news

• 
  Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle

  Invoking the memory of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama. There was not a vote to spare.

• Fort Hood suspect ordered held until court-martial

  The Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood will be confined until his military trial, initially staying in a hospital where he is recovering from gunshot wounds, his attorney said Saturday.

• 
  China coal mine blast death toll jumps to 87

  Rescuers worked in frigid cold to reach 21 miners trapped underground Sunday as the death toll from a huge gas explosion in a northern Chinese coal mine jumped to 87.

• Life requested for US suspect in Italy murder case

  Prosecutors on Saturday requested life in prison for an American student and her ex-boyfriend accused in the fatal stabbing of her British roommate during a drug-fueled sex game — charges the U.S. woman dismissed as "pure fantasy."

• 
  Ex-Air Force nurse acquitted of killing patients

  A court-martial acquitted a former military nurse of murder Saturday after he was accused of giving lethal doses of painkillers to hasten the deaths of three terminally ill patients at the Air Force's largest hospital.

• Police: Ohio suspect may have eaten evidence

  Police say a bank robbery suspect in Ohio may have eaten evidence when he gobbled a piece of paper while handcuffed and lying across the hood of a police cruiser.

• 
  More Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving

  The number of Americans traveling away from home for Thanksgiving will be up only slightly this year from 2008, according to a report from the AAA auto club.

• 
  Baby can wait as expectant dad finishes spacewalk

  A spacewalking astronaut put aside the impending birth of his daughter and blazed through his first-ever venture outside the International Space Station on Saturday.

• 
  Jackson moonwalk glove sells for $350K in NYC

  The shimmering, white glove Michael Jackson wore when he premiered his trademark moonwalk dance in 1983 was auctioned off for $350,000 — plus tax — on Saturday.

• 
  Clock runs out on LSU in 25-23 Ole Miss win

  So many unusual things happened in the final 3 minutes of Mississippi's victory Saturday against No. 10 LSU, it got confusing.

More

• 
  Healthcare bill passes first Senate test

  A sweeping healthcare overhaul narrowly cleared its first hurdle in the Senate on Saturday, with Democrats casting 60 party-line votes to open debate on the biggest healthcare changes in decades.

• 
  Obama asks for patience on economy

  President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans to show patience over the economy and argued that his just-concluded Asia trip was critical for U.S. exports, countering criticism he had returned empty-handed.

• 
  Prosecutor seeks life for Knox in Italy murder trial

  Italian prosecutors on Saturday called for a life sentence for American university student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the 2007 murder of Briton Meredith Kercher.

• 
  NATO takes command of Afghan army, police training

  NATO took command of the training of the Afghan army and police on Saturday to consolidate efforts on building an effective security force, a vital precondition for the withdrawal of foreign troops.

• 
  China mine explosion death toll reaches 87

  The death toll from China's latest coal mine disaster reached 87 as hopes dimmed on Sunday that more survivors would be found a day after a gas blast at a colliery in the country's far northeast.

• Iraq parliament struggles over elusive vote deal

  Iraq's parliament suspended efforts on Saturday to reach a deal on a law which is crucial for an election to take place in January and could affect the U.S. military' s plans for a partial withdrawal next year.

• 
  "Big Bang" experiment advancing fast

  After a year's delay, scientists at the world's biggest accelerator have restarted an experiment to recreate "Big Bang" conditions that had sparked suggestions the earth would be sucked in by millions of black holes.

• 
  Iran to hold war games to protect nuclear facilities

  Iran's military said it will begin large-scale air defense drills on Sunday, and a cleric in the Revolutionary Guards warned that the Islamic Republic would fire missiles at "the heart of Tel Aviv" if attacked.

• Suspected militants blow themselves up in Pakistan

  Three suspected Taliban militants blew themselves up on Saturday as police chased them in Pakistani Kashmir, police said.

• 
  Swine flu may have hit one peak; more to come

  The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over.

More

• 
  A bad month in Afghanistan rippled across the US

  Every afternoon, seven days a week, Ed Epley has a 5 p.m. appointment with the war.

• EPA: Uranium from polluted mine in Nev. wells

  Peggy Pauly lives in a robin-egg blue, two-story house not far from acres of onion fields that make the northern Nevada air smell sweet at harvest time.

• NC man gets life in prison for woman's fatal scare

  A man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was found guilty in what prosecutors said was a case of scaring a 79-year-old North Carolina grandmother to death.

• 
  More Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving

  The number of Americans traveling away from home for Thanksgiving will be up only slightly this year from 2008, according to a report from the AAA auto club.

• Fort Hood suspect ordered held until court-martial

  The Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood will be confined until his military trial, initially staying in a hospital where he is recovering from gunshot wounds, his attorney said Saturday.

• 
  Atheist student groups flower on college campuses

  The sign sits propped on a wooden chair, inviting all comers: "Ask an Atheist."

• 
  Baby can wait as expectant dad finishes spacewalk

  A spacewalking astronaut put aside the impending birth of his daughter and blazed through his first-ever venture outside the International Space Station on Saturday.

• 
  Biden says Senate handed Obama a big victory

  Vice President Joe Biden told Iowa Democrats on Saturday that the Senate handed the president a big victory with its decision to move forward with debate on sweeping legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system.

• 
  Ex-Air Force nurse acquitted of killing patients

  A court-martial acquitted a former military nurse of murder Saturday after he was accused of giving lethal doses of painkillers to hasten the deaths of three terminally ill patients at the Air Force's largest hospital.

• Hawaii anxiously watching year-end tuna supply

  On New Year's Eve each year, thousands line up at fish counters across Hawaii to buy blocks of raw tuna, hoping that eating it will bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. This year, the long tradition may get a little more difficult to observe.

More

• 
  China coal mine blast death toll jumps to 87

  Rescuers worked in frigid cold to reach 21 miners trapped underground Sunday as the death toll from a huge gas explosion in a northern Chinese coal mine jumped to 87.

• 
  Pope and Anglican leader agree on closer relations

  After offering a home in his church to disaffected Anglicans, Pope Benedict XVI assured the archbishop of Canterbury on Saturday that he is still committed to seeking closer relations between Catholics and Anglicans.

• 
  Restored machine to explore mysteries of Big Bang

  Scientists are preparing the world's largest atom smasher to explore the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs.

• 
  Italian police arrest 2 linked to Mumbai attacks

  Italian police on Saturday arrested a Pakistani father and son who allegedly spent just over $200 to set up a reliable and untraceable phone network that was used by the militants who carried out last year's terror attacks in Mumbai, India.

• 
  Afghan road builder's dream thwarted by violence

  Khalid Khan stares through the dusty window pane, down across the rooftops of the capital, and wonders if they really know where he lives.

• 
  Iran to hold war games to protect nuclear facilities

  Iran's military said it will begin large-scale air defense drills on Sunday, and a cleric in the Revolutionary Guards warned that the Islamic Republic would fire missiles at "the heart of Tel Aviv" if attacked.

• 
  Colombia's Uribe seeks to ease Venezuela tensions

  Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Saturday ruled out any military retaliation against Venezuela after Venezuelan troops dynamited two cross-border footbridges.

• 
  NATO takes command of Afghan army, police training

  NATO took command of the training of the Afghan army and police on Saturday to consolidate efforts on building an effective security force, a vital precondition for the withdrawal of foreign troops.

• 
  China mine explosion death toll reaches 87

  The death toll from China's latest coal mine disaster reached 87 as hopes dimmed on Sunday that more survivors would be found a day after a gas blast at a colliery in the country's far northeast.

• Israeli planes strike targets in Gaza

  Israeli planes carried out air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip Sunday, injuring seven Palestinians, Palestinian medical workers said.

More

• 
  Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle

  Invoking the memory of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama. There was not a vote to spare.

