Blaze kills 3 young siblings, injures 4-year-old relative

NESHOBA, Miss.?? An early-morning fire killed three toddlers in central Mississippi on Sunday. A fourth child was being treated at a burn center.

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Neshoba County Sheriff's investigator Ralph Sciple told The Neshoba Democrat that 3-month-old Neldavinna Tubby, 1-year-old Omarion Tubby and 2-year-old Sharron Tubby died in the fire at the mobile home.

He said their father, Josh Tubby, and grandfather Tommy Wickson were taken by ambulance to a hospital. A fourth child ? Orex Wickson ? was sent to a burn center in Georgia.

'It's a sad day'
Neshoba County Sheriff Tommy Waddell told WTOK that four-year-old Orex Wickson was a family member who was visiting the home.

"At this time, it appears to be a tragic, tragic accident," Waddell added. "I would like for the community to just pray for the Tubby family because I just cannot imagine losing all your children. It's a sad day."

Citing officials, WTOK reported that the blaze appeared to have started in the kitchen.

The fire was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday.

The house on Mississippi Highway 21 south was fully ablaze when firefighters arrived, authorities said.

State fire investigators are looking into the cause.

Neshoba is about 95 miles northeast of Jackson.

The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46186038/ns/us_news-life/

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US stock futures dragged down by euro worries (AP)

NEW YORK ? U.S. stock futures are falling as uncertainty about a tentative deal to resolve Greece's debt crisis weighs on investor sentiment ahead of a summit of European leaders.

Dow Jones industrial futures are down 65 points to 12,549. The broader S&P 500 futures are down 7 points to 1,305. The Nasdaq composite is 14 points lower at 2,443.

The leaders gathering in Brussels hope to focus on how to stimulate economic growth when huge government spending cuts threaten to push many countries back into recession.

The latest data showed Spain's economy shrank in the last three months of 2011.

European markets also declined. In Asia, most indexes fell as investors reacted to Friday's release of data showing the U.S. economy grew more slowly than expected in the fourth quarter.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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Gingrich bemoans Romney's Florida 'carpet-bombing'

On the defensive after a barrage of attacks from Mitt Romney and a political committee that supports him, Newt Gingrich said Romney had lied and the GOP establishment had allowed it.

Newt Gingrich slammed GOP presidential rival Mitt Romney for "carpet-bombing" his record ahead of Tuesday's presidential primary in Florida, trying to cut into the resurgent front-runner's lead in the final 48 hours before the vote.

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On the defensive after a barrage of attacks from Romney and a political committee that supports him, Gingrich said Romney had lied and the GOP establishment had allowed it.

"I don't know how you debate a person with civility if they're prepared to say things that are just plain factually false," Gingrich said during appearances on Sunday talk shows. "I think the Republican establishment believes it's OK to say and do virtually anything to stop a genuine insurgency from winning because they are very afraid of losing control of the old order."

Despite Romney's effort to turn positive, the Florida contest has become decidedly bitter and personal. Romney and Gingrich have tangled over policy and character since Gingrich's stunning victory over the well-funded Romney in the South Carolina primary Jan. 21.

Showing no signs of letting up, Gingrich objected to a Romney campaign ad that includes a 1997 NBC News report on the House's decision to discipline the then-House speaker for ethics charges.

"It's only when he can mass money to focus on carpet-bombing with negative ads that he gains any traction at all," Gingrich said.

Gingrich acknowledged the possibility that he could lose in Florida and pledged to compete with Romney all the way to the party's national convention this summer.

An NBC/Marist poll showed Romney with support from 42 percent of likely Florida primary voters and Gingrich slipping to 27 percent.

While Romney had spent the past several days sharply attacking Gingrich, he pivoted over the weekend to refocus his criticism on President Barack Obama, calling the Democratic incumbent "detached from reality." The former Massachusetts governor criticized Obama's plan to cut the size of the military and said the administration had a weak foreign policy.

Gingrich's South Carolina momentum has largely evaporated amid the pounding he has sustained from Romney's campaign and the pro-Romney group called Restore Our Future. They have spent some $6.8 million in ads criticizing Gingrich in the Florida campaign's final week.

Gingrich planned to campaign Sunday in central Florida, while Romney scheduled rallies in the south. He was also looking ahead to the Nevada caucuses Feb. 4, airing ads in that state and citing the endorsement Sunday of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada's largest newspaper.

Gingrich collected the weekend endorsement of Herman Cain, a tea party favorite and former presidential hopeful whose White House effort foundered amid sexual harassment allegations.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, trailing in Florida by a wide margin, planned to remain in Pennsylvania where his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, was hospitalized, and resume campaigning as soon as possible, according to his campaign.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul has invested little in the Florida race and is looking ahead to Nevada. The libertarian-leaning Paul is focusing more on gathering delegates in caucus states, where it's less expensive to campaign. But securing the nomination only through caucus states is a hard task.

Gingrich appeared on "Fox News Sunday" and ABC's "This Week." Paul was on CNN's "State of the Union."

Associated Press writer Philip Elliott in Tampa contributed to this report.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/skZiJOSALYY/Gingrich-bemoans-Romney-s-Florida-carpet-bombing

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6.3 earthquake shakes Peru but no injuries or damage reported (Reuters)

LIMA (Reuters) ? A earthquake of 6.3 magnitude rattled the coast of Peru early on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake occurred shortly after midnight local time (1 a.m. ET) and was centered about 9 miles southeast of the city of Ica and about 170 miles south-southeast of Lima.

Witnesses said the quake shook buildings in coastal Lima, Peru's capital. Although there were no reported injuries or damage, local radio said residents near the epicenter were alarmed and ran outside their homes when they felt the quake. Power was out in nearby Pisco, the radio said.

"We felt a terrible earthquake that's really scared us," Ica resident Blanca Cabanilla told the local radio. "It was similar to what happened to us in 2007."

An 8.0 quake in 2007 killed more than 500 people in Ica and wrecked thousands of homes.

