Egypt crash kills 49 schoolchildren; transportation chief resigns

CAIRO — The Egyptian transportation minister resigned Saturday after 49 children were killed on their way to school in southern...

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Israel's Rocket-Hunting Ace Got His Start Playing <em>Warcraft</em>

War has once again erupted between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces, with the Gaza-based militant group launching hundreds of rockets and missiles at Israeli towns. But many of these projectiles never made it to their targets, thanks to the new Iron Dome missile defense system that’s arguably become this conflict’s most important technological difference-maker. This article, first published...

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“Sister” Director Tackles Taboo of Switzerland’s Class Divide With Her Oscar Contender

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Director Ursula Meier can hardly believe that her film “Sister” – which depicts tenements, poverty and a seemingly rigid class system in lovely Switzerland – has made it over the Alps to Hollywood for Academy consideration.“It shows a not-very-usual aspect of Switzerland,” Meier told the audience at a showing of “Sister” Thursday...

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Well: Meatless Main Dishes for a Holiday Table

Most vegetarian diners are happy to fill their plates with delicious sides and salads, but if you want to make them feel special, consider one of these main course vegetarian dishes from Martha Rose Shulman. All of them are inspired by Greek cooking, which has a rich tradition of vegetarian meals.I know that Greek food is not exactly what comes to mind when you hear the word “Thanksgiving,” yet why...

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Privatizing Greece, Slowly but Not Surely

Eirini Vourloumis for The International Herald TribunePotential privatization hit a wall at Katakolo, a seaside town where Christos Konstantopoulos paused near abandoned beachfront homes. More Photos »THE government inspectors set out from Athens for what they thought was a pristine patch of coastline on the Ionian Sea. Their mission was to determine how much money that sun-kissed shore, owned by...

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David Petraeus didin't settle partisan divide on Benghazi

WASHINGTON – Appearing before two congressional committees in closed-door sessions, former CIA Director David Petraeus did little...

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Wired Readers Create Epic Soundtrack for Space Photo of the Day

Last week I was listening to the Inception soundtrack and flipping through the Wired Science Space Photo of the Day gallery, a collection of the best astronomical images on the web, hand-selected by the Wired Science staff. It was quite possibly the most dramatic thing my brain has ever comprehended, even more so than weddings and the Olympics and such. So I sent out...

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Can NBC keep up its ratings swagger without NFL, “The Voice”?

NEW YORK (Reuters) – NBC is expected to wrap up its fall season as the No. 1 broadcast network in the key 18-49 advertising demographic for the first time in a decade.The network’s catapult to first place from fourth in the ratings is the biggest surprise so far of the young TV season. The question is how long can its ratings momentum last. The...

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Personal Health: Quitting Smoking for Good

Few smokers would claim that it’s easy to quit. The addiction to nicotine is strong and repeatedly reinforced by circumstances that prompt smokers to light up.Yet the millions who have successfully quit are proof that a smoke-free life is achievable, even by those who have been regular, even heavy, smokers for decades.Today, 19 percent of American adults smoke, down from more than 42 percent half...

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Advertising: A Formerly Button-Down Brand Loosens Up

WITH so many young men spending their college years shuffling to class in pajama bottoms and sweatshirts, it should come as no surprise that they are largely ambivalent about fashion. Only 29 percent of men agree with the statement “I like to keep up with the latest trends in fashion,” according to a survey of men 18 and older conducted by Mintel, a market research firm. What men most want...

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BP fined, charged in oil spill that showed 'profit over prudence'

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Maker of Airport Body Scanners Suspected of Falsifying Software Tests

A company that supplies controversial passenger-screening machines for U.S. airports is under suspicion for possibly manipulating tests on privacy software designed to prevent the machines from producing graphic body images.The Transportation Security Administration sent a letter Nov. 9 to the parent company of Rapiscan, the maker of backscatter machines, requesting information about the testing...

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ABC Adapting Disney Theme-Park Ride for “Big Thunder Mountain” Pilot

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – ABC found ratings success by adapting Disney‘s finest fairy tales into the one-hour drama series “Once Upon a Time,” so it’s not surprising that the network has turned to a theme-park ride from its parent company for inspiration as well.Popular roller coaster Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is being adapted for a television pilot...

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BP to Admit Crimes and Pay $4.5 Billion in Gulf Settlement

BP, the British oil company, said Thursday that it would pay $4.5 billion in fines and other payments to the government and plead guilty to 14 criminal charges in connection with the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago. US Coast Guard, via Associated PressThe explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico that was connected to a well owned by BP...

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Obama pressures House Republicans to pass tax breaks

WASHINGTON -- President Obama used his post-election news conference to pressure House Republicans to extend expiring tax rates...

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BMW Builds the Ultimate Sledding Machine for the U.S. Bobsled Team

The people behind the ultimate driving machine are building the ultimate sledding machine.BMW of North America has invested more than a year developing a “truly improved and innovative” prototype two-man bobsled for the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Foundation. The goal is to have a race-ready ride finished in time for the 2014 Winter Games in Soichi, one that team officials said might bring the...

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Judge tosses anti-paparazzi counts in Bieber case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A law aimed at combating reckless driving by paparazzi is overly broad and should not be used against the first photographer charged under its provisions, a judge ruled Wednesday.Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson dismissed counts filed under the law against Paul Raef, who was charged in July with being involved in a high-speed pursuit...

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Well: How Many Calories Do We Really Eat at Thanksgiving?

A reader writing in to The Times’s Thanksgiving Help Line asked this question: “What is the average number of calories a person consumes at Thanksgiving dinner?”The commonly cited statistic is that the average American will consume more than 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day alone. That’s according to the Calorie Control Council, which represents the people who bring you diet foods. After thinking...

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Samuel Adams Brewer Counsels Small Businesses

Gretchen Ertl for The New York TimesJim Koch, who started brewing Samuel Adams Boston Lager at his house in 1984, and Carlene O'Garro, who runs a cake business, participate in a program in which big businesses help small ones. Carlene O’Garro’s cake business was barely a month old when she arrived at the Samuel Adams brewery in South Boston recently to meet with business counselors, but she brought...

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Obama reassuring liberal allies, prepping for 'fiscal cliff' talks

WASHINGTON -- President Obama is assuring liberal allies that he will fight for the middle class during upcoming fiscal negotiations...

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