Winfrey settles suit

Winfrey settles suit

PHILADELPHIA

Oprah Winfrey has settled a defamation lawsuit filed by a headmistress she had accused of performing poorly at her South African girls school, where some students claimed they were abused, lawyers said Tuesday.

The lawsuit by former headmistress Nomvuyo Mzamane claimed Winfrey defamed her in remarks made in the wake of the 2007 sex-abuse scandal at the school. The headmistress said she had trouble finding a job after.

A trial had been set to start next week.

China moves against Google

SAN FRANCISCO

Google’s attempted detour around China’s Internet censorship rules was met with countermeasures Tuesday by the communist government, which blocked people on the mainland from seeing search results dealing with such forbidden topics as the pro-democracy movement.

China’s maneuver, as well as its public rebuke of Google’s decision to stop censoring searches for the government, rattled some of the company’s investors, advertisers and users.

One analyst critical of Google’s move predicted the maneuver will cause the company’s stock to fall by as much as $50 — or about 10 percent — in the coming weeks.

Study: Women need 1-hour workouts

chicago

Rev up the treadmill: Sobering new research spells out just how much exercise women need to keep the flab off as they age — and it’s a lot.

At least an hour of moderate activity a day is needed for older women at a healthy weight who aren’t dieting. For those who are already overweight — and that’s most American women — even more exercise is called for to avoid gaining weight without eating less, the study results suggest.

hStinging weapon

GAUHATI, India

The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: the world’s hottest chili.

After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized “bhut jolokia,” or “ghost chili,” to make tear-gaslike hand grenades to immobilize suspects, defense officials said Tuesday.

The bhut jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world’s spiciest chili.

It has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili’s spiciness. Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, and jalape ±o peppers measure anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000.

Israeli leader meets with Obama

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House on Tuesday in the midst of a serious dispute that spoiled what might have been a celebration of a recent agreement for a new round of peace talks with the Palestinians.

At issue is Israel’s announcement two weeks ago, as Vice President Joe Biden visited the country, that it will build 1,600 new apartments in east Jerusalem, the largely Arab section of the disputed holy city.

Associated Press