NASA's Kepler telescope team finds 11 new solar systems
NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has found 11 new planetary systems, including one with five planets all orbiting closer to their parent star than Mercury circles the Sun, scientists said on Thursday. The discoveries boost the list of confirmed extra-solar planets to 729, including 60 credited to the Kepler team. The telescope, launched in space in...
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Republican presidential candidates hold TV debate
The Republican presidential candidates are battling it out at a national debate in Florida - the last before the battleground state holds its primary. Earlier, front-runners...
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Arms from Libya could reach Boko Haram, al Qaeda - U.N.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Libyan civil war may have given militant groups in Africa's Sahel region like Boko Haram and al Qaeda access to large weapons caches, according to a U.N. report released on Thursday. The report on the impact of the Libyan civil war on countries of the Sahel region that straddle the Sahara - including Nigeria, Niger and Chad - also says some national authorities believe the Islamist sect Boko Haram has increasing links to al Qaeda's North African wing. Boko Haram killed more than 500 people last year and more than 250 this year in Nigeria. The U.N. Security Council met to discuss the report, which...
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Search for survivors, answers after Rio building collapse
AP - A multistory building collapsed in Rio’s center Wednesday evening, leaving rubble strewn over a wide area but confusion about the number of possible victims and the cause. Thick layers of debris covered cars and motorcycles. A neighboring building sustained serious damage,...
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Haditha outraged as Marine avoids jail in massacre
Haditha, Iraq -- In this town which saw 24 unarmed civilians die in a U.S. raid seven years ago, residents expressed disbelief and sadness that the Marine sergeant who told his troops to "shoot first, ask questions later" reached a deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time. They were outraged both at the American military justice system and at the refusal of Iraq's...
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Polish protests push back over anti-piracy pact
Thousands of young Poles hit city streets across the country in a mounting wave of off-and-online protest against a government decision to sign an international anti-online piracy accord. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which Poland's centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to endorse, aims to create international standards for intellectual property protection. However, internet groups including global hacker collective Anonymous oppose it as limiting online freedoms. Poland, an ex-communist state which joined the European Union in 2004, has committed to...
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Ashton to meet Abbas in effort to extend peace talks
MARK WEISS in Jerusalem EUROPEAN UNION foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is engaged in a last-ditch effort to keep Israeli and Palestinian officials engaged as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas announced that the current exploratory peace talks had run their course. Baroness Ashton will today meet Mr Abbas in the Jordanian capital, Amman, after holding talks in Jerusalem last night with Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and foreign minister Avigdor...
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UN stops counting Syrian dead
THE United Nations has stopped compiling a death toll for Syria's crackdown on protests because it is too difficult to get information, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said. Pillay gave a toll of more than 5000 dead when she spoke to the...
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Ed Miliband accuses Government of 'total arrogance'
The Office for National Statistics estimated a 0.2% contraction between October and December, figures the Prime Minister said were "disappointing" but not unexpected. Mr Cameron said they reflected the "overhang" of the debt and deficit, squeezed household incomes and the eurozone crisis. At Prime Minister's Question Time in the Commons Mr Cameron said: "This is the year we have to take further action to get our economy moving, but the most important thing is to have a credible plan to get on top of the deficit which has given us the lowest interest rates for over a hundred years."...
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'Big Brother' concerns over Google changes
An announcement from Google that it is revising how it uses data from users of its services has some worried that the Internet giant is violating its users' privacy. The California-based internet giant said in an blog post that the changes were designed to improve the user experience across various Google products, which range from web search to Gmail, YouTube and Google+, the social networking platform launched by the company last year. Google said it was combining more than 60 privacy policies for its various services into a single policy that would go into effect on March 1. "We're rolling out a new main privacy policy that covers the majority of our products and explains what...
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UN's new Afghan envoy heartened by talk of peace
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.N.'s new representative to war-torn Afghanistan said Wednesday that he was encouraged by widespread discussion about prospects for making peace with the Taliban. Jan Kubis, the new special representative of the U.N. Secretary-General, said that he thinks the Afghan people are tired of the 10-year war and are interested in supporting steps that would bring more stability and eventually peace to Afghanistan. "Political forces are discussing it. The parliament is discussing it. Civil society is discussing it at all levels — not only at the top level, but in the provinces," said Kubis, who arrived in Afghanistan about a week ago and has been meeting with...
