S&P 500 finishes at 5-year high on economic data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 index ended at a five-year high on Friday, lifted by reports showing employers kept up a steady pace of hiring workers and the vast services sector expanded at a brisk rate. The gains on the S&P 500 pushed the index to its highest close since December 2007 and its biggest weekly gain since December 2011. Most...

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Sumatran Tigers Finally Mate at National Zoo

Fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers are left in the wild, and as their numbers continue to dwindle, zoos are turning to captive breeding as a way to conserve the critically endangered species.But captive cats don’t always approach mating as if the survival of their species depends on it. That’s why the Smithsonian’s National Zoo excitedly announced this week that its two Sumatran tigers, Kavi and Damai,...

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Reid arrives in KC, nears deal to become coach

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Andy Reid arrived in Kansas City on Friday, and the Chiefs are close to making an official announcement that he will become their next coach.Reid and the Chiefs have reportedly agreed to a deal giving the longtime Eagles coach broad authority over football decisions. His deal came hours after the Chiefs announced they had parted with general manager Scott Pioli after four tumultuous...

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Myanmar: Evolution, not revolution

Tourists walk around the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon in April. The tourism industry is set for expansion.STORY HIGHLIGHTSMyanmar is undergoing incremental change, welcomed by all, says Parag KhannaBut he says people still tread lightly, careful not to overstep or demand too muchMyanmar has survived succession of natural and man-made ravages, Khanna addsWith sanctions lifted, foreign investment is now...

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McHenry County judge picked for Vanecko case

McHenry County Judge Maureen P. McIntyre was selected today to preside over the politically charged involuntary manslaughter...

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Abbas sees Palestinian unity as Fatah rallies in Gaza

GAZA (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Abbas predicted the end of a five-year split between the two big Palestinian factions as his Fatah movement staged its first mass rally in Gaza with the blessing of Hamas Islamists who rule the enclave. "Soon we will regain our unity," Abbas, whose authority has been limited to the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the 2007 civil war between the two factions,...

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Fed minutes short-circuit Wall Street rally

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks dipped on Thursday after signs the Federal Reserve has growing concern about its highly stimulative monetary policy, giving investors reason to pull back after a two-day rally. The minutes from the Fed's December policy meeting, released on Thursday, showed increasing reticence about adding to the central bank's $2.9 trillion balance sheet, which it expanded...

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Neil Armstrong’s First Words: One Small Fib or Giant Leap by Brother?

Were Neil Armstrong‘s historic first words spoken on the moon pre-scripted or, as the late astronaut long held, ad-libbed on the spot?Armstrong, on becoming the first person to set foot onto another planetary body on July 20, 1969, radioed back to Earth, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.” His quote instantly became a part of history. (The “a” wasn’t audible in the broadcast...

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NHL, union briefly resume labor talks

NEW YORK (AP) — After a long night of talks, the NHL and the union returned to the bargaining table, but not for long.The sides met at the league office Thursday about three hours later than scheduled. The players' association said it had been updating members on negotiations.Players and union staff began arriving at NHL headquarters a little before 1 p.m. EST, although executive director Donald Fehr...

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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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