Wall Street Week Ahead: Earnings, money flows to push stocks higher

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With earnings momentum on the rise, the S&P 500 seems to have few hurdles ahead as it continues to power higher, its all-time high a not-so-distant goal. The U.S. equity benchmark closed the week at a fresh five-year high on strong housing and labor market data and a string of earnings that beat lowered expectations. Sector indexes in transportation...

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Ex-Ravens WR Evans still feels part of team

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — While Lee Evans awaits another chance in the NFL, he'll be rooting for the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday's AFC championship rematch with New England.The wide receiver who couldn't hold onto a pass in the end zone a year ago — which likely would have sent the Ravens into the Super Bowl — has no regrets. Except, maybe, that he's not part of the Ravens this time around.Evans says...

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The 10 Weirdest Inaugurations in US History

President Barack Obama will put his hand on a Bible for the 57th inauguration ceremony Monday (Jan. 21) and kick off his next four years in office. And while everything may come off without a hitch, inaugurations haven’t always gone smoothly. From Richard Nixon‘s parade of dead birds to Calvin Coolidge‘s impromptu inauguration, here are some of the most bizarre swearing-in days in U.S. history.Drunken...

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Why Africa backs French in Mali

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Forecast: Get ready for a deep freeze

A cold front moves over Chicago overnight that will send temperatures plunging, with below-zero possible early next week.But...

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Algerian army stages "final assault" on gas plant

ALGIERS/IN AMENAS, Algeria (Reuters) - The Algerian army carried out a dramatic final assault to end a siege by Islamic militants at a desert gas plant on Saturday, killing 11 al Qaeda-linked gunmen after they took the lives of seven more foreign hostages, the state news agency said. The state oil and gas company, Sonatrach, said the militants who attacked the plant on Wednesday and took...

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Market flat on mixed earnings from Intel, Morgan Stanley

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow and S&P 500 closed at five-year highs on Friday as the market registered a third straight week gains on a solid start to the earnings season. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 53.83 points, or 0.40 percent, at 13,649.85. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was up 5.01 points, or 0.34 percent, at 1,485.95. The Nasdaq Composite...

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Anti-doping officials say Armstrong must say more

For anti-doping officials, Lance Armstrong's admission of cheating was only a start. Now they want him to give details — lots of them — to clean up his sport.Armstrong's much-awaited confession to Oprah Winfrey made for riveting television, but if the disgraced cyclist wants to take things further, it will involve several long days in meetings with anti-doping officials who have very specific questions:...

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Obama to focus on renewable energy, climate change

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says tackling climate change and enhancing energy security will be among President Barack Obama‘s top priorities in his second term.Obama will have to do that work with new heads of the agencies responsible for the environment. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Environmental Protection chief Lisa Jackson and Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

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U.S. 'needs tougher child labor rules'

Cristina Traina says in his second term, Obama must address weaknesses in child farm labor standards STORY HIGHLIGHTSCristina Traina: Obama should strengthen child farm labor standardsShe says Labor Dept. rules allow kids to work long hours for little pay on commercial farmsShe says Obama administration scrapped Labor Dept. chief's proposal for tightening rulesShe says Labor Dept. must fix lax standards...

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Chicago Jazz Festival moving to Millennium Park

After more than three decades at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park, the Chicago Jazz Festival will be leaving the venue for Millennium Park, according to the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).Though in recent years the Chicago Jazz Festival has expanded to Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion and other Loop venues,...

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Foreigners still caught in Sahara hostage crisis

ALGIERS/IN AMENAS, Algeria (Reuters) - More than 20 foreigners were still either being held hostage or missing inside a gas plant on Friday after Algerian forces stormed the desert complex to free hundreds of captives taken by Islamist militants. More than a day after the Algerian army launched an assault to seize the remote desert compound, much was still unclear about the number and...

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S&P 500 at five-year high with boost from data, eBay

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks climbed on Thursday, with the S&P 500 advancing to a five-year intraday high on signs of strength in the housing and job markets and on better-than-expected results from online marketplace eBay . The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to a five-year low last week and housing starts jumped last month to the highest since...

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Brandt: Manti Te'o's draft stock could plummet

NFL draft consultant Gil Brandt believes the uncertainty surrounding Manti Te'o could affect when he is selected in April by a team.Brandt called the story that Notre Dame's All-American linebacker was involved in a hoax "something I have never witnessed" in his half-century in pro football."I think some teams will say it isn't worth the problem" to draft Te'o, said Brandt, who has the linebacker...

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New Video Recounts Historic Landing on Saturn’s Moon Titan

Eight years ago this week, a European mission went where no one, or probe, had gone before, Saturn‘s huge moon Titan, and a new video animation is recounting that historic landing by the Huygens spacecraft.The European Space Agency’s unmanned Huygens probe dropped onto the surface of Titan on Jan. 14, 2005, three weeks after separating from its parent Cassini spacecraft. The new animation,...

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Did Scientology ad cross line?

The Church of Scientology is also at fault for thinking the advertorial would survive The Atlantic readers' scrutiny, Ian Schafer says.STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe Atlantic published and pulled a sponsored Scientology "story"Ian Schafer: On several levels, the ad was a mistakeHe says the content was heavy-handed and comments were being moderatedSchafer: Experimenting to raise revenue makes sense, but standards...

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Teen shot after high school game: 'His mom thought he was safe'

The aunt of 17-year-old Tyrone Lawson, who was shot and killed after watching a prep basketball game between Simeon and Morgan Park, talks about her nephew. Pamela Wright...

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S&P 500 flat as growth concerns temper bank earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ended nearly flat on Wednesday, as solid earnings from two major banks and a bounceback in Apple shares offset concerns about a lower forecast for global growth in 2013. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> unofficially closed down 24.42 points, or 0.18 percent, at 13,510.47. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> edged up 0.21 points,...

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Eagles get their man, hire Oregon's Chip Kelly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the end, Chip Kelly chose the NFL, giving the Eagles their guy.Philadelphia hired Kelly on Wednesday, just 10 days after he decided to stay at Oregon. The 49-year-old Kelly, known as an offensive innovator, becomes the 21st coach in team history and replaces Andy Reid, who was fired on Dec. 31 after a 4-12 season.He'll be introduced at a news conference Thursday at 1:30 p.m....

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