Hollysys Automation wins $4M China rail contract NEW YORK — Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. said Thursday it has won a $4 million contract to provide train control centers for a high-speed rail line in Dujiangyan City, China. The company said the contract was awarded by China Railway Electrification Bureau Co., a subsidiary of state-owned China Railway Engineering
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Hollysys Automation wins $4 million rail contract in China’s Dujiangyan City
AP Exclusive: Muslim countries seek blasphemy ban GENEVA — Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery — essentially, a ban on blasphemy. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that Algeria and Pakistan have taken the lead in lobbying to bring the matter to a vote
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AP Exclusive: Muslim countries seek binding UN resolution to protect religion from blasphemy
Norah Jones experiments with guitars and grooves NEW YORK — Indie-rock producer Jacquire King had long been an admirer of Norah Jones’ smoky, seductive voice, but the man behind acclaimed albums from Kings of Leon to Tom Waits never thought the two would ever inhabit the same musical orbit, let alone work together on a CD.
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On new album, Norah Jones experiments with guitars and grooves for a more upbeat sound
FAA computer problem causes widespread delays ATLANTA — A problem with the FAA system that collects airlines’ flight plans caused widespread flight cancellations and delays nationwide Thursday. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said she doesn’t know how many flights are being affected or when the problem will be resolved
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FAA says widespread delays, cancellations in US due to flight plan computer problem.
Jason Reitman documents promotion of his new film NEW YORK — The publicity for a Hollywood movie is a machine to behold, especially from the inside. It’s a view rarely offered, but Jason Reitman, the director of “Juno” and “Thank You for Smoking,” has done just that. Reitman has spent much of October and November promoting his
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Turning cameras on reporters, Jason Reitman documents his promotion of ‘Up in the Air’
Chaz Bono: Sex change is his ‘best decision’ NEW YORK — Chaz Bono says beginning the sex-change process to turn him from a woman to a man is “the best decision I’ve ever made.” The 40-year-old writer, activist and reality-TV star, who was born a girl to Sonny Bono and Cher, says he’s eight months into the
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‘This is who I am’ _ Chaz Bono says he feels great as he changes from a woman to a man
China holds, mistreats US man on secrets charges BEIJING — Sometime into his long detention by China’s feared state security agents, American geologist Xue Feng told U.S. consular officials he wanted his previously unpublicized detention — and the abuse he suffered there — made public in hopes that the outcry would win his release.
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China holds, mistreats US geologist for 2 years on state secrets charges over a database
Plane misses runway in east Congo, landing in lava KINSHASA, Congo — A U.N.-run radio station says a passenger plane overshot a runway in eastern Congo and landed in lava, injuring 20 people. Radio Okapi said the plane was flying from Kinshasa to Goma on Thursday and passengers had warned the crew that there were heavy clouds.
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Plane overshoots runway in eastern Congo, landing in lava surrounding airport; 20 hurt
Redesigned airspace over Hudson debuts near NYC NEWARK, N.J. — Small aircraft flying over the Hudson River near New York City are now following new flight rules. Thursday marks the first day for new regulations created by the Federal Aviation Administration after a collision in August between a tourist helicopter and small plane killed nine people.
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FAA airspace rules over Hudson River near NYC go into effect after crash killed 9
more images Experts say radical measures won’t stop swine flu LONDON — Health experts say extraordinary measures against swine flu — most notably quarantines imposed by China, where entire planeloads of passengers were isolated if one traveler had symptoms — have failed to contain the disease. Despite initially declaring success, Beijing now acknowledges its swine flu outbreak is
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Experts: Radical swine flu measures in China, elsewhere, won’t stop outbreaks
Serbs bid farewell to Patriarch Pavle BELGRADE, Serbia — Hundreds of thousands of people joined a somber funeral procession Thursday for Patriarch Pavle, who led the Serbian Orthodox Church through its post-Communist revival and the bloody Balkan ethnic conflicts in the 1990s. White-robed church elders led funeral prayers in Belgrade’s Saborna Curch, where Pavle’s body covered by
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Hundreds of thousands bid farewell to Patriarch Pavle, late leader of Serbian Orthodox Church
Moldovan soldiers given onions to fight swine flu CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldova’s army is feeding its soldiers onions and garlic to help them ward off swine flu. Defense Ministry chief doctor Col. Sergiu Vasislita says about 0.9 ounces (25 grams) of onions and 0.5 ounces (15 grams) of garlic will be added to each soldier’s daily diet
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Moldovan army gives soldiers extra onions and garlic to fight swine flu after 24 fall sick
SABMiller H1 net profit down 32 percent LONDON — SABMiller PLC, the world’s second-largest brewer, on Thursday reported a 32 percent drop in net profit as revenues were hit hard by unfavorable currency movements and lager volumes declined. For the six months ending Sept. 30, the brewer of Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell and Peroni Nastro Azzurro lagers said
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SABMiller 1st half net profit down 32 percent, hit by currency movements and lower volume
Activist probing Guinea massacre denied entry BANJUL, Gambia — A human rights activist says he’s been denied entrance to Guinea, where he planned to investigate a massacre of opposition supporters earlier this year. Mabassa Fall denounced the move by Guinea’s ruling junta, saying “there can be no justice without truth.” Fall, who is the permanent representative of the
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Activist probing Guinea massacre of opposition supporters denied entry to country
Russian ship freeing itself from ice in Antarctic MOSCOW — A Russian icebreaker carrying more than 100 tourists, scientists and journalists on an Antarctic cruise has been successfully moving through ice and is just about 100 meters away from clear water, its owners said Thursday. The Captain Khlebnikov icebreaker has had trouble freeing itself of sea ice
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Russian icebreaker carrying over 100 tourists on Antarctic cruise nears clear water
Serbian patriarch’s funeral held in Belgrade BELGRADE, Serbia — Tens of thousand of people are lining Belgrade’s streets for a funeral procession for Patriarch Pavle who died at the age of 95 after 19 years as the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church. White-robed church elders led somber prayers in the downtown Saborna Curch, where Pavle’s body
