Will media stay on gun story?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSHoward Kurtz: Conventional wisdom is that media will lose interest in gunsHe says that's been the pattern of media behavior after Columbine, other shootingsThis time seems like it might be different, he saysKurtz: Reporters profoundly shaken by story, should stay on itEditor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" and is Newsweek's Washington bureau chief. He is...

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S'pore students set for workforce & world: global quiz host

SINGAPORE: Singapore students have a hunger for knowledge and are ready to face the workforce and the world, observed a key partner of the Tata Crucible Campus Quiz.Mr Giri Balasubramaniam, more popularly known as "Pickbrain", is the host of the global business quiz.He said the world looks up to Singapore in many ways, and one of them is quality education.The Tata Crucible Campus Quiz...

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Pope pardons ex-butler jailed over leaks

By Laura Smith-Spark and Saskya Vandoorne, CNNupdated 11:46 AM EST, Sat December 22, 2012Pope Benedict's former butler Paolo Gabriele leaves after the verdict in his trial at the Vatican in October.STORY HIGHLIGHTSVatican spokesman: Pope Benedict XVI pardons his former butler, Paolo GabrieleGabriele was given an 18-month prison term in October for aggravated theftHe was convicted after leaking private...

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New details emerge on Newtown gunman

NEWTOWN, Conn. He was the awkward, peculiar kid who wore the same clothes to school every day.He rarely spoke and even gave a school presentation entirely by computer, never uttering a word.Play VideoNewtown residents react to the NRA's response to school shootingHe liked tinkering with computers and other gadgets, and seemed to enjoy playing a violent video game, choosing a military-style assault...

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'Fiscal Cliff' Leaves Boehner a Wounded Speaker

John Boehner is a bloodied House speaker following the startling setback that his own fractious Republican troops dealt him in their "fiscal cliff" struggle against President Barack Obama.There's plenty of internal grumbling about the Ohio Republican, especially among conservatives, and lots of buzzing about whether his leadership post is in jeopardy. But it's uncertain whether...

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Goodbye, U.S. Postal Service?

This Christmas could be the Post Office's last, says John Avlon. STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe U.S. Postal Service is bleeding money and heading toward insolvency John Avlon: Congress can save the postal service in deal on the fiscal cliff He says the urgency is clear, let's hope for a Christmas miracle Avlon: But be prepared that Washington dysfunction can doom the postal service Editor's note: John Avlon...

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N. Korea confirms arrest of US citizen

SEOUL: North Korea confirmed Friday that it had arrested a US citizen in November, saying legal action would be taken against him but giving no details of the charges.The man, identified as Pae Jun-Ho, entered North Korea on November 3 as a tourist, and "committed a crime" against the country, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said."He was put into custody by a relevant institution,"...

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Best moments

STORY HIGHLIGHTSCNN asked people from all over the world to send in their best moments of 2012From the Philippines to Scotland, hundreds of people sent their most memorable images Submissions include exhilarating holidays, the birth of kids, the realization of dreamsWhat was your best moment of 2012? Send us your pictures(CNN) -- For some it was an exhilarating holiday to an exotic place, finding...

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John Kerry tapped to be next Secretary of State

President Obama is nominating Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, CBS News has learned. An official announcement is forthcoming later today. Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, has widely been seen as the frontrunner for the position since U.N. ambassador Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration. Rice came under heavy fire from Republican...

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Amid Protest, NRA Calls for Armed Guards in Schools

The National Rifle Association stood its ground today in arguing that the answer to gun violence in schools is an armed security force that can protect students, while blaming the media and violent entertainment and video games for recent deadly shootings."The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre...

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Is Newtown tipping point for change?

By Piers Morgan, CNNDecember 20, 2012 -- Updated 1627 GMT (0027 HKT)STORY HIGHLIGHTSPiers Morgan: Past gun-related tragedies haven't led to any actionHe says that must change, and he hosted a debate on the issueMorgan: Laws must be changed to limit weapons, ammunition and enforce background checksRights of Americans who use guns for hunting and sport must be respected, he says(CNN) -- On Wednesday...

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'Erin Brockovich' toxin found at Japan plant

TOKYO: The toxic chemical made infamous by campaigning single mother Erin Brockovich has been found at up to 15,800 times safety limits in groundwater at a Japanese iron plant, the factory's operator said Thursday.Excessive amounts of hexavalent chromium were discovered at Nippon Denko's plant in Tokushima in the country's west as it prepared to halt production of chromium salts at the...

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Blizzard blasts upper Midwest

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Iowa motorists cope with wet, heavy snow and treacherous roadsHeavy snow, high winds stretch from Iowa to Wisconsin in the season's first blizzardTens of thousands without power in Nebraska, IowaStorm to crawl from Midwest to New England by FridayIs the storm hitting near you? Share your photos and videos on CNN iReport.(CNN) -- Does the end of the world start with a snowstorm?Probably...

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New York Stock Exchange to be sold

NEW YORK The New York Stock Exchange (NYX) is being sold to a rival exchange for about $8 billion, ending more than two centuries of independence for the iconic Big Board. The buyer, IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE), an upstart exchange based in Atlanta, made clear Thursday that little would change for the iconic trading floor in Manhattan's financial district if regulators approve the deal....

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Schools Threatened Nationwide After Sandy Hook

Schools across the country, already on edge following last week's massacre of 20 students and six adults at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school have been further unnerved following a series of copycat threats, sometimes yielding arrests and caches of deadly weapons.From California to Connecticut, police in the past five days have arrested more than a dozen individuals in Indiana,...

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Arming teachers would halt massacres

William Bennett argues that schools would be safer with at least one armed person there who is well-trained in firearms use.STORY HIGHLIGHTSWilliam Bennett: Arming, training one person in a school could help prevent shootingsHe says armed people have stopped instances of mass killingKillers may target places where they know they can't be shot down, Bennett saysBennett: Guns help prevent crime and...

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Bank of England votes 8-1 to maintain stimulus

LONDON: Bank of England policymakers voted 8-1 to maintain their quantitative easing stimulus programme at their December meeting, repeating the voting pattern from the previous month, minutes showed on Wednesday.The BoE's nine-member monetary policy committee (MPC) had voted earlier this month to keep the QE stimulus amount at 375 billion pounds ($611 billion, 460 billion euros).Polcymakers...

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Ex-judge Robert Bork dies

By Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producerupdated 11:44 AM EST, Wed December 19, 2012Robert Bork, ex-federal judge Robert Bork, ex-federal judge Robert Bork, ex-federal judge Robert Bork, ex-federal judge Robert Bork, ex-federal judge Robert Bork, ex-federal judge STORY HIGHLIGHTSConservative judge Robert Bork died WednesdayHe was best known for contentious confirmation battle over his Supreme Court...

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Robert Bork, failed high court nominee, dies at 85

Updated at 11:11 a.m. ET MCLEAN, Va. Robert H. Bork, who stepped in to fire the Watergate prosecutor at Richard Nixon's behest and whose failed 1980s nomination to the Supreme Court helped draw the modern boundaries of cultural fights over abortion, civil rights and other issues, has died. He was 85. Son Robert H. Bork Jr. confirmed to The Associated Press his father died Wednesday at Virginia...

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