Syrians Face a Bread Shortage in Aleppo and Elsewhere

Tyler Hicks/The New York TimesA bakery in Aleppo. The price has shot up from 25 Syrian pounds, about 35 cents, for a bag of about eight flat, pitalike loaves to more than 200 pounds, nearly $3. GAZIANTEP, Turkey — Jalal al-Khanji, the closest thing the Syrian city of Aleppo has to a mayor, hopes to organize elections there within two weeks, but he fears that residents with empty stomachs are in no...

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App of the Week: Manilla

App Name: ManillaPrice: FreeAvailable Platforms: Apple’s iOS ( iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone), AndroidWhat does this app do? Manilla provides a secure way for you manage and organize your bills on your mobile device, tablet or desktop. This finance app, of which an updated version for the iPhone 5 was released this week, allows you to link to your accounts, set up reminders to pay your bills, and keep...

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Connecticut Shooting: Bodies Removed from School, Positively Identified

By Mike Fleeman 12/15/2012 at 10:25 AM EST Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance Mary Altaffer/AP A horrific day turned to a night of unspeakable grief as parents received formal notifications that their children were killed in the Connecticut school massacre.The last of the dozens of...

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Fewer health care options for illegal immigrants

ALAMO, Texas (AP) — For years, Sonia Limas would drag her daughters to the emergency room whenever they fell sick. As an illegal immigrant, she had no health insurance, and the only place she knew to seek treatment was the hospital — the most expensive setting for those covering the cost.The family's options improved somewhat a decade ago with the expansion of community health clinics, which offered...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Holiday "on standby" as clock ticks on cliff

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The last two weeks of December are traditionally quiet for stocks, but traders accustomed to a bit of time off are staying close to their mobile devices, thanks to the "fiscal cliff." Last-minute negotiations in Washington on the so-called fiscal cliff - nearly $600 billion of tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect in January that could cause a sharp slowdown...

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Top Sichuan Official Removed in Corruption Inquiry

BEIJING — A high-ranking Communist Party leader who was the second most powerful official in China’s southwest Sichuan Province was removed from his posts on Thursday amid corruption allegations that may hint of a wider crackdown on graft. The case of Li Chuncheng, 56, who last month was named an alternate member of the party’s Central Committee, is the most significant of the flurry of vice-and-sex...

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Dozens Reported Dead in Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

Breaking News By Stephen M. Silverman UPDATED 12/14/2012 at 01:55 PM EST • Originally published 12/14/2012 at 01:00 PM EST State police personnel lead children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shannon Hicks/Newtown Bee/Reuters/Landov A...

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APNewsBreak: Texas cancer probe draws NCI scrutiny

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The National Cancer Institute confirmed Friday that federal officials are taking a closer look at a troubled $3 billion cancer-fighting effort in Texas that is under a criminal investigation over a lucrative taxpayer-funded grant awarded by the state agency.The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has coveted status as an NCI-approved funding entity — an exclusive...

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Wall Street drops as Apple falls, "cliff" looms

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Friday, with the Nasdaq weighed down by another drop in shares of Apple, and as the overhang of "fiscal cliff" negotiations kept buying to a premium. Apple slid 4 percent to $508.75 after UBS cut its price target on the stock to $700 from $780. The most valuable U.S. company has seen its stock hit hard in the last three months, and it fell on Friday...

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Avigdor Lieberman of Israel Charged With Breach of Trust

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's foreign minister says he is resisting calls to resign following his indictment on a breach of trust charge. Avigdor Lieberman told a news conference Thursday night that under the law, he does not have to resign. He says he will confer with his lawyers before making any decision. He gave no timeframe for his decision and hinted it could come after parliamentary...

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Review: PlayStation icons join in ‘Battle Royale’

The holiday season is a good time to catch up with old friends. If you’re an Xbox fan, you’re probably getting reacquainted with galactic warrior Master Chief in his new adventure, “Halo 4.” If you’re a Nintendophile, you’re probably frolicking with Mario on your new Wii U.Sony, meanwhile, has expanded its holiday guest list to invite nearly two decades worth of characters to mix it up in “PlayStation...

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Amar'e Stoudemire Gets Married at Small, Secret 12-12-12 Wedding

By Tim Nudd 12/13/2012 at 01:15 PM EST Alexis Welch and Amar'e Stoudemire Amanda Schwab/Startraks Amar'e Stoudemire's latest triple double will go down as the most memorable of his life.The New York Knicks power forward, 30, married his longtime girlfriend Alexis...

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Study: People worldwide living longer, but sicker

LONDON (AP) — Nearly everywhere around the world, people are living longer and fewer children are dying. But increasingly, people are grappling with the diseases and disabilities of modern life, according to the most expansive global look so far at life expectancy and the biggest health threats.The last comprehensive study was in 1990 and the top health problem then was the death of children under...

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Wall Street eyes the "cliff" after six days of gains

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks retreated after six days of gains on Thursday as encouraging reports on retail sales and jobless claims were outweighed by the uncertainty surrounding the "fiscal cliff" negotiations in Washington. Drawn-out fiscal negotiations between Democrats and Republicans have constrained trading. There is concern that tax hikes and spending cuts set to begin in 2013...

