Former conjoined toddlers leave Va. hospital (AP)

RICHMOND, Va. ? Two formerly conjoined toddlers from the Dominican Republic have left a Richmond hospital after recovering from separation surgery.

Maria and Teresa Tapia left Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University on Friday. Doctors, nurses, volunteers and others who cared for them gave the girls and their mother and aunt a warm send-off.

The 20-month-old girls were joined at the chest and underwent complicated, nearly daylong surgery on Nov. 7. In a series of procedures, the surgical team divided the twins' liver, pancreas and other shared organ systems and reconstructed their abdominal walls.

The girls will stay in Richmond for follow-up medical visits and outpatient therapy to continue to work on walking and other motor skills as they become accustomed to being separated. They're expected to go home by Christmas.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111202/ap_on_re_us/us_conjoined_twins

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Move by central banks exhilarates Wall Street (AP)

A move by the world's central banks to lower the cost of borrowing exhilarated investors Wednesday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average soaring 490 points and easing fears of a global credit crisis similar to the one that followed the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers.

It was the Dow's biggest gain since March 2009 and the seventh-largest of all time.

Large U.S. banks were among the top performers, jumping as much as 11 percent. Markets in Europe surged, too, with Germany's DAX index climbing 5 percent.

"The central banks of the world have resolved that there will not be a liquidity shortage," said David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer of Cumberland Advisors. "And they have learned their lessons from 2008. They don't want to take small steps and do anything incrementally, but make a big bold move that is credible."

Wednesday's action by the banks of Europe, the U.S., Britain, Canada, Japan and Switzerland represented an extraordinary coordinated effort.

But amid the market's excitement, many doubts loomed. Some analysts cautioned that the banks did nothing to provide a permanent fix to the problems facing heavily indebted European nations such as Italy and Greece. It only buys time for political leaders.

"It is a short-term solution," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank. "The bottom line on any central bank action is that it papers over the problems, buys time and in some respects takes pressure from politicians. ... If nothing's done in a week, this market gain will disappear."

Banks stocks soared as fears about an imminent disaster in the European financial system ebbed.

American and European banks are connected by contracts, loans and other financial entanglements, meaning that a European financial crisis would punish U.S. bank stocks. The brighter outlook that emerged Wednesday relieved some investor concerns.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. jumped 8.4 percent, the most of the 30 Dow components. Morgan Stanley rose 11.1 percent and Citigroup Inc. 8.9 percent.

Worries about the financial system ? and the reluctance of the European Central Bank to intervene ? have caused borrowing rates for European nations to skyrocket. Wednesday's decision reduced the rates banks pay to borrow dollars ? a move that aims to make loans cheaper so that banks can continue to operate smoothly.

European banks rely on dollars to cover loans they have promised to consumers and businesses and pay for investments in U.S credit markets. They traditionally have tapped short-term funding from U.S money market mutual funds and other banks. But money market funds have been pulling dollars from Europe in recent months, and lending between banks has dried up.

In response to the new rates, the euro rose sharply, while U.S. Treasury prices fell as demand weakened for ultra-safe assets.

The Dow rose 4.2 percent to close at 12,045. It has more than gained back the 564-point slump it had last week. It is up 813 points, or 7.3 percent, so far this week. The last time the Dow closed up more than 400 points was Aug. 11.

The Standard & Poor's 500 closed up 52, or 4.3 percent, at 1,247. The Nasdaq composite index closed up 105, or 4.2 percent, at 2,620.

Seven stocks rose on the New York Stock Exchange for every one that fell. Volume was heavy at 5.7 billion shares.

Surging commodity prices lifted the stocks of companies that make basic materials such as steel. United States Steel Corp. gained 15.3 percent, the most in the S&P 500. AK Steel Holding Corp. added 13.4 percent. Energy stocks also leaped. Alpha Natural Resources Inc. rose 15.2 percent, Peabody Energy Corp. 14.3 percent.

The act by the central banks took some pressure off the financial system, which has signaled in recent days that many banks were losing faith in their trading partners. And it offered hope that more help was on the way.

"People are taking comfort that it's globally coordinated," said Peter Tchir, who runs the hedge fund TF Market Advisors.

The move would have a limited effect, he said, "but the bulls are anticipating that this is just the beginning of central bank and other actions" to ease market pressures.

Any successful plan would have to reduce borrowing costs for Italy and other indebted nations, Tchir said. Italy's borrowing costs edged lower Wednesday, but the nation was still paying more than 7 percent interest for 10-year borrowing ? a dangerously high level.

European finance ministers in Brussels have been meeting since Tuesday but have failed to deliver a clearer sense of how the currency union will proceed. More leaders gather next week on Friday for a summit.

In another attempt to free up cash for lending, China on Wednesday reduced the amount of money its banks are required to hold in reserve. It was the first easing of monetary policy in three years, and analysts are expecting more.

Growth in China, which has the largest economy after the European Union and the U.S., could be crucial to sustaining any recovery after the debt crisis.

A string of positive U.S. economic news also propelled the market higher. An index measuring manufacturing in the Midwest surged to a seven-month high; private company hiring jumped in November to the highest level this year, according to payroll company ADP; and the number of contracts to buy homes jumped in October to the highest level in a year.

___

AP Business Writer Pallavi Gogoi in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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Prosecutors: Blagojevich should get 15 to 20 years (AP)

CHICAGO ? Rod Blagojevich deserves a sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison on his multiple corruption convictions for misusing the power of his office "from the very moment he became governor," federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

His attorneys argued for leniency, calling Blagojevich "an intrinsically good, kind, and decent man."

Both sides filed motions Wednesday, and Judge James Zagel was expected to sentence the former Illinois governor next week.

In arguing for a sentence that would be one of the longest for corruption in Illinois' sordid political history, prosecutors said Blagojevich ? convicted, among other things, of trying to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama ? deserved more than two other figures now in prison.

Blagojevich's predecessor, former Gov. George Ryan, got 6 1/2 years on racketeering and fraud charges. And former Blagojevich fundraiser Tony Rezko was sentenced last week to 10 1/2 years, minus time served, for fraud, money laundering and plotting to squeeze more than $7 million in kickbacks from companies seeking state business.

But Blagojevich's attorneys said federal sentencing guidelines would suggest a sentence of 41 to 51 months. They also offered several reasons for Zagel to issue a lesser sentence than their calculation of those guidelines.

Zagel is scheduled to sentence Blagojevich Dec. 6. He's not bound by federal sentencing guidelines or the recommendations of either side.

Prosecutors argued in their filing that Rezko got more than 10 years even though he was not an elected public official and offered some cooperation to investigators.

"Blagojevich engaged in extensive criminal conduct with and without Rezko, provided no cooperation, perjured himself for seven days on the witness stand, and has accepted no responsibility for his criminal conduct," prosecutors said.

And Blagojevich, who campaigned as a reformer, was "acutely aware of the damage" Ryan had created, prosecutors said.

"As the chief executive of the state, Blagojevich was in a special position of responsibility to the public," prosecutors said. "His abuse of office is particularly grave given the faith put in him by the citizens of Illinois."

But Blagojevich's attorneys argued that Rezko did deserve more prison time than the former governor because his crimes were greater and led to profit, while Blagojevich "made nothing."

During Rezko's trial, prosecutors said he raised more than $1 million for Blagojevich and got so much clout in return he could control two powerful state boards. They accused him of plotting to squeeze payoffs from money management firms that sought to invest the assets of the $40 billion state Teachers Retirement System and said he plotted to get a $1.5 million bribe from a contractor who sought state approval to build a hospital.

Others found guilty in the federal investigation also profited, Blagojevich's attorneys said.

"Blagojevich's convicted counts, on the other hand, involved discussion of beneficial legislative initiatives and a legally mandated role to make a Senate appointment and resulted in no harm," they said. "The legislative initiatives all passed and the people of Illinois got their senator."

Most legal experts had predicted Zagel would hand down a prison term of about 10 years. But Rezko's sentence, handed down by a different judge, may change Zagel's calculus.

"I think there's a good possibility that Mr. Blagojevich could get between 12 and 15 years," said Phil Turner, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago who is now a defense attorney. "I don't think he's going to get 20, though."

Marcellus McRae, another former federal prosecutor who's now a Los Angeles attorney, said Rezko's sentence could become a useful comparison point for a judge looking to send a message against corruption.

"I think deterrence has got to be a significant part of this," McRae said. "How many times has the public had this issue of public integrity and abuse of trust in front of them?"

Blagojevich was convicted at his first trial of lying to the FBI, but jurors deadlocked on the other charges. At his second trial this summer, he was convicted on 17 of 20 counts.

Federal wiretap tapes played in court captured an increasingly isolated and unpopular governor speaking excitedly in late 2008 about his power to name someone to Obama's old Senate seat. Blagojevich famously called the seat "f------ golden" and resolved not to "give it up for ... nothing."

Prosecutors on Wednesday brought up other charges of misconduct, including attempted shakedowns of a children's hospital CEO and racetrack executives and demands that the Chicago Tribune fire editorial board members in exchange for help with the sale of Wrigley Field.

Blagojevich has said that despite what he said on the tapes, his conduct was not illegal. His attorneys on Wednesday renewed that argument. They said Blagojevich "intended to collect ideas and options and measure one against the other."

As recently as last week, his attorneys asked Zagel to allow more wiretap tapes to be played at his sentencing. Zagel denied the request. Several parts of Blagojevich's filing ? including most of one section subtitled "Castles In The Air" ? reference sealed wiretap recordings and are blacked out.

Blagojevich's attorneys mentioned his work as governor, his family and the struggle of a federal investigation as reasons for leniency. They said he was close to bankruptcy.

"He was and is a politician, which can cause him to be perceived as shallow and self-promoting," they said. "However, his track record as governor reveals a genuine commitment to initiatives that benefitted the middle and lower middle class."

Prosecutors preemptively attacked those arguments. They said Blagojevich should not be seen as a family man and governor who helped the state, but as a common criminal. The former governor "appears to be committed to his wife and daughters," prosecutors said, noting that defendants in other cases also often have families that suffer when they go to prison. And any good work he did as governor shouldn't mitigate the charges against him, prosecutors argued.

"Many criminals are productive members of society, holding down jobs that they ably accomplish when they are not otherwise engaged in criminal activity," they said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_re_us/us_blagojevich_trial_sentencing

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Forums: Apple TV 3 release pool (win an ATV3 for free!), waiting for iPhone 5, iOS 5.1 changes, how to shoot HDR photos, SwitcherPlush for iOS 5 Jailbreak?

If you’re not in the TiPb Forums, you’re missing out on the best darn iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and frankly — everything else! — discussion on the web today! Registration is free and fast, and there’s help, humor, and contests aplenty to make your iOS life just that much...

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MacworldAU: Apple supplier employees go on strike http://t.co/hxs9w57H

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Video: Aruba to release American suspect

>>> now to a surprising development in the disappearance of american robyn gardner in aru aruba . gary gee iordano, the only suspect in this case is free to go. a move that could have him back in the states within days. nbc's lily luciano has the story.

>> he cried. it's the try of an innocent man finally being released.

>> reporter: the ruling came as a shock, both to prosecution and defense. gary giordano held for nearly four months in the disappearance of american robyn gardner in aruba walks as early as tuesday. aruban law allows for the suspect of a crime to be held for 30 days without a charge. that's been extended several times in the investigation. but without enough evidence to charge giordano , prosecutors ran out of time.

>> i said we are determined to come to a conclusion, to find out the truth in this case and that will continue. we have still a lot of things to investigate.

>> giordano , seen in the surveillance tape with gardener on his day of her disappearance claims they went snorkeling together. when currents got strong, he signaled for her to swim back to the beach. but by the time he got back to shore, he lost sight of her for good. he attempted to flee the island just three days after she went missing. with his potential release, prosecutors fear he may be a flight risk but they say this new ruling doesn't mean the case is over. prosecutors have now filed an appeal to gee giordano behind bars while they continue their search for clues. it must be approved by a three-judge panel by tuesday, or else gary giordano walks free, free to return home while the disappearance of robyn gardner remains a mystery.

>> here is more insight is attorney karen stow. good morning.

>> good morning, lester.

>> the prosecution is continuing to investigate, but is there any evidence that a crime was committed?

>> there's a gut feeling . deja vu with the natalie holloway case here. prosecutors have a gut feeling and that's based on witness testimony, the fact that there was a $1.5 million insurance policy that he took out for this vacation insurance in case something happened to miss gardner during this vacation period. so there's a lot of information that makes us question whether or not it was him and whether or not this was just an accident. he's maintaining that she was swept out to sea. obviously, there's a lot of information here that says that that's not what happened, that possibly she was, in fact, murdered.

>> but this decision to allow his release is based upon the fact that there hasn't been any new evidence in the case. so is this appeal going to -- when the judge looks at this appeal, are they going to say, well, where is your new evidence?

>> i think that's what he's saying now. he's been held for over 100 days now. if there was any new witness testimony or anything new in the investigation, they could extend that. the fbi back in maryland did do a sweep of his home, so if there is any new evidence, they can rearrest him and have him extradited.

>> you mentioned the natalee holloway case. is that what's driving this here? is there a sense that there was embarrassment for authorities? are they making sure the suspect doesn't get out of their reach?

>> not so much an embarrassment, but yes, van der sloot was arrested on another murder. but their main source of income over there is tourism. how are you going to have tourism, lester, when no one is going to want to go over there thinking i'm going to go over there and get murdered. every mother in the world if their daughter says i'm going to aruba has a nervous breakdown. tremendous amount of pressure to try and resolve this so their industry is not affected.

>> and you mentioned extradition. is that an easy process or would they have to have solid evidence before the u.s. would hand him over?

>> it's not an easy process. obviously you try as a prosecutor and a former prosecutor you hope that they waive it. but even with van der sloot , he was in the netherlands when he was re-arrested. the process takes a while and, yes, there's a lot of paperwork. you have to do an affidavit there, you have to do an affidavit here. it's a process.

>> karen, thanks. always appreciate your

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/45444287/

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Inside Social Games ? Social Gaming News Roundup: Disney ...

Lucky Space Adds New Challenges, Leaderboards and Trophies ? A Bit Lucky has added new game features to its sci-fi themed space exploration game, Lucky Space. Product manager Whalen Rozelle says the content will increase engagement by appealing to gamers? sense of competition.

Disney Playdom Snags OnLine Exec as Senior VP of Social Games ? The single biggest hiring move for the week of Thanksgiving is Disney Playdom?s appointment of John Spinale as senior vice president of social games under John Pleasants. Spinale was previously vice president of games and media at streaming games service provider OnLive. VentureBeat has the full story.

Asvathaa?s Karma Kingdom Generates Donations for India?s Sankara Eye Foundation ? Karma Kingdom, a Facebook game based on Indian mythology, has introduced special virtual goods that generate proceeds for the Sankara Eye Foundation. According to our AppData traffic tracking service, the game enjoys 2,000 monthly active users and fewer than 100 daily active users.

Facebook Hosts Social Game Hack ? On December 8th, Facebook will host an official social game hack event in Palo Alto. The goal of the event is to get developers familiar with Open Graph features that can improve the overall game experience on the platform. Registration is $25.

Xbox 360 Dashboard Updates Adds Facebook Sharing ? A December 6th update to Microsoft?s Xbox 360 console will allow Facebook sharing from the Dashboard.

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    Source: http://www.insidesocialgames.com/2011/11/25/social-gaming-news-roundup-disney-playdom-lucky-space-facebook-social-game-hack/

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    India minister: New retail policy has safeguards

    FILE - In this April 28, 2011 file photo, Indians crowd a vegetable market in Ahmadabad, India. India's Cabinet decided Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011 to allow more direct foreign investment in the nation's huge retail industry, a move that could strengthen the country's food supply chain and open India to giant global retailers such as Wal-Mart. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

    FILE - In this April 28, 2011 file photo, Indians crowd a vegetable market in Ahmadabad, India. India's Cabinet decided Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011 to allow more direct foreign investment in the nation's huge retail industry, a move that could strengthen the country's food supply chain and open India to giant global retailers such as Wal-Mart. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

    FILE - In this May 30, 2009 file photo, workers walk during the inauguration ceremony of the first Wal-Mart/Bharti Enterprises joint venture store in Amritsar, India. India's Cabinet decided Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011 to allow more direct foreign investment in the nation's huge retail industry, a move that could strengthen the country's food supply chain and open India to giant global retailers such as Wal-Mart. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File)

    FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2011 file photo, a Kashmiri fruit vendor waits for customers at a local market in Srinagar, India. India's Cabinet decided Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011 to allow more direct foreign investment in the nation's huge retail industry, a move that could strengthen the country's food supply chain and open India to giant global retailers such as Wal-Mart. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)

