Federal judge blocks Missouri law to deny birth control coverage

A federal judge on Friday blocked a new Missouri law that requires health insurers to offer plans that exclude contraception coverage if employers or individuals object to birth control on moral or religious grounds.U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig granted a temporary restraining order preventing the enforcement of the law, writing that it appears to conflict with the new federal health care law.Republican...

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Philadelphia to Install Free Condom Dispensers in High Schools

Philadelphia is installing condom dispensers in 22 city high schools where students as young as 14 will be able to receive condoms for free in an effort to combat an "epidemic" of sexually transmitted disease among the city's teenagers.Students returning to school from Christmas break will find clear plastic dispensers filled with condoms in the offices of nurses whose schools have the highest rates...

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Poor reading skills tied to risk of teen pregnancy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Seventh grade girls who have trouble reading are more likely to get pregnant in high school than average or above-average readers, according to a new study from Philadelphia.Researchers found that pattern stuck even after they took into account the girls' race and poverty in their neighborhoods - both of which are tied to teen pregnancy rates."We certainly know that social...

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New child soldier fears in C. African Republic

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — The U.N. children's agency says it's concerned about a growing number of children being recruited by armed groups in Central African Republic as President Francois Bozize's government faces a rebellion in the north.UNICEF said Friday it has received "credible reports that rebel groups and pro-government militias are increasingly recruiting and involving children...

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Bolivia expropriates Spanish energy subsidiaries

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — President Evo Morales nationalized the Bolivian electricity distribution subsidiaries of the Spanish energy company Iberdrola in a public ceremony Saturday.Morales issued a decree allowing the takeover of shares in Empresa de Electricidad de La Paz (Electropaz) and Empresa de Luz y Fuerza de Oruro (Elfeo), which supply energy in this Andean nation.Soldiers guarded the installations...

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Mexico City orders prison in animal cruelty cases

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico City lawmakers have approved prison terms for animal cruelty, previously considered a civil offense sanctioned with fines and detentions.The capital's legislative assembly unanimously agreed that people who intentionally abuse and cause animals harm will face up to two years in prison and pay up to $500. If the animal is killed, they can face up to four years in prison and...

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Argentina to court: revert order on debt holdouts

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina is asking a US appeals court to reverse an order for the country to pay $1.33 billion to "holdout" creditors who refused to join two swaps for the country's defaulted debt.Argentine government lawyers said in papers filed late Friday that the order violates the country's sovereignty. The lawyers said the order also threatens service on at least $24 billion...

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Venezuelan VP heads to Cuba to visit ailing Chavez

HAVANA (AP) — Venezuela's vice president arrived in Havana to visit President Hugo Chavez as he recovers from cancer surgery, Cuban official media said early Saturday.Communist Party newspaper Granma published online a photo of Vice President Nicolas Maduro being greeted at the airport in the Cuban capital by the island's foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez."From there, (Maduro) went directly to the...

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Fixed mortgage rates rise above record lows

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed mortgage rates rose slightly this week off their record lows. The year ends much like it began, with few people able to take advantage of the best rates in history.Freddie Mac says the average on the 30-year home loan increased to 3.95 percent from 3.91 percent. Last week's rate was the lowest average on records dating to the 1950s.The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage...

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Fixed mortgage rates end year above record lows

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed mortgage rates rose slightly this week off their record lows. The year ends much like it began, with few people able to take advantage of the best rates in history.Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average on the 30-year home loan increased to 3.95 percent from 3.91 percent. Last week's rate was the lowest average on records dating to the 1950s.The average on the 15-year fixed...

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Credit score focus of new celeb-backed debit card

NEW YORK (AP) — Personal finance media personality Suze Orman is thinking big. She's the   first out of the gate in the fast-growing prepaid debit card market with a card that aims to help its users build a credit score. It's a gamble that could pay off, if it can help create a way measure the creditworthiness of millions who function outside the traditional financial system.The latest in...

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Rate on 30-year mortgage drops to record 3.89 pct.

Fixed mortgage rates fell once again to a record low, offering a great opportunity for those who can afford to buy or refinance homes. But few are able to take advantage of the historic rates.Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.89 percent. That's below the previous record of 3.91 percent reached three weeks ago.Records for mortgage rates date back to...