(Reporting by Helen Popper and Patricia Velez; Editing by Bill Trott)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/wl_nm/us_peru_quake

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iVoices on the Issues: It's All About The Money, Money, Money

iVoice Sharon Rowley, in true Tim Russert style, breaks out the white board and breaks down the issues that matter to her. Sharon explains why she'd like to see money spent on education.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/ivoices-issues-its-all-about-money-money-money/1-h-423423?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aivoices-issues-its-all-about-money-money-money-423423

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U.S. Embassy shelters Americans amid Egypt NGO crackdown (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Several American citizens have taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo amid a sharpening dispute between Washington and Egypt over U.S.-funded pro-democracy groups in the country, the State Department said on Monday.

"We can confirm that a handful of U.S. citizens have opted to stay in the embassy compound in Cairo while waiting for permission to depart Egypt," State Department spokeswoman Kate Starr said.

The unusual step of offering ordinary U.S. citizens diplomatic refuge follows a crackdown by Egypt's military-led government on non-governmental organizations, including several funded by the U.S. government, which saw travel bans imposed on six American staffers including a son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Egyptian police raided the groups in late December as part of an investigation into foreign funding of 17 pro-democracy and human rights groups, part of what civil society groups say has been a broader crackdown on critics of the army's heavy-handed tactics in dealing with street unrest.

Washington has strongly criticized the move, which has cast a pall over U.S.-Egyptian relations as the most populous Arab nation reaches a critical stage in its uncertain transition away from authoritarian rule.

"We have made clear our concerns about this issue and our disappointment that these several citizens are not being allowed to depart Egypt," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Monday.

Leading U.S. lawmakers have also voiced outrage over the incident, and American officials have repeatedly warned that Washington may have to take a fresh look at U.S. aid to Egypt's military, which runs about $1.3 billion per year.

The six U.S. citizens hit with travel bans work with the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute. Both receive U.S. public funding and are loosely affiliated with the two major U.S. political parties.

The State Department did not provide details on the Americans sheltering in the embassy, although officials at the National Democratic Institute said none of their staff had been relocated. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

Another State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, described the refuge offer as "a unique situation" and dismissed suggestions that the aim was to shield the U.S. citizens from potential arrest.

"There is no expectation that any of these individuals are seeking to avoid any kind of judicial process," Nuland said.

"We do not feel that they are in physical danger at the moment. That is a different matter than whether they are being persecuted in the Egyptian judicial system," Nuland added.

MILITARY DELEGATION

An Egyptian military delegation is expected in Washington this week for regular talks that are expected to focus on the impasse over the NGOs, U.S. officials said.

Nuland, while stressing that the visit had been planned before the NGO dispute erupted, said the Egyptians could expect firm words during their U.S. meetings.

"We have concerns about the fact that we have not been able to resolve this situation. That is the message that we are giving the Egyptian government in the strongest terms," she said.

The delegation, made up of four major generals, was expected in Washington on Tuesday, diplomatic sources said.

President Barack Obama spoke with the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, on January 20. He stressed the importance of the NGOs and discussed Egypt's request for $3.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund.

In a weekend call to Tantawi, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged the Egyptians to lift the travel ban and expressed concern over restrictions placed on NGOs, the Pentagon said.

The Obama administration is finalizing its budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which will be presented on February 13 and is expected to include continued assistance for Egypt's military, albeit subject to new conditions imposed by U.S. lawmakers.

Those include evidence that Egyptian military authorities are committed to holding free and fair elections and protecting freedom of expression, association, and religion.

(Additional reporting by Missy Ryan and Laura MacInnis; editing by Doina Chiacu and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/ts_nm/us_egypt_usa

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2 convicted in Norway of plotting terror attack (AP)

OSLO, Norway ? Two men accused of plotting to attack a Danish newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad were found guilty Monday of terror charges in Norway, the first convictions under the country's anti-terror laws.

The Oslo district court sentenced alleged ringleader Mikael Davud to seven years in prison and co-defendant Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak to three and a half years.

Judge Oddmund Svarteberg said the court found that Davud "planned the attack together with al-Qaida."

A third defendant, David Jakobsen, was cleared of terror charges but convicted of helping the others acquire explosives. Jakobsen, who assisted police in the investigation, was sentenced to four months.

Investigators say the plot was linked to the same al-Qaida planners behind thwarted attacks against the New York subway system and a British shopping mall in 2009.

The case was Norway's most high-profile terror investigation until last July, when a right-wing extremist killed 77 people in a bomb and shooting massacre.

The three men, who were arrested in July 2010, made some admissions but pleaded innocent to terror conspiracy charges and rejected any links to al-Qaida.

During the trial Davud denied he was taking orders from al-Qaida, saying he was planning a solo raid against the Chinese Embassy in Oslo. He said he wanted revenge for Beijing's oppression of Uighurs, a Muslim minority in western China.

Davud, a Norwegian citizen, also said his co-defendants helped him acquire bomb-making ingredients but didn't know he was planning an attack.

Prosecutors said the Norwegian cell first wanted to attack Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, whose 12 cartoons of Muhammad sparked furious protests in Muslim countries in 2006, and then changed plans to seek to murder one of the cartoonists instead.

Bujak, an Iraqi Kurd, said the paper and the cartoonist were indeed the targets, but described the plans as "just talk."

Prosecutors had to prove the defendants worked together in a conspiracy, because a single individual plotting an attack is not covered under Norway's anti-terror laws.

During the trial, prosecutors presented testimony obtained in the U.S. in April from three American al-Qaida recruits turned government witnesses.

Jakobsen, an Uzbek national who changed his name after moving to Norway, provided some of the chemicals for the bomb, but claims he did not know they were meant for explosives. Jakobsen contacted police and served as an informant, but still faced charges for his involvement before that.

The men had been under surveillance for more than a year when authorities moved to arrest them in July 2010. Norwegian investigators, who worked with their U.S. counterparts, said the defendants were building a bomb in a basement laboratory in Oslo.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_eu/eu_norway_terror_trial

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The Spice Grinder Improved With Grade School Science [Cooking]

Remember when you first learned about the power of levers? And how (in theory) you could even use one to move a mountain? Well Kuhn Rikon has applied the same principles to a spice grinder, but on a smaller scale. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/d6qF8wxweC8/kuhn-rikon-improves-their-spice-grinder-with-grade-school-science

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Time short for Gingrich to close gap in Florida (AP)

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. ? Newt Gingrich slammed GOP rival Mitt Romney on Sunday for the steady stream of attacks he likened to "carpet-bombing," trying to cut into the resurgent front-runner's lead in Florida in the dwindling hours before Tuesday's pivotal presidential primary.

