TOP STORIES
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JERUSALEM - Israel rejected concerted criticism from Europe
on Monday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to
expand settlement building after the United Nations' de facto
recognition of Palestinian statehood.
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LONDON - Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine are
expecting a baby, destined to be the country's future monarch,
the prince's office said on Monday.
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BEIRUT - Syria said on Monday it would not use chemical
weapons against its own people after the United States warned it
would take action against any such escalation.
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NEW YORK/LONDON - Chinese manufacturing output grew last
month for the first time in more than a year but a surprise
contraction in U.S. factory activity tempered optimism about the
health of the world economy on Monday.
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MOSCOW/BEIJING - Russia and China urged North Korea on
Monday not to go ahead with a plan for its second rocket launch
of 2012, with Moscow saying any such move would violate
restrictions imposed by the U.N. Security Council.
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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday remained
silent about whether it will enter the legal fray over same-sex
marriage a n d agree to hear one of several pending appeals on
the issue.
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ZURICH - Swiss bank UBS AG is expected to pay more than $450
million to U.S. and British authorities to settle claims some of
its employees submitted false Libor rates, the New York Times
reported.
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KABUL - An Afghan cabinet minister and one-time warlord
called on Monday on former anti-Soviet guerrillas to regroup and
rearm to prevent a slide into civil war once most foreign forces
leave the country by the end of 2014.
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GOMA - Government forces re-established control over
Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern city of Goma on Monday
after rebels withdrew, but a senior official said the insurgents
were only a few kilometres away and still posed a threat.
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LONDON - A committee of UK lawmakers has called on
government to crack down on multinational companies that make
substantial sales in Britain but pay little tax here, echoing
demands from leaders across Europe for measures to tackle
corporate tax avoidance.
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LONDON - A British serious crime unit has taken over an
investigation into the mysterious death of a Russian
anti-corruption whistleblower, police said on Monday, in a move
local media said suggested it might have been a murder.
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MANILA - Philippine President Benigno Aquino told people on
Monday to take storm warnings seriously as authorities evacuated
thousands of residents of coastal and mountain regions hours
before the biggest typhoon this year was due to hit.
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VATICAN CITY - The secret's out. Pope Benedict's new handle
on Twitter will be @pontifex, beating out other contenders that
had been considered to showcase the thoughts of one of the
world's most visible leaders.