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First Person: What My College Degree Means to Me

Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a personal finance story that you'd like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.My college degree helped me pursue a successful 30-year career in advertising and public relations. However, it only happened after I realized I had not made the right decision in choosing my college...

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Phablet wars heat up with ZTE’s quad-core Nubia Z5

2013 is shaping up to be the year of the “phablet” with virtually ever major handset maker preparing to challenge Samsung’s (005930) impressive Galaxy Note lineup. While there’s no clear definition on how large a phablet is, most tend to have screens that hover in the 5-inch range, though Huawei’s upcoming 6.1-inch smartphone will only push that boundary. ZTE’s newly announced Nubia Z5 packs a 5-inch...

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Temple Run was downloaded more than 2.5 million times on Christmas Day

Millions of men, woman and children awoke on December 25th to find a smartphone or tablet under their Christmas tree. After opening these gifts, users are typically quick to fire up their new devices and download the most popular apps. Keith Shepherd, founder of Imangi Studios, announced on Wednesday that the company’s Temple Run game saw unprecedented attention on Christmas Day. The executive revealed...

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Original Samsung Galaxy Note Getting Jelly Bean Update

If you bought one of the original Samsung Galaxy Note smartphones and have been kicking yourself for not waiting for the Galaxy Note II and all its Jelly Bean-powered features, you can stop feeling bad. The first Note will be getting Jelly Bean very soon.Samsung posted details about the Note's Premium Suite update on the product website. Enabled by an upgrade to Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean," the feature...

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Lack of low-end BlackBerry 10 phone could be a serious stumbling block in RIM comeback bid

South Africa is one of Research In Motion’s (RIMM) top five markets in the world, and it is a decent proxy for the entire African market. Leading regional carrier Vodacom’s November smartphone statistics illustrate exactly why BlackBerry 10 cannot arrive soon enough… and why RIM badly needs a cheap new BlackBerry 10 model by spring.[More from BGR: Apple CEO Tim Cook sees pay drop 99% in 2012]Vodacom...

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Samsung expects to ship more than half a billion phones in 2013

Samsung (005930) had a big year and despite some legal setbacks, the company saw record profits led by its mobile division. In 2012, Samsung became the world’s largest cell phone vendor with shipments estimated to have reached about 420 million units. According to the Korea Times, the company expects to ship 510 million phones in 2013, an increase of 20% over this year. More than half, or 390 million,...

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AP sources: Reid won't be back as Eagles' coach

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Andy Reid's time is up as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.Reid is out after 14 years in charge, three people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press following Sunday's 42-7 season-ending loss to the New York Giants.Reid is scheduled to meet with owner Jeffrey Lurie on Monday to discuss his future and an official announcement will come afterward, according...

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Jets fire GM Tannenbaum, Ryan stays

The New York Jets have fired general manager Mike Tannenbaum and say coach Rex Ryan will be back next season.The Jets finished 6-10 and were in constant turmoil from the moment they acquired Tim Tebow in a trade before the season.Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement Monday that "like all Jets fans, I am disappointed with this year's results."Tannenbaum, who signed off on Tebow trade, has two...

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AP Source: Browns fire coach, GM

 The Browns are changing again.A person familiar with the decision says the Cleveland Browns have fired coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Tom Heckert.Shurmur and Heckert were informed Monday at the team's facility, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not yet announced the moves. The expected dismissals come one day after the Browns lost their finale 24-10...

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NFL-Shurmur is first coaching head to roll on Black Monday

Pat Shurmur became the first coaching casualty on what has become known around the National Football League as Black Monday when he was sacked by the Cleveland Browns just hours after the regular season had concluded.The 5-11 Browns, who closed out the season on Sunday with a 24-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, were among the first teams to begin house cleaning by announcing Shurmur and general...

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Reid among 4 NFL coaches sacked in firing frenzy

Less than 24 hours after the regular season ended, NFL firings began at a furious pace.In a span of about 90 minutes before lunch Monday, coaches Andy Reid, Pat Shurmur, Romeo Crennel and Chan Gailey were let go by their teams after losing seasons. None of the moves were surprising, and more are expected.The Jets decided to keep their coach, Rex Ryan, but fired general manager Mike Tannenbaum.The...

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