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Tens of thousands bid farewell to Patriarch Pavle, late leader of Serbian Orthodox Church
Chicago terror suspects investigated in India CHICAGO — Two Chicago men accused of developing what federal prosecutors call a blueprint for a terrorist assault on a Danish newspaper also are being investigated for possible involvement in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, according to authorities in that country. David Coleman Headley, 49, and Tahawwur
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FBI says Chicago terror suspects had contact with terrorist group, India probes Mumbai link
Popular Santa letter program ends in Alaska ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Starry eyed children around the world are writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole, but this holiday season they’ll not likely to get a response from Santa or his helpers. The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular effort begun in 1954 in the
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Postal Service halts program that brought flood of letters to Santa to North Pole, Alaska
more images more images GAO: Fraud in gov’t contracts for disabled vets WASHINGTON — Companies fraudulently collected at least $100 million in federal contracts from a $4 billion government program designated for disabled military veterans who run small businesses, congressional investigators charge. The Small Business Administration failed to check if companies were eligible for the no-bid contracts for veterans
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GAO: Gov’t improperly awarded $100M in contracts to firms in small business veterans program
Colum McCann novel wins national award for fiction NEW YORK — The 60th annual National Book Awards was a night to celebrate literature and to wonder about its future. Lifetime achievement winner Gore Vidal envisioned only pulp and dust Wednesday as he contemplated the state of books, while fellow honorary winner Dave Eggers declared that we live
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National Book Awards celebrate New York stories as honorees ponder the future of literature
Russian court extends moratorium on death penalty ST.PETERSBURG, Russia — Russia’s Consitutional Court has ruled that a moratorium on capital punishment should remain in force until the nation fully outlaws the death penalty. Constitutional Court chief Valery Zorkin says that Russia must extend the moratorium on executions until it ratifies a European convention banning the death penalty. Russia
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Russia’s Constitutional Court rules to extend moratorium on death penalty
more images more images Behind missed Gitmo deadline: No one wants jailees SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — President Barack Obama is now confirming what many have long suspected: He will miss his January deadline to close the Guantanamo prison — partly because he cannot persuade other nations to take the detainees. Prisoners like Walid Abu Hijazi. The 29-year-old is
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Behind missed deadline for closing Gitmo: US struggles to get countries to take its prisoners
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has challenged media reports that claim that SwatTaliban commander Mullah Fazlullah is alive and has sneaked into Afghanistan. Addressing a function at the police lines here, Malik said: “In case the Afghan Government knows where Fazlullah is hiding, they should apprehend and hand him over to Pakistan.” The BBC’s
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Malik challenges reports that say SwatTaliban commander Fazlullah is alive
QUETTA – Taking a cue from Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has also accused India of fanning terrorism in Balochistan and Waziristan. Addressing a joint press conference with Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani here, Sharif charged India with meddling in Balochistan through Afghanistan. He said Islamabad possessed ‘concrete evidence’ of New
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Pak Punjab CM blames India for fanning terror in Balochistan, Waziristan
Israeli aircraft hit Gaza after rocket attacks JERUSALEM — Israeli aircraft struck a weapons-manufacturing facility and two smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, in response to recent rocket attacks on Israel, the military said. Palestinian security officials reported no injuries. Israel went to war against militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza last winter to quash eight years
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Israel aircraft strike southern Gaza Strip in response to rocket attacks
Utah teen in food order rap challenges citation SALT LAKE CITY — The case of one of four teens who were cited for disorderly conduct after rapping their order at a McDonald’s in a Utah city appears headed for trial. A trial to hear Spenser Dauwalder’s challenge to the infraction was scheduled Wednesday for January
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Utah teen who rapped McDonald’s order to challenge disorderly conduct citation at trial
15 documentary features make Oscar’s short list LOS ANGELES — Of the 89 documentary films eligible for Oscar consideration this year, 15 were selected for a short list of potential nominees, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday. Some of the year’s most popular documentary features were overlooked, including Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love
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Sorry, Michael Moore: ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’ not on short list of potential Oscar nominees
NetEase 3Q results miss estimates, shares fall SAN FRANCISCO — Chinese online gaming company NetEase.com Inc. said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit rose on higher revenue from online games. However, the results fell below analyst expectations, sending NetEase’s American Depositary Shares tumbling $3.69, or 9.1 percent, to $37.10 in after-hours trading
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NetEase 3rd-quarter profit rises on online game sales but misses views, shares tumble
more images more images Feud not mentioned in Obama interview NEW YORK — Fox News Channel correspondent Major Garrett called himself a “conscientious objector” in his network’s fight with the White House after a brief interview with President Barack Obama Wednesday during which the topic never came up. Obama talked about the economy, health care, South Korean trade, Sarah
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Fox correspondent says he’s ‘conscientious objector’ in White House feud
Man executed for abduction-slaying of Texas woman HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A convicted killer who volunteered for execution but in recent weeks changed his mind has been put to death in Texas. Thirty-year-old Danielle Simpson received lethal injection Wednesday evening for the abduction-slaying of 84-year-old Geraldine Davidson.
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Texas inmate who changed mind about execution put to death for slaying of 84-year-old woman