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Social affairs

Say yes to the mess: marriage proposals gone wrong
Proposing marriage has become an industry of its own with professional planners, flash mobs for hire and elaborate, homegrown surprises to make the ...
Egypt's police regain Mubarak-era notoriety
With near impunity and the backing of the Islamist president, Egyptian police have been accused of firing wildly at protesters, beating them and ...
Sept. 11 judge rules on censor but little else
The second round of pretrial hearings in the Sept. 11 case sputtered to a close Thursday with the judge ordering the government to remove censorship ...
FACT CHECK: Gun-control claims miss target
The intensifying gun-control debate has given rise to sloppy claims on both sides. Here's a sampling, with the first two examples from the Senate ...
Egypt's political factions denounce violence
Representatives from across Egypt's political spectrum held a rare meeting Thursday to denounce violence, hours before a fresh call for a new wave of ...
From pets to 'recess': High school stress relief
The four-legged member of the counseling team at the high school in suburban Chicago waits patiently, as a crush of students fills the hallways.
Authors try to separate fact, fiction on obesity
Fact or fiction? Sex burns a lot of calories. Snacking or skipping breakfast is bad. School gym classes make a big difference in kids' weight. All are ...
Romanians, Bulgarians answer UK immigration fears
The scaremongering is all over British tabloids: Romanians and Bulgarians (Pickpockets! Scam artists! Scroungers!) flooding into the UK by the ...
Weekly US jobless aid applications rise to 368K
The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose sharply last week but remained at a level consistent with moderate hiring. Weekly applications ...
Greek doctors, public transport workers on strike
Greek doctors, port workers and public transport staff in the country's capital walked off the job Thursday in strikes against deeply unpopular ...
Economic jitters compete with Obama agenda
Just as President Barack Obama is pushing new initiatives on gun control and immigration, the gloomy old problem of a sluggish economy is elbowing its ...
Somali govt charges woman who says she was raped
The Somali government has charged a woman who has said she was raped by security forces, according to an international human rights group, which says ...
French gay marriage plans stir parenthood debate
The French are all for sex and all for family — so long as you're having sex to create one. Anything dealing with assisted reproduction makes a ...
German unemployment sees seasonal rise in January
Germany's unemployment rate increased to 7.4 percent in January as the country was hit by harsh winter weather, but seasonally adjusted jobless ...
Activists try to save old Warsaw ghetto building
It was the place where Jewish women did their ritual bathing. It was a tuberculosis clinic. It survived the German onslaught and became a gathering ...
Conn. town residents urge stricter gun control
One after another, Newtown residents stepped to the microphone and urged Connecticut lawmakers to stop another tragedy like the deadly shooting at ...
Vietnam deports US activist held for 9 months
A Vietnamese-American accused of conspiring to overthrow Vietnam's communist government smiled broadly as he reunited with his family after he was ...
How realistic should school shooting drills be?
"I want to see my kids! Bang! Bang!" the man shouted as he stormed into the front office of a South Carolina elementary school and pointed a handgun ...
Porn star Ron Jeremy in LA hospital after aneurysm
A spokesman says porn star Ron Jeremy is recovering from surgery at a Los Angeles hospital after an aneurysm near his heart sent him to intensive care
Illegal immigration foes despair over GOP moves
Marty Lich is ready to bolt. It's been a couple of years since the self-described conservative considered herself a Republican, but she still often ...
Recent developments in the US debate over guns
Developments Wednesday connected to the debate over gun violence and weapons control in the U.S.: GIFFORDS BEFORE CONGRESS Former Arizona Rep.
MSNBC criticized for editing of gun hearing video
MSNBC invited viewers Wednesday to draw their own conclusions about whether the parent of a Connecticut school shooting victim was heckled at a ...
AP Interview: Altidore says racism shames everyone
United States striker Jozy Altidore refuses to hold a grudge against fans who showered him with racist abuse during a match this week, saying: "We all ...