Asian shares drop on Fed minutes, dollar extends gain

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares fell on Friday, tracking overnight weakness in global equities, but the dollar gained as U.S. debt yields rose after several Federal Reserve officials expressed concerns about continuing to expand stimulative bond buying. Minutes from the Fed's December policy meeting released on Thursday showed some voting members of the Federal Open Market Committee were...

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Saban, Kelly lead Bama and ND out of darkness

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — There were some dark days at Notre Dame and Alabama, dark years really, during which two of college football's proudest programs flailed and foundered.Notre Dame won the national championship in 1988, then spent much of the next two decades running through coaches — four if you count the guy who never coached a game — and drifting between mediocre and pretty good.Alabama...

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Lawsuit claims horses mistreated on HBO’s “Luck”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An animal-rights advocate who oversaw working conditions on the canceled HBO series “Luck” has sued the network and the American Humane Association, claiming horses on the show were grossly mistreated.Barbara Casey‘s lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles claims underweight, sick and drugged horses were used to film the series focused on the horse racing industry.The series starring...

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Why U.S. lives under the shadow of 'W'

Julian Zelizer says former President George W. Bush's key tax and homeland security policies survive in the age of ObamaSTORY HIGHLIGHTSJulian Zelizer: For all the criticism Bush got, two key policies have survivedHe says fiscal cliff pact perpetuates nearly all of Bush's tax cutsObama administration has largely followed Bush's homeland security policy, he saysZelizer: By squeezing revenues, Bush...

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Ex-Maine West player outlines alleged hazing attack

A young man who has sued Maine Township High School District 207 over his claims that fellow members of a Maine West High School...

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Vice President Maduro back in Venezuela, no news on ailing Chavez

CARACAS (Reuters) - Vice President Nicolas Maduro returned to Venezuela on Thursday after visiting Hugo Chavez in hospital in Cuba, but gave no new details on the cancer-stricken president as rumors grow about his condition. Flanked by senior government figures including Diosdado Cabello, the head of the National Assembly, Maduro toured a coffee production plant in Caracas - the type...

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Wall Street starts new year with a bang after "cliff" deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks kicked off the new year with their best day in over a year on Wednesday, sparked by relief over a last-minute deal in Washington to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts that threatened to derail the economy's growth. In 2013's first trading session, the S&P 500 achieved its biggest one-day gain since December 20, 2011, pushing the benchmark...

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Pa. governor sues NCAA over Penn State sanctions

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — In a bold challenge to the NCAA's powers, Pennsylvania's governor claimed in a lawsuit Wednesday that college sports' governing body overstepped its authority and "piled on" when it penalized Penn State over the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.Gov. Tom Corbett asked that a federal judge throw out the sanctions, which include an unprecedented $60 million fine and...

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APNewsBreak: Feds say delay made oil spill worse

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Delays in Exxon Mobil Corp.‘s response to a major pipeline break beneath Montana’s Yellowstone River made an oil spill far worse than it otherwise would have been, federal regulators said in a new report.The July 2011 rupture fouled 70 miles of riverbank along the scenic Yellowstone, killing fish and wildlife and prompting a massive, months-long cleanup.The damage could have...

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Look beyond the fiscal cliff

STORY HIGHLIGHTSDean Baker: Budget deficit is not the only top issue in our national economic policyBaker: Fiscal cliff debate has been a distraction of the bigger problem of a downturn He says fears of big deficits are preventing us from boosting the economy moreBaker: Given the economy's weakness, the government has to run big deficits Editor's note: Dean Baker, an economist, is co-director of the...

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