Adele's "21" is top-selling U.S. iTunes album of 2012

 British singer Adele notched another accolade on Thursday as iTunes announced that her Grammy-winning album "21" was the top-selling record of 2012 in its U.S. store, extending the disc's successful run almost two years after it was released.Adele, 24, who last year became the first artist to secure three iTunes milestones with top-selling album, single and artist of the year, came in ahead...

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One Direction, Rihanna, Adele lead Billboard 2012 charts

Newcomer British boy band One Direction joined R&B diva Rihanna and British singer Adele to top Billboard's year-end music charts, released on Friday.One Direction, who topped the Billboard 200 album chart twice this year with their debut, "Up All Night" in March and their sophomore album "Take Me Home" in November, were named Billboard's top new artist/group, rounding off a stellar year of U.S....

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Pop star Kelly Clarkson announces engagement

Kelly Clarkson, who became the first contestant to win "American Idol" a decade ago and went on to several chart-topping successes, has gotten engaged to her boyfriend, the singer said in a Twitter message on Saturday.Clarkson, 30, previously revealed she had been dating talent manager Brandon Blackstock since early this year. Blackstock is the stepson of country singer Reba McEntire."I'M ENGAGED!"...

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Sirius XM to pay higher music royalty fees

Sirius XM Radio Inc will pay a bigger percentage of revenue toward music royalties for sound recordings, following a decision made by the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board, the satellite radio provider said on Monday.Judges at the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board determined last Friday that Sirius should pay higher royalty rates over the next five years to SoundExchange, the non-profit group that collects...

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The top 10 songs and albums on the iTunes Store

iTunes' Official Music Charts for the week ending Dec. 17, 2012Top Songs:1. "Locked Out of Heaven," Bruno Mars2. "I Knew You Were Trouble," Taylor Swift3. "Ho Hey," The Lumineers4. "Stupid Boy," Cassadee Pope5. "Scream & Shout (feat. Britney Spears)," will.i.am6. "Diamonds," Rihanna7. "Beauty and a Beat (feat. Nicki Minaj)," Justin Bieber8. "Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz)," Ryan Lewis,Macklemore9. "Gangnam...

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Existing home sales rise to fastest pace in three years

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home resales rose sharply in November to their fastest pace in three years, a sign the recovery in the housing market is gaining steam. The National Association of Realtors said on Thursday that existing home sales climbed 5.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million units. That was the fastest since November 2009,...

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New York City should hike taxes on big business-comptroller

(Reuters) - New York City's top financial officer and possible contender for mayor in 2013, John Liu, proposed on Thursday tax hikes for big businesses and an end to Madison Square Garden's $15 million annual property tax exemption.The proposals by New York City Comptroller John Liu include tax hikes on private equity firms, which would help offset his plan for $500 million in tax breaks and lowered...

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Republicans push own "fiscal cliff" plan; talks frozen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the Congress pushed ahead on Thursday with a "fiscal cliff" plan that stands no chance of becoming law as time runs short to reach a deal with President Barack Obama to avert a Washington-induced economic recession.House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" to limit income-tax increases to the wealthiest sliver of the population appeared likely to...

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Canada's seven-month budget gap narrows to C$10.6 billion

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's federal budget deficit narrowed in the first seven months of the fiscal year to C$10.57 billion ($10.68 billion) from C$13.90 billion in the same period last year as personal and corporate income tax revenues rose and debt charges were lower.The monthly shortfall in October was C$1.68 billion, compared with a gap of C$2.13 billion a year earlier, the Department of Finance...

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"Fiscal cliff" creates waiting game for payrolls firms

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - At payroll processing businesses across the United States, the "fiscal cliff" stalemate in Washington means uncertainty over tax-withholding tables just days before the start of 2013.The U.S. Internal Revenue Service still has not issued the tables for next year that show how much money employers should hold back from workers' paychecks to cover federal income taxes.Payroll...

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