BP agrees to pay $4.5 billion in penalties for U.S. oil spill

HOUSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BP Plc will pay $4.5 billion in penalties and plead guilty to felony misconduct in the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which caused the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The settlement includes a $1.256 billion criminal fine, the largest such levy in U.S. history, the company said on Thursday. Analysts said the deal let BP put its focus back on oil production,...

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Israel launches Gaza offensive, kills Hamas commander

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel launched a major offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza on Wednesday, killing the military commander of Hamas in an air strike and threatening an invasion of the enclave that the Islamist group vowed would "open the gates of hell". The onslaught shattered hopes that a truce mediated on Tuesday by Egypt could pull the two sides back from the brink of war...

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Jon Bon Jovi's Teen Daughter, Stephanie Bongiovi, Arrested After Possible Heroin Overdose

By Mike Fleeman 11/14/2012 at 12:30 PM EST Jon Bon Jovi and daughter Stephanie Dave M. Benett/Getty The 19-year-old daughter of rocker Jon Bon Jovi was arrested on drug possession charges after she may have overdosed on heroin in her college dorm room in Upstate...

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Ireland probes death of ill abortion-seeker

DUBLIN (AP) — The debate over legalizing abortion in Ireland flared Wednesday after the government confirmed that a miscarrying woman suffering from blood poisoning was refused a quick termination of her pregnancy and died in an Irish hospital.Prime Minister Enda Kenny said he was awaiting findings from three investigations into the death of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian who was 17 weeks...

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Wall Street dips, focus shifts back to fiscal, Europe worries

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Wednesday, erasing earlier gains, as strong earnings from technology bellwether Cisco weren't enough to offset investor anxiety over U.S. budget negotiations and Europe's economic troubles. Wall Street had opened higher after Dow component Cisco Systems Inc reported first-quarter earnings and revenue late Tuesday that beat expectations, sending its...

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New Syrian opposition chief seeks recognition, arms

CAIRO (Reuters) - The leader of Syria's new opposition coalition urged European states on Tuesday to recognize it as the legitimate government, enabling it to buy the weapons it needs to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Britain and France appeared to set further conditions, notably that it first rally support inside the country, before they grant full recognition to the Syrian National...

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At Mao-style conclave, China embraces Twitter age

BEIJING (AP) — During China’s last party congress, the cadres in charge of the world’s most populous nation didn’t know a hashtag from a hyperlink. But five years on, there’s a new message from Beijing: The political transition will be microblogged.Party officials have this fall embraced social media with unprecedented enthusiasm, hoping it can help guide...

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It's a Boy for Tamera Mowry-Housley

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 11/13/2012 at 10:45 AM ET Katee Grace He’s finally here!Tamera Mowry-Housley delivered a son, Aden John Tanner Housley, on Monday, Nov. 12 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, PEOPLE confirms.This is the first child for the Tia & Tamera star, 34, and...

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British medical journal slams Roche on Tamiflu

LONDON (AP) — A leading British medical journal is asking the drug maker Roche to release all its data on Tamiflu, claiming there is no evidence the drug can actually stop the flu.The drug has been stockpiled by dozens of governments worldwide in case of a global flu outbreak and was widely used during the 2009 swine flu pandemic.On Monday, one of the researchers linked to the BMJ journal called for...

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Wall Street gains, led by retail sector

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