IHT Rendezvous: Should Common Plastics Be Labeled Toxic?

THE HAGUE — Hoping to reduce one of the most ubiquitous forms of waste, a global group of scientists is proposing that certain types of plastic be labeled hazardous.The group, lead by two California scientists, wrote in this week’s issue of the scientific journal Nature:We believe that if countries classified the most harmful plastics as hazardous, their environmental agencies would have the power...

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Oscar Pistorius's Shocking Fall from Grace in 5 Clicks

After an inspiring ascension to stardom, the Olympic athlete faces murder charges in a baffling turn of events Credit: Eddie Mulholland/REX USA Updated: Friday Feb 15, 2013 | 10:00 AM EST By: Kiran Hefa Subscribe Now ...

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UN warns risk of hepatitis E in S. Sudan grows

GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations says an outbreak of hepatitis E has killed 111 refugees in camps in South Sudan since July, and has become endemic in the region.U.N. refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards says the influx of people to the camps from neighboring Sudan is believed to be one of the factors in the rapid spread of the contagious, life-threatening inflammatory viral disease of the liver.Edwards...

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G20 steps back from currency brink, heat off Japan

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Group of 20 nations declared on Saturday there would be no currency war and deferred plans to set new debt-cutting targets, underlining broad concern about the fragile state of the world economy. Japan's expansive policies, which have driven down the yen, escaped direct criticism in a statement thrashed out in Moscow by policymakers from the G20, which spans developed...

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One Last Thing with Emmy Rossum

By Jennifer Garcia 02/15/2013 at 04:30 PM EST Emmy Rossum stars in Shameless, but did you know the 26-year-old actress also has a solo album out now? Catch her on the big screen for the upcoming Beautiful Creatures as well! This week she sat down to chat with PEOPLE:Last vacation I tookI went to the Amangani...

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Wall Street ends slightly down, S&P positive for seventh week

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 dipped in a late decline on Friday as Wal-Mart dropped following a report of a weak start to February sales, though the index just barely extended its streak of weekly gains to seven. Equities were little changed for much of the session, with investors finding few reasons to make big bets following an extended rally on Wall Street, but stocks turned...

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The Lede: Teenager Killed as Bahrain Marks Protest Anniversary

Video posted on YouTube by activists in Bahrain showed a man confronting riot police officers after a young protester was shot and killed in the village of Al Daih on Thursday.A Bahraini teenager was shot and killed during clashes with the kingdom’s security forces on Thursday, as protesters marked the second anniversary of the start of their movement calling for reforms on the Arab island.Both rights...

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Diem Brown Blogs: Will You Be My Valentine?

By Diem Brown 02/14/2013 at 04:45 PM EST I honestly cannot begin to express the emotions I felt last week. I have never felt so loved and cared for in my life. I actually started feeling guilty because I didn't know how to express my thanks to everyone who has read this blog, commented on here or on Facebook,...

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Study: Fish in drug-tainted water suffer reaction

BOSTON (AP) — What happens to fish that swim in waters tainted by traces of drugs that people take? When it's an anti-anxiety drug, they become hyper, anti-social and aggressive, a study found. They even get the munchies.It may sound funny, but it could threaten the fish population and upset the delicate dynamics of the marine environment, scientists say.The findings, published online Thursday in...

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Kerry Says He Is Preparing Proposals on Syria Crisis

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that he had ideas about how to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to agree to a political transition in Syria and planned to raise them on his first foreign trip this month. “We need to address the question of President Assad’s calculation currently,” Mr. Kerry said after a meeting with Jordan’s foreign minister, Nasser Judeh. “I...

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Carly Rae Jepsen Reveals Why She's Heartbroken on New Single 'Tonight I'm Getting Over You'

Only on People.com By Dahvi Shira 02/13/2013 at 04:45 PM EST Heartbreak was far from the theme of Carly Rae Jepsen's catchy, career-launching Grammy-nominated radio hit, "Call Me Maybe" – but in her latest single, the starlet touches on romance gone wrong.Reliving the past failed relationship that inspired "Tonight...

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Clues to why most survived China melamine scandal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists wondering why some children and not others survived one of China's worst food safety scandals have uncovered a suspect: germs that live in the gut.In 2008, at least six babies died and 300,000 became sick after being fed infant formula that had been deliberately and illegally tainted with the industrial chemical melamine. There were some lingering puzzles: How did it cause...

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Putin Aims to Limit Officials’ Investments Abroad

MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin introduced a draft law on Tuesday that would ban senior Russian officials from holding bank accounts or stocks outside Russia, the latest in a series of recent measures intended to insulate the country’s governance from foreign influences. The draft law, which requires legislative approval, applies to a wide range of top officials, including lawmakers,...

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Christopher Dorner, Fugitive Ex-Cop, in Gun Battle with Police: Report

By Mike Fleeman 02/12/2013 at 04:45 PM EST Undated photo of Christopher Dorner LAPD/AP After an extensive and tense search, authorities believe they found fugitive ex-policeman Christopher Dorner in the Southern California mountains, where a gun battle reportedly...

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Wall Street ends slightly higher, Dow near a record

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks closed modestly higher on Tuesday, putting the Dow within striking distance of an all-time high, as investors looked ahead to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. Investors will be listening to Obama's speech for any clues on a deal with Republicans to avert automatic spending cuts due to take effect March 1. The tone of the speech will also...

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The Lede: Latest Updates on the Pope’s Resignation

The Lede is providing updates on Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement on Monday that he intends to resign on Feb. 28, less than eight years after he took office, the first pope to do so in six centuries. (Turn off auto-refresh to watch video...

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Is Adele's New Tattoo a Tribute to Her Son?

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 02/11/2013 at 10:00 AM ET Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP. Inset: Christopher PolA is for … Angelo?During Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Adele brought some serious flower power to the red carpet.But her Valentino embroidered floral dress, which she accessorized with matching...

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Pope shows lifetime jobs aren't always for life

The world seems surprised that an 85-year-old globe-trotting pope who just started tweeting wants to resign, but should it be? Maybe what should be surprising is that more leaders his age do not, considering the toll aging takes on bodies and minds amid a culture of constant communication and change.There may be more behind the story of why Pope Benedict XVI decided to leave a job normally held for...

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Wall Street ends flat as investors seek new catalysts

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks ended a quiet session with slight moves on Monday as investors found few reasons to keep pushing shares higher following a six-week advance, though the longer-term trend was still viewed as positive. The benchmark index is up more 6.4 percent in 2013, putting both the S&P 500 and Dow industrials near multi-year highs. The S&P is less than 4 percent...

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IHT Rendezvous: Sharper Tongues in China's Year of the Snake?

BEIJING — The Snake is determined and smart, according to traditional Chinese beliefs. Today is New Year’s Day in China, the first day in the Year of the Snake, and a good day to ask: Will Xi Jinping, a “snake” set to become president in March (Mr. Xi was born in a Year of the Snake, in 1953) bring change to China?Whether or not one believes in feng shui — the thought system based on geomancy, astronomy...

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Helen Mirren's Surprising Pink Hair Inspiration Revealed

Stylewatch Style News Now 02/10/2013 at 03:49 PM ET Ian Gavan/GettyWhat do Dakota Fanning, Katy Perry and Helen Mirren have in common? Until Sunday’s BAFTA awards in London, not a whole lot, but Mirren’s bright new do put them all...

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G20 to skirt potholes and follow growth signposts

LONDON (Reuters) - With the road ahead looking a bit smoother, G20 finance ministers will be happy to ignore the wreck in the rear-view mirror when they meet this week to steer a course for the world economy. The euro zone as a whole and a clutch of its members, including France, Italy and the Netherlands, are expected to report that their economies shrank last quarter - joining Germany...

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After early start, worst of flu season may be over

NEW YORK (AP) — The worst of the flu season appears to be over.The number of states reporting intense or widespread illnesses dropped again last week, and in a few states there was very little flu going around, U.S. health officials said Friday.The season started earlier than normal, first in the Southeast and then spreading. But now, by some measures, flu activity has been ebbing for at least four...

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