World Briefing | The Americas: Mexico: Statue of Ex-Leader of Azerbaijan Removed

The Mexico City government removed a large statue of a former president of Azerbaijan from a central boulevard early Saturday, giving in after months of complaints by critics who said that Mexico’s capital was no place for the likeness of a man accused of suppressing democracy and committing human rights abuses. City workers, accompanied by police officers, arrived shortly after midnight at the little...

Read More..

Google reportedly ‘actively exploring’ the smartwatch market

In October, Google (GOOG) was granted a patent for a smartwatch with a flip-up display, however it was assumed that the concept, like most patents, would never move beyond the drawing board. A new report from Business Insider claims that the company is now “actively exploring” the idea of producing its own smartwatch and is even looking into ways it could market such a device. Information is slim...

Read More..

Guy Fieri Says His Beef Sandwich Recipe Is 'the Bomb!'

By Maggie Coughlan 01/26/2013 at 07:00 PM EST Guy Fieri's Beef Sandwich Andrew Purcell; Inset: Michael Tran/Getty After crossing the nation on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy Fieri knows a thing or two about what makes a sandwich spectacular.The co-host of Food...

Read More..

CDC: Flu seems to level off except in the West

New government figures show that flu cases seem to be leveling off nationwide. Flu activity is declining in most regions although still rising in the West.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitalizations and deaths spiked again last week, especially among the elderly. The CDC says quick treatment with antiviral medicines is important, in particular for the very...

Read More..

Colorado's new growth industry: pot

DENVER — Two hedge-fund partners — monogrammed shirts, taut Windsor knots, cuff links — step into a hipster cafe called Sputnik...

Read More..

U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan

The Department of Defense has identified 2,158 American service members who have died as a part of the Afghan war and related operations. It confirmed the death of the following American recently: SCHOONHOVEN, Mark H., 38, Sgt., Army; Plainwell, Mich.; Fourth Infantry Division. ...

Read More..

Apple’s China dilemma: market share or cachet?

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Apple Inc’s third straight disappointing quarter signals an urgent need for the global technology leader to drum up new revenue – and China may provide the answer.Now more than ever, analysts say, Apple needs to get it right in the world’s most populous country, where it ranks only sixth in annual smartphone sales and Samsung Electronics remains the runaway leader.Apple’s best...

Read More..

Liberty Ross Files for Divorce from Rupert Sanders

By Dahvi Shira 01/25/2013 at 08:20 PM EST Liberty Ross Michael Buckner/Wireimage It's over for Rupert Sanders and Liberty Ross.The Snow White and the Huntsman actress, 34, filed for divorce Friday from her director-husband Sanders, 41, in Los Angeles County Superior...

Read More..

CDC: Flu seems to level off except in the West

New government figures show that flu cases seem to be leveling off nationwide. Flu activity is declining in most regions although still rising in the West.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitalizations and deaths spiked again last week, especially among the elderly. The CDC says quick treatment with antiviral medicines is important, in particular for the very...

Read More..

Attack on family in Compton latest incident in wave of anti-black violence

The trouble began soon after they arrived.The black family—a mother, three teenage children and a 10-year-old boy—moved into...

Read More..

Armed Forces in Canada Resolved Issue Long Ago

Christinne Muschi for The New York TimesLt. Col. Shirley M. Robinson, top, was a consultant for a tribunal that integrated women into combat roles. OTTAWA — When Sheila A. Hellstrom first joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1954, she was limited to one of three roles: nurse, dietitian or administrator. As the decades passed, she would become the first Canadian woman to reach the rank of general...

Read More..

Samsung puts lid on capex for first time since financial crisis

SEOUL (Reuters) – Samsung Electronics Co turned cautious on spending for the first time since the global financial crisis, keeping its annual investment plan unchanged at 2012 levels, as demand for computer chips wanes and the smartphone market slows.Samsung, one of the industry’s most aggressive spenders, has ramped up capital expenditure every year since 2004 except 2009 to meet soaring demand for...

