United States
Zach Wahls, teen with two moms, takes Iowa gay marriage viral on YouTube and Reddit (VIDEO)
Zach Wahls is an unlikely YouTube and Reddit star a year after posting his video, "Two Lesbians Raised A Baby And This Is What They Got."
Freya Petersen
The gray area of gay refugees
NAIROBI — Although they had hoped for a better life in a new land, the camp has proven to be yet another dangerous place for the two polite young Ugandans.
Jonathan Kalan
World
Zach Wahls, teen with two moms, takes Iowa gay marriage viral on YouTube and Reddit (VIDEO)
Zach Wahls is an unlikely YouTube and Reddit star a year after posting his video, "Two Lesbians Raised A Baby And This Is What They Got."
Freya Petersen
Al Qaeda says it has a US hostage
It’s the first official claim of responsibility from any group for the abduction of Warren Weinstein, ABC News reported.
Samantha Stainburn
Ron Paul ad attacks Newt Gingrich (VIDEO)
Ron Paul uses Newt Gingrich's own words to paint a bad picture of the fellow Presidential candidate. In his new You Tube ad, "Serial Hypocrisy," Gingrich is seen as a flip flopper, and the video has already garnered more than 190,000 views... and counting.
Lynn La
Israeli ad campaign suggests Israelis shouldn’t date Americans (VIDEO)
Israel’s Ministry of Immigrant Absorption has launched an ad campaign that’s offending Americans and the Israelis who settle down with them.
Designed to encourage the estimated 2 million Israelis living in the United States to return to Israel, the campaign includes billboards and television spots warning Israeli expats that they risk losing their identities if they date and marry Americans, the Jewish Channel reported.
Samantha Stainburn
FAMU hazing death: 4 students expelled
Drum major Robert Champion died on Nov. 19 after vomiting and complaining he couldn’t breathe following a football game, symptoms officials suspect were brought on by hazing.
Samantha Stainburn
US to Burma: reforms must continue
In an attempt to establish new ties with Burma (Myanmar), US officials urged the country to live up to its promise to cut its military ties with North Korea and address its human rights abuses.
Kyle Kim
World AIDS Day: Obama pledges $50 million towards domestic treatment and clinics
On the 23rd anniversary of World AIDS Day, the president also set a new goal to help six million people receive treatment by the end of 2013, increasing the original target by two million, ABC News reported.
Lillian Rizzo
Horses slaughtered for human consumption in US could be reinstated
The five-year-old ban was lifted quietly by Congress on Nov. 18, which actually stopped funding for horse meat inspections. Without inspections by the US Department of Agriculture, meat is not allowed to be shipped across state lines, which led to the de facto ban on horse meat, USA Today reported.
Lillian Rizzo
Evangelist Billy Graham hospitalized
The Rev. Billy Graham was admitted to a hospital in North Carolina on Wednesday after suffering from congestion, a cough and a slight fever. He is now awaiting word from doctors on whether the symptoms are from pneumonia, the Associated Press reported.
Lillian Rizzo
Report: Iran planning to attack US military bases in Germany
Prosecutors suspect that, if Iran was attacked, Iranian agents would attempt to sabotage overseas bases to disrupt US supply and logistics operations, according to newspaper reports.
Jessica Phelan
Business & Economics
Zach Wahls, teen with two moms, takes Iowa gay marriage viral on YouTube and Reddit (VIDEO)
Zach Wahls is an unlikely YouTube and Reddit star a year after posting his video, "Two Lesbians Raised A Baby And This Is What They Got."
Freya Petersen
Israeli ad campaign suggests Israelis shouldn’t date Americans (VIDEO)
Israel’s Ministry of Immigrant Absorption has launched an ad campaign that’s offending Americans and the Israelis who settle down with them.
Designed to encourage the estimated 2 million Israelis living in the United States to return to Israel, the campaign includes billboards and television spots warning Israeli expats that they risk losing their identities if they date and marry Americans, the Jewish Channel reported.
