Category Archives: Breaking News

Breaking news and latest news updates

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Travel agencies remove American Airlines from online listings

Expedia Inc. (EXPE) removes American airlines tickets from its latest list. The company stated that the travelers need to check other websites now to compare prices of tickets for American airlines with other service providers. The move and statement came following a dispute between the airlines and online travel agencies.  Fort Worth, a part of American airlines suggested Kayak.com or priceline.com Inc. (PCLN)  for alternatives.

American airlines ignited the dispute with travel agencies by removing its listing from OWW- Expedia competitor Orbitz Worldwide Inc. to divert traffic to their own websites.

The American airlines own website do not charge passengers for online booking in addition. Expedia, in retaliation to American airlines’ actions removed the airlines from lists.

American removed Orbitz when they could not get a deal for encouraging online sellers for establishing a direct connect system with travelers instead of going through different agent sites.

At present, Expedia’s existing agreement with American airlines is about to expire. Through the new deal, the airlines wanted to reduce their cost on what they are obliged to pay to the global distribution services and make their tickets more lucrative to passengers.

However, the airlines reported that there was no decrease in their sale of tickets due to these disputes and travelers continued buying tickets through other alternative sites like Kayak and priceline.com.

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New York appoints Andrew Cuomo as new governor

New York appoints its 56th governor –Andrew Cuomo– on Friday.

Andrew Cuomo was sworn in front of his family members in the governors’ mansion in Albany. His father Mario Cuomo is a former governor.

Cuomo’s powers as a governor are effective from last midnight and he has started working from today with the morning cabinet meeting. The Democrat is ready to face the challenging issues lying to be resolved that include fiscal crises and ethical issues.

Cuomo was born in New York City. His family has Italian and American origin. His parents Andrea Cuomo, an Italian and mother Immacolata belonged to Tramonti, owned a store in south Jamaica in New York City.

Cuomo got his bachelor’s degree in 1953 and a law degree from St Johns University in 1956. He always aspired to be a trial lawyer in the beginning of his career. He was also sent to work as a clerk with a judge Adrian P. Burke who served in an appeal court in New York.

Cuomo also played baseball and he was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league before he got injured. After then, Cuoma started scouting the same team.

Cuomo was working as attorney general for New York As a governor he has replaced now David Paterson. Paterson had took the post when Eliot Spitzer was obliged to resign after being hooked in a scandal with a call girl.

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Texas appeals against federal Gov’s authority to issue Greenhouse-Gas permits

Texas is filing an appeal challenging over the greenhouse-gas rules of the federal administration of the United States. The appeal will question US President Obama’s authority over granting permission to different states regarding green house emission.

A federal appeals court of New Orleans has rejected Texas’s request for not allowing the central administration to issue greenhouse-gas permits as the states wants an autonomy in this matter. The state’s new appeal has been made in the wake of its rejected plea.

The Environmental Protection Agency of the United States started granting permission on green house emission considering the fact that Texas officials were not ready to issue the permits.

Texas appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit citing the EPA’s actions as a violation of the Clean Air Act. The state called agency’s actions as an intrusion in the legal rights of Texas.

Texas has always opposed the environmental agency’s rules on greenhouse gas emission that oblige all units of oil refiners, power plants and other industries to reduce their greenhouse gas emission under permissible limits and obtain a compulsory permit for that prior to any construction or modification for their infrastructures.

The new rule implemented by the US Environmental Protection Agency will be effective from Jan. 2.

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Arizona, California blasted due to blizzard, heavy rain

Western parts of the United States are still struggling to resume their traffic amidst snowstorm. Major roads Arizona, California and Nevada have been shut down once again due to heavy rains following the snowstorm. Heavy snow carried by storms has covered hilly regions which have led to power cuts and traffic jams.

Phoenix desert which otherwise experiences pleasant winters had chilly rain continuously for an hour that resulted in temperature much below freezing point on Friday. Main road across Arizona –I-17 ahs been closed and commuters are stranded between the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff.

Visibility reduced to a mere half mile near Grand Canyon and it was only ¼ th of a mile at Flagstaff according to the officials of the National Weather Service.

The Highway 89A which links Sedona and Flagstaff was closed till Tuesday. routes which were opened also had many vehicle collisions in central Arizona. Forecasters said the blizzard might shift to New Mexico by Thursday.

The met department also predicted speedy winds up to 50 mil per hour  in parts of northern Los Angeles Few casualties were also reported due to snow storms and falling trees. There was also a boat lost in the strong winds with 4 people on board.

The storm also struck Sierra Nevada with winds speeding to 100 mph causing delayed flights in Reno, Nev.

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New Hawaii governor vows to end ‘Birther’ controversy

Neil Abercrombie, governor of Hawaii has pledged to resolve the “birther” controversy forever.

Birthers is a term used for those people who do not believe that Barack Obama was born in the US, despite of the facts supporting it. They have been asking the Hawaiian government to release Obama’s original birth certificate. However, the state of Hawaii does now allow it according to its laws.

Abercrombie, the new governor is however determined to find out the truth behind Obama’s birth place to finish the Birthers’ criticism. The governor said he wanted to do this to justify Hawaiian people’s love for President Obama and his family and also to honor the prestige of a president.

The governor, who has been a Democrat senator had joined office recently further stated that he has asked the Hawaii health department officials to find out if Obama’s birth certificate and other documents can be released legally. According to Abercrombie the controversy bothered him personally as he was friends with president’s parents and he was present at the time Obama was born.