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Two Killed in Fresh Protests, World Media Prevented from Covering Tibet
Article by Yeshe Choesang, WN Correspondent Dharamshala. Dharamshala: - Armed Chinese forces have shot dead more peaceful protesters in Tibet - as a large number of Tibetan civilians are reported to have demonstrated in Serta county, eastern Tibet. The demonstration took place in Serta county, eastern Tibet (Ch: Karze prefecture, Sichuan province). Armed Chinese police opened fired on peaceful demonstrators and two individuals were shot dead. Sources said that over 600 armed Chinese security personnel arrived at the scene and began firing indiscriminately at the crowd. A Tibetan man named Popo, aged 35, and another...
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US, S. Korean troops ready for joint war games
US and South Korean troops are preparing for their annual joint war games in coming weeks, an official said Wednesday, despite the sensitive power transition underway in North Korea. The two countries "are preparing for the Key Resolve exercise", a US military spokesman told AFP, adding the schedule was not finalised. South Korea's defence ministry declined to comment. Media reports said the exercises -- which the North blasts as warmongering -- would go ahead as scheduled. Pyongyang last year threatened a military response to the fortnight-long Key Resolve computerised drill, which is normally followed by a joint air, ground and naval training exercise known as Foal Eagle lasting several...
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China confirms police shot protester in Tibetan area
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Obama: Renewed American leadership felt worldwide
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says "America is back" as a world power. The president gives a flag-waving defense of American power and influence as part of the State of the Union address. He said world opinions about the United States are on the rise, and he calls America the "indispensable nation" in world affairs. He talked about extending new ties and influence toward Asia, while claiming that old alliances in Europe and elsewhere are stronger than ever. Obama also cited the example of Iran, where with U.S. prompting much of the world is now united in applying sanctions over...
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Japan posts first annual trade deficit since 1980
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan reported its first annual trade deficit since 1980 as it imported expensive energy to offset the impact of its devastating tsunami and exporters grappled with the rising value of the yen. The 2.49 trillion yen ($32 billion) shortfall for 2011 reflects a 2.7 percent decline in the value of Japan's exports to...
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Marine's plea deal for Haditha massacre sparks outrage
Dubai: Many Iraqi politicians yesterday reacted with absolute shock to reports of a deal under which a US Marine squad leader facing trial over the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005 will get a few months in prison at the most. American military prosecutors offered Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, 31, a deal according to which the proceedings against him will come to an end. Wuterich was the leader of a squad that killed Iraqi civilians in Haditha during raids after a Marine was killed and two were injured in a roadside bomb attack. Wuterich, who was originally accused of unpremeditated murder and was facing life imprisonment, now faces up to three months in confinement, after the deal....
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Kenya ICC: Kenyatta and Muthaura 'won't be sacked'
Kenya's deputy prime minister and civil service head will not have to resign despite a ruling that they will face trial for crimes against humanity. The attorney general said their future would be decided after the outcome of their appeal to stop the International...
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Scores killed in car bomb blasts in Baghdad
At least 170 people have died in attacks since the beginning of the year, many of them Shiite pilgrims attending religious commemorations. The last American soldiers left the country on December 18. Suspected Sunni insurgents have frequently targeted Shiite communities and Iraqi security forces to undermine public confidence in the Shiite-dominated government and its efforts to protect people. Today's first attack targeted an...
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EU ministers press Greece for budget cuts
Eurozone finance ministers have pressed Greece to prepare new budget cuts and conclude negotiations with bank creditors on a massive debt writedown within days to avoid a damaging default. The ministers called on Greece and its EU-IMF auditors "to agree the key parameters of an ambitious adjustment programme as soon as possible," Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg and head of the Eurogroup, told a news conference early on Tuesday. European economic affairs commissioner Olli Rehn also urged Greece to accelerate economic reforms in order to spur growth after talks between finance ministers that began Monday afternoon and ended past midnight. Greece has undertaken a raft of...
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US slaps sanctions on major Iranian bank
Washington: The US Tuesday slapped sanctions against a major Iranian bank, which followed the additional tough sanctions against Tehran by the European Union. The US Treasury Department designated Iran's third-largest bank, Bank Tejarat, for providing financial services to several Iranian banks and firms already...
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Meryl And Michelle To Battle It Out For Oscar
Meryl Streep's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher is expected to earn her another Oscar nomination when they are announced later. The actress, who has won two Oscars in her career, is strongly tipped to pick up the Best Actress statuette for her performance as the former prime minister in The Iron Lady. But she could face competition from Michelle...
