‘Skyfall’ Will Open January 21 in China, Won’t Face ‘Hobbit’

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Global blockbuster “Skyfall” will open on January 21 in China, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to TheWrap Friday.A strong run in China will be critical if “Skyfall” is to hit $ 1 billion at the worldwide box office.The date means that Sony and MGM’s newest 007 film will likely roll out ahead of Warner Bros.‘ Middle-earth epic “The Hobbit,” which is expected...

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Ky. court upholds decision in penis removal case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man lost his bid Friday to force a doctor to pay damages for removing a cancer-riddled section of his penis during what was scheduled to be a simple circumcision.The Kentucky Court of Appeals found that a jury correctly concluded that 66-year-old Phillip Seaton of Waddy consented to allow Dr. John Patterson to perform any procedure deemed necessary during the Oct....

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The Year’s Best & Worst Investments

WinnersBest International Stock (+283%): India consumes more than $ 20 billion worth of whiskey each year—the most in the world—and United Spirits (UNSP) is the nation’s largest distiller. The company’s sales doubled in four years. The United Kingdom’s Diageo (DEO) bought a controlling stake in United Spirits in November. Best U.S. Large-Cap Stock (+224%): The good news for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals...

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Italy PM Monti resigns, elections likely in February

ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti tendered his resignation to the president on Friday after 13 months in office, opening the way to a highly uncertain national election in February.The former European commissioner, appointed to lead an unelected government to save Italy from financial crisis a year ago, has kept his own political plans a closely guarded secret but he has faced growing...

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Reacting to users’ outcry, Facebook’s Instagram reverts to prior policy on advertising

SAN FRANCISCO – Instagram has abandoned wording in its new terms-of-service agreement that sparked outcry from users concerned it meant their photos could appear in advertisements.In a blog post late Thursday, the popular mobile photo-sharing service says it has reverted to language in the advertising section of its terms of service that appeared when it was launched in October 2010.Instagram is now...

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Mission Impossible?: Can Tom Cruise Launch a Box-Office Franchise with ‘Jack Reacher’?

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Paramount hopes it’s launching a franchise with “Jack Reacher,” the Tom Cruise action thriller that hits theaters Friday.It will be tricky in a crowded holiday marketplace, and Cruise isn’t the box-office bonanza he once was. But one need only look back to last year’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” to see how it might work. That film opened to $ 12 million on December...

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New Whole Plant Therapy Shows Promise as an Effective and Economical Treatment for Malaria in Research Led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Research Published Today in PLOS ONE May Point the Way Toward a New Model for Malaria Treatment That Could Also Be a Socioeconomic Stimulus for Developing Nations.Worcester, Mass. (PRWEB) December 20, 2012In the worldwide battle to curtail malaria, one of the most prevalent and deadly infectious diseases of the developing world, drug after drug has fallen by the wayside as the malaria parasite has...

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Europe Needs Less Financial Integration, Not More

“More Europe” is always the solution when leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel talk about Europe’s slow-burning financial crisis. To qualify for emergency aid, they say, countries like Greece and Spain must surrender control of their banks and budgets to supra-national authorities. Another brick of the “more Europe” edifice was cemented into place on Dec. 13 when finance ministers of...

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Wounded presage health crisis for postwar Syria

ATMEH, Syria (AP) — A baby boy joined the ranks of Syria’s tens of thousands of war wounded when a missile fired by Bashar Assad‘s air force slammed into his family home and shrapnel pierced his skull.Four-month-old Fahed Darwish suffered brain damage and, like thousands of others seriously hurt in the civil war, he will likely need care well after the fighting is over. That’s something doctors say...

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New Online Privacy Loophole Lets Facebook Advertise to Kids

Mark Zuckerberg‘s been eager to find a way to get more kids on Facebook for years, and on Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission handed it to him on a platter. That might be overstating it a little bit. It’s more like the FTC served it to him on a platter covered in plastic wrap with a note attached that says “Do not open.” Nevertheless, should Facebook decided to see what’s inside, experts in online...

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