(CNN) — Ahead of her Super Bowl halftime show, singer Madonna promised there would be no “wardrobe malfunction.” What she didn’t guarantee was no obscene gestures.Rapper M.I.A. Read More »

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Chengdu, China (CNN) — Miss Chen stares curiously at the iPad. Even though she works overtime in a factory in southwestern China that manufactures them, she’s never seen the finished product.”Wow, I want it,” said Chen, brushing her finger across the glossy screen with curiosity and amazement. Read More »

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(CNN) — Earlier this month Apple released its annual supplier responsibility report which detailed alleged workplace health and safety protocol violations by its suppliers. Read More »

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(CNN) — Australian authorities on Monday pleaded with hundreds of people, who had chosen to remain in a town in the path of rising flood waters, to vacate their homes.The level of the Balonne River in the town of St. George, in the eastern state of Queensland, swelled to 13. Read More »

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(CNN) — A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Monday off the coast of the third-largest island in the Philippines, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.The temblor struck at about 11: 49 a.m. (10: 49 p.m. Sunday ET) about 70 kilometers (44 miles) from the coastal city of Dumaguete on the Philippine island of Negros, the USGS said. Read More »

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(Financial Times) — Lucas Papademos, the Greek premier, failed to make party leaders accept harsh terms in return for a second €130bn bail-out, pushing Athens closer to a disorderly default as early as next month. Read More »

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Washington (CNN) — Suppose they held an election, and the economy got better. Just last month, the jobless rate fell to its lowest level in almost three years.”I wouldn’t pop the champagne cork yet,” Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, told CBS. The January rate? 8.3% Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich fights stat with stat. Read More »

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Atlanta (CNN) — Bishop Eddie Long has apologized to the Anti-Defamation League over an incident in which he was wrapped in a Torah scroll and crowned “king. Read More »

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Jerusalem (CNN) — Israel’s prime minister will visit the United States in March, officials said Sunday.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, Israeli government officials said. AIPAC is a major force in U.S. Read More »

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Editor’s note: Randa Slim is a research fellow at the New America Foundation, a think tank that looks for innovative solutions along the ideological spectrum, and a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington. She has conducted research on the Syrian opposition and has been a consultant for the U.S. Read More »

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Cairo (CNN) — Massive flames shot into the sky over northern Sinai on Saturday after a section of a pipeline that carries gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan exploded, according to a security official in the region.The explosion occurred near the northern Sinai city of Arish, said General Saleh Elmasry, head of North Sinai Security. Read More »

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Editor’s note: Mohammed Ayoob is University Distinguished Professor of International Relations at Michigan State University and adjunct scholar at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (CNN) — Europe and the Muslim world seem to be on a collision course that could have major political, economic and ideological ramifications. Read More »

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Editor’s note: David Gergen is a senior political analyst for CNN and has been an adviser to four presidents. He is a professor of public service and director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Follow him on Twitter: @David Gergen . Michael Zuckerman is his research assistant. Read More »

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(CNN) — Senior Iranian lawmakers are considering a boycott of Samsung, the South Korean electronics and appliance manufacturer, because of a controversial Israeli ad that pokes fun at the nuclear crisis, semi-official Press TV said Friday. Read More »

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(CNN) — The supreme leader of Iran issued a blunt warning Friday that a war would be detrimental to the United States.”You see every now and then in this way they say that all options are on the table. That means even the option of war,” Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said during Friday prayers in Tehran. Read More »

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Editor’s note: Roni Selig is the senior executive producer and director for CNN’s Medical Unit. Her journey to becoming a triathlete sparked the idea for Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s Fit Nation Tri Challenge. (CNN) — It started after I suffered several personal and professional blows between 1999 and 2002. Read More »

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Jerusalem (CNN) — The convoy of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was pelted with shoes by Palestinians in Gaza Thursday, according to witnesses and a U.N. official.Upon entering Gaza from Israel, Ban’s car was met by a protest of several dozen people who threw objects, including shoes, at it, said U.N. spokesman Eduardo del Buey. Read More »

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(CNN) — You might associate music festivals with muddy fields and heaving crowds, but Mali’s “Festival au Desert” is a world away from all that.Based a few kilometers outside the historic town of Timbuktu, on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, the festival is inspired by the traditional gatherings of the region’s Tuareg nomads. Read More »

