C. African Republic leader faces rebel threat

DAMARA, Central African Republic (AP) — More than 30 truckloads of troops from Chad line the two-lane highway just outside of Damara, supporting Central African Republic government forces who want to block a new rebel coalition from reaching the capital.In a display of force, the turbaned fighters hold their rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons they threaten to use if the rebels seeking to...

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Microsoft acquires start-up id8: source

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp bought start-up id8 Group R2 Studios Inc as it looks to expand further in technology focused on the home and entertainment, a person familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.id8 Group R2 Studios was started in 2011 by Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Blake Krikorian. It recently launched a Google Android application to allow users to control home...

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Putin grants Depardieu Russian citizenship

MOSCOW (AP) — Gerard Depardieu, the French actor who has been sparring with his native country over taxes, has been granted Russian citizenship.A brief announcement on the Kremlin website said President Vladimir Putin signed the citizenship grant on Thursday.Depardieu is angered by French President Francois Hollande‘s attempt to raise taxes on the mega-rich to 75 percent. Russia has a flat income...

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Bayer’s Nexavar meets goal in thyroid cancer trial

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German drugmaker Bayer said its drug Nexavar reached a goal of improving the survival of patients with a certain type of thyroid cancer in a late-stage trial.It said on Thursday it plans to submit data from the trial as the basis for marketing approval of Nexavar to treat radioactive iodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.(Reporting by Maria Sheahan)Health News Headlines...

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Starbucks to open first outlet in Vietnam in early February

(Reuters) – Starbucks Corp said it will set up its first outlet in Vietnam early next month as the U.S. chain continues to expand in fast-growing Asian markets.Starbucks said it will partner with Hong Kong‘s Maxim’s Group to open its first store in Ho Chi Minh City and reiterated that Asia continues to be a significant growth driver for the company.“Vietnam is one of the most dynamic and exciting...

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Israeli-Palestinian clashes erupt in West Bank

TAMOUN, West Bank (AP) — An arrest raid by undercover Israeli soldiers disguised as vegetable vendors ignited rare clashes in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, residents said, leaving at 10 Palestinians wounded.Israeli army raids into Palestinian areas to seize activists and militants are fairly common. The raids are normally coordinated with Palestinian security forces, and suspects are usually...

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LA photographer killed while shooting Bieber’s car

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police say a paparazzo was hit by a car and killed after taking photos of Justin Bieber‘s white Ferrari on a Los Angeles street.Los Angeles police Officer James Stoughton says the photographer, who was not identified, died at a hospital shortly after the crash Tuesday evening. Stoughton says Bieber was not in the Ferrari at the time.The sports car was parked on the side of Sepulveda...

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DATOS-Principales puntos en el proyecto de ley para evitar el abismo fiscal

(Reuters) – La Cámara de Representantes de Estados Unidos aprobó la noche del martes un proyecto de ley del Senado para evitar 600.000 millones de dólares en aumentos de impuestos generalizados y recortes de gastos automáticos conocidos como el “abismo fiscal”. A continuación los detalles:* Retrasa en dos meses la primera entrega de recortes de gastos automáticos, mientras el Congreso trabaja en un...

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Stock index futures surge on fiscal deal

PARIS (Reuters) – Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday after lawmakers passed a bill preventing huge tax hikes and spending cuts that had threatened to push the economy into recession.Futures for the S&P 500 were up 1.7 percent, Dow Jones futures were up 1.2 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 1.3 percent at 1103 GMT.The House of Representatives voted for a bill...

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UPDATE 7-Tennis-Auckland Classic women’s singles round 1 results

Jan 1 (Infostrada Sports) – Results from the Auckland Classic Women’s Singles Round 1 matches on Tuesday2-Julia Goerges (Germany) beat Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) 6-3 6-4Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) beat Stephanie Dubois (Canada) 6-2 6-11-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Greta Arn (Hungary) 6-2 6-28-Mona Barthel (Germany) beat Grace Min (U.S.) 6-1 6-36-Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) beat Lara...

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