(AP) BRISBANE, AustraliaTop-ranked Victoria Azarenka has withdrawn from the Brisbane International about a half hour before her scheduled semifinal against No. 3-ranked Serena Williams. Azarenka, who last year won the Sydney International before claiming her first Grand Slam title at the
World number one Novak Djokovic is under no illusion as to the enormity of the task he faces in winning a third successive Australian Open. Speaking after bouncing back to his very best by thrashing German veteran Tommy Haas at
By MARY CLARE JALONICKAssociated PressWASHINGTONThe Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed the most sweeping food safety rules in decades, requiring farmers and food companies to be more vigilant in the wake of deadly outbreaks in peanuts, cantaloupe and leafy
Pay cable giant HBO announced a raft of new projects for the next two years, including a new comedy from mockumentary king Christopher Guest and a pair of films that fit tidily within the network’s liberal bent. “The Normal Heart”
Director Quentin Tarantino isn’t happy to be fielding questions about the societal impact movie violence may have during his publicity push for “Django Unchained.” The film, which features the director’s signature hyper-violence, is drawing criticism in the wake of last
By CESAR GARCIAAssociated PressBOGOTA, ColombiaA Colombian firm that makes bulletproof vests is now creating armored clothing for children. Factory owner Miguel Caballero said he never thought about making protective clothes for kids until requests came in following the deadly attack
The European Commission welcomed on Friday efforts by France to reform its struggling economy but played down suggestions that it might give Paris more time to meet public deficit targets. Faced with an economy on the brink of recession and
(AP) ‘McDreamy’ says he beat Starbucks for coffee chainBy DONNA BLANKINSHIP and CANDICE CHOIAssociated PressSEATTLE The actor, who was dubbed “McDreamy” as a star of the hospital drama while his co-star was called “McSteamy,” may soon be serving hot, steaming
By JOE McDONALDAP Business WriterBEIJINGChina fined South Korean and Taiwanese makers of LCD display screens $56 million on Friday for price-fixing, joining the United States and Europe in a crackdown on the industry. Suppliers have been hit by American and
(AP) HONG KONGShark fin traders in Hong Kong have laid out thousands of fins on rooftops in what appears to be a move to escape public scrutiny of their industry. Thousands of the freshly cut fins were seen blanketing the roof
By KIMBERLY DOZIERAP Intelligence WriterWASHINGTONLawmakers accused the CIA of misleading the makers of the Osama bin Laden raid film “Zero Dark Thirty” by allegedly telling them that harsh interrogation methods helped track down the terrorist mastermind. The film shows waterboarding
Disgraced Democrats can find redemption on the small screen. The dust hadn’t yet settled on N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer’s resignation over a sex scandal when CNN saw fit to give him his own television show. Now, former La. Governor Edwin
The Greek prosecution service has questioned two finance ministry officials close to former socialist finance minister George Papaconstantinou, who is caught up in a tax scandal shaking Greek politics, judicial sources said on Friday. The two officials worked in Papaconstantinou’s
An hour after the Kansas City Chiefs fired general manager Scott Pioli, NFL.com reported on Friday the Chiefs have hired former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid to be their new coach. After spending 14 years coaching the Eagles, Reid was
TV Newser: 2012 saw Fox News mark 11 years as the number one cable news channel in total viewers and the demo, though the election didn’t provide much in the way of a ratings bump, with the network only up
(AP) New tax law packed with breaks for businessesBy STEPHEN OHLEMACHERAssociated PressWASHINGTONTucked into the “fiscal cliff” tax package approved by Congress are billions of dollars in tax breaks that should make the new year a lot happier for businesses of
The unemployment rate remained flat at 7.8% in December, the Labor Department reported this morning. The monthly jobs report for the end of 2012 found the economy adding 155,000 jobs in December, in-line with the average monthly gains for the
(AP) Obama’s Hawaii vacation: Day 2KAILUA, HawaiiHow President Barack Obama spent the second day of his holiday vacation in Hawaii on Thursday: _ GYM: Obama had a morning workout at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, keeping with his routine. _ BOWLING:
(AP) Gay marriage floor vote postponed in Ill. SenateBy JOHN O’CONNOR and SARA BURNETTThe Associated PressSPRINGFIELD, Ill.Hopes that Illinois could quickly become the 10th state in the nation to legalize gay marriage bogged down Thursday when the bill’s Democratic supporters
Venezuela accused the international media of waging a “psychological war” over President Hugo Chavez’s health to try to destabilize the government and bring down its socialist revolution. The hardline stance was adopted after Vice President Nicolas Maduro returned from a
The Pakistani schoolgirl shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education has been discharged from the British hospital treating her, a hospital spokeswoman said on Friday. Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, said 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai would continue
An animal rights advocate has filed a lawsuit against US cable television network HBO, alleging that horses used in the filming of its series “Luck” often were drugged, sick and underweight. Plaintiff Barbara Casey also sued her former employer, the
Tens of thousands of supporters of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party rallied in Hamas-ruled Gaza on Friday in the climax to the party’s first anniversary celebrations in the territory since 2007. The event came at the end of a
Russians reacted Friday with amusement, disbelief and a heavy dose of irony to the news that the Kremlin has granted citizenship to French actor Gerard Depardieu to solve his tax woes. In a letter broadcast on Russian television on Thursday,
By JOHN MARSHALLAP College Football Writer GLENDALE, Ariz. DeAnthony Thomas returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for the first of his two touchdowns, Marcus Mariota accounted for three scores, and No. 5 Oregon raced past No. 7 Kansas State 35-17