And despite surging ahead in polls, Romney wasn't letting up, relentlessly casting Gingrich as an influence peddler with a "record of failed leadership."

In what has become a wildly unpredictable race, the momentum has swung back to Romney, staggered last weekend by Gingrich's victory in South Carolina. Romney has begun advertising in Nevada ahead of that state's caucuses next Saturday, illustrating the challenges ahead for Gingrich, who has pledged to push ahead no matter what happens in Florida.

An NBC News/Marist poll published Sunday showed Romney with support from 42 percent of likely Florida primary voters, compared with 27 percent for Gingrich.

Romney's campaign has dogged Gingrich at his own campaign stops, sending surrogates to remind reporters of Gingrich's House ethics probe in the 1990s and other episodes in his career aimed at sowing doubt about his judgment.

Gingrich reacted defensively, accusing the former Massachusetts governor and a political committee that supports him of lying, and the GOP's establishment of allowing it.

"I don't know how you debate a person with civility if they're prepared to say things that are just plain factually false," Gingrich said during appearances on Sunday talk shows. "I think the Republican establishment believes it's OK to say and do virtually anything to stop a genuine insurgency from winning because they are very afraid of losing control of the old order."

Gingrich objected specifically to a Romney campaign ad that includes a 1997 NBC News report on the House's decision to discipline Gingrich, then speaker, for ethics charges.

Romney continued to paint Gingrich as part of the very Washington establishment he condemns and someone who had a role in the nation's economic problems.

"Your problem in Florida is that you worked for Freddie Mac at a time when Freddie Mac was not doing the right thing for the American people, and that you're selling influence in Washington at a time when we need people who will stand up for the truth in Washington," Romney told an audience in Naples.

Gingrich's consulting firm was paid more than $1.5 million by the federally-backed mortgage company over a period after he left Congress in 1999.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, trailing in Florida by a wide margin, stayed with his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, who was hospitalized with pneumonia. Sunday night he told supporters, "She without a doubt has turned the corner," but he cautioned she "isn't out of the woods yet."

Aides said Santorum would resume campaigning Monday in Missouri and Minnesota.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has invested little in Florida, looked ahead to Nevada. The libertarian-leaning Paul is focusing more on gathering delegates in caucus states, where it's less expensive to campaign. But securing the nomination only through caucus states is a hard task.

The intense effort by Romney to slow Gingrich is comparable to his strategy against Gingrich in the closing month before Iowa's leadoff caucuses Jan. 3. Gingrich led in Iowa polls, lifted by what were hailed as strong performances in televised debates, only to drop in the face of withering attacks by Romney, aided immensely by ads sponsored by a "super" political action committee run by former Romney aides.

But Romney aides say they made the mistake of assuming Gingrich could not rise again as he did in South Carolina. Romney appears determined not to let that happen again.

"His record is one of failed leadership," Romney told more than 700 people at a rally in Pompano Beach Sunday evening. "We don't need someone who can speak well perhaps, or can say things we agree with, but does not have the experience of being an effective leader."

Gingrich has responded by criticizing Romney's conservative credentials. Outside an evangelical Christian church in Lutz, Gingrich said he was the more loyal conservative on key social issues.

"This party is not going to nominate somebody who is a pro-abortion, pro-gun-control, pro-tax-increase liberal," Gingrich said. "It isn't going to happen."

But Gingrich, in appearances on Sunday news programs, returned to complaining about Romney's tactics. "It's only when he can mass money to focus on carpet-bombing with negative ads that he gains any traction at all," he said.

Romney and the political committee that supports him had combined to spend some $6.8 million in ads criticizing Gingrich in the Florida campaign's final week. Gingrich and a super PAC that supports him were spending about one-third that amount.

Gingrich worked to portray himself as the insurgent outsider, collecting the endorsement of tea party favorite Herman Cain, whose own campaign for president foundered amid sexual harassment allegations.

It was unclear how aggressively Gingrich would be able to compete in states beyond Florida. The next televised debate, a format Gingrich has used to his advantage, is not until Feb. 22, more than three weeks away.

Romney already has campaigned in Nevada more than Gingrich, is advertising there, and stresses his business background in a state hard-hit by the economy. His campaign welcomed the Sunday endorsement of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada's largest newspaper.

Michigan and Maine, where Romney won during his 2008 campaign, also hold their contests in February. Arizona, a strong tea-party state where Gingrich could do well, has its primary Feb. 28.

___

Associated Press writers Steve Peoples in Naples and Shannon McCaffrey in Lutz contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Wild homes of the future that are on the market now

We may not have flying cars yet, but a new residential construction project going up in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., may make you think otherwise.

The Porsche Design Tower will feature an elevator to lift owners ? and their cars ? to their front doors in seconds. A co-production of developer Dezer Properties and Porsche Design Group, the retail-oriented spin-off company of the luxury German carmaker, it will be the first residential project affiliated with the Porsche name. These car-friendly condos will range from $2.9 million to $9 million.

?You will drive into the building, onto the elevator ramp, shut the ignition off and be magically whisked to the front door of your apartment in 45 seconds to a minute and 15 seconds depending on what floor you?re on,? explains Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Properties. The elevator will cover all 57 floors and include technology that automatically identifies the car and the unit owner once both are on board.

Forbes.com slideshow: See some futuristic homes that are for sale

It?s just one example of how modern design aesthetics have coupled with technology to birth innovative, cutting-edge homes that not so long ago would have been reserved only for the sets of films like "Minority Report" (or TV shows like "The Jetsons").

We rounded up a selection of futuristic abodes that challenge traditional McMansion layouts. Some are relatively new homes designed with green living in mind while others are the decades-old brick and mortar visions of celebrated artists. Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Coldwell Banker Previews International, Sotheby?s International Realty and others helped us sort through listings to handpick the sleekest, most avant-garde, in some cases zaniest, homes on the market. They conjure images of science fiction lore, and in many cases, have actually been rented out by movie and television studios for that express reason.

