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| 11/05/2012
Blood Clot Risk Higher in Non-Oral Contraceptives
| | Women who use non-oral hormonal contraceptives, like patches and vaginal rings, may be at higher risk of blood clots than those who take oral forms birth control, according to a new Danish study published in the journal BMJ. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Insight: America's hatred of fat hurts obesity fight
| |  NEW YORK (Reuters) - One night when Lynn McAfee was 5 years old, her psychologically troubled mother left her at the side of a road as punishment for a now forgotten infraction. In the minutes before her mother's car returned, the terrified girl looked toward the nearby houses on the suburban Philadelphia street and wondered if she should walk over and ask for help. "But I didn't," said McAfee, 62, who is now the director of medical advocacy for the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination. "I didn't think anyone would want a fat child. ...
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| 11/05/2012
Rising inequality threatening African growth: report
| |  ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Rising inequality across Africa could curtail the continent's economic gains, a leading think-tank said on Friday, warning governments they risked instability unless unemployment and hunger were tackled. In its annual report, the Africa Progress Panel lauded the continent's growth, saying 70 percent of Africa's total population now lived in countries that have recorded growth rates of more than four percent in the last decade. ...
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| 11/05/2012
Alzheimer's research fraud case set for trial
| | BOSTON (Reuters) - Two Harvard teaching hospitals and a prominent Alzheimer's disease researcher accused of using falsified data to obtain a government research grant are set to stand trial after a federal appeals court said this week that a lower court erred when it dismissed the case. The lawsuit accuses Marilyn Albert, a former professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where she was conducting research, of submitting a grant application based on manipulated data. ... > more |
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| 11/05/2012
FDA Panel Gives Blessing to New Weight-Loss Drug
| | THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday recommended approval of the weight-loss medication lorcaserin, even though concerns remain about cardiovascular side effects. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Whooping cough epidemic declared in Wash. state
| | Washington state's worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades has prompted health officials to declare an epidemic, seek help from federal experts and urge residents to get vaccinated amid worry that cases of the highly contagious disease could spike much higher. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
MSF decries inaction on Nigeria lead poisoning
| | ABUJA (Reuters) - Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) decried on Friday a lack of action by Nigeria's government to tackle a lead poisoning epidemic that has killed 400 children and poisoned ten times as many near a gold mine. The ministers of mines, environment and health were scheduled to attend a two-day conference on the lead poisoning in northern Nigeria's remote Zamfara state organised by MSF ending on Thursday. None of them showed up. ... > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Blood test may help identify kids' smoke exposure: study
| | (Reuters) - More than half of the children who took part in a study on exposure to cigarette smoke tested positive for such exposure, despite only a handful of their parents admitting to lighting up, according to a U.S. study. Parents may think their children are exposed only if they're around someone actively smoking a cigarette, or are unaware of where else their children may be breathing in smoke - but a blood test may help identify and reduce smoke exposure, said researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. ... > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Is Combining Hysterectomy and a Tummy Tuck Safe?
| | FRIDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that combining two very different surgeries -- a hysterectomy and a tummy tuck -- is relatively safe, with no major complications seen in 65 women who had both procedures at the same time. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
New Weight-Loss Drug Shows Promise in Trial
| | THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- A new weight-loss drug that is awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration showed promising results in a recent international trial, researchers report. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
FDA Advisers Back Pill to Help Prevent HIV Infection
| | THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers on Thursday endorsed the use of the drug Truvada as a means to help prevent HIV infection in healthy people at high risk of contracting the AIDS-causing virus. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Induced Labor Late in Pregnancy Has Pros, Cons
| | THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- Inducing labor after a woman has been pregnant for more than 37 weeks can reduce an infant's risk of death before, during or shortly after birth without increasing the need for cesarean delivery, a new study says. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Availability of Beds, Poverty Drive Costly Hospital Readmissions
| | FRIDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- Regions of the United States with lots of hospital beds and a large population of lower-income patients tend to have higher hospital readmission rates than regions with fewer beds and a more affluent, healthier population, new research finds. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
FDA advisers recommend approving weight loss drug
| | Advisers to government health regulators late Thursday recommended that they approve sales of what would be the first new prescription weight-loss drug in the U.S. in more than a decade, despite concerns over cardiac risks. > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Industry defends ingredient critics deride as 'meat glue'
| | CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. meat industry has defended an additive that critics have called "meat glue," saying the enzymes are safe, natural and not being used to deceive consumers. Recent reports have highlighted how meat processors use the enzymes, formally known as transglutaminase and beef fibrin, to bind smaller cuts of beef and pork and form consistently sized, uniformly shaped larger steaks. The U.S. Agriculture Department says the enzymes, which are also used in imitation crabmeat and some pasta and dairy products, must be listed on the ingredient label of anything containing them. ... > more |
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| 11/05/2012
After abuse investigation, kids often remain at risk
| | NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who remain at home after an abuse investigation are often still facing risk factors for maltreatment a few years later, a new study finds. In the U.S., states' Child Protective Services (CPS) investigate more than three million new cases of possible child abuse each year. In a small percentage of cases -- less than 10 percent -- the child will be placed into foster care. A number of studies have looked into how children fare in the foster-care system. But a lot less has been known about that vast majority of kids who remain at home. ... > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Birth defects linked to childhood cancer: study
| | NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study suggests children born with a range of birth defects are at an increased risk of developing certain childhood cancers, especially during their first year of life. The cancers, however, are generally rare and the study cannot say one condition causes the other -- just that there is a link. The finding "does sort of point to a global relationship to whatever is driving birth defects and what is driving childhood cancers," said Susan Carozza, a cancer researcher at Oregon State University in Corvallis. ... > more |
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| 11/05/2012
Japan faces 'extinction' in 1,000 years
| |  Japanese researchers on Friday unveiled a population clock that showed the nation's people could theoretically become extinct in 1,000 years because of declining birth rates.
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| 11/05/2012
US panel gives nod to new obesity drug
| |  A panel of experts onThursday urged US regulators to approve what could be the first new anti-obesity drug on the market in more than a decade -- Lorcaserin, made by Arena Pharmaceuticals.
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| 07/05/2012
Flashy, fiery Sarkozy fades from French scene
| |  When Nicolas Sarkozy bounded up the steps of France's presidential palace in jogging shorts and shoes on his first day in office five years ago, many French instantly sensed they were in for something new.
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| 07/05/2012
Candidates against austerity lead in Italian vote
| | Several candidates opposed to austerity measures were making a strong showing Monday in partial results from Italy's local elections — the first nationwide test for Premier Mario Monti since he was named to save Italy from its debt crisis. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Initial efforts for Greek coalition gov't fail
| |  The leader of the Greek conservative party that gained the most votes in parliamentary elections said Monday his efforts to form a coalition government with other parties had failed, raising the possibility of a new election next month.
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| 07/05/2012
US, EU urge Iran to ease world nuclear concerns
| | The United States and Europe urged Iran on Monday to use upcoming talks with world powers to ease international worry that it may be aiming to develop nuclear arms, but Tehran said such concerns were based on "fake evidence" concocted to cause it political and economic harm. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
New video of US aid worker kidnapped in Pakistan
| |  A 70-year-old American aid worker kidnapped nine months ago in Pakistan said in a video released by al-Qaida that he will be killed unless President Barack Obama agrees to the militant group's demands. The White House called for his immediate release.
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| 07/05/2012
Syrians vote in election dismissed as a sham
| |  Syrians voted in parliamentary elections Monday that the government praised as a milestone in promised political reforms, but the opposition boycotted the polls and said they were designed to strengthen President Bashar Assad's grip on power.
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| 07/05/2012
Al-Qaida surprise attack kills 22 Yemeni soldiers
| |  Al-Qaida militants staged a surprise attack Monday on a Yemeni army base in the south, killing 22 soldiers and capturing 25 just hours after a U.S. drone strike killed a senior figure in the terror network wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.
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| 07/05/2012
Putin sworn in as Russia's president for 6 years
| |  Vladimir Putin took the oath of office in a brief but regal Kremlin ceremony on Monday, while on the streets outside thousands of helmeted riot police prevented hundreds of demonstrators from protesting his return to the presidency.
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| 07/05/2012
Syria says many vote in assembly election, opposition denounces "show"
| |  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria's government said voters turned out in large numbers on Monday for a parliamentary election it sees as central to its reform program, but opposition supporters denounced the exercise as a sham and reported more fighting between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. In Washington, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the unrelenting bloodshed "totally unacceptable and intolerable." Ban said it was a priority for the United Nations to deploy a mission to supervise a ceasefire as soon as possible and he called on all factions to stop the violence. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Markets, Germany wary as Hollande wins in France
| |  PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande's election as French president was greeted by jitters on European markets and a dour front in Berlin where ruling conservatives warned the Socialist on Monday that Germans were not ready to pay for his promises of an end to austerity. With investors spooked by Greek voters' rejection of parties which slashed budgets to secure an EU/IMF bailout, festivities in Paris after Hollande defeated centre-right incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday soon gave way to a grim sense of getting down to the business of dealing with Europe's deep economic crisis. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Putin pledges unity on return to Kremlin, protesters held
| |  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin took the oath as Russia's president on Monday with a ringing appeal for unity at the start of a six-year term in which he faces growing dissent, economic problems and bitter political rivalries. Parliament is expected to approve to his ally Dmitry Medvedev, 46, as prime minister on Tuesday, completing a job swap that has left many Russians feeling disenfranchised two decades after the Soviet Union collapsed. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Attempt to form Greece government fails after shock poll
| |  ATHENS (Reuters) - A first attempt to form a new Greek government collapsed in less than a day on Monday after a shock election which left gaping questions over the country's ability to avert bankruptcy and stay in the euro. Greeks enraged by the terms of international bailouts which have cut wages, sent unemployment to one of the highest levels in Europe and caused a spate of suicides, deserted mainstream parties in droves in Sunday's poll, plunging their country into uncertainty. ...
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands
| |  DUBAI (Reuters) - An American aid worker abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan last year has pleaded with U.S. President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm. In the short clip posted on Islamist Internet forums, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in the central Pakistani city of Lahore last August, appealed to Obama to "accept and respond to the mujahideen (holy warriors)". "My life is in your hands, Mr. President. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Simulated sex featured at ex-Italy PM party: trial
| |  MILAN (Reuters) - Young women simulated oral sex with a Greek statue at a party hosted by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, a witness said on Monday at a trial where he is accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute. Chiara Danese, a 20-year-old beauty contest winner, had tears in her eyes as she told a Milan court that Berlusconi asked the women to play sex games with a nude statue of the ancient fertility god Priapus. "He touched the girls while they simulated oral sex with the statue," shesaid. ...
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| 07/05/2012
EU tells defiant Iran it "must" suspend atom activity
| |  VIENNA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union told Iran on Monday it must suspend uranium enrichment, a few days after the Islamic state ruled out doing just that, as Tehran and the West engaged in diplomatic shadow-boxing ahead of nuclear talks this month. The United States called on Iran to take "urgent practical steps" to build confidence during negotiations with world powers on Tehran's nuclear program, which Washington and its allies suspect is a bid to develop an atomic bomb capability. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Head of Irish church apologizes to sex abuse victims
| | DUBLIN (Reuters) - The head of the Irish Catholic Church apologized on Monday to victims of sexual abuse but rejected calls to resign after a TV documentary reported the cleric failed to warn parents their children were being sexually abused by a priest in 1975. The documentary, broadcast by Britain's BBC on Tuesday, said child victim Brendan Boland gave Cardinal Sean Brady the names and addresses of children being abused by pedophile Brendan Smyth during a Church investigation but Brady failed to act to ensure their safety. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Italians reject Monti's austerity in local vote
| |  ROME (Reuters) - A maverick comic who wants Italy to quit the euro made big gains in local elections on Monday while former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's party lost heavily as voters joined a wave of anti-austerity anger across Europe and punished incumbent parties. The results, following the victory of French Socialist Francois Hollande and major losses for traditional big parties in Greece on Sunday, will add to pressure for European leaders to ease measures adopted to counter the financial crisis. ...
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| 07/05/2012
At least 32 Yemen troops killed in militant attack
| |  ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Islamist gunmen killed at least 32 government soldiers on Monday when they stormed a military position in southern Yemen where militants control broad swathes of territory, a military official said. Yemen has a seen a surge in violence in the south since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February, prompting the government to respond with air strikes and the United States with drones that target militants. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Old feud appears to sink Obama's Fed nominees
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's two nominees to the Federal Reserve appear likely to fall victim to a long-running political feud, which would leave the central bank short-handed as it struggles with tough regulatory and monetary policy questions. Republican Senator David Vitter has demanded that the Senate hold a debate before any vote on the nominees, which would require Democratic leaders to muster a super majority to move forward - a hurdle that may be too high to clear. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Leading Colombian drug kingpin turns himself in
| | BOGOTA (Reuters) - A Colombian suspected of running a violent cocaine cartel, one of the country's most-wanted men, has surrendered to U.S. drug officials and could get a lighter sentence if he helps authorities fight drug trafficking, Colombian police said on Monday. Javier Antonio Calle, for whom the U.S. government was offering a $5-million reward, turned himself in to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on the Caribbean island of Aruba and was flown to New York on Friday, authorities said. "As a result of ... ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Education secretary adds support to gay marriage
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said on Monday that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, following a similar comment from Vice President Joe Biden the day before. The views of Duncan and Biden contrast with that of President Barack Obama, who has said he is "evolving" on the issue of gay marriage. Duncan was asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program if he believes same-sex couples should legally be allowed to wed. "Yes, I do," he said. Asked if he had ever stated his position before, Duncan said, "I don't think I've ever been asked publicly. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
House Republicans target social cuts to shield military
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the House of Representatives on Monday will fire their first shots of the next deficit-reduction battle, advancing legislation to cut nearly $380 billion largely from social programs while protecting defense spending. The cuts to food stamps, child tax credits and Medicaid healthcare for the poor, among others, are certain to stall in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But they stake out Republicans' negotiating stance on replacing $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that are due to take effect in January. ...
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| 07/05/2012
NFL star Junior Seau remembered in surfing ceremony
| |  OCEANSIDE, California (Reuters) - Hundreds of surfers paid their respects to Junior Seau on Sunday with a "paddle-out" ceremony in the Pacific, just beyond the beachfront home where the football great and avid surfer committed suicide at age 43. The death of Seau, a longtime player for the San Diego Chargers, was a blow to residents of that city where the retired linebacker was viewed as a successful native son who gave generously to his community. Seau shot himself in the chest with a revolver on Wednesday in the bedroom of his house in Oceanside, just north of San Diego, police said. ...
