news

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  Americans give thanks, see parades, feast in space

  Giant balloons, floats, marching bands and clowns with confetti brought smiles to hundreds of thousands of revelers eager to catch a glimpse of a parade as steeped in Thanksgiving Day tradition as turkey and pumpkin pie.

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  Obama and GOP differ over recipe for jobs, economy

  President Barack Obama and a top House Republican acknowledged in holiday messages Thursday the economic struggles facing Americans this Thanksgiving but offered starkly different recipes for relief.

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  Philippines prepares to charge suspect in massacre

  Under threat of military attack, the scion of the clan suspected in the slaughter of 57 people in the southern Philippines turned himself in Thursday, and prosecutors say he will face murder charges in the country's worst election violence.

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  IAEA chief: Iran investigation at 'dead end'

  The outgoing head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday his probe of Iran's nuclear program is at "a dead end" and that trust in Tehran's credibility is shrinking after its belated revelation that it was secretly building a nuclear facility.

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  Experts: Bishops covered up priests' child abuse

  Roman Catholic Church leaders in Dublin spent decades sheltering child-abusing priests from the law and most fellow clerics turned a blind eye, an investigation ordered by Ireland's government concluded Thursday.

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  Iran seizes rights lawyer's Nobel Peace medal

  Iranian authorities have confiscated Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi's medal, her lawyer and Norway's government said Thursday, in a sign of the increasingly drastic steps Tehran is taking against any dissent.

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  Dubai request for debt 'standstill' raises fear

  Just a year after the global downturn derailed Dubai's explosive growth, the city is now so swamped in debt that it's asking for a six-month reprieve on paying its bills — causing a drop on world markets Thursday and raising questions about Dubai's reputation as a magnet for international investmen.

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  Polanski prepares for luxury Alpine house arrest

  After two months in a Swiss jail, Roman Polanski prepared Thursday for the splendid captivity of his $1.6 million chalet in one of world's most luxurious winter resorts.

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  Robotic hamsters are holidays' unlikely new craze

  When Lori Fowlkes first saw robotic Zhu Zhu Pets toy hamsters in September, she remembers her kids started jumping up and down and saying "Please! Please! Can we buy them?"

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  Rogers throws 3 TDs in Packers 34-12 win vs. Lions

  Aaron Rodgers matched a career high with three touchdown passes and Green Bay beat the Detroit Lions 34-12 on Thursday, giving the Packers three straight wins and improving their playoff prospects.

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  No Thanksgiving rest for retailers in sales race

  U.S. shoppers may stretch tight budgets this year to reward loved ones after months of thrift, a softening of heart that store chains hope will erase the holiday season sales debacle of 2008.

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  World powers demand Iran mothball nuclear site

  Six world powers are demanding Iran immediately mothball a uranium enrichment site it hid for years in a resolution to be voted on by U.N. nuclear agency governors, calling it a message to Tehran to change its ways.

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  U.S. allies must send more troops to Afghanistan: NATO

  Allies of the United States must follow its lead and boost their troop levels in Afghanistan, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday.

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  Cost concerns unlikely to sink U.S. health overhaul

  A U.S. debt that is topping $12 trillion is raising fresh questions about the cost of President Barack Obama's proposed healthcare overhaul, but those concerns are unlikely to sink the legislation.

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  German military chief resigns over Afghan air strike

  The head of Germany's armed forces and a senior Defense Ministry official were forced to resign on Thursday over reports the military withheld details about a September 4 air strike that killed civilians in Afghanistan.

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  China unveils carbon target for Copenhagen deal

  China unveiled its first firm target to curb greenhouse gas emissions on Thursday, a carbon intensity goal that Premier Wen Jiabao will take to a summit in Copenhagen next month hoping to aid a global climate deal.

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  Philippines charges massacre suspect with murder

  Philippine police filed murder charges on Thursday against the main suspect in the massacre of 57 people in the south of the country this week as authorities moved to dismantle his clan's control over the region.

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  Israel dismisses Palestinian rejection of freeze

  Israel's foreign minister on Thursday shrugged off the Palestinian dismissal of a 10-month moratorium on some building in West Bank settlements, saying winning international support was more important.

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  Uninvited guests crash White House dinner

  The Secret Service is investigating how an uninvited couple was admitted to U.S. President Barack Obama's White House state dinner, penetrating layers of security, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

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  Canadian, Australian journalists held in Somalia arrive in Kenya

  Two freelance journalists held hostage in Somalia for 15 months arrived safely in neighboring Kenya on Thursday.

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  Americans give thanks, see parades, feast in space

  Giant balloons, floats, marching bands and clowns with confetti brought smiles to hundreds of thousands of revelers eager to catch a glimpse of a parade as steeped in Thanksgiving Day tradition as turkey and pumpkin pie.

• Mass. cops: Dad doing errand locked kids in trunk

  Massachusetts police say a man locked his two young sons in the trunk of his car while he ran an errand.