Perhaps not surprisingly, many architecturally famous homes fall into this category. For example, the Gantert Residence, also known as ?Case Study House #22,? graces our list. Constructed in the early 1980s, it was the last Pierre Koenig house constructed while the architect was still alive. The $2.3 million Los Angeles residence with its boxy upper floors and cantilevered base gives the impression of a residence floating, appearing ?as a giant Cubist sculpture from Hollywood Boulevard,? according to its listing.

California has many ultra-modern abodes up for grabs, particularly in Southern California. ?The trend in real estate right now is demand for contemporary homes,? says Chad Rogers, a real estate agent with Hilton & Hyland in L.A. (and formerly one of the stars on Bravo?s TV show "Million Dollar Listing"), noting that many of the most modern-looking structures tend to be "smart homes," fitted to be energy efficient, as well. ?People want easy living and these properties afford that: clean lines and open space so you can move about your house without having to go through a bunch of rooms.?

Rogers, who has listed a smattering of futuristic properties including a $9.5 million Malibu eco-estate, currently represents a $10 million Hollywood Hills mansion forged of steel, glass and concrete. The 10,000-square foot structure was built originally as an art gallery with live-in space. In addition to the stone display-ready walls, it boasts a home theater, a pool and 12-person spa, a koi pond and a detached guesthouse. The kitchen is comprised almost entirely of stainless steel, designed by Porsche Design Group.

?These concrete and steel properties are the most expensive type of architecture to build,? says Rogers, noting that foreign investors have shown much buying interest in ultra-modern estates. ?To duplicate a property like this you?re looking at a minimum of $1,500 per square foot to do it.?

Constructing architecturally outrageous homes can rack up costs. Take the Pottery House in Santa Fe, N.M. Originally the brainchild of Frank Lloyd Wright, the adobe dwelling?s construction was resuscitated in the 1980s by a developer eager to complete the project that had been designed by the famed late architect but never finished (the original owner had passed away). The builder reportedly ran out of money mid-construction and with no buyer in sight, the bank assumed ownership. Eventually the current owners bought the foreclosed estate, which is now listed for $4.75 million, and finished it.

The Pottery House?s design hinges on concentric circles. About 24,000 adobe bricks make up the structure and Scandinavian ship builders were actually brought in to craft the ceiling. ?It has a sort of mystique. Prior to listing, this house seemed more like a local rumor,? says David Fries, an associate broker with Santa Fe Properties and the listing agent for the Pottery House. It had remained quietly tucked away behind multiple gates in an anonymous subdivision. ?Even if someone could get their hands on the address, it no longer really relates to where it?s located since no one could really find the place without directions and gate codes.?

Fries and Rogers both think their listings will ultimately sell to affluent buyers who collect art or at least appreciate architecture as an art form. Some of the homes on our list will require buyers to appreciate geometry as well. A $19.5 million Vermilion, Ohio, spread called the Waterwood Estate is comprised of a series of triangular and rectangular buildings parsed together along the shore of Lake Erie. In Crystal Bay, Nev., a $43 million Dr. Seuss-esque house touts walls of glass, a glass elevator, a six-story glass stairwell and hidden garden rooms, all suspended off the edge of a promontory.

More from Forbes.com

? 2012 Forbes.com

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45987986/ns/business-us_business/

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Paul braves snowy Maine in hunt for GOP delegates

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas speaks at a campaign stop, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas speaks at a campaign stop, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, campaigns in Bangor, Maine, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, campaigns in Bangor, Maine, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas speaks at a campaign stop, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas waits to be introduced behind a partition at campaign stop, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) ? Ron Paul braved Maine's snow and ice Friday in a quest to pick up delegates, vowing he and his loyal band of supporters would be a factor in the Republican nominating contest for weeks to come.

The Texas congressman attracted a packed house in Bangor despite a powerful winter storm that shuttered schools and brought traffic to a virtual standstill.

Feisty and defiant, Paul said he had watched a television segment that morning in which pundits debated how Republicans should try to manage Paul and his fervent backers.

"They want us to go away, but they don't want to offend us. How are they going to manage that?" Paul said to boos. "I'll tell you what ? we'll just hang around for a while longer."

Paul is all but skipping Florida, whose primary is Jan. 31, to focus on Maine and other states holding caucuses, including Nevada, Colorado and Minnesota. Nevada's caucuses are Feb. 4 and Colorado and Minnesota's follow on Feb. 7.

Paul's campaign is following President Barack Obama's 2008 model, hoping a similarly young, Internet-savvy fan base will organize themselves and attend caucuses for Paul. The caucus states also yield a large number of delegates for far less money than many primary states.

The comparison to Obama's 2008 campaign has its limits, however. Obama had racked up at least one major victory ? a huge win in the Iowa caucuses ? before turning to the smaller-state caucus strategy. Paul has yet to win a single contest.

His best showing was in the New Hampshire primary, where he placed second behind Mitt Romney. But he came in third in Iowa behind Romney and Rick Santorum and placed a dismal fourth last Saturday in South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary.

Paul was spending two days in Maine, campaigning on or near college campuses, which have typically been receptive to his libertarian-leaning message.

At Colby College in Waterville, he emphasized his support for bringing U.S. troops home from overseas engagements and railed against what he called government's efforts to regulate lifestyle choices.

"When it comes to putting anything into your body, or your mouth, in your lungs, you can't do it without permission of the government," Paul said.

Maine's caucuses begin Feb. 4 and wrapping up on Feb. 11, when the GOP will announce the results of what is essentially a nonbinding straw poll.

The gatherings in schools, Grange halls, fire stations and town halls are the first step to selecting 24 delegates from the state to the Republican National Convention in Tampa next summer.

Charles Welles, 34, a Waterville resident and Navy veteran, said he supports Paul's views on ending military engagements and wants to vote for him. But Welles said he was still a bit confused by the caucus process.

"I'm from Ohio, so this is all new to me," Welles said.

Paul and Romney were both on the ballot in Maine's 2008 caucuses and have maintained active organizations in the state. The former Massachusetts governor finished first that year. Paul came in third, behind Arizona Sen. John McCain, who went on to win the GOP nomination.

Maine, often an afterthought compared to its next-door neighbor, New Hampshire, tends to reward candidates who are organized and make an effort to show up to court voters, Colby political science professor Sandy Maisel said.

Maisel noted that Gov. Jerry Brown of California, who was out of office at the time, won Maine's Democratic caucuses in 1992 after making frequent trips to the state.

