After early start, worst of flu season may be over

NEW YORK (AP) — The worst of the flu season appears to be over.The number of states reporting intense or widespread illnesses dropped again last week, and in a few states there was very little flu going around, U.S. health officials said Friday.The season started earlier than normal, first in the Southeast and then spreading. But now, by some measures, flu activity has been ebbing for at least four...

Read More..

Stocks end higher for sixth straight week, tech leads

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Nasdaq composite stock index closed at a 12-year high and the S&P 500 index at a five-year high, boosted by gains in technology shares and stronger overseas trade figures. The S&P 500 also posted a sixth straight week of gains for the first time since August. The technology sector led the day's gains, with the S&P 500 technology index...

Read More..

Russia Detains 271 in St. Petersburg Security Raid

MOSCOW — Russian police and security officials in St. Petersburg detained 271 people, mostly migrants from Central Asia and the North Caucasus region, during a raid on Friday on Muslim prayer rooms at a central market. They said the raid was carried out to check residency permits and to eliminate networks of religious extremists planning terrorist attacks. A statement published Friday night...

Read More..

Video game composer taking ‘Journey’ to Grammys

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Austin Wintory still can’t wrap his head around the fact that he’s up against “Star Wars” composer John Williams for a Grammy Award.“Thank God I’ve been so busy in the last few weeks since the nominations came out because I don’t think my brain could ever possibly comprehend that,” said the 28-year-old composer. “He’s a lifelong idol of mine. I don’t think it’s something I could...

Read More..

Do No Harm's Alana de la Garza Expecting Second Child

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 02/09/2013 at 02:30 PM ET Imeh Akpanudosen/WireImageThere’s another baby on the way for Alana De La Garza!The Do No Harm star, 36, and her husband Michael Roberts are expecting their second child — a daughter — in July, De La Garza confirms via Twitter.Before...

Read More..

Health officials: Worst of flu season may be over

NEW YORK (AP) — The worst of the flu season appears to be over.The number of states reporting intense or widespread flu dropped again last week, U.S. health officials said Friday.The season started earlier than normal, spiking first in the Southeast and then spreading. But now, by some measures, flu activity has been ebbing for at least four weeks in much of the country. Flu and pneumonia...

Read More..

Wall Street extends gains, Nasdaq near 12-year high

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks extended gains on Friday, with the Nasdaq rising 1 percent, putting it within close reach of a 12-year high. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 47.66 points, or 0.34 percent, to 13,991.71. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> rose 7.47 points, or 0.49 percent, to 1,516.86. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was up 30.23 points,...

Read More..

U.N. Calls on Papua New Guinea to Curb Violence After Burning Death of Woman

GENEVA — Spurred by the killing this week of a young woman accused of witchcraft in Papua New Guinea, the United Nations on Friday called on the country to address increasing vigilante violence against people accused of sorcery and to revoke a controversial sorcery law. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said it was deeply disturbed by the killing of the woman, Kepari Leniata,...

Read More..

Ex-cop hunted over California vendetta killings

BIG BEAR LAKE, California (Reuters) – A fugitive former police officer accused of declaring war on law enforcement in an Internet manifesto and wanted as a suspect in three murders eluded a manhunt for a second day on Friday in the snow-swept mountains east of Los Angeles.Search teams combed hillsides and homes around a ski area through the night and past daybreak for Christopher Dorner, 33, a former...

Read More..

Blizzard Forces Katie Holmes to Miss Her Own Fashion Show

Stylewatch Style News Now 02/08/2013 at 01:58 PM ET Kevin Mazur/WireImageKatie Holmes spent yesterday kicking off her heels with fashion editors in a New York City hotel suite to present the latest elegant collection for her Holmes & Yang fashion line. But today, the blizzard that’s battering the...

Read More..

Southern diet, fried foods, may raise stroke risk

Deep-fried foods may be causing trouble in the Deep South. People whose diets are heavy on them and sugary drinks like sweet tea and soda were more likely to suffer a stroke, a new study finds.It's the first big look at diet and strokes, and researchers say it might help explain why blacks in the Southeast — the nation's "stroke belt" — suffer more of them.Blacks were five times more likely than whites...

Read More..

Wall Street dips on renewed euro zone fears

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Thursday as comments by the ECB president on the euro raised worries about Europe's outlook and curbed investors' appetite for risky assets. The euro currency dropped against the safe-haven dollar and yen after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the exchange rate was important to growth and price stability, which investors took as a sign...

Read More..

The Lede: Video Broadcast on State Television Was Downloaded From U.S. Drone, Iran Says

Last Updated, 2:17 p.m. Iran’s state television broadcast Wednesday what it described as video recorded by the American surveillance drone that crash-landed about 140 miles from the country’s border with Afghanistan in late 2011.Video broadcast on Iranian state television, said to have been downloaded from an American surveillance drone that crash-landed in Iran in 2011.As The Associated Press reports...

Read More..

Father Gives Daughter $200 to Quit Facebook

Spending too much time on Facebook? More than half of Facebook users say they’ve taken vacations from the site. Now comes the story of a 14-year-old who did better — she managed to get paid for quitting.Rachel Baier, a high school freshman in Massachusetts, went to her dad with a deal: no Facebook for the rest of the school year in exchange for cash.“She approached me. She has been frustrated she...

Read More..

