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December 13, 2012 A fresh look at what makes people sick around the world finds that life expectancy has ticked up in the past 20 years. But people aren't necessarily in the best of health during those extra years. Chronic problems, like depression and pain, are on the rise.

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December 13, 2012 M75 fragrances for men and women get their name from rockets fired from Gaza into Israel in November. Sales have been soaring, shopkeepers say. No, they don't smell like rocket fuel. They're citrus-scented.

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December 13, 2012 Nearly a third of pedestrians crossing some of Seattle's most dangerous intersections were doing something distracting at the same time. People texting were four times more likely to cross the street without looking both ways.

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December 13, 2012 Zakale Creations is a jewelry-designing operation that employs 30 young people — former thieves and prostitutes. The Nairobi-based operation is the brainchild of John Mucheru, himself a former mugger.

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December 13, 2012 A holiday reminder of how generous many Americans are: More than 64 million people volunteered through a formal organization in 2011, a new report shows. That was up from the year before and part of a trend.

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December 13, 2012 Many people earning more than $250,000 a year — the 2 percent — admit they can afford to pay more in taxes. However, they don't necessarily like the idea, especially when they're made to feel like skinflints even though they're already sending significant sums to Washington.

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December 13, 2012 Congress isn't sitting around quietly while commercials get louder. It's actually illegal now for commercials to blast into your ears more loudly than programming. But why stop there? We've got suggested ordinances to reduce noise from construction, bagpipes, and snowblowers.

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December 13, 2012 The singing superstar's Feb. 11 death sent fans rushing to the Web. Searches for information about her top those for "Gangnam style" and other hot topics, Google Says.

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December 13, 2012 If the tax rate rises for the top 2 percent of wage earners, business owners would generally react by hiring fewer new workers, according to a fundamental Republican argument. But the actual outcome might be a bit murkier, and — in some instances — counterintuitive.

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December 13, 2012 Jacintha Saldanha was found dead last week. She answered the phone when two Australian radio hosts called a London hospital. They pretended to be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, and got another nurse to divulge details about the Dutchess of Cambridge. The hoax was a huge embarrassment.

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December 13, 2012 For the first time, a top Russian diplomat has said that the Syrian president may be toppled. Coming from a country that has been among Assad's strongest supporters, the words are significant, analysts say.

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