The enthusiasm among Paul's supporters could help him prevail in Maine, Maisel added.

"The GOP has a very low turnout and it tends to be the most ideological people, which favors Ron Paul," he said.

Paul state chairman Paul Madore was guarded about setting expectations, saying GOP officials in the state would press for a more traditional candidate like Romney.

We have a rank-and-file Republican leadership in Maine, and they don't budge easily," Madore said. "We have to get in there and make our presence heard."

___

Sharp reported from Portland, Maine.

___

Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bfouhy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-27-Paul/id-4a8d45310c084f72b314794114777fd7

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911 call reveals frantic efforts to help Moore

Demi Moore arrives at Variety's 3rd Annual Power of Women Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this Sept. 23, 2011 photo. A 911 recording released Friday Jan. 27, 2012 by Los Angeles fire officials revealed frantic efforts by friends of Demi Moore to get help for the actress who was convulsing as they gathered around her and tried to comfort her. Moore was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a female caller on the recording. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Demi Moore arrives at Variety's 3rd Annual Power of Women Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this Sept. 23, 2011 photo. A 911 recording released Friday Jan. 27, 2012 by Los Angeles fire officials revealed frantic efforts by friends of Demi Moore to get help for the actress who was convulsing as they gathered around her and tried to comfort her. Moore was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a female caller on the recording. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A 911 recording revealed frantic efforts by friends of Demi Moore to get help for the actress who was convulsing as they gathered around her and tried to comfort her.

Moore was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a female caller on the recording released Friday by Los Angeles fire officials.

The woman tells emergency operators that Moore, 49, had smoked something before she was rushed to the hospital on Monday night and that she had been "having issues lately."

"Is she breathing normal?" the operator asks.

"No, not so normal. More kind of shaking, convulsing, burning up," the friend says as she hurries to Moore's side, on the edge of panic.

Another woman is next to Moore as the dispatcher asks if she's responsive.

"Demi, can you hear me?" she asks. "Yes, she's squeezing hands. ... She can't speak."

When the operator asks what Moore ingested or smoked, the friend replies, but the answer was redacted.

Asked if Moore took the substance intentionally or not, the woman says Moore ingested it on purpose but the reaction was accidental.

"Whatever she took, make sure you have it out for the paramedics," the operator says.

The operator asks the friend if this has happened before.

"I don't know," she says. "There's been some stuff recently that we're all just finding out."

Moore's publicist, Carrie Gordon, said previously that the actress sought professional help to treat her exhaustion and improve her health. She would not comment further on the emergency call or provide details about the nature or location of Moore's treatment.

The past few months have been rocky for Moore.

She released a statement in November announcing she had decided to end her marriage to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, 33, following news of alleged infidelity. The two were known to publicly share their affection for one another via Twitter.

Moore still has a Twitter account under the name mrskutcher but has not posted any messages since Jan. 7.

Meanwhile, Millennium Films announced Friday that Sarah Jessica Parker will replace Moore in the role of feminist Gloria Steinem in its production of "Lovelace," a biopic about the late porn star Linda Lovelace. A statement gave no reason for the change. The production, starring Amanda Seyfried, has been shooting in Los Angeles since Dec. 20.

During the call, the woman caller says the group of friends had turned Moore's head to the side and was holding her down. The dispatcher tells her not to hold her down but to wipe her mouth and nose and watch her closely until paramedics arrive.

"Make sure that we keep an airway open," the dispatcher says. "Even if she passes out completely, that's OK. Stay right with her."

The phone is passed around by four people, including a woman who gives directions to the gate and another who recounts details about what Moore smoked or ingested. Finally, the phone is given to a man named James, so one of the women can hold Moore's head.

There was some confusion at the beginning of the call. The emergency response was delayed by nearly two minutes as Los Angeles and Beverly Hills dispatchers sorted out which city had jurisdiction over the street where Moore lives.

As the call is transferred to Beverly Hills, the frantic woman at Moore's house raises her voice and said, "Why is an ambulance not on its way right now?"

"Ma'am, instead of arguing with me why an ambulance is not on the way, can you spell (the street name) for me?" the Beverly Hills dispatcher says.

Although the estate is located in the 90210 ZIP code above Benedict Canyon, the response was eventually handled by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

By the end of the call, Moore has improved.

"She seems to have calmed down now. She's speaking," the male caller told the operator.

Moore and Kutcher were wed in September 2005.

Kutcher became a stepfather to Moore's three daughters ? Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Belle ? from her 13-year marriage to actor Bruce Willis. Moore and Willis divorced in 2000 but remained friendly.

Moore can be seen on screen in the recent films "Margin Call" and "Another Happy Day." Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on TV's "Two and a Half Men" and is part of the ensemble film "New Year's Eve."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-People-Demi%20Moore/id-f8df779117d14f14be66bbb28d422eaa

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The Monitor's Weekly News Quiz for Jan. 21-27, 2012

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Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ZtljzJP4Jc4/The-Monitor-s-Weekly-News-Quiz-for-Jan.-21-27-2012

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Obama courts Latino vote on economic tour (AP)

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. ? President Barack Obama is courting Hispanics in politically important states, setting himself up as a champion of the crucial Latino voting bloc and as a foil to Republican candidates fighting for a share of support from the same groups.

With Latino voters voting overwhelmingly Democratic, Obama is not in danger of losing the support of a majority of Hispanics. But he does need their intensity, and a Gallup tracking poll shows that while a majority of Hispanics approve of Obama, that approval is not as high as it is among black voters.

Pitching his economic agenda during a three-day, five-state trip this week, Obama has not ignored the fact that three of the states ? Nevada, Arizona and Colorado ? all have Hispanic populations of 20 percent or more. A majority of them are Democratic, but they also could be a factor in upcoming nominating contests in those states. Nevada and Colorado hold caucuses within two weeks and Arizona has a primary Feb. 28.

In Arizona Wednesday, where he was drawing attention to his efforts to increase manufacturing, Obama playfully interacted with a supporter who shouted out: "Barack es mi hermano! (Barack is my brother!)"

"Mi hermano ? mucho gusto (My brother, a real pleasure)," Obama shouted back.

And it was no accident that he scheduled an interview with Univision, the Spanish language network that reaches a broad swath of the U.S. Latino population, while he was in Arizona and with local Telemundo affiliates Thursday in Las Vegas and in Denver. All that while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the rest of the Republican presidential field were battling in Florida, another state with a key Latino voting bloc.

"It's an important community in this country and he will continue to have those interactions," White House spokesman Jay Carney said of Obama's efforts to reach out to Spanish language media.

No issue reverberates more in the appeal to Latinos than immigration.

For Obama, it reared up suddenly for him Wednesday when Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican who signed one of the toughest laws to curtail illegal immigration, greeted him at the airport tarmac in Mesa, Ariz., with a handwritten invitation for the president to join her in a visit to the Mexican border.

Obama replied coolly, noting that he did not appreciate the way she had depicted him in a book she published last year, "Scorpions for Breakfast." In the book, Brewer writes that Obama was condescending and lectured her during a meeting at the White House to discuss immigration. "He was a little disturbed about my book," Brewer told two reporters shortly after the encounter.

Obama continued to promote his economic plan Thursday in Nevada and Colorado, focusing on energy policy and his attempts to expand oil and gas exploration while also emphasizing clean energy.

"Doubling down on a clean energy industry will create lots of jobs in the process," the president said at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado, where the Air Force has installed solar panels and tested jets that run on biofuels.

As such, he was indirectly pitching to Hispanics as well. A new Pew Research Center poll found that 54 percent of Latinos believe that the economic downturn has been harder on them than on other groups in the U.S.

"There is no question that Latinos were hard hit, especially by the bursting of the housing bubble and the resulting steep decline in construction work," Carney said Thursday. "Latinos are overrepresented in the construction industry. It's one of the reasons why, certainly, Latinos would greatly benefit from infrastructure investments that put construction workers back to work."

In 2008, Obama beat Republican John McCain by a 2-1 margin among Hispanics.

To win again, he will need that level of enthusiasm to make up for weaknesses elsewhere in his voter support. In a bright spot for Obama, the Pew poll found that even though Hispanics believe their economic condition is poor, two-thirds of those polled said they expect their financial situation to improve over the next year, whereas 58 percent of the overall population expect the same.

In his interview with Univision, Obama made a point of noting that both Romney and Gingrich have said they would veto legislation, known as the DREAM Act, that would give a pathway to citizenship to children who came to the United States illegally but who attend college or enlist in the military.

"They believe that we should not provide a pathway to citizenship for young people who were brought here when they were very young children and are basically American kids but right now are still in a shadow," Obama said. "They've said that they would veto the DREAM Act. Both of them."

At a debate Monday on NBC, however, both Gingrich and Romney said they would support modified legislation that only applied to young people who joined the military. "I would not support the part that simply says everybody who goes to college is automatically waived for having broken the law," Gingrich said.

Obama, in the interview, explicitly connected the Republican presidential field to congressional Republicans, who suffer from bottom-dwelling approval ratings right now. Asked why he had been unable to deliver on his promise for overhauling the immigration system, Obama replied:

"Well, it's very simple. We couldn't get any Republican votes. Zero. None," he said. "So this is the kind of barrier that we're meeting in Congress. We're just going to keep on pushing and pushing until hopefully we finally get a break."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama

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Portugal and Greek concerns weigh on world stocks (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? World stocks fell from a 5-1/2 month high on Friday as gains spurred by the Federal Reserve's pledge of low interest rates gave way to concerns about Portugal, seen as the next domino in the euro zone crisis, and uncertainty over Greek debt talks.

Portuguese five- and 10-year government bond yields were set to remain under pressure after hitting euro-era highs on Thursday as fears grow that the country may follow Greece in requiring another bailout or seeking to restructure its debt.

Athens is locked in tough negotiations with its private creditors on a restructuring it needs quickly to avert a disorderly default when a major bond redemption falls due in March. Greece's bondholders are demanding the European Central Bank contribute to a deal to put the country's messy finances back on track.

"With all the focus on Greece, attention has also started to shift to Portugal, whose own bond yields are continuing to rise sharply, with 10-year yields pushing on towards 15 percent, as fears rise that it could well need a second bailout," said Michael Hewson, market analyst at CMC Markets in London.

The MSCI world equity index fell a quarter percent, after hitting its highest since August on Thursday after the Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates near zero for the next three years.

European stocks lost 0.4 percent while emerging stocks rose 0.3 percent.

U.S. crude oil fell 0.1 percent to $99.56 a barrel.

Bund futures rose 30 ticks.

The dollar rose slightly against a basket of major currencies. The euro fell 0.1 percent to $1.3091.

After weeks of wrangling over the coupon that Greece will pay on new bonds it will swap for existing debt, the focus has shifted to whether the ECB and other public creditors will follow private bondholders in swallowing losses.

Euro zone members may have to increase their financial support for Greece if Athens and the private sector do their part to address the country's debt crisis, Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker told a newspaper.

Italy, on the other hand, has enjoyed a recent rapid decline in yields, mostly driven by demand from domestic banks awash with three-year loans taken out from the European Central Bank. Italy will sell 8 billion euros of six-month bills and 3 billion euros of 11-month bills on Friday after a successful short-term bond auction on Thursday and before a key sale of longer-dated debt next week.

"Italy has seen some relief," Hewson said.

(Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/bs_nm/us_markets_global

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Utah teens arrested in alleged school bombing plot (AP)

SALT LAKE CITY ? Two Utah high school students plotted to set off explosives during a school assembly and steal a plane to make their getaway, police said Thursday.

The students prepared by logging hundreds of hours on flight simulator software on their home computers, and they planned to take a plane at Ogden Hinckley Airport, said Roy police spokeswoman Anna Bond said.

Dallin Morgan, 18, and a 16-year-old boy were pulled out of school Wednesday after authorities learned of the plot, held for hours of questioning and arrested, she said. An after-school bomb sweep found no explosives at Roy High School, about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City.

Morgan was held on $10,000 bail at Weber County jail on suspicion of conspiracy to commit mass destruction. The juvenile was in custody at Weber Valley Detention Center on the same charge. Prosecutors are weighing possible additional charges.

Both students had "absolute knowledge of the security systems and the layout of the school," Bond said. "They knew where the security cameras were. Their original plan was to set off explosives during an assembly. We don't know what date they were planning to do this, but they had been planning it for months."

