Vatican takes first spot in Internet domain name draw

The Vatican has come out in first place in a long-awaited draw to expand the Internet address system with new domain names that go beyond the usual .com, .org or .net endings.ICANN, the corporation that oversees the Internet address system, announced this week the domain name .catholic written in Chinese characters will be the first bid it considers in a drive to expand and reorganize sites on the...

Read More..

Vatican says pope beats Justin Bieber on re-tweets

Pope Benedict, white-haired, 85, and a neophyte to social media site Twitter, has beaten out 18-year old heartthrob Justin Bieber to set a percentage record for re-tweeting by his followers, the Vatican said on Thursday.The Vatican newspaper said that as of noon Italian time on Thursday the pope had 2.1 million followers on Twitter, eight days after his first tweet was sent.While Canadian singer-songwriter...

Read More..

Saudi website editor could face death for apostasy-rights group

The editor of a Saudi Arabian website could be sentenced to death after a judge cited him for apostasy and moved his case to a higher court, the monitoring group Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.Raif Badawi, who started the Free Saudi Liberals website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia, was arrested in June, Human Rights Watch said.Badawi had initially been charged with the less serious...

Read More..

Sri Lanka arrests 100 Chinese for cyber fraud, police say

 Sri Lanka on Saturday arrested at least 100 Chinese nationals accused of an internet fraud scheme targeting people in their home country, a police spokesman said.The accused, all in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, are suspected of hacking into computers in China and then demanding their owners transfer them money, police spokesman Prishantha Jayakodi told Reuters.Chinese police requested help from...

Read More..

British retailers start online sales early

British retailers have brought forward their Christmas clearance sales online in the hope that shoppers will log on to buy bargains and offset lackluster spending in stores.Marks & Spencer launched its sale online at midday on Monday, it said on its website, while department store John Lewis said it would cut online prices when its stores close at 1700 GMT. Debenhams has already started its online...

Read More..

Egypt fears over currency lead to dollar rush

 As Egypt prepared to release official results of the divisive constitutional referendum on Tuesday, the country edged deeper into economic crisis with some worried residents hoarding dollars for fear that the local currency could weaken significantly.The anxiety over the economy was visible at currency exchanges in the upscale Cairo neighborhood of Zamalek, which ran out of dollars by midday...

Read More..

Egypt constitution passes, economic crunch looms

The official approval of Egypt's disputed, Islamist-backed constitution Tuesday held out little hope of stabilizing the country after two years of turmoil and Islamist President Mohammed Morsi may now face a more immediate crisis with the economy falling deeper into distress.In a clear sign of anxiety over the economy, the turbulence of the past month and expected austerity measures ahead have some...

Read More..

US holiday retail sales growth weakest since 2008

 U.S. holiday retail sales this year grew at the weakest pace since 2008, when the nation was in a deep recession. In 2012, the shopping season was disrupted by bad weather and consumers' rising uncertainty about the economy.A report that tracks spending on popular holiday goods, the MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, said Tuesday that sales in the two months before Christmas increased 0.7 percent,...

Read More..

Daiwa CEO sees 2013 Nikkei rally on Abe economy boost

Japan's Nikkei stock average could rally nearly 30 percent in 2013 due to an aggressive push to reflate the economy under the country's new premier, the chief executive of Daiwa Securities Group told Reuters in an interview.While securities executives are known for their bullish market predictions, the comments from Takashi Hibino reflect an optimism among business leaders that the policies of Shinzo...

Read More..

South Korea president-elect urges chaebol think twice before layoffs

- South Korea's president-elect asked the leaders of the country's big businesses, or chaebol, on Wednesday to think twice before cutting jobs, saying it was time for the conglomerates her father helped build four decades ago to look beyond profits.The election last week of Park Geun-hye, the 60-year-old daughter of former military ruler Park Chung-hee, was welcomed by the country's big businesses...

Read More..

NFL standings

Dec 24 (Infostrada Sports) - Standings from the NFL on SundayAMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCEAFC EASTW L T OTL PF PA PCT1. New England 11 4 0 0 529 331 .7332. Miami 7 8 0 2 288 289 .4673. NY Jets 6 9 0 1 272 347 .4004. Buffalo 5 10 0 0 316 426 .333AFC NORTHW L T OTL PF PA PCT1. Baltimore 10 5 0 1 381 321 .6672. Cincinnati 9 6 0 0 368 303 .6003. Pittsburgh 7 8 0 1 312 304 .4674. Cleveland 5 10 0 1 292...

Read More..

UPDATE 2-NFL-Bengals and Colts claim playoff berths

 Colts complete turnaround season as AFC playoff list set* Ravens claim AFC North title, top-seed not yet decided* Seahawks crush 49ers to make postseason (Adds Seahawks' win in paras 6-7)Dec 23 (Reuters) - The Cincinnati Bengals edged the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach the NFL playoffs, and the Indianapolis Colts joined the postseason party by capping their remarkable turnaround in pressure-packed...

Read More..

