U.N. raises Syria death toll to 60,000


AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 60,000 people have died in the Syrian uprising and civil war, the United Nations said on Wednesday, dramatically raising the death toll in a struggle that shows no sign of ending.


Dozens were killed in a Damascus suburb when a government air strike turned a petrol station into an inferno, incinerating drivers who had rushed there for a rare chance to fill their tanks, activists said.


"I counted at least 30 bodies. They were either burnt or dismembered," said Abu Saeed, an activist who arrived at the area an hour after the raid occurred at 1:00 PM (1100 GMT) in Muleiha, a suburb on the eastern edge of the capital.


U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said in Geneva that researchers cross-referencing seven sources over five months of analysis had listed 59,648 people killed in Syria between March 15, 2011 and November 30, 2012.


"The number of casualties is much higher than we expected and is truly shocking," she said. "Given that there has been no let-up in the conflict since the end of November, we can assume that more than 60,000 people have been killed by the beginning of 2013."


There was no breakdown by ethnicity or information about whether the dead were rebels, soldiers or civilians. There was also no estimate of an upper limit of the possible toll.


Previously, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, had put the toll at around 45,000 confirmed dead, but said the real number was likely to be much higher.


FATAL RUSH FOR PETROL


Mulaiha, the target of Wednesday's air strike, is a residential and industrial area in the eastern Ghouta region of Damascus that also houses a Syrian air defense base.


The activists said rockets were fired from the base at the petrol station and a nearby residential area after the air raid.


"Until the raid, Muleiha was quiet. We have been without petrol for four days and people from the town and the countryside rushed to the station when a state consignment came in," Abu Fouad, another activist at the scene, said by phone.


President Bashar al-Assad's forces control the center of the capital, while rebels and their sympathizers hold a ring of southern and eastern suburbs that are often hit by air strikes.


Video footage taken by activists showed the body of a man in a helmet still perched on a motorcycle amid flames engulfing the scene. Another man was shown carrying a dismembered body.


The video could not be verified. The government bars access to the Damascus area to most international media.


The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a separate air strike killed 12 members of a family, most of them children, in Moadamiyeh, a southwestern area near the center of Damascus where rebels have fought for a foothold.


The Syrian conflict began in March 2011 with peaceful protests against four decades of Assad family rule but turned into an armed revolt after months of government repression.


Insurgents trying to topple Assad see his air power as their main threat. They hold swathes of eastern and northern provinces, as well as some outlying parts of Damascus, but have been unable to protect their territory from relentless attack by helicopters and jets.


In the north, rebels, some from Islamist units, attacked the Afis military airport near Taftanaz air base, firing machineguns and mortars at helicopters on the ground to try and make a dent in Assad's air might, the Observatory said.


The al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham Brigade and other units in northwestern Idlib province were attacking the base, which is near the main north-south highway linking Damascus to Aleppo, Syria's biggest city, the Observatory said.


In recent months, rebel units have besieged military bases, especially along the highway, Syria's main artery.


The Observatory's director, Rami Abdelrahman, said the attack was the latest of several attempts to capture the base. A satellite image of the airport shows more than 40 helicopter landing pads, a runway and aircraft hangars.


Syrian state media gave no immediate account of the Damascus air strikes or the fighting in the north.


"FOR GOD'S EYES"


Both sides have been accused of carrying out atrocities in the 21-month-old conflict, but the United Nations says the government and its allies have been more culpable.


In the latest evidence of atrocities, Internet video posted by Syrian rebels shows armed men, apparently fighters loyal to Assad, stabbing two men to death and stoning them with concrete blocks in a summary execution lasting several minutes.


Reuters could not verify the provenance of the footage or the identity of the perpetrators and their victims. The video was posted on Tuesday but it was not clear where or when it was filmed. However it does clearly show a summary execution and torture, apparently being carried out by government supporters.


At one point, one of the perpetrators says: "For God's eyes and your Lord, O Bashar," an Arabic incantation suggesting actions being carried out in the leader's name.


The video was posted on YouTube by the media office of the Damascus-based rebel First Brigade, which said it had been taken from a captured member of the shabbiha pro-government militia.


