Kremlin: Adoptions deal with US valid until 2014

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin said Thursday that an adoption deal with the U.S. will remain valid until 2014 despite a new Russian law banning the practice, but no new adoptions will be permitted and only those already cleared by Russian courts before the ban will be allowed to complete.Last month, President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning Americans from adopting Russian children, part of a harsh...

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Just Explain It: Why taxes for most are rising while others don’t pay any federal income tax

The fiscal cliff has been averted, but at a cost. Most Americans will pay higher taxes this year.According to the Tax Policy Center, 77% of American households will face higher federal taxes in 2013.Here’s how it breaks down. If you’re an individual making over $400,000 a year, or a family pulling in more than $450,000 -- your taxes will increase by almost 5%.Tax rates on capital gains and dividends...

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Holmes Can Face Trial for Aurora Shooting

In a ruling that comes as little surprise, the judge overseeing the Aurora, Colo., theater massacre has ordered that there is enough evidence against James Holmes to proceed to a trial.In an order posted late Thursday, Judge William Sylvester wrote that "the People have carried their burden of proof and have established that there is probable cause to believe that Defendant committed the crimes charged."The...

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Campaña en Facebook contra diputado costarricense gana premio internacional

San José, 11 dic (EFE).- Una campaña en la red social Facebook en contra de la designación del diputado cristiano Justo Orozco como presidente de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Congreso en Costa Rica, por sus posiciones en contra de la homosexualidad, ganó el premio Access Innovation Prize 2012.La agencia costarricense de publicidad en línea BigWebNoise, creadora de la campaña, en la que participaron...

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Samsung Galaxy Muse is like an iPod Shuffle that Syncs with Your Phone

In perhaps the most awkwardly titled tech press release ever, Samsung Mobile announced the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy Muse, a device which appears to have nothing to do with "CORRECTING and REPLACING and ADDING MULTIMEDIA" but everything to do with being a music player crossed with a smartphone accessory.​Say goodbye to iTunes?While most handheld music players (and smartphone or tablets with...

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Facebook, Google tell the government to stop granting patents for abstract ideas

Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG) and six other tech companies have petitioned the courts to begin rejecting lawsuits that are based on patents for vague concepts rather than specific applications, TechCrunch reported. The agreement, which was cosigned by Zynga (ZNGA), Dell (DELL), Intuit (INTU), Homeaway (AWAY), Rackspace (RAX), and Red Hat (RHT), notes the only thing these abstract patents do is increase...

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Verizon Offering $5 Shared 4G Plan for Samsung Galaxy Camera

Imagine the powerful Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, except that it can't make phone calls and its backplate has been replaced by a digital camera -- handgrip, zoom lens, and all. That's basically the Samsung Galaxy Camera in a nutshell, and whether it's a small, awkwardly-shaped Android tablet or a digital camera that you can play Modern Combat 3 on depends on how you look at it.When the Galaxy...

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Selling flak jackets in the cyberwars

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - When the Israeli army and Hamas trade virtual blows in cyberspace, or when hacker groups like Anonymous rise from the digital ether, or when WikiLeaks dumps a trove of classified documents, some see a lawless Internet.But Matthew Prince, chief executive at CloudFlare, a little-known Internet start-up that serves some of the Web's most controversial characters, sees a business...

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Soccer-Swansea hot-shot Michu set for Spain debut

 Swansea City's free-scoring striker Michu is set to make his Spain debut early next year following a sensational start to his career in the English Premier League.Vicente del Bosque, coach of European and world champions Spain, told Spanish television that the 26-year-old will play in the Feb. 6 friendly against Uruguay in Doha.Michu will be joined in the Spain squad by Iago Aspas, currently...

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Zambia retain faith in winning squad

All but two of the squad who took Zambia to the last African Nations Cup title have been retained by coach Herve Renard for their defence in South Africa next month.Renard named a provisional list of 26 players on Monday for the tournament, keeping faith in the rump of the squad who won a first continental championship for Zambia.The only players left out are defender Nyambe Mulenga, who has lost...

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Swansea hot-shot Michu set for Spain debut

Swansea City's free-scoring striker Michu is set to make his Spain debut early next year following a sensational start to his career in the English Premier League.Vicente del Bosque, coach of European and world champions Spain, told Spanish television that the 26-year-old will play in the February 6 friendly against Uruguay in Doha.Michu will be joined in the Spain squad by Iago Aspas, currently being...

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Soccer-Scottish Premier League fixtures

Dec 25 (Infostrada Sports) - Fixtures from the Scottish Premier League matches on TuesdayWednesday, December 26 (GMT)Dundee United v St. Johnstone (1200)Hibernian v Ross County (1500)Inverness Caledonian Thistle v St. Mirren (1500)Kilmarnock v Hearts (1500)Motherwell v Aberdeen (1500)Dundee v Celtic (1930)Saturday, December 29 (GMT)Dundee v Aberdeen (1500)Hibernian v Celtic (1500)Motherwell v Kilmarnock...

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Soccer-English premier league fixtures

Dec 25 (Infostrada Sports) - Fixtures from the English premier league matches on TuesdayWednesday, December 26 (GMT)Everton v Wigan Athletic (1500)Fulham v Southampton (1500)Manchester United v Newcastle United (1500)Norwich City v Chelsea (1500)Queens Park Rangers v West Bromwich Albion (1500)Reading v Swansea City (1500)Sunderland v Manchester City (1500)Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (1730)Stoke...

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Massachusetts fines Morgan Stanley over Facebook IPO

Morgan Stanley , the lead underwriter for Facebook Inc's initial public offering, will pay a $5 million fine to Massachusetts for violating securities laws governing how investment research can be distributed.Massachusetts' top securities regulator, William Galvin, charged on Monday that a top Morgan Stanley banker had improperly coached Facebook on how to disclose sensitive financial information...

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ARM security improvement to speed mobile e-commerce

 British chip designer ARM Holdings and its partners Gemalto and Giesecke & Devrient have launched a new security standard for smartphones that can speed up e-commerce transactions.Trustonic, a joint venture between the companies formed in April, said the security standard could be built into every level of a device, from the chip through the operating system to applications.Ben Cade, Trustonic's...

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Online shopping to breathe new life into run-down sheds

 Owners of run-down warehouses on the edge of European cities could be sitting on goldmines because online shopping will force firms to seek distribution sites closer to customers who think speedy delivery is the norm.In an increasingly fierce market where the likes of Amazon and Tesco pledge next-day or same-day delivery in specific time slots, warehouse rents could rise 40 percent over the...

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"Hebrew Hammer" sequel profits from crowdfunding campaign

The Hebrew Hammer vs. Hitler," the sequel to 2003's "The Hebrew Hammer," will begin filming next year, after an innovative crowdfunding campaign that's raised $35,000 on Jewcer.com, the filmmakers announced Tuesday.Adam Goldberg will return in the lead role, with principle photography expected to begin in May 2013.In the film, Goldberg's character, now married and enjoying the good life in suburbia,...

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Instagram says no plans to put user photos in ads

 Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service owned by Facebook Inc, said on Tuesday it has "no plans" to incorporate user photos into ads in response to a growing public outcry over new privacy policies unveiled this week.Instagram Chief Executive Kevin Systrom said in a blog post that users had incorrectly interpreted Instagram's revised terms of service, released on Monday, to mean that user...

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