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Gaddafi loyalists launch offensive on key oil town as counter-insurgency grows
Mahmoud al-Warfali, a revolutionary brigade spokesman in Bani Walid, said that as many as 150 pro-Gaddafi fighters were battling forces loyal to the National Transitional Council in the formerly pro-regime redoubt, 110 miles south of the capital, Tripoli. "There are around 100 and 150 men armed with heavy weapons who are attacking. We have asked for the army to intervene, but the defence ministry and NTC have let us down," he said. "There are at least four martyrs from the thuwar...
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Newt Gingrich, the man who knows too much
Some persistence is merely doggedness. Newt Gingrich’s persistence is a form of confidence — the firm belief that, given enough time and enough debates, his skills will prevail. He knows how to probe an opponent’s weakness, how to humiliate a journalist, how to employ an applause line and how to parry an uncomfortable question. The anti-Romneys who came before him were chosen more or less at random. Gingrich has earned his surge that produced a 13-point victory in South Carolina on Saturday. Yet Gingrich is more than a performer. He is the GOP’s chief diagnostician, specializing in the vivid explanation of public challenges. Other candidates struggle to recall three...
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Yemen - What Next? Replay of 1979 Iranian Revolution?
On 22 January 70 year-old Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, having ruled since 1978, left the Yemeni capital Sanaa onboard a private...
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Strongest Solar Storm Since 2005 Hitting Earth
Storm can impact GPS, air travel WASHINGTON (AP) — Space weather officials say the strongest solar storm in more than six years is bombarding Earth with radiation with more to come. The radiation is mostly an issue for satellite disruptions and astronauts in space. It can cause communication problems for polar-traveling airplanes. The Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado observed the flare Sunday at 11 p.m. EST. Physicist Doug Biesecker (BEE-secker) says the biggest concern is the radiation, which arrived on Earth an hour later. It will likely continue through Wednesday. Biesecker said the storm's radiation levels are considered strong but other storms have been more severe. It...
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One billionth tourist to arrive in 2012: UN
The United Nations, which commemorated the birth of the world's seven billionth baby last October, is predicting the arrival of the one billionth tourist later this year - perhaps in Europe, the United States, South America, or Asia. According to the latest statistics released by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), tourist arrivals have increased from about 674 million in 2000 to 939 million in 2010 and 980 million in 2011. And with growth expected to continue in 2012 - at a somewhat slower rate - international tourist arrivals are on track to reach the milestone one-billion mark in November or December this year. Lakshman Ratnapala, emeritus president and chief executive officer of...
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Turkey threatens more sanctions against France
Istanbul - Turkey threatened France with more sanctions Monday if it adopts a bill would make it a crime to deny that Armenians...
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Human Rights Situation has Worsened in Tibet: Annual Report
Article by Yeshe Choesang, WN Correspondent Dharamshala. Dharamshala, India: - The human rights situation has worsened in Tibet, with the Chinese government cracking down on singers, writers and environmentalists, a human rights NGO of Tibetan exiles said here Monday, January 23rd, during a press conference for its annual Tibet report of 2011. 'The Chinese government laid policies to enforce a systematic crackdown on influential Tibetans like Buddhist leaders, singers, writers and environmentalists,' said Jampal Monlam, assistant director of the...
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Egypt's Islamist-led parliament opens first session
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's parliament opened on Monday for the first time since a historic free election put Islamists in the driving seat after years of repression under deposed President Hosni Mubarak. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) was the biggest winner in the first free vote in decades. It has vowed to guide Egypt in the transition to civilian rule after generals took charge following the popular uprising that began on January 25 and ended with Mubarak's ouster on February 11. "I invite the distinguished assembly to stand and read the fatiha (Muslim prayer) in memory of the martyrs of the January 25 revolution ... because the blood of the martyrs is what brought...
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Prominent Kenyans await court ruling over poll violence
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is due to rule whether two Kenyan presidential hopefuls and four other officials should stand trial over violence after the 2007 election. Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru...
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Croatia Votes 2 to 1 to Join European Union
BRUSSELS — Croats voted by a two-to-one margin on Sunday to join the European Union, signaling that the bloc retains its allure despite the debt crisis engulfing the euro currency that many of its members use. Hrvoje Polan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The referendum on European Union membership drew 44 percent of eligible voters, like this man casting his ballot 25 miles outside Zagreb, a state agency said. Multimedia Interactive Feature Tracking Europe's Debt Crisis Related Greek Talks Hit a Snag Over Rates (January 23, 2012) Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. The state referendum commission said that with almost all...