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| 07/05/2012
California suicide kit maker, 93, gets probation for tax offense
| |  SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A 93-year-old woman who made headlines by selling suicide kits from her California home was placed on five years of supervised probation on Monday and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for a tax-related offense stemming from her mail-order business. Sharlotte Hydorn, a great-grandmother and retired science teacher, pleaded guilty in December to a misdemeanor charge of failing to file federal income tax returns from 2007 through 2010, a period during which investigators said at least seven customers used her kits to kill themselves. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Dog food salmonella recall expanded in U.S., Canada
| |  (Reuters) - Diamond Pet Foods has expanded a recall of its dry dog food, taking precautionary steps after several of its brands were linked to an outbreak of a rare strain of salmonella poisoning that infected at least 14 people in nine states. The company said it was now pulling a total of nine brands of its dry dog food from the shelves. In April, it began the recall by pulling three brands. The salmonella cases were found in humans who may have had contact with dogs or dog foods prior to their illness. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Divided Congress likely to agree on student loans
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One way or another, the Congress seems certain to prevent a low interest rate for federal student loans from doubling on July 1, aides and analysts say, largely because lawmakers do not want to rile young voters before the November 6 elections. Yet it remains unclear how - or even if - Congress will pay for a one-year-renewal of the 3.4 percent rate for about 7.4 million students, which would cost about $6 billion. ...
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands
| | DUBAI (Reuters) - An American aid worker abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan last year has pleaded with U.S. President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm. In the short clip posted on Islamist Internet forums, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in the central Pakistani city of Lahore last August, appealed to Obama to "accept and respond to the mujahideen (holy warriors)". "My life is in your hands, Mr. President. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Madoff trustee now seeks $255 million from family
| |  (Reuters) - Members of Bernard Madoff's family were hit with an expanded $255.3 million lawsuit, saying they should have caught the patriarch's Ponzi scheme and must return the benefits to victims. Irving Picard, the trustee seeking money for Madoff's victims, said family members who worked at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC were "completely derelict" in ensuring that the investment firm's operations were legal. The lawsuit adds three former spouses of Madoff's sons as defendants. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Soldier who died during Skype chat was not shot: Army
| |  (Reuters) - An Army captain who collapsed and died in Afghanistan while communicating with his wife over Skype was not shot and his body showed no immediate evidence of trauma beyond minor abrasions, an Army spokesman said on Monday. The Virginia-based U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) said its investigation into Captain Bruce Clark's May 1 death is continuing. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Bodies found in disappearance of Tennessee mother, daughters
| |  TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - Authorities investigating the disappearance of a Tennessee mother and her three daughters on Sunday said they had uncovered two bodies at the Mississippi home of a suspect, but they did not identify those bodies. Officials said they could not confirm if the bodies belonged to either the mother or her daughters, because they were awaiting the results of an autopsy. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Parents of two drowned Duck Boat riders fight liability cap
| |  PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A maritime law cap on liability should not apply in the case of two Hungarian students who died visiting Philadelphia when a barge struck their tourist Duck Boat, lawyers for their parents said on Sunday. Szabolcs Prem, 20, and fellow student Dora Schwendtner, 16, drowned in the Delaware River in July 2010, after the collision between the two boats, which occurred in full view of Philadelphia's bustling Center City. Thirty-five other passengers on the duck boat survived. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Biden 'absolutely comfortable' with gay marriage
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday he was "absolutely comfortable" with allowing same-sex couples to marry, staking out a position on a hot-button social issue that appeared to differ from that of his boss, President Barack Obama. In an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Biden was pressed on whether the Obama administration would seek to legalize gay marriage in a second White House term. He said he personally was open to the change. "The president sets the policy. ...
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| 07/05/2012
George Lindsey, Goober in "The Andy Griffith Show," dead at 83
| |  (Reuters) - Actor George Lindsey, who played bumbling Goober Pyle on the 1960s TV series "The Andy Griffith Show," died on Sunday. He was 83. Lindsey died in Nashville, Tennessee, after a brief illness, according to a statement from the Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home. Lindsey was asked in 1962 to audition for the role of a gas station attendant named Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show," but lost the part to actor Jim Nabors. Two years later, when Nabors' portrayal of Gomer Pyle became so popular that a spin-off program was created, Lindsey was cast as Gomer's cousin Goober Pyle. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Greening New York's most iconic skyscraper
| |  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Empire State Building has long been a signature feature of Manhattan's skyline. But owners of the iconic edifice, planning a $1 billion initial public offering, hope to convince investors and tenants that it's what's on the inside that really counts. The 81-year-old New York tower has undergone a massive, 3-year makeover designed to cut energy use, modernize office suites, and attract tenants willing to shoulder higher rents. Building owners and key suppliers on Monday will detail the energy savings they've achieved so far. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Last defendant in Florida hazing death turns herself in
| | The last of 11 people charged in the death of a Florida A&M University drum major turned herself in on Sunday, state officials said. Lasherry Codner, 20, surrendered to local authorities at the Orange County Jail in Florida, said a statement from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. "We began contacting (her family) on Thursday and she turned herself in today," said Gretl Plessinger, a spokeswoman for the department. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. prosecutors say ready for long haul in 9/11 case
| |  GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Prosecutors and defense attorneys for five defendants in the September 11 attacks dug in on Sunday for a long legal battle that one lawyer said may never be resolved. The military tribunal is not expected to start for almost another year and if Saturday's 13-hour arraignment was an accurate preview, the trial will be chaotic and drawn out with continuing disputes about torture and whether a military trial is appropriate. The defendants on Saturday refused to enter pleas and demanded a full reading of the charges against them. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Body found at Churchill Downs hours after Derby
| | (Reuters) - Police opened a homicide investigation in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday after a man's body was found in a barn behind Churchill Downs, just hours after the Kentucky Derby was run at the track. Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said authorities received a call at about 5 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Sunday reporting a body found in a barn not far from where I'll Have Another, the horse that won Saturday's race, was stabled. She said police had determined foul play was involved and were investigating the death as a homicide. The cause of death would be determined by the coroner, she said. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
FBI investigating Arizona Neo-Nazi before shooting
| |  PHOENIX (Reuters) - The neo-Nazi founder of an anti-immigrant border militia was already the subject of an FBI domestic terrorism probe before he went on a shooting rampage and killed four people, officials and news reports said on Saturday. The Arizona Republic newspaper said federal agents seized numerous computers and munitions from the Phoenix valley home where white supremacist Jason Todd "J.T." Ready is believed to have killed his girlfriend and three others on Wednesday following a domestic dispute, before shooting himself. ...
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. prosecutors say ready for long haul in 9/11 case
| | GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors and defense attorneys for five defendants in the September 11 attacks dug in on Sunday for a long legal battle that one lawyer said may never be resolved. The military tribunal is not expected to start for almost another year and if Saturday's 13-hour arraignment was an accurate preview, the trial will be chaotic and drawn out with continuing disputes about torture and whether a military trial is appropriate. The defendants on Saturday refused to enter pleas and demanded a full reading of the charges against them. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Teen accused of fatally stabbing 4-year-old cousin
| | INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - A 14-year-old girl found covered in blood on an Indianapolis street was charged on Sunday with murdering her 4-year-old cousin, police said. Indianapolis police accuse the 14-year-old girl of stabbing to death her cousin, Leon Thomas III. The boy was killed on Saturday night at an apartment where his 11-year-old sister and his grandparents were also present, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police spokesman Kendale Adams said in a statement. Police did not identify the girl because she is a juvenile. Authorities did not release any additional details about the case. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Black farmers' quest for justice draws to a close
| |  BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - After decades of discrimination and years of legal wrangling, black American farmers are rushing to beat a May 11 deadline to file racial discrimination claims against the U.S. Department of Agriculture over its lending practices. Many of them missed an earlier deadline to file claims for part of what has become a $1.25 billion settlement resulting from a 2008 federal farm bill and subsequent congressional action. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Connecticut Senate passes medical marijuana bill
| | HARTFORD, Connecticut (Reuters) - The Connecticut Senate passed a bill on Saturday legalizing marijuana use for medical purposes with tight restrictions aimed at avoiding problems that have plagued some of the 16 other states where pot is now legal. After nearly 10 hours of debate, the Senate voted 21-13 in favor of the measure, which already cleared the House. Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy was expected to sign the bill. Once he does, Connecticut will join 16 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing use of marijuana to treat sick patients. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Ohio court reverses $2 billion judgment against Ford
| |  (Reuters) - The Ohio Court of Appeals reversed a $2 billion judgment against Ford Motor Co this week and ordered a new trial for a group of dealers who said the No. 2 U.S. automaker overcharged them for commercial trucks over an 11-year period. In its Thursday ruling, the appeals court said the contract at the heart of the dealers' class-action suit was "ambiguous." It also said evidence submitted by Ford was wrongly excluded. "We hold that the trial court abused its discretion in excluding Ford's mitigating evidence at the damages trial," the court said in its ruling. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Two American hikers jailed in Iran wed in California
| | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two of the three American hikers jailed in Iran after allegedly straying over the Iraq-Iran border in 2009 were to be married on Saturday in a private ceremony in California, according to a statement posted on their Facebook page. The wedding of Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd completes an engagement that began when Bauer tied a ring of thread around her finger while they were in prison in 2010. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Salmonella linked to dog food, sickens at least 14 people
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An outbreak of a rare strain of salmonella poisoning linked to dog food has infected at least 14 people in nine states, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention said. Diamond Pet Foods produced the dry dog food at a South Carolina plant. The company voluntarily recalled three dry dog food products last month, the CDC said in a statement on Thursday. Infections were reported from October 8, 2011, to April 22, and five people were hospitalized. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
North Carolina may hand setback to gay marriage push
| | RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - Efforts to legalize gay marriage have met success in several U.S. states this year but could experience a setback on Tuesday if North Carolina voters decide to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages and civil unions. Same-sex marriage is illegal in North Carolina. But the state has stood out as the only one in the Southeast that has not passed a constitutional amendment solidifying such a ban. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
More Penn State child sex abuse accusers: defense
| |  (Reuters) - There may be more accusers than originally thought in the Penn State University scandal involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who has been charged with sexually abusing 10 boys, according to court filings. Sandusky attorney Joseph Amendola, in legal papers filed on Thursday in Common Pleas Court in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, made a reference to "accusers 11 through 17 as well as 18 through an unknown number." Sandusky, 68, is charged with 52 counts of sexual abuse involving 10 boys, identified only as Victims 1-10. ...
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| 07/05/2012
House Republicans target social cuts to shield military
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the House of Representatives on Monday will fire their first shots of the next deficit-reduction battle, advancing legislation to cut nearly $380 billion largely from social programs while protecting defense spending. The cuts to food stamps, child tax credits and Medicaid healthcare for the poor, among others, are certain to stall in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But they stake out Republicans' negotiating stance on replacing $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that are due to take effect in January. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Dog food salmonella recall expanded in U.S., Canada
| | (Reuters) - Diamond Pet Foods has expanded a recall of its dry dog food, taking precautionary steps after several of its brands were linked to an outbreak of a rare strain of salmonella poisoning that infected at least 14 people in nine states. The company said it was now pulling a total of nine brands of its dry dog food from the shelves. In April, it began the recall by pulling three brands. The salmonella cases were found in humans who may have had contact with dogs or dog foods prior to their illness. ...
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| 07/05/2012
California suicide kit maker, 93, gets probation for tax offense
| | SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A 93-year-old woman who made headlines by selling suicide kits from her California home was placed on five years of supervised probation on Monday and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for a tax-related offense stemming from her mail-order business. Sharlotte Hydorn, a great-grandmother and retired science teacher, pleaded guilty in December to a misdemeanor charge of failing to file federal income tax returns from 2007 through 2010, a period during which investigators said at least seven customers used her kits to kill themselves. ...
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands
| | DUBAI (Reuters) - An American aid worker abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan last year has pleaded with U.S. President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm. In the short clip posted on Islamist Internet forums, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in the central Pakistani city of Lahore last August, appealed to Obama to "accept and respond to the mujahideen (holy warriors)". "My life is in your hands, Mr. President. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Leading Colombian drug kingpin turns himself in
| | BOGOTA (Reuters) - A Colombian suspected of running a violent cocaine cartel, one of the country's most-wanted men, has surrendered to U.S. drug officials and could get a lighter sentence if he helps authorities fight drug trafficking, Colombian police said on Monday. Javier Antonio Calle, for whom the U.S. government was offering a $5-million reward, turned himself in to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on the Caribbean island of Aruba and was flown to New York on Friday, authorities said. "As a result of ... ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Education secretary adds support to gay marriage
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said on Monday that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, following a similar comment from Vice President Joe Biden the day before. The views of Duncan and Biden contrast with that of President Barack Obama, who has said he is "evolving" on the issue of gay marriage. Duncan was asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program if he believes same-sex couples should legally be allowed to wed. "Yes, I do," he said. Asked if he had ever stated his position before, Duncan said, "I don't think I've ever been asked publicly. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Madoff trustee now seeks $255 million from family
| | (Reuters) - Members of Bernard Madoff's family were hit with an expanded $255.3 million lawsuit, saying they should have caught the patriarch's Ponzi scheme and must return the benefits to victims. Irving Picard, the trustee seeking money for Madoff's victims, said family members who worked at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC were "completely derelict" in ensuring that the investment firm's operations were legal. The lawsuit adds three former spouses of Madoff's sons as defendants. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Soldier who died during Skype chat was not shot: Army
| | (Reuters) - An Army captain who collapsed and died in Afghanistan while communicating with his wife over Skype was not shot and his body showed no immediate evidence of trauma beyond minor abrasions, an Army spokesman said on Monday. The Virginia-based U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) said its investigation into Captain Bruce Clark's May 1 death is continuing. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Old feud appears to sink Obama's Fed nominees
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's two nominees to the Federal Reserve appear likely to fall victim to a long-running political feud, which would leave the central bank short-handed as it struggles with tough regulatory and monetary policy questions. Republican Senator David Vitter has demanded that the Senate hold a debate before any vote on the nominees, which would require Democratic leaders to muster a super majority to move forward - a hurdle that may be too high to clear. ...
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| 07/05/2012
App designed to help parents find missing children
| | TORONTO (Reuters) - It's a parent's worst nightmare. Their child doesn't come home one evening and is missing for several days. When a 14-year-old boy from Atlanta, Georgia disappeared earlier this year, his mother turned to her smartphone for clues using an app called Family Tracker that helped track his location. It is one of several apps that allow parents to track the whereabouts of their children. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Babe Ruth's suburban Boston home for sale
| |  The suburban Boston home where Babe Ruth lived after he had been sent to the New York Yankees is for sale, and the asking price is more than Ruth made in his entire playing career.
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| 07/05/2012
Hugo Chavez looks to God as cancer clouds future
| |  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has spent much of his career praising the socialist ideas of famed atheists such as Karl Marx and Fidel Castro. Now in the thick of a prolonged battle against cancer, however, the leftist leader is drawing inspiration from a spiritual leader: Jesus Christ.
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| 07/05/2012
Candidates against austerity lead in Italian vote
| | Several candidates opposed to austerity measures were making a strong showing Monday in partial results from Italy's local elections — the first nationwide test for Premier Mario Monti since he was named to save Italy from its debt crisis. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands
| | DUBAI (Reuters) - An American aid worker abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan last year has pleaded with U.S. President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm. In the short clip posted on Islamist Internet forums, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in the central Pakistani city of Lahore last August, appealed to Obama to "accept and respond to the mujahideen (holy warriors)". "My life is in your hands, Mr. President. ...
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Ill. official pleads not guilty to stealing $53M
| |  The former comptroller of a small northern Illinois city pleaded not guilty Monday to charges alleging she stole more than $53 million of the public's money to fund a lavish lifestyle and create one of the nation's foremost horse-breeding operations.