The perpetrators show off for the camera, smiling for close-up shots, slicing at the victims' backs, then stabbing them and bashing them with large slabs of masonry.


In Damascus, Assad's forces fired artillery and mortars at the eastern districts of Douma, Harasta, Irbin and Zamlaka, where rebels are active, activists living there said.


Syria's civil war is the longest and deadliest conflict to emerge from uprisings that began sweeping the Arab world in 2011 and has developed a significant sectarian element.


Rebels, mostly from the Sunni Muslim majority, confront Assad's army and security forces, dominated by his Shi'ite-derived Alawite sect, which, along with some other minorities, fears revenge if he falls.


U.N.-led diplomatic peace efforts have stumbled. Western and many Sunni Arab states demand Assad's immediate removal, an idea resisted by Russia, China and Syria's Shi'ite ally Iran.


The rebels say they will not negotiate unless Assad, who has vowed to fight to the death, leaves power.


More than 110 people, including at least 31 of Assad's soldiers and militiamen, were killed in Syria on the first day of 2013, according to the Observatory, which tracks the conflict from Britain using a network of contacts inside the country.


(Additional reporting by Oliver Holmes in Beirut; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Alistair Lyon)



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Apple testing new iPhone, iOS 7: report






(Reuters) – Apple Inc has started testing a new iPhone and the next version of its iOS software, news website The Next Web reported.


Apple shares were up 2.6 percent at $ 546.06 in premarket trading. The stock closed at $ 532.17 on the Nasdaq on Monday.






Application developers have found in their app usage logs references to a new iPhone identifier, iPhone 6.1, running iOS 7 operating system, the website reported. (http://r.reuters.com/fyd94t)


Apple‘s iPhone 5 bears the identifiers “iPhone 5.1″ and “iPhone 5.2″ and is powered by iOS 6 operating system.


Developer logs show that the app requests originate from an internet address on Apple’s Cupertino campus, suggesting that Apple engineers are testing compatibility for some of the popular apps, the website said.


“Although OS and device data can be faked, the unique IP footprint leading back to Apple’s Cupertino campus leads us to believe this is not one of those attempts,” the website said.


Apple launched iPhone 5 in September and it has been reported that the new iPhone will be released in the middle of 2013.


(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bangalore)


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Kim Kardashian Steps Out for New Year's Party after Pregnancy Announcement















01/01/2013 at 10:20 AM EST







Kanye West and Kim Kardashian


Denise Truscello/WireImage


The year 2012 was good for Kim Kardashian. But, oh baby, is she ready for 2013! 

"It's been so exciting," she told PEOPLE of the whirlwind of emotions she's felt since finding out she was pregnant. "We're very, very happy." 

With just a hint of a baby bump showing under her form fitting black Julian McDonald dress, the reality star rang in the new year in Las Vegas with the man she's spent 2012 with: Beau and baby daddy Kanye West.

"I wish I could share a drink with you all, but I can't for a little while," she told the crowd at Mirage's 1 OAK just before leading a countdown to 2013. 

With the crowd cheering and confetti flying as the clock struck midnight, Kardashian stood on an elevated banquet adjacent to the deejay booth and passionately kissed West. And for the next 25 minutes, the deejay played nothing but West's songs – much to the delight of his pregnant girlfriend, who smiled and sang along.

As the night continued, the duo rarely left each other's side, with Kardashian dancing behind West while her party sipped Grey Goose cocktails. Kardashian stuck to water as the Grammy award-winning rapper occasionally rubbed her belly.

Her VIP table littered with party hats, streamers and black and gold balloons, Kardashian appeared happy throughout the night, kissing West and chatting with friends and family in attendance, including mom Kris Jenner, longtime friend Brittny Gastineau and Lance Bass.

Now that the new year has begun, Kardashian is working on being healthy for her unborn child. 

"I've felt good. I've felt no morning sickness but it isn't the easiest," she said. "People always say pregnancy is so easy and fun. It's definitely an adjustment; It's learning about your body, but I've felt really good."

While the announcement of Kardashian's pregnancy came as a surprise to a lot of people, she doesn't want to be surprised when it comes the sex of the baby.

She said, "Of course I do want to know!"