William & Kate Enjoying Private Mustique Babymoon

By Amanda Orr and Simon Perry 02/07/2013 at 02:10 PM EST The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (inset) visited Aurora House, Mustique IPHOTO; Inset: Splash News Online The The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are keeping a low profile on their "babymoon" to the idyllic island of Mustique.The couple...

Read More..

Critics seek to delay NYC sugary drinks size limit

NEW YORK (AP) — Opponents are pressing to delay enforcement of the city's novel plan to crack down on supersized, sugary drinks, saying businesses shouldn't have to spend millions of dollars to comply until a court rules on whether the measure is legal.With the rule set to take effect March 12, beverage industry, restaurant and other business groups have asked a judge to put it on hold at least until...

Read More..

Wall Street pulls back after recent gains

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks drifted lower on Wednesday as investors pulled back after the recent push to five-year highs on the S&P 500 and as worries about political problems in Europe weighed on sentiment. Transportation stocks were among the worst performers, pressured by a 9.7 percent drop in CH Robinson Worldwide to $60.48 after the freight transport company posted a lower-than-expected...

Read More..

The Lede: Video of Protests Across Tunisia After an Opposition Leader Is Gunned Down

Video of a protest outside the interior ministry in Tunis on Wednesday from the blog Nawaat.As my colleagues Kareem Fahim and Gerry Mullany report, there were protests across Tunisia on Wednesday following the assassination of Chokri Belaid, a leader of the secular opposition.Video shot by activist bloggers for the independent Tunisian site Nawaat showed protesters rallying outside the interior ministry...

Read More..

Twitter acquires social TV analytics company Bluefin Labs

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Twitter Inc said on Tuesday it has agreed to acquire advertising analytics company Bluefin Labs.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Twitter Chief Operating Officer Ali Rowghani said in a blog post announcing the deal: “Bluefin‘s data science capabilities and social TV expertise will help us create innovative new ad products and consumer experiences in the exciting intersection...

Read More..

Alex Morgan Channels Katy Perry's Sexy Album Cover Look

By Dahvi Shira 02/06/2013 at 02:40 PM EST Alex Morgan as Katy Perry Courtesy ESPN Sexy soccer star Alex Morgan's latest photo feature is a definite score!The athlete, 23, channels Katy Perry, 28, in ESPN magazine's Feb. 18 music issue, sporting the same pose and...

Read More..

Critics seek to delay NYC sugary drinks size limit

NEW YORK (AP) — Opponents are pressing to delay enforcement of the city's novel plan to crack down on supersized, sugary drinks, saying businesses shouldn't have to spend millions of dollars to comply until a court rules on whether the measure is legal.With the rule set to take effect March 12, beverage industry, restaurant and other business groups have asked a judge to put it on hold at least until...

Read More..

Wall Street climbs 1 percent on results; Dow above 14,000

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks climbed on Tuesday, pushing the Dow above 14,000 a day after the market's biggest sell-off since November, as stronger-than-expected earnings brightened the profit picture. All 10 S&P sectors were higher, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq gained more than 1 percent. Dell Inc's stock rose after the world's No. 3 computer maker agreed to be taken...

Read More..

Same-Sex Marriage Law Gains in Britain

Luke Macgregor/ReutersDemonstrators Martin Brown, left, and Archie Young were outside Parliament Tuesday in support of gay marriage in England. LONDON — The House of Commons overwhelmingly approved a law on Tuesday permitting same-sex marriage, a major gain for a bill that Prime Minister David Cameron has made a centerpiece of his drive to modernize his Conservative Party. The House of Commons...

Read More..

EU wants to tackle money laundering on gaming sites

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union may try to counter money laundering through online betting sites by extending legislation beyond casinos to include Internet gambling.The executive European Commission formally proposed on Tuesday to include online gaming in EU-wide legislation that seeks to combat fraud. It could become law within two years if approved by the EU’s 27 member countries.The Commission...

Read More..

Kate and William on Mustique for Another Vacation

By Simon Perry 02/05/2013 at 02:30 PM EST Mustique, with the Duchess of Cambridge (inset) Getty; Inset: PA/Landov Royal mom-to-be Kate is on a winter escape, enjoying the sunshine of a Caribbean vacation. She and husband William are sunning themselves on the paradise island of Mustique. They...

Read More..

Bullying study: It does get better for gay teens

CHICAGO (AP) — It really does get better for gay and bisexual teens when it comes to being bullied, although young gay men have it worse than their lesbian peers, according to the first long-term scientific evidence on how the problem changes over time.The seven-year study involved more than 4,000 teens in England who were questioned yearly through 2010, until they were 19 and 20 years old. At the...

Read More..

Wall Street pulls back after recent gain; data disappoints

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks dropped on Monday, pulling back from gains in the prior session that left the S&P 500 at a five-year high and the Dow above 14,000, as factory orders data disappointed and worries about the euro zone crisis resurfaced. The S&P 500 was on track for its biggest daily percentage decline since December 28. Chevron and Wal-Mart were among the biggest drags...

Read More..

High-Level Feud Bares Tensions in Iran

TEHRAN — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad escalated a bitter political fight this week with Iran’s most influential political family by disclosing secret film recordings of what he purported were fraudulent business deals. During a Sunday session of Parliament, broadcast on state radio, Mr. Ahmadinejad singled out the head of the Parliament, Ali Larijani, a political rival with strong links...

Read More..