Bill Gates says fame not goal in aid work

NEW YORK: Bill Gates, one of the world's richest men and highest profile aid donors, says he doesn't care if he's forgotten after his death -- as long as polio and other major diseases have been eradicated."I don't need to be remembered at all," the co-founder of Microsoft, 57, told AFP in New York.Gates has a fortune estimated by Forbes at US$66 billion, second only to Mexican telecoms...

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BackBlaze iPhone app gives access to online backups

Backblaze's iOS app gives access to an account holder's backed-up PC files.(Credit:Backblaze)Backblaze, an online backup start-up, announced plans to release an iPhone app in coming weeks to let customers tap into their files."Having restored 2.5 billion files for our customers, we found that 22 percent of recoveries contained a single file and realized customers were using Backblaze to access their...

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Teen inaugural performer shot dead in Chicago

CHICAGO A teenage girl who attended presidential inauguration activities in Washington earlier this month was shot to death at a Chicago park. Play VideoChicago mother takes stand against gun violencePlay VideoChicago mayor puts pressure on gunmakers Police say 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was shot in the back Tuesday and later died at University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. An unidentified...

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Giffords to Senate: 'Americans Are Counting on You'

Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, whose congressional career was ended by a bullet wound to her head, opened a Senate hearing on gun violence today by telling the panel, "Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important."In a determined and forceful voice, she told the Senators to be "courageous" because "Americans are counting on you."Giffords sat alongside...

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Army warns unrest pushing Egypt to the brink

CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt's army chief said political unrest was pushing the state to the brink of collapse - a stark warning from the institution that ran the country until last year as Cairo's first freely elected leader struggles to curb bloody street violence. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a U.S.-trained general appointed by President Mohamed Mursi last year to head the armed forces,...

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US consumer confidence down sharply in January

WASHINGTON: US consumer confidence dove sharply for the second straight month in January, the Conference Board said Tuesday, with rising taxes cited as a likely reason for the surge in gloom.The board's consumer confidence index sank to 58.6 in January from 66.7 in December, far below the 2012 peak of 73.1 in October.The January level was also below where the index stood in January 2012,...

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Creepy realistic vampire baby dolls are immortal

Awww, what a cutie-patootie!(Credit:Bean Shanine)Thanks to "Twilight," vampires are more popular than ever. It's only natural that people would want their own vampire babies, isn't it? OK, maybe not, but there is a niche market out there for vampire baby dolls. I'm not talking about action figures or stuffed toys, I'm talking about dolls so realistic you'll feel like you've crossed the Uncanny Valley...

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Clinton reveals her biggest regret as secretary of state

In a global "town hall" with young people today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about her legacy -- including the parallels between her tenure as secretary of state and another historical diplomat's -- and her future of helping women in politics. "I do want to see more women compete for the highest positions in their countries," Clinton said in the "Global Townterview," a Washington event...

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Palin and Fox Part Ways, but Is She Really Over?

Sarah Palin's break up with Fox News should not have been, well, breaking news, as she had publicly complained in August on Facebook that the network had canceled her appearances at the Republican National Convention. And going back even further, Palin didn't give Fox the scoop in October 2011 when she announced she wasn't going to run for president. Still, the news of the...

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Violence flares in Egypt after emergency law imposed

CAIRO (Reuters) - A man was shot dead on Monday in a fifth day of violence that has killed 50 Egyptians and prompted the Islamist president to declare a state of emergency in an attempt to end a wave of unrest sweeping the biggest Arab nation. Emergency rule announced by President Mohamed Mursi on Sunday covers the cities of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez. The army has already been deployed...

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