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| 07/05/2012
New video of US aid worker kidnapped in Pakistan
| | A 70-year-old American aid worker kidnapped nine months ago in Pakistan said in a video released by al-Qaida that he will be killed unless President Barack Obama agrees to the militant group's demands. The White House called for his immediate release.
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| 07/05/2012
Syrians vote in election dismissed as a sham
| | Syrians voted in parliamentary elections Monday that the government praised as a milestone in promised political reforms, but the opposition boycotted the polls and said they were designed to strengthen President Bashar Assad's grip on power.
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| 07/05/2012
Paris and Athens give Brussels a policy headache
| | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Pity Europe's policymakers. For 2-1/2 years they have sought a way out of the biggest crisis to strike the European project since its founding over 50 years ago, and for 2-1/2 years one drama after another has stumped them. Whenever a glimmer of light has appeared at the end of the tunnel, darkness descends again in the shape of a political upheaval, financial market turmoil, or an unforeseen snag such as Finland demanding collateral for bailout loans. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama views balanced approach best for Europe: White House
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama views a balanced approach between fiscal consolidation and efforts to boost growth as the best solution to the European debt crisis, which continues to be a headwind facing the U.S. economy, the White House said on Monday. "Our economy continues to face some headwinds and the euro zone crisis is one of them," said White House press secretary Jay Carney in response to questions on the Sunday election of Francois Hollande as president of France. Hollande has promised an end to European austerity policies. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Credible debt reduction plans essential: IMF's Lagarde
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The world's advanced economies must take steps to cut their huge public debt, but the right mix of policies will vary by country, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Monday. "The most important element is to lay out a credible medium-term plan to lower debt," Lagarde said in the prepared text of a speech delivered in Zurich. "Without such a plan, countries will be forced to make an even bigger adjustment soon. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Bankia chief Rato steps down as Spain readies bailout
| | MADRID (Reuters) - Rodrigo Rato stepped down on Monday as chairman of ailing Spanish lender Bankia SA, helping to clear the way for a rescue plan that the government hopes will persuade international investors of the country's financial stability. The former IMF chief departed from Bankia as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy opened the door to using public funds for helping troubled banks, after previously ruling this out, striving to overhaul a sector that threatens the country's finances and ultimately the euro zone. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Anti-austerity ballot backlash rattles euro zone
| |  ATHENS/PARIS (Reuters) - An anti-austerity backlash by voters in Greece and France shook the euro zone on Monday, causing jitters for the euro currency and stock markets amid deepening doubts about whether Greece has a future in the single currency area. Greece, where Europe's sovereign debt crisis began in 2009, plunged into turmoil after a general election boosted far-left and far-right splinter groups, stripping mainstream parties that back a painful EU/IMF bailout of their parliamentary majority. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Video of crash opens Pa. trial in duck boat deaths
| | Video footage played Monday at the opening of a trial stemming from the boat crash that killed two Hungarian tourists shows the teenage girl killed in the collision toss a deckhand her life jacket moments before the doomed vessel is driven under by an unmanned barge. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
US, EU urge Iran to ease world nuclear concerns
| | The United States and Europe urged Iran on Monday to use upcoming talks with world powers to ease international worry that it may be aiming to develop nuclear arms, but Tehran said such concerns were based on "fake evidence" concocted to cause it political and economic harm. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Top Chesapeake holder to stay open to buyout bids
| |  (Reuters) - Southeastern Asset Management, the largest shareholder in Chesapeake Energy Corp, urged the natural gas company to remain open to potential acquisition offers despite the large gap between its share price and net asset value (NAV). In a letter to Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon, Southeastern acknowledged the "dangers of opening such conversations" as the company struggles with concerns about McClendon's business dealings, on top of the low natural gas prices that threaten the entire industry. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Grandmom: Teen accused in stabbing loved boy, 4
| | The grandmother of a 14-year-old girl arrested in the fatal stabbing of her 4-year-old cousin said Monday she's devastated by the child's death and dumbfounded because the teenager loved and doted on the little boy. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Abbott Labs agrees to pay $1.5B over Depakote
| | Abbott Laboratories has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $1.5 billion over allegations that it promoted the anti-seizure drug Depakote for uses that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Evidence in CA homeless man's death airs in court
| | Evidence is being presented to a judge who will decide whether two California police officers should stand trial on charges of killing a mentally ill homeless man they stopped while investigating a report of car burglaries. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
German finance minister says France committed to fiscal pact
| | BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Monday the election of Francois Hollande as French president would not change France's commitment to budget consolidation and Paris and Berlin would continue to work well together. "Each country can make its own decisions about how it wants to manage its budget, whether it wants to raise taxes and spend more," Schaeuble told broadcaster ZDF. "But the fiscal policy framework, the deficit reduction has been agreed and France will stick to this just as Germany will. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Socialists key for future Serbian government
| |  The Serbian party founded by late strongman Slobodan Milosevic emerged on Monday as potential kingmakers, after general elections in which neither the pro-EU nor nationalist camps clinched clear victory.
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| 07/05/2012
IFC, MasterCard Foundation partner in Africa
| | The World Bank partner devoted to developing the private sector and The MasterCard Foundation will spend millions of dollars so more impoverished Africans can get loans and other financial services, officials said Monday. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Evidence in homeless man's death to air in court
| |  A judge is expected to weigh whether there's enough evidence to proceed with a trial for two California police officers charged with the beating death of a mentally ill homeless man in a case that spawned a federal civil rights probe and fueled weeks of protests by Fullerton residents.
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| 07/05/2012
Police probing mysterious Churchill Downs death
| |  Investigators are trying to uncover clues in the mysterious death of a track worker whose body was found in a horse stable just a matter of hours after I'll Have Another was crowned champion of the Kentucky Derby.
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| 07/05/2012
Israeli spy flick reimagines Dubai killing
| |  The brazen 2010 assassination of a Hamas operative in Dubai, in which Israel's spy agency was accused, unfurled like a spy movie thriller — and in fact much of it was caught on camera. Now an Israeli movie plays it as a spy caper, complete with a sly seductress played by Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli.
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| 07/05/2012
EU nations get cold feet over climate change fund
| | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU nations have yet to come up with a plan on how to fill a multi-billion euro fund to help tackle climate change, even as the region's executive body hosts talks with countries likely to bear the brunt of extreme weather. The European Union recommitted to providing 7.2 billion euros for the fund over 2010-12, according to draft conclusions seen by Reuters ahead of a meeting of EU finance ministers next week. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
It's a gas: dinosaur flatulence may have warmed Earth
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major new climate finding, researchers have calculated that dinosaur flatulence could have put enough methane into the atmosphere to warm the planet during the hot, wet Mesozoic era. Like gigantic, long-necked, prehistoric cows, sauropod dinosaurs roamed widely around the Earth 150 million years ago, scientists reported in the journal Current Biology on Monday. And just like big cows, their plant digestion was aided by methane-producing microbes. ...
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Austria’s ‘upside down house’ becomes tourist attraction
| | The western Austrian village of Terfens has unveiled a house that is literally upside down, both on the inside and out. The house was designed by two Polish architects, Irek Glowacki and Marek Rozanski, and is meant to serve as a tourist attraction. The house is open for public viewing and includes an upside down [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
4 high-tech ways the government is spying on citizens
| | One of the running jokes in the 1980s was how the former Soviet Union spied on its private citizens. As comedian Yakov Smirnoff used to joke: "In Soviet Russia, TV watches you!" But here in America, we were all safe from … Continue reading → > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Iran alters missile image to include ‘Star Wars’ character
| | Iran's Mehr News Agency used a blatantly altered image to illustrate a story downplaying its ballistic missile test program. The Atlantic Wire first reported on the digitally enhanced image--which includes the "Star Wars" character Jar Jar Binks--after it was published Friday on the agency's website. As Atlantic Wire pointed out, Friday was also the day [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Still no suspect in mysterious Kentucky Derby death
| | Police still do not have any suspects in the mysterious death of a horse groomer whose body was found inside a barn at the Kentucky Derby on Sunday, just yards away from this year's winner at Churchill Downs. Police are interviewing and seeking possible witnesses in the case of Adan Fabian Perez, a 48-year-old Guatemalan [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
France bids adieu to First Lady Carla, bonjour to Valerie
| | As France bids "adieu" to Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, supermodel-singer Carla Bruni, a new fascinating female steps into the role of France's "premiere dame." Here, some facts about Valerie Trierweiler. 1. The divorced mother of three is the companion of newly elected president Francois Hollande. This will make her the first unmarried "first lady" [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Ron Paul wins Maine, Nevada delegates. But what does it mean?
| |  Ron Paul has become a footnote in the Republican presidential primary after failing to win first place in any state nominating contest and significantly trailing Mitt Romney in the the overall delegate count. But the Texas congressman still keeps racking up delegates across the country.
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| 07/05/2012
Axelrod: Romney tried to ‘roll back’ gay-marriage laws
| |  As top aides to President Barack Obama struggled to contain the fallout from Vice President Joe Biden's comments on gay marriage over the weekend, one of the president's top re-election strategists criticized Mitt Romney's position on the issue.
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| 07/05/2012
Obama ad takes ‘don’t blame me’ tone on economy
| |  President Barack Obama's campaign released a new ad on Monday that takes aim squarely at his greatest vulnerability: the sour economy. The ad emphasizes that the president inherited the financial disaster when he took office and insists that, thanks to his policies, "we're coming back." The minute-long message, dubbed "Go," will air in Virginia, Pennsylvania, [...]
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| 07/05/2012
Obama’s gay marriage balancing act gets awkward
| |  Ever since Vice President Joe Biden appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday and described his own journey to accepting gay marriage, President Obama's campaign has been insisting that Biden's comments are "entirely consistent" with Obama's own position on the issue.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Putin pledges unity while police round up protesters
| |  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin took the oath as Russia's president on Monday with a ringing appeal for unity at the start of a six-year term in which he faces growing dissent, economic problems and bitter political rivalries.
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| 07/05/2012
Ron Paul wins Maine, Nevada delegates. But what does it mean?
| | Ron Paul has become a footnote in the Republican presidential primary after failing to win first place in any state nominating contest and significantly trailing Mitt Romney in the the overall delegate count. But the Texas congressman still keeps racking up delegates across the country.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Axelrod: Romney tried to ‘roll back’ gay-marriage laws
| | As top aides to President Barack Obama struggled to contain the fallout from Vice President Joe Biden's comments on gay marriage over the weekend, one of the president's top re-election strategists criticized Mitt Romney's position on the issue.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama ad takes ‘don’t blame me’ tone on economy
| | President Barack Obama's campaign released a new ad on Monday that takes aim squarely at his greatest vulnerability: the sour economy. The ad emphasizes that the president inherited the financial disaster when he took office and insists that, thanks to his policies, "we're coming back." The minute-long message, dubbed "Go," will air in Virginia, Pennsylvania, [...]
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Putin pledges unity while police round up protesters
| | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin took the oath as Russia's president on Monday with a ringing appeal for unity at the start of a six-year term in which he faces growing dissent, economic problems and bitter political rivalries.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama’s gay marriage balancing act gets awkward
| | Ever since Vice President Joe Biden appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday and described his own journey to accepting gay marriage, President Obama's campaign has been insisting that Biden's comments are "entirely consistent" with Obama's own position on the issue.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
It's a gas: dinosaur flatulence may have warmed Earth
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major new climate finding, researchers have calculated that dinosaur flatulence could have put enough methane into the atmosphere to warm the planet during the hot, wet Mesozoic era. Like gigantic, long-necked, prehistoric cows, sauropod dinosaurs roamed widely around the Earth 150 million years ago, scientists reported in the journal Current Biology on Monday. And just like big cows, their plant digestion was aided by methane-producing microbes. ...
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
4 high-tech ways the government is spying on citizens
| | One of the running jokes in the 1980s was how the former Soviet Union spied on its private citizens. As comedian Yakov Smirnoff used to joke: "In Soviet Russia, TV watches you!" But here in America, we were all safe from … Continue reading → > more |
|
| 07/05/2012
Austria’s ‘upside down house’ becomes tourist attraction
| | The western Austrian village of Terfens has unveiled a house that is literally upside down, both on the inside and out. The house was designed by two Polish architects, Irek Glowacki and Marek Rozhanski, and is meant to serve as a tourist attraction. The house is open for public viewing and includes an upside down [...] > more |
|
| 07/05/2012
France bids adieu to First Lady Carla, bonjour to Valerie
| | As France bids "adieu" to Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, supermodel-singer Carla Bruni, a new fascinating female steps into the role of France's "premiere dame." Here, some facts about Valerie Trierweiler. 1. The divorced mother of three is the companion of newly elected president Francois Hollande. This will make her the first unmarried "first lady" [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Still no suspect in mysterious Kentucky Derby death
| | Police still do not have any suspects in the mysterious death of a horse groomer whose body was found inside a barn at the Kentucky Derby on Sunday, just yards away from this year's winner at Churchill Downs. Police are interviewing and seeking possible witnesses in the case of Adan Fabian Perez, a 48-year-old Guatemalan [...] > more |
|
| 07/05/2012
Iran alters missile image to include ‘Star Wars’ character
| | Iran's Mehr News Agency used a blatantly altered image to illustrate a story downplaying its ballistic missile test program. The Atlantic Wire first reported on the digitally enhanced image--which includes the "Star Wars" character Jar Jar Binks--after it was published Friday on the agency's website. As Atlantic Wire pointed out, Friday was also the day [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
What killed Lenin? Stress didn't help, poison eyed
| |  Stress, family medical history or possibly even poison led to the death of Vladimir Lenin, contradicting a popular theory that a sexually transmitted disease debilitated the former Soviet Union leader, a UCLA neurologist said Friday.
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| 07/05/2012
NASA Budget Woes Paint Bleak Future for Earth Science
| |  A new report on the state of NASA's Earth sciences program warns that future Earth-observing missions could be in jeopardy due to tightening budgets, launch failures, and changing mission priorities that may force projects to be delayed or cancelled outright.
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| 07/05/2012
Scientists "switch off" brain cell death in mice
| |  LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have figured out how to stop brain cell death in mice with brain disease and say their discovery deepens understanding of the mechanisms of human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. British researchers writing in the journal Nature said they had found a major pathway leading to brain cell death in mice with prion disease, the mouse equivalent of Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD). They then worked out how to block it, and were able to prevent brain cells from dying, helping the mice live longer. ...
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| 07/05/2012
Scientists "switch off" brain cell death in mice
| | LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have figured out how to stop brain cell death in mice with brain disease and say their discovery deepens understanding of the mechanisms of human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. British researchers writing in the journal Nature said they had found a major pathway leading to brain cell death in mice with prion disease, the mouse equivalent of Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD). They then worked out how to block it, and were able to prevent brain cells from dying, helping the mice live longer. ... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
It's a gas: dinosaur flatulence may have warmed Earth
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major new climate finding, researchers have calculated that dinosaur flatulence could have put enough methane into the atmosphere to warm the planet during the hot, wet Mesozoic era. Like gigantic, long-necked, prehistoric cows, sauropod dinosaurs roamed widely around the Earth 150 million years ago, scientists reported in the journal Current Biology on Monday. And just like big cows, their plant digestion was aided by methane-producing microbes. ...