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Clinton receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot


WASHINGTON (AP) — Doctors treating Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a blood clot in her head said blood thinners are being used to dissolve the clot and they are confident she will make a full recovery.


Clinton didn't suffer a stroke or neurological damage from the clot that formed after she suffered a concussion during a fainting spell at her home in early December, doctors said in a statement Monday.


Clinton, 65, was admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday when the clot turned up on a follow-up exam on the concussion, Clinton spokesman Phillipe Reines said.


The clot is located in the vein in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear. She will be released once the medication dose for the blood thinners has been established, the doctors said.


In their statement, Dr. Lisa Bardack of the Mount Kisco Medical Group and Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi of George Washington University said Clinton was making excellent progress and was in good spirits.


Clinton's complication "certainly isn't the most common thing to happen after a concussion" and is one of the few types of blood clots in the skull or head that are treated with blood thinners, said Dr. Larry Goldstein, a neurologist who is director of Duke University's stroke center. He is not involved in Clinton's care.


The area where Clinton's clot developed is "a drainage channel, the equivalent of a big vein inside the skull. It's how the blood gets back to the heart," Goldstein said.


Blood thinners usually are enough to treat the clot and it should have no long-term consequences if her doctors are saying she has suffered no neurological damage from it, Goldstein said.


Clinton returned to the U.S. from a trip to Europe, then fell ill with a stomach virus in early December that left her severely dehydrated and forced her to cancel a trip to North Africa and the Middle East. Until then, she had canceled only two scheduled overseas trips, one to Europe after breaking her elbow in June 2009 and one to Asia after the February 2010 earthquake in Haiti.


Her condition worsened when she fainted, fell and suffered a concussion while at home alone in mid-December as she recovered from the virus. It was announced Dec. 13.


This isn't the first time Clinton has suffered a blood clot. In 1998, midway through her husband's second term as president, Clinton was in New York fundraising for the midterm elections when a swollen right foot led her doctor to diagnose a clot in her knee requiring immediate treatment.


Clinton had planned to step down as secretary of state at the beginning of President Barack Obama's second term. Whether she will return to work before she resigns remained a question.


Democrats are privately if not publicly speculating: How might her illness affect a decision about running for president in 2016?


After decades in politics, Clinton says she plans to spend the next year resting. She has long insisted she had no intention of mounting a second campaign for the White House four years from now. But the door is not entirely closed, and she would almost certainly emerge as the Democrat to beat if she decided to give in to calls by Democratic fans and run again.


Her age — and thereby health — would probably be a factor under consideration, given that Clinton would be 69 when sworn in, if she were elected in 2016. That might become even more of an issue in the early jockeying for 2016 if what started as a bad stomach bug becomes a prolonged, public bout with more serious infirmity.


Not that Democrats are willing to talk openly about the political implications of a long illness, choosing to keep any discussions about her condition behind closed doors. Publicly, Democrats reject the notion that a blood clot could hinder her political prospects.


"Some of those concerns could be borderline sexist," said Basil Smikle, a Democratic strategist who worked for Clinton when she was a senator. "Dick Cheney had significant heart problems when he was vice president, and people joked about it. He took the time he needed to get better, and it wasn't a problem."


It isn't uncommon for presidential candidates' health — and age — to be an issue. Both in 2000 and 2008, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., had to rebut concerns he was too old to be commander in chief or that his skin cancer could resurface.


Two decades after Clinton became the first lady, signs of her popularity — and her political strength — are ubiquitous.


Obama had barely declared victory in November when Democrats started zealously plugging Clinton as their strongest White House contender four years from now, should she choose to take that leap.


"Wouldn't that be exciting?" House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi declared in December. "I hope she goes. Why wouldn't she?"


Even Republicans concede that were she to run, Clinton would be a force to be reckoned with.


"Trying to win that will be truly the Super Bowl," Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker and 2012 GOP presidential candidate, said in December. "The Republican Party today is incapable of competing at that level."


Americans admire Clinton more than any other woman in the world, according to a Gallup poll released Monday — the 17th time in 20 years that Clinton has claimed that title. And a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 57 percent of Americans would support Clinton as a candidate for president in 2016, with just 37 percent opposed. Websites have already cropped up hawking "Clinton 2016" mugs and tote bags.


