Morsi Urged to Retract Edict to Bypass Judges in Egypt

Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York TimesA demonstrator takes a breather during protests in downtown Cairo on Saturday. More Photos »CAIRO — Egyptian judges and prosecutors struck back on Saturday against an edict by President Mohamed Morsi that gave him unchecked authority without judicial review, vowing to challenge his decree in court and reportedly going on strike in Alexandria. Abdel...

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Frederika Goldberger, Better Known as Mamika, Turns Old Age Into a Super Power

By Maggie Coughlan 11/24/2012 at 03:00 PM EST Mamika Courtesy Sacha Goldberger It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's super grandma!When 94-year-old Frederika Goldberger retired in the early 80s, she was bored and unhappy, so her grandson, Sacha Goldberger, began...

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AP PHOTOS: Simple surgery heals blind Indonesians

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — They came from the remotest parts of Indonesia, taking crowded overnight ferries and riding for hours in cars or buses — all in the hope that a simple, and free, surgical procedure would restore their eyesight.Many patients were elderly and needed help to reach two hospitals in Sumatra where mass eye camps were held earlier this month by Nepalese surgeon Dr. Sanduk...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Political wrangling to pinch market's nerves

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Volatility is the name of this game. With the S&P 500 above 1,400 following five days of gains, traders will be hard pressed not to cash in on the advance at the first sign of trouble during negotiations over tax hikes and spending cuts that resume next week in Washington. President Barack Obama and U.S. congressional leaders are expected to discuss...

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Death of a Palestinian Highlights Confusion Over Gaza Truce

KHAN YUNIS, Gaza Strip — In the 12 years that he has lived here in the Abassam neighborhood adjacent to Gaza’s eastern border, Eyad Qudaih said, he had never ventured more than 20 yards east of his white stucco home because Israel said the entire area was off limits. But Friday morning, emboldened by the new cease-fire agreement, he took his four young daughters 300 yards east, to the small...

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Beverley Mitchell Debuts Baby Bump

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 11/23/2012 at 11:00 AM ET There’s not just turkey in there!An expectant Beverley Mitchell debuted her baby bump on Twitter Thursday“Happy Thanksgiving! Here is my first belly pic! 21 weeks,” the actress writes. “Watch out! The belly is getting bigger!”Mitchell,...

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AP PHOTOS: Simple surgery heals blind Indonesians

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — They came from the remotest parts of Indonesia, taking crowded overnight ferries and riding for hours in cars or buses — all in the hope that a simple, and free, surgical procedure would restore their eyesight.Many patients were elderly and needed help to reach two hospitals in Sumatra where mass eye camps were held earlier this month by Nepalese surgeon Dr. Sanduk...

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Wall Street ends higher in short session, led by techs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose for a fifth day during a holiday-shortened, thinly traded session on Friday as investors picked up recently beaten-down shares of large technology companies. Market participants were also encouraged by signs of progress in talks about releasing aid to debt-saddled Greece and piled into U.S. retail shares as Black Friday got the holiday shopping season...

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With Cease-Fire Joy in Gaza, Palestinian Factions Revive Unity Pledges

GAZA — A cease-fire that halted eight days of lethal conflict between Israel and Hamas brought widespread jubilation to Gaza on Thursday as thousands of flag-waving residents poured into the streets and competing Palestinian factions sought to use the moment to revive their repeated efforts to unify, while in Israel, the mood was more cynical and subdued. The cease-fire agreement, which took...

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Scott Macaulay Gives Strangers Free Thanksgiving Dinner - and Family for a Day

Heroes Among Us By Alicia Dennis 11/22/2012 at 01:00 PM EST When the turkey, potatoes and stuffing get passed around at Scott Macaulay's Thanksgiving dinner table, there's really no telling whether he'll know his fellow diners. For 27 years, Macaulay, 51, has cooked and served Thanksgiving to groups of strangers...

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Study finds mammograms lead to unneeded treatment

Mammograms have done surprisingly little to catch deadly breast cancers before they spread, a big U.S. study finds. At the same time, more than a million women have been treated for cancers that never would have threatened their lives, researchers estimate.Up to one-third of breast cancers, or 50,000 to 70,000 cases a year, don't need treatment, the study suggests.It's the most detailed look yet at...

