What's next in the looming budget crisis?

(CBS News) WASHINGTON -- We are nine days from the next national self-inflicted budget crisis: big, across-the-board cuts in the federal budget will hit automatically on March 1. The cuts are designed to be so deep and damaging that they would force the president and Congress to compromise on a better way. "These cuts are not smart, they are not fair, they will hurt our economy, they will add hundreds...

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Arias Says Violent Sex Preceded Killing

Jodi Arias and her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander,, had increasingly violent sex in which he tied her to his bed, twisted her arm, bent her over a desk for anal sex, and made sex videos with her in the hours leading up to the stabbing and shooting frenzy that left Alexander dead.It was a day in which Arias, 32, inched closer to telling the court how the killing of Alexander...

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Biofuel rush is wiping out unique American grasslands

Say goodbye to the grass. The scramble for biofuels is rapidly killing off unique grasslands and pastures in the central US. Christopher Wright and Michael Wimberly of South Dakota State University in Brookings analysed satellite...

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Shares in Australia's APN hit after directors quit

SYDNEY: Shares in Australian media firm APN News and Media plunged Tuesday after a walkout from board members over a capital raising dispute with major shareholder Ireland's Independent News and Media.APN, owner of several Australian radio stations, billboard advertising assets, regional newspapers and some of New Zealand's top titles, said its chairman, CEO and three directors had resigned...

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Coast Guard identifies cause of cruise ship fire

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Coast Guard: The fuel line ran from an engine to a fuel tankThere is no indication the leak was intentional, a Coast Guard official saysThe crew is praised for doing a "very good job" containing the fireWashington (CNN) -- The fire that crippled the Carnival cruise ship Triumph started with a leak in a fuel-oil return line running from one of the ship's engines, the U.S. Coast...

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WH: Leaked immigration plan is only partial draft

(CBS News) WASHINGTON -- Over the weekend, a partial White House plan for immigration reform leaked to the press and caused an uproar. White House officials tell CBS News that what was leaked is real -- it's a partial draft of half a bill. What we know is the administration's current thinking about what to do about the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States right now....

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Nike, Oakley Distance Themselves from Pistorius

Corporate sponsors of Olympic "blade runner" Oscar Pistorius have begun to distance themselves from the sprinter, who is accused of murdering his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius is back to court in South Africa Tuesday morning on murder charges.Oakley, the eyewear manufacturer, and the sporting goods giant Nike announced today that they would no longer run ads featuring...

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Wiping out top predators messes up the climate

Wiping out top predators like lions, wolves and sharks is tragic, bad for ecosystems – and can make climate change worse. Mass extinctions of the big beasts of the jungles, grasslands and oceans could already be adding to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. ...

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Yen weakens in Asia after G20 talks

TOKYO: The yen weakened in Asia after G20 finance ministers pledged not to devalue their currencies and avoided targeting Tokyo over the recent plunge in the Japanese unit.Japan's policy of monetary easing has led to sharp falls in the value of the yen, sparking fears of a global currency war in which rival nations would drive down their currencies to gain a trade advantage.In the past...

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Pope delivers one of his final messages

By Hada Messia and Josh Levs, CNNupdated 7:21 PM EST, Sun February 17, 2013Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to lead the Angelus prayer at the Vatican on Sunday.STORY HIGHLIGHTSIt's the pope's second-to-last Angelus prayer as pontiffPope Benedict XVI thanks his flock for prayers and supportHe discusses "decisive moments of our lives"Cardinals may meet before March 15(CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI...

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