Burned bodies found at besieged Algeria gas plant

ALGIERS/IN AMENAS, Algeria (Reuters) - Algerian special forces on Saturday found 15 burned bodies at a desert gas plant raided by al Qaeda-linked fighters, two days after the army launched an assault to free hostages being held there by the Islamists, a source familiar with the crisis said. Efforts were underway to identify the bodies, the source told Reuters. It was not clear how they...

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Manti Te'o Speaks: 'I Wasn't Faking It'

By Stephen M. Silverman 01/19/2013 at 08:45 AM EST Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o has broken his silence on the topic of the his "dead" girlfriend, telling ESPN Friday night that he played no part in the bizarre hoax."I wasn't faking it," the star athlete, 21, told the sports cable network's Jeremy Schapp...

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Lilly drug chosen for Alzheimer's prevention study

Researchers have chosen an experimental drug by Eli Lilly & Co. for a large federally funded study testing whether it's possible to prevent Alzheimer's disease in older people at high risk of developing it.The drug, called solanezumab (sol-ah-NAYZ-uh-mab), is designed to bind to and help clear the sticky deposits that clog patients' brains.Earlier studies found it did not help people with moderate...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Earnings, money flows to push stocks higher

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With earnings momentum on the rise, the S&P 500 seems to have few hurdles ahead as it continues to power higher, its all-time high a not-so-distant goal. The U.S. equity benchmark closed the week at a fresh five-year high on strong housing and labor market data and a string of earnings that beat lowered expectations. Sector indexes in transportation...

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Sahara hostage holders make new threat

ALGIERS (Reuters) - At least 18 foreign hostages were unaccounted for on Friday and their al-Qaeda-linked captors threatened to attack other energy installations after Algerian forces stormed a desert gas complex to free hundreds of captives, resulting in dozens of deaths. With Western leaders clamoring for details of a raid they said Algeria had launched on Thursday without consulting...

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Mo. lawmaker wants tax on violent video games

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Republican lawmaker from rural Missouri bucked her party’s anti-tax bent on Tuesday and called for a sales tax on violent video games in response to a deadly Connecticut school shooting.Rep. Diane Franklin, of Camdenton, said the proposed 1 percent sales tax would help pay for mental health programs and law enforcement measures aimed at preventing mass shootings. The tax...

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William & Kate and Harry's Gift List Reveals Riches from Their Travels

By Simon Perry 01/18/2013 at 08:20 AM EST What's on the gift list when party-lover Prince Harry comes to visit you? Reach for the rum.For the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge? How about matching bathrobes from a fabled hotel. These are just some of the gifts received last year by the Princes and Kate during their travels on behalf of Queen...

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Food servers more vulnerable to legal threats

WASHINGTON (AP) — People with severe food allergies have a new tool in their attempt to find menus that fit their diet: federal disabilities law. And that could leave schools, restaurants and anyplace else that serves food more vulnerable to legal challenges over food sensitivities.A settlement stemming from a lack of gluten-free foods available to students at a Massachusetts university could serve...

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Stock futures mixed as Intel offsets Morgan Stanley, China data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were little changed on Friday, a day after the S&P 500 rose to its highest level in five years, as a weak outlook from Intel was weighed against encouraging data out of China and a fourth-quarter profit at Morgan Stanley . Shares of Intel Corp slumped 5.4 percent to $21.44 in premarket trading after the tech company forecast quarterly revenue...

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Many dead at site of Algerian kidnapping

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Many people were killed when Algerian forces opened fire on a vehicle at a remote gas plant where gunmen were holding dozens of Western hostages, a resident of the locality and Arab news reports said on Thursday. The resident, who asked not to be identified, said there were many bodies at the scene. He did not give firm numbers of the dead or say whether they were...

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Missouri Lawmaker Wants Violent Video Games Taxed

A rural Missouri lawmaker wants her state to tax certain video games to help curb gun violence. The Associated Press reports state Rep. Diane Franklin, R-Camdenton, believes a 1 percent sales tax on video games rated teen, mature and adults only would help finance mental health programs aimed at reducing gun violence such as the recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.What...

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Pawn Stars's Rick Harrison Sets Wedding Date

By Mark Gray 01/17/2013 at 08:30 AM EST Rick Harrison and Deanna Burditt MJT/AdMedia Rick Harrison has gone from pawning to planning.After months of going back and forth, the Pawn Stars ringleader and his fiancée, Deanna Burditt, have finally set a date for their...

