Miami’s book fair ‘Evening With…’ series ends on easy note

A bit of fiction and a bit of philosophy, both seasoned with a touch of the historical, rounded out the final night of Miami Book Fair International’s “Evenings With…” programs Friday.Emma Donoghue read from her Astray, new book of short stories inspired by old newspaper accounts, and historian Alan Ryan talked about his weighty new two-volume work On Politics: A History...

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Review: Nintendo Wii U blows up dual-screen gaming

When Nintendo first broached the idea of multiple-screen video games in 2004, many critics were skeptical that players could focus on two images at once. Yet the handheld DS, blending one touch-sensitive screen with a slightly larger video display, became a runaway hit.Turns out the portable DS may have just been a dress rehearsal for Nintendo‘s latest...

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Train hits school bus in Egypt, killing 47 children

APEgyptians gather at the scene of a train crash that killed dozens of people, most of them children, Saturday.ASSIUT, Egypt — A speeding train crashed into a bus carrying children to their kindergarten in southern Egypt on Saturday, killing at least 47, officials said. Distraught families searched for signs of their loved ones along the tracks in the aftermath...

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Jolly holiday shopping season already underway

Lilian Stoppa and Renata Rosa stepped out of Target in Midtown Miami with a cart piled high with holiday gifts.Landing in Miami on Thursday morning for a five-day shopping spree, they already had spent $800 by mid-afternoon on presents for family members: toys for Rosa’s daughter, beauty items for Stoppa’s mother, plus lots of other stuff.“This is just the start,” giggled...

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Christian Aguilar was poisoned, court files say

For some time, the father of Christian Aguilar had contemplated how to mark his son’s 19th birthday Friday.He wanted something small and quiet, an intimate moment for family to remember Christian as the firstborn full of promise rather than a body found by hunters in a shallow grave.But Thursday, the family — which had grieved publicly and privately — was forced to relive...

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In Gaza, new arsenals include “weaponized” social media

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – There have long been the tools of warfare associated with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: warplanes, mortars, Qassam rockets. Now that list includes Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.This week the worldwide audience got a vivid look at conflict in the social media era as the Israeli military unfurled an extensive campaign across several...

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Stars Come Out For Restore The Shore Fundraiser

Celebrities from MTV and beyond came together Thursday night to lend their name to the network's Restore the Shore fundraiser in the wake of Superstorm Sandy's destruction of New Jersey's iconic Seaside Heights.Video: Tearful Snooki Witnesses Sandy's Devastation Stars from The Jersey Shore, Awkward, Teen Mom, The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Teen Wolf stepped up to man the phones for the special's...

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Hostess going out of business

IRVING, Texas — Hostess Brands says it is going out of business, closing plants that make Twinkies and Wonder Bread and laying off all of its 18,500 workers.The Irving, Texas, company says a nationwide worker strike crippled its ability to make and deliver its products at several locations.Hostess was planning to ask a court for permission to shut down...

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Watchdog groups question tourism agency’s CEO pick

TALLAHASSEE -- The day after the CEO of the state’s top tourism agency announced he was stepping down, board members quickly handpicked his replacement. There was only one problem. Picking Visit Florida’s chief marketing officer Will Seccombe to head the agency without doing a national search could upset the agency’s main funders — state legislators and Gov. Rick Scott.Visit...

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Broward woman’s nose sliced off in boyfriend’s attack, police say

The 48-year-old truck driver's girlfriend rejected his advances, so he lashed out in a violent attack in which she nearly lost her nose, authorities said.On Wednesday, Ricardo Salamanca, of Plantation, appeared before Broward County Judge John "Jay" Hurley in first appearance court. He was charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm and was ordered held in lieu of...

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