Beyond talk of future politics, Clinton's three-week absence from the State Department has raised eyebrows among some conservative commentators who questioned the seriousness of her ailment after she canceled planned Dec. 20 testimony before Congress on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.


Clinton had been due to discuss with lawmakers a scathing report she had commissioned on the attack. It found serious failures of leadership and management in two State Department bureaus were to blame for insufficient security at the facility. Clinton took responsibility for the incident before the report was released, but she was not blamed. Four officials cited in the report have either resigned or been reassigned.


___


Associated Press writer Ken Thomas in Washington and AP Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report.


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Senate approves "fiscal cliff" deal, crisis eased


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate moved the U.S. economy back from the edge of a "fiscal cliff" on Tuesday, voting to avoid imminent tax hikes and spending cuts in a bipartisan deal that could still face stiff challenges in the House of Representatives.


In a rare New Year's session at around 2 a.m. EST (0700 GMT), senators voted 89-8 to raise some taxes on the wealthy while making permanent low tax rates on the middle class that have been in place for a decade.


But the measure did little to rein in huge annual budget deficits that have helped push the U.S. debt to $16.4 trillion.


The agreement came too late for Congress to meet its own deadline of New Year's Eve for passing laws to halt $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts which strictly speaking came into force on Tuesday.


But with the New Year's Day holiday, there was no real world impact and Congress still had time to draw up legislation, approve it and backdate it to avoid the harsh fiscal measures.


That will need the backing of the House where many of the Republicans who control the chamber complain that President Barack Obama has shown little interest in cutting government spending and is too concerned with raising taxes.


All eyes are now on the House which is to hold a session on Tuesday starting at noon (1700 GMT).


Obama called for the House to act quickly and follow the Senate's lead.


"While neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted, this agreement is the right thing to do for our country and the House should pass it without delay," he said in a statement.


"There's more work to do to reduce our deficits, and I'm willing to do it. But tonight's agreement ensures that, going forward, we will continue to reduce the deficit through a combination of new spending cuts and new revenues from the wealthiest Americans," Obama said.


Members were thankful that financial markets were closed, giving them a second chance to return to try to head off the fiscal cliff.


But if lawmakers cannot pass legislation in the coming days, markets are likely to turn sour. The U.S. economy, still recovering from the 2008/2009 downturn, could stall again if Congress fails to fix the budget mess.


"If we do nothing, the threat of a recession is very real. Passing this agreement does not mean negotiations halt, far from it. We can all agree there is more work to be done," Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, told the Senate floor.


A new, informal deadline for Congress to legislate is now Wednesday when the current body expires and it is replaced by a new Congress chosen at last November's election.


The Senate bill, worked out after long negotiations on New Year's Eve between Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, also postpones for two months a $109 billion "sequester" of sweeping spending cuts on military and domestic programs.


It extends unemployment insurance to 2 million people for a year and makes permanent the alternative minimum tax "patch" that was set to expire, protecting middle-income Americans from being taxed as if they were rich.


'IMPERFECT SOLUTION'


The tax hikes do not sit easy with Republicans but conservative senators held their noses and voted to raise rates for the rich because not to do so would have meant increases for almost all working Americans.


"It took an imperfect solution to prevent our constituents from a very real financial pain, but in my view, it was worth the effort," McConnell said.


House Speaker John Boehner - the top Republican in Congress - said the House would consider the Senate deal. But he left open the possibility of the House amending the Senate bill, which would spark another round of legislating.


"The House will honor its commitment to consider the Senate agreement if it is passed. Decisions about whether the House will seek to accept or promptly amend the measure will not be made until House members ... have been able to review the legislation," Boehner and other House Republican leaders said in a statement.


Boehner has struggled for two years to get control over a group of several dozen Tea Party fiscal conservatives in his caucus who strongly oppose tax increases and demand that he force Obama to make savings in the Medicare and Social Security healthcare and retirement programs.


A campaign-style event held by Obama in the White House as negotiations with Senate leaders were taking place on Monday may have made it more difficult for Republicans to back the deal. In remarks to a group of supporters that resembled a victory lap, the president noted that his rivals were coming around to his way of seeing things.