• Man stuck upside-down in Utah cave dies

  A man stuck upside-down in a cave for more than a day died early Thursday, despite the efforts of dozens of rescuers, authorities said.

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  'Ghost' traps, long lost, keep catching lobsters

  Beneath the cold ocean waters off the coast of Maine, the nation's lobster breadbasket, lie hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of old wire lobster "ghost traps." Lost over the years to storms, boats — even the knives of fishermen who've cut them from their buoys to settle scores — many of thetraps continue catching lobsters.

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  Astronauts surprised by holiday turkey dinners

  Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts thought they were going to give thanks with pantry leftovers Thursday as their mission drew to a close, but found turkey dinners awaiting them.

• Seniors suffer in troubled California subdivision

  John and Donna Pringle were newly widowed when they fell in love and decided to slip into retirement together at a sprawling community being built for the 55-and-up crowd a few miles from their homes in this sun-bleached Southern California town.

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  Tight economy forces some to stay home for holiday

  There's still family, turkey and football, but one Thanksgiving tradition is taking a hit this year. Millions of Americans are spending the holiday at home, saying the poor economy has made it unaffordable to hit the road or board a plane.

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  Touched by NC girl's death, Shaq pays for funeral

  Basketball star Shaquille O'Neal paid for the funeral of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl after being moved by national news coverage of the case of Shaniya Davis, who police say was kidnapped and killed.

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  Mom befriends wife of PTSD vet charged with murder

  When the envelope arrived, Windy Horner was talking with her husband, Nick — Windy on a cell phone, Nick in the Blair County jail.

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  Year after NY stampede, Black Friday gets makeover

  Victoria Rogers had originally planned to make an early stop the day after Thanksgiving last year at the Walmart store in Valley Stream on Long Island. Her last-minute decision against it might have saved her life.

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  IAEA chief: Iran investigation at 'dead end'

  The outgoing head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday his probe of Iran's nuclear program is at "a dead end" and that trust in Tehran's credibility is shrinking after its belated revelation that it was secretly building a nuclear facility.

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  Experts: Bishops covered up priests' child abuse

  Roman Catholic Church leaders in Dublin spent decades sheltering child-abusing priests from the law and most fellow clerics turned a blind eye, an investigation ordered by Ireland's government concluded Thursday.

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  Iran seizes rights lawyer's Nobel Peace medal

  Iranian authorities have confiscated Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi's medal, her lawyer and Norway's government said Thursday, in a sign of the increasingly drastic steps they are taking against any dissent.

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  China vows to dramatically slow emissions growth

  China promised Thursday to slow its carbon emissions, saying it would nearly halve the ratio of pollution to GDP over the next decade — a major move by the world's largest emitter, whose cooperation is crucial to any deal as a global climate summit approaches.

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  Iraqi PM: Election dispute poses risks to security

  Iraq's prime minister on Thursday vowed there will be no delay in the withdrawal of U.S. troops despite an Iraqi political dispute that is expected to force a January vote to be postponed.

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  German military chief resigns over Afghan air strike

  The head of Germany's armed forces and a senior Defense Ministry official were forced to resign on Thursday over reports the military withheld details about a September 4 air strike that killed civilians in Afghanistan.

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  Philippines charges massacre suspect with murder

  Philippine police filed murder charges on Thursday against the main suspect in the massacre of 57 people in the south of the country this week as authorities moved to dismantle his clan's control over the region.

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  Two million Muslims prepare to stone devil at haj

  Some two million Muslims headed to Muzdalifa on Thursday after spending the day at the plain of Arafat to prepare to cast stones at the devil in the most dangerous part of the annual haj pilgrimage.

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  One year after, India remembers Mumbai attacks

  Mumbai held tearful memorials and police staged a show of strength on Thursday as India's financial hub marked the first anniversary of militant raids that killed 166 people and ratcheted up tensions with Pakistan.

• Deal near on Iraq vote law, second veto less likely

  A preliminary agreement has been reached over Iraq's election law which the country's Sunni Arab vice president is now less likely to veto for a second time, his office said on Thursday.

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  Attorney says dinner crashers shouldn't need him

  The couple who crashed a White House dinner shouldn't need legal help, an attorney who knows them said Thursday, as the Secret Service remained quiet publicly about the eye-catching security breach.

• Lawyers: government misconduct in Blackwater case

  Defense lawyers are alleging misconduct by Justice Department prosecutors in the case against one of five Blackwater security guards accused in the killings of 17 Iraqis in Baghdad.

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  INSIDE WASHINGTON: Stream of WH health care visits

  President Barack Obama's top aides met frequently with lobbyists and health care industry heavyweights as his administration pieced together a national health care overhaul, according to White House visitor records obtained by The Associated Press.

