IHT Rendezvous: Drones, Brennan and Obama's Legacy of Secrecy

NEW YORK — John O. Brennan’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday was representative of the Obama administration’s approach to counter-terrorism: right-sounding assurances with little transparency.Mr. Brennan, the president’s choice to be the next head of the Central Intelligence Agency, said the United States should publicly disclose when American drone attacks kill civilians....

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Meet the Kings of Leon's Newest Addition

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 02/09/2013 at 10:00 AM ET Courtesy Nathan Followill It’s the newest addition to the Kings of Leon!Drummer Nathan Followill and singer-songwriter Jessie Baylin introduce their little lady, 6-week-old Violet Marlowe, via Twitter Friday evening.“Hello world, my name...

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After early start, worst of flu season may be over

NEW YORK (AP) — The worst of the flu season appears to be over.The number of states reporting intense or widespread illnesses dropped again last week, and in a few states there was very little flu going around, U.S. health officials said Friday.The season started earlier than normal, first in the Southeast and then spreading. But now, by some measures, flu activity has been ebbing for at least four...

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Stocks end higher for sixth straight week, tech leads

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Nasdaq composite stock index closed at a 12-year high and the S&P 500 index at a five-year high, boosted by gains in technology shares and stronger overseas trade figures. The S&P 500 also posted a sixth straight week of gains for the first time since August. The technology sector led the day's gains, with the S&P 500 technology index...

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Fire Destroys Offices of Israeli Soccer Team That Recruited Muslims

Integrating Israeli Soccer: The Times’s Jodi Rudoren looks at lingering racism in the stands of the last Israeli soccer team to field Muslim players.JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Friday condemned as “shameful” the recent protests by soccer fans here of their team’s recent recruitment of two Muslim players, hours after the offices of the team were burned in what the police...

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Steven Tyler Proposes New Senate Bill in Hawaii

02/08/2013 at 10:45 AM EST Jennifer Aniston and Justin Bieber have spoken out about the need for rules and regulations surrounding the paparazzi – most recently after a paparazzo was killed in a tragic accident.Now, Steven Tyler is adding his voice to the mix. The rock star and American Idol alum, 64, has proposed...

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Southern diet, fried foods, may raise stroke risk

Deep-fried foods may be causing trouble in the Deep South. People whose diets are heavy on them and sugary drinks like sweet tea and soda were more likely to suffer a stroke, a new study finds.It's the first big look at diet and strokes, and researchers say it might help explain why blacks in the Southeast — the nation's "stroke belt" — suffer more of them.Blacks were five times more likely than whites...

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Wall Street advances after stream of economic data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index rose on Friday after a batch of positive economic data points, but gains were checked with the benchmark S&P index at five-year highs as investors looked for strong catalysts to push the market further upward. Data showed Chinese exports grew more than expected in January, while imports climbed 28.8 percent, highlighting robust domestic demand, while...

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Way of the World: Theorizing About Taxing High Earners

NEW YORK — Academics can be dismissive of the concerns of the popular media. But when it comes to the growth of the superrich, the tabloids may have gotten it right. The numbers tell the story. According to a study by John Van Reenen of the London School of Economics and Brian Bell of Oxford University, the share of national income earned by the top 1 percent in the United States surged to...

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Diem Brown Reacts to Cancer-Free News

In her PEOPLE.com blog, Diem Brown, the Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestant recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer for the second time, opens up about her desire for a child and the ups and downs of cancer and fertility procedures. Getting the call that changes your life ... literally! I have been in this intense limbo ever since Jan. 4 when my CT Scan showed signs of a mass in my liver, which...

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New whooping cough strain in US raises questions

NEW YORK (AP) — Researchers have discovered the first U.S. cases of whooping cough caused by a germ that may be resistant to the vaccine.Health officials are looking into whether cases like the dozen found in Philadelphia might be one reason the nation just had its worst year for whooping cough in six decades. The new bug was previously reported in Japan, France and Finland."It's quite intriguing....

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Wall Street extends losses as retail, housing stocks fall

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Avengers," or at least most of the members of the world-saving crew, will assemble on the stage of this year's Academy Awards. Castmates Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo will present an Oscar together, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced Wednesday. Missing in action are Scarlett Johansson, who played...

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IHT Rendezvous: The Best Asian Art? You Can Vote on It

HONG KONG — Heading into its 10th year, the Sovereign Asian Art Prize has grown far beyond its Hong Kong base to span the very edges of the continent, including former Soviet republics and the Middle East.Its list of 30 finalists, announced last week, was light on the usual contemporary art superpowers — there was only one name from mainland China — and heavy on Muslim-majority states that may not...

