Dennis Quaid Files for Divorce, Seeks Joint Custody

By Mike Fleeman 11/30/2012 at 09:20 PM EST Kimberly Buffington-Quaid and Dennis Quaid Casey Rodgers/NBC/AP Dennis Quaid is ready to end his marriage for good.After his wife of eight years, Kimberly Buffington-Quaid, sought legal separation in October, the Vegas...

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South Africa makes progress in HIV/AIDS fight

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — In the early 90s when South Africa's Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died.Two decades later the clinic is the biggest ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those...

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Cliff fight may knock out December rally

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In normal times, next week's slew of U.S. economic data could be a springboard for a December rally in the stock market. December is historically a strong month for markets. The S&P 500 has risen 16 times in the past 20 years during the month. But the market hasn't been operating under normal circumstances since November 7 when a day after the U.S....

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General Assembly Grants Palestine Upgraded Status in U.N.

Damon Winter/The New York TimesThe Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, center, was congratulated by Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. More Photos »UNITED NATIONS — More than 130 countries voted on Thursday to upgrade Palestine to a nonmember observer state of the United Nations, a triumph for Palestinian diplomacy and a sharp rebuke to the United States and Israel. But...

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The X Factor Announces Top 6

TV Watch The X Factor 11/29/2012 at 09:40 PM EST From left; Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and Simon Cowell FOX Mario Lopez called the first elimination on Thursday's The X Factor a "bit of a shocker."And so was the second. The top eight contestants sang No. 1 hits...

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Ukraine fights spreading HIV epidemic

BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — Andrei Mandrykin, an inmate at Prison No. 85 outside Kiev, has HIV. He looks ghostly and much older than his 35 years. But Mandrykin is better off than tens of thousands of his countrymen, because is he receiving treatment amid what the World Health Organization says is the worst AIDS epidemic in Europe.Ahead of World AIDS Day on Saturday, international organizations have urged...

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Stock futures signal flat start

LONDON (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a flat opening on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 trading unchanged to 0.1 percent higher at 4.33 a.m. EST. Japan's Nikkei average hit a seven-month closing high on Friday as a weaker yen, driven by persistent expectations the Bank of Japan will act more boldly under a likely new government...

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U.S. Is Weighing Stronger Action in Syrian Conflict

Francisco Leong/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRebels in northern Syria celebrated on Wednesday next to what was reported to be a government fighter jet. WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, hoping that the conflict in Syria has reached a turning point, is considering deeper intervention to help push President Bashar al-Assad from power, according to government officials involved in the discussions....

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Angus T. Jones Is Not Leaving Two and a Half Men: Source

TV Watch By Elizabeth Leonard 11/28/2012 at 07:50 PM EST The Half is back! Ever since Angus T. Jones bashed Two and a Half Men in a now-viral video, it begged the question: Will the 19-year-old actor return to the hit show? If he has it his way, he will. "Angus expects to report to work after the holiday break...

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Simple measures cut infections caught in hospitals

CHICAGO (AP) — Preventing surgery-linked infections is a major concern for hospitals and it turns out some simple measures can make a big difference.A project at seven big hospitals reduced infections after colorectal surgeries by nearly one-third. It prevented an estimated 135 infections, saving almost $4 million, the Joint Commission hospital regulating group and the American College of Surgeons...

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Stock futures point to higher start

LONDON (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.6 percent at 4.24 a.m. EST. Dow Jones futures added 0.4 percent while contracts on the Nasdaq 100 were 0.8 percent higher. Asian and European shares also rose on Thursday as hints from U.S. policymakers of progress toward reaching a fiscal deal boosted...

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Bombings Are Said to Kill Dozens Near Syria’s Capital

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Syrian state media said on Wednesday that 34 people had died in twin car bombings in a suburb populated by minorities only a few miles from the center of Damascus, the capital, as the civil war swirls from north to south claiming ever higher casualties. There were also reports from witnesses in Turkey and anti-government activists in Syria that for the second...

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Dancing with the Stars Crowns an All-Star Winner

TV Watch Update By Mike Fleeman UPDATED 11/27/2012 at 11:00 PM EST • Originally published 11/27/2012 at 10:50 PM EST Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet Adam Larkey/ABC There's a new leading lady!The first all-female finale of Dancing with...

