Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drink company, says it is boosting research to tackle the threat of ever-stronger strains of bacteria and germs in food manufacturing.

The Vevey, Switzerland-based company says it will initially boost research into several types of food-borne bacteria — particularly a dangerous strain of bacterium E. coli that infects people and pumps out a poison called Shiga toxin — and viruses Norovirus and Hepatitis A.

Microsoft is trying to fix what it got wrong with its radical makeover of Windows. It's making the operating system easier to navigate and enabling users to set up the software so it starts in a more familiar format designed for personal computers.

The revisions to Windows 8 will be released later this year. The free update, called Windows 8.1, represents Microsoft's concessions to long-time customers taken aback by the dramatic changes to an operating system that had become a staple in households and offices around the world during the past 20 years.

With a win over Malaga on Saturday, Barcelona can rob Real Madrid of its sole claim to the best single season in the history of the Spanish league.

Madrid set a record of reaching the 100-point mark en route to winning the title last season. And with 97 points heading into the final round, Barcelona can equal that milestone with a victory at Camp Nou.

Russia has delivered sophisticated air defense missiles to Syria, President Bashar Assad has implied in an interview to be aired Thursday on Hizbullah's al-Manar television, the network said.

Al-Manar said in a statement that when asked about the promised delivery of the S-300 surface-to-air missiles, Assad replied: "All the agreements with Russia will be honored and some already have been recently."

Justin Timberlake will be the headliner when the iTunes festival kicks off in September in London.

The superstar is among the acts slated for the annual music series, which will be held each night that month and streamed on Apple devices like the iPad, iPhone and Apple TV.

Victoria Azarenka waited until the fourth day of the French Open for her opening match, then showed she's eager to continue.

Filling a mostly empty stadium court with her familiar shrieks on Wednesday, the former world No. 1 beat Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1, 6-4 in a match postponed one day because of rain. That meant Azarenka reached the second round 72 hours after some players.

Oprah Winfrey doesn't have a daily talk show anymore. But two years after abdicating her throne, the former talk-show queen is clear who she thinks now wear the crowns: Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.

Winfrey declared the co-hosts "the reigning king and queen" during a surprise appearance on Tuesday's "Live with Kelly and Michael."

Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives are investigating Justin Bieber for reckless driving after witnesses — including former National Football League star Keyshawn Johnson — complained about the pop-star's alleged freeway speeds in their gated community in north Los Angeles County.

At about 8 p.m. Monday, Bieber allegedly drove his white Ferrari at freeway speeds in what is a 25 mph (40 kph) zone, Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan has undergone surgery for a shoulder injury suffered while doing stunts for his new movie "Chennai Express."

Sanjay Desai, his doctor, said Khan's surgery in a Mumbai hospital on Tuesday was successful but he will need to rest for two months.

The mother of the Chinese newborn trapped in a sewer pipe in a stunning ordeal caught on video had raised the initial alarm and was present for the entire two-hour rescue but did not admit giving birth until confronted by police, reports said Wednesday.

The state-run, Hangzhou-based newspaper Dushikuaibao said police became suspicious when they found baby toys and blood-stained toilet paper in the 22-year-old woman's rented room, in the building where Saturday's rescue occurred in eastern China.