Russia says Syrian rebels might win

MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels are gaining ground and might win, Russia's Middle East envoy said on Thursday, in the starkest such admission from a major ally of President Bashar al-Assad in 20 months of conflict. "One must look the facts in the face," Russia's state-run RIA quoted Mikhail Bogdanov as saying. "Unfortunately, the victory of the Syrian opposition cannot be ruled...

Read More..

iPad mini deemed a ‘game changer,’ outgrew Kindle Fire by nearly 50%

Smaller tablets in the 7-inch range have been on the market for more than two years now, but it looks like it took Apple (AAPL) just one month to vault to the top of the category. Mobile advertising firm Millennial Media recently published the findings of a study pitting the iPad mini against Amazon’s (AMZN) popular Kindle Fire, which has been an extremely popular iPad alternative since it first launched...

Read More..

Alicia Keys: Motherhood Has Made Me a Better Person

James Devaney/FilmMagicBecoming a mother set off a rippling effect in Alicia Keys‘ world, beginning in her personal life and carrying right through to her continuously successful career.“Being a parent has made me more open, more connected to myself, more happy, and more creative,” the songstress says in Scholastic Parent & Child‘s December/January issue.“I’m more discerning in what I do and...

Read More..

DA investigating Texas' troubled $3B cancer agency

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Turmoil surrounding an unprecedented $3 billion cancer-fighting effort in Texas worsened Tuesday when its executive director offered his resignation and the state's chief public corruption prosecutor announced an investigation into the beleaguered agency.No specific criminal allegations are driving the latest probe into the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, said...

Read More..

Wall Street opens higher ahead of Fed announcement

If you're not already aware of the bull-headed CIA agent whose persist pressure to track Al Qaeda couriers helped lead the way to bin Laden's compound, you're about to be. The main character of Zero Dark Thirty, the soon-to-be released Oscar bait that portrays the story of the Bin Laden raid, is based on said agent, "is based on a real person" whose identity remains classified as she's still...

Read More..

North Korea launches rocket , raising nuclear arms stakes

SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea successfully launched a rocket on Wednesday, boosting the credentials of its new leader and stepping up the threat the isolated and impoverished state poses to opponents. The rocket, which North Korea says put a weather satellite into orbit, has been labeled by the United States, South Korea and Japan as a test of technology that could one day deliver...

Read More..

Here’s the Pope’s First Tweet

The long wait is over and we’ve finally got the first words of Twitter wisdom from Pope Benedict XVI. Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012Ok, so not that funny, but it was all spelled right and we got blessed by a pope, so that’s a good start. And...

Read More..

SAG Award Nominations Go to Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Downton Abbey

By Stephen M. Silverman 12/12/2012 at 09:30 AM EST from left: Maggie Smith (in Downton Abbey) and Nicole Kidman (in The Paperboy) Getty; Millennium Entertainment The 2013 Award Season officially kicked off Wednesday morning with the announcement of the 19th annual...

Read More..

New tests could hamper food outbreak detection

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's about to get faster and easier to diagnose food poisoning, but that progress for individual patients comes with a downside: It could hurt the nation's ability to spot and solve dangerous outbreaks.Next-generation tests that promise to shave a few days off the time needed to tell whether E. coli, salmonella or other foodborne bacteria caused a patient's illness could reach medical...

Read More..

Wall Street gains on German data; Fed eyed

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks extended gains on Tuesday with the Nasdaq rising more than 1 percent, after unexpectedly cheery data out of Europe and as the Federal Reserve was set to kick off a two-day policy meeting. Leading the technology sector higher, Apple shares rose 2.5 percent to $543.01 in early trading. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 77.39 points,...

Read More..