Syria Rebels Find Skype Useful, but Dangers Lurk

In a demonstration of their growing sophistication and organization, Syrian rebels responded to a nationwide shutdown of the Internet by turning to satellite technology to coordinate within the country and to communicate with outside activists. When Syria’s Internet service disappeared Thursday, government officials first blamed rebel attacks. Activist groups blamed the government and viewed...

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Average wireless bill increased 7% in 2012 , 70% of subscribers now own smartphones

We all love our smartphones, but they are a costly addiction to support. According to Consumer Reports, American wireless subscribers saw their wireless bills increase by 7% between 2011 and 2012, and the big culprit is the continued proliferation of smartphones. Overall, 70% of wireless subscribers who took part in Consumer Reports’ survey owned smartphones this year, up from 50% in 2011. As the...

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Dennis Quaid Files for Divorce, Seeks Joint Custody

By Mike Fleeman 11/30/2012 at 09:20 PM EST Kimberly Buffington-Quaid and Dennis Quaid Casey Rodgers/NBC/AP Dennis Quaid is ready to end his marriage for good.After his wife of eight years, Kimberly Buffington-Quaid, sought legal separation in October, the Vegas...

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Kenya village pairs AIDS orphans with grandparents

NYUMBANI, Kenya (AP) — There are no middle-aged people in Nyumbani. They all died years ago, before this village of hope in Kenya began. Only the young and old live here.Nyumbani was born of the AIDS crisis. The 938 children here all saw their parents die. The 97 grandparents — eight grandfathers among them — saw their middle-aged children die. But put together, the bookend generations take care of...

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Cliff fight may knock out December rally

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In normal times, next week's slew of U.S. economic data could be a springboard for a December rally in the stock market. December is historically a strong month for markets. The S&P 500 has risen 16 times in the past 20 years during the month. But the market hasn't been operating under normal circumstances since November 7 when a day after the U.S....

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General Assembly Grants Palestine Upgraded Status in U.N.

Damon Winter/The New York TimesThe Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, center, was congratulated by Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. More Photos »UNITED NATIONS — More than 130 countries voted on Thursday to upgrade Palestine to a nonmember observer state of the United Nations, a triumph for Palestinian diplomacy and a sharp rebuke to the United States and Israel. But...

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Apple overcomes last hurdle, iPhone 5 cleared for sale in China as Android continues to dominate

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The X Factor Announces Top 6

TV Watch The X Factor 11/29/2012 at 09:40 PM EST From left; Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and Simon Cowell FOX Mario Lopez called the first elimination on Thursday's The X Factor a "bit of a shocker."And so was the second. The top eight contestants sang No. 1 hits...

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Clinton releases road map for AIDS-free generation

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an ambitious road map for slashing the global spread of AIDS, the Obama administration says treating people sooner and more rapid expansion of other proven tools could help even the hardest-hit countries begin turning the tide of the epidemic over the next three to five years."An AIDS-free generation is not just a rallying cry — it is a goal that is within our reach," Secretary...

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Shares edge lower as U.S. budget talks stall

LONDON (Reuters) - Concerns about the deadlock in crucial U.S. budget talks capped gains in world equity markets on Friday, while falling yields on Spanish and Italian bonds kept the euro near a one-month high. Markets are on edge over the lack of progress by political leaders in Washington as a failure to resolve their differences by year-end would trigger automatic spending cuts and...

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U.S. Is Weighing Stronger Action in Syrian Conflict

Francisco Leong/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRebels in northern Syria celebrated on Wednesday next to what was reported to be a government fighter jet. WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, hoping that the conflict in Syria has reached a turning point, is considering deeper intervention to help push President Bashar al-Assad from power, according to government officials involved in the discussions....

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Angus T. Jones Is Not Leaving Two and a Half Men: Source

TV Watch By Elizabeth Leonard 11/28/2012 at 07:50 PM EST The Half is back! Ever since Angus T. Jones bashed Two and a Half Men in a now-viral video, it begged the question: Will the 19-year-old actor return to the hit show? If he has it his way, he will. "Angus expects to report to work after the holiday break...

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Simple measures cut infections caught in hospitals

CHICAGO (AP) — Preventing surgery-linked infections is a major concern for hospitals and it turns out some simple measures can make a big difference.A project at seven big hospitals reduced infections after colorectal surgeries by nearly one-third. It prevented an estimated 135 infections, saving almost $4 million, the Joint Commission hospital regulating group and the American College of Surgeons...

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U.S. budget deal hopes buoy global shares and commodities

LONDON (Reuters) - World shares hit three-week peaks and commodities were also higher on Thursday as comments from a senior U.S. lawmaker raised hopes of a budget deal by year-end to avoid a fiscal crisis in the world's biggest economy. With Asian shares higher and the FTSEurofirst 300 index <.fteu3> of top European shares adding 0.5 percent when trading opened, the MSCI global...

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News Analysis: Sunni Leaders Gaining Clout in Mideast

Mohammed Saber/European Pressphoto AgencyA Palestinian woman in Gaza City on Tuesday walked amid the rubble left from eight days of fighting that ended in a cease-fire. RAMALLAH, West Bank — For years, the United States and its Middle East allies were challenged by the rising might of the so-called Shiite crescent, a political and ideological alliance backed by Iran that linked regional actors deeply...

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Nintendo: more than 400,000 Wii Us sold in US

NEW YORK (AP) — Nintendo says it has sold more than 400,000 of its new video game console, the Wii U, in its first week on sale in the U.S.The Wii U launched on Nov. 18 in the U.S. at a starting price of $ 300. Nintendo says the sales figure, based on internal estimates, is through Nov. 24.Six years ago, Nintendo Co. sold 475,000 of the original Wii in that console’s first seven days in stores. The...

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Dancing with the Stars Crowns an All-Star Winner

TV Watch Update By Mike Fleeman UPDATED 11/27/2012 at 11:00 PM EST • Originally published 11/27/2012 at 10:50 PM EST Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet Adam Larkey/ABC There's a new leading lady!The first all-female finale of Dancing with...

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CDC: HIV spread high in young gay males

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say 1 in 5 new HIV infections occur in a tiny segment of the population — young men who are gay or bisexual.The government on Tuesday released new numbers that spotlight how the spread of the AIDS virus is heavily concentrated in young males who have sex with other males. Only about a quarter of new infections in the 13-to-24 age group are from injecting drugs or heterosexual...

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Asian shares fall as focus shifts to U.S. budget talks

LONDON (Reuters) - Shares, commodities and the euro fell in early European trading on Wednesday as investors fretted about Greece's new debt deal and a lack of progress in U.S. budget talks. European shares on the FTSEurofirst300 opened down almost 0.4 percent, giving up the previous session's 0.3 percent gain. London's FTSE 100 <.ftse>, Paris's CAC-40 <.fchi>...

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Egypt’s President Said to Limit Scope of Judicial Decree

Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York TimesEgyptians at a burned-out school in Cairo on Monday before the funeral of an activist who was injured in a clash and died Sunday. CAIRO — With public pressure mounting, President Mohamed Morsi appeared to pull back Monday from his attempt to assert an authority beyond the reach of any court. His allies in the Muslim Brotherhood canceled plans for a large...

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Women Sizzle in Dancing with the Stars All-Star Finale

TV Watch By Aaron Parsley 11/26/2012 at 09:35 PM EST From left: Shawn Johnson, Kelly Monaco and Melissa Rycroft Craig Sjodin/ABC (3) It's raining 10s, hallelujah! On the final Monday night of competition for the all-star season of Dancing with the Stars, the all-female...

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Bounce houses a party hit but kids' injuries soar

CHICAGO (AP) — They may be a big hit at kids' birthday parties, but inflatable bounce houses can be dangerous, with the number of injuries soaring in recent years, a nationwide study found.Kids often crowd into bounce houses, and jumping up and down can send other children flying into the air, too.The numbers suggest 30 U.S. children a day are treated in emergency rooms for broken bones, sprains,...

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Greek debt deal sends shares, euro higher

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro rose and European shares climbed to a near three-week high on Tuesday after global lenders clinched a deal to reduce Greek debt and disburse the country's next aid installment. After 12 hours of talks, the lenders agreed measures to cut Greek debt to 124 percent of gross domestic product by 2020, and promised further steps to lower it below 110 percent in 2022....

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As Rebels Gain, Congo Again Slips Into Chaos

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — The lights are out in most of Goma. There is little water. The prison is an empty, garbage-strewn wasteland with its rusty front gate swinging wide open and a three-foot hole punched through the back wall, letting loose 1,200 killers, rapists, rogue soldiers and other criminals. Now, rebel fighters are going house to house arresting people, many of whom...

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Tom Cruise Films Helicopter Scene in Empty Trafalgar Square

11/25/2012 at 05:15 PM EST Tom Cruise in Trafalgar Square FameFlynet Back to work! After spending Thanksgiving with daughter Suri, 6, Tom Cruise filmed scenes for the sci-fi action film All You Need Is Kill in London on Sunday. The actor, who plays alien fighter...

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European shares dip, euro steady as eyes on Greece

LONDON (Reuters) - European shares edged lower while the euro hovered near a one-month peak against the dollar on Monday as investors awaited the outcome of talks to provide emergency loans to Greece. Euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund meet later to try to unfreeze the second bailout package for Greece, but first need to agree how to cut the country's massive...

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White House Presses for Drone Rule Book

WASHINGTON — Facing the possibility that President Obama might not win a second term, his administration accelerated work in the weeks before the election to develop explicit rules for the targeted killing of terrorists by unmanned drones, so that a new president would inherit clear standards and procedures, according to two administration officials. The matter may have lost some urgency...

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