Saudi execution: Brutal and illegal?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSSaudi authorities beheaded Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan womanShe was convicted of killing a baby of the family employing her as a housemaidThis was despite Nafeek's claims that the baby died in a choking accidentBecker says her fate "should spotlight the precarious existence of domestic workers"Jo Becker is the Children's Rights Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch and author of...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Attention turns to financial earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After over a month of watching Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue, Wall Street can get back to what it knows best: Wall Street. The first full week of earnings season is dominated by the financial sector - big investment banks and commercial banks - just as retail investors, free from the "fiscal cliff" worries, have started to get back into the markets. ...

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Durant's 42 helps send Lakers to 6th straight loss

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Durant hit a 3-pointer in the final second of the first half and did a full reverse somersault to celebrate a 16-point lead. The Thunder were running the Lakers out of their own building, and not even Kobe Bryant could stop them.Oklahoma City is again clearly among the best teams in the Western Conference, and the struggling Lakers may not have enough time left in the season...

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Why global labor reforms are vital

STORY HIGHLIGHTSSaudi authorities beheaded Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan womanShe was convicted of killing a baby of the family employing her as a housemaidThis was despite Nafeek's claims that the baby died in a choking accidentBecker says her fate "should spotlight the precarious existence of domestic workers"Jo Becker is the Children's Rights Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch and author of...

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UK’s Savile abused hundreds over six decades: report

LONDON (Reuters) – The late British TV presenter Jimmy Savile physically abused hundreds of people over six decades, according to a police-led report on Friday which said he carried out attacks at the BBC and at hospitals where he did voluntary work.Of his victims, 73 percent were under 18 and 82 percent were female. The oldest was 47 and the youngest just 8.“Savile’s offending footprint was vast,...

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Stock index futures point to flat open

LONDON (Reuters) – Stock index futures indicated a flat-to-slightly lower open on Wall Street on Friday, with some traders citing nervousness ahead of results from financial group Wells Fargo due later in the day.Futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 were flat by 04.30 EST, while futures for the Dow Jones were 0.1 percent lower.“There’s maybe a little bit of nervousness ahead of Wells Fargo’s...

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Five people who should pay more taxes

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – As bumbling as Washington appears to be, our political leaders have made substantial progress in getting the deficit under control — at least in the medium term.In the last two years, they’ve agreed on deficit-reduction measures totaling about $ 2 trillion over 10 years, including about $ 1.5 trillion in spending cuts and $ 500 billion in additional revenue.That’s significant,...

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Stock futures flat ahead of Wells Fargo earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were little changed on Friday, a day after the S&P 500 hit a five-year high and ahead of earnings from Wells Fargo, the first big bank to report this season. The Japanese government approved a massive $117 billion of spending to revive the economy in the biggest stimulus since the financial crisis, a move that boosted optimism about the global...

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Browns name Rob Chudzinski new coach

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns hauled their coaching search to Arizona and back. They talked to high-profile college coaches, NFL assistants and a fired pro coach who took a team to a Super Bowl.None of them was hired.Instead, Rob Chudzinski became their pick.With no experience as a head coach at any level, Chudzinski was hired Thursday night by the Cleveland Browns, the team he cheered for as a kid....

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Terror group fills Syria rebels' space

STORY HIGHLIGHTSU.S. declared a key opposition group in Syria a terrorist organizationNew report says it is the most effective group in the opposition, with 5,000 fightersNada Bakos: The group has ties to al Qaeda but also seeks to provide social servicesShe says the chances are slim that it could be persuaded to give up radical goalsEditor's note: Nada Bakos is a former Central Intelligence Agency...

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‘The Hunger Games’ lead fan favorites at People’s Choice awards

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Post-apocalyptic action film “The Hunger Games” was the big winner at the People’s Choice Awards on Thursday, picking up five awards including favorite movie of the year, while singer Katy Perry again led in the music categories.Hosted by “The Big Bang Theory” actress Kaley Cuoco, the People’s Choice Awards named winners in more than 40 categories across film, television and...

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No change to inflation measure

10 January 2013 Last updated at 03:55 ETThere will be no change to the way the retail prices index is calculated, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has decided.After a three-month consultation, the ONS has decided not to bring the RPI more into line with the slower rising consumer prices index (CPI).Instead, a new additional index of inflation will be created.However, the RPI will continue...

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Pilot Gold Sells Regent Property to Rawhide Mining, Strengthens Treasury

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Jan 10, 2013) – Pilot Gold Inc. (PLG.TO) (“Pilot Gold” or the “Company”) has signed and closed a definitive purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) to sell 100% of its Regent exploration property (“Regent”, or the “Property”) to Rawhide Mining LLC (“RMC”) for $ 3 million in cash.Pilot Gold will retain a net profits royalty of 15% on the Property and is entitled...

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US STOCKS-Futures gain as China data points to growth

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday, alongside other risk assets, as stronger-than-expected exports in the world's second-biggest economy, China, raised hopes for a more robust recovery in the global economy this year. Data showed China's export growth rebounded sharply to a seven-month high in December, a strong finish to the year after seven straight quarters...

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Junior Seau had brain disease CTE

Junior Seau, one of the NFL's best and fiercest players for nearly two decades, had a degenerative brain disease when he committed suicide last May, the National Institutes of Health told The Associated Press on Thursday.Results of an NIH study of Seau's brain revealed abnormalities consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).The NIH, based in Bethesda, Md., conducted a study of three unidentified...

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Karzai's U.S. visit a time for tough talk

The last time Presidents Obama and Karzai met was in May in Kabul, when they signed a pact regarding U.S. troop withdrawal.STORY HIGHLIGHTSAfghan President Karzai meeting with President Obama in Washington this weekFelbab-Brown: Afghan politics are corrupt; army not ready for 2014 troop pulloutShe says Taliban, insurgents, splintered army, corrupt officials are all jockeying for powerU.S. needs to...

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TV drama production in L.A. plunges by 20% in 2012

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – The filming of TV dramas and reality shows in Los Angeles plummeted in 2012, according to figures released Tuesday by FilmL.A., the non-profit agency that coordinates location shoots in the region.TV drama shoots were off by 20 percent from 2011, while the filming of reality shows dropped by 11.8 percent. Those numbers overshadowed the report’s good news on overall location...

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