• 
  Biden says Senate handed Obama a big victory

  Vice President Joe Biden told Iowa Democrats on Saturday that the Senate handed the president a big victory with its decision to move forward with debate on sweeping legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system.

• 
  Terror trials differ in civilian, military courts

  The federal courts and military tribunals that will prosecute suspected terrorists vary sharply in their independence, public stature and use of evidence. But the Obama administration has so far offered no clear-cut rationale for how it chooses which system will try a detainee.

• 
  Obama trumpets Asia trip as boost to US economy

  President Barack Obama's eight-day trip to Asia produced no tangible wins for the United States, though he is citing talks with Asian allies that he says could help create thousands of job and open new markets for American goods in the future.

• 
  Levin: More e-mails from Ft. Hood suspect possible

  WASHINGTON — The government intercepted at least 18 e-mails between the alleged Fort Hood gunman and a radical Muslim cleric, and a key senator says there could be more communications that might have tipped off law enforcement or military officials.

• 
  Healthcare bill passes first Senate test

  A sweeping healthcare overhaul narrowly cleared its first hurdle in the Senate on Saturday, with Democrats casting 60 party-line votes to open debate on the biggest healthcare changes in decades.

• 
  Obama job approval rating drops under 50 percent

  President Barack Obama's job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long healthcare debate and weakness in the economy, Gallup said on Friday.

• 
  Obama asks for patience on economy

  President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans to show patience over the economy and argued that his just-concluded Asia trip was critical for U.S. exports, countering criticism he had returned empty-handed.

• Top House Democrat questions 9/11 criminal trials

  The chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Representative Ike Skelton, cast doubt on Friday about the Obama administration's decision to try the September 11, 2001, conspirators in a U.S. criminal court.

• Ex-State Dept official pleads guilty to spying for Cuba

  A former U.S. State Department official and his wife pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that they spied for almost three decades for the Communist-led Cuban government.

More

• 
  GOP: Health test recommendations could affect care

  Republicans are seizing on this week's recommendations for fewer Pap smears and mammograms to fuel concern about government-rationed medical care — and to try to chip away support by women for President Barack Obama's proposed health care overhaul.

• 
  Fired therapist: Stressed Marines get shoddy care

  Marines treated at Camp Lejeune for post-traumatic stress had to undergo therapy for months in temporary trailers where they could hear bomb blasts, machine-gun fire and war cries through the thin walls, according to servicemen and their former psychiatrist.

• Guidelines for cancer screening differ by group

  Several doctors groups and advocacy groups set guidelines for cancer screening, and they update that advice periodically as new information emerges. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they don't. Last year, a number of groups got together and issued consensus guidelines for colon cancer.

• Report: 20-somethings can go 2 years between Paps

  First mammograms. Now — in an apparent coincidence — Pap smears.

• Tamiflu-resistant swine flu cluster reported in NC

  Four North Carolina patients at a single hospital tested positive for a type of swine flu that is resistant to Tamiflu, health officials said Friday.

• Pa. university students upset about fitness class

  A Pennsylvania university's requirement that overweight undergraduates take a fitness course to receive their degrees has raised the hackles of students and the eyebrows of health and legal experts.

• 
  Military experiment seeks to predict PTSD

  Two days before shipping off to war, Marine Pfc. Jesse Sheets sat inside a trailer in the Mojave Desert, his gaze fixed on a computer that flashed a rhythmic pulse of contrasting images.

• 
  AP IMPACT: Gripes about swine flu vaccine abound

  When the nation's swine flu vaccination program began in early October, health officials predicted it was going to be "messy." They were right.

• 
  US survey shows southern counties most obese

  The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia. High rates of obesity and diabetes were reported in more than 80 percent of counties in the Appalachian region that includes Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virgnia, according to the new research from the U.

• 
  China to punish those concealing swine flu info

  China's health ministry said it will punish officials who underreport cases of swine flu after a doctor famous for exposing the extent of the 2003 SARS epidemic said he believes the true number of swine flu deaths is being covered up.

