The forgotten victims of gun violence

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, center, and other area officials call for stronger gun regulations at a news conference last week.STORY HIGHLIGHTSWhile America was mourning Newtown victims, guns were claiming lives elsewhere in U.S.Authors: Media focus on mass shootings, but continuing violence also needs coverageThey say inner cities suffer an epidemic of gun killings, and young are particularly vulnerableAuthors:...

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Man shot on Southwest Side in critical condition

A man in his 30s was shot in an alley east of California, south of 54th, around 10 p.m. Wednesday night. He's in critical...

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Mental illness, poverty haunted Afghan policewoman who killed American

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan policewoman suspected of killing a U.S. contractor at police headquarters in Kabul suffered from mental illness and was driven to suicidal despair by poverty, her children told Reuters on Wednesday. The woman was identified by authorities as Narges Rezaeimomenabad, a 40-year-old grandmother and mother of three who moved here from Iran 10 years ago and married...

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Yen falls, Nikkei surges as Japan gets a new government

TOKYO (Reuters) - The yen fell to a 20-month low against the dollar on Wednesday, buoying the benchmark Nikkei stock average to nine-month highs, as Japan swore in a new prime minister eager to pursue drastic stimulus steps to drive the country's economy out of deflation. Asian shares and other assets were capped in thin holiday trade, with investors focusing on the fate of U.S. negotiations...

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Lakers beat Knicks 100-94 to get to .500

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The pieces of the puzzle that have been the Lakers' confounding season so far are starting to fall into place.Kobe Bryant engineered a second-half comeback, the defense stepped up, and Los Angeles beat the New York Knicks 100-94 on Tuesday, extending its winning streak to five games."We're .500," a smiling Dwight Howard said. "We did it on Christmas, too. I knew this day would come."Bryant...

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Tornado touches down in downtown Mobile, Alabama; damage reported

MOBILE, Alabama (Reuters) – A tornado hit downtown Mobile, Alabama at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.NWS observing program leader Gene Jacobi of the service’s Mobile office said it had confirmed reports of a tornado, but did not yet know its size.Local media reports are describing property damage, downed trees and power lines, and widespread power outages. (Reporting...

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Shootings across city wound at least 3 on Christmas

Police outside the crime scene on 69th Street, where an 18-year-old man was shot before midnight on Christmas. ...

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Egypt approves constitution drafted by Mursi allies

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian voters overwhelmingly approved a constitution drafted by President Mohamed Mursi's allies, results announced on Tuesday showed, proving that liberals, leftists and Christians have been powerless to halt the march of Islamists in power. Final elections commission figures showed the constitution adopted with 63.8 percent of the vote in the referendum held over...

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Yen on defensive on U.S. fiscal worry, helps Nikkei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Uncertainty over whether U.S. lawmakers will strike a deal by an end-of-year deadline to avert a severe fiscal retrenchment undermined the yen and bolstered Japanese shares on Tuesday in low volume, with many participants away on Christmas holiday. The dollar rose to a 20-month high of 84.965 yen early on Tuesday in Asia, as Japanese markets caught up with global investors...

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Pagano back to coach Colts after cancer treatment

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Chuck Pagano stepped to the podium Monday, hugged his team owner, thanked his family for its support and wiped a tear from his eye.He might, finally, turn out the lights in his office, too.Nearly three months to the day after being diagnosed with leukemia, the Colts' first-year coach returned to a team eager to reunite with a boss healthy enough to go back to work."I told you my...

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