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CDC: HIV spread high in young gay males

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say 1 in 5 new HIV infections occur in a tiny segment of the population — young men who are gay or bisexual.The government on Tuesday released new numbers that spotlight how the spread of the AIDS virus is heavily concentrated in young males who have sex with other males. Only about a quarter of new infections in the 13-to-24 age group are from injecting drugs or heterosexual...

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Stock futures signal flat to lower open

PARIS (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a flat to lower open on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.22 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.13 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures flat at 5.12 a.m. ET. European stocks inched lower in morning trade, retreating for only the second time in eight sessions as renewed worries over the pace of U.S. budget talks prompted investors to...

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Egypt’s President Said to Limit Scope of Judicial Decree

Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York TimesEgyptians at a burned-out school in Cairo on Monday before the funeral of an activist who was injured in a clash and died Sunday. CAIRO — With public pressure mounting, President Mohamed Morsi appeared to pull back Monday from his attempt to assert an authority beyond the reach of any court. His allies in the Muslim Brotherhood canceled plans for a large...

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India: 2 policemen suspended, magistrate transferred for arrest of 2 women over Facebook post

NEW DELHI – An Indian official says two senior policemen have been suspended for arresting two women over a Facebook post criticizing the shutdown of Mumbai for the funeral of a powerful politician.Maharashtra state Home Minister R.R. Patil said Tuesday the policemen were suspended indefinitely and the magistrate who registered the case against the women has been transferred to another district.Police...

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Women Sizzle in Dancing with the Stars All-Star Finale

TV Watch By Aaron Parsley 11/26/2012 at 09:35 PM EST From left: Shawn Johnson, Kelly Monaco and Melissa Rycroft Craig Sjodin/ABC (3) It's raining 10s, hallelujah! On the final Monday night of competition for the all-star season of Dancing with the Stars, the all-female...

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Bounce houses a party hit but kids' injuries soar

CHICAGO (AP) — They may be a big hit at kids' birthday parties, but inflatable bounce houses can be dangerous, with the number of injuries soaring in recent years, a nationwide study found.Kids often crowd into bounce houses, and jumping up and down can send other children flying into the air, too.The numbers suggest 30 U.S. children a day are treated in emergency rooms for broken bones, sprains,...

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Stock futures signal slightly higher open

LONDON (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.1 to 0.2 percent. Market sentiment improved after Euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund clinched agreement late on Monday on reducing Greece's debt in a breakthrough to release urgently needed loans to...

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As Rebels Gain, Congo Again Slips Into Chaos

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — The lights are out in most of Goma. There is little water. The prison is an empty, garbage-strewn wasteland with its rusty front gate swinging wide open and a three-foot hole punched through the back wall, letting loose 1,200 killers, rapists, rogue soldiers and other criminals. Now, rebel fighters are going house to house arresting people, many of whom...

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Betfair pulls out of Greece over permits row

LONDON (Reuters) – Online gambling exchange Betfair said it would withdraw from the Greek market until there was greater clarity on gaming regulation in the country.Betfair, which has not yet applied for a permit to operate in Greece, questioned the cost and conditions attached to permits required by gaming firms to trade in the country.“According to legal advice received, the value of these permits...

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Tom Cruise Films Helicopter Scene in Empty Trafalgar Square

11/25/2012 at 05:15 PM EST Tom Cruise in Trafalgar Square FameFlynet Back to work! After spending Thanksgiving with daughter Suri, 6, Tom Cruise filmed scenes for the sci-fi action film All You Need Is Kill in London on Sunday. The actor, who plays alien fighter...

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AP PHOTOS: Simple surgery heals blind Indonesians

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — They came from the remotest parts of Indonesia, taking crowded overnight ferries and riding for hours in cars or buses — all in the hope that a simple, and free, surgical procedure would restore their eyesight.Many patients were elderly and needed help to reach two hospitals in Sumatra where mass eye camps were held earlier this month by Nepalese surgeon Dr. Sanduk...

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Stock futures signal early losses

PARIS (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.29 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.21 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.23 percent at 4.37 a.m. ET. European equities inched lower following last week's strong rally in morning trade on Monday while the euro hovered near a one-month peak against the...

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White House Presses for Drone Rule Book

WASHINGTON — Facing the possibility that President Obama might not win a second term, his administration accelerated work in the weeks before the election to develop explicit rules for the targeted killing of terrorists by unmanned drones, so that a new president would inherit clear standards and procedures, according to two administration officials. The matter may have lost some urgency...

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