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Social affairs

Teen performer at inaugural events fatally shot
A 15-year-old girl who had performed in President Barack Obama's inauguration festivities is the latest face on the ever-increasing homicide toll in ...
Sex to burn calories? Authors expose obesity myths
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 ...
Victim portrayed as contradiction in Ariz. trial
Attorneys for a woman charged with killing her lover worked Wednesday at her trial to portray the victim as a liar and cheat who repeatedly deceived ...
Priest, teacher convicted in Pa. church abuse case
A jury on Wednesday convicted a priest and teacher in a pivotal church-abuse case that rocked the Philadelphia archdiocese and sent a church official ...
Ex-Ill. governor returns home after prison release
Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan was released from prison before dawn Wednesday, stopping only briefly at a halfway house before he was allowed to ...
Pa. judge nixes Sandusky's bid for new abuse trial
Jerry Sandusky lost a bid for a new trial Wednesday when a judge rejected his argument that his lawyers were not given enough time to prepare for the ...
Giffords pleads for gun curbs; NRA fights back
Severely wounded and still recovering, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords begged lawmakers at an emotional hearing Wednesday to act quickly to curb ...
SC man pleads guilty to illegal gun sales in NC
In a case prosecutors say highlights weaknesses in the nation's gun laws, a South Carolina man admitted Wednesday he sold dozens of powerful ...
House members negotiate a proposal on immigration
A group of a half-dozen House members, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, is nearing completion of wide-ranging immigration ...
Seattle LB Leroy Hill arrested on assault charges
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill was arrested after police say he assaulted his girlfriend and kept her in his home against her will.
With halting voice, Giffords speaks out on guns
She uttered just 80 halting words. But her presence was powerful. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, shot in the head by a Tucson gunman in 2011, opened ...
Russia scraps anti-crime deal with the US
Russia pulled out of an anti-crime accord with the United States on Wednesday in a move the U.S. called "self-defeating," the latest sign of rising ...
Week of unrest weakens Egypt's Islamist leader
Egypt's Islamist president has been significantly weakened by a week of violent protests across much of the country, with his popularity eroding, the ...
Mixed decision in phony Scrolls email appeal
Evidence in a rare Internet impersonation case showed that a highly educated defendant broke the law by trying to "damage the careers and livelihoods" ...
Gulf leads UN appeal for major boost in Syrian aid
An emergency U.N. appeal to raise $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid for Syria exceeded its goal Wednesday at a conference with dire predictions of ...
Timbuktu manuscripts mostly safe, university says
Islamist extremists damaged or stole only a limited number of manuscripts in Timbuktu in Mali before they fled the fabled desert city, a South African ...
Morsi, in Germany, defends comments on Jews
Egypt's Islamist president turned aside repeated criticism of his past comments referring to Jews as "the descendants of apes and pigs" as he visited ...
Egypt liberals, Islamists add pressure on Morsi
A hardline Islamist party normally allied to Egypt's president joined the liberal opposition on Wednesday in calling for a national unity government ...
2 Israeli parties endorse Netanyahu for new term
Israel's two largest political parties endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister Wednesday, all but guaranteeing him a third term at the ...
Tensions linger in US over 'comfort women' plaques
Four years ago, noticing plaques at the county courthouse commemorating slavery, the Holocaust and other atrocities, Korean-American community leader ...
France takes key Mali cities; now the hard part
French-led forces have wrested control of three key cities in northern Mali from al-Qaida-linked militants, but the fighters have escaped with their ...
Protesters break into gov't building in Athens
Protesters forced their way into a government building in Greece's latest anti-austerity protests Wednesday, reaching just outside a minister's office ...
Giffords asks Congress for bold gun control bill
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says Congress should be bold in writing new laws to address gun violence in America. Giffords was severely ...
McCain: Immigration reform failure would cost GOP
In a warning to fellow Republicans, Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that failure to pass comprehensive immigration legislation could mean continued ...
S. African billionaire to give away half his money
A South African billionaire says his family will give away half of its money to charity. The South African Press Association reported that Patrice ...