"Keep in mind that just last month Republicans in Congress said they would never agree to raise tax rates on the wealthiest Americans. Obviously, the agreement that's currently being discussed would raise those rates and raise them permanently," he said to applause before the Senate deal was sealed.


Obama's words and tone annoyed Republican lawmakers who seemed to feel that the Democrat was gloating.


"That's not the way presidents should lead," said Republican Senator John McCain, Obama's rival in the 2008 election.


A deal with the House on Tuesday, while uncertain, would not mark the end of congressional budget fights. The "sequester" spending cuts will come up again in February as will the contentious "debt ceiling," which caps how much debt the federal government can hold.


Republicans may see those two issues as their best chance to try to rein in government spending and clip Obama's wings at the start of his second term.


(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Mark Felsenthal, Rachelle Younglai, Kim Dixon and Jeff Mason; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Eric Walsh)



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Syrian government forces go on attack on first day of year


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Government war planes bombed opposition-held areas of Syria and President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels fought on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on New Year's Day on Tuesday.


A year ago, many diplomats and analysts predicted Assad would leave power in 2012. But despite international pressure and rebel gains, he has proved resilient.


His inner circle remains largely intact and retains control of the armed forces, even if it relies on air strikes and artillery power to hold back the rebels fighting to overthrow him.


The air force pounded Damascus's eastern suburbs on Tuesday and rebel-held areas of Aleppo, the second city and commercial capital, as well as several rural towns and villages, opposition activists said.


Opposition video posted on the Internet showed plumes of grey smoke rising in Irbin, in the east of Damascus.


Residents of the capital began the new year to the boom of artillery hitting southern and eastern outskirts, which form a rebel-held arc around the capital. The heart of the city is still firmly under government control.


In the city center, soldiers manning checkpoints fired celebratory gunfire at midnight although the streets were largely deserted.


"How can they celebrate? There is no 'Happy New Year'," Moaz al-Shami, an opposition activist who lives in central Mezzeh district, said over Skype.


He said rebel fighters attacked one checkpoint in Berzeh district on Tuesday morning. Opposition groups said mortar bombs hit the southwest suburb of Daraya, which the army attacked on Monday to retake it from rebels.


An estimated 45,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which started in early 2011 with peaceful protests demanding democratic reforms but turned into an armed uprising after months of attacks on protesters by security forces.


A resident of the central city of Homs said artillery shelling had smacked into its Old City on Tuesday.


Homs lies on the north-south highway and parts of the ancient city have been leveled during months of clashes. Government forces ousted rebels from Homs early last year but militants have slowly crept back in.


"The Old City is under siege. There is shelling from all sides," said the resident, who asked to remain anonymous.


A video posted on YouTube showed the bodies of three boys who activists said were arrested at a government checkpoint on their way home from school in Damascus' Jobar suburb on Sunday.


One of the boys, who appear to have barely reached adolescence, has his hands tied behind his back. Another had a large open wound on his throat.


Reuters could not independently verify the reports and the footage.


The opposition-linked Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, reported 160 people killed on the final day of 2012, including at least 37 government troops.


BOMBARDMENT


The civil war in Syria is the longest and deadliest of the conflicts that rose out of the uprisings that have swept through the Arab world over the past two years.


Many Sunni Muslims, the majority in Syria, back the rebellion, while Assad, a member of the Shi'ite-derived Alawite minority sect, is backed by some minorities who fear revenge if he falls. His family has ruled Syria since his father seized power in a coup 42 years ago.


Assad's forces now rely more on air strikes and artillery bombardment rather than infantry. Residential areas where rebels are based have been targeted, killing many civilians.


Rebels have taken swathes of the northern mountains and eastern desert but have struggled to hold cities, saying they are defenseless against Assad's Soviet-equipped air force.


Diplomatic efforts to end the war have failed, with the rebels refusing to negotiate unless Assad leaves power and the president pledging to fight until death. Western and Arab states have called for him to go. He is backed by Russia and Iran.


In the last days of 2012, international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi called on countries to push the sides to talk, saying Syria faced a choice of "hell or the political process".


One Damascus resident, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, said the usual New Year's Eve crowds were absent from the increasingly isolated capital.


