Gruesome toll of cluster bombs in Syria

STORY HIGHLIGHTSHuman Rights Watch says cluster bombs were used on Syrian town of LatamnehCluster bombs release dozens of smaller bombs, which can maim or kill long after impactSyrian regime has previously denied cluster bombs on civiliansEditor's note: Mary Wareham is the Arms Division's Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch and chief editor of 'Cluster Munition Monitor 2012.' (CNN) -- It was...

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Chavez to troops: thanks for the 'loyalty and love'

CARACAS: Lying in a Havana hospital bed as he recovers from cancer surgery, President Hugo Chavez thanked Venezuela's military for their loyalty and love, the vice president said Wednesday.Nicolas Maduro told a military audience the president expressed this message to Science Minister Jorge Arreaza, who is also Chavez's son-in-law and with him in Cuba."He told us to pass on to the armed...

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Islamists take foreign hostages in Algerian attack

STORY HIGHLIGHTSAccounts differ over the number of Westerners being heldAmericans are among the hostages, the U.S. State Department saysThe In Amenas gas field is run jointly by BP, Statoil and Algeria's SonatracPanetta calls hostage-taking a "terrorist attack"(CNN) -- Islamists angry over Algeria's support for the French offensive in Mali attacked a gas field in southern Algeria, killing two people...

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13 home buying tips for 2013

(MoneyWatch) Although housing prices started to rebound last year and are expected to continue rising in 2013, it's still a buyer's market. Prices remain 30 percent below their peak before the housing crash and mortgage rates hovering at all-time lows. If you are ready to jump in to the real estate market, here are 13 house-hunting tips for 2013.1. Run the numbers. Put together a financial plan to...

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Obama Unveils Sweeping Plan to Curb Gun Violence

Flanked by four children from across the country, President Obama today unveiled a sweeping plan to curb gun violence in America through an extensive package of legislation and executive actions not seen since the 1960s.Obama is asking Congress to implement mandatory background checks for all gun purchases, including private sales; reinstate a ban on some assault-style weapons;...

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Are gun curbs just symbolism?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSGun violence recommendations are expected from Vice President Biden on TuesdayThe proposals are expected to contain substantive and symbolic ideas to curb gun violencePresidents use symbolism to shift public opinion or affect larger political or social changeWashington (CNN) -- The pictures told the story: Vice President Joe Biden looked solemn, patrician and in control as he sat at...

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Oil prices fall on weak German, US data

NEW YORK: Oil prices retreated Tuesday after unimpressive economic data out of Germany and the US raised questions about the strength of petroleum demand.Prices of US benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures settled at US$93.28 a barrel, down 86 cents. European benchmark Brent crude futures settled at US$110.30 a barrel, down US$1.58.German gross domestic product shrank by about 0.5 pe...

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U.S. quietly giving up its oil addiction

President Obama at an oil and gas production field near Maljamar, New Mexico in March, 2012. STORY HIGHLIGHTSFrida Ghitis: The U.S. will become the world's leading oil producer in a few years Ghitis: It is truly transformational that the U.S. is giving up its addiction to foreign oil Despite energy independence, we need to keep looking into green energy, she says Ghitis: It's beneficial for the U.S....

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NY passes 1st U.S. gun control bill since Newtown

ALBANY, N.Y. New York's Assembly on Tuesday easily passed the toughest gun control law in the nation and the first since the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, calling for a tougher assault weapons ban and provisions to try to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill who make threats. Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed hard for the bill, which passed the Senate on Monday night. He is expected to quickly...

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Arias Called Boyfriend 4 Times After Killing Him

Jodi Arias tried to cover her tracks after killing her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, by making a flurry of phone calls to his cell phone and hacking into his voice mailbox, prosecutors alleged today.Phone records presented in court today showed Arias persistently calling Alexander in the days before the killing. Ten calls were made from Arias' cell phone to Alexander's cell...

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