Lawsuit against Madonna dismissed in Russia

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — A Russian court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit that sought millions of dollars in damages from Madonna for allegedly traumatizing minors by speaking up for gay rights during a concert in St. Petersburg.The ruling came after a one-day hearing that bordered on the farcical. During it, plaintiffs claimed that Madonna's so-called "propaganda of perversion" would negatively...

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Judge to let Hostess liquidation proceed

Hostess Brands Inc. on Wednesday won permission from a U.S. bankruptcy judge to begin shutting down, and expressed optimism...

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Brother: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to announce resignation

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. will announce his resignation from Congress today in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, Jackson's brother Jonathan Jackson said.He spoke...

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In HP-Autonomy debacle, many advisers but little good advice

(Reuters) - When Hewlett Packard acquired Autonomy last year for $11.1 billion, some 15 different financial, legal and accounting firms were involved in the transaction -- and none raised a flag about what HP said Tuesday was a major accounting fraud. HP stunned Wall Street with the allegations about its British software unit and took an $8.8 billion writedown, the latest in a string...

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Boxer 'Macho' Camacho critical in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hector "Macho" Camacho was clinging to life Wednesday after being shot in the face while in a car, with doctors and his family expected to decide whether to remove the former boxing champion from life support.Doctors initially had said Camacho was in critical, but stable condition and expected to survive after he was shot Tuesday night in his hometown of Bayamon. But his...

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US abortions fall 5 pct, biggest drop in a decade

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. abortions fell 5 percent during the recession and its aftermath in the biggest one-year decrease in at least a decade, perhaps because women are more careful to use birth control when times are tough, researchers say.The decline, detailed on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, came in 2009, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Both...

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Justin Bieber won't face charge for May encounter

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors decided not to file any charges against Justin Bieber after investigators found no evidence that the pop star had kicked and punched a photographer after leaving a movie theater last month, a document obtained Wednesday states.Prosecutors had been asked by police to consider filing a misdemeanor battery charge against Bieber, but Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators...

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Judge rejects 9/11 suit against United

United Airline employees help passengers at the check-in counter in Terminal 1 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport....

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Elmo puppeteer resigns amid new sex allegation

Kevin Clash, who created the persona and voice of Elmo on 'Sesame Street,' has resigned...

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HP alleges Autonomy wrongdoing, takes $5 billion charge

(Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co on Tuesday took a massive $5 billion charge, claiming a raft of improprieties, misrepresentation and disclosure failures at software firm Autonomy, which it acquired last October for $11.1 billion. HP said it discovered "serious accounting improprieties" and "a willful effort by Autonomy to mislead shareholders" after a whistleblower came forward. ...

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