School officials said there were no imminent plans to hold a school assembly.

Local and federal agents searched Roy High School, two vehicles belonging to the suspects and their homes, but found no explosives. The FBI is examining the suspects' computers, police said.

The parents of both students "woke up in the middle of a nightmare," Bond said. "They've been very cooperative."

Another Roy High School student who received a text message from one of the suspects tipped authorities to the plot Wednesday, the school's safety specialist Nate Taggart said Thursday.

The girl "came forward and had some suspicions but not a lot of information ? enough that it gave administration the ability to make some connections and identify the students involved," he said.

The school has about 1,500 students.

___

Associated Press writer Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_us/us_school_bomb_plot

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Man pleads not guilty in NJ synagogue firebombings (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? A 19-year-old man accused of attempted murder in the firebombing of two New Jersey synagogues including one that housed a rabbi who was burned when fire ignited a blanket on his bed pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.

Anthony Graziano was arrested after the Bergen County prosecutor released a store surveillance video which it said showed him buying supplies used to make the Molotov cocktails used in the January 11 attack on the Congregation Beth El in Rutherford, New Jersey.

Prosecutors investigating the arsons as hate crimes have charged Graziano with nine counts of attempted murder in the first degree, along with charges of bias intimidation and aggravated arson in connection with the pair of attacks.

In the Rutherford case, petrol bombs thrown at a building that serves as both a synagogue and a rabbi's family home ignited a blanket on the rabbi's bed and he awoke to the flames, his wife told reporters at the time.

The rabbi, Nosson Schuman, put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher and suffered minor burns, police said. The house was minimally damaged. The rabbi, his wife, their five children, ages 5 to 17, and the rabbi's elderly parents evacuated the home, police said.

The charges against Graziano, who was in custody with bail set at $5 million, also included a separate firebomb attack on the Temple K'Hal Adath Jeshrun in Paramus, New Jersey, earlier in January, prosecutors said.

Police said they also retrieved evidence from Graziano's home in Lodi, New Jersey. The public defender representing Graziano could not be reached for comment.

Two instances of anti-Semitic graffiti being daubed on the walls of two other New Jersey synagogues in December were no longer thought to be connected to the arson attacks, investigators said.

(Reporting By Jonathan Allen; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/us_nm/us_synagogues_firebombs_newjersey

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Home buying could soon beat renting

By John W. Schoen, Senior Producer

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Falling home prices have sent many would-be buyers to the sidelines. If all goes well, record low interest rates and rising rents may soon prompt some of them to take a second look at buying.

Unfortunately, that's a big "if," according to Paul Diggle, a housing economist at Capital Economics.

Much of the decision to buy a house still depends on your personal finances and preferences, your career or family life, or level of financial security.

But if you?re comparing just the cost of owning and renting, buying a house may soon be the better choice, according to Diggle.

Until recently, home ownership was no bargain compared to renting, according to his analysis. ?A 33 percent drop fall in home prices, a plunge in mortgage rates and 15 percent rise in rents since the housing crash has evened the scales. Today, the median monthly mortgage payment of about $700 has fallen to about the level of a median monthly rent check. If mortgage rates keep falling and rents keep rising, the equation will tip even further toward owning.

But that analysis doesn?t include the total cost of owning versus renting. A full accounting includes ?closing costs, maintenance, insurance and property taxes, tax savings from mortgage deductions, gains or losses from home equity, among other factors. Renters have to think about broker fees and future rent hikes. Both have to make assumptions about future trends in housing prices and rents.

When you take those factors into account ? which Diggle has done with a homegrown ?calculator? ? someone who plans on staying put for seven years would come out ahead by about $9,000 if they bought a median-priced home rather than being a tenant in a median-priced rental. Diggle?s calculation assumes that rents keep rising by about 3 percent a year and that house prices stay flat in 2012 and 2013 and begin rising in 2014 at about 3 percent a year.

If house prices fall further, all bets are off, said Diggle. In that case, the renters come out ahead.

?At the moment, (that) downside scenario is more likely to materialize than the upside one,? he said.

Even if Diggle's calculator were to signal a ?strong buy? for home ownership, he doesn?t expect that would spark a buyers' stampede. Most first-time buyers or households who lost a? home to foreclosure don?t have the 20 percent down payment many lenders are insisting on. They may also have trouble getting a mortgage without a credit score of 700 or more ? a higher bar than the 650 score that was the norm for the past two decades.

?A large share of the population has dropped out of the pool of potential buyers,? he said. ?Given that the choice between owning and renting a home is a luxury than many Americans simply do not have, the fact that this does appear to be the time to buy will have only a minimal effect on actual sales. Accordingly, we expect only a modest housing recovery over the next few years."

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Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10217301-home-buying-could-soon-beat-renting

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Japan logs first trade deficit since 1980 (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan logged its first annual trade deficit in 2011 for over 30 years as the aftermath of the March earthquake raised fuel import costs even as slowing global growth and the yen's strength hit exports, threatening to erode the country's ability to fund its huge public debt with domestic savings.

Few market players expect Japan to immediately run a deficit in the current account, which includes trade and returns on the country's huge past investments abroad, as a steady inflow of profits and capital gains from overseas outweigh the trade deficit.

But the trade data underscores a broader trend in which Japan's competitive edge in the global market is eroding and it is increasingly reliant on fuel imports due to the loss of nuclear power, with reactors staying closed after routine checks due to public safety fears following the March disaster.

"What it means is that the time when Japan runs out of savings -- 'Sayonara net creditor country' -- that point is coming closer," said Jesper Koll, head of equities research at JPMorgan in Japan.

"It means Japan becomes dependent on global savings to fund its deficit and either the currency weakens or interest rates rise."

Japan logged a trade deficit of 2.49 trillion yen ($32 billion) for 2011, Ministry of Finance data showed on Wednesday, the first annual deficit since 1980.

Total exports shrank 2.7 percent last year while imports surged 12.0 percent, reflecting reduced earnings from goods and services and higher spending on crude and fuel oil.

In a sign of the continuing pain from slowing global growth, exports fell 8.0 percent in December from a year earlier, roughly matching a median market forecast for a 7.9 percent drop, due partly to weak shipments of electronics parts.

