In this undated image provided by NASA, Mars Rover Opportunity catches its own late-afternoon shadow in a view eastward across Endeavour Crater on Mars. The rover used a panoramic camera between about 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. local Mars time to record images taken through different filters and combined into this mosaic view. Most of the component images were recorded during the 2,888th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars, which corresponds to March 9, 2012 on Earth. The view is presented in false color to make some differences between materials easier to see, such as the dark sandy ripples and dunes on the crater's distant floor. Opportunity has been studying the western rim of Endeavour Crater since arriving there in August 2011. (AP ... Continue reading →
FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2012 file photo, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno speaks at the Pentagon. Uncle Sam may still want you. But you? Maybe not so much. In sharp contrast to the peak years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Army last year took in no recruits with misconduct convictions or drug and alcohol issues, according to internal documents. And soldiers already serving on active duty must meet tougher standards to stay on for another tour in uniform. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — Uncle Sam may not want you after all. In sharp contrast to the peak years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Army last year took in no recruits with misconduct convictions or ... Continue reading →
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today (times EDT): 1. AFGHANISTAN TAKES CENTER STAGE AT NATO SUMMIT At 10 a.m., Obama and fellow NATO leaders discuss their commitment to turning over combat missions to Afghan forces next year and ending the war in 2014. Chicago braces for more demonstrations. 2. A YEAR AFTER DEADLY TORNADO, A SPECIAL GRADUATION IN JOPLIN, MO. At 9:15 p.m., Obama delivers the commencement address for Joplin High seniors who attended classes in a shopping mall because their school was destroyed. Many are still waiting for their homes to be rebuilt. 3. SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS AT LEAST 38 SOLDIERS IN YEMEN'S CAPITAL Authorities say the bomber was a fellow soldier participating ... Continue reading →
BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) -- Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer who was the only person ever convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, died Sunday nearly three years after he was released from a Scottish prison to the outrage of the relatives of the attack's 270 victims. He was 60. Scotland released al-Megrahi on Aug. 20, 2009, on compassionate grounds to let him return home to die after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. At the time, doctors predicted he had only three months to live. Anger over the release was further stoked by the hero's welcome he received on his arrival in Libya - and by subsequent allegations that London had sought his release to preserve business interests in the oil-rich North African nation, ... Continue reading →
FORT JACKSON, S.C. (AP) — The first female commandant of the Army's elite drill sergeant school has bid a tearful farewell to supporters, students and fellow drill sergeants as she stepped down from her historic position. In a colorful passage-of-flag-ceremony at Fort Jackson Thursday, Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa King handed responsibility for the Army Drill Sergeant School to Command Sgt. Maj. Michael McCoy. The 50-year-old King says the past six months of being suspended from her position, and then being reinstated, amounted to very trying times. She says she still believes the Army is a great place to serve one's country. The Army never fully explained why it suspended her on Nov. 29, nor did it offer a full explanation when she was reinstated May ... Continue reading →
