Market rises but fiscal cliff makes for choppy session

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Thursday as investors bought on sporadic dips in a market roiled by conflicting comments from Washington about high-stakes negotiations to solve the "fiscal cliff." Wall Street reversed early gains and fell shortly after John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, poured cold water on hopes that lawmakers were getting closer to a budget deal that...

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As Opposition Meets in Cairo, More Violence Mars Syria

The Syrian opposition pushed ahead on military and political fronts on Wednesday, as rebels shot down a government warplane in the north of Syria and a newly formed coalition started talks in Cairo on how to pick a transitional government to replace that of President Bashar al-Assad. The coalition, whose official name is the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces,...

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Italian tax police probe Google Italy again

ROME (Reuters) – Italian police launched a new tax probe into Google Italy this week after earlier investigations found the group had failed to declare income and still owed sales tax, an economy ministry document showed on Wednesday.The earlier probe, which was launched by Italian financial police in 2007, found that Google had developed a system to transfer profits from its Italian operations to...

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Is Jessica Simpson Pregnant Again?

Buzz By Rennie Dyball 11/28/2012 at 03:00 PM EST Is 7-month-old Maxwell Drew a big sister-to-be?Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson – who welcomed their daughter in May – are expecting another child, according to reports widely circulating online. When asked about the latest baby buzz, Simpson's publicist told PEOPLE,...

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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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Wall Street rises as "fiscal cliff" remarks lift market

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose in volatile trade on Wednesday after comments from the top Republican in Congress on a possible compromise to avoid the "fiscal cliff" turned the market on its head. House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said he was optimistic that a budget deal to avert large tax hikes and spending cuts currently under discussion in Washington could be reached....

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Tibetan Protesters Injured in Crackdown; Self-Immolations Continue

BEIJING — At least five Tibetans have set fire to themselves in recent days to protest Chinese rule in Tibetan regions, while at least 5 Tibetan students were in critical condition and 15 others were being treated for injuries after security forces cracked down on a large protest in western China on Monday, according to reports by Radio Free Asia and Free Tibet, an advocacy group. The protest...

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Google Breaks All Android App Reviews, Threatens Android Fans’ Safety

“A Google User” is now the number one Android game and app reviewer on Google Play, Android’s version of Apple’s App Store. That’s because every single one of the millions of existing reviews, possibly including yours, has had its author replaced with this nameless, faceless person.Screenshots taken by Jeremiah Rice of the Android Police blog show this prolific (but completely generic) author has...

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What Does Brad Pitt Think of the Parodies of His Chanel No. 5 Commercial?

Stylewatch Style News Now 11/27/2012 at 11:00 AM ET Saturday Night Live spoofed him. Several times. Heck, even dogs did it. But Brad Pitt still stands by his not-so-popular Chanel No. 5 commercial.“I kind of liked it,” he told Access...

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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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