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Global shares gain as global economic outlook improves

LONDON (Reuters) - World share markets extended a week-long rally on Thursday as manufacturing surveys in China and the United States boosted confidence in global growth and euro zone data at least did not worsen the already weak outlook for that region. The euro hit a three high against the dollar on optimism that a funding deal for debt-crippled Greece will ultimately be agreed - and...

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India Ink: What They Said: Families of Mumbai Terror Victims React to Gunman's Execution

The relatives of those killed in the November 2008 terror attacks expressed relief over the execution of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman, who was hanged by the Indian authorities Wednesday morning in Yerwada jail. Justice has finally been delivered, many said.Ragini Sharma, the widow of S. K. Sharma, a railway ticket collector: She expressed gratitude to the president and said, though it was...

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New York Athletes Use Twitter to Gain Cult Hero Status

If you’re one of the over 20.6 million Americans who has a Twitter account, chances are you’ve stumbled across the official SoccerGirlProblems Twitter handle, @SoccerGrlProbs, at least once while using the popular social media networking site.SoccerGirlProblems, a feed spawned by three New York-based athletes, is a Twitter handle dedicated to the true-life...

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Harley Pasternak: 5 Ways to Avoid Blowing Your Diet on Thanksgiving

Only on People.com By Harley Pasternak 11/21/2012 at 01:10 PM EST Harley Pasternak and Jessica Simpson John Sciulli/BEImages Celebrity trainer and PEOPLE.com blogger Harley Pasternak give his top 5 tips for a healthy, happy Thanksgiving. Plus, he shares some holiday...

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US abortions fall 5 pct, biggest drop in a decade

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. abortions fell 5 percent during the recession and its aftermath in the biggest one-year decrease in at least a decade, perhaps because women are more careful to use birth control when times are tough, researchers say.The decline, detailed on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, came in 2009, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Both...

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Wall Street rises after Gaza truce in thin holiday trade

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks advanced on Wednesday after a ceasefire was declared to end the flare-up in violence between Israel and the Palestinians, though the lack of a deal to release aid to Greece kept a lid on gains. Investors also remained anxious about the tax increases and spending cuts that are poised to come into effect in the new year - known as the "fiscal cliff" - though...

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Truce in Gaza Is Close, Egyptian Officials Say

JERUSALEM — Diplomatic efforts accelerated on Tuesday to end the deadly confrontation between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, as the United States sent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East and Egypt’s president and his senior aides expressed confidence that a cease-fire was close. The diplomatic moves to end the nearly week-old crisis came on a day of some...

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Alicia Keys 'Definitely' Having 'At Least' One More Child

By Maggie Coughlan 11/20/2012 at 02:45 PM EST Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys and Egypt Daoud Dean James Devaney/FilmMagic When Alicia Keys gave birth to son Egypt two years ago everything changed."To have this type of love in my life at this time in my life, it means...

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New push for most in US to get at least 1 HIV test

WASHINGTON (AP) — There's a new push to make testing for the AIDS virus as common as cholesterol checks.Americans ages 15 to 64 should get an HIV test at least once — not just people considered at high risk for the virus, an independent panel that sets screening guidelines proposed Monday.The draft guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are the latest recommendations that aim to make...

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Wall Street falls as Bernanke's comments weigh

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks slid as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's comments added to worries about the economic impact of the U.S. "fiscal cliff" and Hewlett-Packard's stock sank on news of an $8.8 billion accounting charge. Bernanke, in comments before the Economic Club of New York, said the Fed does not have the tools to offset the damage that would result if politicians fail...

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Hamas Leader Dares Israel to Invade Amid Gaza Airstrikes

GAZA CITY — The top leader of Hamas dared Israel on Monday to launch a ground invasion of Gaza and dismissed diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire in the six-day-old conflict, as the Israeli military conducted a new wave of deadly airstrikes on the besieged Palestinian enclave, including a second hit on a 15-story building that houses media outlets. A volley of rockets fired from Gaza into southern...

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