Donors pledge $5 billion aid for Pakistan

International donors meeting in Japan have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Pakistan to bolster the country’s economy and help it fight terror and Islamic radicalism, officials said. “I’m gobsmacked, absolutely gobsmacked,” she told CNN Friday morning. The 47-year-old shocked and inspired the audience, judges and Web watchers after she powered through “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical “Les Miserables” on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent.” A clip of Boyle’s performance had more than 15 million views on YouTube by Friday, and the world’s media have beaten a path to her door in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland.

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Congress Launches Opening Gambits on Global Warming

President Barack Obama loves to talk about the great promise of energy reform, but all it takes is one glance down Pennsylvania Avenue to get a sense of the pitfalls of such ambitious designs. That was especially clear on Tuesday, as Congress ran both hot and cold on legislation to fight global warming

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One million people at risk in Darfur, U.N. says

More than one million people in Darfur are at risk of losing food, water and shelter in coming months, following the expulsion of international aid groups by Sudan’s government, the United Nations’ chief humanitarian coordinator said Tuesday. The statement by coordinator John Holmes comes after a joint U.N.-Sudanese assessment of the situation. The information was gathered from March 11-18 in hopes of stemming further troubles in Darfur after Sudan’s government expelled 13 international relief organizations from the wartorn region

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‘Sick’ economy forces layoffs at New York hospital

A New York City hospital will lay off 240 employees, including doctors, nurses and management positions, because of the difficult economic times, the hospital announced in a statement Monday. The paper published its final print edition Tuesday as the P-I makes a transformation into an online-only news outlet. A skeleton crew of 20 to 25 staffers will remain at the new Seattle PI.com while more than 140 staffers will lose their jobs.

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A Gay Marriage Solution: End Marriage?

When a Jewish boy turns 13, he heads to a temple for a deeply meaningful rite of passage, his bar mitzvah. When a Catholic girl reaches about the same age, she stands in front of the local bishop, who touches her forehead with holy oil as she is confirmed into a 2,000-year-old faith tradition.

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Sunshine Cleaning: The Bright Side of Suicide

The tenderhearted Sunshine Cleaning begins with a woman named Rose Lorkowski reading a list of affirmations from Post-it notes. “You are strong,” she tells her reflection. “You are powerful.” The audience promptly takes it under advisement that Rose is neither strong nor powerful, and she proves it a few minutes later by romping around a hotel room with her lover , a man who is obviously married and planning on staying that way.

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