NH case against 2 big oil companies gets underway

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The state of New Hampshire is launching its case against two major oil companies in what is expected to be the longest and most complex trial in state history.The state's lawyers say ExxonMobil and Citgo should pay more than $700 million in damages to monitor and clean up groundwater contamination caused by the gas additive MTBE — methyl tertiary butyl ether — now banned in New...

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Volkswagen reports record sales for 2012

BERLIN (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen AG says its 2012 group sales hit a record high as growing demand around the world more than offset sluggish sales in Europe.It says Monday that more than nine million vehicles were delivered for the first time. The total of 9.07 million was up 11.2 percent from the 8.16 million delivered in 2011. December sales were also up 20.7 percent over the same month...

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UPS $6.9 billion TNT Express takeover falls apart

AMSTERDAM (AP) — United Parcel Service Inc. has ditched its €5.2 billion ($6.9 billion) takeover of TNT Express NV after learning that European regulators would reject the deal in its current form.Though TNT will receive a €200 million ($265.5 million) break fee, it faces an uncertain future on its own. Its shares plummeted 50 percent to € 4.083 in the first minutes of Monday trading in Amsterdam...

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Sports fans can pursue U.S. antitrust case over programs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday allowed sports fans to pursue a lawsuit accusing Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and various networks of antitrust violations in how they package games for broadcast on television or the Internet.U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said the subscribers could pursue claims that the packaging has reduced competition,...

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Rule changes may be best way to curb hockey aggression

(Reuters) - Trying to prevent fights and hockey injuries by teaching young hockey players about the dangers of aggression on the ice are less effective than rule changes, which adjust both culture and behavior at once, according to a Canadian study.The researchers, whose findings appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, concluded after reviewing past research on the subject that rules...

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Owners and players to meet without feuding leaders present

NEW YORK (Reuters) - National Hockey League (NHL) owners and players will meet face-to-face on Tuesday in an attempt to broker a deal to end their bitter dispute that threatens to wipe out the season.The meeting will take place in New York with the heads of the two feuding sides, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association (NHLPA) Executive Director Don Fehr both agreeing to skip the...

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Video causes web furor over OH athletes' rape case

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — An online video fueling social media reaction to the case of two eastern Ohio high school football players charged with rape isn't new evidence for state investigators handling the case, the attorney general said Friday.The 16-year-old boys are set for trial Feb. 13 in juvenile court in Steubenville on allegations that they raped a teenage girl last August. Special prosecutors...

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You Won't Believe How Many Americans Are Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Discovered: Scary numbers about sleeping while driving; our moon might get its own moon; decoding the malware genome; fighting HIV with HIV. RELATED: An HIV Vaccine; LSD as Treatment for AlcoholismWho are all these people falling asleep at the wheel? We all know about the dangers of drunk driving. And texting while driving. But new data suggests we might need more PSAs that raise awareness about...

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Occupy Steubenville: Anonymous vs. the Sheriff

The sheriff investigating the alleged rape in Steubenville, Ohio, has not made friends with Anonymous after the hacking collective's document dump this week accused him of being close with Steubenville High's football coach, deleting video evidence, and running "the largest illegal gambling operation in Jefferson County." So it was strange to see the sheriff on stage at the Occupy Steubenville rally...

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Sudan: at least 30 Darfur rebels killed in clashes

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Sudanese army says its soldiers have killed at least 30 rebels in clashes in Sudan's troubled North Darfur region.The army spokesman, Col. Sawarme Khalid, says the rebel forces belong to Justice and Equality Movement. He told the semiofficial Sudan Media Center Wednesday that the army turned back a rebel attack in Jebel Marra area of North Darfur.Darfur has been in turmoil...

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Iran annual inflation hits 27.4 percent

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's central bank says the annual inflation rate hit 27.4 percent at the end of 2012, one of the highest rates ever quoted by Iranian authorities.The soaring rate is attributed to Western sanctions over Iran's suspect nuclear program and government mismanagement.The figure was posted on the bank's website Wednesday. It reflects worsening economic conditions under President Mahmoud...

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Iranians freed by Syrian rebels arrive in Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian rebels on Wednesday freed 48 Iranians held captive since August in exchange for the release of more than 2,000 detainees in the first major prisoner swap of the country's civil war, officials said.The exchange came just days after Assad vowed to press ahead with the fight against rebels despite international pressure to end the bloodshed that has left more than 60,000...

