India Ink: Newswallah: Long Reads Edition

As pilgrims flock to the Maha Kumbh, a mass gathering in which Hindus travel to bathe in the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, Soma Basu and Bharat Lal Seth examine the impact on the rivers and the surrounding areas. In their article in Down To Earth magazine, Ms. Basu points out that the large number of people drawn to the event help cause water pollution and demand a large number of resources...

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GS: Ignore the chatter, BlackBerry rebound is coming

BlackBerry’s (RIMM) next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform has received mixed reviews out of the gate, but most seem to agree that the new OS and first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones will do little to attract interest from users of rival platforms. But as analysts continue to back off BlackBerry and investors lose confidence, Goldman Sachs sees a big opportunity for clients.[More from BGR: Here...

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Jenna Miscavige Hill Pens Revealing Scientology Book

02/01/2013 at 08:00 PM EST Jenna Miscavige and her uncle David inset Michael Murphree; Inset: Polaris What was it like to grow up inside Sea Org, the Church of Scientology's most elite body? In her memoir Beyond Belief, excerpted exclusively below, Jenna Miscavige...

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New rules aim to get rid of junk foods in schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most candy, high-calorie drinks and greasy meals could soon be on a food blacklist in the nation's schools.For the first time, the government is proposing broad new standards to make sure all foods sold in schools are more healthful.Under the new rules the Agriculture Department proposed Friday, foods like fatty chips, snack cakes, nachos and mozzarella sticks would be taken out...

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"Great Rotation"- A Wall Street fairy tale?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street's current jubilant narrative is that a rush into stocks by small investors has sparked a "great rotation" out of bonds and into equities that will power the bull market to new heights. That sounds good, but there's a snag: The evidence for this is a few weeks of bullish fund flows that are hardly unusual for January. Late-stage bull markets...

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Syria Says It Has Right to Counterattack Israel

Oren Ziv/Getty ImagesA post office worker showed an Israeli child how to wear a gas mask on Thursday at a mall in the Pisgat Ze’ev area of East Jerusalem. More Photos »BEIRUT, Lebanon — Tensions over the Israeli airstrike on Syrian territory appeared to increase on Thursday as Syria delivered a letter to the United Nations declaring its right to self-defense and Israel’s action was condemned not only...

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Ed Koch Dies, Former New York City Mayor Was 88

By Stephen M. Silverman 02/01/2013 at 06:15 AM EST Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, whose folksy yet firm style guided the metropolis from 1978 to 1989, died in New York Presbyterian Hospital early Friday morning, his spokesman confirmed to news outlets. He was 88.Koch, who had a long history of cardiac problems,...

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Euro rises, shares gain as Europe's outlook brightens

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro hit a fresh 14-month high and European stocks gained on Friday after economic data raised hopes that the region's downturn has eased, but moves were limited as investors await a U.S. jobs report. Euro zone factories had their best month in nearly a year during January although the currency bloc is likely to remain mired in recession for a few more months, the...

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Chinese Court Issues Severe Sentences in Tibetan Self-Immolations

BEIJING – A court in southwest China gave severe prison sentences to two Tibetans who court officials said were guilty of urging eight people to self-immolate, three of whom had died, according to a report on Thursday by Xinhua, the state news agency. One Tibetan, Lorang Konchok, 40, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, which often means the convict will eventually get a lifetime...

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Nintendo chief rules out price cuts for Wii U

TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo‘s president Thursday ruled out price cuts for its new Wii U home console as a way to boost sales, vowing to become profitable again in its core businesses as smartphones and tablets increasingly threaten specialized game machines.Satoru Iwata, speaking at a Tokyo hotel to investors and reporters a day after earnings were released, acknowledged the sales momentum for the Wii U,...

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Zooey Deschanel's Night Out with Roasted Octopus in West Hollywood

Caught in the Act 01/31/2013 at 06:00 AM EST Zooey Deschanel Donato Sardella/WireImage From New Girl to cover girl!On Monday night, friends and guests of Zooey Deschanel celebrated the actress's Glamour cover at the new eatery RivaBella in West Hollywood. In the...

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Sex to burn calories? Authors expose obesity myths

Fact or fiction? Sex burns a lot of calories. Snacking or skipping breakfast is bad. School gym classes make a big difference in kids' weight.All are myths or at least presumptions that may not be true, say researchers who reviewed the science behind some widely held obesity beliefs and found it lacking.Their report in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine says dogma and fallacies are detracting...

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Stock futures mixed, eyes on Facebook

PARIS (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.04 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.04 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.31 percent at 5:33 a.m. ET. * Facebook Inc will be in the spotlight after it doubled its mobile advertising revenue in the fourth quarter, a sign that the No.1 social network is seeing early...

