FACTBOX-Soccer-African Nations Cup finalists Ivory Coast

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Factbox on African Nations Cup finalists Ivory Coast ahead of this year's tournament in South Africa from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10:Previous appearances in African Nations Cup finals: 19Best performances: Winners in 1992; Runners-up in 2006 and 2012FIFA world ranking Dec 2012: 14Coach:Sabri Lamouchi had no previous coaching experience when the Ivorians surprisingly installed him last...

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FACTBOX-Soccer-African Nations Cup finalists Algeria

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Factbox on African Nations Cup finalists Algeria ahead of this year's tournament in South Africa from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10:Previous appearances in African Nations Cup finals: 14Best performances: Winners in 1990; Runners-up in 1980FIFA world ranking Dec 2012: 19Coach:Vahid Halilhodzic is a former Yugoslavia international who moved to France during his playing days and stayed for...

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FACTBOX-Soccer-African Nations Cup finalists Togo

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Factbox on African Nations Cup finalists Togo ahead of this year's tournament in South Africa from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10:Previous appearances African Nations Cup finals: 7Best performance: Never got past the first roundFIFA world ranking Dec 2012: 71Coach:Didier Six has had a tempestuous tenure in charge of Togo, having to deal with player strikes and his own battle to get wages paid...

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Jimmy Dushku: The 25-year-old who is North Korea's one true Twitter friend

Mother Jones takes a look at a globetrotting young investor who's the only American — and the only human being — Pyongyang followsGoogle Chairman Eric Schmidt capped a controversial four-day visit to North Korea on Thursday with a call for the country's censorship-happy communist government to give its people access to the internet, or face further economic decline due to the country's global isolation....

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What would your signature look like if Jack Lew wrote it? (Interactive)

White House chief of staff Jack Lew's signature has been ridiculed as nothing more than a series of childish loops—a nontrivial point, given that President Barack Obama is expected to nominate Lew as the new Treasury secretary, meaning his signature will adorn new U.S. currency.Now, Yahoo News exclusively brings you the Jack Lew Signature Generator. Just type in your name, hit the button, and see...

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Gasoline prices predicted to fall in 2013

NEW YORK (AP) — At least gasoline should cost you less in 2013.Hamburger, health care and taxes are all set to take a bigger bite out of the family budget this year. But drivers' annual gas bills are expected to drop for the first time in four years.Forecasters say ample oil supplies and weak U.S. demand will keep a lid on prices. The lows will be lower and the highs won't be so high compared with...

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New York City should hike taxes on big business-comptroller

(Reuters) - New York City's top financial officer and possible contender for mayor in 2013, John Liu, proposed on Thursday tax hikes for big businesses and an end to Madison Square Garden's $15 million annual property tax exemption.The proposals by New York City Comptroller John Liu include tax hikes on private equity firms, which would help offset his plan for $500 million in tax breaks and lowered...

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Republicans push own "fiscal cliff" plan; talks frozen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the Congress pushed ahead on Thursday with a "fiscal cliff" plan that stands no chance of becoming law as time runs short to reach a deal with President Barack Obama to avert a Washington-induced economic recession.House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" to limit income-tax increases to the wealthiest sliver of the population appeared likely...

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Canada's seven-month budget gap narrows to C$10.6 billion

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's federal budget deficit narrowed in the first seven months of the fiscal year to C$10.57 billion ($10.68 billion) from C$13.90 billion in the same period last year as personal and corporate income tax revenues rose and debt charges were lower.The monthly shortfall in October was C$1.68 billion, compared with a gap of C$2.13 billion a year earlier, the Department of Finance...

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Paul keeps Clippers on top in Los Angeles battle

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Chris Paul and the Clippers maintained a grip on top billing in Los Angeles with a tense 107-102 victory over the Lakers on Friday to cement their status as the city's best team.Paul withstood a fierce challenge from Kobe Bryant, recording 30 points and 13 assists to Bryant's 38 points, and the Clippers moved further ahead in both the standings and the crosstown rivalry."It's...

