| Obama-Castro handshake draws criticism Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:09 AM PST  Sen. John McCain likens the greeting with the Cuban leader to shaking hands with Hitler.
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| Eastern snowstorm cripples travel, closes schools and government Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:52 AM PST  PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A snowstorm pushed into New England on Tuesday, with the potential to snarl the evening commute, after causing widespread school and government closures in the nation's capital and elsewhere along the Eastern seaboard.
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| Regulators seek to curb risky Wall Street trades with new rule Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:23 AM PST  By Emily Stephenson and Douwe Miedema WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators toughened key sections of the Volcker rule's crackdown on Wall Street's risky trades on Tuesday as they finalized one of the harshest reforms after the credit meltdown. The rule - named after former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who championed the reform - generally bans banks from proprietary trading, or speculative trading for their own profits. The final rule includes strictly defined carve-outs for trades executed to serve clients' interests or to protect against market risks, and forces banks to show regulators that they are not trying to pass off speculative bets as legitimate trades. Regulators are eager to prevent a repeat of trading debacles such as JPMorgan's $6 billion trading loss in 2012, dubbed the "London Whale" because of the huge positions the bank took in credit markets.
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| Mystery 'Tips for Jesus' tipper identified in NYC Posted: 10 Dec 2013 08:25 AM PST  The generous mystery tipper who has been leaving waiters and waitresses across the country thousands of dollars in "Tips for Jesus" was identified by a New York City waiter as Jack Selby, former PayPal vice president.
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| Obama: Make Mandela's life work your own Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:22 AM PST  The U.S. president urged the world to carry on his legacy.
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| Nobel Peace laureate urges holdouts to join chemical weapons pact Posted: 10 Dec 2013 08:28 AM PST  The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo today, appealed to the remaining six countries outside the Chemical Weapons Convention to join the organization's quest to rid the world of chemical weapons. OPCW director general Ahmet Üzümcü said that there was no longer any "reasonable defense" for Angola, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea, and South Sudan not to ratify the convention after the recent international reaction to the use of chemical weapons in Syria. "It is my fervent hope that this award will spur on efforts to make the Chemical Weapons Convention a truly universal norm," Mr. Üzümcü told the hundreds of Nobel Lecture attendees at Oslo City Hall. "We cannot allow the tragedy that befell the people of Ghouta [site of the Aug. 21 chemical attack in Syria] to be repeated."
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| Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Raul Castro Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:48 AM PST  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — President Barack Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro Tuesday at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela, a simple gesture that signaled possible thawing between the leaders of two Cold War foes.
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| Red Cross: C.African Republic death toll over 500 Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:57 AM PST  BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Aid officials in Central African Republic say more than 500 people have been killed over the past week in sectarian fighting.
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| Ukraine leader to seek some protesters' release Posted: 10 Dec 2013 08:58 AM PST  KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Some demonstrators arrested in the massive protests sweeping Ukraine's capital will be released, embattled President Viktor Yanukovych promised Tuesday, trying to defuse a political standoff that is threatening his leadership.
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| Thai democracy enters dangerous new crossroads Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:35 AM PST  BANGKOK (AP) — Protesters waging a surreal political fight to oust Thailand's elected prime minister are trying to establish what amounts to a parallel government — one complete with "volunteer peacekeepers" to replace the police, a foreign policy of their own and a central committee that has already begun issuing audacious orders.
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| AP Interview: Egypt's Moussa defends draft charter Posted: 10 Dec 2013 09:37 AM PST  CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's best-known diplomat said Tuesday that a constitution drafted by a 50-member panel he chaired offered unprecedented guarantees for democracy, individual freedoms and gender equality.
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| Girlfriend wants charges dropped against Zimmerman Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:16 AM PST ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Prosecutors are considering whether to move forward with domestic violence charges against George Zimmerman even though his girlfriend is asking them not to do so. |
| GM names Mary Barra CEO, 1st woman to head car co. Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST  DETROIT (AP) — General Motors picked Mary Barra, its product development chief and a 33-year company veteran, as its next CEO. She will become the first female head of a major U.S. car company.
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| 2 French soldiers die in Central African Republic Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:33 AM PST  BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Gunmen fatally shot two French soldiers in Central African Republic's volatile capital, officials said Tuesday, underscoring the enormous challenges of a new French military intervention that includes disarming thousands of rebels accused of attacking civilians
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| 18 LA sheriff's officials charged in jail probe Posted: 10 Dec 2013 05:46 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Roughly three years ago, a man referred to in a federal indictment as "Visitor LF" went to Men's Central Jail to discuss his inability to visit his brother there. Instead, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy allegedly handcuffed him, took him to a break room with no windows or public access, and threw him against a refrigerator.
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| Thai protesters claim authority over government Posted: 10 Dec 2013 09:43 AM PST  BANGKOK (AP) — The head of Thailand's protest movement on Tuesday extended his extraordinary claims to holding power over government activities, issuing orders to officials over whom he has no legal or actual authority.
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| Weapons watchdog receives Nobel Peace Prize Posted: 10 Dec 2013 09:20 AM PST  OSLO, Norway (AP) — Recalling the "burning, blinding and suffocating" horrors of chemical weapons, the head of a watchdog trying to consign them to history accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Tuesday, as prize winners in medicine, physics and other categories also took bows for their awards.
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| Snow blankets U.S. East; Washington offices, many schools closed Posted: 10 Dec 2013 10:54 AM PST  The East Coast's first significant snowfall of the season was expected to dump up to 8 inches on northern Virginia, across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and into southern New England, Brian Korty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) said in a forecast. By midday the storm had blown through Washington, D.C., where federal government offices were shut for the day, the Office of Personnel Management said. In neighboring Delaware, Governor Jack Markell announced state offices were shut and urged residents to stay off dangerously slick roads. "It's like 'Miracle on 34th Street.' It's added to the holiday atmosphere," said Major, referring to the classic Christmas movie.
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| Oregon football player suspended for snowball fight Posted: |
| Obama, Cuba's Raul Castro shake hands Posted: |
| Newtown: Stay away on anniversary Posted: 09 Dec 2013 02:25 PM PST  "Please respect our need to be alone," a Newtown official told the media on Monday.
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| World leaders, South Africans honor Mandela Posted: 10 Dec 2013 07:12 AM PST  Obama received a warm welcome from the crowd as addressed Mandela's legacy.
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| World leaders gather to honor Mandela Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:04 AM PST  WATCH LIVE: Some 100 heads of state join tens of thousands of South Africans.
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