Israel Steps Up Aerial Strikes in Gaza

JERSUSALEM — Israel retaliated after Palestinian rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with airstrikes before dawn Saturday on the Gaza City offices of Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas — the militant Islamist group that governs Gaza. The Israeli military said Saturday that it had struck more than 200 targets overnight, including underground rocket launchers and smuggling tunnels in...

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It's a Girl for Chad Lowe

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 11/17/2012 at 12:20 AM ET Chelsea Lauren/WireImage It’s a girl for Chad Lowe.The Pretty Little Liars star and wife Kim welcomed their second daughter on Thursday, Nov. 15, the actor announced via Twitter.“It’s a girl!!! And she’s as beautiful as her mommy and [3½-year-old]...

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EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.Meningitis mainly affects infants...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Going off "cliff" with a bungee cord

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 1987 crash. The Y2K bug. The debt ceiling debacle of 2011. All these events, in the end, turned out to be buying opportunities for stocks. So will the "fiscal cliff," some investors say as they watch favorite stocks tumble during the political give-and-take happening in Washington. The first round of talks aimed at avoiding the "fiscal cliff" caused...

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Israel Prepares Possible Ground Offensive in Gaza

Rina Castelnuovo for The New York TimesIsraeli soldiers near the border with Gaza on Friday. More Photos »JERUSALEM — After a morning of heavy rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, the Israeli military seemed to be edging closer to a ground invasion of Gaza on Friday, saying forces were “on standby” and “ready to enter should it be decided that a ground operation is necessary.” In a statement,...

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Exclusive: Facebook offering e-retailers sales tracking tool

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc wants more credit for making online cash registers ring.Facebook will begin rolling out on Friday a new tool which will allow online retailers to track purchases by members of the social network who have viewed their ads. The tool is the latest of the new advertising features Facebook...

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Matthew McConaughey Is Dreaming of the Perfect Cheeseburger

By Andrea Billups 11/16/2012 at 09:40 AM EST Matthew McConaughey has dieted himself down to skin and bones for an upcoming movie, but when the five-week shoot is over, he's gunning for one thing: a po boy sandwich.But if that can't be found, McConaughey, 43, says that he'll settle on a perfect cheeseburger,...

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EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.Meningitis mainly affects infants...

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Market slips ahead of "fiscal cliff" bargaining

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were lower on Friday as investors remained skeptical that a meeting between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders would make progress on dealing with the "fiscal cliff." Futures had indicated a higher open after the Wall Street Journal reported White House officials were in discussions that could indicate increased flexibility in negotiations with...

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Attacks Resume After Israeli Assault Kills Hamas Leader

KIRYAT MALACHI, Israel — Israel and Hamas widened their increasingly deadly conflict over Gaza on Thursday, as a militant rocket killed three civilians in an apartment block in this small southern town. The deaths are likely to lead Israel to intensify its military offensive on Gaza, now in its second day of airstrikes. In Gaza, the Palestinian death toll rose to 11 as Israel struck what...

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In UK, Twitter, Facebook rants land some in jail

LONDON (AP) — One teenager made offensive comments about a murdered child on Twitter. Another young man wrote on Facebook that British soldiers should “go to hell.” A third posted a picture of a burning paper poppy, symbol of remembrance of war dead.All were arrested, two convicted, and one jailed — and they’re not the only ones. In Britain, hundreds of...

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Maksim Chmerkovskiy Now Focusing on Brother Val's Success on Dancing with the Stars

TV Watch By Reagan Alexander 11/15/2012 at 10:30 AM EST Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy Craig Sjodin/ABC Dancing with the Stars fans know better than to doubt Maksim Chmerkovskiy's desire to win the coveted mirror-ball trophy.But while the Ukrainian-born...

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Booze calories nearly equal soda's for US adults

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans get too many calories from soda. But what about alcohol? It turns out adults get almost as many empty calories from booze as from soft drinks, a government study found.Soda and other sweetened drinks — the focus of obesity-fighting public health campaigns — are the source of about 6 percent of the calories adults consume, on average. Alcoholic beverages account for about...

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Wall Street flat, unable to hang onto gains

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed in choppy trading on Thursday as investors found little reason to buy following weak results from Wal-Mart Stores Inc and rising tensions in the Middle East. After stock index futures rose before the market opened, Wall Street dipped temporarily soon after the open on data from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank that showed business activity...

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Ordering More Airstrikes, Syria Calls French Recognition of Rebels ‘Immoral’

Javier Manzano/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesSmoke billowed from burning tires as a Syria rebel fired towards regime forces during clashes in the Al-Amariya district of Aleppo in Syria on Tuesday. PARIS — Syrian authorities ordered airstrikes for a third consecutive day close to the tense Turkish border on Wednesday, and said a French decision to recognize and consider arming a newly formed Syrian...

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Hope Solo's Fiancé Jerramy Stevens Arrested for Domestic Assault

By Andrea Billups 11/14/2012 at 10:20 AM EST Jerramy Stevens and Hope Solo NFL/Getty; Jeff Vinnick/Getty Former Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting his fiancé, U.S. women's soccer team goalkeeper Hope Solo, according...

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Ireland probes death of ill abortion-seeker

DUBLIN (AP) — The debate over legalizing abortion in Ireland flared Wednesday after the government confirmed a miscarrying woman suffering from blood poisoning was refused a quick termination of her pregnancy and died in an Irish hospital.Prime Minister Enda Kenny said he was awaiting findings from three investigations into the death of Savita Halappanavar, an Indian living in Galway since 2008 who...

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Wall Street declines, Nasdaq turns lower

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Thursday, erasing earlier gains that came on strong results from Cisco Systems . While shares of Cisco stayed sharply higher, all three major indexes fell, continuing a recent trend where equities have been unable to hold onto early gains amid concerns about impending U.S. budget discussions and a debt crisis in Europe. The Dow Jones industrial...

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