Read More..

American Idol Auditions in Baton Rouge Are (Almost) Drama-Free

TV Watch American Idol By Steve Helling 01/24/2013 at 10:00 PM EST From left: Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban George Holz/FOX There were no catfights on Thursday's American Idol. No one stormed off the set. Everyone was on...

Read More..

Penalty could keep smokers out of health overhaul

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of smokers could be priced out of health insurance because of tobacco penalties in President Barack Obama's health care law, according to experts who are just now teasing out the potential impact of a little-noted provision in the massive legislation.The Affordable Care Act — "Obamacare" to its detractors — allows health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies...

Read More..

Security cameras finally installed in South L.A. park

Los Angeles Councilman Bernard C. Parks unveiled six security cameras at Jackie Tatum Harvard Recreation Center on Thursday,...

Read More..

India Ink: Report on India's Sexual Assault Laws Mixes Scathing Criticism With Proposed Changes

A special committee formed to recommend changes to India’s sexual assault laws after the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi proposed far-reaching police and judicial reforms Wednesday, new liability for armed official personnel accused of committing sexual offenses and recognition of sex crimes against homosexuals.The report, more than 650 pages long, was prepared by a committee including...

Read More..

Apple’s iPhone disappointment fans doubt on growth

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc missed Wall Street’s revenue forecast for the third straight quarter after iPhone sales came in below expectations, fanning fears that its dominance of the mobile industry was slipping.Shares of the world’s largest tech company fell 10 percent to $ 463 in after-hours trade, wiping out some $ 50 billion of its market value – nearly equivalent to that of Hewlett-Packard...

Read More..

Women have caught up to men on lung cancer risk

Smoke like a man, die like a man.U.S. women who smoke today have a much greater risk of dying from lung cancer than they did decades ago, partly because they are starting younger and smoking more — that is, they are lighting up like men, new research shows.Women also have caught up with men in their risk of dying from smoking-related illnesses. Lung cancer risk leveled off in the 1980s for men but...

Read More..

Fontana school police are armed with semiautomatic rifles

Police officers in the Fontana Unified School District were armed recently with semiautomatic rifles, drawing sharp criticism...

Read More..

India Ink: Supreme Court to Consider Moving Delhi Gang Rape Trial on Wednesday

The Supreme Court has delayed until Wednesday a hearing on a petition to move the gang rape trial from New Delhi.The petition by Manohar Lal Sharma, who represents one of the defendants, Mukesh Singh, was scheduled to be heard Tuesday but was deferred to Wednesday because the court did not have sufficient time to take it up.Mr. Sharma said in an interview that he was convinced his client would not...

Read More..

FTC study taking aim at online marketing of booze

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans this summer to recommend ways that the alcoholic beverage industry can better protect underage viewers from seeing its advertisements online.Distillers, brewers and wineries pour millions of dollars into brand promotion on Twitter, Facebook and other social media, and industry critics contend they are not doing enough to prevent young...

Read More..

PEOPLE's Music Critic: Why We're Upset About Beyoncé's Lip-Synching Drama

By Chuck Arnold 01/22/2013 at 08:40 PM EST Did she lip-synch or didn't she?That's the question surrounding Beyoncé after reports surfaced that she didn't sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" live at yesterday's presidential inauguration. A spokesperson for the U.S. Marine Band, which backed the pop diva at the ceremony,...

Read More..

Flu season fuels debate over paid sick time laws

NEW YORK (AP) — Sniffling, groggy and afraid she had caught the flu, Diana Zavala dragged herself in to work anyway for a day she felt she couldn't afford to miss.A school speech therapist who works as an independent contractor, she doesn't have paid sick days. So the mother of two reported to work and hoped for the best — and was aching, shivering and coughing by the end of the day. She stayed home...

Read More..