U.S. jobless claims jumped to 386,000 last week–more than 20,000 above expectations–casting the job market in an even worse light. Experts say the low numbers of preceding weeks were likely because of delays in summer layoffs among U.S. manufacturers. The
(AP) Top Muslim cleric shot dead in Russia’s TatarstanBy MANSUR MIROVALEVAssociated PressMOSCOWA top Muslim cleric in Russia’s Tatarstan province was shot dead and another was wounded by a car bomb in two attacks that local leaders said were related to
The Geneva-based human rights organization UN Watch has issued a press statement criticizing the UN for failing to describe yesterday’s attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria as “terrorism.” The attack, which Israel blamed on Iran and which claimed seven lives,
By DAVID GERMAINAP Movie WriterSAN DIEGOPeter Jackson does not expect he’ll ever get into the superhero business. The filmmaker behind “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the upcoming prelude “The Hobbit” said superheroes may rule in Hollywood, but he
With President Bashar al-Assad’s regime reeling from a bomb attack that killed three top commanders, the United States turned the screw further Wednesday with sanctions against dozens of government ministers. The Treasury Department announced measures against 29 members of the
(AP) LOS ANGELES – Halle Berry suffered a minor head injury during a movie-shoot fight sequence and was treated at a Los Angeles hospital and released. Berry’s Los Angeles publicist Meredith O’Sullivan said the 45-year-old actress suffered the injury Tuesday
Kyle Smith of The New York Post: The July 27 ceremony, conceived by Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Trainspotting” director Danny Boyle, will pay careful attention to Britain’s shame, with tableaux devoted to the denial of voting rights to women, Industrial
The Left, desperate to do anything it can to change the subject from President Barack Obama’s wretched economy, is trying to tie Mitt Romney to the hulking villain in “The Dark Knight Rises.” The person who helped create Bane for
(AP) WARSAW, Poland – Organizers of a Madonna concert in the Polish capital have agreed to a request from city officials to start the show with a brief clip about the Warsaw Uprising, the 1944 revolt against Nazi rule, in
By VESELIN TOSHKOV and ARON HELLERSOFIA, Bulgaria A bus carrying Israeli youth in a Bulgarian resort area exploded Wednesday, killing at least seven people and wounding at least 27 others, police and hospital officials said. Witnesses told Israeli media that
(AP) FRANKFURT, GermanyInvestors are paying for the privilege to lend Germany money as they look for a haven from the financial and economic crisis hitting the rest of Europe. Germany auctioned (EURO)5 billion ($6.14 billion) in two-year treasury notes Wednesday with
By DAVID STRINGERAssociated PressLASHKAR GAH, AfghanistanThe British prime minister backed up a pledge to pull more troops out of Afghanistan next year, during a previously unannounced trip to a restive province on Wednesday. Britain’s contingent is second in size only
By DANIEL WOOLLSAssociated PressMADRIDSpain’s Crown Princess Letizia has a penchant for haute couture. Queen Elizabeth II’s Bentley’s are spotless. Belgium’s King Albert II maintains a sumptuous villa in the south of France. But believe it or not, many of Europe’s
(AP) Syrian rebels say they carried out Damascus attackBEIRUTSyria’s rebel commander says his forces carried out an attack in Damascus that killed the defense minister and other regime officials. But he denies it was a suicide bombing. Riad al-Asaad said
(AP) UN schedules vote on new Syria resolutionBy EDITH M. LEDERER and JIM HEINTZAssociated PressUNITED NATIONSRussia remained at odds with the U.S. and its European allies ahead of a scheduled vote Wednesday afternoon on a new Syria resolution aimed at
(AP) Syrian president’s brother-in-law dies in attackBEIRUTSyria’s state-run TV says President Bashar Assad’s brother-in-law is among the dead in a suicide bombing in Damascus. Gen. Assef Shawkat was the deputy defense minister in Syria. He was among the most feared
(AP) Wildfires in Greece prompt state of emergencyATHENS, GreeceGreek authorities declared a state of emergency Wednesday in the country’s third-largest city due to raging wildfires nearby, and hundreds of students and residents fled their homes. Authorities said the fires burned
By DERRIK J. LANGAP Entertainment WriterLOS ANGELESThe aggregating Web site RottenTomatoes.com suspended user comments on movie reviews of “The Dark Knight Rises” after commenters reacted harshly to negative reviews of the film and made profane and threatening remarks about the
(AP) Arizona sheriff shocked by comedian’s profanityPHOENIXArizona sheriff Joe Arpaio says he’s shocked by comedian George Lopez’s profanity-laced tirade against him. Lopez made the comments about the top cop of Maricopa County during the debut of his solo stand-up special,
The Pentagon is building a missile defense radar station at a covert location in Qatar, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The site will be part of a system intended to defend the interests of the United States and its
(AP) ‘Dark Knight’ creator Nolan sticks to 2 dimensionsBy DAVID GERMAINAP Movie WriterLOS ANGELESBatman has all the gadgets Bruce Wayne’s resources can buy, but he doesn’t have one thing nearly every other summer blockbuster has: 3-D. Director Christopher Nolan made
US presidential challenger Mitt Romney said Tuesday that he will not release his tax records from before 2010 because his opponents would “pick through, distort and lie about” them. The Republican hopeful is under pressure from Democratic incumbent Barack Obama’s
(AP) LONDONHundreds of London taxi drivers have blocked a major intersection in the heart of the city to protest their exclusion from the road lanes dedicated to Olympic traffic. Drivers in black London cabs blared their horns as they jammed Parliament
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Singer Elton John’s politics are reliably left of center. But the Rocket Man doesn’t walk in lockstep with his progressive peers. This is the same entertainer who performed during Rush Limbaugh’s 2010 wedding. And now, John’s speaking out on behalf
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke admitted Tuesday that US economic data had been “disappointing” and that a future reduction in unemployment would likely prove “frustratingly slow.” Dealing a blow to Barack Obama and others hopeful for an improvement in economic
