Israel Is OK with Hagel as Secretary of Defense

Republicans trying to raise a case against confirming Chuck Hagel have cited not so kind remarks about Israel -- or "the Jews," as he's been quoted calling them -- as a reason not to confirm, but that could be a hard sell when Israel's departing Deputy Foreign Minister thinks Hagel is an alright guy.RELATED: If Chuck Hagel Won't Be Secretary of Defense, Who Will Be?Talking Points Memo's Josh Marshall...

Read More..

Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs dies

GENEVA (AP) — Claude Nobs, the founder and general manager of the Montreux Jazz Festival, whose passion for music and artistry introduced generations of legendary musicians to international audiences on the Swiss stage, has died. He was 76.The Jazz Festival said Nobs, a native of Montreux, died Thursday after sustaining injuries from a fall while cross-country skiing in nearby Caux-sur-Montreux on...

Read More..

Indian rape accused had appeared on reality TV show

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The driver of the bus on which an Indian student was gang-raped and fatally beaten featured three years ago on a television show that was hosted by a former top woman police officer.Ram Singh, the main accused in last month's assault on the woman in New Delhi, had sought help on the show, "Aap Ki Kacheri" or "Your Court", to get compensation for injuries he sustained in a bus...

Read More..

Best Buy exec leaves for COO post at Symantec

 Best Buy's president of digital operations is leaving the struggling electronics chain to become chief operating officer at the computer security company Symantec.Best Buy has been implementing a turnaround plan as it faces tough competition from discounters and online retailers. The Minneapolis company last week extended until after the holiday season the window for co-founder Richard Schulze...

Read More..

Samsung (005930) is reportedly quietly replacing faulty Galaxy S III devices according to many users on XDA Developers. The issue appears to be related to the NAND becoming corrupted and killing off the Galaxy S III’s mainboard, which causes the phone to essentially “brick” itself. Users have reported the issues have affected some devices after 150-200 days after purchase. Users on XDA Developers and Reddit are also saying Samsung is replacing affected smartphones (rooted or not) with new ones that could potentially be just as faulty in another 200 days. The Galaxy S III made headlines last week when an XDA forum member discovered that a security hole in its Exynos-4 processor was vulnerable to app-based malware attacSC Gov Haley unveils $6.3 billion budget proposal ks. Samsung has since said it will patch the hole as soon as possible.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Gov. Nikki Haley's budget plan she presented Thursday would spend more on computer security, law enforcement and health care. She also asked that not-yet-projected revenue go toward tax relief that saves the average filer less than $30.Her $6.3 billion budget plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 seeks $47 million for computer security following a massive breach at the...

Read More..

Samsung is replacing faulty Galaxy S IIIs that are suddenly dying for no reason

Samsung (005930) is reportedly quietly replacing faulty Galaxy S III devices according to many users on XDA Developers. The issue appears to be related to the NAND becoming corrupted and killing off the Galaxy S III’s mainboard, which causes the phone to essentially “brick” itself. Users have reported the issues have affected some devices after 150-200 days after purchase. Users on XDA Developers...

Read More..

Insight: Security fears dogged Canada debate on China energy bid

OTTAWA (Reuters) - In September, two months after China's state-owned CNOOC Ltd made an unexpected $15.1 billion bid for Canadian energy company Nexen Inc, Canada's spy agency told ministers that takeovers by Chinese companies may threaten national security.The rare warning from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which was disclosed to Reuters by intelligence sources, did not stop...

Read More..

Huawei shows off 6.1-inch Android phablet ahead of CES [video]

It looks like things are going to get worse before they start to get better. Further blurring the line between a smartphone that is too big to be used comfortably and a tablet the is too small to be used efficiently, Huawei has plans to unveil a new smartphone-tablet hybrid device at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. The Android “phablet” was recently shown off by a Huawei executive...

Read More..

Caroms, quirks and odd bounces in sports in 2012

Maybe if they were 22 years old - throwing down drinks in a bar and their faces painted in school colors - this would make sense.But they were far from 22 and their complexions had long lost the glow of youth. And, most assuredly, they were not in a bar.They were two basketball fans, both past the age of Medicare eligibility, and they took their game seriously. They also happened to be patients in...

Read More..