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NBA: Timberwolves top scorer Love has broken hand

(Reuters) - Minnesota Timberwolves leading scorer Kevin Love has refractured his right hand, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team said on Saturday.The injury to Love, who missed the first three weeks of the 2012-13 season with a broken right hand, is a severe blow to the Timberwolves (15-14), who are battling to stay in playoff contention in the NBA's Western Conference.Love, 24, suffered...

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NBA-D'Antoni says Lakers need better starts, tighter defense

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Faster starts and a much improved defense are sorely needed by the Los Angeles Lakers if the 16-time NBA champions are to resurrect a bitterly disappointing campaign, according to their head coach Mike D'Antoni.Lakers fans had lofty expectations for 2012-13 after Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol were joined by fellow All-Stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash during the off-season but the...

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House Republicans say resigned to tax hike in fiscal cliff

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are resigned to seeing some sort of income tax increase in legislation to avoid a "fiscal cliff," but such efforts could be doomed in the absence of spending cuts, some Republican lawmakers say.Congress and President Barack Obama are gearing up for a last-ditch attempt to avoid $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts...

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French government says will propose a rejigged 75 percent tax plan

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government will redraft a proposal for a 75 percent upper income tax band and resubmit it, the prime minister's office said on Saturday, after the Constitutional Council rejected the measure included in the 2013 budget."It will be presented as part of the next budget law," Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault's office said in a statement, without giving a time frame. The...

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French court rejects 75 percent millionaires' tax

PARIS (Reuters) - France's Constitutional Council on Saturday rejected a 75 percent upper income tax rate to be introduced in 2013 in a setback to Socialist President Francois Hollande's push to make the rich contribute more to cutting the public deficit.The Council ruled that the planned 75 percent tax on annual income above 1 million euros ($1.32 million) - a flagship measure of Hollande's election...

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TEST:Pakistan: US drones kill 13, including commander

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A pair of U.S. drone strikes in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border killed 13 people Thursday, including a senior militant commander who had a truce with the Pakistani military, intelligence officials and residents said.Five Pakistani security officials said the commander, Maulvi Nazir, was reportedly among nine people killed in a missile strike on a house in the village...

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Video fuels rumor NKorean leader's wife gave birth

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The seemingly pregnant belly sported by the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in mid-December appeared to be gone by New Year's Day.That's sent South Korean media into a frenzy of speculation that there's a new baby in the ruling Kim dynasty.Video broadcast Dec. 17 showed Ri Sol Ju wearing a billowing black dress that covered what appeared to be a swollen belly.Rumors...

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Pakistan says US drones kill senior Taliban figure

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Two U.S. drone strikes on northwest Pakistan killed a senior Taliban commander who fought American forces in Afghanistan but had a truce with the Pakistani military, intelligence officials said Thursday.The commander, Maulvi Nazir, was among nine people killed in a missile strike on a house in the village of Angoor Adda in the South Waziristan tribal region near the border...

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Golf: Brunei Prince among Asian Tour qualifying school entries

 Prince Abdul Hakeem Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei is one of a record 761 golfers who will compete in the Asian Tour's qualifying school in Thailand this month.The 39-year-old, who was his country's first Olympian when he took part in skeet shooting at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, will need to finish tied 40th or better to become the first Brunei golfer on tour.The Prince, who took up golf having watched...

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Golf-McIlroy may turn down chance to play in 2016 Olympics

LONDON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy may reject the opportunity to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro to avoid any controversy over which country to represent.Twice major winner McIlroy, 23, said he was mulling whether to play for Britain or Ireland and he told the BBC that he might opt out of playing altogether."I just think being from where we're from, we're placed...

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Golf-Valderrama course creator Ortiz-Patino dies aged 82

MADRID, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Jaime Ortiz-Patino, a Spain-based golf promoter who created the famous Valderrama course and who was one one of the driving forces behind the growth of the sport in the Iberian nation, has died at the age of 82."Jaime Ortiz-Patino...passed away this morning in the Costa del Sol hospital in Marbella," the Spanish golf federation (RFEG) said in a statement on their website...

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