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Toyota on top in latest Consumer Reports survey
DETROIT (AP) - And the winner is ... Japan. Japanese brands took the top seven spots in Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings, pushing aside their U.S. and European rivals. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion, Lexus and Toyota brands took the top three spots and the Toyota Prius C, a subcompact hybrid, got the best overall score. Mazda, Subaru, Honda and Acura were close behind. The rankings, released Monday, predict the reliability of 2013 model-year vehicles based ...
Images of the East Coast superstorm
A massive Hurricane Sandy lashed the Eastern United States with relentless rains and severe wind gusts and was expected to become an epic superstorm when it finally makes landfall in New Jersey and combines with two other weather systems.
Microsoft: Windows Phone to catch up in apps
NEW YORK (AP) - Microsoft launched a new version of its Windows Phone software with broad support from smartphone makers, cellphone carriers and app developers as the software company tries to position new Windows gadgets as strong alternatives to Apple and Android devices.
Crane collapses, dangles above NYC streets
NEW YORK (AP) - A construction crane atop a $1.5 billion luxury high-rise in midtown Manhattan collapsed in high winds Monday and dangled precariously, prompting plans for engineers and inspectors to climb 74 flights of stairs to examine it as a huge storm bore down on the city.
Japanese brands take top spots in reliability rankings
DETROIT (AP) - And the winner is ... Japan. Japanese brands took the top seven spots in Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings, pushing aside their U.S. and European rivals. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion, Lexus and Toyota brands took the top three spots and the Toyota Prius C, a subcompact hybrid, got the best overall score. Mazda, Subaru, Honda and Acura were close behind. The rankings, released Monday, predict the reliability of 2013 model-year vehicles ...
Police arrest driver in death of friend in N. California
REDDING, Calif. (AP) - Police say they arrested the 28-year-old driver of a van in the death of his friend, a passenger who was shot by another person in Northern California.
Refineries scale back as storm moves in; oil falls
The biggest refineries in the Northeast shut down or throttled back on Monday in advance of Hurricane Sandy, and oil prices fell sharply as it appeared the massive storm will reduce demand.
New approach lowers arrest rate of California ex-cons
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The rate at which California prison parolees commit new crimes has dropped slightly for the second straight year, according to a report released Monday, an improvement that corrections officials partly attribute to recent rehabilitation efforts.
Sandy unlikely to damage US economy, analysts say
WASHINGTON (AP) - Airlines canceled thousands of flights and stranded travelers. Insurers braced for damages of up to $5 billion. Retailers expected shrunken sales.
Taylor Swift to co-host Grammy nominations TV show
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Taylor Swift will co-host the Grammy nominations television special.
Images of the East Coast superstorm
A massive Hurricane Sandy lashed the Eastern United States with relentless rains and severe wind gusts and was expected to become an epic superstorm when it finally makes landfall in New Jersey sometime early evening Monday and combines with two other weather systems.
Hurricane Sandy grounds thousands of flights
NEW YORK (AP) - Hurricane Sandy grounded thousands of flights in the U.S. northeast Monday and upended travel plans across the globe, stranding passengers from Hong Kong to Europe. The massive storm threatens to bring a near halt to air travel for at least two days in a key region for both domestic and international flights.
Prowler at Cruise's home turns out to be neighbor
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say a security guard at Tom Cruise's Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion used a stun gun on a trespasser who turned out to be an intoxicated neighbor who may have mistakenly entered the property.
FBI: Crime reported to police fell last year
WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of violent crimes reported to police decreased 3.8 percent last year to 1.2 million, the fifth straight year of declines, the FBI announced Monday.
Syria truce collapse shows limits of diplomacy
BEIRUT (AP) - Syria's air force fired missiles and dropped barrel bombs on rebel strongholds while opposition fighters attacked regime positions Sunday, flouting a U.N.-backed cease-fire that was supposed to quiet fighting over a long holiday weekend but never took hold.
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Stocks keep sliding on weak data, Fed qualms
U.S. stocks continued a two-day slide Thursday on weak economic data and concern about the Federal Reserve's resolve to keep juicing the economy.
South Africa police replace top Pistorius investigator
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - Ahead of a judge's decision on whether to release Oscar Pistorius on bail, South African police on Thursday appointed a new chief detective in the murder case, replacing a veteran policeman who was himself charged with attempted murder.
Does Oscar crown await Affleck's 'Argo?'
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Nominations morning last month revealed major surprises for the Academy Awards, promising one of the most wide-open campaigns ever for Hollywood's highest honors.
Freed Afghan Taliban fighters return to insurgency
ISLAMABAD (AP) - At least half the Afghan Taliban recently freed from Pakistani prisons have rejoined the insurgency, a Pakistani intelligence official says, throwing into question the value of such goodwill gestures that the Afghan government requested to restart a flagging peace process.
Police: Hotel altercation sparked Vegas shooting
LAS VEGAS (AP) - The Las Vegas Strip became a scene of deadly violence early Thursday when someone in a black Range Rover opened fire on a Maserati at a stoplight, sending it crashing into a taxi that burst into flames, leaving three people dead and at least six injured.
Star Wars fans feel the force at lightsaber class
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A group of San Francisco Star Wars fans who want to travel to a galaxy not that far away have created a combat choreography class for Jedis-in-training with their weapon of choice: the lightsaber.
Obama considers weighing in on gay marriage case
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is quietly considering urging the Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on gay marriage, a step that would mark a political victory for advocates of same-sex unions and a deepening commitment by President Barack Obama to rights for gay couples.
BP civil settlement remains elusive as trial nears
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department and the five Gulf coast states affected by a massive oil spill nearly three years ago have indicated they would like to settle their environmental and economic claims with BP PLC ahead of a trial scheduled to start next week.
5 killed in Georgia plane crash
THOMSON, Ga. (AP) - Federal and local authorities were investigating Thursday after a small jet crashed off the end of a runway at a Georgia airport, killing five people and injuring two.
Officials probe death on L.A. hotel roof
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Canadian tourist Elisa Lam had been missing for about two weeks when officials at the historic Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles found her body in a water cistern on the hotel roof.
UPDATE: Snowstorm dumping on Midwest
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Much of the nation's heartland awoke Thursday to heavy snow, treacherous roads and a day off from work or school as a large, potentially dangerous winter storm pushed eastward out of the Rockies.
Official: Calif. gunman was loner, 'gamer'
TUSTIN, Calif. (AP) - The first of three people killed in a gunman's rampage was identified Wednesday as a 20-year-old woman but police did not know why she was in the home of the shooter, who lived with his parents and was described by authorities as a video game-playing loner.
Bolivia leader unable to visit Chavez at hospital
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Bolivian President Evo Morales said Wednesday that he was unable to meet with his friend and ally Hugo Chavez when he came to the military hospital in Caracas where the Venezuelan president is undergoing unspecified cancer treatment.
