PIRG warns of toy dangers but finds fewer of them

WASHINGTON (AP) — Toys are safer than ever before, consumer advocates say, but parents should remain vigilant in keeping their little ones away from powerful magnets and small items that can easily cause choking.“The main trend that we saw this year was that we didn’t find as many toxic toys as we thought we would,” said Nasima Hossain, a public health...

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Argentina’s Fernandez faces her first general strike

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Opposition trade unions protesting Argentina‘s economic policies brought public transportation and grains exports to a halt on Tuesday in the first general strike since President Cristina Fernandez took office five years ago.Demonstrators burned tires to block roads and vandalized a handful of the businesses that opened despite...

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Who Are the ‘Anti-Israel’ Press Behind Rupert Murdoch’s Twitter Attack?

Rupert Murdoch can apologize (as he sort of did) about his “Jewish-owned press” tweet, but he still can’t take it back. And because that tweet is out there, the big question now—after “Why is he still on there?” and “Wow, that’s really offensive, right?”—is which press, exactly, he was referring to. Here’s the tweet that Murdoch sent out on Saturday night: Why...

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Decreased Sexual Interest Most Common Complaint Among Women With Breast Cancer

FIRST PERSON | Research presented at the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Connections: Advancing Care Through Science conference discloses that decreased sexual interest is the most common complaint among women with breast cancer. 13.8 million women are breast cancer survivors in the United States. The research reported on results from 896 women.The Oncology...

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Housing recovery gains traction

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Home resales rose in October and a gauge of homebuilder sentiment climbed to a six-year high in November, signs of surprising vigor in the country’s still-struggling housing market.The National Association of Realtors said on Monday that existing home sales climbed 2.1 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79...

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Turbulence on Cuba-Italy flight leaves 30 bruised

ROME (AP) — An airliner flying from Havana to Milan abruptly plunged some 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) when it hit unusually strong turbulence over the Atlantic on Monday, terrifying passengers and leaving some 30 people aboard with bruises and scrapes, airline officials said.The flight continued to Milan’s Malpensa airport after the plane’s captain determined...

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Wii U: New console launches in a sea of gadgets

NEW YORK (AP) — In the six years since the last major video game system launched, Apple unveiled the iPhone and the iPad, “Angry Birds” invaded smartphones and Facebook reached a billion users. In the process, scores of video game consoles were left to languish in living rooms alongside dusty VCRs and disc players.On Sunday, Nintendo Co. is launching the...

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Questions of Blame Linger 34 Years After Jonestown

From the age of 13, Leslie Wagner Wilson had been indoctrinated in the California-based Peoples Temple, led by the charismatic Jim Jones, whose mission was to foster racial harmony and help the poor.But on Nov. 18, 1978, she and a handful of church members fought their way through thick jungle in the South American country of Guyana, escaping a utopian...

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U.S. lawmakers say they’re confident they can avoid “fiscal cliff”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Leading U.S. lawmakers expressed confidence on Sunday that they could reach a deal to avert the “fiscal cliff” even as they laid down markers on taxes and spending that may make any agreement more difficult.Republicans and Democratic leaders have agreed on a framework to reform the tax code and government benefit programs next year,...

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Rebels in Congo reach door of Goma

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A Rwandan-backed rebel group advanced to within 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) of Goma, a crucial provincial capital in eastern Congo, marking the first time that rebels have come this close since 2008.Congolese army spokesman Col. Olivier Hamuli said the fighting has been going on since 6 a.m. Sunday and the front line has moved to just a...

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