Sports ode 2012: London, Lance, a Tide of Giants

So how was your year? Setbacks, advances?Hey, no doubt, it went better than Lance's.First up on sports' yearlong ride:An unrelenting Crimson Tide.JoePa makes his great migrationTrailed by heartache, litigation.Eli's coming and Giants rollPast Brady in the Super Bowl.Suddenly, all's Linsanity:Headlines, puns, sheer inanity.Banned Ryan Braun left fans aghast.An arbiter says not so fast.Daytona, Kenseth...

Read More..

2012 sports review: a month-by-month look back

Who were the top newsmakers this year in the world of sports? American-Statesman writer Kevin Lyttle revisits the year’s biggest stories — and the athletes, teams or coaches who made them so big:JANUARY: ROLL, SECThose insufferable SEC football fans become even more empowered when Alabama beats LSU 21-0 in an all-SEC BCS title game. It’s the conference’s sixth consecutive national championship and...

Read More..

Sports year: Sad sagas the story of 2012

AP SPORTS WRITERJerry Sandusky will spend the rest of his life in prison, Penn State football played under NCAA sanctions and Joe Paterno passed away.Lance Armstrong abandoned his fight against doping allegations. Roger Clemens won his court battle, despite lingering skepticism over whether he used steroids. The impact of early-stage dementia forced Pat Summitt to step down from her coaching perch.Again...

Read More..

NY surfer who survived Sandy drowns in Puerto Rico

 A lifeguard widely praised as a hero after Superstorm Sandy for rescuing neighbors endangered by rolling floodwaters and a fire that destroyed several homes in a small community where grief has been a frequent visitor has died in a surfing accident in Puerto Rico.The death of 23-year-old Dylan Smith on Sunday brought sadness again to residents of the Belle Harbor section of the Rockaways, which...

Read More..

Nasty weather threatens Gulf Coast for Christmas

Nasty weather, including a chance of strong tornadoes and howling thunderstorms, could be on the way for Christmas Day along the Gulf Coast from east Texas to north Florida.The storms held off long enough, though, to let Christmas Eve bonfires light the way for Pere Noel along the Mississippi River, officials said.Farther north, much of Oklahoma and Arkansas were under a winter storm warning, with...

Read More..

U.N. approves new debate on arms treaty opposed by U.S. gun lobby

The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Monday to restart negotiations on a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global trade in conventional arms, a pact the powerful U.S. National Rifle Association has been lobbying hard against.U.N. delegates and gun control activists have complained that talks collapsed in July largely because U.S. President Barack Obama feared attacks...

Read More..

Snowboarder dies in avalanche at Tahoe-area resort

A 49-year-old California man died Monday after being buried in an avalanche while snowboarding at a Sierra ski resort, one of several avalanche-related emergencies in the Lake Tahoe area after recent storms dumped up to 3 feet of fresh snow.Donner Ski Ranch, about 90 miles northeast of Sacramento, closed as rescue teams began their search.The Nevada County Sheriff's Department identified the man as...

Read More..

Dockworkers at Northwest ports reject pact offer

 Dockworkers at four U.S. Pacific Northwest ports moved closer to a possible labor clash with grain shippers on Monday, as parties in a larger, separate dispute at 15 East and Gulf coast ports agreed to mediation ahead of strike deadline set for December 30.The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced nearly 3,000 of its members had voted to reject a contract proposal that...

Read More..

Insiders steal a march in leak prone Asian markets

When South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co announced last month it had overstated the fuel efficiency levels on around one million of its cars in the United States and Canada some investors were left fuming more than others.Some had already sold their shares before the announcement on November 2. The stock fell 4 percent on November 1 with about 2.2 million shares changing hands, the highest trading...

Read More..

Nokia to get payments in patent deal with RIM

Struggling Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has settled its patent dispute with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion in return for payments, as it tries to exploit its trove of technology patents to boost its finances.Terms of the agreement were confidential, but Nokia said on Friday it included a one-time payment to be booked in the fourth quarter, as well as ongoing fees, all to be paid by RIM.Nokia...

Read More..

WhatsApp goes free for iPhone for a limited time

Popular cross-platform texting app WhatsApp reduced its iPhone app from $0.99 to free on Thursday. The app now delivers 10 billion messages per day, which is no surprise considering how consumers are choosing to use app-based messengers instead of paying for texting. WhatsApp is so popular, Facebook (FB) is reportedly interested in acquiring it. While it’s true the Android version of WhatsApp is also...

Read More..