Court to decide if college group must allow gays
12:20
The Supreme Court said Monday it will decide whether a California law school violated the constitutional rights of a Christian group by denying it recognition as an official campus organization because it excludes gays...
Senate to confront abortion in health care debate
12:16
Starting an eighth day of health care debate Monday, the top Senate Democrat said lawmakers are approaching the end game on the far-reaching legislation and fully expect to prevail on President Barack Obama's signature...
Chicago terrorism suspect charged in Mumbai attack
12:08
A Chicago man accused of planning an armed attack on a Danish newspaper was charged Monday with conducting surveillance on potential targets in the Indian city of Mumbai before terrorist attacks in 2008 that killed 166...
Drunken driving death rates decline in 40 states
12:03
Drunken driving fatality rates have fallen in 40 states and the District of Columbia, an encouraging sign that crackdowns are improving highway safety. The Transportation Department said Monday that 11,773 people were...
Pentagon orders 16,000 troops to start surge
11:22
The first wave of President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan surge will add about 16,000 U.S. troops who got their orders over the past few days, the Pentagon announced Monday. About 1,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune in...
Court to decide sentencing modification case
11:03
The Supreme Court will decide whether judges have to follow strict sentencing guidelines at sentence modification hearings. The court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from inmate Percy Dillion. He was sentenced to...
ACORN prober finds no illegal pattern on videos
10:59
An internal investigation of the community-organizing group ACORN found no pattern of intentional, illegal conduct by ACORN staffers on undercover videos shot by conservative critics of the group. In a 47-page...
Secret Service report details 91 security breaches
10:39
An internal Secret Service document used for training purposes indicates 91 security breaches since 1980. Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan says the agency used the 2003 report to evaluate security procedures and...
Ohio killer asks appeals court to stop execution
12:09
A condemned killer scheduled to become the first person in the U.S. put to death with a single drug on Tuesday is asking a federal appeals court to delay his execution. The office of attorney Tim Sweeney said Monday...
Ex-congressman accused in youth soccer scuffle
11:57
Police are investigating a youth soccer league coach's claims that he was attacked by a former Mississippi congressman after a game. Madison Police Sgt. Robert Sanders says Chip Pickering, a Republican who served 12...
Mullen to troops: Afghanistan casualties will rise
11:50
The nation's top military commander Monday told soldiers, including many bound for Afghanistan, that he expects casualties to rise next year as additional U.S. troops pour into the war. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman...
Impeachment debate in SC focuses on gov's tryst
11:25
South Carolina lawmakers debating whether to impeach Gov. Mark Sanford are focusing on a trip to South America during which he says his relationship with an Argentine woman turned physical. State Rep. Greg Delleney...
Prosecutor plans announcement in Conn. chimp case
11:22
A Connecticut prosecutor plans to make an announcement about a chimpanzee attack that left a woman disfigured and blinded. State's Attorney David Cohen says he will release a statement Monday afternoon but is declining...
Tenn. man says cows licked $100 in damage to house
11:14
A Tennessee man's homeowners insurance apparently doesn't cover "acts of cow." Jerry Lynn Davis called the Hawkins County Sheriff's office on Thursday, complaining that a neighbor's cows had been licking his house. In...
Virgin Galactic unveils commercial spaceship
11:06
A spacecraft designed to rocket wealthy tourists into space as early as 2011 was unveiled Monday in what backers of the venture hope will signal a new era in aviation history. The long-awaited glimpse of SpaceShipTwo...
Officer responding to Pa. home disturbance killed
11:04
A police officer was fatally shot in suburban Pittsburgh as he heeded superiors' advice to wait in his patrol car for backup to handle a deadly conflict at a home. Penn Hills Officer Michael Crawshaw, 32, was killed...
2 bombs kill 12 in eastern Pakistan city of Lahore
12:17
Two bombs ripped through a crowded market in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday, killing at least 12 people and wounding 35, authorities said. TV footage showed cars and shops on fire in the Moon Market...
Officials recommend postponing Iraqi elections
12:12
Iraq's electoral commission on Monday recommended a 45-day delay in parliamentary elections until Feb. 27, raising concerns that the postponed balloting could complicate the planned withdrawal of U.S. combat troops and...
Romanian opposition claims fraud in president vote
12:10
Romania's main opposition party claimed Monday that President Traian Basescu narrowly won re-election through a fraudulent vote. The Social Democrats said left-leaning former Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana actually won...
Guinea FM says president awake and mentally alert
12:08
Guinea's military strongman, hospitalized in Morocco with a gunshot wound, is conscious and speaking, the country's foreign minister said Monday as he tried to tamp down speculation that Capt. Moussa "Dadis" Camara is...
UK rights group accuses Britain on rendition cases
12:07
A legal rights group said Monday the British government misled parliament about two terrorism suspects who were subjected to rendition. Clive Stafford Smith, director of the London-based rights group Reprieve, said the...
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12:04
Police say at least 12 people killed in blasts at market in Pakistani city of Lahore. ...