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
It's a gas: dinosaur flatulence may have warmed Earth
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major new climate finding, researchers have calculated that dinosaur flatulence could have put enough methane into the atmosphere to warm the planet during the hot, wet Mesozoic era. Like gigantic, long-necked, prehistoric cows, sauropod dinosaurs roamed widely around the Earth 150 million years ago, scientists reported in the journal Current Biology on Monday. And just like big cows, their plant digestion was aided by methane-producing microbes. ...
> more |
|
| 07/05/2012
It's a gas: dinosaur flatulence may have warmed Earth
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major new climate finding, researchers have calculated that dinosaur flatulence could have put enough methane into the atmosphere to warm the planet during the hot, wet Mesozoic era. Like gigantic, long-necked, prehistoric cows, sauropod dinosaurs roamed widely around the Earth 150 million years ago, scientists reported in the journal Current Biology on Monday. And just like big cows, their plant digestion was aided by methane-producing microbes. ...
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Chile Quake&Tsunami Dramatically Altered Ecosystems
| |  The earthquake and tsunami that rocked Chile in 2010 unleashed substantial and surprising changes on ecosystems there, yielding insights on how these natural disasters can affect life and how sea level rise might affect the world, researchers say.
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| 07/05/2012
Doggy Daydreams: Brain Scans Reveal Fido's Thoughts
| |  Fido's expressive face, including those longing puppy-dog eyes, may lead owners to wonder what exactly is going on in that doggy's head. Scientists decided to find out, using brain scans to explore the minds of our canine friends.
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| 07/05/2012
Hall of Fame Space Shuttle Astronauts Humbled by Heroes' Welcome
| |  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame welcomed three new space travelers into its ranks Saturday (May 5), honoring a spacewalker who tied the record for the most space missions, the military's highest ranking astronaut, and a former chief of the NASA astronaut corps.
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| 07/05/2012
Dying Stars Caught Eating Rocky Alien Planets
| |  Astronomers have caught four dying stars in the act of chowing down on rocky alien planets similar to Earth, a destructive cosmic process that may one day play out in our very own solar system, Â a new study reveals.
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| 07/05/2012
As Japan shuts down nuclear power, emissions rise
| |  The Fukushima crisis is eroding years of Japanese efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming, as power plants running on oil and natural gas fill the electricity gap left by now-shuttered nuclear reactors.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
It's a gas: dinosaur flatulence may have warmed Earth
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major new climate finding, researchers have calculated that dinosaur flatulence could have put enough methane into the atmosphere to warm the planet during the hot, wet Mesozoic era. Like gigantic, long-necked, prehistoric cows, sauropod dinosaurs roamed widely around the Earth 150 million years ago, scientists reported in the journal Current Biology on Monday. And just like big cows, their plant digestion was aided by methane-producing microbes. ...
> more |
|
| 07/05/2012
4 high-tech ways the government is spying on citizens
| | One of the running jokes in the 1980s was how the former Soviet Union spied on its private citizens. As comedian Yakov Smirnoff used to joke: "In Soviet Russia, TV watches you!" But here in America, we were all safe from … Continue reading → > more |
|
| 07/05/2012
Austria’s ‘upside down house’ becomes tourist attraction
| | The western Austrian village of Terfens has unveiled a house that is literally upside down, both on the inside and out. The house was designed by two Polish architects, Irek Glowacki and Marek Rozanski, and is meant to serve as a tourist attraction. The house is open for public viewing and includes an upside down [...] > more |
| |
| 07/05/2012
Still no suspect in mysterious Kentucky Derby death
| | Police still do not have any suspects in the mysterious death of a horse groomer whose body was found inside a barn at the Kentucky Derby on Sunday, just yards away from this year's winner at Churchill Downs. Police are interviewing and seeking possible witnesses in the case of Adan Fabian Perez, a 48-year-old Guatemalan [...] > more |
|
| 07/05/2012
Iran alters missile image to include ‘Star Wars’ character
| | Iran's Mehr News Agency used a blatantly altered image to illustrate a story downplaying its ballistic missile test program. The Atlantic Wire first reported on the digitally enhanced image--which includes the "Star Wars" character Jar Jar Binks--after it was published Friday on the agency's website. As Atlantic Wire pointed out, Friday was also the day [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
France bids adieu to First Lady Carla, bonjour to Valerie
| | As France bids "adieu" to Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, supermodel-singer Carla Bruni, a new fascinating female steps into the role of France's "premiere dame." Here, some facts about Valerie Trierweiler. 1. The divorced mother of three is the companion of newly elected president Francois Hollande. This will make her the first unmarried "first lady" [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Ron Paul wins Maine, Nevada delegates. But what does it mean?
| | Ron Paul has become a footnote in the Republican presidential primary after failing to win first place in any state nominating contest and significantly trailing Mitt Romney in the the overall delegate count. But the Texas congressman still keeps racking up delegates across the country.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Axelrod: Romney tried to ‘roll back’ gay-marriage laws
| | As top aides to President Barack Obama struggled to contain the fallout from Vice President Joe Biden's comments on gay marriage over the weekend, one of the president's top re-election strategists criticized Mitt Romney's position on the issue.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama ad takes ‘don’t blame me’ tone on economy
| | President Barack Obama's campaign released a new ad on Monday that takes aim squarely at his greatest vulnerability: the sour economy. The ad emphasizes that the president inherited the financial disaster when he took office and insists that, thanks to his policies, "we're coming back." The minute-long message, dubbed "Go," will air in Virginia, Pennsylvania, [...]
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Putin pledges unity while police round up protesters
| | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin took the oath as Russia's president on Monday with a ringing appeal for unity at the start of a six-year term in which he faces growing dissent, economic problems and bitter political rivalries.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama’s gay marriage balancing act gets awkward
| | Ever since Vice President Joe Biden appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday and described his own journey to accepting gay marriage, President Obama's campaign has been insisting that Biden's comments are "entirely consistent" with Obama's own position on the issue.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
It's a gas: dinosaur flatulence may have warmed Earth
| | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major new climate finding, researchers have calculated that dinosaur flatulence could have put enough methane into the atmosphere to warm the planet during the hot, wet Mesozoic era. Like gigantic, long-necked, prehistoric cows, sauropod dinosaurs roamed widely around the Earth 150 million years ago, scientists reported in the journal Current Biology on Monday. And just like big cows, their plant digestion was aided by methane-producing microbes. ...
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| 07/05/2012
4 high-tech ways the government is spying on citizens
| | One of the running jokes in the 1980s was how the former Soviet Union spied on its private citizens. As comedian Yakov Smirnoff used to joke: "In Soviet Russia, TV watches you!" But here in America, we were all safe from … Continue reading → > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Austria’s ‘upside down house’ becomes tourist attraction
| | The western Austrian village of Terfens has unveiled a house that is literally upside down, both on the inside and out. The house was designed by two Polish architects, Irek Glowacki and Marek Rozhanski, and is meant to serve as a tourist attraction. The house is open for public viewing and includes an upside down [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Iran alters missile image to include ‘Star Wars’ character
| | Iran's Mehr News Agency used a blatantly altered image to illustrate a story downplaying its ballistic missile test program. The Atlantic Wire first reported on the digitally enhanced image--which includes the "Star Wars" character Jar Jar Binks--after it was published Friday on the agency's website. As Atlantic Wire pointed out, Friday was also the day [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
France bids adieu to First Lady Carla, bonjour to Valerie
| | As France bids "adieu" to Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, supermodel-singer Carla Bruni, a new fascinating female steps into the role of France's "premiere dame." Here, some facts about Valerie Trierweiler. 1. The divorced mother of three is the companion of newly elected president Francois Hollande. This will make her the first unmarried "first lady" [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Still no suspect in mysterious Kentucky Derby death
| | Police still do not have any suspects in the mysterious death of a horse groomer whose body was found inside a barn at theKentucky Derby on Sunday, just yards away from this year's winner at Churchill Downs. Police are interviewing and seeking possible witnesses in the case of Adan Fabian Perez, a 48-year-old Guatemalan [...] > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Ron Paul wins Maine, Nevada delegates. But what does it mean?
| | Ron Paul has become a footnote in the Republican presidential primary after failing to win first place in any state nominating contest and significantly trailing Mitt Romney in the the overall delegate count. But the Texas congressman still keeps racking up delegates across the country.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Axelrod: Romney tried to ‘roll back’ gay-marriage laws
| | As top aides to President Barack Obama struggled to contain the fallout from Vice President Joe Biden's comments on gay marriage over the weekend, one of the president's top re-election strategists criticized Mitt Romney's position on the issue.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama ad takes ‘don’t blame me’ tone on economy
| | President Barack Obama's campaign released a new ad on Monday that takes aim squarely at his greatest vulnerability: the sour economy. The ad emphasizes that the president inherited the financial disaster when he took office and insists that, thanks to his policies, "we're coming back." The minute-long message, dubbed "Go," will air in Virginia, Pennsylvania, [...]
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Putin pledges unity while police round up protesters
| | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin took the oath as Russia's president on Monday with a ringing appeal for unity at the start of a six-year term in which he faces growing dissent, economic problems and bitter political rivalries.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama’s gay marriage balancing act gets awkward
| | Ever since Vice President Joe Biden appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday and described his own journey to accepting gay marriage, President Obama's campaign has been insisting that Biden's comments are "entirely consistent" with Obama's own position on the issue.
> more |
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| 07/05/2012
Anti-austerity ballot backlash rattles euro zone
| | ATHENS/PARIS (Reuters) - An anti-austerity backlash by voters in Greece and France shook the euro zone on Monday, causing jitters for the euro currency and stock markets amid deepening doubts about whether Greece has a future in the single currency.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Syria says many vote in assembly election, opposition denounces "show"
| | DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria's government said voters turned out in large numbers on Monday for a parliamentary election it sees as central to its reform program, but opposition supporters denounced the exercise as a sham and reported more fighting between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
UAE squeezes Islamist group on Arab Spring fringe
| | RAS AL-KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Morning prayers had just ended. Worshippers streamed out, squinting into the rising sun and paying no attention to the knot of men wearing the traditional white robes of the Gulf standing nearby.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Top Chesapeake holder to stay open to buyout bids
| | (Reuters) - Southeastern Asset Management, the largest shareholder in Chesapeake Energy Corp, urged the natural gas company to remain open to potential acquisition offers despite the large gap between its share price and net asset value (NAV).  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
US, EU urge Iran to ease world nuclear concerns
| | VIENNA (AP) -- The United States and Europe urged Iran on Monday to use upcoming talks with world powers to ease international worry that it may be aiming to develop nuclear arms, but Tehran said such concerns were based on "fake evidence" concocted to cause it political and economic harm.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Syrians vote in election dismissed as a sham
| | DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Syrians voted in parliamentary elections Monday that the government praised as a milestone in promised political reforms, but the opposition boycotted the polls and said they were designed to strengthen President Bashar Assad's grip on power.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Al-Qaida surprise attack kills 22 Yemeni soldiers
| | SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- Al-Qaida militants staged a surprise attack Monday on a Yemeni army base in the south, killing 22 soldiers and capturing 25 just hours after a U.S. drone strike killed a senior figure in the terror network wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands
| | DUBAI (Reuters) - An American aid worker abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan last year has pleaded with U.S. President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
New video of US aid worker kidnapped in Pakistan
| | ISLAMABAD (AP) -- A 70-year-old American aid worker kidnapped nine months ago in Pakistan said in a video released by al-Qaida that he will be killed unless President Barack Obama agrees to the militant group's demands. The White House called for his immediate release.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
US hostage video plea released
| | US hostage Warren Weinstein, seized in Pakistan in 2011, pleads for his life in a video posted to Islamist sites, a US monitoring group says. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
US hostage video plea released
| | US hostage Warren Weinstein, kidnapped last August in Pakistan, makes a plea for his life in a video posted to Islamist sites, a US monitoring group says. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
US hostage video plea released
| | US hostage Warren Weinstein, seized in Pakistan in 2011, pleads for his life in a video posted to Islamist sites, a US monitoring group says. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Candidates against austerity lead in Italian vote
| | ROME (AP) -- Several candidates opposed to austerity measures were making a strong showing Monday in partial results from Italy's local elections - the first nationwide test for Premier Mario Monti since he was named to save Italy from its debt crisis.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Markets, Germany wary as Hollande wins in France
| | PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande's election as French president was greeted by jitters on European markets and a dour front in Berlin where ruling conservatives warned the Socialist on Monday that Germans were not ready to pay for his promises of an end to austerity.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Greece, in Chaos, Faces Possible New Elections
| | A day after Greece?s two dominant parties collapsed at the polls, the leader of a center-right party said he had failed to form a coalition amid uncertainty about Greece?s staying power inside the euro zone.
 > more |
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| 07/05/2012
EU tells defiant Iran it "must" suspend atom activity
| | VIENNA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union told Iran on Monday it must suspend uranium enrichment, a few days after the Islamic state ruled out doing just that, as Tehran and the West engaged in diplomatic shadow-boxing ahead of nuclear talks this month.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Attorney: Donor knew money wasn't for Edwards' campaign
| | The attorney for a 101-year-old billionaire donor whose money is at the center of John Edwards' corruption trial told jurors Monday that his client knew the hundreds of thousands of dollars she gave the former U.S. presidential candidate was not a campaign contribution.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Amid Brazil?s Rush to Develop, Workers Resist
| | As the country moves to tap one of the world?s last great reserves of hydroelectric power, the Amazon basin, strikes and worker uprisings at the biggest projects are producing delays and cost overruns.
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| 07/05/2012
Middle-class talk back
| | Carol Costello talks to three middle-class Americans about their real-life concerns and issues as the election nears.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Cavendish angry at sprint crash
| | Britain's Mark Cavendish says a rival rider should be "ashamed" after he suffers a heavy fall during a sprint finish on the Giro d'Italia. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Thalidomide victims in grant plea
| | People affected by the drug thalidomide urge the government to agree to a permanent financial settlement to help meet their rising healthcare costs. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Thalidomide victims in grant plea
| | People affected by the drug thalidomide urge the government to agree to a permanent financial settlement to help meet their rising healthcare costs. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Initial efforts for Greek coalition gov't fail
| | ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- The leader of the Greek conservative party that gained the most votes in parliamentary elections said Monday his efforts to form a coalition government with other parties had failed, raising the possibility of a new election next month.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
China Opens Way for Dissident to Come to U.S.
| | Chinese officials will allow Chen Guangcheng to travel to the United States with his family, American officials said, but Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton cautioned that this case still unresolved.
 > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Hollande Defeats Sarkozy in France
| | François Hollande became the first Socialist president of France since 1981, but his victory over Nicolas Sarkozy will also be seen as a challenge to the policy of austerity in the euro zone.