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(CNN) — Supervising News Editor Ed Payne — 404-827-1401 UPCOMING US-Iran-Nuclear-Report (12: 30 a.m.) The chairman of the House intelligence committee tells CNN the U.S. military needs to do more to “scare” Iran away from pursuing nuclear weapons. Rep. Read More »

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(CNN) — The Iranian foreign minister called talks with the United Nations nuclear team “a positive forward step” after the delegations’ visit to the country, the semiofficial Fars News Agency reported.The International Atomic Energy Agency team “had some questions and we had very good meetings,” Ali Akbar Salehi told the news agency. Read More »

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United Nations (CNN) — Diplomats are expected to debate once again Wednesday about how to handle the mounting crisis in Syria.On Tuesday, members of the U.N. Read More »

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Jerusalem (CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handily won his Likud party leadership primary Tuesday, fueling speculation that he may soon call for nationwide elections.Netanyahu thanked Likud party supporters for their support in a speech Tuesday night, but suggested a general election was still some time away. Read More »

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Cairo (CNN) — Egyptian officials worked Tuesday to negotiate the release of more than two dozen Chinese workers who were kidnapped by Bedouins on their way to work at a military-owned cement factory in the Sinai, the Chinese Embassy said. Read More »

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United Nations (CNN) — The U.N. Security Council will hear from the head of the Arab League Tuesday about what the group’s monitors saw in Syria as council members mull whether to call on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Read More »

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Cairo, Egypt (CNN) — Supporters of former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, are now publishing a monthly Arab-language newspaper.It’s little more than a year on from the January 25 revolution that, after 30 years, deposed Mubarak amid jubilation and hopes for the future. Read More »

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(CNN) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pays an official visit to Jordan on Tuesday, as part of a Middle East trip to help move the peace process forward.”My visit comes at an important moment,” Ban told reporters last week, in announcing the trip to Jordan, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Read More »

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United Nations (CNN) — The U.N. Security Council this week will take up a draft resolution proposed by Morocco that calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down and transfer power. “It is primarily a straightforward condemnation of what has transpired, a call upon the government of Syria to adhere to the commitments it made,” U.S. Read More »

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London (CNN) — Police in England arrested a man Saturday on suspicion of making a racially abusive gesture at a high-profile soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United earlier that day, they said Sunday.Charlotte Spink, a press officer for Merseyside police in Liverpool, said the suspect was a 59-year-old from north Wales. Read More »

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(CNN) — Just 15 months after taking a thumping in the 2010 midterm elections, House Democrats have seized on the current anti-Washington fervor and are confident they can win the 25 seats they need to regain control of the House. Read More »

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(CNN) — The exiled leader of the Palestinian Islamic fHamas met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday in his first trip to Jordan since his expulsion in 1999.In a statement issued by Hamas, Khaled Meshaal expressed his appreciation to the king for supporting Palestinians. Read More »

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Cairo (CNN) — An Egyptian blogger recently pardoned by the military junta urged activists to continue their revolution against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Read More »

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Jerusalem (CNN) — An unmanned Israeli airplane crashed during an experimental flight Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said.The Eitan-type drone spun in the air, lost a wing and crashed in a ball of fire, a witness told IDF Radio. There were no injuries reported, and the cause of the crash is being investigated, the IDF said. Read More »

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(CNN) — Occupy activists broke into Oakland City Hall, damaging displays and burning an American flag, the culmination of protests Saturday that saw police and protesters trade allegations over who was responsible for clashes in the Northern California city that ended with the arrest of more than 100 people. Read More »

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(CNN) — In the face of economic sanctions and international condemnation, Iran remains defiant over its nuclear energy program.It has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a major passageway for much of the world’s oil, in retaliation for any embargo. Read More »

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Berlin (CNN) — A civil court in Munich has blocked a British publisher’s plans to print excerpts of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” in Germany later this month.The court ruled Wednesday that British publisher Peter McGee’s plans to disseminate portions of the anti-Semitic manifesto in Germany were not protected by long-standing citation rights. Read More »

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(CNN) — Hilary Davidson was diagnosed with celiac disease eight years ago and worried at first that she couldn’t maintain a gluten-free diet on the road. Read More »

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Editor’s note: Andrew Keen is a British-American entrepreneur and professional skeptic. He is the author of “The Cult of the Amateur,” and the upcoming (June 2012) “Digital Vertigo.” This is the latest in a series of commentaries for CNN looking at how internet trends are influencing social culture. Read More »

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(CNN) — Newly elected Egyptian ministers held their first parliamentary session this week, almost a year to the day after the start of historic protests in the capital led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. Read More »