Samantha Stainburn
Jeremy Clarkson of "Top Gear" in trouble again: "execute" comments draw demands that BBC fire him (VIDEO)
One of Britain's biggest unions has demanded that the BBC sack popular "Top Gear" host Jeremy Clarkson for saying public sector workers on strike should be executed in front of their families.Freya Petersen
Cocaine found on British money
Police say the UK banknote in your hand may be contaminated with cocaine, and they blame males in their 20s who want to drink without resting for the increase in cocaine use.Lynn La
VIDEO: "Virgin Diaries" kiss a YouTube hit before show starts screening
An awkward virgin kiss — part of a promotional video for a new reality TV show, "Virgin Diaries," has become a hit before the show has screened.
The cringeworthy clip, featuring a young couple sharing their first teeth-gnashing kiss on their wedding day, has attracted more than 1.5 million hits in less than three days on YouTube.
We'll save you the effort of searching for it:
Freya Petersen
WikiLeaks play set to open in London
A play about the life of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to hit the stage in London this January, The Guardian reported.
Talia Ralph
iPhone’s Siri differing abortion responses
It seems like the iPhone 4S’s Siri app might have a pro-life agenda.
The all-knowing iPhone app provides answers to life’s most important questions such as how to find the best Mexican restaurant in your city, tomorrow’s weather forecast and your scheduled appointments for the week. But it experiences some problems when a user asks for directions to the nearest abortion clinic, causing some buzz on blogs this week.
Lillian Rizzo
Scottsdale Gun Club offers holiday photos with Santa and rifles
Arizona is starting the holiday season off with a bang.
Lillian Rizzo
Grinch governor calls Statehouse Christmas tree a “holiday tree”
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s insistence on calling the 17-foot Colorado spruce erected at the Statehouse a “holiday tree” rather than a “Christmas tree” is angering some Rhode Islanders, The Associated Press reported.
Samantha Stainburn
India: Angry snake charmer releases cobras in tax office
We've all been there: you're in your local tax office, the line is insane, the clerks are no help, the paperwork's taking forever... so you bring out your bag of poisonous cobras.
Or at least perhaps that's what you would do if you too had the power to charm snakes—like Indian farmer Hukkul Khan, who the Hindustan Times reported to have unleashed more than a dozen of the reptiles on unsuspecting tax clerks in Uttar Pradesh state on Tuesday.
He was apparently frustrated with administrative delays and demands for bribes.
Jessica Phelan
Articles & Opinion
Al Qaeda says it has a US hostage
It’s the first official claim of responsibility from any group for the abduction of Warren Weinstein, ABC News reported.
Samantha Stainburn
Syria in civil war?
As the mounting pressure from the international community continues against Syrian President Basar al-Assad, the country’s main opposition group and the Free Syrian Army rebels have brokered a deal to coordinate efforts against the authoritarian leader, according to media reports.
Kyle Kim
NATO attack on Pakistan no mistake, sources say
ISLAMABAD — The level of coordination, said a Pakistani official, goes well beyond basic communication and coordination.
Suzanna Koster
Topkapi Palace: Turkish tourist site attacked
The attack on the Topkapi Palce came minutes after Turkey announced economic sanctions on Syria in response to the brutal government crackdown on protesters.
Hanna Ingber
Laurent Gbagbo: Ivory Coast’s former president in custody in The Hague
"Mr. Gbagbo is the first to be brought to account, there is more to come," promised ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.
Jessica Phelan
Iran: Attack on British embassy sign of growing conservative power
TEHRAN — The storming of the British embassy in Tehran on Tuesday was an example of the convservative movement's growing power, analysts say.
Jason Rezaian
Indian police arrest 6 suspects in 2010 terror attacks
The Delhi police arrested six men they allege were involved in terrorist attacks in Delhi, Bangalore and Pune in 2010, NDTV reported.
The police said the six men, one of whom is from Pakistan, are members of the Indian Mujahideen, a banned terrorist organization, according to the news channel.
Jason Overdorf