Obama says he’s ready to work with Republicans to avoid “fiscal cliff”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama, accused by Republican House Speaker John Boehner of pushing the country toward the “fiscal cliff,” said on Saturday he was ready to work with congressional Republicans on a comprehensive plan to cut budget deficits as long it included higher taxes on the wealthy.Obama is battling Republican lawmakers over how to avoid the combination of sharp tax hikes...

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Election underscores Ghana’s democratic reputation

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Voters in Ghana selected their next president Friday in a ballot expected to mark the sixth transparent election in this West African nation, known as a beacon of democracy in a tumultuous region.Proud of their democratic heritage, residents of this balmy, seaside capital trudged to the polls more than four hours before the sun was even up, standing inches apart in queues that...

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FCC chairman urges FAA to revise in-flight iPad rules

No, it doesn’t make any sense that you have to turn off your iPad or Kindle during airplane landings, and now the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission wants to see that change. In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski urged the agency to “enable greater use of tablets, e-readers, and other portable devices” on flights, The Hill reports. Genachowski...

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Springsteen, Alabama Shakes top Rolling Stone’s 2012 best music

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Veteran rocker Bruce Springsteen and newcomer blues-rock band Alabama Shakes landed the top awards in Rolling Stone magazine‘s annual list of the year’s best music on Friday, which featured many of next year’s leading Grammy nominees.Springsteen‘s 17th studio album “Wrecking Ball” topped the magazine’s list of best albums, with the magazine calling it “rock’s most pointed response...

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Cold Remedy Cocktails: Do They Work?

Dec 8, 2012 8:00amCredit: Getty ImagesWhen it comes to adding a shot of alcohol to your cold or flu remedy, it’s hard not to wish those boozy concoctions are doing some good for your health.  As it turns out, they are.Well, kinda.Drinks like hot toddies, which traditionally contain whiskey, lemon and honey, can actually give cold and flu patients relief from their symptoms, said Dr. William Schaffner,...

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Rent a Satellite and Do Science in Space

The size of a typical satellite ranges from small car to truck. The cost ranges from $ 500 million to $ 2 billion. And the weight goes from 1,000 pounds on up to a couple of tons. So these are pretty big devices, and they tend to hang around in space for 10 to 20 years.When Peter Platzer, a high-energy physicist, looks up at the sky and thinks about these devices, his mind drifts back to the 1960s...

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Ghana election, test of democratic reputation

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Voters in Ghana were selecting their next president and a 275-seat parliament in elections Friday, solidifying the West African nation‘s reputation as a beacon of democracy in the region.Some 14 million people are expected to turn out. President John Dramani Mahama, in office for only five months, is running against seven contenders. A former vice president, Mahama became president...

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Firm says first BlackBerry 10 phone to debut in March, QWERTY phone won’t launch until June

Research In Motion (RIMM) is gearing up for a series of make-or-break releases that could be considered the most important device launches in the company’s history. Everything is riding on the success of the RIM’s BlackBerry 10 platform, which will be unveiled in its finished state on January 30th next year. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins is on record confirming that BlackBerry 10 will launch in the first...

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“Dancing with the Stars” Burke says voice fine after thyroid surgery

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Dancing with the Stars” co-host Brooke Burke said on Thursday that her surgery for thyroid cancer had gone well and that she had not lost her voice.“Thank God it’s over. I’m clean, surgery went well & I can talk. Losing my voice was my biggest fear. Thx for all your prayers & light,” Burke said in a Twitter posting.Burke, 41, a former winner of ABC-TV’s popular celebrity...

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Aspirin may help older colon cancer patients live longer

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Older adults with colon cancer who were prescribed a daily aspirin were less likely to die than those who weren’t, according to a new study.While the results need to be confirmed with more rigorous studies, they add to the evidence linking aspirin use to longer survival for cancer patients. Studies have also suggested the inexpensive drug can prevent some types of the disease...

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Canada’s Ivey PMI index unexpectedly fell in November

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“Community”: Jason Alexander filming “Crazy” guest spot

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – “Community” might be losing a Chevy Chase, but it’s gaining a Jason Alexander.Former “Seinfeld” star Alexander, who played neurotic bumbler George Costanza on the series, will guest-star on the beleaguered NBC comedy, and while the actor is tight-lipped on the details, he promises that the episode will be a doozy.“Filming a crazy episode of ‘Community’ this week,” the actor...

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Obama takes “fiscal-cliff” campaign to middle-class

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama takes his “fiscal-cliff” campaign to the home of a family in Northern Virginia on Thursday to illustrate the impact of letting taxes go up on the middle class, as signs emerge that Republicans are contemplating a change in strategy in their battle with Democrats over deficit reduction.With about three weeks remaining before steep tax hikes and budget cuts...

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Fuel rise axed as economy worsens

5 December 2012 Last updated at 10:02 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. George Osborne: “There will be no fuel tax rise this January”Chancellor George Osborne has scrapped a planned 3p rise in fuel duty, but benefits face a further squeeze as he admitted the UK economy was struggling.There will be more money for roads, London’s Underground and schools, but councils were...

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Sri Lanka see backlash from Aussie ‘wounded soldiers’

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has warned his team to be wary of a backlash from Australia in their three-test series after the hosts were stung by their series defeat to South Africa earlier this week.Australia’s hopes of snatching the Proteas’ top test ranking ended in a crushing 309-run defeat in the third and final test in Perth on Monday, but Jayawardene took little comfort...

