Flu? Malaria? Disease forecasters look to the sky

NEW YORK (AP) — Only a 10 percent chance of showers today, but a 70 percent chance of flu next month.That's the kind of forecasting health scientists are trying to move toward, as they increasingly include weather data in their attempts to predict disease outbreaks.In one recent study, two scientists reported they could predict — more than seven weeks in advance — when flu season was going to peak...

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Wall Street flat after fiscal deal rally

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks took a breather on Thursday a day after celebrating Washington's deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" with the biggest one-day rally in a year. Investors turned their focus to potentially bigger battles ahead in Congress, including a likely bitter partisan battle over raising the federal debt ceiling. "I would be cautious of big moves going forward....

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Kim Jong-un, North Korean Leader, Makes Overture to South

SEOUL, South Korea — The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, called for an end to the “confrontation” with rival South Korea on Tuesday in what appeared to be an overture to the incoming South Korean president as she was cobbling together South Korea’s new policy on the North. North Korea issued a major policy statement on New Year’s Day, following a tradition set by Mr. Kim’s grandfather,...

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Scarlett Johannson Never Thinks About Marriage

By Andrea Billups 01/02/2013 at 12:55 PM EST Scarlett Johansson says she won't be walking down the aisle again anytime soon simply because, she says, she "never" thinks of marriage.In an interview with ELLE UK magazine in its February issue, Johansson says she married young the first time to now-ex-husband Ryan...

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Brain image study: Fructose may spur overeating

This is your brain on sugar — for real. Scientists have used imaging tests to show for the first time that fructose, a sugar that saturates the American diet, can trigger brain changes that may lead to overeating.After drinking a fructose beverage, the brain doesn't register the feeling of being full as it does when simple glucose is consumed, researchers found.It's a small study and does not prove...

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Wall Street starts 2013 with a rally on "cliff" agreement

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks soared on the first day of trading in 2013, after Washington lawmakers cut a last-minute deal to avoid automatic tax hikes that threatened to pinch economic growth. The rally was broad-based, with 10 stocks rising for every one falling on the New York Stock Exchange. All 10 S&P 500 industry sector indexes rose at least 1 percent, led by the S&P information...

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The North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-un, Makes Overture to South

SEOUL, South Korea — The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, called for an end to the “confrontation” with rival South Korea on Tuesday in what appeared to be an overture to the incoming South Korean president as she was cobbling together South Korea’s new policy on the North. North Korea issued a major policy statement on Tuesday, New Year’s Day, following a tradition set by Mr. Kim’s late...

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Kim Kardashian Steps Out for New Year's Party after Pregnancy Announcement

By Mark Gray 01/01/2013 at 10:20 AM EST Kanye West and Kim Kardashian Denise Truscello/WireImage The year 2012 was good for Kim Kardashian. But, oh baby, is she ready for 2013! "It's been so exciting," she told PEOPLE of the whirlwind of emotions she's felt...

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Clinton receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot

WASHINGTON (AP) — Doctors treating Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a blood clot in her head said blood thinners are being used to dissolve the clot and they are confident she will make a full recovery.Clinton didn't suffer a stroke or neurological damage from the clot that formed after she suffered a concussion during a fainting spell at her home in early December, doctors said in a...

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Senate approves "fiscal cliff" deal, crisis eased

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington's last-minute scramble to step back from a recession-inducing "fiscal cliff" shifted to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday after the Senate approved a bipartisan deal to avoid steep tax hikes and spending cuts. In a rare late-night show of unity, the Senate voted 89 to 8 to raise some taxes on the wealthy while keeping income...

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