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Myanmar Police Used Phosphorus on Protesters, Lawyers Say

BANGKOK — A group of lawyers investigating a violent crackdown in Myanmar that left Buddhist monks and villagers with serious burns has concluded that police used white phosphorus, a munition normally reserved for warfare, to disperse protesters. The suppression in November of a protest outside a controversial copper mine in central Myanmar shocked the Burmese public after images of critically...

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RIM to debut new BlackBerry smartphones in a heavily hyped unveiling

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Following several delays and much anticipation, the new BlackBerry smartphones will be unveiled this morning in New York.Research In Motion (TSX:RIM), the company behind the once dominant smartphones, is holding a splashy event in Manhattan to usher in the new devices, which were originally due for release last year.The debut is expected to showcase the device as well as provide key...

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Charlize Theron Relaxes With a Girls' Dinner in West Hollywood

Caught in the Act 01/30/2013 at 06:00 AM EST Charlize Theron shared dinner with a girlfriend at Tortilla Republic in West Hollywood on Monday.Wearing a black blouse, blue jeans and high heels – while sporting her new short dark hair style – the Snow White and the Huntsman actress and her friend ordered up huarache...

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Soldier with new arms determined to be independent

BALTIMORE (AP) — After weeks of round-the-clock medical care, Brendan Marrocco insisted on rolling his own wheelchair into a news conference using his new transplanted arms. Then he brushed his hair to one side.Such simple tasks would go unnoticed in most patients. But for Marrocco, who lost all four limbs while serving in Iraq, these little actions demonstrate how far he's come only six weeks after...

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Euro surges to 14-month high, Fed decision awaited

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro hit its highest level in over a year on Wednesday and shares, oil and metals were also on the rise, as confidence in the global economic outlook strengthened ahead of European data and the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest policy decision. The Fed is expected to maintain asset buying at $85 billion a month when it concludes its meeting later and retain its commitment...

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The Female Factor: Chinese Courts Turn a Blind Eye to Abuse

BEIJING — Before they married in 2009, Tan Yong admitted to Li Yan that he had beaten his three previous wives. He promised to change. The promises didn’t last, said Li Dehuai, Ms. Li’s brother. Soon after the wedding, Mr. Tan began abusing his wife. “He stubbed out cigarettes on her face and legs. He would take her hair and hit her head against the wall. He locked her on the balcony...

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Anne Hathaway Says She 'Met A Lot of Bad Ones' Before Meeting Her Husband

Caught in the Act 01/29/2013 at 06:00 AM EST Adam Shulman and Anne Hathaway Christopher Polk/WireImage Following the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Anne Hathaway was feeling the love at an after party at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.Hathaway – who...

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Soldier talks about his new arms after transplant

BALTIMORE (AP) — A soldier who lost all four limbs in an Iraq roadside bombing has two new arms following a double transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital.Twenty-six-year-old Brendan Marrocco along with the surgeons who treated him will be at the Baltimore hospital on Tuesday to discuss the new limbs.The transplants are only the seventh double-hand or double-arm transplant ever conducted in the United...

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Stock index futures point to slightly lower start

LONDON (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.1 percent. Futures for the Dow Jones were flat, while contracts on the Nasdaq 100 shed 0.2 percent at 04.47 a.m. EST. European shares edged up to hover near two-year highs, with strong earnings reports and a brightening economic outlook...

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India Ink: One Delhi Gang Rape Suspect Is Ruled a Minor

NEW DELHIThe Indian Juvenile Justice Board ruled Monday that one suspect in the recent fatal gang rape of a young woman on a moving bus is officially a juvenile, which could result in a lenient sentence if he is found guilty of the crime.The teenager, who school records show is 17 years old, could receive a maximum sentence of three years in a detention facility if found guilty. Five other men accused...

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Jennifer Lawrence Feeling Better Thanks to a 'Lot of Medication'

By Dahvi Shira 01/28/2013 at 07:00 AM EST Jennifer Lawrence is on the mend.The ailing Silver Linings Playbook starlet is finally feeling fine after a reported bout with pneumonia. "I'm so much better," Lawrence, 22, told reporters backstage at Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards, where she won for lead female actor. "I'm a lot better. I've...

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CDC: Flu seems to level off except in the West

New government figures show that flu cases seem to be leveling off nationwide. Flu activity is declining in most regions although still rising in the West.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitalizations and deaths spiked again last week, especially among the elderly. The CDC says quick treatment with antiviral medicines is important, in particular for the very...

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Futures flat, Caterpillar on tap to report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were little changed on Monday, with investors reluctant to make big bets following a rally that took the S&P 500 above 1,500 for the first time in more than five years. A strong start to the earnings season has boosted equities, with major averages rising for four straight weeks. The S&P has gained for eight straight days, its longest winning...

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