Nicaragua volcano spews ash cloud, residents evacuated

 Nicaragua's tallest volcano has belched an ash cloud hundreds of meters (feet) into the sky in the latest bout of sporadic activity, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents, the government said on Wednesday.The 5,725-foot (1,745-meter) San Cristobal volcano, which sits around 85 miles north of the capital Managua in the country's northwest, has been active in recent years, and went through...

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South Africa: Mandela released from the hospital

Former South African President Nelson Mandela was released Wednesday from the hospital after being treated for a lung infection and having gallstones removed, a government spokesman said.The 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon will continue to receive medical care at home.Mandela had been in the hospital since Dec. 8. In recent days, officials have said he was improving and in good spirits, but doctors...

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Tensions hit French Embassy in C. African Republic

Angry protesters carrying clubs threw rocks at the French Embassy in Central African Republic on Wednesday, criticizing the former colonial power for failing to do more to stem a rapid rebel advance as fears grew that the insurgents aim to seize the capital.The demonstrations began earlier in the day outside the U.S. Embassy before about 100 protesters then took to the French Embassy, carrying pieces...

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Children, many ill, would be victims of Russia ban on U.S. adoption

Family Christmas cards and smiling snapshots of children sent by their adoptive American parents fill Galina Sigayeva's office in Russia's second city St Petersburg.Many of them were crippled by illness and in desperate need of medical care before her agency helped organise their adoption into U.S. families, she recalls.Children's rights campaigners say children like these will suffer most if President...

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New turmoil hits Egypt's tourism

At Egypt's Pyramids, the desperation of vendors to sell can be a little frightening for some tourists.Young men descend on any car with foreigners in it blocks before it reaches the more than 4,500 year-old Wonder of the World. They bang on car doors and hoods, some waving the sticks and whips they use for driving camels, demanding the tourists come to their shop or ride their camel or just give money.In...

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Mission Impossible?: Can Tom Cruise Launch a Box-Office Franchise with 'Jack Reacher'?

 Paramount hopes it's launching a franchise with "Jack Reacher," the Tom Cruise action thriller that hits theaters Friday.It will be tricky in a crowded holiday marketplace, and Cruise isn't the box-office bonanza he once was. But one need only look back to last year's "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" to see how it might work. That film opened to $12 million on December 16 and went on to...

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ReferralBuzz Announces Partnership with TruliaTwin Cities’ Referral Service for Home Remodeling Experts and Their Customers Partners with Leading Online Real Estate Market

Twin Cities’ referral service for home remodeling experts and their customers partners with leading online real estate marketplace.Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) December 21, 2012Starting in January 2013, ReferralBuzz Inc., in Minneapolis, will be the exclusive partner in the 7 county Twin Cities metro and St Cloud, MN, Madison, WI, Cedar Rapids, IA for the new "Find a Pro - Home Improvement" feature on...

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Politis & Matovina, P.A. Earns BBB Accreditation

Politis & Matovina, P.A. announced its recent accreditation by BBB Serving Central Florida. As a BBB Accredited Business, Politis & Matovina, P.A. is dedicated to promoting trust in the marketplace.Daytona Beach, FL (PRWEB) December 21, 2012Politis & Matovina, P.A. is committed to BBB's Standards of Trust. This week, Politis & Matovina, P.A. announced its recent accreditation by BBB...

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Car-Specials.com Set to Give Customers a Fresh Car-Shopping Experience

Car-Specials.com is a new car search service that is bringing fun and excitement back to the car shopping game. With an ultra-fast, intuitive interface and a superior selection of new and used cars from local dealerships, Car Specials offers consumer-friendly search options and low-cost, dealer-centric service.Carmel, Indiana (PRWEB) December 21, 2012Car-Specials.com is a new kind of online automotive...

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Brand id│Strategic Partners Launches Revolutionary Personal Branding Success Program for Women

The Breakfast Club is a 12-month strategic mastermind program for Baltimore women who are ready to expand their “circle of influence, strategically map out their personal and professional path to success, and uplevel their visibility in the marketplace through personal branding.Baltimore, Maryland (PRWEB) December 21, 2012Two Maryland business women have partnered to unveil a program specifically...

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New poll shows Israel's leader losing altitude

A new poll shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poised for an election victory but losing support to a rival who opposes Palestinian statehood.The Dialog poll gave 35 of parliament's 120 seats to Netanyahu's Likud Beiteinu list, indicating he'll head the next government after the Jan. 22 vote. That's down from 39 in the previous Dialog survey.The centrist Labor Party polled second, with 17 seats.The...

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Kenya Red Cross: 30 people killed in clashes

At least 30 people were killed when farmers raided a village of herders in southeastern Kenya early Friday in renewed fighting between two communities with a history of violent animosity, the Kenya Red Cross said.Five children and five women were among the dead, the Red Cross said. Forty-five houses were set on fire during the attack, Red Cross spokeswoman Nelly Muluka said.Anthony Kamitu, who is...