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| 07/05/2012
Churchill Downs death probe yields no suspects
| | A medical examiner is investigating the death of a 48-year-old stable worker named Adan Fabian Perez, a Guatemala native discovered in the back of a barn at Churchill Downs one day after the storied Louisville racetrack hosted the Kentucky Derby.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Skype death soldier 'not shot'
| | A US Army nurse who died while on Skype with his wife was not shot, the Army says, after she insisted she saw a bullet hole behind him. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Election fears prove short-lived
| | European shares finish higher on Monday as investor concerns about government austerity plans following weekend election results proved short-lived. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Election fears prove short-lived
| | European shares finish higher on Monday as investor concerns about government austerity plans following weekend election results proved short-lived. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Attorney: Donor knew money wasn't for Edwards' campaign
| | The attorney for a 101-year-old billionaire donor whose money is at the center of John Edwards' corruption trial told jurors Monday that his client knew the hundreds of thousands of dollars she gave the former U.S. presidential candidate was not a campaign contribution.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Putin sworn in as Russia's president for 6 years
| | MOSCOW (AP) -- Vladimir Putin took the oath of office in a brief but regal Kremlin ceremony on Monday, while on the streets outside thousands of helmeted riot police prevented hundreds of demonstrators from protesting his return to the presidency.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Wife Describes Death of Army Nurse
| | An Army nurse deployed in Afghanistan showed no alarm or discomfort before suddenly collapsing during a Skype video chat with his wife, who saw a bullet hole in a closet behind him.
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| 07/05/2012
Japan shuts down last nuclear reactor
| | As Japan began its workweek Monday morning, the trains ran exactly on time, the elevators in thousands of Tokyo high rises efficiently moved between floors, and the lights turned on across cities with nary a glitch.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Abducted U.S. citizen asks Obama for help
| | A 70-year-old U.S. citizen kidnapped in Pakistan last year has made an emotional plea to President Barack Obama to meet al Qaeda's demands in order to save his life, according to a video released on several Islamist websites Sunday.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Abducted citizen asks Obama for help
| | A 70-year-old U.S. citizen kidnapped in Pakistan last year has made an emotional plea to President Barack Obama to meet al Qaeda's demands in order to save his life, according to a video released on several Islamist websites Sunday. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. man abducted in Pakistan: Meet al Qaeda's demand
| | A 70-year-old U.S. citizen kidnapped in Pakistan last year has made an emotional plea to President Barack Obama to meet al Qaeda's demands in order to save his life, according to a video released on several Islamist websites Sunday.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands
| | The Obama administration is aware of a video of an American hostage urging the president to meet al Qaeda demands so he is not killed, a senior State Department officialsaid Monday, but added that the United States "does not negotiate" for hostages.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Turkish clubs cleared of fixing
| | Turkey's Football Federation clears the country's top clubs of match-fixing, though a separate trial of 93 players and officials continues. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Turkish clubs cleared of fixing
| | Turkey's Football Federation clears the country's top clubs of match-fixing, though a separate trial of 93 players and officials continues. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Inquiry into Kentucky Derby death
| | A murder investigation is under way in the US city of Louisville after the body of a Guatemalan man is found in a barn at the Kentucky Derby racetrack. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
School becomes sanctuary
| | Syrian civilian victims of the shelling in Homs find risky shelter in a converted school. CNN's Arwa Damon reports.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
'Massacre' families seek inquiry
| | Malaysians seeking an inquiry into the 1948 killing of villagers by UK troops say their relatives were killed in a "cold-blooded mass murder". > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Olympic boat takes to the water
| | An Olympic boat created using 1,200 pieces of donated wood, including Jimi Hendrix's guitar and a section of Brighton's West Pier, is launched in Hampshire. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Syrians vote amid boycott calls
| | Syrians are voting in what the government says are the first multi-party elections in decades, but the opposition dismisses them as a sham. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Syrians vote amid boycott calls
| | Syrians are voting in what the government says are the first multi-party elections in decades, but the opposition dismisses them as a sham. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
ERs don't close health care gap
| | Aaron Carroll says those opposed to health care reform like to point to the common belief that no one can be denied care in the emergency room. That's not close to true.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
'The Avengers' smashes records
| | "The Avengers" have conquered America -- for one weekend, at least. The super hero smorgasbord featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and The Hulk brought in $200.3 million its opening weekend in 4,300 U.S. theaters to smash the previous domestic record for any movie's first three days, Walt Disney Studios said Sunday in a press release.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Flashy, fiery Sarkozy fades from French scene
| | PARIS (AP) -- When Nicolas Sarkozy bounded up the steps of France's presidential palace in jogging shorts and shoes on his first day in office five years ago, many French instantly sensed they were in for something new.... > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Councillor's EDL Twitter apology
| | A Bournemouth councillor apologises and suspends herself from the Conservative Party after saying only the English Defence League "sticks up for the English". > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Indian court backs sex change op
| | The Mumbai High Court says there is no legal obstacle to a young Indian man having a sex change operation, despite opposition from his parents. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Polls open in Syria amid scattered violence
| | Polls opened Monday in Syria with more than 7,000 candidates vying for 250 seats in parliament amid mounting international pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to step aside and end the violence that has seen thousands die.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Serb rivals facing run-off vote
| | The rivals for Serbia's presidency, liberal incumbent Boris Tadic and ex-nationalist Tomislav Nikolic, are to face each other in a run-off. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Ministers plan drug-driving law
| | Drug-driving could become a specific offence, with a potential jail term and fine, under proposed laws to be set out in the Queen's Speech. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Rivals finally snuggle up to Romney
| | As the saying goes about political parties and their candidates: Democrats fall in love and Republicans fall in line. And that's exactly what Republicans are doing, or trying to do.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Socialist Wins in France
| | François Hollande defeated President Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday, becoming the first Socialist elected president of France since François Mitterrand.
 > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Curfew imposed in Pakistan town
| | A curfew is imposed in and around the north-western Pakistani town of Miranshah following the killing of at least 10 soldiers by militants. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama outlines case for re-election
| | President Barack Obama used the first official rally of his re-election bid to highlight the accomplishments made during his three and a half years in the White House, and to make a case for a second term in office.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Obama outlines case for re-election
| | President Barack Obama used the first official rally of his re-election bid to highlight the accomplishments made during his three and a half years in the White House, and to make a case for a second term in office. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Wife sees husband death in Afghanistan via Skype
| | The wife of a U.S. Army captain in Afghanistan watched a live link for two hours of her husband slumped over a computer keyboard with a bullet hole in a closet behind him as she tried to summon help for him, she said.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Al Qaeda operative killed in Yemen
| | A senior operative of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula wanted for his role in the USS Cole bombing was killed by an airstrike in Yemen on Sunday, Yemeni officials said.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Dolphins' risky return to the wild
| | For more than a year, experts have been at work in a quiet cove on the Aegean Sea, teaching a pair of male bottlenose dolphins how to catch their own food. Every day, the team releases dozens of live fish into giant sea pen where the dolphins named Tom and Misha live.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Home building 'should be easier'
| | It should be easier for people to build their own homes in England to help ease the housing crisis, says a report by a cross-party committee of MPs. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Al-Qaeda leader killed in Yemen
| | An al-Qaeda leader in Yemen wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole, Fahd al-Quso, is killed in an air raid, officials say. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Al-Qaeda leader killed in Yemen
| | An al-Qaeda leader in Yemen wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole, Fahd al-Quso, is killed in an air raid, officials say. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
No timetable for Chen departure
| | Activist Chen Guangcheng says he does not know when - or if - he will be allowed to leave China because he has not started the process of getting a passport. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
No timetable for Chen departure
| | Activist Chen Guangcheng says he does not know when - or if - he will be allowed to leave China because he has not started the process of getting a passport. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
No timetable for Chen departure
| | Activist Chen Guangcheng says he does not know when - or if - he will be allowed to leave China because he has not started the process of getting a passport. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Survey: U.S. gas prices drop 7 cents
| | The average price for a gallon of regular U.S. gasoline slipped almost 7 cents over the past two weeks, chasing a drop in crude oil prices, according to a nationwide survey published Sunday.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
FAMU suspects surrender
| | The last of 11 people facing felony hazing charges tied to a Florida A&M University band member's death turned themselves in on Sunday, four days after prosecutors announced the charges, the state said.  > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Flash flood hits Afghan wedding
| | At least 22 people have been killed, many of them at a wedding party, when flash flooding deluged Afghanistan's Sar-e Pol province, officials say. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Congo 'regains towns from rebels'
| | The DR Congo army says it has regained control of the entire eastern area of Masisi from rebels loyal to warlord Bosco "Terminator" Ntaganda, wanted by the ICC. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Patek denies Bali bomb key role
| | Umar Patek, an alleged key figure in the 2002 Bali bombings, says his part was more minor than prosecutors claim and asks for 'forgiveness' in court. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
AUDIO: 'All I wanted was a family to look after me'
| | Charity The Fostering Network has warned that the UK needs an estimated 8,750 more foster carers to head off a foster care crisis. Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the Fostering Network, and Clare Marshall, who went through the foster care system, discuss the issue. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Grant to encourage college tutors
| | New grants are offered to student teachers, with the Welsh government saying its priority is to encourage more to work in further education colleges. > more |
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| 07/05/2012
Bees attack India paramilitaries
| | Bees swarm Indian paramilitary troops deployed on a counter-insurgency operation against Maoist rebels in dense forest, badly stinging at least 19. > more |
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| 06/05/2012
Women drive for equality
| | The streets of Manila can be an unforgiving place for the city's taxi and public transport drivers. Chronic traffic jams and badly maintained roads are part of the daily grind but add in the possibility offloods during the annual typhoon season and a strong constitution is needed.  > more |
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| 06/05/2012
'Goober Pyle' actor Lindsey dies
| | George Lindsey, the actor who portrayed the country-bumpkin mechanic Goober Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show," died Sunday after a brief illness, his family said. He was 83.  > more |
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| 06/05/2012
VIDEO: Cyber crime warnings for India
| | Cyber crime is a problem in developed countries and as the internet expands in emerging countries it's opening up a new range of potential targets to cyber criminals. > more |
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| 06/05/2012
CNN Student News - 5/7/12
| | Today, we report on the race for the White House, elections in France and Greece, Japan's energy challenges, and a unique way to harness power.  > more |
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| 06/05/2012
Jazz Fest star's 'noise'
| | CNN's Fredricka Whitfield sits down with musician Trombone Shorty in New Orleans, who refers to his music as noise.  > more |
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| 06/05/2012
'Goober Pyle' actor George Lindsey dies
| | George Lindsey, the actor who portrayed the country-bumpkin mechanic Goober Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show," died Sunday after a brief illness, his family said. He was83.  > more |
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| 06/05/2012
Attorney: 9/11 suspects disrupt arraignment in protest
| | Silence and occasional outbursts from accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others during their arraignment were signs of "peaceful resistance to an unjust system," an attorney representing one of the men said Sunday.  > more |
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| 06/05/2012
Stopping brain death breakthrough
| | The tantalising prospect of treating a range of brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, all with the same drug has been raised by UK researchers. > more |
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| 06/05/2012
A risky return to the wild
| | For more than a year, experts have been at work in a quiet cove on the Aegean Sea, teaching a pair of male bottlenose dolphins how to catch their own food. Every day, the team releases dozens of live fish into giant sea pen where the dolphins named Tom and Misha live. > more |
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| 06/05/2012
Arizona bans Planned Parenthood funds
| | Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed off on a bill that will prevent abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving public funds in most cases, her office said.  > more |
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| 06/05/2012
We won't be distracted - Osborne
| | Chancellor George Osborne says his party will focus on the economy in the wake of local election defeats, amid fresh criticism from Tory MPs of the coalition's priorities. > more |
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| 06/05/2012
WORLD: Damming the Amazon
| | Brazil is planning to build at least 20 hydroelectric dams in the Amazon region by 2020, but indigenous residents say they are threatened and so is the rainforest.
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| 06/05/2012
Stiller film renamed after death
| | A Ben Stiller comedy is given a new title to avoid it being linked to the controversial shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida. > more |
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| 06/05/2012
'Supermoon' graces the night sky
| | A "supermoon", bigger and brighter than usual, is seen in the night sky as it comes closer to the Earth - bringing with it the chance of higher tides. > more |
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| 05/05/2012
'Gay' man's deportation halted
| | The deportation from the UK of a man who says he will be persecuted in Cameron because he is gay has been halted after he refused to board a plane to Paris, campaigners say. > more |
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| 05/05/2012
'Free Willy' trainer hopes to release captive dolphins
| | Two years ago, Tom and Misha were the main attraction at a run-down tourist park in coastal Turkey. The two bottlenose dolphins were in poor health. Today, they are getting ready to be released into the wild after six years in captivity. It's a risky venture, according to trainer Jeff Foster who tried to reintroduce "Free Willy" orca back into the wild more than a decade ago.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Japan?s Leaders Fret as Nuclear Shutdown Nears
| | Japan on Saturday will become a nuclear-free nation for the first time in more than four decades, but leaders are worried about power shortages, the economy and widespread opposition against turning the plants back on.
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| 04/05/2012
Bondholders Bullish on Greece
| | Several banks and hedge funds are buying Greek bonds, betting that the nation will remain in the euro zone and that bondholders won?t take a haircut in a new debt deal.
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| 04/05/2012
US job growth slows during April
| | The US economy created 115,000 jobs during April, fewer than the previous month and less than analysts had expected, sending stock markets lower. > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Source: Iranian halts hunger strike
| | A prominent Iranian literary translator imprisoned since January on unknown charges has suspended his hunger strike after 28 days, a source close to the family said Thursday.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Twin explosions kill 8 in Russia
| | At least eight people were killed and 20 injured in an apparent suicide car bomb attack and follow-up blast in the capital of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, according to state-run news agency RIA Novosti.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Big Ben's tower may be renamed
| | British lawmakers want to rename one of London's most famous landmarks -- known to tourists around the world as "Big Ben" -- after Queen Elizabeth II, for her Diamond Jubilee.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Succession guesses in Venezuela
| | With his health in question and speculation rampant about his future, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has named 10 Venezuelans to an influential commission.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Open Mic: Islamabad
| | CNN's Open Mic went to the streets of Islamabad to ask Pakistani citizens how they would remember Osama bin Laden.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Bin Laden raid papers released
| | Published documents seized during the Osama bin Laden raid reveal a vain and worried man and his thoughts on taking out President Obama.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Bergen: Obama's gutsy call
| | At a campaign event Monday in New Hampshire, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney asserted that he too would have made the decision to send a U.S. Navy SEAL team to kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, telling reporters, "Of course, even Jimmy Carter would have given that order."  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
What does Santorum want from Romney?
| | Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum battled each other for months over the Republican presidential nomination but now they're discussing what part Santorum might play in helping Romney's campaign.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Breaking down Obama's Afghan speech
| | By midmorning Wednesday, Air Force One touched down at Andrews Air Force Base. President Barack Obama had returned from a surprise trip to Afghanistan that lasted a day but was meant to mark a transition to the end of the more than decadelong war.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Stanley: Why Ron Paul is not going away
| | Timothy Stanley says there may be little hope for the candidate in 2012, but his influence and political reach have made it impossible for the GOP to ignore the libertarian "fringe" of its party  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Bergen: 'Delusional' bin Laden
| | There is no better way for historians to assess Osama bin Laden's thinking and the real state of al Qaeda as it was understood by its leaders in the years after 9/11 than the "treasure trove" of more than 6,000 documents that were recovered by the U.S. Navy SEALs who raided bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a year ago.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Inside bin Laden's lair
| | We climbed the stairs to the third floor, where Osama bin Laden died early in the morning of May 2, 2011. I stepped into the bedroom where he was killed and looked up at the ceiling, where you could still see the patterns of blood that had spurted from bin Laden's head when the bullet fired by a U.S. Navy SEAL tore through the terrorist leader's face.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Google's missing Gulf angers Iran
| | Iranians are complaining that Google Maps now has no name on the body of water that they call the Persian Gulf and is also known as the Arabian Gulf. > more |
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| 04/05/2012
New Malawi leader snubs Bashir
| | Malawi's new President Joyce Banda says she does not want Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, accused of war crimes, to attend a summit in July. > more |
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| 04/05/2012
A Point of View: Lords, lordlings and… crumpets
| | Reforming the House of Lords is a topic that, for some, can have a soporific effect (much like too many buttered crumpets in the peers' tea room). But is this torpor - and the slow pace of change - adding to a democratic deficit, asks Will Self. > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Reining in Google is good for us
| | Douglas Rushkoff says the European Commission and the FTC are challenging the company's monopoly. The outcome could spur techonological evolution--and that's better for the consumer  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Committee mulls Holder contempt resolution
| | The top Republican on the House Oversight Committee is moving to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate in the panel's investigation of the controversial "Operation Fast and Furious" weapons sting.  > more |
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| 04/05/2012
Brother of Rabin killer released
| | The brother of the man who killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is released after more than 16 years in prison for complicity in the murder. > more |
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| 04/05/2012
BNP sees quarterly profits fall
| | BNP Paribas, France's biggest listed bank, reports a 22% fall in first quarter net profit as the eurozone slowdown continues to have an effect. > more |
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| 03/05/2012
Taylor 'should serve 80 years'
| | Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor should serve 80 years after his conviction at The Hague for war crimes in the Sierra Leone civil war, prosecutors say. > more |
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| 03/05/2012
Spain country profile
| | Provides an overview of Spain, including key events and facts about this tropical island off India's southern tip. > more |
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| 03/05/2012
Emotional Muamba thanks fans
| | Bolton's Fabrice Muamba made an emotional appearance at their Reebok Stadium before their game against Tottenham Wednesday, just 46 days after collapsing on the pitch against the same opposition.  > more |
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| 03/05/2012
London election: Battle of buses
| | To an outsider, Thursday's contest to elect the next mayor of London would appear to be a fight between two larger-than-life characters -- known best by their first names -- for control of the city's famous red buses.  > more |
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| 03/05/2012
Suu Kyi takes oath of office
| | Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in Wednesday as a lawmaker for the first time, a key step in the country's recent shift toward democracy after decades of repressive military rule.  > more |
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| 02/05/2012
WORLD: Video of Obama's Speech in Afghanistan
| | President Obama, speaking to an American television audience from an air base in Kabul, said he had traveled there to herald a new era in the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan.
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| 02/05/2012
Al Qaeda plots encoded in porn
| | CNN has obtained details on al Qaeda documents, encoded on a porn video, that help shed light on future plans, including the seizing of cruise ships and attacks on Europe.  > more |
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| 02/05/2012
Can monitors forge Syria peace?
| | In the latest diplomatic attempt to stop the relentless killing in Syria, a group of U.N. monitors are on the ground to observe a "cease-fire" that appears to be violated daily.  > more |
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| 02/05/2012
Slovenia country profile
| | Provides an overview of Slovenia, including key events and facts about this European country which used to be part of Yugoslavia > more |
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| 01/05/2012
Peru investigates pelican deaths
| | Authorities in Peru are investigating the death of over 538 pelicans, along with other birds, on the northern coast of the country, the Peruvian ministry of production said Sunday.  > more |
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| 01/05/2012
Nigeria profile
| | Provides an overview of Nigeria, including key events and facts about this oil-rich country with multiple ethnic and religious divides. > more |
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| 01/05/2012
Serbia country profile
| | Provides an overview of Serbia, including key events and facts about this European country which used to be part of Yugoslavia > more |
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| 01/05/2012
Mali country profile
| | Concise information about Mali and its people, including figures for area, population, main languages, religions, exports, and more. > more |
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| 01/05/2012
Playing politics with bin Laden
| | It was probably only a matter of time -- about 365 days, in fact -- before the death of Osama bin Laden got into the U.S. political groundwater of 2012.  > more |
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| 01/05/2012
The day bin Laden died
| | It's not often that the White House holds a news conference late on a Sunday night. Especially an unscheduled one.  > more |
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| 30/04/2012
Bahrain country profile
| | Provides an overview of Bahrain, including key events and facts about this oil-rich state which has become a financial services centre > more |
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| 30/04/2012
Is White House overselling?
| | David Gergen: An aggressive public relations offensive by the White House, celebrating the anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death, is kicking up a hot political fuss.  > more |
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| 27/04/2012
Taylor?s Rule in Liberia
| | Charles G. Taylor, the former president of Liberia and once a powerful warlord, was convicted of abetting rebels who committed war crimes in Sierra Leone in the 1990s.
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| 27/04/2012
WORLD: Africa?s Population Surge
| | At current growth rates, sub-Saharan Africa, which now makes up 12 percent of the world?s population, will account for more than a third by 2100.
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| 26/04/2012
Life Inside a Brothel in Cartagena
| | Though the recent scandal involving American Secret Service agents has cast new scrutiny on prostitution in Colombia, life in the brothels goes on as it always has.
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| 26/04/2012
Liberia profile
| | Provides an overview of Liberia, including key events and facts about this West African country > more |
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| 24/04/2012
Save the whales? Use the app
| | A new iPhone app is making waves in the commercial shipping world by providing an early warning system that aims to reduce maritime collisions with endangered whales.  > more |
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| 22/04/2012
U.S. Supreme Court immigration case weighs states' powers
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A clash over immigration law will go before the U.S. Supreme Court this week, pitting the state of Arizona against President Barack Obama in a case with election-year political ramifications for him and Republican rival Mitt Romney. In its second-biggest case this term, the court - fresh from hearing the Obama healthcare overhaul case - will consider on Wednesday whether a tough Arizona immigration crackdown strayed too far into the federal government's powers. ...
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| 22/04/2012
Watergate figure, ministry founder Charles Colson dies
| |  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Charles Colson, a Richard Nixon White House operative during the Watergate scandal who had a reputation for ruthlessness before going to jail and starting a prison ministry, died on Saturday at age 80, the ministry said. Colson, who compiled Nixon's infamous "enemies list" before Watergate brought down the president in 1974, died of complications from a brain hemorrhage after being admitted to a hospital in Fairfax, Virginia, on March 31, Prison Fellowship Ministries said in a statement on its website. ...
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| 22/04/2012
Nor'easter to bring heavy rain and snow to U.S. East
| | (Reuters) - Heavy rains and snow will soon pound the eastern United States, possibly leading to downed trees, power outages and flight delays as a low pressure system from the Gulf of Mexico moves through the region, meteorologists said on Saturday. Intense precipitation from the Nor'easter storm will start on Sunday, with two to four inches of downpour expected along the Mid-Atlantic Coast, which will make for soggy conditions in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. ... > more |
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| 22/04/2012
More agents likely to go over Secret Service scandal: U.S. lawmaker
| |  Most of the Secret Service agents accused of misconduct with prostitutes ahead of President Barack Obama's recent visit to Colombia are likely to leave the agency, a top Republican lawmaker said on Saturday. Six of 11 employees linked to a night of partying in the coastal city of Cartagena on April 11-12 have left the agency over the scandal, which embarrassed the United States and overshadowed Obama's participation in the Summit of Americas meeting. ...
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| 22/04/2012
Search resumes in high-profile New York missing child case
| |  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investigators in New York resumed the search for clues on Saturday into the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz, digging into a Manhattan basement for a third day in hopes of solving a case that has confounded police for three decades. The boy was formally declared dead in 2001. But his fate has remained a mystery and the case, which helped spark a national movement on the issue of missing children, has continued to resonate with New Yorkers. Police declined to say if there were new suspects in the case. ...
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| 22/04/2012
Army dumps Nugent from concert after Obama remarks
| |  (Reuters) - The U.S. Army cut rock musician and gun-rights advocate Ted Nugent from a summer concert program at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on the same day he met with two U.S. Secret Service agents over recent comments he made about President Barack Obama. Nugent was scheduled to perform on June 23, but officials at Fort Knox said on Thursday the singer and guitarist would not be in the lineup with co-headliners REO Speedwagon and Styx. ...
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| 22/04/2012
Man linked to U.S. Fort Bragg missing soldier held on unrelated charge
| | (Reuters) - A registered sex offender thought to be the last person to have seen missing Fort Bragg soldier Kelli Marie Bordeaux has been arrested for failing to register his new residence near the North Carolina base, a charge unrelated to Bordeaux's disappearance. Nicholas Holbert turned himself in to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina on Friday and is charged with failing to report a change of address as required for a registered sex offender, authorities said. Bordeaux, 23, has been missing since leaving the Froggy Bottoms bar in Fayetteville on April 14. ... > more |
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| 22/04/2012
Wisconsin's Planned Parenthood suspends non-surgical abortions
| | MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has suspended non-surgical abortions in response to a new state law that makes it harder for women to have the procedure, a move that followed anti-abortion measures in several Republican-controlled states. The law, which took effect on Friday, requires women visit a doctor at least three times before having a drug-induced abortion, forces physicians to determine whether women are being coerced into having an abortion and prohibits women and doctors from using web cams during the procedure. ... > more |
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| 22/04/2012
Six-term Utah senator faces Republican primary challenge
| |  SANDY, Utah (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah will face a Republican primary fight after delegates to a party convention on Saturday denied him the nomination, forcing him into an election with a Tea Party-backed challenger who finished second. Hatch, 78, won the day over nine challengers, but narrowly fell short of reaching the 60 percent of the vote needed in a pairing against his number two challenger to win the nomination outright and avoid the primary. Heavily Republican Utah last elected a Democrat to the U.S. ...
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| 20/04/2012
Romania profile
| | Provides an overview of Romania, including key events and facts about this European country > more |
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| 19/04/2012
VIDEO: European Parliament
| | MEPs have had a lively and, at times, heated debate on progress towards EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. > more |
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| 18/04/2012
Portugal profile
| | Provides an overview of Portugal, including key events and facts about this European country > more |
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| 18/04/2012
Poland profile
| | Provides an overview of Poland, including key events and facts about this European country > more |
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| 17/04/2012
Norway profile
| | Provides an overview of Norway, including key events and facts about this north European country > more |
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| 17/04/2012
Netherlands profile
| | Provides an overview of the Netherlands, including key events and facts about this European country > more |
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| 12/04/2012
Gay dad finds families for foster kids
| | David Wing-Kovarik and his partner, Conrad, were ready to adopt a child. They moved through all their requirements smoothly, even enrolling in an orientation and training class for prospective parents. Then they were confronted with their first real stumbling block.  > more |
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| 11/04/2012
Albania profile
| | Provides an overview of Albania, including key events and facts about this European country > more |
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| 10/04/2012
My View: Why I chose home schooling
| | Editor's Note: Bethany M. Gardiner, M.D., is a pediatrician and author of "Highlighting Homeschooling," (http://www.stickytapepress.com/) which guides parents through the educational options available to them and their children.  > more |
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| 10/04/2012
Montenegro country profile
| | Provides an overview of Montenegro, including key events and facts about this Mediterraneancountry which used to be part of the former Yugoslavia > more |
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| 06/04/2012
Malawi country profile
| | Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Malawi > more |
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| 05/04/2012
Monaco country profile
| | Provides an overview of Monaco, including key events and facts about tiny kingdom on the Mediterranean Sea > more |
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| 03/04/2012
Malta country profile
| | Provides an overview of Malta, including key events and facts about this small island state in the Mediterranean Sea > more |
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| 28/03/2012
Latvia country profile
| | Provides an overview of Latvia, including key events and facts about this country which lies on the Baltic Sea > more |
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| 26/03/2012
Who takes over after al-Assad?
| | For 12 bloody, horrific months, Syrian dissidents and world leaders have dreamt of one outcome for the Syrian crisis: the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. But who would take over remains a mystery.  > more |
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| 26/03/2012
Syrian opposition tries to unify voice
| | Disjointed factions of the Syrian opposition are meeting Monday in Istanbul in an effort to form a unified voice ahead of the next week's "Friends of Syria" conference.  > more |
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| 26/03/2012
Ireland country profile
| | Concise information about Ireland and its people, including figures for area, population, main languages, religions, exports, and more. > more |
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| 26/03/2012
Getting to know Syria's first family
| | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is the face of his country's regime, but his family members are also believed to wield a powerful influence on issues facing the country.  > more |
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| 26/03/2012
Royal guest stuns bride and groom
| | John and Frances Canning didn't really expect Queen Elizabeth to come to their wedding, but when they learned she was going to be in Manchester, England, on the day of their nuptials, they sent an invitation on a whim.  > more |
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| 26/03/2012
Senegal profile
| | Provides an overview of Senegal, including key events and facts about this west African country > more |
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| 23/03/2012
LZ: Why blacks mistrust police
| | LZ Granderson says the way police have mishandled the Trayvon Martin killing shows less interest in learning the truth and more interest in covering up. For the black community, this is familiar territory  > more |
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| 06/03/2012
Libya country profile
| | Provides an overview of Libya, including key events and facts about this major oil producer which was ruled by Colonel Gaddafi for 42 years. > more |
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| 06/03/2012
Libya country profile
| | Provides an overview of Libya, including key events and facts about this major oil producer which was ruled by Colonel Gaddafi for 42 years. > more |
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| 06/03/2012
Estonia country profile
| | Provides an overview of Estonia, including key events and facts about this small country on the Baltic sea > more |
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| 02/03/2012
Romney's gift of gaffe
| | One step forward, one step back -- that seems to be Mitt Romney's signature dance in the Republican presidential race. After getting a boost by winning two contests, Romney is again cleaning up a mess instead of building momentum.  > more |
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| 02/03/2012
Iran country profile
| | Provides an overview of Iran, including key events and facts about this country whose supreme leader is an Islamic cleric > more |
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| 02/03/2012
Can Obama keep black vote?
