Dec
12

UK government urged to consider relaxing drug rules

JUST say yes to considering relaxed drug controls, urged a panel of UK parliamentarians this week - but Prime Minister David Cameron has rejected the calls. Many countries have loosened their penalties for drug use, including the Czech Republic and Portugal, which...
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Asian markets mostly up after Fed move

HONG KONG: Asian stock markets mostly rose Thursday as the US Federal Reserve announced fresh monetary easing and said it would not lift interest rates until unemployment was under control.However, the gains were capped after the central bank's chief Ben Bernanke said the looming fiscal cliff of huge tax hikes and deep spending cuts was already hitting the economy.The yen continued its...
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Mall gunman: 'I have lived one crazy life so far'

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Gunman's mother died at childbirth; he never met father, friend saysNEW: He was an 'outgoing' skateboarder in high school, another friend saysNEW: He told a friend he left aunt's home at age 14 and raised himselfJacob 'Jake' Roberts uses edgy, dark humor on his Facebook page(CNN) -- Intended or not, the central image on the Facebook page of Jacob "Jake" Roberts, the Oregon shopping...
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Bruce Springsteen kicks off Sandy benefit

Updated: 8:25 p.m. ETMusic filled New York's Madison Square Garden Wednesday night for the "12-12-12" gig all in the name of helping superstorm Sandy victims. Bruce Springsteen kicked off the star-studded concert, a fitting start for the benefit, which will aid hard-hit storm areas such as the rocker's native New Jersey. The Boss launched into "Land of Hope and Dreams" as audience members rose to...
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Mall Shooter Quit Job, Was Going to Hawaii

In the days before he stole a semiautomatic weapon and stormed into an Oregon shopping mall, killing two people in a shooting spree, Jacob Roberts quit his job, sold his belongings and began to seem "numb" to those closest to him.Roberts' ex-girlfriend, Hannah Patricia Sansburn, 20, told ABC News today that the man who donned a hockey mask and opened fire on Christmas shoppers...
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Dec
11

Today on New Scientist: 11 December 2012

Out-of-season's greetings from the Arctic frost flowers Season's regards from an icy meadow in the Arctic, but it's no winter wonderland and please don't dash out into itHow hacking a mosquito's heart could eradicate malaria Watch how a double-pronged trick helps mosquitoes remain healthy while carrying disease, a process that could be exploited to eliminate malariaNew drug lifts hard-to-treat...
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Equipment failure could have caused incident that left serviceman critically injured

SINGAPORE: Preliminary findings indicate equipment malfunction could have led to the incident that left a navy serviceman critically injured.The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in an update late Tuesday night said Weapon Systems Supervisor Jason Chee Weng Fai remains in critical condition.He's warded at the Changi General Hospital.Channel NewsAsia understands that Mr Chee is expected to be...
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Two victims, gunman dead after shooting at Oregon mall

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Mall's Santa says he heard gunshots and "hit the floor"NEW: Mall spokesman: "Our hearts and prayers are with everyone who was in the mall"Three people are killed in the mall shooting, including the gunmanOne witness in Macy's says she saw a man wearing a hockey mask, wielding an assault rifle(CNN) -- Panicked customers rushed to the exits when a gunman opened fire Tuesday at a...
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At least 1 dead after gunman fires in suburban Ore. mall

The scene outside the Clackamas Town Center in suburban Portland, Ore., on Dec. 11, 2012. / KOIN-TV Updated 8:04 p.m. ET PORTLAND, Ore. Emergency dispatchers in Portland, Ore., are receiving reports that a man with a rifle reportedly fired as many as 20 shots inside a shopping mall, killing at least one person. The shooter has now been "neutralized," according to reports. The Oregonian reported...
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Obama Recognizes Syrian Opposition Group

In a diplomatic shift, President Obama said today his administration now formally recognizes the newly-formed, leading coalition of Syrian rebels who are fighting to topple Syria's embattled President Bashar Assad."We've made a decision that the Syrian Opposition Coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population that we consider...
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