Scott Neuman

Judge: Unredeemed Borders Gift Cards Are Worthless

Scott Neuman — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:57:00 +0000

If you were hoping to cash in that Borders gift card for the latest Dan Brown novel — or at least hoping to get some cash for it — you're too late.

A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the bankrupt and defunct book chain owes nothing to the roughly 17.7 million people who hold $210.5 million in unredeemed gift cards.

U.S.

North Korean Sends Special Envoy To China Amid Tensions

Scott Neuman — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:15:00 +0000

North Korea has sent a special enjoy to China, hoping to patch up relations between the two countries that have been on rocky ground over Pyongyang's nuclear program and its recent seizure of a crew of Chinese fishermen.

North Korea's Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae, the head of the army's political bureau, is reportedly in Beijing.

London Attack Deemed Likely Terrorist Incident

Scott Neuman — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:55:00 +0000

A man has been killed in what reports described as a machete attack in London, and police have shot two suspects in what British Prime Minister David Cameron says is likely a terrorist incident.

The Associated Press says the incident occurred Wednesday when the suspects attacked the man near a London military barracks.

Costa Concordia Captain To Face Manslaughter Charges

Scott Neuman — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:14:00 +0000

A judge in Italy on Wednesday ordered the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany last year, killing 32 people, to face charges of manslaughter.

Francesco Schettino, 52, is accused of negligence that led to the grounding of the ship and for abandoning the vessel while a rescue of the 4,200 passengers and crew was still underway.

1970 tornado in Lubbock, Texas.

Gandhi Artifacts Could Fetch Steep Prices At Auction

Scott Neuman — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:12:00 +0000

Artifacts that once belonged to Mohandas K. Gandhi, the Indian independence leader who took a vow of poverty, could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.

A pair of sandals, a shawl, a drinking cup, Gandhi's will and various other documents associated with the leader are all up for auction. Guide prices range from £200 for "a rare British Parliament paper declaring Gandhi a terrorist" dating from 1932, to £40,000 for his will.

Court Backs Withholding 'Potent' Images Of Bin Laden's Body

Scott Neuman — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:46:00 +0000

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday in favor of the government's decision to keep photos and video of the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden a secret, rebuffing a conservative watchdog group that had sought their release.

A three-judge panel of the U.S.

A Brief History Of Oklahoma Tornadoes

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:36:00 +0000

Although Oklahoma is a state where tornadoes are a fact of life, few days stand out like May 3, 1999.

That was when some 70 tornadoes touched down over a 21-hour period, cutting paths of destruction like deep cuts of a knife blade in and around Oklahoma City.

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal Heads For Scrap Yard

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:46:00 +0000

The people of Portsmouth, England, on Monday turned out to bid farewell to the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, destined for a Turkish scrap yard after its decommissioning two years ago.

The Invincible class carrier was a victim of a 2010 defense review that recommended scrapping the vessel and selling its Harrier jump jets (they were subsequently sold to the U.S.).

Beijing Angry Over North Korea's Seizure Of Chinese Fishermen

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:21:00 +0000

Beijing has long been about the closest thing to an ally that Pyongyang enjoys, but the seizure of a Chinese fishing boat by unidentified North Koreans has threatened to put an already tenuous relationship on even shakier ground.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted by The New York Times as making it fairly clear that his government was not happy about the development.

China, he said, is "demanding that it properly deal with the matter as quickly as possib