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BlackBerry maker CEOs step down as pressure mounts
WATERLOO, Ontario (Reuters) - Research In Motion's Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have resigned as co-CEOs and co-chairmen, handing the top job to an insider with four years at the struggling BlackBerry maker. Thorsten Heins, a former Siemens executive who has risen steadily through RIM's upper management ranks since joining the Canadian company four years ago, took over as CEO on Saturday, RIM said. The shift ends the two-decade partnership of Lazaridis and Balsillie atop a once-pioneering company that now struggles against Apple and Google. (Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Frank McGurty and Janet Guttsman) on Twitter, become a fan on Editors' Picks Explore Related Content 1 -...
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Yemen's leader Saleh leaves for medical treatment in New York
The Obama administration has approved Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh's request to enter the United States for medical treatment, clearing the way for a transfer of power in the strife-filled country. Saleh flew out of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, late Sunday and headed for a first stop in Oman, a Yemen spokesman said. It was not clear when he would arrive in the United States or...
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Darfur peacekeeper killed, 3 wounded: UN
Khartoum: One international peacekeeper was killed and three others wounded in Sudan when gunmen ambushed their patrol in the troubled Darfur region on Saturday, UNAMID peacekeepers said. The Western region is the scene of an almost...
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Nigeria stunned by Kano attacks that killed more than 150
Reporting from Kano, Nigeria, and Johannesburg,— A militant Islamic group whose almost daily attacks have put Nigerians on edge left the country stunned Saturday after a well-coordinated strike with disturbing echoes of Al Qaeda's brand of mayhem. More than 150 people were killed in the Friday evening carnage in the northern city of Kano. The group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attacks, whose targets included the secret service headquarters, an immigration office and a passport office. It was the group's most deadly strike, far exceeding previous death tolls. Boko Haram, which wants to impose sharia, or Islamic law, on Nigeria's 160 million people, killed more than 500...
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Colombias FARC destroys radar station
Colombian FARC rebels have attacked a radar installation in Cauca province, killing a guard and delaying flights in the south of the Andean nation as well as some bound for neighbouring Ecuador and Panama, the civil aviation authority said. Guerrilla fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia launched homemade missiles and gas cylinders at the installation on Saturday, officials said. President Juan Manuel Santos has condemned the attack. "When a group like the FARC attacks sites that cause problems for the civilian population, it's a demonstration of its weakness and desperation because it's affecting the civilian population that it claims to be its base of support," he said....
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Over 100,000 rally in Hungary to back govt in EU fight
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - More than 100,000 people rallied Saturday in a show of support for the embattled Hungarian government, as it prepares to compromise in a bitter fight with the European Union to secure a vital loan. Labeled a "March of Peace" the demonstration was by far the largest rally since the government took power in May 2010, in what analysts said was a reminder that Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party remains a potent political force. Elections Europe Government Freedom of the Press International Monetary Fund Orban's center-right government, accused by Brussels of threatening the independence of the media, judiciary and central bank, backed down earlier this week, aiming...
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France threatens early exit from Afghanistan
JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press= KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — France's threat Friday to withdraw early from Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier killed four French troops and wounded 15 is a setback for the U.S.-led coalition's efforts to build a national army and allow foreign troops to go home. The deadly shooting — the second against French forces in a month — is the latest in a rising number of disturbing attacks in which Afghan security forces or infiltrators have turned their guns on coalition forces. It came during an especially deadly 24 hours for the international coalition, with six U.S. Marines killed in a helicopter crash Thursday night in southern Afghanistan. French President Nicolas...
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Accused war criminal Taylor 'worked with CIA'
He stands accused of funding rebels who hacked the arms off small children, smuggling blood diamonds, keeping sex slaves and torturing his opponents, but former Liberian President Charles Taylor also had another career - providing information to US intelligence agencies, according to information obtained by the Boston Globe newspaper. Today, Taylor is jailed in The Hague as the first former African leader to face international prosecution from the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. In the 1990s, he was allegedly responsible for wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, which killed more than 250,000 people. “It’s an intriguing development,” Will Reno, a...