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UPDATE 1-Soccer-Valencia, Malaga through to King's Cup quarters

* Valencia see off La Liga rivals Osasuna* Malaga suffer scare against third-tier Eibar (Adds Valencia-Osasuna, quotes, byline)MADRID, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Valencia eased past La Liga rivals Osasuna into the quarter-finals of the King's Cup on Tuesday, while Malaga flirted with danger against third-tier Eibar before a flurry of late goals put them safely into the last eight.Valencia will play 2011 winners...

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Brazilian prostitutes keen to "learn the lingo" for 2014 World Cup

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Prostitutes in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte are signing up in droves for free language classes in order to be ready for a barrage of foreign visitors to the tropical country during the 2014 soccer World Cup.The women join many others in Brazilian society, from politicians to construction workers, who are racing the clock to prepare 12 host cities throughout the nation...

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Soccer-Youthful Villa playing dangerous game

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Pioneers Aston Villa have put almost all their faith in young players this season but the bold policy is at risk of badly backfiring for the Premier League club after Tuesday's defeat at fourth tier Bradford City.The 3-1 reverse in their Capital One (League) Cup semi-final first leg was the latest in a string of woeful displays from the 1982 European champions and damage...

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Congressional Dairy Fix Would Still Raise Milk Prices

Dairy Manufacturers and Consumer Groups Oppose New ProgramWASHINGTON, Dec. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) stated today that the legislation proposed by Congressional Agriculture Committee leaders would still cause a problem in the marketplace because it includes a controversial new program designed to limit the milk supply. That proposal, championed...

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Book of Mormon Tickets Remain Atop Most Popular Theatre Tickets List

The Book of Mormon continues to remain at the top of our Most Popular Theatre Tickets list, said Felina Martinez at online ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. The 9-time Tony Award winning musical is currently running at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York, the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago, and the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.Denver, CO (PRWEB) January 01, 2013This bold, bawdy, hilarious...

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Breakout Consulting Offers New Clients $500 Off on Dream Client Marketing Campaign

Leading business consultancy offers businesses of all sizes to strategically target their dream client list.(PRWEB) January 01, 2013Breakout Consulting, a leading small business coaching and consulting firm based in Dearborn, MI is offering new clients a $500 discount on their Dream Client Marketing Campaign focused on attracting the most lucrative buyers in their marketplace. The customized marketing...

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Michael J. Fox to play newscaster dealing with Parkinson's in NBC show

PASADENA, Calif. - On his upcoming NBC TV comedy, Michael J. Fox will play a newscaster who quits his job because of Parkinson's Disease but returns to work in the show's first episode because a new medical regimen has helped him control many of the disease's symptoms.NBC said Sunday the comedy closely tracks many aspects of Fox's personal life and tries to have fun with an image that has left him...

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NHL players in hurry-up mode to prepare for games with pending end to lockout

The clock is already ticking for NHL players preparing to return to the ice.With the end to the lockout pending, there will only be time for a brief training camp before a compressed schedule of 48 or 50 games.The next few weeks will quickly show whether players who haven't played a competitive game since last spring are ready for the rigours of a regular season."I don't think it'll be too tough,"...

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Canada's top court rejects blanket rule on niqabs in court

(Reuters) - Canadian judges should decide on a case-by-case basis whether women can wear the niqab, a full-face veil, while testifying in court, but a blanket rule on the issue would be "untenable," Canada's top court said on Thursday.The decision, supported by four of the seven judges who heard the case at the Supreme Court of Canada, said lower courts must consider, among other things, the harm...

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Tennis-Murray knows must do more to become 'Sir Andy'

BRISBANE, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Andy Murray is coming off a season in which he became the first British man in 76 years to win a Grand Slam singles title and won Olympic gold at the London Games but the Scot does not think he has done enough to deserve a knighthood yet.The 25-year-old received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in a special U.K. New year Honours list, though some of his supporters...

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Murray knows must do more to become 'Sir Andy'

BRISBANE (Reuters) - Andy Murray is coming off a season in which he became the first British man in 76 years to win a Grand Slam singles title and won Olympic gold at the London Games but the Scot does not think he has done enough to deserve a knighthood yet.The 25-year-old received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in a special U.K. New year Honours list, though some of his supporters thought...

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How to Sync All Your Calendars Onto One Smartphone

It’s a simple request: I just want my online calendars to sync with my smartphone… is that too much to ask? It took some initial research and finesse, but I’ve discovered the best ways to get your Yahoo and Google calendars to appear on either an Android or Apple IOS mobile device.Google Calendar on Android PhoneWhen you first set up your Android phone, you had to create or enter your Google account...