"There was hardly anyone on the streets, no cars, no pedestrians. Most restaurants, cafes and bars were empty," she said.


Some young people gathered at three bars in the old city.


"There was music but nobody was dancing. They just sat there with a drink in their hands and smoking. I don't think I saw one person smile," she said.


The midnight gunfire caused alarm.


"It was very scary. No one knew what was going on. People got very nervous and started making phone calls. But then I discovered that at least on my street, the gunfire was celebratory."


(Editing by Peter Graff and Angus MacSwan)



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Relive the Paralympics’ Most Inspiring Moment of the Year






Back in July, we covered how social media would be critical to the success of the 2012 Paralympic Games. The Paralympics ended in September, but the International Paralympic Committee is still using the web to shine a light on unheralded athletes and tell stories of remarkable inspiration.


[More from Mashable: Watch the Scariest Skiing Lesson of All Time]






The committee revealed its top moment of 2012 in a video posted to YouTube on Sunday. It profiles Italian cyclist Alex Zanardi winning gold in London after losing his legs in an auto racing accident in 2001. The image of a triumphant Zanardi lifting his hand-cycling tricycle above his head with one arm post-race is nothing short of astounding.


[More from Mashable: NBA Star’s Kick to the Groin Sparks Online Debate]


For a longer look at Zanardi’s amazing achievement and to relive one of 2012′s sweetest sports moments, watch the full video above.


BONUS: 2012′s best sports social media moments


1. Devin McCourty Tweets While Playing in the Super Bowl (Sort of)


As New England Patriot Devin McCourty took on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, his followers were still able to receive real-time updates from his social feeds. But he wasn’t sneaking tweets between plays or during timeouts. Devin and twin brother Jason, who plays for the Tennessee Titans, share their Twitter and Facebook accounts. The Super Bowl showcased one of the more creative approaches to social media in the sports world.


Image courtesy of Devin and Jason McCourty’s Instagram.


Click here to view this gallery.


Thumbnail image credit Getty Images/AFP/Leon Neal


This story originally published on Mashable here.


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What Celebrity Events We're Most Excited for in 2013









12/31/2012 at 11:00 AM EST



As 2012 comes to an end, we're getting psyched for the New Year – and beyond. From big Hollywood weddings to a royal baby, 2013 is looking poised to be one to remember.

Award Show Laughs

Rick Gervais ruffled a lot of famous feathers during his years as host of the Golden Globes. Now, funny ladies Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have been tapped to helm the award show on Jan. 13. But do you think Ricky will give up the mantle that easily? We predict the British comedian will march up on stage, take the mic and pull a Kayne on those ladies. But watch out, Ricky, those Saturday Night Live alumni have the comedy chops to take any challengers.

And when Seth MacFarlane hosts the Oscars on Feb. 24, let's just say we're hoping for an irreverent, animated night.

Sparks Fly on American Idol

Forget about the contestants: We already know there's going to be serious diva drama on the new season of American Idol, which premieres Jan. 16. Video of a blow-up between new judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj has already gotten the web talking. But the real excitement will come when the live shows get started later in the season! Meow.

Wedding Bells!

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got engaged the same year that Jennifer Aniston accepted a proposal from her love, Justin Theroux. Who could have asked for a better set-up? It's a race to the altar!

So, who will make it down the aisle first? Now that gay marriage is legal in more states, it seems like Brad and Angie – who for years said they wouldn't wed until everyone could – might finally tie the knot. (Brad must have been getting impatient: He recently donated $100,000 for marriage equality to help get the job done.) But Jen & Justin have been on the fast-track ever since they started dating. Justin popped the question after just a 15-month courtship.

We predict ... that J&J will make it official first: They'll jet off to Jen's favorite spot – Los Cabos, Mexico – for a beautiful, beachy wedding that's as much of a whirlwind as their romance.

Also, we have to wonder, will Angelina show off her famous legs in her wedding gown? We can only hope!

Baby Boom

We can't wait! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are going to welcome the next royal heir – or two? – in 2013. How much fun would it be if Will and Kate had twins? We can already see the made-for-TV-movie of their lives: Double Trouble at the Palace.