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Austrian farmers dip into Internet “milking” craze

VIENNA (Reuters) – Dumping a bottle of milk over your head and filming it for a video post on the Internet has become a popular youth craze, but Austrian farmers say the spillage is a crying shame.“Milking”, as the trend is known, is among a variety of tongue-in-cheek stunts in which young people shoot pictures or videos of themselves posing as owls, planks of wood, or famous people and then share...

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And the most overpaid actor award goes to: Eddie Murphy

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Eddie Murphy was once among Hollywood’s top box office draws, but he now has the dubious honor of being crowned its most overpaid actor, according to Forbes magazine.In its annual list, determined by the misalignment between star salaries and their films’ box office take, Murphy, once a one-man gold mine with 1980s hits such as “Trading Places” and “Beverly Hills Cop”, displaced...

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Watch: World’s Oldest Person Dies at 116

Home > Video > Most PopularNYC Man Pushed on Subway Tracks, Killed by TrainNYC Man Pushed on Subway Tracks, Killed by TrainPolice are looking for suspect who they say pushed another man off a subway platform.NYC Subway Fight Caught on TapeNYC Subway Fight Caught on TapeVideo shows a group of teenage girls scuffling with police officers.Bystanders Pull Mom, Son From Subway TracksBystanders Pull...

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Osborne to announce PFI reforms

4 December 2012 Last updated at 09:21 ETThe government is expected to change the way it raises money for public projects such as schools and hospitals to ensure a better deal for taxpayers.Chancellor George Osborne is set to announce the changes to the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) in Wednesday’s Autumn Statement.Under the plans, the taxpayer will take a share of up to 49% in new projects.The current...

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Swiss spy agency warns U.S., Britain about huge data leak

ZURICH (Reuters) – Secret information on counter-terrorism shared by foreign governments may have been compromised by a massive data theft by a senior IT technician for the NDB, Switzerland‘s intelligence service, European national security sources said.Intelligence agencies in the United States and Britain are among those who were warned by Swiss authorities that their data could have been put in...

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Howard Stern signs on for more “America’s Got Talent”

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Shock jock Howard Stern will return as a judge for his second season on NBC‘s summer talent show “America’s Got Talent,” the broadcaster said on Monday, although the high-priced radio host appears to have done little to improve the show’s ratings.NBC hoped Stern, 58, known for this sexually explicit radio interviews, would attract bigger audiences, but the finale in September...

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EU health officials fear for disease control in Greece

LONDON (Reuters) – Greek hospitals are in such dire straits that staff are failing to keep up basic disease controls like using gloves and gowns, threatening a rise in multi-drug-resistant infections, according to Europe‘s top health official.Greece already has one of the worst problems in Europe with hospital-acquired infections, and disease experts fear this is being made worse by a severe economic...

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Did Mark Penn Swiftboat Google?

In July, Microsoft (MSFT) announced it was hiring Mark Penn—a longtime Democratic operative, pollster, and corporate strategist—to join the company in a newly created role, leading a “small interdisciplinary team,” focused on consumer initiatives that would report directly to Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. At the time, Penn told reporters his first priority would be to focus on Microsoft’s...

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Gunmen assassinate peasant leader in Paraguay

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — Gunmen murdered one of the surviving leaders of a peasant movement whose land dispute with a powerful politician prompted the end of Fernando Lugo‘s presidency last June.Vidal Vega, 48, was hit four times early Saturday by bullets from a 12-gauge shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver fired by two unidentified men who sped away on a motorcycle, according to an official report...

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Nokia debunks rumor that it may be considering shift to Android

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Led Zeppelin will Reunite – for “Letterman” interview

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – The surviving members of Led Zeppelin will make a rare appearance together on “Late Show With David Letterman” on December 3, CBS said Friday.Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones will drop in on the late-night show for an interview – which isn’t quite the reunion that Zep fans have been patiently waiting for, but it might have to do. With the exception of a one-off...

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GSK details hopes for 14 pipeline drugs in 2013-14

LONDON (Reuters) – GlaxoSmithKline expects to have pivotal clinical trial results on up to 14 medicines in the next two years, including two new products which – if they work – could change the way cancer and heart disease are treated.Unveiling the next wave of its pipeline on Monday, Britain’s biggest drugmaker said it was now developing a broader range of drugs than in the past, as it moves away...

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Millions ‘facing money struggle’

2 December 2012 Last updated at 04:52 ETMillions of households are struggling to make ends meet, consumer organisation Which? has claimed.Its research, based on a poll of 2,100 people in October, suggests nearly 10% of households have defaulted on a loan, bill or housing payment.Some 32% of people surveyed say they are finding it difficult to cope on their current level of income.It comes as Chancellor...

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Italy votes for center-left candidate for premier

ROME (AP) — Italians are choosing a center-left candidate for premier for elections early next year, an important primary runoff given the main party is ahead in the polls against a center-right camp in utter chaos over whether Silvio Berlusconi will run again.Sunday’s runoff pits a veteran center-left leader, Pier Luigi Bersani, 61, against the 37-year-old mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, who has...

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7 Quirky Christmas Gift Ideas

‘Tis the season to give…bacon-shaped Christmas tree ornaments? Stocking-stuffer candy simulating black lumps of coal? Crime scene tape for wrapping packages? How about a dreidel with Santa’s picture on it?Yes to all these and more, say fans of quirky gifts.Online retailers specializing in leg-lamps–the kind made famous by the movie “A Christmas Story”–and in Emergency Santa Kits say business is brisk.Seattle...

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