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Hutchison closes deal to become No. 3 in Austria

 Consolidation of Austria's cut-throat telecoms market moved ahead on Thursday when Hutchison Whampoa Ltd completed its 1.3-billion-euro ($1.7 billion) takeover of Orange Austria, making it the country's third-biggest mobile operator. Its purchase from Mid Europa Partners (MEP) and France Telecom-Orange followed extensive negotiations that finally won European and Austrian regulatory approval...

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German magazine mistakenly publishes Bush obituary

 Germany's respected news weekly Der Spiegel mistakenly published an obituary Sunday for former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, hours after a family spokesman said the 88-year-old was recovering from illness.Bush was hospitalized in Houston Nov. 23 for treatment of a bronchitis-related cough and moved to intensive care on Dec. 23 after he developed a fever. On Saturday, spokesman Jim McGrath...

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Reports: Russia sends another naval ship to Syria

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian news agencies say the navy is sending another ship to the Syrian port of Tartus, where Russia has a naval base.The reports Sunday by the ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agency cited an unidentified official in the military general staff as saying the Novocherkassk, a large landing ship, has set sail from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk. The ship is expected to arrive in the Tartus...

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UK Catholics urged to lobby against gay marriage

 The leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales has urged followers to write to their representatives in Parliament to oppose the government's plans to allow gay marriage.In a letter read to congregations over the weekend, Archbishop Vincent Nichols called for Catholics to express their views "clearly, calmly and forcefully."Nichols says he is concerned about how a change in the law would...

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Housing equity injection lowest since Q1 2010

 Britons' mortgage repayments exceeded new borrowing during the third quarter of 2012, but by the smallest margin since early 2010, figures from the Bank of England showed on Monday.The net injection of housing equity totalled 8.043 billion pounds in the third quarter, equivalent to 2.9 percent of post-tax income - down from 9.439 billion pounds in the second quarter and the lowest figure since...

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About 25 arrested in Moscow New Year's Eve protest

About 25 people reportedly have been arrested in Moscow on New Year's Eve for trying to hold an unsanctioned protest.The gathering at Triumphalnaya Square in central Moscow on Monday attracted 50 to 100 people.Among those arrested was prominent radical writer Eduard Limonov; the Interfax news agency cited activists as saying about 25 people were taken into custody.For about two years, activists have...

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Analysis: Democrats' discord undercuts Obama estate tax push

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Divisions among Democrats are undermining President Barack Obama's push to raise the U.S. estate tax on inherited wealth, just weeks before the arrival of the "fiscal cliff" could drive the present estate tax rate even higher than Obama proposes.Action on the estate tax could be postponed. But in his successful re-election campaign, Obama called for wealthy Americans to pay...

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Canadian year-to-date budget deficit narrows in September

 Canada's federal budget deficit dropped in the first six months of the fiscal year, falling to C$8.9 billion ($9.0 billion) in April to September from a C$11.8 billion shortfall in the same period of last year, the Department of Finance said on Friday.The monthly deficit in September fell slightly to C$2.69 billion from C$2.75 billion in September 2011.Revenues in the first six months of the...

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Number of ND 'income millionaires' jumps by 102

A record number of North Dakotans reported seven-figure incomes last year, many of whom are benefiting from the state's oil bonanza, the state Tax Department says.Figures released to The Associated Press show a record 634 people reported incomes of more than $1 million on their 2011 individual tax returns, up from 532 in 2010 and 384 in 2009. In 2006, while North Dakota's oil boom was in its infancy,...

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Obama says Republican "fiscal cliff" plan out of balance

President Barack Obama rejected a Republican proposal to resolve a looming fiscal crisis on Tuesday as "still out of balance" and insisted any deal must include a rise in income tax rates on the wealthiest Americans.Obama told Bloomberg Television that the Republicans' reliance on eliminating tax deductions instead of letting taxes rise on Americans making more than $250,000 a year would not raise...

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Grocery giant Kroger wins $567 million tax fight

 Kroger Co said Thursday it won a tax battle with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which has dropped an effort to collect $567 million in disputed deductions from the grocery giant.The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month dismissed the government's claims against Kroger, the Cincinnati-based company disclosed in a securities filing.The dismissal by a three-judge panel came...

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