In Britain, spate of prosecutions for Twitter and Facebook tirades spark free-speech debate

LONDON – One teenager made offensive comments about a murdered child on Twitter. Another young man wrote on Facebook that British soldiers should “go to hell.” A third posted a picture of a burning paper poppy, symbol of remembrance of war dead.All were arrested, two convicted, and one jailed — and they’re not the only ones. In Britain, hundreds of people...

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Michael Jackson’s assistant files class-action lawsuit against “This Is It” tour promoter

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Michael Jackson has been dead for more than three years now – but apparently he lives on in the halls of America’s legal system.Jackson’s former assistant, Michael Amir Williams, filed a class-action lawsuit against concert promoters AEG Live in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, claiming he and others hired to attend to...

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Dutch hospital to lead organ trafficking probe

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch academic hospital is taking the lead in a major international investigation into the illegal trafficking in human organs for transplants.The Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam announced Thursday it is heading a three-year probe to “map out this relatively new form of serious crime.” Organizations...

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World stocks fall as talks on US budget deal stall

AMSTERDAM (AP) — World stocks slid Thursday as the eurozone fell into recession and hopes faded for a quick agreement among U.S. leaders not to hike taxes and cut government spending — a potential double whammy which could derail the world’s biggest economy.President Barack Obama has said he is willing to extend current tax cuts for all but the richest...

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Beating tax cheats key to Italy’s recovery plan

ROME (AP) — Good plumbers may be worth their weight in gold, but when one was spotted zipping around in a bright red Ferrari, Italian tax police were fast on his trail.Stamping out entrenched tax evasion is crucial to Premier Mario Monti‘s quest to keep Italy from succumbing to the European debt crisis, and it is critical to fellow eurozone members in...

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Software pioneer McAfee says framed for murder in Belize

BELIZE CITY (Reuters) – Computer security industry pioneer John McAfee says he has gone into hiding in Belize because he believes authorities there are trying to frame him for the murder of a neighbor, a crime he says he did not commit, according to Wired magazine.Belize police are searching for McAfee as “a person of interest” in a murder investigation. “You...

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Accuser recants sex claims against Elmo puppeteer: report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The man who claimed he had underage sex with the puppeteer behind “Sesame Street” character Elmo recanted his claims on Tuesday, U.S. media reported.The unnamed man, now 23, had claimed that Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash had a sexual relationship with him when the accuser was 16 years old, potentially engulfing one of the biggest childhood...

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3-D Imaging Improves Breast Cancer Screening

The mammograms most women receive are decidedly two-dimensional. An x-ray machine takes images of the breast from the sides, and radiologists examine the resulting image to see if it offers up any hits of potentially cancerous irregularities. These tests, however, are far from perfect. Normal calcium deposits and fibrous tissue can align to create a...

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UK unemployment continues to fall

14 November 2012 Last updated at 06:01 ET Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Live: Bank of England inflation report and news conferenceThe number of people out of work in the UK has fallen to its lowest total for more than a year.Unemployment fell...

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General investigated for emails to Petraeus friend

PERTH, Australia (AP) — In a new twist to the Gen. David Petraeus sex scandal, the Pentagon said Tuesday that the top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, is under investigation for alleged “inappropriate communications” with a woman who is said to have received threatening emails from Paula Broadwell, the woman with whom Petraeus had an...

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