More

• 
  Restored machine to explore mysteries of Big Bang

  Scientists are preparing the world's largest atom smasher to explore the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs.

• 
  Baby can wait as expectant dad finishes spacewalk

  A spacewalking astronaut put aside the impending birth of his daughter and blazed through his first-ever venture outside the International Space Station on Saturday.

• 
  Ukraine's `hot air' bedevils global climate deal

  Vladimir Gapor is a plumber by trade, but now he's a scavenger, prying bits of scrap steel from the ruins of his old factory and selling them for a pittance.

• 
  Researcher: Faint writing seen on Shroud of Turin

  A Vatican researcher has rekindled the age-old debate over the Shroud of Turin, saying that faint writing on the linen proves it was the burial cloth of Jesus. Experts say the historian may be reading too much into the markings, and they stand by carbon-dating that points to the shroud being a medival forgery.

• Hackers leak e-mails, stoke climate debate

  Computer hackers have broken into a server at a well-respected climate change research center in Britain and posted hundreds of private e-mails and documents online — stoking debate over whether some scientists have overstated the case for man-made climate change.

• 
  "Big Bang" experiment advancing fast

  After a year's delay, scientists at the world's biggest accelerator have restarted an experiment to recreate "Big Bang" conditions that had sparked suggestions the earth would be sucked in by millions of black holes.

• 
  Delayed spacewalk ends successfully

  NASA astronauts completed a spacewalk on Saturday at the International Space Station that had been delayed after a false alarm woke the crews of the station and the visiting space shuttle Atlantis.

• 
  Art collector finds Galileo's lost tooth, fingers

  An art collector has found a tooth, thumb and finger of the renowned Italian scientist Galileo Galilei who died in the 17th century, Florence's History of Science museum said on Friday.

• 
  New fossils reveal a world full of crocodiles

  New fossils unearthed in what is now the Sahara desert reveal a once-swampy world

• 
  Italy collector finds Galileo's lost tooth, fingers

  An art collector has found a tooth, thumb and finger of the renowned Italian scientist Galileo Galilei who died in the 17th century, Florence's History of Science museum announced on Friday.

More

• Police: Ohio suspect may have eaten evidence

  Police say a bank robbery suspect in Ohio may have eaten evidence when he gobbled a piece of paper while handcuffed and lying across the hood of a police cruiser.

• Authorities: Man tied lizards to chest at airport

  Federal officials say they arrested a man who strapped 15 live lizards to his chest to get through customs at Los Angeles International Airport.

• CA man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face

  A 39-year-old Southern California man has been arrested for misdemeanor child annoyance after allegedly paying a teenager $31 to spit in his face. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department says Charles Hersel was arrested Wednesday in a sting operation at a mall in Thousand Oaks. He's free from jail ending a court hearing.

• Mich. police nab wrong-way driver twice in 3 days

  Authorities in western Michigan arrested a person twice in three days for driving the wrong way down the highway Kalamazoo County deputies said they were alerted about 1:30 a.m. Friday after several people called 911 when they passed the unidentified driver traveling south on northbound U.S. 131.

• Cops: Woman smuggled drugs to Pa. inmate with kiss

  A western Pennsylvania woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges she passed a drug-filled balloon to a state prison inmate while kissing him. State police said guards at the State Correctional Institution-Mercer became suspicious when an inmate appeared to swallow something after a prolongedkiss with a visitor on Oct.

• Man who claimed disability spotted on TV show

  California tax officials say an interior designer's false disability claim was uncovered when he was spotted on a home improvement television show.

• Eye doc may lose license after calling patient fat

  A North Carolina doctor could lose his medical license after a patient complained he made cutting criticisms, including telling her she was fat. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the North Carolina Medical Board will decide if Dr. Earl Sunderhaus of Asheville overstepped the bounds of professonal decency.

