Cristiano Ronaldo may have lost out yet again to Lionel Messi in the race to be crowned the world's best footballer but he responded in the only way he knows how --by finding the net for Real Madrid.

U.S.A.

New-York-Ferry-Accident

As an 8 a.m. ferry made its final maneuvers across the Hudson River, Elizabeth Banta watched in horror as dozens of her fellow commuters were tossed like rag dolls into the air and against the ship's walls and windows. Packed with more than 300 passengers, the high-speed vessel crashed into a Lower Manhattan port near Wall Street on Wednesday, leaving dozens bloodied and in pain.

New-York-crane-collapse

A crane collapse at a construction site in Queens, New York, Wednesday afternoon injured seven, according to city fire officials. All of the injured appear to be construction workers, Department of Buildings spokesman Tony Sclafani said. Three were badly injured.

Colorado-Theater-Shooting

Two weeks before a bloody shooting rampage that killed 12 people at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater, suspect James Holmes apparently visited the cinema and took photographs of hallways and doors, a police detective testified on Wednesday.

US-Vermont-assault-rifle-ban-resolution

A resolution that has passed in the most populous city in Vermont could lead to a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. Burlington's City Council members voted 10-3 in favor of the resolution.

US-Alex-Jones-Profile

Conspiracies abound, Alex Jones will tell you. Bankers pull the strings on world governments to solidify their power. Companies are harming you and ducking responsibility. Antidepressants are "suicide mass murder pills." President Barack Obama is using drones against Americans. And the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, was engineered by the government. Now, he's attacking CNN host Piers Morgan, depicting the British native of being a "red coat" out to step on Americans' rights and calling for his deportation.

US-Same-Sex-Weddings

Same-sex couples will be able to tie the knot in Washington's National Cathedral this year, after measures allowing them to marry legally passed in three states during the general election -- including Maryland.

US-drunk-drive-blood-test

Alcohol-related car crashes kill about 10,000 people each year in the United States and law enforcement wants more flexibility to determine whether a suspected drunk driver is, indeed, over the limit. But the Supreme Court was clearly divided in oral arguments on Wednesday about whether police can obtain a blood test without a warrant to determine intoxication levels.

MED-international-health-report

Despite spending more per person on health care than any other country, Americans are getting sicker and dying younger than our international peers -- a problem persisting across all ages and both genders, according to a new report. In 2011, the National Research Council found life expectancy in the United States was increasing at a slower rate than in other high-income democracies. Shortly after, the NRC and Institute Of Medicine convened a panel of experts to investigate why. The panel was given 18 months

MED-US-Flu-Season

The flu has been spreading fiercely across the United States, with more than half of states reporting widespread activity. The season has started earlier, and cases are more severe than last year, health officials say. The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flu advisory report, which covers the week of December 23 to 29, suggests that 41 states have widespread influenza activity, which was an increase of 31 states from the previous week. The CDC will issue an update on the flu situation Friday.

MED-donor-study

Upon being identified as potential bone marrow or blood stem cell donors, many people choose not to participate. As result, patients with blood cancers go without life-saving treatments. About 40% of whites and 60% of nonwhites opt out of donating when contacted for confirmatory testing by blood sample, according to data from the National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match. Why? That's the question researchers attempted to answer in a recent study.

SPORT-Baseball-Hall-of-Fame

Baseball writers balked at naming any new players to the sport's Hall of Fame on Wednesday, with none of the 37 eligible players drawing enough votes for a ticket to Cooperstown.

SPORT-NHL-Deal-Board