World News

Beers made by Trappist monks at St. Sixtus Abbey's Westvleteren Brewery in Belgium are sought by connoisseurs. For the first time, the monks are exporting the beer overseas, including to the U.S.

World News

A Sign From Above? Needing New Roof, Monks Sell Rare Beer In U.S.

8:39am December 13, 2012

by Teri Schultz

Westvleteren 12, a Belgian beer often called the best in the world, officially hits U.S. store shelves for the first time Wednesday. But fans of the beer may want to act quickly: The Trappist monks who brew it are only selling enough overseas to raise money to pay for a new roof and other renovations.

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Spain's Civil Servants Draw Grumbles, And Envy

4:54pm December 12, 2012

by Lauren Frayer

Spain's economic crisis has helped drive the nation's unemployment rate above 25 percent. Many of the jobless resent the relatively high pay and job security public sector workers enjoy.

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Chinese Firm Buys Massachusetts Tech Company

1:01pm December 12, 2012

by Curt Nickisch

On Tuesday, a federal bankruptcy judge gave the nod to a Chinese firm to buy a Massachusetts technology company. The company, A123 Systems, makes batteries for electric cars, but some in Congress are fighting to block the deal.

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World News

Protests Against Egypt's Constitution Dwindle

6:24am December 12, 2012

Egypt's protest movement against the controversial draft constitution appears to be losing steam after a lackluster turnout Tuesday night. Opposition leaders had called for mass demonstrations, and they're scrambling to decide whether to boycott Saturday's referendum on the constitution.

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Dr. Mazen Kewara, an American vascular surgeon, trains Syrian doctors during a workshop in Antakya,Turkey.

World News

U.S. Doctors Provide Supplies, Training To Syrians

9:34pm December 11, 2012

by Deborah Amos

After months of revolt, Syria's health care system is collapsing, with half of the country's public hospitals destroyed. Yet Syrian doctors continue to treat patients. Now, a group of Syrian-American doctors is stepping in to help bring crucial supplies and training.

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World News

N. Korea Fires Long-Range Rocket

9:34pm December 11, 2012

North Korea appears to have taken a step forward in its long-range missile program. The country has fired a long-range rocket in spite of warnings from the U.S. and the United Nations.

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World News

Syrian Army Said To Be Readying Chemical Weapons

10:55am December 11, 2012

Syrian officials deny having a chemical stockpile and insist they would never use it if they did. But a Syrian general, who defected earlier this year, confirms the chemical stockpile. He knows where the chemicals are stored, and he says rebel groups have been close to the stockpiles in and around Aleppo.

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U.S. Adds Syrian Rebel Group To Terror List

10:55am December 11, 2012

by Michele Kelemen

The United States has added one of Syria's main rebel groups to its list of terrorist organizations. Jabhat al-Nusra has claimed responsibility for several bombings that killed and wounded Syrian civilians since the uprising against the Assad government began in March of 2011. The U.S. describes the group as an outgrowth of al-Qaida in Iraq.

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Russia's Hockey Glad To Have NHL-Lockout Orphans

3:43am December 11, 2012

by Corey Flintoff

The NHL lockout has sent many Russian players home to play for a league very much in need of star power as it tries to revive hockey's popularity in a place where the sport was once dominant.

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A demonstrator shouts during a protest against housing evictions in Madrid last month. The sign to his right reads, "Stop evictions."

Spain's Crisis Leads To Rise Of Grass-Roots Groups

8:44pm December 10, 2012

by Sylvia Poggioli

The country's protest movement has evolved into a broad range of groups now filling the gaps left by the eroding welfare state. From doctors to teachers and homeowners to judges, Spaniards are organizing.

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