A U.S. judge will soon decide whether your next tank of gas or bottle of soda comes with a free apology from the Marlboro man and Joe Camel.

A recent ruling ordering a multimedia blitz stating that the nation's largest tobacco companies lied about the dangers of smoking left open the possibility that retailers could be required to post large displays with the mea culpas.

Angela Ahrendts may be CEO of Burberry, but one of her favorite accessories is an Apple iPhone5 that she's used to oversee a mobile makeover at the 150-year-old company best known for trenchcoats and tartan plaids.

"This is the biggest flagship store in the world," Ahrendts says, holding up her iPhone during an interview in Chicago where Burberry just last month opened a new store. The Michigan Avenue site immerses customers in all things digital — from iPads for children to play with to video screens streaming Burberry fashion shows.

UEFA has responded to widespread outrage against the racism sanctions imposed on Serbia for the abuse directed at England players during an under-21s match in October by deciding to appeal against its own disciplinary panel's verdict.

Serbian fans directed monkey chants at black England players throughout an ill-tempered match in Krusevac that ended in an on-pitch brawl between players and coaches from both teams.

U.S. shoppers spent cautiously this holiday season, a disappointment for retailers who slashed prices to lure people into stores and now must hope for a post-Christmas burst of spending.

Sales of electronics, clothing, jewelry and home goods in the two months before Christmas increased 0.7 percent compared with last year, according to the MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse report.

Ben Affleck is taking his name off the list of possible candidates for U.S. Sen. John Kerry's seat, which would be open if the Democratic senator from Massachusetts is confirmed as secretary of state.

Affleck says in a Monday posting on his Facebook page that while he loves the political process, he will not be running for public office.

A police helicopter belonging to Ukraine's Interior Ministry crashed shortly after takeoff Tuesday in the central part of the country, killing five people on board, officials said.

The Mi-8 helicopter slammed into the ground at about 1400 GMT (9 a.m. EST) just after taking off from an airport in the city of Alexandria in the Kirovograd region, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of the capital, Kiev, ministry spokesman Serhiy Burlakov said.

Pilgrims and locals celebrated Christmas Day on Tuesday in the ancient Bethlehem church built over the site where tradition holds Jesus was born, candles illuminating the sacred site and the joyous sound of prayer filling its overflowing halls.

Overcast skies and a cold wind didn't dampen the spirits of worshippers who came dressed in holiday finery and the traditional attire of foreign lands to mark the holy day in this biblical West Bank town. Bells pealed and long lines formed inside the fourth-century Church of the Nativity complex as Christian faithful waited eagerly to see the grotto that is Jesus' traditional birthplace.

New taxes are coming Jan. 1 to help finance President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Most people may not notice. But they will pay attention if Congress decides to start taxing employer-sponsored health insurance, one of the options in play if lawmakers can ever agree on a budget deal to reduce federal deficits.

The tax hikes already on the books, taking effect in 2013, fall mainly on people who make lots of money and on the health care industry. But about half of Americans benefit from the tax-free status of employer health insurance. Workers pay no income or payroll taxes on what their employer contributes for health insurance, and in most cases on their own share of premiums as well.

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez's confounded expression upon hearing that veteran goalkeeper Iker Casillas had been dropped for Saturday's game against Malaga showed just how far coach Jose Mourinho has gone in his quest to exert control over the club.

And it may be that Mourinho has finally gone too far.

The kids in this volcano-rim village wear filthy, ragged clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in huts made of sticks and mud. They don't go to school. Yet they all can chant the English alphabet, and some can spell words.

The key to their success: 20 tablet computers dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a group called One Laptop Per Child.