Morning Digest: Funerals begin for Newtown victims as schools confront tragedy

	Click to View in Browser 12/17/2012 Funerals begin for Newtown victims as schools confront tragedy NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - The small Connecticut town shattered by an act President Barack Obama called "unconscionable evil," holds on Monday the first two of 20 funerals for schoolchildren massacred in their classrooms last week.. Syrian vice president says neither side can win war BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa said that neither the forces of President Bashar al-Assad nor rebels seeking to overthrow him can win the war which is now being fought on the outskirts of Assad's powerbase in Damascus.. Stock futures signal flat to higher open PARIS (Reuters) - Stock pointed to a flat to higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.09 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.04 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.01 percent at 4:57 a.m. ET.. "Hobbit" film sets December record in U.S., Canada debut (Reuters) - "The Hobbit" brought home a big box office treasure over the weekend, setting a December movie record with $84.77 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales as legions of fans turned out for the long-awaited big-screen return to Middle Earth.. 49ers stave off furious Patriots fightback to reach playoffs (Reuters) - The San Francisco 49ers squandered a 28-point lead against an explosive New England Patriots on Sunday but recovered late on to secure a playoffs berth with a thrilling 41-34 road victory.. Google could emerge unscathed from federal web search probe: WSJ (Reuters) - Google may not face any major repercussions from the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) two-year-old anti-trust investigation into its web search business, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.. Mind-controlled robotic arm gets closer than ever to human limb LONDON (Reuters) - Researchers in the United States have developed a robotic arm controlled directly by thought with a level of agility closer than ever to a normal human limb.. Japanese women enamored of "Mr Right" love game apps TOKYO (Reuters) - After being saved from kidnapping, you discover you're the daughter of the prime minister and your life is in imminent danger. You are introduced to a handful of handsome bodyguards, and must decide who you want to protect you 24 hours a day.. Related Video All clear after bomb scare at Connecticut Church Japan's Noda steps down after election defeat Great Debate How Obama seized the narrative Public agrees: Next step is gun control A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend