S&P 500 ends flat as bank profits temper growth concerns

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ended nearly flat on Wednesday as solid earnings from two major banks and a bounceback in Apple shares offset concerns about a lower forecast for global growth in 2013. Shares of Goldman Sachs hit their highest since May 2011 as earnings nearly tripled on increased revenue from dealmaking and lower compensation expenses. JPMorgan Chase said fourth-quarter...

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Story of Te'o girlfriend death apparently a hoax

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — A story that Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o's girlfriend had died of leukemia — a loss he said inspired him to help lead the Irish to the BCS championship game — was dismissed by the university Wednesday as a hoax perpetrated against the linebacker.Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick says his faith has not been shaken in Te'o "one iota."Swarbrick says an investigation...

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Manatee’s Missing Link Found in Africa

A fossil found in 2008 may be the missing link — for manatees, that is.Modern manatees and their lookalike relatives, the dugongs, are close relatives of elephants, yet no trace of their ancestry had ever been found in Africa, where elephants evolved.  Then a small piece of skull was found unexpectedly in Tunisia. The fossil, which scientists have been able to identify as from an extinct sea...

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NRA's paranoid fantasy undemocratic

STORY HIGHLIGHTSPaul Waldman: Obama announced gun curbs; gun advocates said it'll be tyrannyNRA ad calling Obama "elitist" because his kids get protection is not sane view, he saysHe says some gun advocates urge resistance to duly authorized law enforcementWaldman: Freedom is guaranteed by law, not gun ownersEditor's note: Paul Waldman is a contributing editor at the American Prospect and the author...

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FAA grounds all Dreamliners

Federal officials say they are temporarily grounding Boeing's 787 Dreamliners until the risk of possible battery fires is addressed. (Jan. 16) The Federal Aviation Administration...

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Sahara hostage siege turns Mali war global

ALGIERS/BAMAKO (Reuters) - Islamist fighters have opened an international front in Mali's civil war by taking dozens of Western hostages at a gas plant in the Algerian desert just as French troops launched an offensive against rebels in neighboring Mali. Nearly 24 hours after gunmen stormed the natural gas pumping site and workers' housing before dawn on Wednesday, little was certain...

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Dow, S&P 500 inch up with retailers but Apple drags again

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow and S&P 500 edged higher on Tuesday after stronger-than-expected retail data, though tech heavyweight Apple dragged on the market for a third day. Apple was the biggest weight on both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 <.ndx> after reports on Monday of cuts to orders for iPhone parts. Shares declined 3.2 percent to $485.92 and closed below $500 for...

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Anti-doping officials want Armstrong under oath

A televised confession by Lance Armstrong isn't enough.Anti-doping officials want the disgraced cyclist to admit his guilt under oath before considering whether to lift a lifetime ban clouding his future as a competitive athlete. That was seconded by at least one former teammate whom Armstrong pushed aside on his way to the top of the Tour de France podium."Lance knows everything that happened," Frankie...

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Inflatable Private Space Stations: Bigelow’s Big Dream

NASA‘s decision to buy an inflatable new room for the International Space Station may push the module’s builder —commercial spaceflight company Bigelow Aerospace — one step closer to establishing its own private stations in orbit.Last week, NASA announced that it will pay $ 17.8 million for the Nevada-based company‘s Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which will be affixed to the huge...

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Are gun curbs just symbolism?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSGun violence recommendations are expected from Vice President Biden on TuesdayThe proposals are expected to contain substantive and symbolic ideas to curb gun violencePresidents use symbolism to shift public opinion or affect larger political or social changeWashington (CNN) -- The pictures told the story: Vice President Joe Biden looked solemn, patrician and in control as he sat at...

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