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Monopoly Drops Iron, Adds Cat Token to Classic Board Game

People Pets By Amy Jamieson 02/06/2013 at 10:40 AM EST The votes are in and the iron is out.After an online vote, the iron token in Monopoly's classic board game has been replaced with a shiny shorthaired cat wearing an "M" on her collar. The feline was chosen by fans in a separate online vote and beat out a...

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Critics seek to delay NYC sugary drinks size limit

NEW YORK (AP) — Opponents are pressing to delay enforcement of the city's novel plan to crack down on supersized, sugary drinks, saying businesses shouldn't have to spend millions of dollars to comply until a court rules on whether the measure is legal.With the rule set to take effect March 12, beverage industry, restaurant and other business groups have asked a judge to put it on hold at least until...

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Wall Street slips after Tuesday rally, results eyed

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks dipped on Wednesday as investors, awaiting fresh trading incentives, locked in profits after recent rallies took the S&P 500 to five-year highs. Transportation stocks were among the worst performers weighed down by an 8.2 percent drop in CH Robinson Worldwide , which dropped 8.2 percent to $61.53 after reporting fourth-quarter earnings. ...

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Bulgaria Implicates Hezbollah in Deadly Israeli Bus Blast

ReutersBulgaria's Burgas airport on July 18 after an explosion on a bus carrying Israeli tourists outside the airport. SOFIA, Bulgaria — The Bulgarian government said on Tuesday that two of the people behind a deadly bombing attack that targeted an Israeli tour bus six months ago were believed to be members of the military wing of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The announcement could...

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Michael Douglas Has Dating Advice for His Son: Be Courteous

MediaPunch Inc/Rex USA For most parents, nothing is scarier than the idea of their teen starting to date — even if you’re Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose 12-year-old son Dylan is entering that arena.“I’m trying to digest it all, and I’m just trying to remember what it’s like to be in a teenage romance,” Douglas, 68, told PEOPLE at Thursday’s New York premiere of Zeta-Jones’s new film...

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Bullying study: It does get better for gay teens

CHICAGO (AP) — It really does get better for gay and bisexual teens when it comes to being bullied, although young gay men have it worse than their lesbian peers, according to the first long-term scientific evidence on how the problem changes over time.The seven-year study involved more than 4,000 teens in England who were questioned yearly through 2010, until they were 19 and 20 years old. At the...

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Wall Street rebounds from weakness, Dell to go private

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Stocks rose on Tuesday as investors sought bargains following the market's worst daily session since November and more companies reported results that were stronger than expected. Major stock indexes had dropped about 1 percent in Monday's session, pressured by renewed worries over the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis. Still, equities have been strong performers recently,...

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Investigation Finds Suspected Fixing in 680 Soccer Matches

THE HAGUE — Criminal organizations have infiltrated the highest levels of European and international soccer, threatening the very integrity of the sport, global law enforcement officials said on Monday as they unveiled the results of a 19-month investigation that indicated that hundreds of people had been involved in match-fixing. At least 425 people from more than 15 countries — including...

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The Future of BlackBerry 10 Sales Looks Hazy

Early sales figures from abroad suggest high demand for one of BlackBerry‘s two big comeback phones… in the struggling Canadian company’s strongest market. As the U.S. market remains on standby for sales and even ads, reports from both analysts and suppliers suggest sold-out new models in the United Kingdom, the first and only place the BlackBerry Z10 is available yet. “We believe Carphone...

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Paul McCartney Rocks Out to Lil Wayne & More Super Bowl Party Sightings

Caught in the Act 02/04/2013 at 10:45 AM EST Nancy Shevell, Paul McCartney and Lil Wayne Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup; Gustavo Caballero/Getty For Hollywood, Super Bowl weekend is one big party, and they don't disappoint.On Saturday night, Lil Wayne performed...

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Bullying study: It does get better for gay teens

CHICAGO (AP) — It really does get better for gay and bisexual teens when it comes to being bullied, although young gay men have it worse than their lesbian peers, according to the first long-term scientific evidence on how the problem changes over time.The seven-year study involved more than 4,000 teens in England who were questioned yearly through 2010, until they were 19 and 20 years old. At the...

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Wall Street opens lower after recent gains

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened lower on Monday, dipping after a recent rally that took the S&P 500 to a five-year high and the Dow to 14,000 for the first time since October 2007. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was down 58.67 points, or 0.42 percent, at 13,951.12. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was down 6.84 points, or 0.45 percent, at 1,506.33....

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