2015-01-16 U.S. Spotlight

PBS NewsHour   

United States loosens embargo against Cuba   
PBS NewsHour
The Obama administration significantly loosened restrictions on U.S. embargoes against Cuba. Photo by Flickr user Melody Breaker. WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is putting a large dent in the U.S. embargo against Cuba as of Friday, ...

2015-01-16 U.S. Health

USA TODAY   

Flu Vaccine Not Working Well; Only 23 Percent Effective   
ABC News
This year's flu vaccine is doing a pretty crummy job. It's only 23 percent effective, which is one of the worst performances in the last decade, according to a government study released Thursday. The poor showing is primarily because the vaccine doesn't ...

2015-01-16 U.S. Science

New York Times   

Ocean Life Faces Mass Extinction, Broad Study Says   
New York Times
A team of scientists, in a groundbreaking analysis of data from hundreds of sources, has concluded that humans are on the verge of causing unprecedented damage to the oceans and the animals living in them. “We may be sitting on a precipice of a major ...

2015-01-16 U.S. Sports

TIME   

Doc and Austin Rivers will be quite an NBA case study for Los Angeles Clippers   
FOXSports.com
Doc Rivers and his son Austin Rivers will be sitting on the same bench now that the elder Rivers traded for his son in an unprecedented situation in the NBA. The Clippers traded for Austin Rivers in part of a three-team deal that sent Reggie Bullock to Phoenix ...

2015-01-16 U.S. Entertainment

USA TODAY   

White, male field spurs Oscars diversity backlash   
USA TODAY
One year ago, 12 Years A Slave triumphed as Oscars' best picture — the first time the top prize went to a film directed by a black filmmaker, Steve McQueen. It's a stark contrast to Thursday's 2015 Academy Awards nominations, which have come under fire for ...

2015-01-16 U.S. Technology

BBC News   

Google Glass sales halted but firm says kit is not dead   
BBC News
The company insists it is still committed to launching the smart glasses as a consumer product, but will stop producing Glass in its present form. Instead it will focus on "future versions of Glass" with work carried out by a different division to before. The Explorer ...

2015-01-16 U.S. Business

Telegraph.co.uk   

FOREX-Euro pinned near 11-yr low as SNB move beefs up bets on ECB stimulus   
Reuters
... * Euro nurses heavy wounds after shock SNB move. * SNB shocker heightens bets ECB will adopt QE next week (Updates details, adds quotes). By Ian Chua and Shinichi Saoshiro. SYDNEY/TOKYO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The euro languished just above an ...

2015-01-16 U.S. U.S.

seattlepi.com   

Chris Christie tells his potential 2016 backers to relax   
seattlepi.com
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he's been delivering a message to potential donors and staffers urging him to jump head-first into a campaign for president: Relax. Speaking far more openly about a potential White House bid than ...

2015-01-16 U.S. World

San Francisco Chronicle   

Belgian police kill 2 in anti-terror raid during shootout   
San Francisco Chronicle
VERVIERS, Belgium (AP) — With Europe dreading more terror, Belgian authorities moved swiftly to pre-empt what they called a major attack by as little as hours Thursday, killing two suspects in a firefight and arresting a third in a vast anti-terrorism sweep that ...