Mercury-Emissions Treaty Adopted

GENEVA (AP) — More than 140 nations adopted the first legally binding international treaty on Saturday aimed at reducing mercury emissions, after four years of negotiations on ways to set limits on the use of a highly toxic metal. The treaty was adopted after all-night negotiations that followed a week of talks in Geneva, United Nations environmental officials and diplomats said. A signing...

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Dotcom says new site legal, no revenge for Megaupload saga

AUCKLAND (Reuters) – Kim Dotcom, founder of outlawed file-sharing website Megaupload, said his new “cyberlocker” was not revenge on U.S. authorities who planned a raid on his home, closed Megaupload and charged him with online piracy for which he faces jail if found guilty.Dotcom said his new offering, Mega.co.nz, which will launch on Sunday even as he and three colleagues await extradition from New...

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Daniel Radcliffe Seen Kissing Costar Erin Darke in Sundance

Caught in the Act 01/19/2013 at 01:00 PM EST Daniel Radcliffe and Erin Darke Jonathan Leibson/Getty; George Pimentel/Getty On screen, Daniel Radcliffe's playing adult roles now. But offscreen, he's still a young wizard, conjuring up some magic with his Kill Your...

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Lilly drug chosen for Alzheimer's prevention study

Researchers have chosen an experimental drug by Eli Lilly & Co. for a large federally funded study testing whether it's possible to prevent Alzheimer's disease in older people at high risk of developing it.The drug, called solanezumab (sol-ah-NAYZ-uh-mab), is designed to bind to and help clear the sticky deposits that clog patients' brains.Earlier studies found it did not help people with moderate...

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Teacher who starred in porn film fight for job, money

The Oxnard teacher who was fired for appearing in porn movies has until Feb. 13 to decide whether to appeal a decision dismissing her from the classroom, school officials said.The Commission on Professional Competence, in a 47-page report dated Jan. 3, found that Stacie Halas, 32, was unfit to teach eighth-grade science at Haydock Intermediate School and ordered her dismissal.Although...

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WORLD: Defusing a Crisis in Pakistan

January 18, 2013By Mac William Bishop and Michelle StockmanMuhammad Tahir-ul Qadri, a Pakistani preacher, emerged on the country’s political scene, leading huge protests in Islamabad. After days of standoffs, he reached a symbolic deal with the governme...

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Morrisons to launch online kitchenware business

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain‘s fourth largest supermarket group Wm Morrison said on Friday it would extend its online presence in the spring with the launch of a kitchenware website in partnership with specialist Lakeland.The joint venture will be Morrisons‘ third fully transactional website following the launch of wine website MorrisonsCellar.com in November and the purchase of baby care retailer Kiddicare.com...

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Channing Tatum & Jenna Dewan-Tatum Share a Fresh, Healthy Lunch Date

Caught in the Act 01/18/2013 at 01:35 PM EST Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Channing Tatum FameFlynet Eating for three?Parents-to-be Jenna Dewan-Tatum and husband Channing, fresh from a beach holiday in St. Barts, enjoyed a casual lunch date together on Wednesday. The...

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Flu season 'bad one for the elderly,' CDC says

Flu hospitalizations among the elderly rose sharply last week, prompting federal officials to take unusual steps to make more flu medicines available and to urge wider use of them as soon as symptoms appear.The U.S. is about halfway through the flu season, which is shaping up to be worse than average and a bad one for the elderly, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control...

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Man molested girls, gave them tattoos, police allege

Authorities were looking Thursday for more possible victims of a Mission Viejo tattoo artist arrested for allegedly molesting two teenage girls after giving them free tattoos and alcohol in his apartment, deputies said.Edder Giovani Nieves-Vera, 29, met one of the 14-year-olds through Facebook and promised to give her a tattoo, alcohol and drugs, said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange...

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India Ink: A Conversation With: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling

Tucked away in the Himalayas, India’s Sikkim state has averaged an annual growth of 12.6 percent over the last eight years. The state of 600,000 people is of strategic importance to India, surrounded by China, Nepal and Bhutan on three sides. The former monarchy of Sikkim joined the Indian federation of states in 1975 and has been the most peaceful among India’s strife-torn northeastern states.The...

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AT&T Offers $100 Off HSPA+ Nexus 7 for a Limited Time

The Nexus 7, made by Asus in partnership with Google, was the first really successful Android tablet that wasn’t made by a bookseller. It brought the hundreds of thousands of games and apps on Google Play (formerly the Android Market) to a wide audience, and it did so at an unheard-of price point: Only $ 199, for a device packing a Tegra 3 processor which made it much more powerful (and better for...

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Diem Brown Blogs: Getting Through the Ultimate Relationship Test

In her PEOPLE.com blog, Diem Brown, the Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestant recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer for the second time, opens up about her desire for a child and the ups and downs of cancer and fertility procedures.I think illness is the ultimate relationship test. You can see so many colors and facets of how different sets of relationships deal with a hardship when going through...

