Associated Press

GOP, Dems urge US ‘stick to plan’ in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats alike insist the United States should stay the course in Afghanistan, sticking to President Barack Obama’s timetable for withdrawing American troops despite the massacre of Afghan civilians and the burning of Qurans — two offenses blamed on the U.S. military that have stoked anti-American anger. Key proponents of keeping […]

Associated Press
By Associated Press
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats alike insist the United States should stay the course in Afghanistan, sticking to President Barack Obama's timetable for withdrawing American troops despite the massacre of Afghan civilians and the burning of Qurans — two offenses blamed on the U.S. military that have stoked anti-American anger. Key

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US scrubbed plan to protect exchange students

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Despite dozens of allegations of neglect and sexual abuse over the years, the U.S. State Department has scrapped a plan to require FBI-based fingerprint searches for people hosting foreign high school exchange students, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The federal agency in recent years considered but dropped a […]

Associated Press
By Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Despite dozens of allegations of neglect and sexual abuse over the years, the U.S. State Department has scrapped a plan to require FBI-based fingerprint searches for people hosting foreign high school exchange students, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The federal agency in recent years considered

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Bhopal victims use Dow Olympic tie to bare woes

BHOPAL, India (AP) — On a cold winter night, more than 27 years ago, waves of a lethal gas escaped a chemical plant and swept over the ramshackle homes of this city’s sleeping poor, killing thousands and sickening half a million people and making Bhopal synonymous with industrial disaster. The survivors, still plagued by lingering […]

Associated Press
By Associated Press
Bhopal

BHOPAL, India (AP) — On a cold winter night, more than 27 years ago, waves of a lethal gas escaped a chemical plant and swept over the ramshackle homes of this city's sleeping poor, killing thousands and sickening half a million people and making Bhopal synonymous with industrial disaster. The survivors, still plagued by lingering illnesses,

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US trade deficit rose to $124.1 billion

WASHINGTON (AP) — A slight drop in exports and a rise in imports widened the broadest measure of the U.S. trade deficit at the end of last year. The increase pushed the gap to its widest point in three years. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that the current account trade deficit increased 15.3 percent in […]

Associated Press
By Associated Press
In this photo of Feb. 4, 2012, a cargo ship, owned by German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, crosses New York Harbor. The U.S. trade deficit widened in December, reflecting a jump in imports of autos and industrial machinery. For the year, the deficit climbed to the highest level since 2008 as both exports and imports rose to all-time highs. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A slight drop in exports and a rise in imports widened the broadest measure of the U.S. trade deficit at the end of last year. The increase pushed the gap to its widest point in three years. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that the current account trade deficit increased 15.3 percent in the October-December quarter, to

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Russia to offer air base to US for Afghan transit

MOSCOW (AP) — A new deal allowing the United States and its NATO allies to use a Russian air base for transit of troops and military cargo to Afghanistan would help ensure Russia’s own security, Russia’s foreign minister said Wednesday. Sergey Lavrov said a plan to permit the U.S. and other NATO nations to use […]

Associated Press
By Associated Press
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov walks at the State Duma, the lower parliament chamber, Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 14, 2012. Lavrov says Moscow is providing Syria with weapons to fend off external threats but has no intention to use military force to protect Syrian President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)

MOSCOW (AP) — A new deal allowing the United States and its NATO allies to use a Russian air base for transit of troops and military cargo to Afghanistan would help ensure Russia's own security, Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday. Sergey Lavrov said a plan to permit the U.S. and other NATO nations to use the base in the city of Ulyanovsk

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Exec: Goldman Sachs has lost its moral fiber

NEW YORK (AP) — An executive resigning from Goldman Sachs, the powerful investment bank, said in a blistering essay that the company had lost its “moral fiber” and said managing directors there referred to clients as “muppets.” Greg Smith, an executive director at Goldman, said the company needs to “weed out the morally bankrupt people” […]

Associated Press
By Associated Press
The Goldman Sachs Tower in Exchange Place, Jersey City, NJ. July 21, 2011 (Photo by Paul Lowry)

NEW YORK (AP) — An executive resigning from Goldman Sachs, the powerful investment bank, said in a blistering essay that the company had lost its "moral fiber" and said managing directors there referred to clients as "muppets." Greg Smith, an executive director at Goldman, said the company needs to "weed out the morally bankrupt people" and

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Chemical fertilizers contaminating California drinking water

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Nitrate contamination of drinking water is a pervasive problem in California’s agricultural heartland and is bound to intensify in the coming years, according to a University of California, Davis study released Tuesday. The study, ordered by the state Legislature, shows chemical fertilizers and livestock manure are the main source of nitrate contamination […]

Associated Press
By Associated Press
A farm irrigation pipe stretches across a California farmer's field as an early-morning mist clings to the ground. (Photo by Rennett Stowe)

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Nitrate contamination of drinking water is a pervasive problem in California's agricultural heartland and is bound to intensify in the coming years, according to a University of California, Davis study released Tuesday. The study, ordered by the state Legislature, shows chemical fertilizers and livestock manure are the main

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