A New York state multimillionaire who has spent more than $65,000 on matchmaking services in the past 12 years said the dating services are a "rip-off."Larry Greenfield, 47, a securities trader from Plainview, said he has tried six different agencies and met 250 different women, but none were his ideal mate -- a beautiful, thin, Jewish girl with a sense of humor who is from New York, the New York

People Oct. 9, 2012

Credit rater Moody's assigned the European Stability Mechanism, Europe's new emergency fund, a triple-A rating Monday, but labeled it with a negative outlook.Moody's cited the ESM's expected low leverage, the credit-worthiness of the eurozone countries behind the ESM, and the fund's preferred creditor status in giving it a top Aaa grade.But Moody's assigned its negative outlook to the 500 billion

World Business Oct. 9, 2012

Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to arm a nuclear bomb within two to four months but would still face serious “engineering challenges” _ and much longer delays _ before it succeeds in making the other components needed for a functioning warhead, a respected U.S. think tank said Monday.While Iran denies any interest in possessing nuclear arms, the international community fears it may

World News Oct. 9, 2012

Months before his fall from power, Chinese politician Bo Xilai suspected a plot to poison his second wife and questioned whether his son by his first marriage was involved, a report said Sunday.The second wife Gu Kailai was herself convicted in August of fatally poisoning a British businessman.The latest revelation in the murder and corruption scandal, which brought Bo down and exposed deep divisi

World News Oct. 8, 2012

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi declared her willingness on Monday to serve as president, and her party's intention to amend the constitution to allow her to do so.Suu Kyi said it is her duty as leader of the National League for Democracy party to be willing to take the executive office if that is what the people want. Myanmar's next election is in 2015.“I'm a leader of a political part

World News Oct. 8, 2012

South Korea should not be swayed by demands from North Korea in its policies dealing with the communist neighbor, the unification minister said Monday, underlining the principle of denuclearization and prevention of any provocations by Pyongyang."I think that (the government) should not pursue policies that unilaterally accept demands by the North," Yu Woo-ik told a parliamentary inspection. "We h

North Korea Oct. 8, 2012

A German high school has decided to do away with homework to help pupils unwind, school officials said.The homework ban at Elsa-Brandstrom high school in North Rhine-Westphalia came after Germany's high school system cut a year, making school days longer, The Local.de reported.Head teacher at Elsa-Brandstrom, Brigitte Fontein, told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper Friday that generall

World News Oct. 8, 2012

Government designates area a disaster zoneThe government on Monday designated the area in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, hit by an acid leak a disaster zone amid criticism over its belated response to the incident.Experts said it may take more than five years for the town to fully recover its agricultural land and crops, which are the main source of income and food for residents in the area.The

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2012

For decades, Jimmy Savile was a fixture on British television _ an eccentric, aggressively jocular host of children's shows and a tireless charity fundraiser. When he died last year at 84 _ by then knighted as Sir Jimmy _ he drew tributes from Prince Charles and thousands of fans.Now several women have come forward to claim “Sir Jimmy” was also a sexual predator who abused underage girls. The alle

Television Oct. 8, 2012

A letter in which Albert Einstein dismissed the idea of God as a product of human weakness is being sold on eBay for a starting price of $3 million.The letter, handwritten in 1954, a year before Einstein's death, was addressed to philosopher Eric Gutkind. In it, Einstein discussed his views on religion, including calling “the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are ne

Technology Oct. 8, 2012

Libya's parliament ousted the country's new prime minister in a no-confidence vote on Sunday, the latest blow to hopes that political factions could agree on a government charged with restoring stability after last year's civil war.Mustafa Abushagur was the first prime minister to be elected after the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. He represented an offshoot of the country's oldest an

World News Oct. 8, 2012