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Istanbul (CNN) — Turkey is reacting angrily Tuesday to the French Senate’s approval of a law criminalizing the denial of genocide, including that of the Armenians at the end of the Ottoman Empire.”Guillotine to History” and “Guillotine to Thought,” blared the front pages of two Turkish newspapers. Read More »

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Rome (CNN) — Rescuers searching the stricken Costa Concordia found a body on bridge 3 Tuesday, bringing the number of confirmed dead from the wreck to 16, civil protection officials said. Read More »

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Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — Pakistan’s upper house of parliament passed a resolution demanding Pervez Musharraf be arrested and tried for treason for unconstitutional acts during his regime, a senator said.The resolution is not binding, but is symbolic and shows the will of the senate, said Muhammad Ibrahim Khan. Read More »

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Madrid (CNN) — Spain’s best-known judge, Baltasar Garzon, went on trial Tuesday in Madrid for the second time in two weeks, accused of abusing his judicial authority during his investigation of human rights abuses under the former dictatorship of Spain’s Francisco Franco. Read More »

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Have you spotted any unusual light displays thanks to the solar flares? Submit your photos and video to iReport. (CNN) — The largest solar storm for seven years is expected to send a shower of radioactive solar particles racing towards Earth at almost 1,400 miles a second this week, according to NASA. Read More »

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(CNN) — Former captain Ricky Ponting insists he can still be a key player for Australia after becoming the third cricketer to score 13,000 Test runs on the opening day of the fourth and final match against India. Read More »

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(CNN) — Caroline Wozniacki’s quest for a first grand slam title and her reign as world No. 1 both ended on Tuesday after a quarterfinal defeat by defending champion Kim Clijsters at the Australian Open. Read More »

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Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — The opening of a Taliban office in the Gulf Arab nation of Qatar is contingent on the renunciation of international terror and the backing of a peace process to end the Afghan conflict, an American diplomat said Tuesday.Afghanistan backs a plan for the Taliban to establish an office in Qatar to facilitate peace talks. Read More »

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JERUSALEM (CNN) — Israeli security forces stormed the West Bank home of a Palestinian parliament member affiliated with Hamas on Tuesday morning.It was the latest in a series of high-profile arrests of Palestinian officials involved with Hamas. Read More »

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Editor’s note: Frida Ghitis is a world affairs columnist for The Miami Herald and World Politics Review. A former CNN producer/correspondent, she is the author of “The End of Revolution: A Changing World in the Age of Live Television. Read More »

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Jerusalem (CNN) — Two Palestinian parliament members suspected of involvement in Hamas activity were arrested in Jerusalem on Monday, Israeli police said.Khaled abu Arafeh and Mohamed Totah were arrested at a Red Cross compound where they had been hiding for the past year and a half. Read More »

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(CNN) — The European Union’s announcement Monday that it will embargo Iranian oil and further restrict trade with the Islamic Republic is only the latest step in an extensive and growing international campaign aimed at destabilizing the regime in Tehran. Read More »

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(CNN) — Gas prices have edged up a few cents over the past two weeks despite a drop in crude oil prices, according to a survey published Sunday.The average price of a gallon of regular is $3.39, the Lundberg Survey found. The survey tallied prices at thousands of gas stations Friday. Read More »

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(CNN) — An injury time penalty from Mario Balotelli secured a dramatic 3-2 win for Manchester City as they staved off a brave fight back from Tottenham to maintain their three point lead at the top of the English Premier League. Read More »

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(CNN) — Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords announced on her website Sunday that she will resign from Congress this week to continue her recuperation from the brain injury she suffered when shot just over a year ago.”A lot has happened over the past year. We cannot change that,” Giffords says in a video on her website, speaking in a halting manner. Read More »

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Editor’s note: Margaret Moore (aka Coach Meg) is the co-author of “Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life .” She is the director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital and the founder and CEO of Wellcoaches Corporation . Read More »

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State College, Pennsylvania (CNN) — Fans braved a freezing January morning to pay their respects to the man known as JoePa, the coach who steered Penn State to two national titles and two dozen bowl victories. Read More »

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(CNN) — A birdie on the first play-off hole saw Branden Grace beat South African legends Ernie Els and Retief Goosen to the Volvo Golf Champions title at the Fancourt course in George. Read More »

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Editor’s note: Nelson Lichtenstein is MacArthur Foundation professor of history and director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor, and Democracy at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Read More »

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