With allegations of sorcery and featuring a feared autocratic ruler and the downfall of an ambitious daughter, it could be one of those mediaeval verse epics for which Central Asia is famed. But it is the very contemporary medium of Twitter that has exposed the extraordinary rift at the heart of...
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Uzbekistan’s cosmopolitan first daughter documents downfall on Twitter
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Honda’s ‘Hydrogen Boy’ pees his way to a cleaner world
A little boy urinating might not easily conjure up images of a cleaner world, but Honda had other ideas Thursday as it tries to promote its green-car technology. The Japanese firm erected a 6.6-foot replica of famous Brussels landmark Manneken Pis — the bronze statue of a boy peeing into a...
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Health-care price inflation is at its lowest rate in 50 years
President Obama makes a statement before the start of a meeting with representatives of health insurance companies in the White House in Washington Friday. (Evan Vucci/AP) Health care spending is growing at the slowest rate on record, and health-care…
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Jewish leader blasts return of Nazi art trove to hoarding recluse
The leader of Germany’s Jewish community on Thursday slammed a decision by authorities to return hundreds of paintings to a recluse accused of hoarding priceless artworks believed stolen by the Nazis. The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dieter Graumann, said the aim by...
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Dramatic volcano eruption gives birth to new Japanese islet
A dramatic volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean has created a tiny new islet in Japan’s territorial waters, officials said Thursday, the first time in decades the nation has seen the phenomenon. The navy spotted smoke about 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) south of Tokyo on Wednesday and...
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‘Dead’ baby wakes at Chinese funeral parlor before cremation
A Chinese baby boy who had been declared dead was saved from being cremated alive when he started crying at a funeral parlour, media reported Thursday. The parents of the critically-ill boy, who was less than one month old, had agreed to end his medical treatment at Anhui Provincial...
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Stewart on coke-sniffer Rep. Trey Radel: Being a hip-hop conservative just as ridiculous as being a ‘smooth-jazz anarchist’ or a ‘disco Nazi’
Jon Stewart took aim at the self-proclaimed “hip-hop conservative” lawmaker busted for cocaine possession. First-term Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL) pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of cocaine possession and was sentenced to one year of supervised probation after he bought the drug Oct. 29 as part of a...
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Colbert: Russia promises secure Olympics, safe from gays and ‘rioting p*ssy’
On Wednesday night’s edition of this Comedy Central show, Stephen Colbert discussed the Russian ban on “gay propaganda” in the months leading up to the Winter Olympics at Sochi and the Putin government’s attempts to stifle expressions of pride by LGBT Russians. Colbert said...
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Hasselbeck: Oprah shouldn’t call out racists because it ‘undermines racism’
Fox News host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Thursday warned Oprah Winfrey that she “undermines racism” by pointing out that some of President Barack Obama’s critics disliked him because of the color of his skin. “There is a level of disrespect for the office that occurs,”...
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Cops told woman her life would be ‘made miserable’ if she pursued rape charges against Florida State star, attorney says
Police in football-mad Tallahassee, Florida, told a woman who accused Florida State’s quarterback of sexual assault that her life would “be made miserable” if she pursued charges against the star player. An attorney for the woman and her family released a statement Wednesday about the detective’s...
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Weekly unemployment claims fall to 2-month low
First-time claims for US unemployment benefits fell last week to their lowest level in two months as the recovery in the jobs market grinds forward, government data released Thursday showed. Initial jobless claims, an indicator of the pace of layoffs, fell to 323,000 in the week ending November 16,...
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UN representative Samantha Power: U.S. has ‘nothing to apologize’ to Afghanistan for
Washington’s UN representative Samantha Power said Thursday Afghanistan is owed no apology for US actions in the country since the overthrow of the Taliban 12 years ago. “We have nothing to apologize for. Our soldiers have sacrificed a great deal,” Power told CNN, as Washington...
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UN needs ‘all hands on deck’ to combat ozone-damaging nitrous oxide
Levels of nitrous oxide, a gas that both depletes the ozone layer and stokes global warming, could nearly double by mid-century, the UN warned on Thursday. “We need all hands on deck to combat the serious and significant increases in N2O [nitrous oxide] levels in the atmosphere,” UN...
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Germany’s Merkel agrees to Social Democrats demand for a universal minimum wage
Germany is set to introduce a national minimum wage, conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, giving in to a key demand by her likely centre-left governing partners. “The Social Democrats will not conclude negotiations without a universal legal minimum wage,” she said...
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Rand Paul attempts to lure Chris Christie with ‘fried Twinkie’ summit
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) suggested on Wednesday that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) might be willing to meet him for a “fried Twinkie” to work out their differences at the Iowa State Fair instead of a so-called “beer summit.” Christie and Paul, who are both early...
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Warren: We’re in this mess because Washington has ignored the middle class for a generation
On Wednesday night, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) stopped by “The Rachel Maddow Show” to discuss economic populism, wealth inequality and possible ground games for the Democratic and the Republican Parties in the coming years. Maddow began the segment by discussing the recent decisions...
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Parents say autistic teen largely to blame for classmates’ taunts
The parents of some teens accused of mocking their autistic classmate in videos posted online defended their actions, saying the victim was largely to blame. After WHO-TV aired a report about the video, which showed classmates taunting 13-year-old Levi Null, who has Asperger syndrome, while...
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Central African Republic’s president negotiating with infamous rebel leader Joseph Kony
The Central African Republic’s president said Thursday he was in contact with Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony, one of the world’s most wanted war criminals, to negotiate his surrender. “It’s true, Joseph Kony wants to come out of the bush. We are negotiating with...
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Senate panel advances Janet Yellen nomination to run Federal Reserve
The Senate Banking Committee on Thursday approved Janet Yellen to chair the US Federal Reserve, setting up a likely confirmation by the full chamber next month. President Barack Obama’s pick to replace outgoing Fed chairman Ben Bernanke passed the committee 14-8, and if approved by the...
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Saudi religious police arrest two men for giving out ‘free hugs’
Saudi religious police arrested two young men offering a “free hug” to passers-by in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom’s capital, local media reported Thursday. The arrests were made in the main Tahlia Street where the two men were waving banners marked “Free Hug”...
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