News

The New York City Council is considering a number of regulations on cigarettes, including raising the minimum age for buying cigarettes to 21.

New York Tobacco Regulations Light Up Public Health Debate

10:09am May 02, 2013

by Joel Rose

On Thursday, the City Council will debate proposals including raising the minimum age for buying cigarettes to 21. Also on the table is a ban on tobacco displays behind retail registers. Critics are pushing back, arguing that the changes won't have the intended effect.

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President Obama speaks at a news conference Tuesday. He addressed the use of chemical weapons in Syria and said he's weighing his options.

How Will Obama Make His Case On Syria?

10:09am May 02, 2013

by Don Gonyea

When it comes to the U.S. role in Syria's civil war, President Obama says he's weighing all options. Whatever he decides, he'll have to make his case to a public that hasn't been paying close attention.

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Obama Announces Commerce, Trade Nominees

10:09am May 02, 2013

President Obama on Thursday nominated Penny Pritzker to run the Commerce Department. An heiress to the Hyatt hotel empire and one of Forbes' 300 richest Americans, she also served on the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Obama also nominated a new U.S. Trade Representative. Michael Froman is a senior economic adviser to the president and a former Citigroup executive.

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Investigators work at the site of a bombing in the Dagestan capital, Makhachkala, last year. The blasts near a police post killed at least 15 people. The southern Russian republic has seen persistent violence.

World News

Investigating The Boston Bombing ... In Southern Russia

9:59pm May 01, 2013

by Corey Flintoff

Suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev traveled to Dagestan in southern Russia twice in recent years, and investigators want to know whether that experience led him toward a radical and violent form of Islam.

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai acknowledged a report this week that the CIA has regularly been sending him money. Afghans seem to have mixed feelings. The president is shown here speaking at an event in Kabul on March 10.

World News

Secret Cash To Afghan Leader: Corruption Or Just Foreign Aid?

7:48pm May 01, 2013

by Sean Carberry

Afghans are expressing mixed feelings on CIA cash payments to President Hamid Karzai. Many say the practice is wrong and symbolizes the widespread corruption in the country, while some see it as just another form of foreign assistance.

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World News

S. African Leader Under Fire After Awkward Visit With Mandela

7:48pm May 01, 2013

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

Nelson Mandela had a bewildered look and was largely unresponsive when President Jacob Zuma stopped by earlier this week. After the visit was televised, some South Africans began criticizing the president, saying the images were disrespectful to the iconic figure.

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Soldiers with the British Machine Gun Corps wear gas masks in 1916 during World War I's first Battle of the Somme.

World News

Why Chemical Weapons Have Been A Red Line Since World War I

7:48pm May 01, 2013

by Larry Abramson

The use of chemical weapons has been taboo since World War I, when poison gas inflicted a million casualties. Despite the destruction of large stockpiles, controlling or destroying remaining weapons remains tricky.

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Harvey Mudd President Maria Klawe often uses her longboard to get around campus and chat with students like senior Xanda Schofield.

How One College Is Closing The Computer Science Gender Gap

7:48pm May 01, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

At Harvey Mudd College in California, about 40 percent of the computer science majors are women. That's far more than at any other co-ed school. And it's thanks in large part to the school's president, Maria Klawe. She has worked hard to keep women interested in computer science and empower them to succeed in the field.

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Health & Safety

Second Thoughts On Medicaid From Oregon's Unique Experiment

7:48pm May 01, 2013

by Julie Rovner

An influential study of Medicaid in Oregon found that recipients used more health care, spent less money and reported improved health. But the results of a follow-up study are less positive about whether people with coverage were healthier.

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In 2011, a company hired by Wal-Mart to inspect a factory in Bangladesh found numerous worker, safety and environmental issues that violated the retail giant's terms for suppliers.

World News

Deal To Protect Bangladeshi Factory Workers Still Elusive

7:48pm May 01, 2013

by Steve Henn

After deadly disasters in clothing factories, labor activists are trying to persuade at least two more retailers to agree to improve working conditions in Bangladesh. Two retail giants have already signed onto a proposal that would mandate that fire and safety inspections be made public and require retailers to pay for needed factory repairs.

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