CALIFORNIA

Six of the world's top consumer technology firms have agreed to provide greater privacy disclosures before users download applications in order to protect the personal data of millions of consumers, California's attorney general said on Wednesday.

Chip-design software maker Synopsys Inc posted a quarterly profit that beat analysts' estimates, helped by strong demand for its new products, and raised its full-year outlook.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris of California said on Wednesday she reached an agreement with six major companies to provide consumers with greater privacy disclosures.

Taiwan and China are engaged in a kind of “metaphysical battle” for Lin’s identity.

Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest computer company, reported first-quarter earnings that beat expectations as higher margin products sold more strongly than expected.

Shares of Hewlett-Packard, the No. 1 computer services company, have gained more than 12 percent this year and nearly 30 percent since new CEO Meg Whitman was installed in September.

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear Phil Spector's appeal of his 2009 second-degree murder conviction for the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.

U.S. home resales rose to a 1-1/2 year high in January, pushing the supply of properties on the market to the lowest level in almost seven years in a hopeful sign for the housing sector.

A series of technology companies, including security software maker Palo Alto Networks, are preparing to go public on the heels of Facebook's $5-billion filing, sensing a window of opportunity as the stock market rallies.

The 345-issue Billy Wright Collection features the first appearances of Superman and Batman, as well as the iconic Captain America cover featuring the hero facing off against Adolf Hitler and the first appearance of Doctor Doom, main villain of the Fantastic Four. But for Michael Rorrer, who discovered his great uncle's collection last year, the revelation that the comics were worth something came as a complete shock.

Tom Martinez, the longtime coach and mentor of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, died of a heart attack on Tuesday in California.

A fermented concoction made with tea, sugar, bacteria and yeasts might not sound like the most delicious or most beneficial drink, but some believe that is exactly what Kombucha tea is. Some have called it a magical elixir; some have dubbed it the new Red Bull only with healthful properties; some claim it can fight everything from baldness to AIDS. However, other sources cite adverse side effects of and deaths linked to the drink.

Archaeologists have discovered ruins of two huts at Kharaneh IV, one of the largest Late Pleistocene sites in southwest Asia, located about 70 km east of Jordan's capital Amman.

Early this morning, an earthquake rumbled southeastern Missouri and sent shock waves into surrounding states. The tremors occurred in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, which is the most active seismic area in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

Fans are squealing over Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper's progressing romance, as Saldana and Cooper's mother were seen out together yesterday without the actor.

The New York Knicks' new star point guard Jeremy Lin recently applied to trademark Linsanity several days after two California men each filed separate ones, attempting to cash in on the fervor surrounding Lin and his vernacularly adaptable name.

Supporters of Prop 8, a same-sex marriage ban a federal appeals court said was unconstitutional, will hold off on taking its case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

After clamoring for the number one spot when it came to endorsing Facebook’s initial public offering in the beginning of the month, Goldman Sachs lost to Morgan Stanley, and placed fourth among U.S. financial rivals. Although it wasn’t chosen as the social-networking giant’s main supporter, Goldman Sachs and Facebook may have more in common than some think. In the past week, both companies claimed victories in intellectual property lawsuits, according to BusinessWeek.

Following a flurry of excitement and speculation surrounding the rumored return of Thebe Earl Sweatshirt Kgositsile to his home in California after a 19-month stay at the Coral Reef Academy in Samoa, Earl dropped off the radar. Presumably, the 17-year old rapper returned to school to get his high school diploma, and has stayed out of the public eye for the most part. The only window Hip Hop fans have into Earl's activities is the Twitter account he created on Feb. 8.

While Disneyland is meant to be a place where dreams come true, one man had his worst nightmare after getting pepper sprayed in a drunken brawl with security.

It may be a little thwarting for parents, but looking at the alarming state of teenage pregnancies and STDs, a new program supported and federally-aided by the California Department of Public Health will allow the adolescents to order condoms online free of cost.