North Korea Is Preparing to Launch Another Long-Range Rocket

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Saturday that it would try to launch another long-range rocket later this month, as the country prepares to commemorate the death a year ago of its longtime ruler Kim Jong-il, and as his son Kim Jong-un works to bolster his credentials as a leader. The launching, which North Korea said would take place between Dec. 10 and Dec. 22, is likely to prompt...

Read More..

Facebook Cover Photos Are Disappearing

In the scope of a couple of days, several people — including Mashable staffers — have seen their Facebook cover photos disappear without explanation. The issue appears to be a move by Facebook to aggressively crack down on images that are considered promotional.[More from Mashable: 500,000 Facebook Users Chase Fake $ 1 Million From Powerball ‘Winner’]I first encountered the issue yesterday when Facebook...

Read More..

Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum Are Married

The Bachelorette By Monica Rizzo 12/01/2012 at 06:15 PM EST J.P. Rosenbaum and Ashley Hebert Victor Chavez/Getty It’s official: Bachelorette star Ashley Hebert and her fiancé J.P. Rosenbaum tied the knot Saturday afternoon in Pasadena, Calif.Surrounded by family,...

Read More..

Asperger's dropped from revised diagnosis manual

CHICAGO (AP) — The now familiar term "Asperger's disorder" is being dropped. And abnormally bad and frequent temper tantrums will be given a scientific-sounding diagnosis called DMDD. But "dyslexia" and other learning disorders remain.The revisions come in the first major rewrite in nearly 20 years of the diagnostic guide used by the nation's psychiatrists. Changes were approved Saturday.Full details...

Read More..

Pete's Harbor live-aboards fight for their way of life

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Pete Uccelli took 20 acres of swampland and transformed it into a boatyard and marina, welcoming visitors...

Read More..

Israel Moves to Expand Settlements in East Jerusalem

Rina Castelnuovo for The New York TimesFrom his home in East Jerusalem last year, Haj Ibrahim Ahmad Hawa looked at the separation barrier surrounding Jerusalem with the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the background. More Photos »JERUSALEM — Israel is moving forward with development of Jewish settlements in a contentious area east of Jerusalem, defying the United States by advancing a project...

Read More..

Act of kindness turns New York cop into media darling

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. national media just got the perfect holiday gift: a feel-good tale about a young police officer who dug into his own pocket to put boots on a barefoot panhandler on a freezing city sidewalk.Even better was the way the story of New York City Police Officer Larry DePrimo‘s kindness unfolded.Thanks to a blurry Facebook photo snapped on a cell phone by a tourist who happened...

Read More..

Jessica Biel: Married Life with Justin Timberlake 'Feels Incredible'

By Dahvi Shira 11/30/2012 at 06:30 PM EST Jessica Biel and Ellen DeGeneres Michael Rozman/Warner Bros It's all about the little things for newlywed Jessica Biel.The Hitchcock star, 30, who tied the knot last month, says a huge perk of being married to Justin Timberlake...

Read More..

Kenya village pairs AIDS orphans with grandparents

NYUMBANI, Kenya (AP) — There are no middle-aged people in Nyumbani. They all died years ago, before this village of hope in Kenya began. Only the young and old live here.Nyumbani was born of the AIDS crisis. The 938 children here all saw their parents die. The 97 grandparents — eight grandfathers among them — saw their middle-aged children die. But put together, the bookend generations take care of...

Read More..

The stereotype and the single mother

I've been thinking a lot lately about single mothers — the concept and the people.Maybe it's because I'm still receiving emails from agitated readers about my column crediting single mothers, among others, with helping reelect President Obama. That sounded to some, as one reader put it, like "tacit encouragement of single-parent over two-parent homes."Or...

Read More..

General Assembly Grants Palestine Upgraded Status in U.N.

Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesPresident Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority spoke at the United Nations before the General Assembly voted on Palestine's status as a “nonmember observer state” on Thursday. UNITED NATIONS — More than 130 countries voted on Thursday to grant Palestine the upgraded status of nonmember observer state in the United Nations, a stinging defeat for Israel and the United...

Read More..

Vito Schnabel: 5 Things to Know About Demi Moore's New Love Interest

By Oliver Jones 11/29/2012 at 06:45 PM EST Demi Moore and Vito Schnabel Craig Barritt/WireImage; Sipa He's no stranger to living the high life around larger-than-life personalities as the son of outsized artist and director Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and...

