U.S. evolves on same-sex marriage

STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe president and the nation have shifted perspectives on same-sex marriageSupreme Court ruling on California's same-sex marriage ban a critical testGrowing public support for gay marriage give proponents hope for changeWashington (CNN) -- The nation's growing acceptance of same-sex marriage has happened in slow and painstaking moves, eventually building into a momentum that is sweeping...

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Education Minister urges schools to maintain long-term partnerships

SINGAPORE: Singapore Education Minister Heng Swee Keat has urged schools here to maintain long-term partnerships, which will enrich the community. He was speaking at Yishun Junior College's (YJC) Celebrating Values Day on Saturday.It is a carnival to raise funds for charities such as the President's Challenge and Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore.YJC has roped in partners...

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U.S. to 'rain mice' on tree snakes

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Fla. man presumed dead after sinkhole opens under his bed

SEFFNER, Fla. A man was missing and feared dead early Friday after a large sinkhole opened under the bedroom of a house near Tampa. Jeff Bush is presumed dead after a sinkhole opened under his bed./CBS His brother says Jeff Bush screamed for help before he disappeared. The 36-year-old man's brother, Jeremy Bush, told rescue crews he heard a loud crash around 11 p.m. Thursday, then heard his brother...

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Syria war is everybody's problem

Syrians search for survivors and bodies after the Syrian regime attacked the city of Aleppo with missiles on February 23.STORY HIGHLIGHTSFrida Ghitis: We are standing by as Syria rips itself apart, thinking it's not our problemBeyond the tragedy in human terms, she says, the war damages global stabilityGhitis: Syria getting more and more radical, jeopardizing forces of democracyGhitis: Peace counts...

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US manufacturing rises for 3rd straight month: ISM

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2013 (AFP) - US manufacturing activity expanded in February for the third month in a row, hitting the highest level since 2011, according to the ISM survey of purchasing managers released Friday.The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing sector index rose to 54.2 from 53.1 in January, boosted by a 4.5 percent surge in new orders.Manufacturing appeared to be...

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Lawmakers leave before deadline

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Two U.S. sailors convicted in Okinawa rape

Updated 4:30 a.m. EST TOKYO Two U.S. Navy sailors were convicted and sentenced to prison on Friday for raping and robbing a woman on Okinawa in a crime that outraged many on the southern Japanese island. Seaman Christopher Browning, of Athens, Texas, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Skyler Dozierwalker, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, were found guilty by the Naha District Court of raping and robbing a woman...

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Sequestration: Surrender is in the Air

The budget ax is about to fall, and there's little lawmakers in Washington are doing to stop it.Despite a parade of dire warnings from the White House, an $85 billion package of deep automatic spending cuts appears poised to take effect at the stroke of midnight on Friday.The cuts – known in Washington-speak as the sequester – will hit every federal budget, from defense to education,...

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Syria war is everybody's problem

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: France considers sending Syrian rebels night-vision gear and body armor, a source saysBritain's foreign secretary says the UK will announce new aid soonThe statements after European Union loosens restrictions to allow nonlethal aid to rebelsThe U.S. will also send non-lethal aid to rebels for first time, plus $60 million in administrative aidRome (CNN) -- The United States stepped...

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Pope leaves Vatican on historic final day

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI left the Vatican on Thursday for the last time as pontiff before he steps down as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, becoming the first pope to resign in 700 years.Benedict boarded a white helicopter emblazoned with the Vatican flag for the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo near Rome, flying over the Vatican for the last time as pope.As...

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Cops: Bikini baristas too bare

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Medicare paid billions to sub-par nursing homes: HHS

SAN FRANCISCO Medicare paid billions in taxpayer dollars to nursing homes nationwide that were not meeting basic requirements to look after their residents, government investigators have found. The report, released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general, said Medicare paid about $5.1 billion for patients to stay in skilled nursing facilities that failed to meet...

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Arias Prosecutor Too Combative, Experts Say

He has barked, yelled, been sarcastic and demanded answers from accused murderer Jodi Arias this week.And in doing so, prosecutor Juan Martinez and his aggressive antics may be turning off the jury he is hoping to convince that Arias killed her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in June 2008, experts told ABCNews.com today."Martinez is his own worst enemy," Mel McDonald, a prominent...

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Italy left on financial high-wire

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi delivers a speech during a campaign rally in Rome on January 25, 2013. STORY HIGHLIGHTSBrilliant minds are still trying to figure out the financial impact of Italy's electionThe lack of certainty is seen as a negative for Italy -- and the eurozoneInstability could reignite the eurozone crisisBut it depends on what deal will be done, and how the markets will respond...

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New Singapore ambassadors to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland

SINGAPORE: The government has appointed Mr Wong Kwok Pun as Singapore's first resident Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Mr Lawrence Anderson as Singapore's next Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Mr Tee Tua Ba as Singapore's Ambassador to Switzerland (resident in Singapore). Mr Wong and Mr Anderson will assume their post on 17 March 2013 and 30 March 2013 respectively.Mr...

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Pope: At times 'Lord seemed to sleep'

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Benedict XVI says there were "times when the Lord seemed to sleep" in past 8 yearsNEW: "I really felt all the support and all the love, the prayers," says a priest in the crowdBenedict: The Roman Catholic Church has been through stormy waters, but God won't let it sinkHe is to leave office at 8 p.m. Thursday for a life of seclusion and prayerRome (CNN) -- In front of rapt crowds,...

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Two cops, suspect dead in Calif. shootings

Updated 1:50 a.m. EST SANTA CRUZ, Calif. Two police officers were shot and killed Tuesday while investigating a sexual assault, and a suspect was also fatally shot, authorities said. Santa Cruz police Chief Kevin Vogel says Sgt. Loren Butch Baker and Detective Elizabeth Butler were gunned down in mid-afternoon Tuesday as they followed up on a sexual assault investigation. He says Baker was a 28-year...

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Inside Organized Retail Crime Raids

We used to call it shoplifting, but these days the foot soldiers of retail crime rings are known as boosters. Police even have an acronym for these operations: ORC, which stands for Organized Retail Crime."It's just like a Fortune 500 company," said Sergeant Eric Lee of the Gardena Police Department in Gardena, Calif. "All of this is just organized."Watch the full story on "Nightline"...

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JPMorgan to slash 19,000 jobs by end-2014

NEW YORK: US banking giant JPMorgan Chase plans to axe up to 19,000 jobs by the end of 2014 as it seeks to rein in costs, the company said Tuesday in an investor presentation.JPMorgan Chase intends the majority of the cuts -- between 13,000 to 15,000 -- in the mortgage banking division, where the company spent $9.1 billion in 2012.Another 3,000 to 4,000 jobs will be eliminated in the non-mortgage...

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Could your child be a bully?

Boys and girls use physical violence to exert their power, researchers say. STORY HIGHLIGHTSA sociologist describes bullying in schools as "social combat"Students are fighting to improve their social status through violence or rumorsBullies are often bullied themselves as they fight to the top, experts sayEditor's note: Don't miss the premiere of "The Bully Effect" on "AC360" at 10 p.m. ET Thursday,...

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