Wal-Mart's 1Q profit up 10.1 percent
2012-05-17T12:48:11Z
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported a 10.1 percent increase in first-quarter profit that beat Wall Street estimates as its re-emphasis on low prices drove bargain-hungry U.S. shoppers into its stores. The world's largest retailer also offered an upbeat profit outlook for the current quarter.

Coroner: Reality TV star died of natural causes
2012-05-17T12:46:20Z
Authorities in Louisiana say a man who starred in the reality television show "Swamp People" died from natural causes.

Manny Pacquiao denounces anti-gay allegations
2012-05-17T12:45:35Z
Manny Pacquiao says he loves and supports gays and lesbians, even though he does not approve of gay marriage.

US unemployment aid applications stay at 370,000
2012-05-17T12:42:56Z
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits was unchanged last week, suggesting steady gains in the job market.

Buffett's Berkshire to buy Media General papers
2012-05-17T12:42:40Z
Billionaire Warren Buffett's company is making its largest foray into newspapers yet, agreeing to buy 63 papers from Media General Inc.

Rodin Museum in Philadelphia to reopen in July
2012-05-17T12:42:11Z
The Rodin Museum in Philadelphia is getting ready to reopen after three years of renovations.

Horrors of Srebrenica set out at Mladic trial
2012-05-17T12:40:06Z
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the genocide trial of Serb general Ratko Mladic on Thursday described five days of terror in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica in July 1995, when troops under his command massacred more than 7,000 unarmed Muslim boys and men. Mladic, 70, sat listening with his back to the public after being warned at the start of his trial on Wednesday for making a throat-slitting gesture to a relative of Srebrenica victims. ...

Spain beset by bank crisis, recession, bond pressure
2012-05-17T12:37:45Z
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's borrowing costs shot up at a bond auction on Thursday, after economic data confirmed the country is back in recession and reports that nationalized Bankia SA had suffered an outflow of deposits hammered its share price. The Spanish Treasury had to pay around 5 percent to attract buyers of three- and four-year bonds. The longer-dated paper sold with a yield of 5.106 percent, way above the 3.374 percent the last time it was auctioned. ...

Coffee buzz: Study finds java drinkers live longer
2012-05-17T12:37:28Z
One of life's simple pleasures just got a little sweeter. After years of waffling research on coffee and health, even some fear that java might raise the risk of heart disease, a big study finds the opposite: Coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. Regular or decaf doesn't matter.

El Nino could cut global 2012/13 cocoa output: ICCO
2012-05-17T12:36:15Z
LONDON (Reuters) - Possible El Nino weather conditions later this year could exacerbate a potential global cocoa deficit in the coming 2012/13 season, causing prices to climb, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) said. "We know that when we have El Nino conditions it's likely that this will impact negatively on world cocoa production. We would have less production and this would have an impact on price," ICCO statistician Laurent Pipitone told Reuters. ...