Georgia to send 900 troops to Afghanistan
11:59
President Mikhail Saakashvili says Georgia will contribute more than 900 troops next year to the U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. Saakashvili made the statement Monday during a meeting with Gen. Roger A....
NATO allies pledge up to 7,000 troops
11:41
NATO says its 28 member nations and 15 partner countries have confirmed pledges for nearly 7,000 additional troops to serve alongside the 30,000 reinforcements committed to Afghanistan by President Barack Obama. NATO...
Northwest pilots blame air traffic controllers
12:20
The Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot Minneapolis have blamed air traffic controllers in part for the incident, saying controllers violated procedures. Capt. Timothy Cheney, 53, of Gig Harbor, Wash., and First...
Stocks rise as investors await Bernanke speech
12:17
Stock indexes edged higher Monday as investors tried to predict when interest rates might start rising. Commodities including gold and oil fell, while Treasury prices rebounded from a slide last week. The dollar...
Fla. House passes commuter high-speed rail bill
12:17
Legislation that would clear the way for creating a commuter rail system in central Florida zipped through the House at bullet-train speed Monday, but it was headed for an uncertain fate in the Senate. It also includes...
Budget carrier easyJet cuts capacity in Britain
12:10
Low-cost airline easyJet PLC said Monday it is closing its operations at a regional British airport and cutting capacity at its home base of London's Luton airport by 20 percent. The airline will cease operations at...
American Axle to sell 14M shares in offering
12:10
Automotive parts supplier American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. said Monday it has launched an offering of 14 million shares of common stock and plans to use the proceeds toward corporate purposes. It has...
Dubai World looks to sell assets in quest for cash
12:09
Dubai World, the cash-strapped conglomerate at the center of Dubai's debt crisis, appears set for an unaccustomed period of retrenchment after the emirate's top finance official said Monday the company may need to...
General Dynamics wins $18.6 million Navy contract
12:09
General Dynamics Corp. said Monday it won an $18.6 million, 5-year contract to provide information technology services for a Navy surface warfare center in Philadelphia. General Dynamics said its information technology...
Hasbro to make Sesame Street-brand toys and games
12:09
Elmo is getting a new home _ or his toys are, at least. Toy maker Hasbro Inc. said Monday it will make and market toys and games based on well-known Sesame Street characters, such as Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie Monster. ...
Obama salutes jazz great Brubeck at Kennedy Center
12:17
Nearly 40 years ago, a Kenyan father was visiting his son in Hawaii and took him to his first jazz concert. The boy was Barack Obama and the performer was jazz great Dave Brubeck. "I've been a jazz fan ever since," the...
Alexa Ray Joel staying with dad after pill scare
12:15
A publicist says the daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley is staying with her father two days after being treated in New York for a possible overdose of pills. Alexa Ray Joel's publicist Claire Mercuri won't...
'Blind Side' eclipses 'New Moon' with $20M weekend
12:02
Sandra Bullock's latest movie has taken the industry by surprise. She stars in the football-inspired drama "The Blind Side" that has become the underdog hit of the season with a $20.4 million weekend and a box-office...
Star tenor Villazon to make comeback next March
11:49
Star tenor Rolando Villazon says he will make his comeback at the Vienna State Opera next March after recovering from throat surgery. The singer announced in April that he needed surgery to remove a cyst on his larynx...
Quaid announces system to prevent medicine errors
11:16
Actor Dennis Quaid is helping launch a national program to help prevent medication errors like the one that hurt his newborn twins in 2007. Quaid on Monday was expected to announce the National Alert Network for...
Romania: Briton sentenced in filmmaker's death
10:35
A Romanian court has rejected the appeal of a British citizen convicted on manslaughter charges for causing a 2006 car accident that killed award-winning Romanian film director Cristian Nemescu. The Bucharest appeals...
4 vie for British art's contentious Turner Prize
10:33
A sculptor who filled an abandoned apartment with shimmering blue crystals is the favorite to win Britain's best-known art award, the Turner Prize, on Monday. The winner of the 25,000 pound ($40,000) prize was being...
Barenboim conducts 'Carmen' at La Scala
10:17
Daniel Barenboim conducts Bizet's "Carmen" in La Scala's highly anticipated season premiere. The gala season opener Monday evening stars German tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Don Jose and 25-year-old Georgian mezzo-soprano...
Catholic sisters challenge Vatican investigation
5:29
Leaders of a significant number of the nation's Roman Catholic sisters are challenging aspects of a Vatican investigation of their communities, declining to answer questions they say are ambiguous, inappropriate and out...
FIRST-PERSON: It's not all about love
3:15
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following column addresses issues of homosexuality and is written to inform adults. It contains descriptions of the Folsom Street Fair, an annual sexually charged, perverse event in San Francisco with...
FIRST-PERSON: Bad news & eternity
3:15
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--We have always thought of the Gospel as good news. In fact, the Greek word evangelion, which is translated "Gospel," literally means "good news." And certainly the fact that Jesus Christ died and...