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Burning pipeline fire sign of Nigeria's woes

 The gasoline pipeline burns unstopped near a village close to Nigeria's sprawling megacity of Lagos, shooting flames into the air as leaking fuel muddies the ground. All around it, the ground is littered with plastic jerry-cans, used by those who hacked into the line to steal the fuel within.The pipeline explosion here in Ije Ododo shows the ongoing problems oil-rich Nigeria faces. While the...

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55 people drowned or missing off Somali coast

The U.N. refugee agency says 55 people have drowned or are missing after an overcrowded boat capsized off the Somali coast.UNHCR said the incident late Tuesday represented the biggest loss of life in the Gulf of Aden since February 2011, when 57 Somali refugees and migrants drowned while attempting to reach Yemen.The U.N. says five people survived Tuesday's accident. The survivors said the boat was...

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Kenya police: 28 people killed in clashes

A police official says 28 people have been killed in clashes between farmers and herders in south-eastern Kenya.Anthony Kamitu, who is leading police operations to prevent the attacks, said Friday that the Pokomo tribe of farmers raided a village of the Orma herding community, called Kipao, at dawn in the Tana River Delta.The latest deaths in a tit-for-tat cycle of killings may be related to a redrawing...

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RIM beats estimates in Q3, but subscriber base shrinks

Research In Motion (RIMM) on Thursday posted its financial results for its fiscal third quarter, which ended on December 1st. Investor sentiment has been mixed leading up to the struggling vendor’s third-quarter report, with some analysts insisting there was still money to be made ahead of RIM’s BlackBerry 10 launch and others already counting the days until the company buckles. Wall Street’s consensus...

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RIM beats estimates in Q3, reports revenues of $2.7 billion

Research In Motion (RIMM) on Thursday posted its financial results for its fiscal third quarter, which ended on December 1st. Investor sentiment has been mixed leading up to the struggling vendor’s third-quarter report, with some analysts insisting there was still money to be made ahead of RIM’s BlackBerry 10 launch and others already counting the days until the company buckles. Wall Street’s consensus...

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RIM’s first BlackBerry 10 smartphone to be called the ‘Z10′

Research In Motion’s (RIMM) first BlackBerry 10 smartphone, formerly known as the L-Series and “London” will apparently be called the “BlackBerry Z10″ according to marketing materials obtained by UnwiredView. RIM’s QWERTY BlackBerry 10 device that’s slated for a release sometime between March and June will reportedly go by the name “BlackBerry X10.” As we inch closer to BlackBerry 10′s launch on January...

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RIM shares jump after hours following results

U.S.-traded shares Research In Motion rallied in after-hours trading on Thursday after the BlackBerry maker posted a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss excluding one-time items.The company's Nasdaq-listed shares were last up 8 percent at $15.25, extending a 3.6-percent gain in regular trading hours. They are also on track to close with a fourth straight month of gains.The stock has more than doubled...

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RIM posts smaller than expected loss; shares surge

 Research In Motion reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday and boosted its cash cushion, sending its shares soaring more than 7 percent.But the struggling BlackBerry maker also recorded the first-ever decline in its subscriber base, barely a month before the crucial launch of the new BB10 smartphone line.RIM reported a loss of $114 million or 22 cents a share, excluding one-time...

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Taliban bomb kills nine including minister at Pakistan rally

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Taliban Islamic militants bombed a political rally in Pakistan's northern city of Peshawar on Saturday, killing nine people including a provincial minister, officials said, the latest in a string of high-profile attacks.The provincial minister for local government, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, died of his wounds at Lady Reading Hospital, the hospital's chief executive Arshad...

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Abducted German aid worker seen alive in video

BERLIN (AP) — A German aid worker abducted in Pakistan 11 months ago was seen alive in a video broadcast Saturday urging authorities to fully meet his captors' demands, warning that otherwise they could kill him within days.The undated video — probably recorded under duress by his captors — was broadcast Saturday by Pakistan's Dunya TV. The German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said it "knows the case"...

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Will he or won't he? Italy awaits Monti's decision

ROME (AP) — Italy's president dissolved parliament Saturday, setting the stage for general elections in February and leaving only one lingering question from Premier Mario Monti's 13-month term trying to fix Italy's troubled finances: whether he will run.Monti will announce his decision Sunday, ending weeks of speculation and jockeying that have dominated Italy's political discourse and preoccupied...

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Reports: Rolling Stones guitarist Wood ties knot

LONDON (AP) — Two British newspapers say Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has married his fiancee Sally Humphreys at a ceremony at London's Dorchester Hotel.The Sun and the Daily Mirror carried photographs of the 65-year-old rocker with a pale boutonniere and a dark blue suit, and his 34-year-old bride in a traditional white gown and a clutch of matching white flowers.The Sun quoted Wood as saying...