Evidences prove that Barak Obama was born on Aug 4, 1961 at the Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Hawaii. Local news papers also support this in two separate birth announcements published.

Abercrombie, also clarified that the matter was of no concern to the White House but he had raised the issue for the sake of Hawaiian people.

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Flights resume in New York following worst blizzard in 60 years

Main airports in New York City have restarted all their flight operations after the last blizzard. It has been the heaviest December in last 60 years as per the meteorological department with snowstorm and snowfall reaching 51 centimeters and above. Entire Northeast, California and many states in the Midwest and South too faced gush of high speed winds and freezing temperatures.

According to the National Weather Service, New York had a 20 inches thick snow cover but sky was clear by morning.

Around 6,000 flights have been cancelled since yesterday due to blizzard.  LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty airports in New York and New Jersey resumed their service last night, airport authorities revealed.

People regarded this snowstorm as worst than ever before. The authorities of New York city also stated that repairing work and clean up cost after the snowstorm will toll much on the city budget while also bear the loss due to loss of revenue due to activities hampered in storm.

The storm speeding winds at a speed of30 to 40 miles per hour arrived to New York on December 26.After Christmas sales were badly affected due to blizzard as most of the shoppers preferred staying home.

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Snowfall, storm spoil holiday plans in California

snow covered California

Many flights were cancelled in Southern California due to snowstorm on Sunday December 26.

A heavy cover of snow could be seen all over buses, trains and buildings, that has disturbed commuting through out California. The after-Christmas sales have been badly hampered due to such a bad weather.

New York and Boston have been covered with around one foot thick snow layer. Experts predicted up to 20 inches of snowfall for Philadelphia.

Flights have been cancelled throughout Northeast and also in Baltimore, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and the Carolinas. New York City alone has witnessed cancellation of 1400flights of different airlines.

Blizzard caused a heavy loss to travel industry by leading to cancellation of travel plans. The United States has been experiencing bad weather conditions in many of states for many weeks. Thousands of travelers have been affected so far and even daily commuting to local destinations is difficult for people.

An official from Los Angeles airport reported that fights of Delta airline heading toward Kennedy were cancelled while American Airlines stopped all 15 flights for Boston, New York, and Washington. Weather forecasters have issued a warning for the Northeast and New York for another snowstorm and a further reduction in visibility respectively.

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Official says air security improved in US following terrorist attacks

Janet Napolitano, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary stated that security situations have become much safer in US aviation. He said this while talking on one year anniversary of foiled airplane bombing.

An extremist Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had attacked on a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines plane. He had tried to blow up the airplane in 2009 on the festive occasion of Christmas.

Napolitano further explained that now the US aviation authorities are more equipped with detective machines to identify even plastic explosives and they can scrutinize passengers before entering the bordering entrance. However, he said that there is still a lot more to be done.

Napolitano Mentioned about the 2005 suicide bomb attacks which killed 52 people in London subway trains.

The official revealed that New York City has installed 586 cameras for vigilance last month in Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, and Pennsylvania Station.

He also mentioned about the additional security measures adopted to ensure safety in soft targets for the terrorists such as shopping malls and hotels. Former national intelligence director, Michael McConnell had stated that US computer system can also be major target for the terrorists as the entire administration and life of the United States depends upon computers. An attack on technological links can completely bring life in US to halt.

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Bomb Blast Kills 42 at food distribution center in Pakistan

Aftermath of suicide bomb attack in Pakistan

Clad in a veil and burqa, a suicide bomber attacked a food distribution center in Pakistan causing 42 deaths and injuring many others. The bomber attacked Khar town of Bajaur tribal area while there is a continuous fight among security forces and extremists at Afghanistan border. There was a clash also in Mohnad tribal region and more than 20 militant were killed.

The food distribution center was crowded with more than 1000 people gathered for receiving food aid. The attacker threw hand-grenades on people and then detonated explosives attached in his or her body. The identity of suicide bomber is yet unknown and it is not clear whether it was a woman or man.

There was a terrible chaotic scene visible after the explosion with bodies mangles and scattered everywhere. More than 60 people have been severely injured and hospitalized in the Peshawar hospital. The food distribution center shelters refugees coming from Afghanistan who have fled their homes or have been forcibly evacuated by the military forces.  The number of refugees has reached 300,000 due to military actions against militants since 2008.

NATO’s International Security officials revealed that they had killiedtwo militants on Friday clashes in Khowst and Logar provinces. Both Taliban and the Haqqani militants use Pakistan as a safe heaven for attacking Western troops in Afghanistan.

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Obama pleased over breaking gridlock with Republicans

Washington – President Barack Obama refused to sit on the laurels of the recent victory as the lame-duck session of Congress drew to an end Wednesday. He termed the victories in the recent weeks as the victory of the American people and not his own. He was happy that things were done in the Congress and that it is not doomed for countless gridlocks.

Obama was pleased that after the mid term elections, contrary to popular expectations, the Republicans and the Democrats joined hands on issues rather stalling political processes with gridlocks.

Republicans and Democrats have to work jointly now. After the 2008 elections the Democrats had a 15 seats advantage in the Senate. In the House of Representative they had a 78 seat advantage. But now, after the mid term elections, the Republicans have majority in the House and their numbers have gone up in the Senate to 47.

The Democrats will need the support of the Republicans on two major issues at least. The intention of reducing Federal spending and the issue of education reform that contains the controversial move of performance based teacher’s salary. The topic of rewarding school districts following the No Child Left Behind Law is expected to find more Republican support.

The President’s press conference this time was a much jovial one than the one he had addresses seven weeks ago.