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Economy
3:07 am
Fri March 29, 2013

Cyprus' Crisis Frames Eurozone As 'Work In Progress'

Credit Petros Giannakouris / AP
Banks in Cyprus reopened to customers for the first time in nearly two weeks Thursday, albeit with strict restrictions.

Originally published on Fri March 29, 2013 11:14 am

On the second day since Cyprus reopened its banks, depositors continue to face restrictions on getting at their money. ATM withdrawals are limited to 300 euros a day, and there are limits on how much cash travelers can take abroad.

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Shots - Health News
3:06 am
Fri March 29, 2013

Obamacare Won't Affect Most 2012 Taxes, Despite Firm's Claim

Credit iStockphoto.com
Taxes this year will be as much of a drag as ever. But not because of the Affordable Care Act.

Originally published on Fri March 29, 2013 10:22 pm

If you haven't done your taxes yet, this ad from H&R Block might make you feel even more anxious.

"The Affordable Care Act means big changes this year when you file your taxes," says the young woman in the ad, with a smug smile. She then claims to have read "all 900 pages" of the law so she can offer you a "solution."

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Research News
3:05 am
Fri March 29, 2013

Tiny DNA Switches Aim To Revolutionize 'Cellular' Computing

Credit NPR Illustration

Originally published on Fri March 29, 2013 11:14 am

If you think programming a clock radio is hard, try reprogramming life itself. That's the goal of Drew Endy, a synthetic biologist at Stanford University.

Endy has been working with a laboratory strain of E. coli bacteria. He sees the microbes as more than just single-cell organisms. They're little computers.

"Any system that's receiving information, processing information and then using that activity to control what happens next, you can think of as a computing system," Endy says.

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Europe
3:04 am
Fri March 29, 2013

Versailles Gets Spiffed-Up On Its Day Off

Originally published on Fri March 29, 2013 11:14 am

With nearly 7 million visitors a year, the Chateau of Versailles in France is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. But one day a week, it's closed.

So what happens at Versailles on its day off? A spa day, of sorts — involving cleaning and conservation work.

Catherine Pegard, president of Versailles, says the palace is always caught between history and modernity.

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Middle East
3:03 am
Fri March 29, 2013

Syrian Financial Capital's Loss Is Turkey's Gain

Originally published on Fri March 29, 2013 10:20 pm

There is a brain drain in Syria, an exodus of the skilled and the educated as the Syrian revolt grinds into a third year.

The health care system is one casualty, as hospitals and clinics are shelled and doctors flee the country.

The business community is another — particularly in Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once the country's industrial and financial hub.

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