Ruling over bumper-car injury supports amusement park

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court, protecting providers of risky recreational activities from lawsuits, decided Monday...

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Residents Flee Bangui, Capital of Central African Republic

Sia Kambou/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesSoldiers from Congo arrived at Central African Republic's capital Bangui Monday. JOHANNESBURG — As efforts to broker a deal to stop a rebel advance failed, residents of the capital of the Central African Republic were packing up their belongings and fleeing into the country’s vast hinterlands, fearing a major battle between government troops and guerrilla...

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Ban on demanding Facebook passwords among new 2013 state laws

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Employers in California and Illinois will be prohibited from demanding access to workers’ password-protected social networking accounts and teachers in Oregon will be required to report suspected student bullies thanks to new laws taking effect in 2013.In all, more than 400 measures were enacted at the state level during 2012 and will become law in the new year, according to the...

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Eric Prydz Picks a New Year's Eve Playlist

By Dahvi Shira 12/31/2012 at 06:50 PM EST Unfortunately not everyone can be in Las Vegas when the ball drops this year, but Eric Prydz is bringing the party to PEOPLE.com readers in advance.The DJ and producer, 36 – best known for his 2004 hit single, "Call on Me" – is playing a three-hour extended set at Surrender...

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Clinton's blood clot an uncommon complication

The kind of blood clot in the skull that doctors say Hillary Rodham Clinton has is relatively uncommon but can occur after an injury like the fall and concussion the secretary of state was diagnosed with earlier this month.Doctors said Monday that an MRI scan revealed a clot in a vein in the space between the brain and the skull behind Clinton's right ear.The clot did not lead to a stroke or neurological...

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'Overwhelmed' mother admits drowning her autistic son

A 37-year-old San Diego woman, sobbing uncontrollably, pleaded guilty Thursday to 2nd-degree murder for drowning her 4-year-old autistic son in the bathtub of the family home.Patricia Corby was so overwhelmed by the task of caring for her son that she decided to kill him and then commit suicide, prosecutors said. Her attempt to drown herself in the tub failed.After drowning the child on March...

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Afghan Army Deaths on the Rise

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan government has hit a grim record in its quest to take over the country’s security from coalition forces: more than 1,000 soldiers died in 2012, a roughly 20 percent increase from 2011. Though the Afghan Army’s death rates have outstripped those for international forces in recent years, the new figures show the widest margin yet, as more and more Afghan units...

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The 12 Biggest Stories of the Year on Social Media

UPDATED 12/28/2012 at 04:00 PM EST • Originally published 12/30/2012 at 06:45 PM EST Liam and Miley; Blake and Ryan Wireimage(2) Question: What do Miley Cyrus, Blake Lively and a teeny-weeny piglet have in common? Answer: They're all among the most popular PEOPLE.com stories...

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Kenya hospital imprisons new mothers with no money

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running.Two mothers who live in a mud-wall and tin-roof slum a short walk from the maternity hospital, which is affiliated...

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Charlie Sheen caught on tape making homophobic slur

Actor Charlie Sheen was caught on video using a homophobic slur Friday night while hosting the grand opening of a new rooftop bar at a seaside hotel in Mexico.“How we doing?” Sheen says to the crowd as he takes the stage to introduce some musical acts, according to the video posted on TMZ’s website Sunday. “Lying bunch of ... how we doing?”Sheen later issued an apology, according to the...

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