Imports rose 8.1 percent in December from a year earlier, in line with a 8.0 percent annual gain expected, bringing the trade balance to a deficit of 205.1 billion yen, against 139.7 billion yen expected. It marked the third straight month of deficits.

Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Tuesday he did not expect Japan to continue logging a trade deficit as a trend and did not foresee the country's current account balance tipping into the red in the near future.

But Japan's days of logging huge trade surpluses may be over as it relies more on fuel imports, which may weaken the yen in the longer term.

Running a current account deficit would spell trouble for Japan as it means it cannot pay the cost of financing its huge public debt without overseas funds, although few analysts expect this to happen in the foreseeable future. ($1 = 77.7100 Japanese yen)

(Additional reporting by Linda Sieg; Writing by Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara; Editing by Michael Watson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/ts_nm/us_japan_economy

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Financial infidelity: Take survey on money secrets

Getty Images stock

Are you hiding a money secret?

By Allison Linn

Maybe you snuck a latte in this morning even though you and your spouse swore off the coffee shop to save money.

Maybe you told your boyfriend those shoes you bought were on sale, when really you paid full price.

Or maybe you?re waiting for just the right moment to reveal to your fianc? that you have a $12,000 credit card bill hanging over your head.

Everyone knows financial issues can make or break a relationship, and yet we?re guessing few of us are completely honest with our spouse or partner when it comes to money.

TODAY.com and SELF magazine are partnering to find out the truth about money lies.

We want to hear from you: How much financial information do you have to share with your partner, and when? What is an acceptable little white lie, and when does not being upfront about finances constitute financial infidelity?

Click here to take our survey, and we?ll use the results in some upcoming stories.

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Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10199900-financial-infidelity-take-our-survey-on-money-secrets-and-lies

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Video: Investigating the state of the presidency

Tablets, e-readers in 1 of every 4 hands now

Get an iPad, Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet over the holidays? You're not alone: Tablet and e-reader ownership increased by nearly double over the holidays, and more than 1 out of every 4 Americans now has one of the devices, according to a new study.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46107009#46107009

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3 die in house fire near Marist College

By NBC New York

An early-morning fire at a house near Marist College Saturday has left at three dead and four others with smoke inhalation, authorities said.

In a press conference held Saturday afternoon, Poughkeepsie Police confirmed that two female students from nearby Marist College and a male in his 20s died in the fire. Police said that the male victim was not a student.?

Four others escaped from the house with smoke inhalation, and were treated and released from the hospital.?

The fire began sometime after 1 a.m at 112 Fairview Avenue, officials said. The fire chief believes the fire may have started in the back of the house. ?

In a statement, Marist College said that school security and other officials are "working closely with the emergency responders to gather more information about the incident." ?

The house was privately owned and was not affiliated with the college.? ?

The Town of Poughkeepsie police are in charge at the scene, and continue their investigation. ?

An eyewitness told the Poughkeepsie Journal that she drove down Fairview Ave. at 1:20 a.m and saw the green house on fire. While standing on the street, she saw a female "fly through" a first floor window, breaking the glass. ?

"Apparently her boyfriend threw her out," she told the paper. The female and her boyfriend were both taken to the hospital and survived. ?

The identities of the victims have not been released at this time.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/21/10207477-3-die-in-house-fire-near-marist-college

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Home prices likely to keep falling in 2012

By Martin Wolk

The housing market ended the year on a positive note with strong sales in December, but a glut of unsold homes will likely push prices lower through much of this year, forecasters said Friday.

Sales of existing homes hit an 11-month high last month and the number of properties on the market fell to the lowest level in nearly seven years, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Unseasonably warm weather may have helped boost sales, but analysts said a strengthening job market and record low mortgage rates should buoy housing in coming months. Still, they were troubled by the high level of "distressed homes" for sale, including short sales of underwater properties or sales of foreclosed properties. Nearly one-third of existing-home sales were distressed last month, according to the Realtors.

In addition, one-third of Realtors said home sales fell through last month because of declined mortgage applications or appraisals that fell short of the required values.

"These strong negative undercurrents in the housing market and absence of support from strong labor market conditions will continue to trim home sales in the near term," said Asha Bangalore, economist at Northern Trust Co.

The median sale price for an existing home in December was $162,500, down 2.5 percent from December 2010. For the full year, the median price for existing homes fell nearly 4 percent.

"Home sales will gradually improve in 2012. ... However, prices will continue to decline in the near term, despite the better sales," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist of PNC. He pointed out that many home foreclosures are stuck in the pipeline due to paperwork issues and will pressure home prices in the year to come.

"The market for single-family homes picked up in the second half of 2011, after being stuck near the bottom for nearly three years," said economist Patrick Newport of IHS Global Insight. "This pickup is real, but the road to recovery will be a slow one."

While the home sales pace was a touch below economists' expectations, December marked the third straight month of gains, adding to hopes that a tentative recovery was taking shape.

But a glut of unsold properties that is weighing down on prices and stringent lending practices by banks is likely to make progress painfully slow.

There were 2.38 million unsold homes on the market last month, the fewest since March 2005. That represented a 6.2 months' supply at December's sales pace, the lowest since April 2006 and down from a 7.2 months' supply in November.

The Realtors group noted, however, that the inventory of unsold homes tends to decline in winter.

Data earlier this week showed single-family home starts rose for a third straight month in December and optimism among builders this month was the highest in four-and-a-half years.

"It is very encouraging that the current phase of the recovery is being driven by economic fundamentals as opposed to being fostered by temporary stimulus," said Millan Mulraine, a senior macro strategist at TD Securities in New York.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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What are home prices doing in your area?

Existing home sales increased 5 percent last month, the highest pace in nearly a year. So, which investments may be the best bets as housing shows signs of life? CNBC's Diana Olick has the details.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10201735-housing-ends-year-on-strong-note-but-prices-still-falling

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LG's New X3 Phone May Be Powerful Enough to Tear Your Face Off [Android]

We generally pass on random phone rumors, but PocketNow seems to have scooped something that sounds awfully tasty. The LG X3 (codename) will supposedly have a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, a 4.7-inch 720p screen, an 8MP camera, and NFC. Um, yum? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CM_pI139TtI/lgs-new-x3-phone-may-be-powerful-enough-to-tear-your-face-off

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