Americas | Leaping Dolphin - frolicking in a sea of data

Farc rebel link files 'genuine'

Thu, 15 May 2008 22:08:10 -0500

Colombia did not fake computer files which it alleges connect rebels to Venezuela and Ecuador, Interpol says.

Tethered girl gets $60,000 in lawsuit against Victoria police

Thu, 15 May 2008 21:42:29 -0500

A jury at a civil trial awarded a teenager $60,000 in punitive damages Thursday for the way two Victoria police officers treated her while she was in their custody.

Jury in triple murder trial convicts firefighter

Thu, 15 May 2008 21:28:00 -0500

CLEVELAND -- A jury convicted a city firefighter Thursday of fatally shooting three people and wounding two others during a late-night Fourth of July celebration, rejecting defense claims that he was angered by the noise and snapped.

US 'cyber-bully' mother indicted

Thu, 15 May 2008 21:15:25 -0500

A US woman whose daughter's friend committed suicide after she allegedly bullied her on MySpace is indicted by a Grand Jury.

Gov. proposes to give Alaskans $100 a month for gas

Thu, 15 May 2008 21:11:05 -0500

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Faced with some of America's highest energy costs, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin proposed a plan on Thursday to provide state residents with special debit cards good for $100 of fuel every month.

Chief: Man prime suspect in Florida fires

Thu, 15 May 2008 21:02:00 -0500

PALM BAY, Fla. -- A man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail into the woods as firefighters battled large blazes nearby set several other small fires to throw off officers who were pursuing him, police said Thursday.

California's top court legalizes gay marriage

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:15:00 -0500

SAN FRANCISCO -- California's Supreme Court declared that gay couples in the nation's biggest state can marry - a monumental but perhaps short-lived victory for the gay rights movement Thursday that was greeted with tears, hugs, kisses and at least one instant proposal of matrimony.

LA jury convicts Hollywood private eye in racketeering case

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:11:00 -0500

LOS ANGELES -- A Hollywood private investigator was convicted Thursday of federal racketeering and other charges for digging up dirt for his well-heeled clients to use in lawsuits, divorces and business disputes against the rich and famous.

Top California court rules gays may marry

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:08:45 -0500

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriages on Thursday in a major victory for gay rights advocates that will allow homosexual couples to marry in the most populous U.S. state.

Woman indicted in MySpace hoax suicide

Thu, 15 May 2008 19:59:17 -0500

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 49-year-old Missouri woman accused of pretending to be a love-struck teenage boy on MySpace and driving a 13-year-old girl to suicide with cruel messages was indicted on Thursday on federal charges.

Hollywood private eye convicted in wiretap

Thu, 15 May 2008 19:14:53 -0500

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Anthony Pellicano, known as Hollywood's private eye to the stars, was convicted on Thursday of running a vast criminal enterprise involving wiretapping and bribery to fix the problems of his wealthy clients.

BC Place to don retractable roof after 2010 Games

Thu, 15 May 2008 19:12:00 -0500

The B.C. government will put a retractable roof on the BC Place Stadium but construction will not be complete before the Vancouver 2010 Games, CBC News has learned.

Top California court rules gays may marry

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:53:34 -0500

Store owner claiming $21.5M jackpot misled officials: documents

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:38:15 -0500

An Ontario store owner who claimed a $21.5-million prize in 2006 misled lottery officials when he first spoke to them about the winning ticket, according to documents obtained by CBC News after a lengthy dispute with the province's lottery corporation.

Controversy sizzles over taco truck restrictions

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:12:00 -0500

LOS ANGELES -- Jose Ochoa has parked his taco truck on the same stretch of road since 1989, and, like scores of other lunch vendors around Los Angeles, he refused to pack it up Thursday, the first day for a new law requiring food wagons to move every hour or face $1,000 fines.

Time has come to put 'price on waste and pollution': Dion

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:03:52 -0500

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion pitched his controversial proposal to tax carbon emissions Thursday, despite warnings from his own caucus that such a policy would be politically risky.

Americans leery of bicycles despite gas price jump

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:02:40 -0500

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - It's U.S. National Bike to Work Day on Friday and Americans are facing record high gasoline prices, but most commuters will stick to their cars.

