The world economy may be going to hell in a handbasket, but you wouldn't know it in Maria Irece da Silva's tiny cosmetics store in the impoverished favela of Jardim Carumbé. "The rich talk about the crisis but the poor don't mention it," says Da Silva, whose business — helping women look good in a country where style always trumps substance — is booming. Not even the worst recession in memory has stemmed the flow of shampoos, lipsticks and nail ...

The extent of the economic malaise that has descended on once-prosperous Japan is evident in the latest economic figures showing the steepest ever fall in the Far Eastern nation's industrial output. Production at the country's factories fell a record 10 percent in January as export partners cut back on orders. Exports plunged an unprecedented 45.7 percent last month, as major exporters such as Toyota and Nissan announced further production cutbacks. Falling global demand for Japan's cars and electronics has led ...

A British woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis has lost her appeal to clarify Britain's laws on assisted suicide, a charity working with the woman said Thursday. But the woman did get a strong hint that anyone who helped her travel to a country where assisted suicide is legal would not be prosecuted. Debbie Purdy, 45, had asked the Court of Appeal to clarify Britain's laws on assisted suicide -- an option she has said she wants if her pain ...

Every August, Nikolai Gusev juices hundreds of unwashed apples which grow at his dacha, west of Moscow. For a month he waits patiently for the juice to ferment and turn into a wine. He then distills the mixture, and stores the remaining liquid in a barrel for several months. The result is a highly potent drink , with an apple aftertaste which is the favorite tipple of his friends. "I had too many apples at my dacha and instead of ...

Do men who frequently smoke pot have a higher risk of testicular cancer than those who do not? It's possible, according to a new study. However, the researchers say the link is currently a "hypothesis" that needs further testing. Testicular cancer is relatively rare -- a man's lifetime chance of developing the disease is about 1 in 300 (and dying of it is about 1 in 5,000). Frequent or long-term marijuana smokers could have about double the risk of nonusers, ...