http://www.mail.com/subjects/132-social-issues.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.20/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/132-social-issues.html http://www.mail.com/news/world/1764006-israeli-fm-charged-with-breach-trust.html JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's powerful foreign minister was charged Thursday with breach of trust, but escaped more serious charges in a fraud and money-laundering case that could jeopardize his political career and upend the Israeli political system just a month before parliamentary elections. The decision by Israel's attorney general capped an investigation... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1764006-israeli-fm-charged-with-breach-trust.html 2012-12-13T16:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763286-chicago-vows-to-fight-concealed-carry-ruling.html CHICAGO (AP) — With parts of the city in the grip of gang warfare and spiking homicide rates, Chicago aldermen urged state officials to appeal an appellate court's decision tossing Illinois' ban on concealed weapons, with some suggesting they might launch their own legal battle. Outside a City Council meeting Wednesday, one alderman after another said the... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:49:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763286-chicago-vows-to-fight-concealed-carry-ruling.html 2012-12-13T15:49:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1763056-lincoln-leads-golden-globes-with-7-nominations.html BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Steven Spielberg's Civil War epic "Lincoln" led the Golden Globes on Thursday with seven nominations, among them best drama, best director for Spielberg and acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. Tied for second-place with five nominations each, including best drama are Ben Affleck's Iran hostage-... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:48:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1763056-lincoln-leads-golden-globes-with-7-nominations.html 2012-12-13T15:48:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1763560-european-court-german-was-victim-us-rendition.html PARIS (AP) — A European court issued a landmark ruling Thursday that condemned the CIA's so-called extraordinary renditions programs and bolstered those who say they were illegally kidnapped and tortured as part of an overzealous war on terrorism. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that a German car salesman was a victim of torture and abuse, in a l... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:32:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1763560-european-court-german-was-victim-us-rendition.html 2012-12-13T15:32:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763722-carter-center-wont-monitor-egypts-vote.html CAIRO (AP) — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's center said Thursday it will not deploy monitors for Egypt's contentious constitutional referendum because of the government's late release of regulations for witnesses. The decision reflects concerns that the rushed process leading to Saturday's vote has undermined the legitimacy of the disputed charter b... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:27:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763722-carter-center-wont-monitor-egypts-vote.html 2012-12-13T15:27:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1763284-senate-legislation-targets-cyberstalking-software.html WASHINGTON (AP) — For around $50, a jealous wife or husband can download software that can continuously track the whereabouts of a spouse better than any private detective. It's frighteningly easy and effective in an age when nearly everyone carries a cellphone that can record every moment of a person's physical movements. But it soon might be illegal. Th... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:55:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1763284-senate-legislation-targets-cyberstalking-software.html 2012-12-13T14:55:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763704-somali-rebels-up-to-8k-to-kill-kenyan-forces.html NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An intelligence message intercepted from an al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group shows that the rebels are being offered up to $8,000 as a reward for killing Kenyan security officers, a Kenyan official said Thursday. The rewards are enough incentive to motivate some youths in the eastern Kenya town of Garissa to carry out attacks ag... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:39:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763704-somali-rebels-up-to-8k-to-kill-kenyan-forces.html 2012-12-13T14:39:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763516-safrica-president-nelson-mandela-recuperating.html BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) — South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday honored anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who has been hospitalized since the weekend to recover from a lung infection. Zuma unveiled a statue of Mandela in the city of Bloemfontein, also called Mangaung, which next week hosts the ruling African National Congress party's co... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:32:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763516-safrica-president-nelson-mandela-recuperating.html 2012-12-13T14:32:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763092-cathay-crew-threaten-smiles-booze-flights.html HONG KONG (AP) — Flight attendants at Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Airways are threatening to withhold food, alcohol and even smiles from passengers during the Christmas holidays over a pay dispute, a union official said Thursday. Cabin staff at the airline, which has a reputation for top-notch service, voted at a union meeting this week in favor of i... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763092-cathay-crew-threaten-smiles-booze-flights.html 2012-12-13T14:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763138-pakistan-extends-refugee-status-afghans.html ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has extended refugee status for over a million Afghans in the country by an additional six months, the government announced — a move likely to ease fears of Afghans living there that they would soon have to return home. Pakistan has been hosting hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees dating back to the Soviet invasion of Afghan... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:24:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763138-pakistan-extends-refugee-status-afghans.html 2012-12-13T13:24:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763538-south-africa-deputy-president-race-to-lead-anc.html JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's soft-spoken Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will compete next week against President Jacob Zuma to lead the country's ruling party, the African National Congress. Motlanthe accepted nominations from several provinces and the party's youth league to enter the race to be the ANC's next president, his spokesman Thabo Mas... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:02:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763538-south-africa-deputy-president-race-to-lead-anc.html 2012-12-13T13:02:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763388-rights-group-accuses-pakistani-military-abuse.html ISLAMABAD (AP) — Amnesty International accused the Pakistani military on Thursday of carrying out widespread human rights abuses in the country's northwest tribal region where the army is fighting a domestic Taliban insurgency. The military has regularly held people without charges and tortured or otherwise mistreated them in custody, the London-based rig... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763388-rights-group-accuses-pakistani-military-abuse.html 2012-12-13T10:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1763250-sao-paulo-awarded-copa-sudamericana-final.html SAO PAULO (AP) — The image of Brazilian soccer in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup took a hit Wednesday when the final of the Copa Sudamericana was abandoned after visiting club Tigre accused security officials of pulling guns and beating its players. Sao Paulo was awarded the title when Tigre refused to take the field for the second half of Wednesday's ... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 07:06:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1763250-sao-paulo-awarded-copa-sudamericana-final.html 2012-12-13T07:06:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1760452-police-ore-mall-shooter-used-stolen-rifle.html PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gunfire rang out in the mall food court, instantly transforming a casual afternoon of holiday shopping into a nightmare. The shooter, armed with a rifle, was dressed in dark clothing and wore a hockey-style face mask. As panicked shoppers fled for cover, workers ushered some into hiding places within stores, or helped them to the exi... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1760452-police-ore-mall-shooter-used-stolen-rifle.html 2012-12-13T05:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760378-court-ruling-ill-gun-ban-sets-stage-fight.html CHICAGO (AP) — Backers of Illinois' ban on concealed weapons vowed Wednesday to fight for continued controls on gun possession, a day after a federal appeals court struck down the nation's last such prohibition as unconstitutional and ordered the state to craft a law allowing it. Chicago aldermen joined gun control advocates in urging state Attorney Gener... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760378-court-ruling-ill-gun-ban-sets-stage-fight.html 2012-12-13T01:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1761466-broadway-faces-potential-holiday-labor-headache.html NEW YORK (AP) — The union representing hundreds of Broadway theater cleaners, porters, elevator operators and bathroom attendants voted Wednesday to authorize its leaders to call a strike if a new contract isn't approved by the end of the month, potentially throwing a wrench into a busy holiday season. Members of the 250-person 32BJ union voted during a n... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1761466-broadway-faces-potential-holiday-labor-headache.html 2012-12-13T00:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761444-un-security-council-condemns-nkorea-rocket-launch.html UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's successful rocket launch on Wednesday and said it will urgently consider "an appropriate response." Whether that response includes new sanctions against the North, which the United States and its European allies are seeking, depends first and foremost on China, the North's closest all... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761444-un-security-council-condemns-nkorea-rocket-launch.html 2012-12-13T00:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761584-fed-links-interest-rates-to-65-pct-unemployment.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it plans to keep interest rates ultra-low even after unemployment falls close to a normal level — which it thinks could take three more years. For the first time, the Fed made clear to investors and consumers that it will link its actions to specific economic markers. As long as inflation remains t... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:50:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761584-fed-links-interest-rates-to-65-pct-unemployment.html 2012-12-12T23:50:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1762776-egypts-opposition-urges-no-vote-referendum.html CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's opposition called on its followers Wednesday to vote "no" in a crucial referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi. The decision came as Morsi's government forged ahead with its own plan, starting overseas voting in diplomatic missions for expatriates. The moves reinforced the atmos... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:44:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1762776-egypts-opposition-urges-no-vote-referendum.html 2012-12-12T23:44:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761902-argentines-shocked-verdicts-sex-slave-trial.html BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The acquittal of 13 people accused in the disappearance of a young woman who was allegedly kidnapped and forced into prostitution for "VIP clients" spread shock and outrage across Argentina on Wednesday, prompting street protests and calls by political leaders to impeach the three judges who delivered the verdict. Many calle... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:38:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761902-argentines-shocked-verdicts-sex-slave-trial.html 2012-12-12T23:38:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1762476-right-to-work-law-michigan-unions-task.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Now that Michigan has become a right-to-work state, unions in this stronghold of organized labor confront a new and urgent problem: convincing members to continue paying for their services instead of taking them for free. Brushing aside protests from thousands of labor supporters, the Republican-controlled state House approved measur... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1762476-right-to-work-law-michigan-unions-task.html 2012-12-12T22:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1762016-mcafee-released-guatemala-flies-to-miami.html GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Anti-virus software founder John McAfee was released from a detention center Wednesday and was escorted by immigration officials and police trucks to the Guatemala City airport, where he was put on a commercial flight bound for Miami. McAfee sat in a coach-class seat on the flight, which took off at midafternoon. The escort to the ai... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1762016-mcafee-released-guatemala-flies-to-miami.html 2012-12-12T21:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761144-census-whites-longer-majority-us-2043.html WASHINGTON (AP) — White people will no longer make up a majority of Americans by 2043, according to new census projections. That's part of a historic shift that already is reshaping the nation's schools, workforce and electorate, and is redefining long-held notions of race. The official projection, released Wednesday by the Census Bureau, now places the t... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:43:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761144-census-whites-longer-majority-us-2043.html 2012-12-12T21:43:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761854-senate-intern-sex-offender-faces-deportation.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Robert Menendez employed as an unpaid intern in his Senate office an illegal immigrant who was a registered sex offender, now under arrest by immigration authorities, The Associated Press has learned. The Homeland Security Department instructed federal agents not to arrest him until after Election Day, a U.S. official involved in the case told the AP. ... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:01:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761854-senate-intern-sex-offender-faces-deportation.html 2012-12-12T21:01:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760466-us-syria-opposition-disagree-terrorist-label.html MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — The U.S. and the head of the new Syrian opposition coalition being feted at a conference in Morocco Wednesday publicly disagreed over designating a rebel group as terrorist, highlighting a key dilemma in overthrowing President Bashar Assad's regime. Even as the U.S., Europe and its allies recognized the new opposition of the sole... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:00:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760466-us-syria-opposition-disagree-terrorist-label.html 2012-12-12T21:00:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1761824-del-man-sues-boy-scouts-mormons-sex-abuse.html PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Delaware man sued the Boy Scouts of America and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday over childhood sexual abuse committed by the scoutmaster at his church-sponsored troop. Melvin Novak filed the lawsuit in state court in Philadelphia, charging that newly released Boy Scout "perversion files" support his claim... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:52:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1761824-del-man-sues-boy-scouts-mormons-sex-abuse.html 2012-12-12T20:52:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761858-fed-projects-high-unemployment-3-years.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve projects the unemployment rate will stay elevated until late 2015, suggesting it will keep short-term interest rates low for the next three years. The latest economic forecasts released Wednesday after the Fed's final meeting of the year were little changed from September. But they coincided with a new communication s... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761858-fed-projects-high-unemployment-3-years.html 2012-12-12T20:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1761384-u-iowa-adds-optional-lgbt-question-to-application.html IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa has become the nation's first public university to include optional questions about sexual orientation and gender identity on its application, a move hailed Wednesday by advocates hoping to improve the college experience for gays and lesbians. University officials say the move sends a strong signal that they v... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:31:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1761384-u-iowa-adds-optional-lgbt-question-to-application.html 2012-12-12T20:31:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760602-iraq-stays-execution-man-allegedly-held-16.html BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq has suspended the execution of a Yemeni prisoner whose family claims was 16 years old when he was taken into custody, an Iraqi official and human rights advocates said Wednesday. Iraqi officials dispute that he was a minor at the time of his arrest. Human Rights Watch earlier this week urged authorities in Baghdad to stay the execution... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:09:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760602-iraq-stays-execution-man-allegedly-held-16.html 2012-12-12T20:09:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761244-blast-syrian-regime-building-capital-kills-5.html BEIRUT (AP) — Three bombs collapsed walls in the Syrian Interior Ministry building Wednesday in Damascus, killing at least five people, as rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad edged closer to the capital, the symbol of his power. The blast came as more than 100 countries recognized the opposition umbrella group as the legitimate representat... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761244-blast-syrian-regime-building-capital-kills-5.html 2012-12-12T19:33:00Z