Read More..

Clinton releases road map for AIDS-free generation

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an ambitious road map for slashing the global spread of AIDS, the Obama administration says treating people sooner and more rapid expansion of other proven tools could help even the hardest-hit countries begin turning the tide of the epidemic over the next three to five years."An AIDS-free generation is not just a rallying cry — it is a goal that is within our reach," Secretary...

Read More..

Husband accused of cooking wife kept her head in freezer, police say

A  68-year-old Oceanside man accused of killing his 73-year-old wife, then cooking her body parts on their kitchen stove, will be in court next week to answer the charges. Frederick Joseph Hengl pleaded not guilty last week as bizarre details emerged about him and his late wife.Neighbors said they saw Hengl outside wearing a purple dress, pink makeup and various articles of jewelry,...

Read More..

Jada Pinkett Smith Defends Daughter Willow's Hairstyles

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 11/28/2012 at 06:00 PM ET Kevin Winter/GettyWhether daughter Willow is whipping it back and forth or cutting it all off, Jada Pinkett Smith is committed to allowing her  daughter wear her hair any way she chooses.The actress and mom of two took to her Facebook...

Read More..

Simple measures cut infections caught in hospitals

CHICAGO (AP) — Preventing surgery-linked infections is a major concern for hospitals and it turns out some simple measures can make a big difference.A project at seven big hospitals reduced infections after colorectal surgeries by nearly one-third. It prevented an estimated 135 infections, saving almost $4 million, the Joint Commission hospital regulating group and the American College of Surgeons...

Read More..

Baby girl hospitalized after nearly drowning in toilet

A 6-month-old baby was recovering at Children's Hospital Los Angeles on Tuesday after she fell in a toilet and nearly drowned at her Sun Valley home, police said.The baby's mother called police shortly before 10 a.m. and said her daughter had fallen in the toilet, LAPD Officer Luis Garcia said. The woman said her 2-year-old daughter was playing with the infant in the bathroom and locked the...

Read More..

Protesters Gather Again in Cairo Streets to Denounce Morsi

CAIRO — Thousands of people flowed into the streets of Cairo, the Egyptian capital, Tuesday afternoon for a day of protest against President Mohamed Morsi’s attempt to assert broad new powers for the duration of the country’s political transition, dismissing his efforts just the night before to reaffirm his deference to Egyptian law and courts. By early Tuesday afternoon in Cairo, a dense...

Read More..

The Wii U sells out in its first week: Evidence of a Nintendo comeback?

The latest console from the videogame pioneer is flying off the shelves. But are the kids really still into Mario and Zelda?Earlier this year, Nintendo posted its first annual loss in three decades, a grim omen for the pathbreaking videogame maker that introduced the world to classic characters like Mario, Donkey Kong, and Link. The Japanese company has struggled amidst an industry-wide decline in...

Read More..

The Voice Contestants Explain Their Song Choices

TV Watch The Voice By Julia Haskins 11/27/2012 at 07:00 PM EST From left: Cassadee Pope, Terry McDermott, Dez Duron, host Carson Daly, Cody Belew, Nicholas David, Trevin Hunte, Melanie Martinez and Amanda Brown Tyler Golden/NBC Contestants on The Voice already have...

Read More..

CDC: HIV spread high in young gay males

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say 1 in 5 new HIV infections occur in a tiny segment of the population — young men who are gay or bisexual.The government on Tuesday released new numbers that spotlight how the spread of the AIDS virus is heavily concentrated in young males who have sex with other males. Only about a quarter of new infections in the 13-to-24 age group are from injecting drugs or heterosexual...

Read More..

Inglewood educator returns to turn schools around

When he was a kid, Kent Taylor bounced from school to school in South Los Angeles until his family landed in Inglewood. In sixth...

Read More..

Egypt’s President Said to Limit Scope of Judicial Decree

Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York TimesEgyptians stand near a burned out school, before the funeral of Mohammed Gaber Salah, an activist who died Sunday from injuries sustained during protests. CAIRO — President Mohamed Morsi agreed on Monday to limit the scope of a sweeping decree he had issued last week that raised his edicts above any judicial review, according to a report by a television...

Read More..