LAS VEGAS — After a likely second-place finish in the Nevada caucuses Saturday, former House speaker Newt Gingrich sought to dispel the idea that he might drop out of the Republican presidential nomination any time soon, promising a hotel ballroom filled with reporters that he will fight on to the convention in the summer. Read full article > >

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Gingrich vows to fight on to the convention

For years — well, starting in 2005, anyway — Apple released its latest iPhone during the summer. Then, the company bucked that trend with the October release of the iPhone 4S. The question of whether Apple would stick with this new release schedule or return the old schedule has been the subject of furious speculation. Read full article > >

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Report: iPhone 5 coming this summer

In retrospect, the July 2002 news release announcing the opening of “ Bon Appetit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian ” wasn’t overly optimistic. The National Museum of American History scheduled the exhibit to run only through February 2004, a mere 18 months. Nearly a decade later, the Smithsonian will begin to dismantle Child’s kitchen after the last visitor leaves the museum on Sunday, Jan. 8. Not to worry, though: The kitchen — and its 1,200-plus objects — will return this summer as part of a larger exhibit that will put Child’s favorite room in its proper context. Read full article > >

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‘Julia Child’s Kitchen’ to close temporarily on Sunday

Olympic organisers admit to selling too many tickets for this summer’s synchronised swimming at London 2012.

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Olympic swimming tickets oversold

The Vatican is set to launch a structure Monday that will allow Anglican parishes in the United States — and their married priests — to join the Catholic Church in a small but symbolically potent effort to reunite Protestants and Catholics, who split almost 500 years ago. More than 1,300 Anglicans, including 100 Anglican priests, have applied to be part of the new body, essentially a diocese. Among them are members of St. Luke’s in Bladensburg, which this summer became the first group in the country to convert to Catholicism. Read full article > >

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Some Anglicans apply to join the Catholic Church

In his new year message, the Archbishop of Canterbury urges the public not to give up on young people despite the “horrific” scenes of the summer riots.

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Archbishop appeal over UK youth

STORM LAKE, Iowa — Rick Perry stormed into the Republican presidential race with a certain swagger over the summer, when he planted one foot on a hay bale at the Iowa State Fair and roared , “Government, get out of the way.” His pitch these days is humbler, that of a flawed but earnest candidate — a Christian and a military man who is not a grandfather but hopes to be someday. A public servant who fears deeply for the nation’s future. Read full article > >

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Rick Perry back in Iowa, with less roar and more whisper

A light rain was falling, so two-time Olympic kayaker Scott Parsons tugged on a vinyl jersey before hauling his kayak down a steep hill that runs next to his rental apartment in Bethesda. He crossed the Clara Barton Parkway in his bare feet, walked gingerly down a gravel path, then slid his kayak into the Feeder Canal on the Potomac River to train. ¶ Seven years after his first retirement, and three years after his second, Parsons is back in his boat, driven once again by the nagging sense that he never got to finish his career properly. He finished sixth in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. He missed the final at the Beijing Games in 2008 after a crushing late penalty pushed him from third place to elimination. ¶ He looks to the 2012 Summer Games in London for an Olympic medal, and closure. He hopes, most of all, to find the validation and satisfaction missing on previous Olympic trips. Read full article > >

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London 2012: Kayaker Scott Parsons is back for a final shot at medal

The way police tried to tackle the summer’s riots in towns and cities across England was flawed, a report by the Home Affairs Committee says.

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Riot operation ‘flawed’ say MPs

The controversial head of the UK tax authority – Dave Hartnett – will retire in the summer of 2012, HM Revenue and Customs announces.

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Tax boss to retire in summer 2012

Anti-police sentiment was a major factor in the summer riots in England, according to a major study in which 270 rioters were interviewed.

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‘Anger at police’ drove rioters

Minnesota is now projecting a $876 million surplus over the next two years, a stunning turnaround after a bruising partisan battle that shut down the government for 20 days over the summer. The saga drew in national political figures as the state’s dilemma ignited a broader debate over how the country should approach government spending. Minnesota’s shutdown, the longest in recent history, locked Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and the Republican-controlled legislature in an impasse over how to reduce the state’s projected $5 billion deficit. Read full article > >

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Months after shutdown fight, Minnesota projects an $876 million surplus

Christmas has come early in Minnesota. After an intense battle over government spending shut down its government for 20 days this summer, the state now is forecasting an $876 million surplus over the next two years. That’s a huge surprise compared to the $5 billion projected deficit that Minnesota expected in July, setting off a national, highly-partisan battle over the best way to close that gap. Read full article > >

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Understanding the Minnesota miracle

WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices are falling again in most major cities after posting small gains over the summer and spring, the latest evidence that the troubled housing market won’t recover any time soon. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index released Tuesday showed prices dropped in September from August in 17 of the 20 cities tracked. That was the first decline after five straight months in which at least half the cities in the survey showed monthly gains. Read full article > >

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Private survey shows prices fell in 17 of 20 cities tracked, first drop in 6 months

Shock jock Howard Stern, having failed to close a deal to judge aspiring singers on Fox’s “American Idol,” is now trying to close a deal to judge contortionists, jugglers, clowns, sword swallowers, ventriloquists, and singers on NBC’s summer show “America’s Got Talent.”  The gig might seem an odd aspiration for a shock jock, but the former self-proclaimed King of all Media’s kingdom got a lot smaller when he migrated from syndication to satellite radio, and Stern actually stands to gain a lot in recovered visibility if he is seen twice weekly on a broad-appeal vehicle. “Talent” is NBC’s most watched series, and the most watched show of the summer on any network, clocking 14.3 million viewers on Tuesday nights last summer and 13.3 million on Wednesdays – both series highs for the six-season-old show. Read full article > >

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Shock jock Howard Stern trying to close deal to join NBC’s family show ‘America’s Got Talent’