Republicans see some leverage in "fiscal cliff" talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republicans may have some leverage in their fiscal cliffhanger with President Barack Obama: the threat of forcing a disproportionate number of Democrats to pay the so-called alternative minimum tax.Under U.S. law, taxpayers each year must pay the greater of regular federal income tax, or the AMT. The latter requires taxpayers to give up certain tax breaks, typically exemptions...

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YEARENDER-Basketball-Lebron shines brightest on every stage

Dec 21 (Reuters) - LeBron James finally captured an elusive National Basketball Association title to cap a year where he silenced his critics and shared the spotlight with some unlikely players."Linsanity" became one of the new buzzwords in the NBA while a collegiate player took a sledgehammer to the record books and the Los Angeles Lakers made a blockbuster trade that rekindled memories of the team's...

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Lebron shines brightest on every stage

(Reuters) - LeBron James finally captured an elusive National Basketball Association title to cap a year where he silenced his critics and shared the spotlight with some unlikely players."Linsanity" became one of the new buzzwords in the NBA while a collegiate player took a sledgehammer to the record books and the Los Angeles Lakers made a blockbuster trade that rekindled memories of the team's "Showtime"...

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NBA-Timberwolves end Thunder's 12-games winning streak

Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Minnesota Timberwolves, boosted by a brilliant fourth quarter from diminutive guard J.J. Barea, beat Oklahoma City 99-93 on Thursday to end the Thunder's 12-games winning streak.The NBA-leading Thunder battled back after an early 14-points deficit to move within a point at 76-75 early in the fourth before Barea took over.Barea scored 10 points in a 12-2 run that restored Minnesota's...

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UPDATE 1-NBA-Timberwolves end Thunder's 12-games winning streak

T-Wolves snap Thunder winning streak* End their own losing skid against Oklahoma City (Adds details, quotes)Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Minnesota Timberwolves, boosted by a brilliant fourth quarter from diminutive guard J.J. Barea, got a welcome shot of confidence with a 99-93 win over Oklahoma City on Thursday to snap the Thunder's winning streak at 12 games.The uplifting win for the T-Wolves, coming...

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Barea, Wolves snap Thunder's 12-game streak

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder have been blowing the doors off the rest of the Western Conference in these first two months, playing with the swagger born of their run to the NBA Finals last season.J.J. Barea and the Minnesota Timberwolves tried to send a message on Thursday night that a second straight trip isn't going to come easy.Playing with the tenacity that made...

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Nobel literature winner says censorship necessary

STOCKHOLM (AP) — This year's Nobel literature winner Mo Yan, who has been criticized for his cozy relationship with China's Communist Party, defended censorship Thursday as something as necessary as airport security checks.He also suggested he has no plans to join an appeal calling for the release of the jailed 2010 Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo.Mo has been criticized by human rights activists...

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Chinese Nobel literature winner: censorship a must

STOCKHOLM (AP) — This year's Nobel Prize in literature winner, Mo Yan, who has been criticized for his membership in China's Communist Party  and reluctance to speak out against the country's government, defended censorship Thursday as something as necessary as airport security checks.He also suggested he won't join an appeal calling for the release of the jailed 2010 Peace Prize laureate, Liu...

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Belgian graphic artist breaks with comic tradition

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Comic artist Brecht Evens decided to break away from the traditional comic strip images of clear lines and pencil sketches developed in Belgium more than half a century ago.After surviving at first on government subsidies, in 2010 he produced a graphic novel featuring vibrant watercolours and smudged scenes of sexuality and riotous nightlife, with characters blurred into their...

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Russia's Hermitage Museum denounces blasphemy investigation

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The head of Russia's renowned Hermitage Museum accused Russian authorities on Monday of fostering "mob rule" in taking up complaints by Russian Orthodox Christians over a British exhibit they said injured religious feelings.The row coincides with a surge in religious, nationalist sentiment in Russia, with President Vladimir Putin moving closer to the Orthodox Church to consolidate...

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