Cuba-Phone-Call-Tax-Cut

The Cuban government on Friday reduced its expensive telephone rates between the island and the United States. The government is scrapping a 10% tax it imposed on calls between the two countries in 2000, it announced. The largest population of Cubans outside the island resides in the United States, and calls between the two countries typically top $3 a minute.

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US-Powerball-Winners

"I think we're going to have a pretty good Christmas," Cindy Hill joked Friday, just minutes after a Missouri lottery official announced that Hill and her family had won half of the record $587.5 million Powerball jackpot.

MONEY-powerball-lottery-tax

The winners of the biggest Powerball lottery in history aren't the only ones celebrating. The IRS has hit a jackpot of its own, with millions of dollars in taxes potentially coming its way.

Minnesota-Powerball-Gas-Pump

The next time Minnesota drivers looking to play the Powerball lottery pay at the pump, the pump might pay them back. The Minnesota State Lottery has launched a pilot program to allow customers to purchase lottery tickets while they fill up their cars. This week's winning tickets for the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot were purchased at convenience stores, but Ed Van Petten, director of the Minnesota State Lottery, said sales of lottery tickets at gas pumps have been brisk.

US-Severe-Weather

A vicious mix of wind, rain and snow that has deluged the Pacific Northwest since Tuesday isn't letting up, spurring the National Weather Service to issue an array of cautionary guidance.

US-Supreme-Court-Marriage

The Supreme Court took no action Friday on a pending series of appeals over the divisive issue of same-sex marriage.

US-Harvard-Kinky-Sex-Club

Call it Fifty Shades of Crimson, if you will. The august flagship of the Ivy League, Harvard University, approved Friday a student group devoted to kinky sex called Harvard College Munch, a university spokesman said.

US-Manning-WikiLeaks

Prosecutors tried to establish Friday that Army private Bradley Manning -- charged in the largest leak of classified material in U.S. history -- missed multiple opportunities to complain about the mistreatment he's alleging he suffered in military custody.

Florida-Explosives-Plot

Two Florida brothers originally from Pakistan were indicted Friday, accused of plotting to use an explosive device and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Raees Alam Qazi, 20, and Sheheryar Alam Qazi, 30, were arrested by FBI agents in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday. The indictment does not provide specific details about what the men may have been targeting, saying only they conspired to use a "weapon of mass destruction" against people and property in the United States.

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