| | With black unemployment sky high, can President Obama count on black support in '12 like '08? Suzanne Malveaux reports.  > more |
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| 01/03/2012
Czech Republic profile
| | Provides an overview of the Czech Republic, including key events and facts about this European country which was part of the former Czechoslovakia. > more |
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| 01/03/2012
Cyprus profile
| | Provides an overview of Cyprus, including key events and facts about this bitterly divided island. > more |
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| 29/02/2012
Croatia country profile
| | Provides an overview of Croatia, including key events and facts about this European country which used to be part of Yugoslavia > more |
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| 29/02/2012
Bosnia-Hercegovina
| | Provides an overview of Bosnia, including key events and facts about this European country which used to form part of Yugoslavia. > more |
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| 27/02/2012
Obama chides governors for education cuts
| | President Barack Obama told U.S. governors attending a luncheon Monday that they are cutting too much funding for education and need to make reforms while continuing to invest in the future of America's students.  > more |
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| 27/02/2012
Seychelles profile
| | Provides an overview as well as facts and figures on this island state situated off the coast of Africa > more |
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| 23/02/2012
Puerto Rico profile
| | Provides and overview as well as facts and figures for this small dependency of the United States situated in the Caribbean > more |
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| 22/02/2012
Syria profile
| | Provides an overview of Syria, including key events and facts about this influential Middle Eastern country. > more |
|
| 22/02/2012
South Sudan profile
| | Provides an overview of South Sudan, including key events and facts about Africa's newest nation > more |
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| 21/02/2012
Yemen profile
| | Provides an overview of Yemen, including key events and facts about one of the poorest countries in the Middle East > more |
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| 12/02/2012
Botswana profile
| | Provides an overview, key facts and history of Botswana, a major diamond producer in Southern Africa > more |
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| 12/02/2012
Benin profile
| | Provides an overview, facts and figures and history of this West African nation seen as one of the continent's most stable countries > more |
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| 12/02/2012
Angola profile
| | Provides an overview, key facts and history of this south-west African country which has been a major oil producer > more |
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| 12/02/2012
Guam profile
| | Provides an overview of Guam, which is home to a key US military base in the Pacific Ocean > more |
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| 10/02/2012
Somalia profile
| | Provides an overview of Somalia, including key events and facts about this civil war-wracked country on the Horn of Africa. > more |
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| 01/02/2012
Canada country profile
| | Provides an overview of Canada, including key events and facts about the world's second-largest country > more |
|
| 24/01/2012
Kenya profile
| | Provides an overview of Kenya, including key events and facts of this East African country. > more |
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| 24/01/2012
Equatorial Guinea profile
| | Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles alongwith current news about Equatorial Guinea > more |
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| 19/01/2012
Niue profile
| | Provides an overview of Hong Kong, including key events and facts > more |
|
| 18/01/2012
Ethiopia profile
| | Provides an overview of Ethiopia, including key events and facts about this ancient former Christian empire in northeast Africa. > more |
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| 18/01/2012
Eritrea profile
| | Provides an overview of Eritrea, including key events and facts for this country on the Horn of Africa. > more |
|
| 17/01/2012
Indonesia profile
| | Provides an overview of Indonesia, including key events and facts about the world's fourth most populous nation > more |
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| 17/01/2012
East Timor country profile
| | Provides an overview of East Timor, including key events and facts about this former Portuguese colony which won independence from Indonesia in a long civil war > more |
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| 17/01/2012
Kazakhstan profile
| | Provides an overview of Kazakhstan, including key events and facts about this vast, mineral-rich Central Asian country. > more |
|
| 16/01/2012
Saudi Arabia profile
| | Provides an overview of Saudi Arabia, including key events and facts about the birthplace of Islam > more |
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| 16/01/2012
Oman profile
| | Provides an overview of Oman, including key events and facts about the oldest independent state in the Arab world > more |
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| 16/01/2012
Chad profile
| | Provides an overview of Chad, including key events and facts about this African country > more |
| |
| 11/01/2012
Lebanon profile
| | Provides an overview of Lebanon, including key events and facts about a country which has been at the centre of the Middle East conflict > more |
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| 11/01/2012
Obama's Push to Digitize Health Care Boosts Startups
| | By Ari Levy
President Barack Obama's effort to bring the health-care system into the digital age is boosting a couple of software startups -- ZocDoc and Practice Fusion -- that are trying to do just that.
ZocDoc, which lets patients book medical appointments via the web, said today that former Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle and Bill Frist have joined the advisory board to help the New York City-based company expand.
Practice Fusion, meanwhile, announced today it raised $2 million in debt from a group of angel investors, following a $23 million round of financing last year. Physicians use Practice Fusion's software to track their patients' medical history, schedule appointments, prescribe medication and provide referral letters.
While companies big and small have spent years trying to crack the electronic medical records market, it was President Obama's 2009 economic stimulus plan that sped up the process. As part of the plan, the government will invest up to $27.4 billion by 2021 to get health organizations on board.
ZocDoc is taking a bipartisan approach. Frist, a former heart and lung transplant surgeon, is a Republican and served as his party's leader in the Senate. Daschle led the Democrats in the Senate and now works at law firm DLA Piper, where he provides advice to clients on health care.
"They know a lot about the existing health-care establishment," said ZocDoc Chief Executive Officer Cyrus Massoumi. "Having people who have spent time at the highest level fixing the U.S. health-care system will help us leverage what we've done."
ZocDoc, founded in 2007, is used by about 800,000 people. The site lets users search for physicians in a particular practice and city and book the appointment online, rather than having to call around. Doctors pay $250 per month for the system, which is free for patients.
Practice Fusion, which opened its doors two years earlier, says its service for storing data is used by more than 130,000 medical professionals serving 29 million patients. The system is free for all users, and the San Francisco-based company currently generates all of its revenue from advertising on the site.
Venture capitalists and other investors have poured a combined$133 million into the companies, and there's plenty of overlap. Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and Ron Conway's SV Angel are investors in both. Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff backed ZocDoc, while his company is an investor in Practice Fusion.  > more |
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| 11/01/2012
Kuwait profile
| | Provides an overview of Kuwait, including key events and facts about this oil-rich state. > more |
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| 10/01/2012
Gibraltar profile
| | An overview of Gibraltar including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media > more |
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| 10/01/2012
Jordan profile
| | Provides an overview of Jordan, including key events and facts about this small country in the Middle East. > more |
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| 10/01/2012
Algeria profile
| | Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Algeria > more |
|
| 10/01/2012
Algeria profile
| | Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Algeria > more |
| |
| 10/01/2012
Iraq country profile
| | Provides an overview of Iraq, including key events and facts about the home of some of the earliest civilisations > more |
| |
| 06/01/2012
South Africa profile
| | Provides an overview of South Africa, including key events and facts about this diverse country on Africa's southern tip. > more |
| |
| 04/01/2012
Kashmir profile
| | An overview of the former princely state of Kashmir, which has been partitioned between India and Pakistan since 1947. > more |
|
| 02/01/2012
Fiji country profile
| | Provides an overview of Fiji, including key events and facts about this tropical island and ethnically diverse former British colony in the Pacific. > more |
|
| 31/12/2011
Lessons from famous college dropouts
| | A college degree can be an important gateway to employment, a career and a better standard of living. But a college degree does not equate to someone's level of intelligence or talent. For those seeking the best workers or leaders, there is a plethora of intelligent, inventive people without degrees who should not be overlooked.  > more |
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| 27/12/2011
Japan country profile
| | Provides an overview of Japan, including key events and facts about this earthquake-prone country on the western rim of the Pacific. > more |
|
| 21/12/2011
Ivory Coast profile
| | Provides an overview of Ivory Coast, including key events and facts about this west African country recently plagued by civil war. > more |
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| 15/12/2011
Tajikistan profile
| | Provides an overview of Tajikistan, including key events and facts about this mountainous Central Asian republic. > more |
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| 14/12/2011
Jive Is Flying High, But Is It Really in the Cloud?
| | By Ari Levy Jive Software'sinitial public offeringthis week sparked a debate over the meaning and merits of "cloud software." As a decade-old company that got started when business software was delivered in packages, Jive didn't start selling Web-based subscriptions until 2007. About 60 percent of its business isnow in the cloud. Clients use their software to collaborate with each other and customers. The cloud model is cheaper to operate, allows for faster product updates and is better at collecting large amounts of data. Companies like Salesforce.com and SuccessFactors, which SAP agreed to acquire this month, are completely Web-based and valued more highly by the public markets on a price-to-sales basis than Oracle and Microsoft. At the close of trading today, Jive had a stock market valuation of $859.5 million, or 12 times revenue over the past year. SAP paid 11.7 times sales for SuccessFactors, while Oracle has a ratio of 4.1 and Microsoft's is 3. "There's just one problem with Jive trying to ride the coattails of SuccessFactors and other cloud company valuations: Jive is not cloud," says David Sacks, founder of Yammer, which also provides social-networking software to businesses. If you believe Jive's pitch, it gets the best of both worlds. The company competes for customers that are pure cloud and comfortable having all their data hosted off-site. Yet, it can also sell to more highly-regulated companies in health care and financial services that need dedicated servers and aren't ready to make the move. "We're not religious about it," Jive CEO Tony Zingale said in an interview yesterday, after ringing the opening bell on the Nasdaq Stock Market. "We let customers choose." Taleo, like Yammer, prefers not to offer the choice. Its software, which competes with SuccessFactors in delivering talent management software, is for companies that are in the cloud or quickly migrating. Trying to deliver products the old way would just slow it down, says Jason Blessing, an executive vice president at Taleo. What about security and privacy concerns? Those are overblown, he says. Taleo sells to the U.S. Department of Justice, and it doesn't get much more sensitive than that. "Security issues have almost faded completely into oblivion," he says.  > more |
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| 14/12/2011
Apple's Holiday Shutdown Puts Rush on App Developers
| | By Adam Satariano Apple has given developers a holiday deadline if they want the most recent versions of their games, photography, productivity or other applications available in the App Store when people start cashing in their iTunes gift cards. According to a note Apple sent to developers last month, the company is shutting down from Dec. 22-29 for the winter holidays. That means in addition to engineers setting aside the development of future iPhones and iPads, the company's developer relations and application review teams are also heading for the eggnog. (Apple's retail operation will remain open.) Apple approves each application that's available in its App Store. While it's Cupertino, California, headquarters are closed, no apps can be approved. Apple, which also closed the week of Thanksgiving, warned developers that any apps scheduled to go live during the company shutdown would be delayed until after employees return from the holiday reprieve. Those not paying attention to the warning may find their apps temporarily dropped from the App Store. Apple told developers not to schedule any app pricing changes during that period because the system will be closed andthe price change will cause the app to be unavailable for purchase. After rushing to get their apps turned in, perhaps the slew of startups making the more than 500,000 applications available in the App Store will use the shutdown to take their own holiday break.
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| 14/12/2011
AT&T, Other ISIS Partners Eye Mobile Payments Overseas
| | By Olga Kharif A joint venture of AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless wants to bring its mobile-payment technology to markets outside the U.S., as companies try to grab a piece of the fast-growing digital wallet business. The venture,ISIS, has held discussions to explore international opportunities, said Jaymee Johnson, a spokesman. He declined to name prospective partners, who could choose to use ISIS's brand or its technology. ISIS is competing with Google Inc. and other consortiums and startups in the mobile payments arena. Their goal: To allow consumers to use their phones to make credit- or debit-card purchases in stores. The worldwide market is expected to reach $670 billion in total transactions by 2015, up from $240 billion this year, according to Juniper Research. ``The underlying equity partners in ISIS give us some degree of visibility and awareness beyond the U.S.,'' Johnson said in an interview. One of Verizon Wireless's two parent companies is Vodafone Group Plc, based in the U.K., while T-Mobile USA is owned by Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG. ISIS is playing catch-up with Google in the U.S. The company's Google Wallet service launched in September, while ISIS's effort will start in two cities in mid-2012. Google's service has recently run into problems: Verizon Wirelessblocked itfrom the new Galaxy Nexus smartphone, citing security concerns.
Industry support for ISIS is growing. This week, the venture announced that Gemalto NV will be one of its technology providers in the U.S. The company is the world's biggest maker of smart cards, which contain embedded memory chips used to carry out various functions such as access control and payment transactions.
ISIS has also announced agreements with payment networks including Visa Inc. and handset makers including Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.  > more |
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| 14/12/2011
Rocket Fuel Aims for 2012 IPO to Boost Online Ad Sales
| | By Brian Womack Rocket Fuel Inc., an online advertising company, may join what's becoming a long parade of technology companies. If marketconditions allow, Rocket Fuel is aiming for an initial public offering in 2012 as the company expands its sales, said Chief Executive Officer George John. Rocket Fuel will have more than $40 million in revenue this year, up from about $16 million in 2010, he said. That's more thanZillow Inc., the online real estate company, had before its IPO earlier this year, John said. The company, which helps companies place ads on websites and mobile devices in real time, is benefiting from international growth and strong demand from current customers. More than 90 percent of its clients renewed spending on Rocket Fuel in the third quarter from the second quarter, he said. Those customers increased their spending by an average of 50 percent. The company's backers includeNokia Growth Partnersand Northgate Capital. Before a potential public offering, the Redwood City, California-based company plans to raise capital in the first quarter to fund growth and acquisitions, he said. ``If there's a speed limit for us, we haven't found it yet,'' John said. Other initial public offerings this past year include Groupon Inc., the daily deals site, and LinkedIn Corp., the professional services networking service.  > more |
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| 14/12/2011
Kyrgyzstan profile
| | Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Kyrgyzstan > more |
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| 13/12/2011
Google's Home State Increases Investigations of Digital Crimes
| | By Olga Kharif California Attorney General Kamala Harris today unveiled a new push to fight technology crimes and identity theft in a state that's home to companies such as Google Inc., Apple Inc. and Facebook Inc. Comprising 20 investigators and prosecutors, a high-tech unit announced today may be the largest such team in the country and will tackle crimes such as identity theft, child pornography and software piracy, as well as thefts of iPads and other devices made and imported into California, said Shum Preston, a spokesman for the California State Department of Justice. The agency's ECrime unit, formed in August, has filed 20 criminal cases to date and is investigating an additional 24, Preston said in a telephone interview. More than 1 million Californians become victims of identity theft every year and total losses in the state exceeded $46 million in 2010, according to a department statement. The ECrime unit will target criminals who ``increasingly use the Internet, smartphones, and other digital devices to victimize people online and offline,'' Harris said in the statement.  > more |
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| 13/12/2011
Christmas-Tree Lots Push Square Past 1 Million Customer Mark
| | By Danielle Kucera
Christmas-tree farmers like Joe and Kay Gersch helped pushSquare Inc. past the one-million merchant customer mark in time for the yearend holidays.
Square, the mobile-payments provider created by Twitter Inc. co-founder Jack Dorsey, reached the milestone last week.
Small businesses likeYawn Station Christmas Tree Farm, located in Independence, Louisiana, are crucial to helping Square compete in the market for mobile payments, which may exceed $170 billion by 2015, compared withan estimated $60 billionthis year, according to Juniper Research. The company is vying with companies such as EBay Inc.'s PayPal, which has 103 million users and also is encouraging shoppers to use smartphones to buy through its payments network.
Square's technology lets businesses handle payments via Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPad, as well as devices running on Google Inc.'s Android software. The card reader plugs into the headphone jack of the mobile device and lets merchants swipe customers' credit and debit cards.
The ability to take credit cards has increased sales by about 40 percent at Yawn Station Christmas Tree Farm, Joe Gersch said. ``If everyone came and paid with credit or debit it would save me money, because it would cost me less than I pay in gas to go to the bank and deliver the deposits,'' he said. ``Most of my older customers already knew I only accepted cash or check, so the people that I've already used Square with have been new.''
Square is targeting small businesses that may not be able to afford traditional machinery that handles credit cards, Chief Operating Officer Keith Rabois has said. Gersch, 65, had to buy his first smartphone to operate the card reader. He signed up for the service about three weeks ago after Square called and pitched its service, he said.
Customers who visit Yawn Station sometimes spend the whole day at the farm, picking a tree and chopping it down themselves. Before now, someone without cash would have to drive 20 miles to the nearest automated teller machine before they bought a tree or any of the add-ons the farm offers - wreaths, for instance, or a horse-drawn carriage ride, Gersch said.
