Wall Street dips on weakness in energy

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, "Doug" (24), and I (22) have been in a long-distance relationship for a year, but we were friends for a couple of years before that. I had never had a serious relationship before and lacked experience. Doug has not only been in two other long-term relationships, but has had sex with more than 15 women. One of them is an amateur porn actress.I knew about this, but it didn't...

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French Family of 7 Kidnapped in Cameroon

PARIS (AP) — A French family of seven — including four children — was kidnapped on Tuesday in northern Cameroon, and officials suggested that the Islamic extremist sect Boko Haram was behind it. Details of the kidnapping were not immediately clear. However, President Francois Hollande, speaking during a visit to Greece, noted that France is engaged in a military campaign in Mali to rout out...

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Mindy McCready Made Heartbreaking Video for Suicide Prevention

By Patrick Gomez and Champ Clark 02/19/2013 at 11:40 AM EST Just days before her apparent suicide, Mindy McCready was ready to release a suicide-prevention video dedicated to her deceased boyfriend David Wilson. As she sings "I'll See You Yesterday," a song intended for her next album, a photo of a rural scene...

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UK patient dies from SARS-like coronavirus

LONDON (AP) — A patient being treated for a mysterious SARS-like virus has died, a British hospital said Tuesday.Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, said the coronavirus victim was also being treated for "a long-term, complex unrelated health problem" and already had a compromised immune system.A total of 12 people worldwide have been diagnosed with the disease, six of whom have...

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Wall Street gains on M&A optimism, health insurers weigh

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks advanced on Tuesday after the long holiday weekend and a seven-week winning streak for the S&P 500 as merger activity buoyed investor optimism, but health insurer shares muted gains. Office Depot Inc surged 21.6 percent to $5.58 after a person familiar with the matter said the No. 2 U.S. office supply retailer is in advanced talks to merge with smaller...

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IHT Rendezvous: Human Rights and Sports Events

Earlier this month, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia sacked a senior Russian Olympic Committee official over rising costs and a delay in the construction work for the 2014 Winter Olympics.Page TwoPosts written by the IHT’s Page Two columnists.The cost of the games, to be held in the southern resort of Sochi, is expected to reach the equivalent of $50 billion. Mr. Putin said corruption had pushed...

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Danica Patrick Makes History as First Woman to Win Daytona 500 Pole Slot

By Andrea Billups 02/18/2013 at 11:30 AM EST Danica Patrick made racing history on Sunday, becoming the first woman to win the coveted pole position for this year's Daytona 500 in just her second season of racing NASCAR after years as an IndyCar driver."I was brought up to be the fastest driver, not the fastest...

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Study: Better TV might improve kids' behavior

SEATTLE (AP) — Teaching parents to switch channels from violent shows to educational TV can improve preschoolers' behavior, even without getting them to watch less, a study found.The results were modest and faded over time, but may hold promise for finding ways to help young children avoid aggressive, violent behavior, the study authors and other doctors said."It's not just about turning off the television....

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Yen resumes fall after G20, U.S. holiday thins trade

LONDON (Reuters) - The yen resumed falling on Monday after Japan signaled it would push ahead with expansionist monetary policies having escaped criticism from the world's 20 biggest economies at the weekend. Industrial metals also dipped and European shares were soft on lingering worries about the economic outlook, especially for the euro zone. While the risk of an inconclusive outcome...

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IHT Rendezvous: Should Common Plastics Be Labeled Toxic?

THE HAGUE — Hoping to reduce one of the most ubiquitous forms of waste, a global group of scientists is proposing that certain types of plastic be labeled hazardous.The group, led by two California scientists, wrote in this week’s issue of the scientific journal Nature:We believe that if countries classified the most harmful plastics as hazardous, their environmental agencies would have the power...

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