Wall Street Week Ahead: Political wrangling to pinch market's nerves

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Volatility is the name of this game. With the S&P 500 above 1,400 following five days of gains, traders will be hard pressed not to cash in on the advance at the first sign of trouble during negotiations over tax hikes and spending cuts that resume next week in Washington. President Barack Obama and U.S. congressional leaders are expected to discuss...

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Egypt's Mursi faces judicial revolt over decree

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi faces a rebellion from judges who accused him on Saturday of expanding his powers at their expense, deepening a crisis that has triggered calls for more protests following a day of violence across Egypt. Judges in Alexandria, Egypt's second city, threatened to go on strike until it was revoked, and there were calls for the "downfall of...

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6 ways to tweet yourself out of a job

Hate your job? Want to leave without giving two weeks notice? Thanks to Twitter, it’s never been easier to get fired, says Rob Lammie at Mental FlossStep 1: Drunk tweetAs any Spring Break partier knows, drinking impairs your judgment. It seems to have also impaired the judgment of Major League pitcher-turned-sports-radio-host Mike Bacsik, who put on quite a show during a San Antonio Spurs and Dallas...

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Katherine Heigl Goes Holiday Shopping on Black Friday

Caught in the Act 11/24/2012 at 11:45 AM EST Someone's going to have a happy holiday!Katherine Heigl was out and about picking up holiday supplies, including wrapping paper and toys, from Party City in Beverly Hills on Black Friday. The actress, who turns 34 on Saturday, was shopping with husband Josh Kelley....

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AP PHOTOS: Simple surgery heals blind Indonesians

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — They came from the remotest parts of Indonesia, taking crowded overnight ferries and riding for hours in cars or buses — all in the hope that a simple, and free, surgical procedure would restore their eyesight.Many patients were elderly and needed help to reach two hospitals in Sumatra where mass eye camps were held earlier this month by Nepalese surgeon Dr. Sanduk...

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Wall Street climbs in short session, led by tech stocks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks extended gains on Friday, with all three key indexes climbing 1 percent, as technology shares led the way in thin trading ahead of an early, post-Thanksgiving close for equity markets. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 133.01 points, or 1.04 percent, to 12,969.90. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> rose 14.52 points, or 1.04...

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Global shares gain as global economic outlook improves

LONDON (Reuters) - World share markets extended a week-long rally on Thursday as manufacturing surveys in China and the United States boosted confidence in global growth and euro zone data at least did not worsen the already weak outlook for that region. The euro hit a three high against the dollar on optimism that a funding deal for debt-crippled Greece will ultimately be agreed - and...

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Gaza ceasefire holds but mistrust runs deep

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held firm on Thursday with scenes of joy among the ruins in Gaza over what Palestinians hailed as a victory, and both sides saying their fingers were still on the trigger. In the sudden calm, Palestinians who had been under Israeli bombs for eight days poured into Gaza streets for a celebratory rally, walking past wrecked...

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Fitch cuts Sony, Panasonic debt ratings to “junk” status

TOKYO (Reuters) – Ratings agency Fitch downgraded the debt ratings of Japan’s Sony Corp and Panasonic Corp to “junk” status citing weakness in their consumer electronics and TV operations, further diminishing the luster of the once-great Japanese brands.The cut to below investment grade, the first by a ratings firm, comes as the floundering Japanese tech...

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Study finds mammograms lead to unneeded treatment

Mammograms have done surprisingly little to catch deadly breast cancers before they spread, a big U.S. study finds. At the same time, more than a million women have been treated for cancers that never would have threatened their lives, researchers estimate.Up to one-third of breast cancers, or 50,000 to 70,000 cases a year, don't need treatment, the study suggests.It's the most detailed look yet at...

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Wall Street flat after Greek delay in thin holiday trade

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Wednesday as a lack of progress on some of the potential pitfalls facing the market kept investors cautious. Greece's international lenders failed again to reach a deal to release emergency aid to the debt-saddled country. Lenders will try again next Monday, but Germany signaled that significant divisions remain. Investors...

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Tel Aviv bus blast shakes Gaza truce efforts

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A bomb exploded on a bus in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, potentially complicating efforts by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to pursue an elusive truce between Israel and Hamas, as Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip. After talks in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Clinton held a second meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu...

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Recipe: Post-Turkey Dessert for Your Thanksgiving Feast

By Alison Schwartz 11/21/2012 at 12:00 PM EST Chocolate Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake Courtesy Betty Crocker Come Thursday, it's all about that big bird sitting on the table – they don't call it Turkey Day for nothing.But for those who aren't too stuffed (with stuffing)...

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Wall Street edges up as bargain hunting offsets HP, France

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks inched higher on Tuesday, reversing earlier declines after bargain hunters stepped in to buy beaten-down shares and offset the impact of Hewlett-Packard's accounting charge and France losing its triple-A credit rating. The S&P 500 briefly dipped below its 200-day moving average at 1,382, but recovered to trade slightly above the key technical level, which...

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Gaza truce agreed, Hamas says, to take effect in hours

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Hamas official said on Tuesday Egypt had brokered a Gaza ceasefire deal that would go into effect within hours, but a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "we're not there yet". "An agreement for calm has been reached. It will be declared at 9 o'clock (1900 GMT) and go into effect at midnight (2200 GMT)," Hamas official Ayman Taha told...

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The Killing's Jamie Anne Allman Expecting Twins

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 11/20/2012 at 11:00 AM ET Tsuni/Gamma Jamie Anne Allman is good at keeping secrets — but she’s ready to let this one out of the bag.The Killing star and husband Marshall Allman are expecting their first children — a set of twins! — this spring, the couple tell PEOPLE...

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Wall Street bounces on budget talk optimism, housing data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street bounced on Monday as investors were heartened by signs of progress in talks to resolve the fiscal crunch and data that showed the recovery in the housing sector was gaining strength. The major indexes climbed more than 1 percent after tumbling in recent weeks on nervousness over when and if Washington will come to an agreement to avoid the series of tax...

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Israel says prefers diplomacy but ready to invade Gaza

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel bombed dozens of targets in Gaza on Monday and said that while it was prepared to step up its offensive by sending in troops, it preferred a diplomatic solution that would end Palestinian rocket fire from the enclave. Mediator Egypt said a deal for a truce to end the fighting could be close. The leader of Hamas said it was up to Israel to end the new...

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Apolo Ohno Blogs About the 'Hardest Week' on Dancing with the Stars

TV Watch Only on People.com By Apolo Ohno 11/19/2012 at 11:45 AM EST Apolo Anton Ohno and Karina Smirnoff Craig Sjodin/ABC Apolo Ohno is a former Dancing with the Stars champion, winning the coveted mirror-ball trophy in season 4 with Julianne Hough. The ice-skating...

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