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Study: NYC better than LA at cutting kids' obesity

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study shows New York City is doing better than Los Angeles in the battle against childhood obesity, at least for low-income children.From 2003 to 2011, obesity rates for poor children dropped in New York to around 16 percent. But they rose in Los Angeles and ended at about 20 percent.The researchers focused on children ages 3 and 4 enrolled in a government program that provides...

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Woman repeatedly raped inside Nordstrom, police allege

Prosecutors said one of the five people charged in connection with the take-over robbery at a Nordstrom Rack department store in Westchester raped one of the female hostages. Prosecutors offered no details. But a district attorney's office spokeswoman said the victim was sexually assaulted "multiple times." Raymond Sherman Jr., 34, who authorities said was the most violent in the group,...

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Islamists Seize Foreign Hostages at Algeria Gas Field

PARIS — Islamist militants seized a foreign-operated gas field in Algeria early Wednesday and took at least 20 foreign hostages, including Americans, according to an Algerian government official and the country’s state-run news agency, in what the attackers called a retaliation for the French-led military intervention in neighboring Mali. The Algerian agency said at least at least two people...

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“GameStick” and NVIDIA “Project SHIELD” Consoles-in-a-Controller on Their Way

Both GameStick and NVIDIA’s Project Shield are upcoming game consoles the size of a game controller, which can hook up to a larger display. Both are powered by Android, Google‘s open-source operating system that’s normally used on smartphones and tablets. And both have working hardware prototypes already. But one is a $ 99 Kickstarter project by an indie group, while the other has the backing of two...

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Channing & Jenna Dewan-Tatum Take Pregnant Pause for Dog Walk

People Pets 01/16/2013 at 12:50 PM EST Channing and Jenna Dewan-Tatum with dogs Lulu and Meeka All Access Photo/Splash News Online Pregnancy sure isn't slowing down Jenna Dewan-Tatum!The American Horror Story actress, who has stayed active while expecting, was...

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ER visits tied to energy drinks double since 2007

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A new government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide during the past four years, the same period in which the supercharged drink industry has surged in popularity in convenience stores, bars and on college campuses.From 2007 to 2011, the government estimates the number of emergency room visits involving...

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L.A. councilman seeks ban on large-capacity gun magazines

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian wants the city to explore the feasibility of banning the possession of high-capacity...

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Iraqi Lawmaker and Sunni Leader Killed in Suicide Bombing

BAGHDAD — An Iraqi Parliament member who was also the leader of a local council of the Sunni Awakening, an American-backed group of Sunni militias that switched sides to fight against Al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Anbar Province on Tuesday, security and government officials said. The lawmaker, Efan al-Essawi, who owned a construction company, had gone to inspect...

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Cuban hospital carefully guards Hugo Chavez’s privacy

HAVANA (Reuters) – You would never guess that one of the world’s most famous heads of state, Venezuelan president and self-proclaimed revolutionary Hugo Chavez, is battling cancer at Havana’s Center for Medical-Surgical Research (CIMEQ).At the weekend there was no visible increase in security at the hospital’s main entrance, where guards in olive green uniforms checked the comings and goings of visitors...

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See Stars' Slim-Down Superfoods

New year, new resolutions! See how Hilary Duff, Kourtney Kardashian and more are eating well and keeping their A-list figures! Credit: Courtesy Hilary Duff Updated: Tuesday Jan 15, 2013 | 06:00 AM EST By: Nancy Mattia Subscribe Now ...

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Experts: Proposed NY gun law might hinder therapy

NEW YORK (AP) — Mental health experts say a new tougher New York state gun control law might interfere with treatment of potentially dangerous people and even discourage them from seeking help.The law would require therapists, doctors, nurses and social workers to tell government authorities if they believe a patient is likely to harm himself or others. That could lead to revoking the patient's gun...

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Man kills wife, leave her body in casino, police allege

About L.A. NowL.A. Now is the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news section for Southern California. It is produced by more than 80 reporters and editors in The Times’ Metro section, reporting from the paper’s downtown Los Angeles headquarters as well as bureaus in Costa Mesa, Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Riverside, Ventura and West Los Angeles.Have a story tip for L.A. Now?Can I call...

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WORLD: Violence Against Women in India

January 14, 2013By Mac William Bishop, Channon Hodge, Pedro Rafael Rosado, Axel Gerdau and Poh Si TengA special report on women’s rights and sexual assault in India after the death of a young woman who was raped in Delhi by several men in a moving b...

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Come for a Tour of China’s Unlicensed ‘World of Warcraft’ Theme Park

World of Warcraft Theme ParkImage credit Francesca TimbersClick here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: 20 Tweets That Prove Skittles’ Social-Media Team Inhaled the Rainbow]Changzhou, China is home to a bizzarre world of rides, food and fun: A World of Warcraft-style theme park that’s completely unlicensed by Blizzard, maker of the Warcraft series.The park opened in the summer of last year....

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Jodie Foster Calls Ailing Mom an 'Amazing Inspiration' After Emotional Globes Speech

01/14/2013 at 01:45 PM EST Jodie Foster at a Golden Globes party Mike Windle/Getty Jodie Foster brought some to tears when she spoke of her ailing mother during her revealing Golden Globes speech Sunday night – and, backstage, the actress continued to praise her."My mom is an amazing inspiration...

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