
Georgian president and premier in battle of wills
It is a battle of egos that could not be more visible: The shining palace of the president and the lavish glass villa of the new billionaire prime ...

Class of 2012: Young Europeans trapped by language
Maria Menendez, a 25-year-old caught in Spain's job-destroying economic crisis, would love to work in Germany as a veterinarian. Germany, facing an ...

Group gathers mistletoe for holidays on river trip
There's an old southern tradition of shooting mistletoe out of treetops with a .22 rifle, or even a shotgun. Forrest Altman prefers a kinder, gentler ...

World Bank: Arab World hit hard by climate change
The Middle East and North Africa will be especially hard hit by climate change in the coming decades, the World Bank said in a report Wednesday, ...

Employers: LA port workers to return Wednesday
Negotiators reached an agreement late Tuesday to end an eight-day strike that crippled the nation's largest port complex and prevented shippers from ...
Arson fire in clothing factory in China kills 14
A former worker told state media Wednesday he set the fire that killed 14 young workers at a Chinese clothing factory because he was angry about less ...
NHL talks resume with owners, players meeting
The best news on the 80th day of the NHL lockout was that hockey owners and players did most of their talking in front of each other instead of making ...
Samsung promotes chairman's son to vice chairman
Samsung Electronics Co. promoted its chairman's only son to vice chairman, putting the 44-year-old closer to the top leadership position at the ...

Mars redux: NASA to launch Curiosity-like rover
If you thought NASA's latest Mars landing was a nail-biter, get ready for a sequel. The space agency on Tuesday announced plans to launch another ...

Powerful typhoon kills at least 74 in Philippines
Torrential floods from a powerful typhoon engulfed emergency shelters and an army truck carrying soldiers and villagers who were fleeing their homes ...

McAfee says he plans to seek asylum in Guatemala
Software company founder John McAfee has surfaced in public for the first time in weeks, saying Tuesday that he plans to ask for asylum in Guatemala ...

Netflix outbids Starz for rights to Disney movies
Netflix's Internet video service has landed the U.S. rights to show Disney movies shortly after they leave theaters, a coup that could turn into a ...

Chain blast feared before clean-up at La. site
Authorities are slowly moving some of the 6 million pounds of explosives improperly stored at a munitions recycling facility because they feared a ...
Senate passes $631 billion defense bill
The Senate overwhelmingly approved a sweeping, $631 billion defense bill Tuesday that sends a clear signal to President Barack Obama to move quickly ...

Fast-growing fish may never wind up on your plate
Salmon that's been genetically modified to grow twice as fast as normal could soon show up on your dinner plate. That is, if the company that makes ...
Baxter to buy Swedish firm Gambro in $2.76B deal
Drug and medical device maker Baxter International plans to buy the privately held Swedish company Gambro AB for about $2.76 billion to broaden its ...
Darden cites failed promotions for lower outlook
Darden Restaurants Inc. is cutting its profit forecast for the year, with the owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster blaming failed promotions and ...

Ask.com adds mobile apps to its search results
You're apt to discover more useful apps for your smartphone or tablet computer at Ask.com beginning Tuesday. At least that's the thinking behind a ...

US banks report stronger profits and more lending
U.S. banks are enjoying their best profits in six years and are lending a bit more freely. The gradual improvement suggests that the industry will ...
Exxon Mobil to give CEO a raise to $2.7 million
Exxon Mobil Corp. is raising CEO Rex W. Tillerson's salary 6 percent to $2.72 million on Jan. 1. The oil giant said Tuesday in a regulatory filing ...

Stocks little changed as budget talks continue
Stocks closed little changed Tuesday on Wall Street as budget talks continued in Washington. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 13.82 points ...

Icahn gives up bid for truck maker Oshkosh
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is giving up his bid to buy truck maker Oshkosh after less than 25 percent of the company's shares were tendered ...

Texas teen takes home $100K national science prize
A high school student from Texas has won a $100,000 scholarship for a developing a computer algorithm that helps robots navigate around obstacles, an ...

Snowplow simulator offers rare chance to practice
In an area that gets a mere 3 inches of snow a year, Dallas snowplow drivers live in fear of major winter storms like the one that crippled their city ...

Venezuela chocolate king thrives despite controls
Cacao pods ripen to colors from bright yellow to crimson in the forest-shaded plantations of Venezuela, where some of the world's finest chocolate is ...