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Deep emotions run beneath Russia's adoption ban

You usually can judge Vladimir Putin’s dislike of a reporter's question by the intensity of his expression. Such was the case this week at his annual news conference, when he greeted with a hard scowl the subject of pending Russian legislation that would ban Americans from adopting orphaned children. Mr. Putin unleashed invective on the fact that consular representatives aren’t allowed to visit adopted...

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HeroClix, a Fun App using Comic Book Characters, was Recently Featured on the AppWatch Segment of NewsWatch

NewsWatch, a nationwide television show, recently aired a news segment about “HeroClix”, a new app using comic book characters from popular franchises. The segment aired as part of “AppWatch”, a weekly review of the top apps in the marketplace.Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 20, 2012NewsWatch, a nationwide television show, recently aired a news segment about “HeroClix”, a new app using comic book...

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Hands-Free Lighting Device Designed by ASF Lightware Solutions Now Offered by Rehabmart.com

It is an LED light that is worn around the neck and offers a wider and brighter light than a typical clip-on book light. The hands-free design is perfect for wheelchair or walker users, and helps to keep hands free for tasks like quilting, knitting, changing diapers and other various forms of work and hobbies.Elberton, GA (PRWEB) December 20, 2012Rehabmart.com, an online e-commerce company that sells...

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Appconomy Announces Launch of its Jinjin Marketplace in China; Completes Series A Round for $16 Million Total

Appconomy, Inc., developer of the Appconomy Commerce Cloud platform and mobile apps, announced today the launch of its JinjinTM mobile marketplace in China.Shanghai, China (PRWEB) December 20, 2012The Jinjin marketplace launched in two of China’s most strategic markets, Beijing and Shanghai, the nation’s capital and the country’s largest city, respectively. Appconomy also announced that it had raised...

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JelliJar – New Online Specialty Food Marketplace in Beta Release

JelliJar is pleased to announce that its online food marketplace is accessible to select food producers and customers. The full site will launch in the first week of January 2013.Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) December 20, 2012JelliJar is pleased to announce that its online food marketplace is accessible to select food producers and customers. The full site will launch in the first week of January 2013.JelliJar...

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The sale of the NYSE and the death of stocks

T o the general public, it's quite a "shocker," says David Weidner at MarketWatch. IntercontinentalExchange (ICE), an upstart derivatives exchange, based in Atlanta, is buying NYSE Euronext, the company that owns the iconic, 220-year-old New York Stock Exchange, in a deal worth more than $8 billion. To long-time market professionals, however, this merger merely confirms something...

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Senator jokes that Boehner's 'Plan B' shows progress finally being made on women's issues

WASHINGTON - A Democratic senator joked Thursday that with House Speaker John Boehner embracing "Plan B," women's issues are progressing in Congress.Washington Democrat Patty Murray told reporters that she "got really excited" when she heard Boehner talking about Plan B.But then, she kidded, she learned it didn't signify progress for women after all.Boehner had a backup plan for his fight over the...

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Malala asks Pakistan not to rename college in her honour to avert militant attacks on students

MINGORA, Pakistan - An official says Malala Yousufzai, who was shot by the Taliban for promoting girls' education, has urged Pakistan to reverse a decision to rename a college in her honour to avert militant attacks on students.The 15-year-old who became a symbol of youth resistance to the Taliban made the request after students broke into the school, tore down Malala's pictures and boycotted classes...

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Former Singapore banker arrested in U.S. over Olympus fraud

SINGAPORE/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former Singapore banker was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday and accused of helping "liquidate" hundreds of millions of dollars in an accounting fraud at Olympus Corp , one of the biggest corporate scandals in Japan's history.Chan Ming Fon, a one-time bank vice president, is the latest former executive and the first from outside of Japan to become ensnared in the...

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Congresswoman broke ethics rules, House panel says

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A seven-term U.S. congresswoman from Nevada, Shelley Berkley, violated ethics rules by using her office to try to help her husband's medical practice but had no "corrupt intent" in doing so, the U.S. House Ethics Committee said on Thursday.The committee said no further action was needed against the Democratic member of the House of Representatives. It had launched a probe in...

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EM ASIA FX-US budget impasse dents Asia FX; rupiah hit

One-mth dollar/rupiah NDFs highest since Sept 2009* Sing dlr, Philippine peso down on U.S. dlr-short covering* Philippine c.bank deputy governor says peso to stay firm(Adds text, updates prices)By Jongwoo CheonSEOUL, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Most emerging Asian currenciesslid on Friday as deepening uncertainty over a U.S. budget dealprompted investors to reduce risky assets after a Republicanattempt to...

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