    FILE - In this May 30, 2009 file photo, a worker adjusts goods inside the first newly inaugurated Wal-Mart/Bharti Enterprises joint venture store in Amritsar, India. India's Cabinet decided Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011 to allow more direct foreign investment in the nation's huge retail industry, a move that could strengthen the country's food supply chain and open India to giant global retailers such as Wal-Mart. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File)

    FILE - In this Jan, 12, 2011 file photo, vendors wait for customers at a vegetable market in New Delhi, India. India's Cabinet decided Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011 to allow more direct foreign investment in the nation's huge retail industry, a move that could strengthen the country's food supply chain and open India to giant global retailers such as Wal-Mart. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan, File)

    (AP) ? India's commerce minister said Friday that the decision to open the country's $400 billion retail sector to global chains such as Wal-Mart has a built-in safety net for small shops and farmers.

    Anand Sharma told reporters that the Indian cabinet's decision late Thursday allowing 51 percent foreign ownership of supermarkets would vastly improve decrepit infrastructure that causes massive food waste in a country plagued by malnutrition and high inflation.

    Sharma said the new rule would only apply in cities with more than one million people. The minimum investment would be $100 million and half of this would have to be invested in rural infrastructure and refrigerated transport and storage. Thirty percent of the produce sourced by the retailer would also have to come from small and medium enterprises.

    Top retailers such as Wal-Mart and Tesco have lobbied for years for a chance to build stores in the nation of 1.2 billion people and political deadlock on long-promised reforms in retail and other areas has helped cool foreign investor interest in India. Foreign retailers have Indian partners in wholesale operations, but no retail stores.

    The Cabinet also allowed 100 percent foreign ownership of single-brand retail operations, up from 51 percent.

    Advocates see the move as a way to strengthen India's creaking food distribution system.

    The country suffers chronically high malnutrition and soaring inflation, but it's not for lack of food. It is the world's second largest grower of fresh produce, yet loses an estimated 40 percent of its fruit and vegetables to rot because of a lack of refrigerated trucking and warehouses, poor roads, inclement weather and corruption. That translates into lower incomes for farmers and higher prices for consumers.

    If companies like Wal-Mart and Tesco can open shops of their own, the investments they make in improving farming techniques and getting produce into stores more efficiently, could bring down food inflation ? which has averaged 10.5 percent over the last year ? and possibly improving rural incomes.

    Sharma said the policy would have a "multiplier effect" and tens of millions of people would gain jobs.

    Wal-Mart, British-based Tesco PLC and French-based retailer Carrefour welcomed the decision.

    "This legal evolution should contribute to modernize the Indian food supply chain and to fight against food inflation for the benefit of Indian customers," Carrefour said in a statement. It said the decision would help India's farmers and the nation's general economic development.

    Opposition parties and even a key ally of the government has been opposed to the move. The country has struggled to find consensus because of concerns that competition from the foreign retail giants could hurt millions of small shopkeepers, as well as the poor.

    Sharma said the new policy had been reached through a "transparent and democratic process of consultation with all the stake holders."

    The main opposition, the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, has decried the move.

    "The government has clearly bowed to international pressure," spokesman Chandan Mitra told the NDTV news channel Thursday.

    India's $400 billion retail sector is the nation's second-largest employer, after agriculture, according to consulting firm Deloitte.

    The Ministry of Commerce says it will cost 76.9 billion rupees ($1.7 billion US) to build the additional 35 million metric tons of food storage India needs.

    Ashish Sanyal, managing director of retailing consultancy AMP Retail Services, said small businesses had nothing to fear from the big chains.

    "At the end of the day this is like the high tide. All boats will rise. We will learn from the big retailers."

    Long delays in economic reforms in India have made investors increasingly wary of plowing money into the country.

    India's policymakers are now under acute pressure to find ways to attract foreign currency to help strengthen the rupee, which hit an all-time low against the dollar this week.

    Traders say the central bank has been buying rupees in recent days but those measures are unlikely to reverse the currency's plunge absent more farsighted policy reform.

    The discussions on opening up India's retail sector have been going on for 10 years.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-25-AS-India-Retailers/id-42eb557ed0844fa3bf0fb40f9935c80d

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