UPDATE 1-NFL-Surging Seahawks hammer 49ers, take title race to wire

* Wilson throws four touchdown passes* 49ers suffer injuries to Davis, ManninghamDec 23 (Reuters) - The Seattle Seahawks ensured the NFC West title race will go down to the final week with a playoff-clinching 42-13 home rout of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.The Seahawks dominated the 49ers from the start in rainy Seattle to remain unbeaten at home and move within half a game of division leaders...

Read More..

Bengals and Colts claim playoff berths

The Cincinnati Bengals edged the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach the NFL playoffs, and the Indianapolis Colts joined the postseason party by capping their remarkable turnaround in pressure-packed action on Sunday.The advancement of Cincinnati (9-6), 13-10 winners over their bitter AFC North rivals, and Indianapolis (10-5), who beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-13, completed the playoff list in the American...

Read More..

Surging Seahawks hammer 49ers, take title race to wire

The Seattle Seahawks ensured the NFC West title race will go down to the final week with a playoff-clinching 42-13 home rout of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.The Seahawks dominated the 49ers from the start in rainy Seattle to remain unbeaten at home and move within half a game of division leaders San Francisco.The 49ers entered the game with a chance to clinch the division but found themselves...

Read More..

Alcohol Allergies Can Cause Sneezing, Flushing, Headache

Kristin Brown loved to drink – perhaps partied a little too much when she was in her 20s, but when she hit her 30s, alcohol suddenly hit her the wrong way. "It wasn't always that way, so you can imagine my shock and dismay the first time it happened," she told ABCNews.com. "At the age of 35 I was sitting on the couch with my husband after the kids went to bed, when I took two sips of Jack Daniels....

Read More..

China to crack down on "malicious" trademark registrations

China plans to change the law to crackdown on "malicious" trademark registrations, state media said on Monday, after a series of cases in which well-know international brands and individuals have had their names or copyright misused. Foreign governments, including the United States, have for years urged China to take a stronger stand against intellectual property rights violations on products ranging...

Read More..

Budokon, made in America, mixes yoga with martial arts

Budokon, a workout program developed in 21st century America, blends the ancient mind-body practices of yoga and martial arts into a program that aims to reward followers with conditioning, mindful meditation and progressively colored karate-type belts. "Budokon is a yoga, martial arts and meditation trifecta," said Mimi Rieger, who teaches the not-so-ancient practice in gyms, studios and workshops...

Read More..

FDA warns doctors of counterfeit Botox

Federal regulators have warned more than 350 medical practices that Botox they may have received from a Canadian supplier is unapproved and could be counterfeit or unsafe. The Food and Drug Administration said in a letter sent last month, a letter released publicly last week, that batches of the wrinkle treatment shipped by suppliers owned by pharmacy Canada Drugs have not been approved by the FDA...

Read More..

Allergies, extra weight tied to bullying

Kids who have food allergies or are overweight may be especially likely to get bullied by their peers, two new studies suggest. Not surprisingly, researchers also found targets of bullying were more distressed and anxious and had a worse quality of life, in general, than those who weren't picked on. Bullying has become a concern among parents, doctors and school administrators since research and...

Read More..

Media mogul and banker Allbritton dies at 87

Joe Lewis Allbritton, a media mogul and owner of the scandal-plagued Riggs National Bank, died on Wednesday at a hospital in Houston. He was 87. Allbritton died of heart ailments, said Jerald Fritz, a senior vice president of Allbritton Communications. Allbritton's media empire included newspapers throughout the U.S. Northeast and ABC network affiliates. Allbritton's son, Robert, recently founded...

Read More..

Legendary Indian sitarist, composer Ravi Shankar dead at 92

Sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar, who helped introduce the sitar to the Western world through his collaborations with The Beatles, died in Southern California on Tuesday, his family said. He was 92. Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner with legendary appearances at the 1967 Monterey Festival and at Woodstock, had been in fragile health for several years and last Thursday underwent surgery, his family...

Read More..

McAfee arrives in U.S. from Guatemala

Computer software pioneer John McAfee, who is wanted for questioning in Belize over the murder of a fellow American, arrived in Miami on Wednesday evening after he was deported by Guatemala, according to fellow passengers on an American Airlines flight. After landing, McAfee, 67, was escorted from the plane by airport security officers, passengers said. Shortly afterward, he tweeted, "I am in South...

Read More..

Mick Jagger love letters fetch $300,000 at auction

A collection of love letters written by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger to American singer Marsha Hunt, believed to be the inspiration for the band's hit single "Brown Sugar", sold at Sotheby's on Wednesday for 187,250 pounds ($301,000). The 10 letters, dating from the summer of 1969, had been expected to fetch 70-100,000 pounds, according to the auctioneer. "The passage of time has given these...

Read More..

Singer-songwriter Carole King to receive U.S. Gershwin prize

American singer-songwriter Carole King will be awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the U.S. national library said on Thursday. The multiple Grammy Award winner co-wrote her first No. 1 hit at age 17 with then-husband Gerry Goffin and was the first female solo artist to sell more than 10 million copies of a single album, with her 1971 release "Tapestry." The prize honors...

Read More..