorst

The son of a hedge fund founder was arrested on Monday and charged with the murder of his father, who was discovered shot to death in his New York apartment over the weekend, police said.

Thomas Gilbert, 70, founder of the Wainscott Capital Partners Fund, was found shot once in the head Sunday afternoon in the bedroom of his Manhattan apartment, police said.   Continue reading “N.Y. police arrest son in murder of hedge fund founder”

ABC News – by Bradley Klapper

The Obama administration said Monday it was reviewing its annual $440 million aid package to the Palestinians because of their effort to join the International Criminal Court to pursue war-crimes charges against Israel.

At the same time, however, the U.S. criticized Israel for withholding tens of millions in tax revenues to the Palestinians, saying such a step “raises tensions.” Taken together, the statements reflected Washington trying to come to grips with a Palestinian move it has spent years trying to avert and a peace process that offers no hope for an immediate breakthrough.   Continue reading “US Weighs Cutting Aid to Palestinians Over ICC Move”