U.N.'s Syria death toll jumps dramatically to 60,000

Showdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown...

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Al Jazeera acquires Al Gore's Current TV

LOS ANGELES Al-Jazeera, the Pan-Arab news channel that struggled to win space on American cable television, has acquired Current TV, boosting its reach nearly ninefold to about 40 million homes. With a focus on U.S. news, it plans to rebrand the left-leaning news network that cofounder Al Gore couldn't make relevant. The former vice president confirmed the sale Wednesday, saying in a statement...

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Tax Deal Done - but How Can Obama Sign It?

Jan 2, 2013 6:29pm AP Photo/Charles DharapakCongress officially delivered the bill to avert the fiscal cliff to the White House this afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner’s office told ABC News.Now the question is when will the President sign it?The bill, passed late on New Year’s Day, expires tomorrow at 11:59 a.m. when the current session of Congress concludes....

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Humble coin toss thrust to heart of multiverse debate

* Required fields * First name * Last name * Country * Email address * Password Password must contain only letters and numbers, and be at least 8 characters * Confirm password...

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Colorado town in the thick of fracking dispute

Longmont, COLORADO: The US oil and gas industry is condemning a move by one Colorado town to impose its own ban on the practice of hydraulic fracturing.Voters in Longmont have chosen to outlaw the controversial practice within city limits, but drillers and the state government said the city has overstepped its bounds.Space for large houses with mountain views -- one of the reasons the...

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Pa. gov. to sue NCAA over Penn State sanctions

HARRISBURG, Pa. Gov. Tom Corbett said Tuesday he plans to sue the NCAA in federal court over stiff sanctions imposed against Penn State University in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal. The Republican governor scheduled a Wednesday news conference on the Penn State campus in State College to announce the filing in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg. The sanctions, which...

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House Plans Up-or-Down Vote on 'Cliff' Deal

House Republicans have agreed to have an up-or-down vote on the bipartisan Senate deal to avert the "fiscal cliff," rather than trying to amend the Senate bill with more spending cuts before voting, according to a senior GOP leadership aide.The vote will likely come tonight despite top House Republicans' earlier opposition to the deal, which the Senate passed in the wee hours...

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In-depth 2012: The best long reads of the year

Read more: "2013 Smart Guide: 10 ideas that will shape the year" Dig deeper, look closer and think harder – these are the goals of New Scientist's in-depth articles. Each one is perfect for saving in your favourite read-it-later...

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Philippines set to quit Marcos wealth chase

MANILA: The Philippines is to wind down a near-30-year hunt for the embezzled wealth of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, with more than half the supposed $10 billion fortune still missing, the man in charge of the search said.With Marcos' widow and children back in positions of political power, and the government tightening its belt, the cost of the pursuit has become prohibitive, said...

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Biden pitches fiscal cliff deal to Democrats

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Senate leaders cut a deal to avoid the fiscal cliffNEW: Biden pitches the plan to Democrats late MondayObama says more work will be needed and chides Congress for dragging its feet"Take the 84% of your winnings off the table," anti-tax crusader advises GOPAs the fiscal cliff looms, what's your New Year's message to Washington? Go to CNN iReport to share your video.(CNN) -- Senate...

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Clinton's blood clot: Was concussion to blame?

Update: 10:20 P.M. EST -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's physicians released more information about her condition in a statement Monday afternoon: "In the course of a routine follow-up MRI on Sunday, the scan revealed that a right transverse sinus venous thrombosis had formed. This is a clot in the vein that is situated in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear," Clinton's...

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Fiscal Cliff Deal Reached; Biden Pitches It to Dems

The so-called "fiscal cliff" will come at midnight with no congressional fix in place -- but now there is a specific deal on the table to try to soften it after the fact, according to congressional sources."It is a compromise, so we don't love it," said a senior White House official. "But it is the right thing to do for the economy."Vice President Joe Biden must still convince...

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2012 review: The year in health science

Read more: "2013 Smart Guide: 10 ideas that will shape the year" The first half of 2012 will be remembered for the saga over whether or not to publish controversial research involving versions of the H5N1 bird flu virus engineered to spread...

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Electricity tariffs to be lowered

SINGAPORE: Electricity tariffs will be reduced by an average 3.7 per cent from January to March 2013. SP Services attributed the reduction to lower costs of electricity generation, largely due to lower fuel prices compared to the previous quarter.Non-fuel costs of power generation have also been adjusted.The average monthly electricity bill for families living in four-room HDB flats will...

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Opinion: 12 lessons

What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012What we learned in 2012STORY HIGHLIGHTSDean Obeidallah: You are smarter today than 365 days agoObeidallah: You probably learned a few Korean words like "Gangnam Style"He says we found out poultry...

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Nine killed in Oregon tour bus crash

Updated 9:09 p.m. ETLA GRANDE, Ore. A tour bus careened through a guardrail along an icy Oregon highway and several hundred feet down a steep embankment Sunday, killing nine people and injuring more than 20 others, authorities said. The charter bus carrying about 40 people lost control around 10:30 a.m. on the snow- and ice-covered lanes of Interstate 84, according to the Oregon State Police. ...

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Hillary Clinton Hospitalized With Blood Clot

Dec 30, 2012 8:11pm (MICHAL CIZEK/AFP/Getty Images)Secretary Hillary Clinton was hospitalized today after a doctors doing a follow-up exam discovered a blood clot had formed, stemming from the concussion she sustained several weeks ago.She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the...

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Today on New Scientist: 28 December 2012

Best videos of 2012: Rare view of Challenger tragedy Watch a rare amateur video of the Challenger explosion, our most-viewed video of the year Strong jet stream super-charged US Christmas storms Record snowfall and dozens of tornadoes snarled holiday travel as a powerful winter storm plowed across much of the US, while rainstorms battered the UK 2012 review: The year in life science The year's...

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