The strain of H5H1 bird flu that killed a Chinese man cannot spread among people, a health agency said Monday, appealing for calm after the country's first reported case of the disease in humans in 18 months.

Genetic analysis indicated the virus spread directly from poultry to the victim, who died Saturday in the southern city of Shenzhen, the Shenzhen Disease Control Center said in a statement reported by the official Xinhua News Agency.

New Year's guests at a Denver Marriott were locked out of their rooms when the clock struck midnight and their room keys stopped working.

The 628-room Denver Tech Center Marriott says a room key malfunction kept guests out of their rooms from midnight until about 3 a.m.

For flat-panel TVs, the choice for years has been between plasma and LCD. In the coming year, there'll be another choice, at least for those prepared to spend big.

LG Electronics Inc. says it's planning to sell a 55-inch (140-centimeter) set based on organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. The South Korean company is set to show it off at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which starts Jan. 10.

Here's another reason for holdouts to join the social media site Facebook: It's a great place to find a kidney.

Between the children's photos and reminiscences about high school, more and more pleas for help from people with failing kidneys are popping up. Facebook and other social media sites are quickly becoming a go-to place to find a generous person with a kidney to spare, according to the people asking for help and some national organizations that facilitate matches.

The cruise to the moon took 3 1/2 months and covered 2 1/2 million miles (4 million kilometers) — far longer than the direct three-day flight by Apollo astronauts.

Over the New Year's weekend, a pair of NASA spacecraft arrived back-to-back at their destination in the first mission devoted to studying lunar gravity.

Real Madrid and Barcelona can set the stage for another pair of "clasicos" by beating Malaga and Osasuna when Spanish football returns from its annual winter break this week with the Copa del Rey's round of 16.

Madrid and Barcelona both play their first leg at home, and big victories there would all but end their opponents' hopes of pulling off an upset in the return match.

Fiji's military government will move Saturday to lift a state of emergency it imposed in 2009, as the country prepares to open consultation on a new constitution, Prime MinisterFrank Bainimarama said in a New Year's message.

The Public Emergency Regulations gave police and the military extended powers, imposed tough censorship on the South Pacific nation's media and tightly controlled public assembly.

South Korea's president opened the door Monday to possible nuclear talks with North Korea and warned the neighboring country to avoid any provocations, saying the Korean peninsula is at a crucial turning point.

Lee Myung-bak's comments in a nationally televised speech come as the young son of the late Kim Jong Il takes power in North Korea as Supreme Commander of the military and ruling party leader after Kim's death last month. The North vowed Sunday in a New Year's message that it would bolster its military and defend the son, Kim Jong Un, "unto death."

Kim Clijsters began preparation for the defense of her Australian Open singles title with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Romania's Simona Halep in the first round of the Brisbane International on Sunday.

Clijsters beat China's Li Na in the final at last year's opening Grand Slam at Melbourne Park. This year's Australian Open begins Jan. 16.

Novak Djokovic showed he remains the player to beat in 2012, routing David Ferrer 6-2, 6-1 Saturday to win the World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament.

The top-ranked Djokovic also beat Gael Monfils and then routed Roger Federer en route to his first Abu Dhabi title.