A British title does not always a fairy tale make. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, had to go without a Valentine’s Day date this year, thanks to her husband’s deployment to the Falkland Islands. Luckily for the lady, several adorable young Brits stepped in to ensure that she didn’t go without a Valentine. The princess spent the day visiting charities in Liverpool, and received flowers and cards from admirers, including 8-year-old Jaqson Johnston-Lynch, who also handed the beaming Middleton a cupcake iced with the words “Jaqson loves Kate.” Read full article > >

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Royal Valentine’s Day: The Duke and Duchess spend the holiday apart

Trying to avert another tax showdown, House Republican leaders Monday proposed an extension of the withholding-tax holiday to the end of the year without offsetting spending cuts. Locked in a fight over the payroll tax holiday since President Obama made it the centerpiece of his jobs legislation last September, the top three House GOP leaders backed off previous demands that its extension be accompanied by spending reductions to shore up the finances of the Social Security program, which is funded through withholding taxes. Read full article > >

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House Republican leaders agree to payroll-tax holiday extension without offsets

The holidays weren’t merry or bright for the U.S. Postal Service . The nation’s mail delivery service lost $3.3 billion in its first quarter, which runs from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 and encompasses the holiday shopping and shipping season. Read full article > >

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Postal Service loses $3.3 billion in first quarter

As Valentine's Day draws near, the romantically inclined among you are officially in full-on scheming mode. You could partake in a heavy, pricey, prix-fixe meal with one hundred other canoodling strangers at the city's “most romantic” restaurant – or you could go the trés romantique route and woo your beloved the homemade way. For dessert, might we propose a soufflé? Jacques Capsouto, owner of soufflé-centric French bistro Capsouto Frères , is here to deflate the myth of soufflés as kitchen catastrophe. All that's required is a little heart, a soupçon of practice time, a foolproof recipe and someone to share it all with. Soufflé Makes 6 Ingredients Chocolate mixture (recipe below) 8 dashes Grand Marnier or orange liqueur 6 four-inch ramekins, buttered and sugared 16 egg whites (2 cups) Dash of cream of tartar or salt 6 Tbsp confectioners' sugar Chocolate sauce (recipe below) 6 oz crème Chantilly (recipe below) Cooking Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, combine the chocolate mixture with two dashes of Grand Marnier. Add a dash of liqueur in each ramekin. In another bowl with a mixer, add egg whites and cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat. Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently and quickly fold the next third and then the last third. Divide evenly into the six ramekins; tap on the counter to settle and wipe off excess. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes until puffed and golden. (Do not open the oven while the soufflés are cooking.) Serve immediately. At the table, gently pierce the top of soufflé, pour in some of the chocolate sauce and top with crème Chantilly. Chocolate Mixture Ingredients 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup cocoa powder (extra bitter) 3/4 Tbsp butter (melted) Vanilla extract Salt (couple of pinches) Cooking Directions In a pot, bring sugar and water to a boil; allow to cool. Sift cocoa powder into syrup mixture. Add melted butter, vanilla and salt; stir. Chocolate Sauce Ingredients 1/2 lb bittersweet chocolate 1 Tbsp butter 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar Cooking Directions Melt chocolate with butter in double boiler . In a separate pot, bring milk, cream and sugar to a boil. Whisk milk, cream and sugar mixture into chocolate; slowly incorporate each amount before adding more. Crème Chantilly Ingredients 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tsp sugar 1 dash pure vanilla extract Cooking Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl; beat until thick, either by hand or with a mixer. Do not overbeat. Sugar and vanilla may be adjusted according to taste.

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Rise to the occasion with homemade chocolate soufflé

Three British men die and three more people remain in hospital after contracting Legionnaires’ disease while on holiday in Spain, a tour company says.

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Legionella Britons die in Spain

Soon enough, the world will learn whether or not to expect six more weeks of winter, thanks to the weather predictions of Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog in the world. In the meantime, the world can ready itself for the groundhog’s big debut with this numerical look at what makes Groundhog’s Day one of America’s quirkiest holidays. Read full article > >

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Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil is not the only predictor out there

Like a few million other people this past holiday season, we bought an iPhone 4S, with its much-hyped Siri feature. The vocal interface allows users to speak all kinds of commands into the phone (“What’s the weather in San Francisco?”) and get answers from a sultry-voiced robot/concierge. Read full article > >

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How Siri is ruining your cellphone service

Lawmakers went home for the holidays and got an earful from constituents about their juvenile behavior in Washington. So, in their first major act of 2012, House Republicans picked up exactly where they left off: They staged a duplicitous debate in which they pretended that they were going to deny President Obama permission to increase the government’s borrowing limit. Read full article > >

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For House Republicans, a game of debt charades

BEIJING — This week begins China’s annual mass pilgrimage, as hundreds of millions of people pack the trains and highways to return to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year holiday known as the Spring Festival. Read full article > >

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Dilemma for China’s one-child generation: Where to spend New Year

Because of weather, holidays being over.

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Most Depressing Day: Today

Women dressed in heels and fine fur coats started lining up in the cold outside Zion Baptist Church shortly after sunrise Sunday in hopes of worshiping with President Obama and his family. It is a scene that has been repeated each year on the eve of the federal holiday celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. since the Obamas moved into the White House. Read full article > >

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Obama worships in D.C. before MLK Day, but first family has never chosen one church

Women dressed in heels and fine fur coats started lining up in the cold outside Zion Baptist Church shortly after sunrise Sunday in hopes of worshiping with President Obama and his family. It is a scene that has been repeated each year on the eve of the federal holiday celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. since the Obamas moved into the White House. Read full article > >

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Obama worships in D.C. before MLK Day, but first family has never chosen one church

President Obama and his family are worshipping at the 146-year-old Zion Baptist Church in Northwest D.C. on Sunday morning, keeping up a tradition of going to church the day before the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday. Read full article > >

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Obamas attend D.C. church on Sunday before Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday

Bloody, raw, smoked or dried, untold thousands of pounds monkey parts, giant African cane rats and other illegal “bush meat” slips into the United States each year. For some of the Washington area’s African residents, the meat is a taste of home, a treat for the holidays and reunions. Read full article > >

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CDC expands ‘bush meat’ tests for viruses

Washington and Lee University will hold classes Monday over the objections of David Knoespel and some of his law school classmates, who unsuccessfully petitioned their institution to shut down for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Read full article > >

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Va. students object to Martin Luther King Jr. Day classes