Stocks end higher for sixth straight week, tech leads

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Nasdaq composite stock index closed at a 12-year high and the S&P 500 index at a five-year high, boosted by gains in technology shares and stronger overseas trade figures. The S&P 500 also posted a sixth straight week of gains for the first time since August. The technology sector led the day's gains, with the S&P 500 technology index...

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Norway's Svindal wins downhill at Alpine worlds

SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) — Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the men's downhill title at the Alpine skiing world championships Saturday after a powerful run down the Planai course that no one came close to matching.Watched by 33,000 spectators, Svindal kept a near-perfect line down the icy and bumpy 3.33-kilometer course despite foggy conditions that caused problems for several other skiers.The Norwegian...

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How Obama can end Congo conflict

Conflict in CongoConflict in CongoConflict in CongoConflict in CongoConflict in CongoSTORY HIGHLIGHTSPresident Obama can help end the Congo conflict for good, says Vava TampaObama has asked Rwanda to end all support to armed groups in the CongoFDLR militia gang is a threat to stability and must leave CongoObama must push for change in Congolese government, argues TampaEditor's note: Vava Tampa is...

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Michelle Obama expected at Hadiya Pendleton funeral today

First lady Michelle Obama is expected to attend Hadiya Pendleton’s funeral this morning at Greater Harvest Baptist Church in...

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Protests erupt as India executes man for 2001 parliament attack

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India hanged a Kashmiri man on Saturday for an attack on the country's parliament in 2001, sparking clashes in Kashmir between protesters and police who wielded batons and fired teargas. Dozens of people were injured. President Pranab Mukherjee rejected a mercy petition from Mohammad Afzal Guru and he was hanged at 8 a.m. (0230 GMT) in Tihar jail in the capital,...

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Wall Street opens modestly higher after data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks opened slightly higher on Friday after a trio of positive economic data points, and further gains were expected to be modest with the benchmark S&P index near five-year highs. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 18.97 points, or 0.14 percent, at 13,963.02. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was up 3.05 points, or 0.20 percent,...

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Illini buzzer-beater upsets No. 1 Hoosiers, 74-72

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — At this rate, no one will want to be No. 1.Indiana became the fifth straight top-ranked men's college basketball team to lose, falling to unranked Illinois 74-72 on a buzzer-beater by Tyler Griffey on Thursday night.The senior forward took an inbounds pass with 0.9 seconds to play and made a wide-open layup. And, just like that, the Hoosiers — who moved into the top spot by...

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Why I dread Chinese New Year

Kids see Chinese New Year through rose-tinted glasses.STORY HIGHLIGHTSZoe Li: As an adult, Chinese New Year is an annual nightmareIt's a time when relatives have the right to be judgmentalSuperstitious Chinese New Year foods often aren't that tasty(CNN) -- For me, Chinese New Year used to be fun.When I was a kid, I was excited during Chinese New Year when I got lai see and I could stay up late. I...

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Bblizzard packing more than 2 feet of snow reaches East Coast

A powerful storm expected to bring driving winds and more than 2 feet of snow to the Northeast, along with the potential for...

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Violence mars funeral of slain Tunisian opposition leader

TUNIS (Reuters) - Police and mourners clashed at the mass funeral on Friday of secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid, whose assassination has plunged Tunisia deeper into political crisis. Braving chilly rain, at least 50,000 people turned out to honor Belaid in his home district of Jebel al-Jaloud in the capital, chanting anti-Islamist and anti-government slogans. It was...

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Wall Street flat after claims data, retailers' sales

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Thursday after data showed modest improvement in the labor market and retailers posted mixed monthly sales. Weekly initial jobless claims dipped last week, with the four-week moving average falling to its lowest level since March 2008, signaling the economy continues to recover slowly. A separate report said fourth-quarter...

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Signing Day: Ole Miss muscles in on power programs

Alabama. Ohio State. Michigan. Florida. Notre Dame. Mississippi?Ole Miss muscled in on the powerhouses that usually dominate national signing day, landing some of the most sought-after prospects in the country on college football's annual first-Wednesday-in-February frenzy.The Rebels, coming off a promising 7-6 season in their first season under coach Hugh Freeze, had the experts swooning by signing...

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Ex-L.A. police officer suspected in cop killing, other shootings

A manhunt is under way for a double murder suspect, himself a former LAPD officer, after three officers were shot overnight, one fatally. ...

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Khamenei rebuffs U.S. offer of direct talks

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday slapped down an offer of direct talks made by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden this week, saying they would not solve the problem between them. "Some naive people like the idea of negotiating with America, however, negotiations will not solve the problem," Khamenei said in a speech to officials and members of...

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Wall Street to open lower after Tuesday rally, results eyed

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were poised to open lower Wednesday, indicating the S&P 500 may retreat as it faces resistance to further gains beyond five-year highs in the wake of a 1-percent rally on Tuesday. A 6-percent advance this year so far has lifted the S&P 500 index to its highest since December 2007, while the Dow <.dji> briefly climbed above 14,000, making it a...

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Braun says he used Fla clinic owner as consultant

NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun said the person who ran the Florida clinic being investigated by Major League Baseball was used only as a consultant on his drug suspension appeal last year."I have nothing to hide," Braun said in a statement released by his representatives on Tuesday night.Earlier in the day, Yahoo Sports reported the 2011 NL MVP's name showed up three times in...

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What follows N. Korea's nuclear test?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSLopez: Uranium-based blast would pose new challenge to U.N. Security CouncilIndicates Pyongyang has advanced centrifuge technologies and related systemsNorth Korea's young leader appears to care little about what U.N. or China thinkProduct-based sanctions may stifle the North's ability to continue nuclear programEditor's note: George A. Lopez holds the Hesburgh Chair in Peace Studies...

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Post office to end Saturday mail service

After losing $16 billion last year, CBS News has learned the...

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