As for baby names, the odds-makers have Mary, Victoria and John as the top contenders, with 8 to 1 odds. Next, there are 9 to 1 odds for the names Diana and Frances. Philip, Charles and Anne are next in line with 10 to 1 odds. Even though it's got the odds against it with 16 to 1, we think the royal little one, if it's a girl, will be Elizabeth after the Queen. And we say if it's a boy, Charles will win out!

Plus, let's not forget American royalty: Earlier this year, Jay-Z denied rumors that he and wife Beyoncé are expecting another baby. But come on, Blue Ivy needs a sibling!? And we need Jay and Beyoncé to literally birth their own super singing group. Let's hear it for another little one for our favorite power couple!

Feel the Force

Disney bought Lucasfilm. Get over it. Let's just hope the force is strong for a new set of Star Wars films in 2013. How about we get Ben Affleck to direct the new trilogy – the dude has talent! Have you seen Argo? Heck, he can even suit up as Luke Skywalker with his BFF Matt Damon as wise-cracking bad ass Jason Bourne turned Han Solo. Too long in the tooth? What about on-screen rivals Robert Pattinson as Han and Taylor Lautner as Luke? They do know how to make an addictive trilogy!

Don't agree? Have at it: Tell us your dream Star Wars cast – and all your predictions for 2013 – below.

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FDA approves 1st new tuberculosis drug in 40 years


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drug that is the first new medicine to fight the deadly infection in more than four decades.


The agency approved J&J's pill, Sirturo, for use with other older drugs to fight hard-to-treat tuberculosis.


Sirturo is the first medicine specifically designed for treating multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. That's an increasingly common form of the disease that cannot be treated with at least two of the four primary antibiotics used to treat tuberculosis.


The standard drugs used to fight the disease were developed in the 1950s and 1960s.


Roughly one-third of the world's population is estimated to be infected with the bacteria causing tuberculosis.


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Wall Street up slightly in choppy trade over "cliff" worry

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street edged higher in a choppy session on Monday, with the S&P 500 on track for double-digit gains for the year, as politicians bargained for a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff."


Taxes were set to rise for many Americans this week unless U.S. lawmakers could cut a last-minute deal, an outcome that was possible but seemed unlikely.


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate would reconvene at 11 a.m. Washington time (1600 GMT) to continue discussions on the fiscal cliff - $600 billion in automatic tax hikes and spending cuts that kick in January 1.


The last trading session of the year is expected to be volatile on low volume and as investors keep a close eye on headlines out of Washington.


"Even if we end up with a deal, it will be just a band-aid, not a real fix. So we will see a volatile session today, with all eyes on the debates, comments out of Washington," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer at Solaris Group in Bedford Hills, New York.


"I'm not expecting a major rally or a selloff," Ghriskey added.


Despite recent declines over the stalemated budget talks, the S&P 500 is up about 11.5 percent for the year compared with a nearly flat performance in 2011. The Dow industrials are about 6 percent higher and the Nasdaq composite is up about 14 percent for 2012.


The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 7.45 points, or 0.06 percent, at 12,945.56. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was up 4.53 points, or 0.32 percent, at 1,406.96. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was up 17.63 points, or 0.60 percent, at 2,977.95.


Bank stocks rose after a New York Times report that U.S. regulators are nearing a $10 billion settlement with several banks that would end the government's efforts to hold lenders responsible for faulty foreclosure practices.


Bank of America Corp was up 0.4 percent at $11.41 and Citigroup rose 0.2 percent to $39.08.


While midnight is the deadline for a fiscal deal, the government can pass legislation in 2013 that retroactively cancels or moderates the impact of going over the fiscal cliff.


Investors have remained relatively sanguine about the process, believing it will eventually be solved. In the past two months markets have not shown the kind of volatility that was present during the fight to raise the debt ceiling in 2011.


Rather, equities have largely performed well in the last two months, buoyed by signs of economic recovery, an improving housing market and monetary policy designed to stimulate growth and lower unemployment.


However, U.S. stocks dropped on Friday, with significant losses in the last minutes of trading, as prospects for a deal worsened at the beginning of the weekend.


On Sunday, President Barack Obama said on NBC's "Meet the Press" investors could begin to show greater concerns in the new year.


(Reporting By Angela Moon; Editing by Kenneth Barry)



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