Friday Poll: Which 'Star Wars' character should get the first spin-off film?

Will your favorite character get a spin-off?(Credit:Lucasfilm)First, Disney bought Lucasfilm and "Star Wars" fans everywhere had mixed feelings. Then, a rumor became reality as J.J Abrams signed on to direct the next "Star Wars" movie. Now, almost everybody is feeling hopeful about the future of the franchise. To put a cherry on the sci-fi sundae, we've now been told that a series of character spin-off...

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Bratton on "chilling" memento ex-LAPD cop sent to network

(CBS News) More than a dozen local, state, and federal authorities have joined the three-state manhunt for Christopher Dorner, the ex-LAPD officer suspected of killing three people in a vendetta against the police force. Thursday afternoon, the search shifted to the snowy mountains around Big Bear Lake, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, where police found his burned-out pickup truck and tracks...

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Monster Blizzard Takes Aim at Northeast

A blizzard of possibly historic proportions is set to strike the Northeast, starting today and bringing up to 2 feet of snow and strong winds that could shut down densely populated cities such as Boston and New York City.A storm from the west will join forces with one from the south to form a nor'easter that will sit and spin just off the East Coast, affecting more than 43 million...

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Violence mars funeral of slain Tunisian opposition leader

TUNIS (Reuters) - Police and mourners clashed at the mass funeral on Friday of secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid, whose assassination has plunged Tunisia deeper into political crisis. Braving chilly rain, at least 50,000 people turned out to honor Belaid in his home district of Jebel al-Jaloud in the capital, chanting anti-Islamist and anti-government slogans. It was...

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US trade gap shrinks to S$38.5b in December

WASHINGTON: The US trade deficit shrank more than expected in December, to $38.5 billion, as imports dropped sharply, Commerce Department data released on Friday showed.The trade shortfall was well below the average analyst estimate of $45.4 billion and followed three months of widening deficits.The Commerce Department revised November's reading down to $48.6.In December, exports totalled...

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Sprint's coming identity shift offers hope

Sprint's flagship store in the Flatiron Building in Manhattan.(Credit:CNET/Marguerite Reardon)Sprint Nextel is in for a massive overhaul.The nation's third-largest wireless carrier will finally rid itself of the Nextel albatross -- both the service and the name -- by the end of the first half. It will merge with SoftBank, giving it access to cash to speed its network deployment. It will also acquire...

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Winter nor'easter sweeping into Northeast

A major snowstorm is passing through the Great Lakes Thursday morning, and by Friday night could make travel nearly impossible in parts of the Northeast. CBS News weather consultant David Bernard says there is a potential for historic snows and blizzard conditions across the Northeast, with as much as 2 feet of snow in some areas. The National Weather Service says this nor'easter-type storm system...

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Ex-LA Cop Sought in Shootings of 3 Cops, 2 Slayings

Police in Southern California say they suspect that a fired cop is connected to the shootings -- one fatal -- of three police officers this morning, as well as the weekend slayings of an assistant women's college basketball coach and her fiancé in what cops believe are acts of revenge against the LAPD, as suggested in the suspect's online manifesto.Former police officer Christopher...

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Khamenei rebuffs U.S. offer of direct talks

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday slapped down an offer of direct talks made by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden this week, saying they would not solve the problem between them. "Some naive people like the idea of negotiating with America, however, negotiations will not solve the problem," Khamenei said in a speech to officials and members of...

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WP's Low says government driving with "upside down" population road map

SINGAPORE: The Workers' Party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang on Thursday said that the Singapore Government was "driving with an upside down (population) road map".Mr Low, who is MP for Aljunid GRC, said that Singapore's low birth rate and ageing population were caused by a social and physical environment that is not conducive for family life. Therefore, solutions should focus on...

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