The sales will help Yawn Station sell 1,000 to 1,200 trees this season at an average $55 to $60 apiece, more than the 800 it sold last year, Gersch said. ``Customers don't realize I work 365 days a year to provide that tree,'' said Gersch, whose farm has about 7,000 trees. ``We're trying to provide an entire experience when you come here.''  > more |
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| 13/12/2011
Tibco CEO's Soiree Draws HP's Whitman, Valley Revelers
| | (This story was updated to include Ranadive's title in the headline). By Aaron Ricadela
Meg Whitman, Chad Hurley, Tom Siebel and a passel of Golden State Warriors joined more than 300 other guests crammed in Tibco Software CEO Vivek Ranadive's Atherton, Calif., mansion Saturday night for the executive's annual Christmas bash. Amid the Indian buffet, sushi station and several wet bars deployed around the manse, Whitman took time out to tell me about her long-term plans at Hewlett-Packard, where she's CEO.
Whitman, who took the reins Sept. 22, says she plansto stay at HP for a while. The company needs a CEO who's going to stick around, she says, and she decided when accepting the job that she wouldn't take a future position working for her friend and political ally Mitt Romney, should he win next year's presidential election. Whitman is HP's third CEO in a year and a half; she replaced Leo Apotheker, who lasted less than 11 months after succeeding Mark Hurd. "I couldn't take it and then leave," says Whitman, who attended with her husband, the neurosurgeon Griffith Harsh.
After losing last year's California gubernatorial election to Jerry Brown, Whitman -- who was CEO of EBay for 10 years until 2008 -- didn't plan on becoming a CEO again, she says. Now, she's taking a pragmatic approach to solving HP's woes, which included several quarters of disappointing sales forecasts under Apotheker and his ill-fated decision to explore a spin-out of HP's PC group.
Other guests at the swanky soiree, staffed by legions of waiters, bartenders and valets, included the Siebel Systems founder, YouTube founder Hurley, SAP Chief Technology Officer Vishal Sikka, and the academic Vivek Wadhwa. Also in attendance were players for the NBA's Golden State Warriors, which Ranadive partly owns.
Ranadive, who runs business software maker Tibco, has also beenprofiledby the New Yorker's Malcolm Gladwell for the way he coached his daughter's school basketball team, which ended up at the national championships. During the party, Ranadive's home basketball court, which sits below his finished basement, became a dance floor for the younger attendees.  > more |
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| 13/12/2011
Tunisia profile
| | Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Tunisia > more |
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| 13/12/2011
Tunisia profile
| | Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Tunisia > more |
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| 12/12/2011
Before Zynga, Pincus Thrived as Investor
| | By Douglas MacMillan
As Mark Pincus enters the final days of Zynga'sroad show, he's aiming to sell investors on the prospects for the social-gaming startup, set to raise $1 billion in an initial public offering later this week.
It's a reversal of roles for Pincus, a finance whiz who once worked as an investment banking analyst and who has, over the past decade-and-a-half, amassed a portfolio of early investments in some of tech's hottest startups.
Pincus is one of the earliest and most consistent backers of social media. Through an acquaintance with Peter Thiel, Pincus got a chance in 2004 to participate in the first outside funding round of Facebook, as I wrote in aprofilethis week. According to Thiel, Pincus and Reid Hoffman were the only angel investors who were interested in taking a chance on the startup at the time. Pincus was also an investor in Friendster, the social media pioneer that was quickly overshadowed by MySpace and Facebook. While that bet soured as Friendster fizzled, Pincus may fare better from his stakes in three social-Web up-and-comers: Twitter, Buddy Media and LikeALittle.
A few of the bets placed by Zynga founder have already paid off. Impulse Buy Network, an e-commerce service provider, was acquiredin 1999 by Inktomi for about $112 million. Spam blocker Brightmail, another Pincus investment, was bought by Symantec in 2004 for about $300 million.
Other startups he's backed include Napster, Xoom, Seesmic, Grockit, EVDB (later renamed Eventful), Technorati, Feedster, Socialtext, Nanosolar, Mahalo and 360buy.
Pincus is also an avid investor in the public markets, and has described his investing strategy onhis blog. "I love investing, especially in public securities where you get an immediate score card of how you're doing," hewrote in 2005. "My reality is that I will always be a macro investor, meaning I invest in big picture themes rather than based on detailed fundamental analysis."
He got in onGoogle's IPOin 2004, a bet that has netted fivefold returns. In 2005,he recommendedbuying Amazon.com and shorting eBay, writing, "it seems clear that Amazon should one day be worth more than eBay." Six years later, Amazon's $86 billion market cap is more than double eBay's. Pincus alsobraggedin 2007 that he sold Yahoo when the stock was trading at $32. It's now trading at less than half that.
Pincus is not one to shy away from sharing investing insights. In late 2002, he called his friend and fellow tech entrepreneur Auren Hoffman, advising him to buy shares of Corio Inc., a little-known software outfit then trading at about 50 cents. Hoffman shrugged off the stock tip, and then watched as Corio shares rose seven-fold over the next year. It was later bought by IBM. "He's incredibly perceptive financially -- much more so than any tech entrepreneur I know," says Hoffman, who now runs Web analytics firm Rapleaf. "You should always bet on Mark."  > more |
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| 09/12/2011
Board Turnover Falls Again at Tech Firms, Survey Says
| | By Peter Burrows After Sarbanes-Oxley became the law of the land in 2002, there was hand-wringing over whether public companies would be able to keep great directors on their boards. In the tech industry, at least, the more pressing issue seems to be getting them to leave. According to a survey in late November by recruiting firm Spencer Stuart, board turnover at tech firms fell for the third year in a row this year. Only 29 percent of Silicon Valley firms added a new director in 2011, compared to 50 percent in 2008. That's not necessarily a bad thing. During turbulent economic times, it's best to stick with proven quantities rather than introduce even more change, says study co-author Jonathan Visbal. "Boards have been battening down the hatches to ensure consistency," he says. Another reason to stick with known quantities is the increasing difficulty in finding the people most CEOs would most like to have on their boards: other CEOs. In recent years, many boards have added by-laws that restrict their CEO from sitting on more than one or two outside boards. In particularly short supply: CEOs who have expertise in digital media, to help companies acclimate to the post-Facebook world. "Often companies go with younger candidates who may not have much experience, but that's the trade-off they need to make," says Visbal. As for the directors themselves, it seems the trade-offs are getting easier. For the year, the average number of board meetings fell to 8, from 9.7 two years ago. Yet director pay increased 14 percent, to an average of $251,630. And the pay is far more reliable, since more of it is paid in cold hard cash. The number of companies that gave stock options to directors fell to 60 percent, from 72 percent in 2010. Restricted stock awards were also down, to 58 percent from 65 percent in 2010. While cash retainers fell slightly as well for the year, they're up 78 percent since 2003, says study co-author Nyla Rizk. The data comes in a year that has had more than its share of corporate governance fiascos. YahoofiredCarol Bartz without having a successor in place. HP pushed outLeo Apothekerafter less than a year on the job, and replaced him with director Meg Whitman. Still, the co-authors say the data does not suggest a decline in the quality of governance in tech. "Governance has gotten better," says Rizk, who notes that the number of boards that separate the chairman and CEO duties has risen from 45 percent in 2003 to 73 percent. Since one wouldn't expect a recruiter to bash his potential clients, I asked Paul Hodgson, a researcher with the Corporate Library, a corporate governance advisory firm, if he agreed that the fall in turnover was no cause for concern. He did. "It's a smart thing to do to stick with people who know the business well -- unless, of course, you have a lousy board," he says.
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| 09/12/2011
Amazon, Microsoft Shine in the Cloud, Others Don't
| | By Ari Levy As we fasten our seatbelts and take off for the cloud, we must be mindful of who's flying the plane. That's the message from astudyto be released today by Nasuni Corp., which concludes that only six of the leading 16 cloud storage providers are ready for primetime.
Since April 2009, Nasuni has been evaluating the market, testing storage vendors for performance, stability and scalability. The top performers were Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure, the study found. The other services to pass the test were from AT&T, Nirvanix, Peer 1 Hosting andRackspace. Which 10 failed? Nasuni spared those names, and for good reason. It wants them to get better, not go away. The Natick, Massachusetts-based startup provides storage technology and services built on top of existing cloud infrastructure. So the more providers in the market the better the competition and the more prices likely fall for Nasuni, which buys cloud storage and bundles in its proprietary technology to then sell to customers.
"Our hope is that everyone who is not at the top of their game looks at where there are holes and improves upon those," says Andres Rodriguez, Nasuni's chief executive officer. "We want to have as many low-cost high volume providers of cloud storage out there as there can possibly be." The test was aimed at showing how providers perform in mid-size organizations. Those would be companies that need more storage, security and recovery capacity than startups and mom-and-pop shops but might not get the customer support of a Fortune 500 company because they don't deliver enough business.  > more |
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| 08/12/2011
Facebook Move May Mean $366 Million in Construction
| | By Olga Kharif Facebook Inc.'s decision to relocate to Menlo Park, California, may result in $366 million in new temporary construction spending in the surrounding county, according to study commissioned by the company. The construction budget is $250 million, and the project may generate $116 million in additional activity, economic research firmBrion&Associatessaid in a study of the impact over three to four years. It may also mean 2,441 temporary construction jobs, according to the research, released today. Facebook, the largest social network, is expanding operations while preparing for an initial public offering. The company aims to raise about $10 billion in the IPO, which would value it at more than $100 billion, a person familiar with the matter has said. Facebook also is expanding itssatellite locations, including a new engineering center in New York. The company decided to move its headquarters to San Mateo County from Palo Alto, which is located in Santa Clara County, because it needed more office space for a burgeoning staff. The new headquarters are designed to eventually house as many as 9,400 employees in two adjacent sites. Draft environmental and economic impact reports of the move are being released this week. The shift may also result in $29 million in total annual retail spending at nearby lodging and retail businesses, Brion&Associates said. The findings were previously covered by theAlmanac Online, which reports on community news in Menlo Park.
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| 08/12/2011
Social Networkers Bet on Education as Next Frontier
| | By Ari Levy Reid Hoffmanand Matt Cohler, two of Silicon Valley's social-networking pioneers, are throwing their hats into the education ring. The entrepreneurs-turned-venturecapitalists today led a $15 million investment inEdmodo, a free learning site for teachers and students that claims almost 5 million registered users. The cash pile, from Greylock Partners and Benchmark Capital, gives the management team the runway to hire developers and add products without doing the one thing they prefer not to talk about: making money. "The platform will always be free for teachers, students and schools and we don't plan on advertising at all," says Nic Borg, founder and chief executive officer of the San Mateo, California-based company. "The purpose of this raise and the folks that are coming on board is about driving forward this grassroots movement." A free Web service with no ads? Sounds like the early days of Facebook, where Cohler was one of the first employees. But that was back in 2005. This year, the social-networking site is poised to reap more than $2 billion in display-ad sales, according to EMarketer, thanks to brands such as Coca-Cola, Subway and Adidas. Then there's LinkedIn, the professional-networking site founded by Hoffman, and Cohler's employer before he joined Facebook. While many of the site's 100 million plus users don't pay a cent, they're subsidized by premium subscribers and advertisers. LinkedIn's revenue more than doubled in the third quarter to $139.5 million. Cohler is now a partner at Benchmark and Hoffman is at Greylock. In the press release today, Hoffman called Edmodo the "educational graph for learning," similar to Facebook's role as the connector of friends and LinkedIn's position in the workplace. Teachers at more than 60,000 schools, three-quarters of them in the U.S., are using the site to assign and grade homework, post educational videos, and share content with other teachers and classrooms. Edmodo works in the browser and on mobile devices such as smartphones and the iPod Touch. Rob Hutter, the company's chairman, said the new financing gives the company "several years" to build and expand the product without worrying about generating revenue. He and Borg are looking for developers who are passionate about education and want to build something that they say is helping change education. Of course, venture capitalists don't invest in startups unless they see the opportunity to make several times their money back, and Greylock and Benchmark have been among the most successful firms in that regard. While expectations for Edmodo are surely no different, Cohler wouldn't divulge any more than the company, reiterating that the emphasis now is on reaching more people and hiring engineers. "Revenue opportunities that emerge over time that we get excited about will be ones that are consistent with the mission of the business," Cohler says. As for generating revenue today? "That's not what we're focused on at this point," he says.
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| 07/12/2011
Why So-Called Experts Make Lousy Decisions
| | Data analytics, which is popular in business, is catching on in cities around the world. As Irecently wrote, Memphis has reduced crimes such as robberies and rapes to their lowest levels in a quarter-century, thanks in part to IBM's analytical software. Why has this approach been so successful? Or put another way: Why did decision-makers, prior to data analytics, make such poor decisions? Part of that answer has to do with a kink in human reasoning, according Michael Lewis, author of "Moneyball," which told the story of how the Oakland A's turned to data analysis to find undervalued players passed over by baseball experts. Lewis writes in the December issue ofVanity Fairthat he did not know the answer to this question until he discovered the work of Nobel laureateDaniel Kahnemanand his collaboratorAmos Tversky. Both were psychologists and published work on judgment and decision-making.
"They had found that people, including experts, unwittingly use all sorts of irrelevant criteria in decision-making," writes Lewis. This problem has to do with the way the brain accesses or remembers information. When making a decision, people tend to base it on examples that are easily remembered. But "reliable statistical evidence will outperform" that thinking, the article says. Since this is a human problem, it affects not only baseball experts but also hedge fund managers, CEOs and even police officers. In Memphis, police officers were able to get a better handle on crime patterns once they started using IBM's data analytics software to figure out crime patterns and forecast where it was going to occur.
For example, Memphis police officers had long known that burglaries tended to spike in the month of March. But until the use of data analytics, nobody realized that the spike corresponded with Spring Break in Memphis-area schools. Once the police added more patrols during that week, the burglary rate dropped.
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| 07/12/2011
HP's Whitman Helps Tech VIPs Raise Funds for Romney
| | By Aaron Ricadela Silicon Valley is putting on the ritz for Romney. Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman is among the tech luminaries hosting a fundraising dinner for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney tonight in Burlingame, according to an invitation posted on a Web site of Bay Area Republican Party events.
The CEO of the world's largest computer maker and her husband, Griffith Harsh, are among the chairs of the fundraiser, which will be held at the Marriott hotel not far from San Francisco International Airport, according to theinvitation. Whitman, who was also CEO of EBay from 1998 to 2008 and ran for California governor last year, is one of the fundraiser's "dinner chairs," according to the invitation. TPG Capital partner Dick Boyce and former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy and his wife Susan McNealy are among the other chairs listed.
Whitman, who became HP's CEO Sept. 22 after the ouster of former chief executive Leo Apotheker, worked with Romney at Bain&Co. in the 1980s and supported his 2008 presidential campaign. Romney also wasa supporter of Whitman's failed bid for California governor. In October, Whitman said at a conference that she consulted with mentors including Romney when weighing whether to take the HP job. Romney advised her to work for the company, which he called an "American icon," she said.
Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts, is vying with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination to run against President Barack Obama next November.
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