Market rallies on emerging "fiscal cliff" deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks jumped on Monday after a deal emerged from negotiations in Washington to avert the "fiscal cliff," sources familiar with the talks said. Equities surged in a thinly traded session, on track to break a five-day streak of losses, as the sources said a majority of Senate Republicans were expected to support the legislation. If adopted by Congress...

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IHT Rendezvous: Trending in Asia in 2012: Our Top 10

Our most popular Asia posts of 2012, by the number of readers and/or the number of comments:China Calls for ‘No Delay’ on Gun Controls in U.S. This recent post on China’s reaction to the Newtown shooting tragedy brought nearly 200 comments, some enraged at China’s hypocrisy, some enraged at the American gun lobby and a few saying that China, despite any hypocrisy, wasn’t wrong.China Demands Apology...

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Who Was the Final Best Dressed Star of 2012?

Stylewatch Style News Now 12/29/2012 at 12:00 PM ET Bill Davila/StartraksIt’s been a year of ups and downs for Katie Holmes, but she’s going out on a high note. Her effortlessly chic outfit earned top honors this week, making her...

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With hours remaining, hopes rise for stopgap fiscal deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hopes rose on Sunday that lawmakers could reach at least a limited deal to prevent the still-recovering economy from tumbling off a "fiscal cliff" at the New Year, sending the country into another recession. Aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell worked on a compromise over the weekend to stop automatic...

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Apple still said to account for 87% of North American tablet traffic as Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 gain

Apple’s (AAPL) share of the global tablet market is in decline now that low-cost Android slates are proliferating, but the iPad still appears to be the most used tablet by a huge margin. Ad firm Chitika regularly monitors tablet traffic in the United States and Canada and in its latest report, Apple’s iPad was responsible for almost 90% of all tablet traffic across the company’s massive network.[More...

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Just Kidding! Shakira's Baby News Is a Prank

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 12/28/2012 at 11:00 AM ET XPosureHold off on the congratulations — at least for now.News and social media sites lit up on Thursday after Shakira‘s boyfriend, FC Barcelona soccer star Gerard Piqué, posted a message on Twitter, announcing the arrival of their baby...

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Kenya hospital imprisons new mothers with no money

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running.Two mothers who live in a mud-wall and tin-roof slum a short walk from the maternity hospital, which is affiliated...

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Wall Street heads for longest losing streak in three months

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Friday, putting the S&P 500 on track for a fifth straight decline, as President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders were set to make a last-ditch attempt to steer the country away from severe fiscal austerity next year. Obama and lawmakers from both political parties will meet at the White House on Friday afternoon for talks in an effort...

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Japan Might Revise Apology on Wartime Sex Slaves

TOKYO — A top official hinted on Thursday that Japan’s newly installed conservative government might seek to revise a two-decade-old official apology to women forced into sexual slavery during World War II, a move that would most likely outrage South Korea and possibly other former victims of Japanese militarism. Speaking a day after the new cabinet was named, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide...

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Ex-President George H.W. Bush Moved to Intensive Care After 'Setbacks'

By Mike Fleeman 12/27/2012 at 01:00 PM EST George H. W. Bush in 2009 Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty After suffering "a series of setbacks," including a "persistent fever," 88-year-old former President George H.W. Bush is in the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital,...

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