Desperate Japanese head to ‘suicide forest’

Aokigahara Forest is known for two things in Japan: breathtaking views of Mount Fuji and suicides. Also called the Sea of Trees, this destination for the desperate is a place where the suicidal disappear, often never to be found in the dense forest. Taro, a 46-year-old man fired from his job at an iron manufacturing company, hoped to fade into the blackness.

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Rights group: 1,000 seized in Gambia ‘witch-hunt’

Around 1,000 people accused of being witches in Gambia have been locked up in secret detention centers and forced to drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion, according to human rights organization Amnesty International. At least two people have died after drinking the liquid while many more have suffered serious kidney problems.

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Geithner: AIG must pay back bonus money

Insurance giant AIG will have to return to the Treasury Department the $165 million it just paid out in executive bonuses, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday in a letter to congressional leaders. “We will impose on AIG a contractual commitment to pay the treasury from the operations of the company the amount of the retention awards just paid,” Geithner wrote

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How to create a buzz: the business lesson for marketers

In these economically tough times, the dream for every marketing strategist is buzz — your product picking up ever more sales by word-of-mouth as customers talk to potential new customers, all costing your company not a cent. Of course, this phenomenon is so alluring because it is also so very elusive. Companies have spent millions over the years trying to work out who in their marketplace are the “connectors,” those who spread the word about a new product or service throughout their peer group.

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The Story of a Modern-Day Exorcist

When he first heard about a Vatican-sponsored course on exorcism for priests, journalist Matt Baglio was intrigued by the idea of this ancient ritual taking place in the modern world. In his new book The Rite, Baglio follows American priest Father Gary — sent to Rome to train as an exorcist — and his apprenticeship with Father Carmine. Baglio talked to TIME about belief, skeptical priests, and the particulars of the exorcism ritual

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N. Ireland: Two more held over killing of officer

Police arrested two more men in connection with the killing of policeman Stephen Carroll in Northern Ireland last week, bringing the total number of people in custody to seven, the Police Service of Northern Ireland announced Monday. A 31-year-old man and a 27-year-old man were arrested Monday in Craigavon, the town where Carroll, 48, was shot dead a week earlier, the police statement said. Police have also recovered a gun and ammunition in connection with the killing, the first murder of a policeman in Northern Ireland since 1998.

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