Politics

OSLO, June 18 (Reuters) - Taliban officials held secret negotiations in Norway over the past several months that played a significant role in the opening of the Taliban's office in Qatar, foreign minister Espen Barth Eide told state broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. The Afghan Taliban opened an office in Qatar on Tuesday to help restart talks on ending the 12-year-old war, saying it wanted a political solution that would bring about a just government and end foreign occupation. (Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Michael Roddy)More...

QUESTION: (Imagine the theme music.) You will need to scroll down to read the question for which the correct answer is ZERO.(And by the way, before you read the answer below... tell me after you have read it whether I am correct or not)More...

A new study released Sunday by British consumer research group Which? found that wedding vendors routinely charge more for their services when told they aree needed for a wedding, versus a "family party" on the same date with the same number of guests.While some clients feel like they're being ripped off by vendors who up their costs as soon as they hear the word "wedding," others believe that the the time and attention that go into prepping for a Big Day celebration justify the higher price tag.More...

In her latest segment for "The Daily Show," comedian Samantha Bee openly mocks an evangelical's claim that Christians are "bullied" by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.Airing on Monday, the segment features Boise, Idaho, pastor and radio host Matt Slick attempting to make the case that Christians are becoming victims.More...

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday 228 to 196 that prohibits women from having abortions 20 weeks after conception.The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, authored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), bans abortions after 20 weeks, based on the medically disputed theory that fetuses can feel pain at that point. It contains exceptions for women whose lives are in danger as well as some rape and incest victims who can prove that they reported their assaults to criminal authorities, but it contains no exceptions for severe fetal anomalies or situations in which the woman's health is threatened by her pregnancy.More...

"Breaking Bad" Season 5 marks the end of AMC's critically acclaimed drama, and as we draw closer to the debut of the final eight episodes, star Bryan Cranston took to Reddit to host an AMA and answer fans' burning questions about the end of the series.Read on to find out what we learned about "Breaking Bad" Season 5 and Cranston's experiences filming the show, direct from the man himself.More...

By Joy Stocke, cross-posted from Wild River Review"They say I am the prime minister of only 50 percent. It's not true. We have served the whole of the 76 million from the east to the west..." -Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoganMore...

A "gay lobby" at the Vatican? My first reaction to the leaking of the words of Pope Francis was, "If this Vatican 'gay lobby' is supposed to be working for me and the LGBT movement, we ought to fire them immediately!"As a graduate of a Roman Catholic seminary and an admirer of progressive Catholic theology, I am always fascinated by the tortured relationship of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy to its gay members and leaders, but these latest developments raise serious warning signs.More...

Who's on first? No one in a Mets uniform.Just when you thought that you had found the GIF to define the Mets' 2013 campaign, Matt Harvey and Lucas Duda combined to produce another inimitable moment of ineptitude at Turner Field on Tuesday afternoon.More...

It's bad enough when a sinkhole is merely fouling up D.C. traffic. This is much, much worse:BREAKING: Sinkhole swallows car in DC: http://t.co/I3iBZoIuRk— wusa9 (@wusa9) June 18, 2013More...