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Monkey See
1:15 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

Bow Bow, Chk-a-Bow: Five Voices Rise To The Top Of TV's A Cappella Competition

Credit Lewis Jacobs / NBC
Pentatonix performs on The Sing-Off.
Asia
12:57 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

World Starts To Worry As Chinese Economy Hiccups

Not long ago, economists and others expressed concerns that China's economy was expanding too quickly. Now, the latest data are raising concerns about a slowdown — and the woes it could trigger.

With a sluggish U.S. economy and troubles in the eurozone, Chinese exports are taking a hit, causing a slowdown on shop floors in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Earlier this week, the Chinese Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, fell to its lowest level in nearly three years.

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Shots - Health Blog
12:50 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

Insurance Brokers' Fees Won't Count As A Health Care Expense

Credit iStockphoto.com
A broker's fee for insurance coverage isn't a medical expense, the feds have decided.

The Obama administration ruled today that fees paid to health insurance brokers and agents won't count as medical care expenses, under limits imposed on insurers in the 2010 federal health law.

That decision, in one of the regulations for implementing the health overhaul, is sure to disappoint insurance agents, as you might have guessed. But it's more important than you might have imagined.

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The Two-Way
12:33 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

Cain To Make Announcement Saturday; Wife Leads 'Women For Cain' Effort

There's word from Rock Hill, S.C., that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain says he'll be making an announcement on Saturday about the future of his presidential bid, The Associated Press reports.

Meanwhile, here's a related bit of news to consider: His campaign just launched a "Women for Cain" effort, chaired by the candidate's wife Gloria.

As the webpage says:

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The Salt
12:05 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

To Kill Or Not To Kill Horses That Others May Eat?

Credit Nate Jenkins / AP
Since the ban on U.S. slaughterhouses in 2006, tens of thousands of unwanted or aging horses were exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 3:52 pm

The thought of eating Mr. Ed or Seabiscuit is likely to pull the heartstrings of most Americans. But there are plenty of people around the world who see our horses as just another source of protein and energy.

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The Two-Way
11:50 am
Fri December 2, 2011

Egyptian Elections: 62 Percent Turnout

Credit Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images
Nov. 28: Women place their votes in a ballot box at a polling station in a girls school in Cairo.

Results from the first round of voting in Egypt's parliamentary elections are being announced this hour. Already, according to al-Jazeera and other news outlets, there's word from the head of Egypt's Elections High commission that 62 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.

The Associated Press adds that Abdel-Mooaez Ibrahim called the number "the highest since the time of pharaohs."

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The Two-Way
11:41 am
Fri December 2, 2011

Online Gaming Company Zynga Says Target Valuation Is Around $7 Billion

As we've noted before, 2011 has been a great year for Internet companies seeking to go public. Today, Zynga said it hoped to price its shares at $8 to $10 per share during its initial public offering later this month. Depending on whose math you trust, that means the company will try to raise about $1 billion and the debut could value the company at $7 billion. (Some news outlets are putting that number as high as $9 billion.)

What is Zynga you ask? They're the makers of social games like Farmville and Cityville.

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Economy
11:01 am
Fri December 2, 2011

Jobless Dip May Overstate Economic Improvement

The unemployment rate dropped unexpectedly to 8.6 percent in November, in part because hundreds of thousands of Americans stopped looking for work. But analysts said the modest increase of 120,000 jobs created last month points to an economy that's generally still limping.

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Fronteras
10:53 am
Fri December 2, 2011

New Tribal Land Leasing Rules

Credit Photo via www.pathfindersoftware.com

The government has changed land leasing rules to make it easier for tribes to build houses and businesses. The move comes as President Obama met with Native American leaders Friday in Washington. Laurel Morales reports from the Fronteras Changing America Desk .

The Two-Way
10:50 am
Fri December 2, 2011

Samsung, HTC And Carrier IQ Face Suit Over Logging Software

The first lawsuit has been filed against Samsung, HTC and Carrier IQ over software installed on millions of phones that can capture a wide range of data including key strokes.

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