HOUSTON (AP) — A massive recall has brought more attention and put more pressure on a century-old Texas ice cream company that has been searching to discover how its products became linked to a deadly string of listeria cases. Blue Bell Creameries said Tuesday, a day after recalling all its products, that it is … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s biggest city, in a far-reaching effort to limit its impact on the environment, is set to mark Earth Day by announcing a plan to reduce its waste output by 90 percent by 2030. The plan includes an overhaul of the city’s recycling program, incentives to reduce waste and … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An outbreak of canine flu has sickened more than 1,000 dogs in the Midwest, killing a handful and stirring concern among animal lovers nationwide that the highly contagious virus will sideline their pets. Experts blame the epidemic on a strain called H3N2 that is seen in Asia and leaves pets … Continue reading
BOSTON (AP) — Ben Affleck requested that the PBS documentary series “Finding Your Roots” not reveal he had a slave-owning ancestor, according to emails published online by whistleblower site WikiLeaks, and the information never appeared on the program. PBS and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, host of the show that traces the ancestry of well-known … Continue reading
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California almonds are becoming one of the world’s favorite snacks and creating a multibillion-dollar bonanza for agricultural investors. But the crop extracts a staggering price from the land, consuming more water than all the showering, dish-washing and other indoor household water use of California’s 39 million people. As California enters … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — United Airlines stopped a prominent security researcher from boarding a California-bound flight late Saturday, following a social media post by the researcher days earlier suggesting the airline’s onboard systems could be hacked. The researcher, Chris Roberts, attempted to board a United flight from Colorado to San Francisco to speak at a … Continue reading
ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish prosecutor has ordered Internet providers to block social networking sites, including Twitter and YouTube, a spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday. The request stems from postings of photos that show militant Marxists pointing a gun at a prosecutor who died last week in a shootout between police … Continue reading
CAIRO (AP) — The head of an Egyptian human rights organization said Saturday he is being held in a central Cairo police station following a police raid on the group’s online radio station. Ahmed Samih, director of the Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies, says police told him he is under investigation for … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tech-savvy students and others are using smartphone apps, social media and Internet phone services to make anonymous reports of bombs and other threats of violence at schools. The result: school evacuations and police sweeps. In most cases, such a threat turns out to be a hoax. Still, the use of the … Continue reading
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Iran and six world powers reached a preliminary nuclear agreement Thursday outlining commitments by both sides as they work for a comprehensive deal aiming at curbing nuclear activities Tehran could use to make weapons and providing sanctions relief for Iran. A look at the main points of the agreement released … Continue reading
FIFA, Jordan (AP) — At a sprawling Bronze Age cemetery in southern Jordan, archaeologists have developed a unique way of peering into the murky world of antiquities looting: With aerial photographs taken by a homemade drone, researchers are mapping exactly where — and roughly when — these ancient tombs were robbed. Based on such … Continue reading
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A man who spent nearly 30 years on Alabama’s death row walked free Friday hours after prosecutors acknowledged that the only evidence they had against him couldn’t prove he committed the crime. Ray Hinton was 29 when he was arrested for two 1985 killings. Freed at age 58, with grey … Continue reading
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Potatoes that won’t bruise and apples that won’t brown are a step closer to grocery store aisles, but some food suppliers say they don’t want any part of it and others are staying silent. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the genetically engineered foods, saying they are “as … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — A North Korean envoy says his country has developed nuclear missiles and is prepared to use them at any time. North Korean Ambassador to Britain Hyun Hak Bong said in a recent interview with British broadcaster Sky News that his government would use the missiles in response to a nuclear attack … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Internet moguls like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos aren’t the only techies snatching up real estate in Southern California. While the mega rich from Silicon Valley have made headlines for their purchases of extravagant Los Angeles homes, the city has become increasingly appealing to a trove of angel investors and startup entrepreneurs … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 