Taylor death suspect pleads guilty to second degree murder

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:58:46 -0500

MIAMI (Reuters) - One of five defendants charged with the death of Washington Redskins NFL footballer Sean Taylor faces a 29-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to second degree murder and armed burglary.

PM to officially apologize for native school abuse next month

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:37:31 -0500

Prime Minister Stephen Harper set to officially apologize on June 11 on behalf of the government for abuses suffered by former residents of native residential schools.

Storms kill 1 in South, damage Texas Capitol

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:20:00 -0500

NEW ORLEANS -- Severe storms with damaging winds and possible tornadoes pounded the South, killing at least one person in Louisiana and shattering windows at the Texas Capitol.

Pricier chicken coming to a store near you

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:52:45 -0500

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. consumers can add chicken to the list of foods that will cost more this year.

US House rejects war funding bill

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:52:39 -0500

The Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives rejects a bill to fund wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Taser victim's mother makes tearful plea at Vancouver inquiry

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:38:22 -0500

The mother of a man who died after RCMP stunned him with a Taser at Vancouver International Airport told an inquiry in Vancouver it is up to the commissioner examining the use of the weapons to ensure such deaths do not recur in the future.

DoD: Chinook helicopters at Pa. plant vandalized

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:24:00 -0500

RIDLEY PARK, Pa. -- Two military helicopters were vandalized on the production line at a Boeing factory near Philadelphia, the Defense Department said Thursday as it offered a reward.

Opposition demands details on Harper's defence strategy

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:12:11 -0500

The Opposition is raising questions about the costs of the Harper government's new defence strategy and wants the details tabled.

Colombian pleads not guilty to US drug charges

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:11:00 -0500

WASHINGTON -- Days after being hurriedly extradited from Colombian prisons, a group of right-wing paramilitaries expressed surprise Thursday as they stood in a U.S. courtroom, flanked by armed marshals and wearing bright orange jumpsuits and slippers.

Woman indicted in fatal MySpace hoax on girl

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:37:47 -0500

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 49-year-old Missouri mother accused of using a fake MySpace persona to "torment, harass, humiliate and embarrass" a 13-year-old girl who hanged herself was indicted on Thursday on federal charges.

Hollywood private eye convicted in wiretap trial

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:33:28 -0500

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Self-proclaimed "private eye to the stars" Anthony Pellicano was found guilty on Thursday of racketeering and conspiracy for wiretapping foes of his high-powered Hollywood clients.

Judge rules for American Red Cross in J&J case

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:08:53 -0500

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The American Red Cross can continue to use its iconic emblem, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, in a case that pitted Johnson & Johnson against the humanitarian organization and four of its licensees.

Summoned to rescue son, Florida mother rams police

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:05:25 -0500

MIAMI (Reuters) - A man trying to flee from Florida sheriff's deputies phoned his mother for help and she obligingly rushed to the scene and rammed two lawmen with her sports utility vehicle, deputies said on Thursday.

More "Great Big Freeway" L.A. commuters bike, ride

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:57:46 -0500

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - There is a lot of grumbling these days from long-time riders of the Los Angeles subway system about packed cars and fewer places to sit.

U.S. bans import of polar bear trophies: official

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:19:41 -0500

Americans are no longer allowed to bring home polar bear hides as hunting trophies, a top U.S. official says - in a change that deals a severe blow to an industry worth more than $3 million a year to Canada's North.

Famed Hollywood publicist Warren Cowan dead at 87

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:12:26 -0500

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Legendary Hollywood publicist Warren Cowan, whose clients included Ronald Reagan, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra, died at age 87 after a fight with cancer, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

California lifts gay marriage ban

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:43:35 -0500

California's top court overturns the state's ban on same-sex marriages in a ruling expected to reignite debate.

Interpol says Colombia did not tamper with files on seized rebel computers

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:39:00 -0500

Interpol said today it found no evidence of tampering in computers Colombia says it seized from a slain leftist rebel. The finding discredits Venezuelan assertions that the files are bogus and gives Colombia the international backing it sought.