Baptist state conventions remain pro-family, evangelistic
3:15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Pro-family issues remain the most often cited concern in resolutions adopted at the 41 state Baptist convention meetings. Prayer for the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force and concern for...
23 Baptist state conventions cut budgets; 12 raise Cooperative Program gifts
3:15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Over half of the state Baptist conventions have decreased their budgets for the coming year, according to reports from their annual meetings. And yet, six of the 23 conventions making cuts are...
CULTURE DIGEST: Creation Museum focuses on Christmas; DVD player edits bad content
3:15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The Creation Museum, a ministry of Answers in Genesis, is offering a special planetarium presentation called "The Christmas Star," which addresses the "remarkable astronomic event that occurred at...
'Gay marriage,' legal in N.J. by Christmas?
3:15
TRENTON, N.J. (BP)--Just days after suffering another setback in the liberal Northeast, "gay marriage" supporters could get back on track in New Jersey Monday when a bill that could become law by Christmas will be...
Amends. could mandate abortion coverage
3:15
WASHINGTON (BP)--U.S. Senate votes on two health-care reform amendments Dec. 3 could result in private insurance plans being required to provide abortion coverage.Senators approved, in a 61-39 roll call vote, an...
CDC: Swine flu is widespread only in 25 states
11:46
Swine flu infections continue to wane, just as vaccine is becoming plentiful enough that some communities are allowing everyone to get it, not just those in priority groups. Swine flu was widespread in only 25 states...
FDA warns of problems with sterilization device
4:27
Doctors and hospitals should stop using a device from Steris Corp. to sterilize surgical tools after reports of malfunction, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The company's modified SS1 sterilizer device...
Brazil officials visiting Germany get swine flu
2:53
Two Brazilian officials accompanying President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a trip to Germany have been diagnosed with swine flu. Brazil's official Agencia Brasil news agency says the presidential security guard and an...
Drugmakers, FDA move to curb painkiller abuse
2:04
Pharmaceutical executives laid out plans Friday to prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers, under pressure from regulators trying to stop hundreds of fatal overdoses each year. But Food and Drug Administration...
Embargo as genocide? US disputes Cuban claim
12:37
It was a story meant to captivate the United Nations: A dozen Cuban children with heart defects were forced to endure unnecessary surgery because the U.S. embargo blocked them from receiving American-made catheters. ...
Glaxo's swine flu shot may give kids fever
8:15
The European Medicines Agency warns that young children given GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu shot may get a fever after their second dose. In a statement issued Friday, the European drug regulator said data from...
CDC warns of fake swine flu e-mails
5:24
Health officials are warning the public about fake e-mails inviting people to sign up for swine flu vaccine registrations. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials this week put out an advisory about...
Surgeon general: More minority doctors needed
5:02
The new U.S. Surgeon General on Thursday called for stepped-up efforts in increasing the number of minority physicians. In what was one of her first speeches to a large crowd since she was sworn in Nov. 3, Dr. Regina...
Cancer, math research honored in youth competition
11:53
A New York high school student has won a prestigious science competition for a project examining resistance to chemotherapy. The winners of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology were honored Monday in...
Nobel winners helped by independence, coffee
11:24
Intellectual freedom, independent research and frequent coffee breaks with colleagues helped this year's Nobel Prize winners make their groundbreaking scientific discoveries. The winners of the 2009 Nobel Prizes in...
Comcast: No plans to sell fourth-place NBC network
10:59
Comcast executives say they have no plans to sell NBC Universal's broadcast TV business when they take control of the company. Speaking Monday at the UBS media conference in New York, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts...
Facebook creates online safety board
10:30
Social networking site Facebook on Monday said it is creating a global safety advisory board to protect its users against online predators such as sex offenders. The board will comprise representatives from five...
You've Got Freedom: AOL ends ties with Time Warner
10:28
AOL is shaking loose from Time Warner Inc. and heading into the next decade the way it began this one, as an independent company. Unlike the 1990s, though, when AOL got rich selling dial-up Internet access, it starts...
Some background on the climate talks
5:05
Around 15,000 delegates, environmentalists, scientists, journalists and others gathered in Copenhagen on Monday to begin two weeks of negotiations on what to do about climate change. Here's a look at what's happening...
Climate pledges made by countries before summit
5:01
_U.S.: President Barack Obama has pledged cutting emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. That represents a 3-4 percent cut from 1990 levels _ the benchmark used by most countries. Aims to reach a 41 percent...
Key dates in unfolding story of warming planet
4:58
1750 _ Before Industrial Revolution, atmosphere holds 280 parts per million of heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2). 1898 _ Swedish scientist Svante Ahrrenius calculates that CO2 from coal and oil burning will warm the...
The nation's weather
5:57
The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida were expected to continue tracking through the Southeastern U.S. on Thursday. The system was forecast to continue pulling abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and allow for wet...
The nation's weather
4:43
A strong storm in the center of the country was expected to continue bringing wintry weather to the Central Rockies and Plains on Thursday. A strong low pressure system that developed over the Rockies would continue...