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Harrison Ford injured on set of 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

Actor Harrison class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Ford was injured on the set of "Star Wars: Episode VII" on Thursday and taken to a hospital for treatment, a Disney representative said. _0"> class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Ford , 71, hurt his ankle while filming at Pinewood Studios, on the outskirts of London, Disney spokesman Paul Roeder said. Filming will continue on schedule while Ford recovers. The actor was taken to nearby John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Thames Valley Police said on its official Twitter feed that police responded to an incident where "a 71-year-old man was airlifted to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening." A second tweet said the mishap "is believed to have involved a garage door." Vanessa Davies, a unit publicist for the "Star Wars" film, said any reports that Ford suffered other injuries as well were untrue. The actor is reprising his role as Han Solo in the highly

Comic Tracy Morgan, injured in crash, is improving, publicist says

Comedian Tracy Morgan, badly injured in a weekend highway crash, is showing signs of improvement in a New Jersey hospital where he remains in critical condition, his publicist said on Thursday. The pileup on the New Jersey Turnpike early on Saturday killed comedian James "Jimmy Mack" McNair and injured Morgan and three others in their limousine van. Morgan, 45, best known for roles on "30 Rock" and "Saturday Night Live," suffered injuries including a broken leg, nose and ribs and was hospitalized at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey.   true       "Today was a better day. While Tracy remains in critical, but stable, condition, he continues to show signs of improvement," publicist Lewis Kay said in a statement. "His medical team remains optimistic that his recovery is progressing," Kay said. Morgan's fiance, Megan Wollover, is with him, Kay said. A Georgia truck driver pleaded not guilty on W

Election system needs an overhaul, but it's not that easy

Voters in Florida were still waiting to cast their ballots more than six hours after polls closed on Election Day, registered voters in Ohio were told they were not on voter rolls and new voter ID laws in Pennsylvania led to confusion at voting places. Election Day problems have become commonplace in the United States in recent general elections. But a comment by President class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Barack Obama offered a glimmer of hope that problems that have dogged voting for years might finally be addressed. In his election victory speech, made while some people still waited in line to cast ballots in Florida six hours after polls closed, Obama took a moment to point out that he was aware of problems with the electoral system.   true       "I want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether you voted for the very first time, or waited in line for a very long time," Obama said in Chicago. "By the way, we have to fix that.&quo

As tallying goes on, top Florida Democrat cheers Obama's win

The chairman of Florida's Democratic Party congratulated President class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Barack Obama on Thursday on winning the battleground state on Tuesday, while blasting the state's Republican governor for his handling of the election. _0"> "On behalf of Florida Democrats, I wish President class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Barack Obama congratulations on his re-election and on winning Florida's 29 electoral votes," said Rod Smith in a statement posted on the party's website. Vote counting in Florida continued on Thursday, with Obama holding a narrow 58,000 vote lead that Republican challenger class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Mitt Romney appeared unlikely to overturn.   true       If Obama's victory is confirmed, the Florida result would give the president 332 electoral college votes and 206 for Romney. The Republican Party in Florida has yet to officially concede the race, though one party strategist

Election blurring of church, state separation draws complaints

Political watchdog and secularist groups are asking the U.S. government to investigate whether Catholic bishops and a Christian evangelical group headed by preacher Billy Graham should lose tax breaks for telling followers how to vote in this year's election. Under constitutional protections of free speech and separation of church and state, churches are free to speak on any issue. But they risk losing tax breaks worth $145 billion in the past decade if they violate Internal Revenue Service rules by promoting or opposing any particular candidate. Other non-profits also have special tax status. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a political watchdog group, in its complaint to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, cited reports of individual bishops "abusing their positions to advocate against the election of President class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Barack Obama ."   true       The group's executive director, Melanie Sloan, said some bisho

Bruised by Romney criticism, Bain Capital thanks investors

Bain Capital LLC, the private equity firm co-founded by defeated presidential candidate class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Mitt Romney , thanked its investors on Thursday for their support and patience over the last year as it confronted "political hyperbole and distortion." Romney's bid for the White House led to a broad political attack on the private equity industry, which was accused of raiding companies and cutting jobs at a time of high unemployment and growing income inequality. "We are emerging from this unusual period in our firm's history as strong as ever, and with renewed conviction about how we add value to the marketplace and society as a whole," Bain's managing directors wrote in a letter to investors, which was first reported on by the Boston Globe and a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.   true       Bain became the object of political and media scrutiny after Romney cited his tenure as head of the firm - between 1984 and

Florida governor orders review of election laws after voting snafus

Florida Governor Rick Scott ordered his top elections official on Wednesday to figure out what caused long lines at polling stations and delays in ballot counting in the battleground state on Election Day. A week after Florida again made headlines for an election fiasco that forced voters to wait hours to cast ballots after polls closed and caused long delays in counting votes, Scott urged lawmakers to review recent changes to state election laws that critics say contributed to the problems. "Floridians should not have to wait several days for the results of a major presidential election to be tabulated because of the delays in a few counties when the majority of counties, including major metropolitan areas, have been counted," Scott said in a statement.   true       Scott, a Republican, has faced intense criticism over the delays and long lines. Last year, Scott backed a law passed by Florida's Republican-controlled Legislature that reduced the number of early voti