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Sarah Burke, Olympic hopeful freestyle skier, dies from injury trauma
Canadian freestyle skiing star, Sarah Burke died on Thursday, due to trauma sustained during a halfpipe training run on January 10 in Park City, UT. With family and friends bedside, she was pronounced dead by medical staff at the University of Utah hospital. On the 22’ high halfpipe last week, Burke severely injured herself while practicing a relatively simple 540 “flat spin” – a trick she has performed hundreds of times. However, this day, while coming out of the maneuver, she bounced off the icy bowl and awkwardly struck her head. “It was more the freak nature of how she landed,” said the Canadian Freestyle Team’s CEO Peter Judge in an AP...
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Crew return to heroes' welcome
Manila: Filipino crewmembers of the stricken ship MV Costa Concordia arrived home to heroes' welcome a week after their ordeal off the coast of Grosetto, Tuscany, Italy. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in a statement greeted the 129 Filipino crew of the Italian cruise ship who had started arriving in Manila in several batches since Thursday. The MV Costa Concordia had 296 Filipinos on board and the rest of the ship's complement of Philippine national staff are expected to return by today. "The Department of Foreign Affairs is happy that you are all safe," the statement said as it referred to the crewmembers. Continued support Article continues below President Benigno Aquino...
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Salman Rushdie not to attend Jaipur Literature Festival
SHARE AND DISCUSSTweetSalman Rushdie will not attend the Jaipur Literature Festival, a director of the event told media on Friday, after protests from some Indian Muslim groups who called for the controversial author to be banned from entering the country. NEW DELHI: Salman Rushdie will not attend the Jaipur Literature Festival due to securiy reasons, organisers of the festival said on Friday, after protests from some...
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Mystery grows over body parts found in Hollywood
Los Angeles: Police combed the hills below the famed Hollywood sign for more human body parts on Thursday as the mystery deepened surrounding the discovery there of a severed human head, feet and hands. Authorities believe the decapitated head and other body parts came from the same victim. The head, hands and feet were found separately this week in the same area of the 4,200-acre Griffith Park, near hiking trails and not far from the landmark Griffith Observatory. Los Angeles County Coroner's officials have yet to identify the apparent murder victim, a man of undetermined ethnicity believed to be between the ages of 40 and 60. Police have been unable to say how he died or came to...
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General Motors reclaims world's top vehicle-maker slot
General Motors (GM) has regained its slot as the world's biggest vehicle maker in a dramatic turnaround for a firm that was facing bankruptcy just two years ago. GM said it sales rose 7.6%...
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Six killed in Nato helicopter crash
A Nato helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing six members of the international military force, the US-led coalition said. The coalition did not disclose the nationalities of those killed in Thursday's accident but it is understood no British service members were among the dead. The coalition said that there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. The cause is being investigated The crash occurred on the same day seven civilians were killed outside a crowded gate at Kandahar air field, a sprawling base for US and Nato operations, after a suicide attacker set off a vehicle laden with explosives. The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting a Nato...
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Mali troops, rebels clash leaves 47 dead
TWO days of fierce clashes between the Malian army and Tuareg rebels have killed 47 people - 45 rebels and two soldiers, the west African country's defence ministry says. "The attackers suffered heavy losses," a...
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US lawmakers flip on piracy bills amid online protests
Some members of the US Congress switched sides on Wednesday to oppose anti-piracy legislation as protests blanketed the internet, turning Wikipedia dark and putting black slashes on Google and other sites as if they had been censored. Content providers who favour the anti-piracy measures, such as Hollywood and the music industry, were scrambling to win back public opinion and official support. Wikipedia, the world’s free online encyclopedia, shut down for a day. Google and others used the black censorship bars to draw attention to what had until recently been an obscure and technical legislative proposal to curb access to overseas websites that traffic in stolen content or counterfeit goods....
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Details of his vast personal fortune trail Romney
CHARLESTON, S.C.-Under duress two days before the pivotal South Carolina primary, Republican front-runner Mitt Romney acknowledges he has part of his millions invested in the Cayman Islands, although his aides say he never used the location as a tax haven. Neither Romney nor his campaign are providing details, including how much he has invested there, or why, or if any of his money is invested elsewhere outside the United States. "Gov. and Mrs. Romney's assets are managed on a blind basis. They do not control the investment of these assets," campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an emailed response to questions Wednesday night. Romney has not personally addressed the issue, although it's...
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Russian Says Western Support for Arab Revolts Could Cause a 'Big War'
MOSCOW -- Russia's foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, warned Wednesday that outside encouragement of antigovernment uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa could lead to "a very big war that will cause suffering not only to countries in the region, but also to states far beyond its boundaries." Mr....
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