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AP Top News at 1:20 a.m. EST(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) S. Korean ferry captain gets 36 years in prisonSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court on Tuesday handed a 36-year prison sentence to the captain of a sunken ferry, saying he was professionally negligent and abandoned his passengers during the disaster in April that killed more than 300 people. The chief engineer got 30 years, and 13 other crew members were sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, Yonhap news agency and other South Korean media reported, citing the Gwangju District Court in southern South Korea. Obama calls for tougher Internet regulationWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday embraced a radical change in how the government treats Internet service, coming down on the side of consumer activists who fear slower download speeds and higher costs but angering Republicans and the nation's cable giants who say the plan would kill jobs. Obama called on the Federal Communications Commission to more heavily regulate Internet providers and treat broadband much as it would any other public utility. He said the FCC should explicitly prohibit Internet providers like Verizon and AT&T from charging data hogs like Netflix extra to move their content more quickly. The announcement sent cable stocks tumbling. China uses APEC to boost regional roleHUAIROU, China (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Asia-Pacific leaders Tuesday to strengthen trade ties at a summit Beijing is using to boost its role as a regional power with a flurry of trade and finance pacts. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Xi called for progress on a "road map" toward closer economic integration among the group's 21 member economies. They include 40 percent of the world's population and 60 percent of global economic output. Review: No cash, cards, just mobile pay for a weekNEW YORK (AP) — Attempt at your own risk: For an entire week, I left all my cash and credit cards at home to see how well wallet-free mobile services work in the real world. Apple Pay has gotten a lot of attention in recent weeks, but there are lots of other mobile-payment systems. Google Wallet uses a similar wireless technology called NFC, or near-field communication. Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts have apps that generate bar codes for their stores. A phone case called LoopPay mimics the signals produced by card swipes so you can pay with your phone just about anywhere credit cards are accepted — at least in theory. Assailants kill 1, wound 3 in Israel and West BankJERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian assailants carried out stabbing attacks Monday in Tel Aviv and the West Bank, police said, killing an Israeli woman and a soldier as a wave of Arab unrest appeared to be gaining strength. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a harsh response — a confrontational strategy that risks deepening weeks of turmoil that has shaken the country. Escaping the wealth gap can mean fleeing hometownsDANVILLE, Ill. (AP) — This Illinois city already was struggling when Tara Holycross and her friends were kids riding their bikes to Custard Cup, swimming at the park district pool and hanging out in the Wendy's parking lot. Manufacturers that provided thousands of well-paying, middle-class jobs — General Motors, General Electric, Hyster — were closing. Neighborhoods were crumbling. By the time Holycross graduated from high school in 2004, a city best known for its massive downtown grain elevator was scrambling to create new opportunities. US reviewing democracy work in hostile countriesWASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Monday it was reviewing some of its secretive democracy-promotion programs in hostile countries after The Associated Press reported that the nation's global development agency may effectively end risky undercover work in those environments. The proposed changes follow an AP investigation this year into work by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which established a Twitter-like service in Cuba and secretly sought to recruit a new generation of dissidents there while hiding ties to the U.S. government. The agency's proposed changes could move some of that work under America's diplomatic apparatus. US officials: More work needed on Iran nuke dealBEIJING (AP) — Two days of tough talks to limit Iran's nuclear program failed Monday to make major headway toward a final deal —a foreboding sign for years of negotiations that are set to expire in less than two weeks. U.S. officials resisted describing how much — or how little — progress was made during the high-level discussions in Oman among U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, European Union policy adviser Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Obama rejects notion of breakthrough with N. KoreaBEIJING (AP) — President Barack Obama is squelching speculation that the release of two Americans held in North Korea might pave the way for a new round of nuclear talks, saying the U.S. needs more than "small gestures" before reopening a high level of dialogue with Pyongyang. Shortly after Obama arrived in China, North Korea's neighbor and chief benefactor, the president made his first extensive public comments Monday on the hand-over of Americans Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller. The timing of the Americans' release raised questions about what message North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, might be trying to send the U.S. president while he is in the region. Arctic blast descends on Rockies, Upper MidwestPIERRE, S.D. (AP) — After the snow comes the cold. The Rockies and Upper Midwest were on Tuesday getting the first icy touch of arctic air flowing south, and the rest of the Midwest and the East can expect a dose later in the week with temperatures forecast as much as 40 degrees below average. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |