Wall St clings to hopes for budget deal, but market risks rising

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If the United States sails over the fiscal cliff in less than two weeks, it probably will not mean disaster for the stock market, investors said on Friday, but the margin for error is getting dangerously thin.At heart are fears over how long the U.S. economy, the world's largest, can hold up under the brunt of higher taxes and big spending cuts that would be triggered by the fiscal...

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Signs suggest better economy if 'cliff' is averted

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh signs of a strengthening U.S. economy on Friday suggested that if Congress and the White House can avert the "fiscal cliff," the economic recovery might finally accelerate in 2013.Consumers spent and earned more in November. And for a second straight month, U.S. companies increased their orders for a category of manufactured goods that reflects investment plans.In light of...

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Scenarios: Seven ways the US 'fiscal cliff' crisis could end

The U.S. House of Representatives' rejection of a bill to raise taxes on just 0.18 percent of Americans - those making more than $1 million a year - has raised questions about the Republican-led chamber's ability to approve any plan to avert the looming "fiscal cliff."Unless President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress can forge a deal during the Christmas and New Year's holiday season, the largest...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: A lump of coal for "Fiscal Cliff-mas"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street traders are going to have to pack their tablets and work computers in their holiday luggage after all.A traditionally quiet week could become hellish for traders as politicians in Washington are likely to fall short of an agreement to deal with $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts due to kick in early next year. Many economists forecast that this "fiscal cliff"...

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U.S. judge approves settlement in BP class action suit

(Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday gave final approval to BP Plc's settlement with individuals and businesses who lost money and property in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.The order only addressed the settlement of economic and property damage claims, not a separate medical benefits settlement for cleanup workers and others who say the spill made them sick.BP has estimated that it will pay $7.8...

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Senators write Sony, criticize 'Zero Dark Thirty'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The movie "Zero Dark Thirty" is misleading and "grossly inaccurate" in its suggestion that torture produced the tip that led the U.S. military to find terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, three senators said Wednesday in a letter to the head of Sony Pictures Entertainment.The filmmakers dispute that interpretation and encourage people to see their movie, already considered a top Oscar...

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Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Ten" to kick off 2014

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Open Road Films will release Arnold Schwarzenegger's action thriller "Ten" nationwide on January 24, 2014, the company announced on Wednesday.Directed by David Ayer ("End of Watch"), the former governor leads an elite DEA task force that takes on the world's deadliest drug cartels.When the team executes a high-stakes raid on a cartel safe house, they think their work is...

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'Zero Dark Thirty' Is Now Officially Wrong About Torture

We already knew that Zero Dark Thirty messed up a couple of details about the bin Laden raid, but now, some senators would like the filmmakers to know they're straight up "incorrect." More specifically, Senators Diane Feinstein, Carl Levin and John McCain wrote in a letter addressed to Michael Lynton, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures, that "Zero Dark Thirty is factually inaccurate, and we believe...

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China's airing of 'V for Vendetta' stuns viewers

BEIJING (AP) — Television audiences across China watched an anarchist antihero rebel against a totalitarian government and persuade the people to rule themselves. Soon the Internet was crackling with quotes of "V for Vendetta's" famous line: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."The airing of the movie Friday night on China Central Television...

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2012 London Film Awards Announces Winners

"Beauty and the Breast" directed by Liliana Komorowska wins the London Film Awards’ top prize, the Gold Lion Award and Grand Jury Prize. “Womble” directed by Robert Pirouet wins the competition’s Special Jury Award.London, UK (PRWEB) December 20, 2012Jury Prizes and top award-winners of the 2012 London Film Awards were announced December 17th, 2012. The London Film Awards is London’s premiere film...

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