• Ala. court says woman can't claim $41.8M jackpot

  The Alabama Supreme Court says a woman who thought she had hit a jackpot worth almost $42 million at the Victoryland electronic bingo center will end up empty handed. The court ruled Friday that an electronic bingo machine that showed Sherry Knowles had won $41.8 million obviously malfunctioned andthat she was actually due no more than $2 from the operation in Macon County.

• Alleged burglar warms up bottle for crying baby

  An 18-year-old is in police custody after he warmed up a bottle for a crying baby inside the house he was allegedly robbing. Indianapolis police arrested the suspect at Arlington High School on Tuesday after receiving a tip from a television viewer saw surveillance video on a newscast.

More

• 
  Sony hopes online service will build brand loyalty

  Sony's new online service connecting the whole range of its gadgets to downloadable content like movies and games should help build brand loyalty, a top executive said Friday.

• 
  200 Web sites spread al-Qaida's message in English

  Increasing numbers of English-language Web sites are spreading al-Qaida's message to Muslims in the West. They translate writings and sermons once largely out of reach of English readers and often feature charismatic clerics like Anwar al-Awlaki, who exchanged dozens of e-mails with the Army psychitrist accused of the Fort Hood shootings.

• Web sites cater to for-sale-by-owner home sellers

  Nathaniel Lester scored 19 points and Hofstra held off Yale 68-63 in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Monday night.

• Yahoo jumps on Twitter bandwagon to improve search

  Yahoo Inc. is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon in its latest attempt to get people to use its Internet search engine more frequently.

• 
  Baby can wait as expectant dad finishes spacewalk

  A spacewalking astronaut put aside the impending birth of his daughter and blazed through his first-ever venture outside the International Space Station on Saturday.

• Google adding automatic captions to YouTube videos

  Think of it as closed captioning for the new media world.

• Google's Chrome OS to be ready for 2010 holidays

  Consumers will have to wait until next year's holiday shopping season to find out if Google Inc.'s new operating system can deliver on its promise to make low-cost computers run faster.

More

• 
  Dixon's 4-yard TD gives UConn 33-30 win over ND

  After a string of stinging losses, the Connecticut Huskies finally won one for their slain teammate.

• 
  Clock runs out on LSU in 25-23 Ole Miss win

  So many unusual things happened in the final 3 minutes of Mississippi's victory Saturday against No. 10 LSU, it got confusing.

• 
  No. 9 OSU tops Mich. 21-10 on 5 Forcier turnovers

  Tate Forcier threw four interceptions and fumbled in his end zone, and No. 9 Ohio State took advantage to beat Michigan 21-10 Saturday for its sixth straight win in the series.

• 
  Gators rout FIU 62-3, extend winning streak to 21

  Top-ranked Florida moved another step closer to perfection with a 62-3 rout of Florida International.

• 
  Ingram, Tide roll over Chattanooga 45-0

  No. 2 Alabama was still celebrating Mark Ingram's second long touchdown run when coach Nick Saban told his star tailback to take the rest of the day off.

• 
  Busch wins title, Nationwide finale

  Kyle Busch only needed the green flag to drop to win his first NASCAR title. His coronation was never in doubt and neither, really, was the outcome of the Nationwide Series finale.

• W.Liberty, Edinboro score 147 in D-II playoffs

  West Liberty and Edinboro opened the season against each other in August with an offensive onslaught.

• 
  Harvard comes back for 14-10 win over Yale

  Collier Winters threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as Harvard came back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat rival Yale 14-10, the Crimson's eighth win in nine years against the Bulldogs.

• 
  No. 4 TCU moves to 11-0 for first time in 71 years

  Andy Dalton made a bet over the summer with his TCU teammates that he was hoping to lose. Win 10 straight and the junior quarterback vowed to shave his flame-red hair.

• 
  No. 15 Iowa blanks Minnesota 12-0

  With a bronze pig on the line, No. 15 Iowa put a new twist on winning ugly — this time by taking a game that featured more punts than points.

More