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Large study confirms flu vaccine safe in pregnancy

NEW YORK (AP) — A large study offers reassuring news for pregnant women: It's safe to get a flu shot.The research found no evidence that the vaccine increases the risk of losing a fetus, and may prevent some deaths. Getting the flu while pregnant makes fetal death more likely, the Norwegian research showed.The flu vaccine has long been considered safe for pregnant women and their fetus. U.S. health...

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Stock futures add to gains after housing, claims data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures added to gains after data showed initial jobless claims fell to a five-year low last week and housing starts climbed to their highest rate since June 2008. S&P 500 futures rose 6.3 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration of the contract. Dow Jones...

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Syrian army on offensive in Aleppo after university blast

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian armed forces launched a renewed offensive in the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, state media said, a day after 87 people were killed in explosions at the city's university. The state news agency SANA said the military had killed dozens of "terrorists" - a term Damascus uses for rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad - in the new fighting....

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iPhone demand said to be ‘robust,’ recent cuts don’t reflect weak demand

Following recent reports from Nikkei and The Wall Street Journal that suggested Apple (AAPL) slashed iPhone 5 component orders in half due to weak demand,  the company’s stock fell significantly and opened below $ 500 for the first time in nearly a year. The reports have been called into question, however, with many believing they do not...

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Jessica Simpson: Second Pregnancy Was a Shock, Much Different Than First

Paul Drinkwater/NBCJessica Simpson says she was channeling a certain curvaceous reality star when she posted for a bikini bump self-portrait on Twitter during her Christmas holiday in Hawaii.“I felt really hot, and I thought I deserved a Kim Kardashian moment, you know? I was really feeling it, like, ‘Oh, my bump looks cute. I’m going to share that,’” the Fashion Star mentor quipped...

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ER visits tied to energy drinks double since 2007

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A new government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide during the past four years, the same period in which the supercharged drink industry has surged in popularity in convenience stores, bars and on college campuses.From 2007 to 2011, the government estimates the number of emergency room visits involving...

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Stock futures dip, Boeing in focus; JPMorgan, Goldman report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures slipped on Wednesday with shares of Boeing set to weigh on the market after two Japanese airlines grounded their Dreamliner fleets. JPMorgan Chase & Co said fourth-quarter net income jumped 53 percent and earnings for 2012 set a record, while earnings at Goldman Sachs nearly tripled. Goldman shares rose 2.2 percent in premarket trading;...

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France steps up Mali operation, Africans try to catch up

BAMAKO (Reuters) - France hit Islamist rebels in Mali with fresh air strikes and deployed armored cars on Tuesday, stepping up its intervention in the West African state as regional allies struggled to accelerate their plans to send in troops. Paris has poured hundreds of soldiers into Mali and carried out air raids since Friday in the northern half of the country, which was seized last...

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The Golden Globes, Starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and Nobody Else

We realize there’s only so much time one can spend in a day watching new trailers, viral video clips, and shaky cell phone footage of people arguing on live television. This is why every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention. Today:  RELATED: The Way the World Could Have EndedNow, we know what you’re thinking. Forget the rest of the...

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Lance Armstrong Admits Doping, Says Oprah Winfrey

By Stephen M. Silverman 01/15/2013 at 08:30 AM EST Oprah Winfrey and Lance Armstrong Heather Wines/CBS; Sipa After being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last August – and apparently lying in interviews for more than a decade – Lance Armstrong has admitted...

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Stock futures fall amid debt limit, profit worries

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures slipped on Tuesday as investors fretted over the debate brewing in Washington over raising the U.S. borrowing limit as well as what is expected to be a lackluster earnings season. Economic reports include U.S. retail sales and producer prices for December as well as manufacturing activity in New York state for January, all due at 8:30 a.m. Business...

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Decision on immunity for U.S. troops by year-end: Karzai

KABUL (Reuters) - A decision on immunity for U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan after the 2014 planned withdrawal will be made by the end of the year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday. "The issue of immunity is under discussion (and) it is going to take eight to nine months before we reach agreement," Karzai told a news conference in the capital, Kabul, after returning from...

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