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Facebook revises privacy controls in effort to make them more accessible, comprehensible

SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook is trying to make its privacy controls easier to find and understand in an effort to turn the world’s largest social network into a more discreet place.The fine-tuning announced Wednesday will include several revisions that will start rolling out to Facebook Inc.‘s more than 1 billion users in the next few weeks.The biggest change will be a new “privacy shortcuts” section...

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Sir Paul McCartney to Lead Nirvana Reunion at 12-12-12 Sandy Relief Concert

Music News 12/12/2012 at 01:50 PM EST Paul McCartney; Nirvana (Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic) INF, Everett Smells like The Beatles?Sir Paul McCartney will front a Nirvana reunion as part of Wednesday night's 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief, a...

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Congress examines science behind HGH test for NFL

WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional committee has opened a hearing to examine the science behind a human growth hormone test the NFL wants to start using on its players.Nearly two full seasons have passed since the league and the players' union signed a labor deal that set the stage for HGH testing.The NFL Players Association won't concede the validity of a test that's used by Olympic sports and Major...

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Stocks hit session highs after Fed announcement

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks climbed to session highs on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a new stimulus plan at the end of its two-day monetary policy meeting in its latest attempt to kickstart a struggling economy. The central bank replaced a more modest stimulus program due to expire at year-end with a fresh round of Treasury purchases that will increase its balance...

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Cheikh Modibo Diarra, Mali’s Prime Minister, Resigns After Arrest

BAMAKO, Mali — Soldiers arrested Mali’s prime minister at his residence late Monday night, signaling new turmoil in a West African nation racked by military interference and an Islamist takeover in the north. Associated PressPrime Minister Cheikh Modibo Diarra appeared on state television and announced his government’s resignation on Tuesday. ...

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Notorious patent troll hits RIM with new lawsuit, seeks BlackBerry sales ban

Well-known patent troll Wi-LAN has filed a new lawsuit against BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIMM) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Wi-LAN, which describes itself as “a leading intellectual property licensing company,” claims RIM’s BlackBerry smartphones infringe U.S. Patent No. 6,260,168, owned by Wi-LAN, which relates to Bluetooth implementation....

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Tom Brady Is Thrilled His Sons Have a Sister

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 12/11/2012 at 11:00 AM ET Rob Carr/GettyHaving grown up with three of them, Tom Brady knows the value of having a sister — and is thrilled for his sons that they get to experience it.“I think it’s great for my boys to have a girl in the house,” the father of two...

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Surprise: New insurance fee in health overhaul law

WASHINGTON (AP) — Your medical plan is facing an unexpected expense, so you probably are, too. It's a new, $63-per-head fee to cushion the cost of covering people with pre-existing conditions under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.The charge, buried in a recent regulation, works out to tens of millions of dollars for the largest companies, employers say. Most of that is likely to be passed...

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Tech titans, "cliff" hopes push indexes up

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rising shares in technology companies helped push major stock indexes up around 1 percent on Tuesday, as the S&P 500 reached its best levels since mid-October, recouping its post-election selloff. A 3.1 percent gain in Apple Inc's stock lifted the Nasdaq, as the largest U.S. company by market value rebounded from a week in which investors took profits before...

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U.S. Forecast as No. 2 Economy, but Energy Independent

WASHINGTON — A new intelligence assessment of global trends projects that China will outstrip the United States as the leading economic power before 2030, but that America will remain an indispensable world leader, bolstered in part by an era of energy independence. Russia’s clout will wane, as will the economic strength of other countries reliant on oil for revenues, the assessment says....

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Husband of Kate's Late Nurse Writes About 'Tragic Loss'

By Stephen M. Silverman 12/10/2012 at 01:45 PM EST The husband of Jacintha Saldanha, the London nurse who last week answered the prank call from an Australian radio station about the condition of the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge and then apparently took her own life, has expressed his grief in a public message. On his Facebook page, Ben...

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Smokers celebrate as Wash. legalizes marijuana

SEATTLE (AP) — The crowds of happy people lighting joints under Seattle's Space Needle early Thursday morning with nary a police officer in sight bespoke the new reality: Marijuana is legal under Washington state law.Hundreds gathered at Seattle Center for a New Year's Eve-style countdown to 12 a.m., when the legalization measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they...

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Wall Street edges up, led by McDonald's and tech

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks advanced slightly on Monday, helped by gains in McDonald's after the fast-food giant posted strong sales results, and a move up in technology shares. Technology stocks were the S&P 500's best-performing sector as Hewlett-Packard Co climbed 2.5 percent to $14.14 on rumors that activist investor Carl Icahn is building a stake in the PC maker. The stock is...

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Changes to Agriculture Highlight Cuba’s Problems

HAVANA — Cuba’s liveliest experiment with capitalism unfolds every night in a dirt lot on the edge of the capital, where Truman-era trucks lugging fresh produce meet up with hundreds of buyers on creaking bicycle carts clutching wads of cash. “This place, it feeds all of Havana,” said Misael Toledo, 37, who owns three small food stores in the city. “Before, you could only buy or sell in the...

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Kate Middleton & Anderson Cooper Get Love and Inspire Awe from Readers

By Julia Haskins 12/09/2012 at 01:00 PM EST Prince William and Kate; Anderson Cooper Splash News Online We love hearing your passionate responses to PEOPLE.com news through article emoticomments and readers didn't disappoint this week. You loved Kate's pregnancy...

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