Obama warns against 'ramping up' in Gaza crisis

BANGKOK (AP) — President Barack Obama said Sunday that an incursion by Israel's forces into the Gaza Strip could deepen its own death toll, cautioning against an escalation even as he defended Israel's right to defend itself. To Palestinians, Obama warned the latest crisis could crush peace hopes for years."Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory,"...

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NJ Gov. Christie makes cameo appearance on 'SNL'

NEW YORK (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie can't get enough of "Saturday Night Live."One day after ducking questions about Twinkies-maker Hostess shutting down to avoid giving comedians fodder and saying he's on "SNL" enough, Christie made a cameo appearance on "Weekend Update."The tough-talking governor poked fun at his notoriously short temper and the familiar blue fleece jacket that he has...

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EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.Meningitis mainly affects infants...

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Israel, Egypt talk Gaza ceasefire as strikes widen

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli envoy held talks with Egyptian officials Sunday on a ceasefire in his country's offensive on Gaza as Israel widened the range of its targets, striking more than a dozen homes of Hamas militants and two media officials. Seven civilians were killed, including five children, in the conflict's highest one-day civilian toll yet, according to security officials and...

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Hindu extremist leader Bal Thackeray dies in India

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Bal Thackeray, a Hindu extremist leader linked to waves of mob violence against Muslims and migrant workers in India, died Saturday after an illness of several weeks. He was 86.Jalil Parkar, a doctor who treated him, said the politician had gone into cardio-respiratory arrest "which we tried to revive (him from), but we were unable to revive."Thackeray, a one-time cartoonist,...

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Lady Gaga tweets some racy images before concert

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Lady Gaga's tweets were getting a lot of attention ahead of her Buenos Aires concert Friday night.The Grammy-winning entertainer has more than 30 million followers on Twitter and that's where she shared a link this week to a short video showing her doing a striptease and fooling around in a bathtub with two other women.She told her followers that it's a "surprise for...

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EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.Meningitis mainly affects infants...

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Israel launches scores of airstrikes into Gaza

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with nearly 200 airstrikes early Saturday, the military said, widening a blistering assault on Gaza rocket operations to include the prime minister's headquarters, a police compound and a vast network of smuggling tunnels.The new attacks, which Gaza officials say left 10 dead, followed an unprecedented rocket strike aimed at...

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Afghan official says land mine kills 17 civilians

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials say 17 civilians have been killed by a roadside bomb in western Afghanistan.Abdul Rahman Zhuwandai, a spokesman for Farah province, says the civilians killed were on a bus traveling on Friday to a wedding in Pusht Rod district.He says most of the victims were women and children.He says at least 10 others were wounded in the afternoon explosi...

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Sina banks on Weibo but weak fourth quarter guidance spooks investors

(Reuters) – Chinese Internet company Sina Corp said its fourth quarter will be hit by a softer economy and posted weaker-than-expected sales guidance, despite a stronger revenue contribution from its hot microblogging platform Weibo.Shares in Sina fell 7 percent after it forecast adjusted net revenue of $ 132 million to $ 136 million in the current quarter,...

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