• New climate targets may not change daily life much

  Americans' day-to-day lives won't change noticeably if President Barack Obama achieves his newly announced goal of slashing carbon dioxide pollution by one-sixth in the next decade, experts say.

• Obama telephones thanks to 10 US service members

  President Barack Obama enjoyed a quiet first Thanksgiving at the White House, telephoning U.S. servicemen and women stationed around the world and spending time in the company of his family and friends.

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  Cost concerns unlikely to sink U.S. health overhaul

  A U.S. debt that is topping $12 trillion is raising fresh questions about the cost of President Barack Obama's proposed healthcare overhaul, but those concerns are unlikely to sink the legislation.

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  U.S. will be out of Afghanistan by 2017: White House

  The United States will not be in Afghanistan eight years from now, the White House said on Wednesday, as President Barack Obama prepared to explain to Americans next week why he is expanding the war effort.

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  Obama offers U.S. climate cut, to attend Copenhagen

  The United States unveiled its proposal to cut greenhouse gases by 2020 on Wednesday and said President Barack Obama will attend U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen next month -- before other world leaders show up.

• South Korea launches WTO dispute against U.S.

  South Korea has launched a dispute at the World Trade Organization against the United States over U.S. measures to raise prices on imports of steel, a South Korean embassy official said on Thursday.

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  Obama's agenda runs into economic angst in Congress

  President Barack Obama is paying a price for a recession that began before he took office, and fellow Democrats have started to balk at his legislative agenda and demand greater efforts to create jobs.

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• WHO says Tamiflu still works against swine flu

  The World Health Organization says isolated cases of drug-resistant swine flu in Britain and the United States have not changed the agency's assessment of the disease.

• CDC: Swine flu vaccine safe; no big problems seen

  There's no evidence that the swine flu vaccine is causing any serious side effects, U.S. health officials said Wednesday, in their first report on the safety of the new vaccine.

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  UNAIDS: Sex main cause for HIV spreading in China

  The virus that causes AIDS is now spreading fastest in China through heterosexual sex, a trend demanding new strategies to stave off a rebound in the epidemic after years of progress in containing it, a United Nations report said.

• Coma recovery case attracts doubters

  Rom Houben's mother remembers her son's amazement when he finally started communicating again after spending 23 years locked in a paralyzed body that was misdiagnosed as vegetative.

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  CDC warns: Holiday could bring more swine flu

  Let us give thanks — and pass the Purell.

• Docs say formerly conjoined twins recovering well

  Formerly conjoined twin sisters Trishna and Krishna are enjoying a favorite DVD and trying new foods as they continue their recovery from marathon separation surgery, doctors said.

• UN: HIV outbreak peaked in 1996

  The number of people worldwide infected with the virus that causes AIDS — about 33 million — has remained virtually unchanged for the last two years, United Nations experts said Tuesday.

• China reports 8 cases of mutated swine flu virus

  China has detected eight people infected with mutated forms of the swine flu virus, a health official said Wednesday, but flu drugs and vaccines still work against it.

• Trying last-ditch lung bypass for worst swine flu

  A technology originally developed for premature babies may be helping to save some of the sickest swine flu patients by rerouting their blood so their lungs can rest.

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  Schumer says failure not an option on health care

  Failure is not an option on health care, a leading Democratic senator said Monday, even as Republicans turned up the heat on moderates who hold the fate of the legislation in their hands.

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  Russia: No space for space tourists

  There is no space for tourists wishing to fly to the International Space Station, a top Russian space official said Thursday.

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  Astronauts surprised by holiday turkey dinners

  Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts thought they were going to give thanks with pantry leftovers Thursday as their mission drew to a close, but found turkey dinners awaiting them.

• Curbing global warming saves lives, studies say

  Cutting global warming pollution would not only make the planet healthier, it would make people healthier too, new research suggests.

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  Obama to plead US case at global warming summit

  President Barack Obama will commit the United States to substantial cuts in greenhouse gas pollution over the next decade — despite resistance in Congress over higher costs — when he travels to a major climate conference in Copenhagen next month.

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  Invading camels to be shot in Australian town

  Australian authorities plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters and gun them down after they overran a small Outback town in search of water, trampling fences, smashing tanks and contaminating supplies.

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  Atlantis leaves station as NASA eyes shuttles' end

  Space shuttle Atlantis left the International Space Station on Wednesday after a seven-day stay to deliver gear to keep the outpost operating after the shuttle program is retired next year.

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  Experts scan disease links with Chinese "gene map"

  A large analysis of the genes of 8,200 ethnic Chinese has revealed subtle genetic differences between inhabitants in northern China and southern China, and even between different Chinese dialect groups.

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  Darwin debate rages on 150 years after "Origin"

  Even 150 years after it first appeared in print, Charles Darwin's "On The Origin of Species" still fuels clashes between scientists convinced of its truth and critics who reject its view of life without a creator.

• Hormones, incentive, experience "make best traders"

  British scientists say a perfect combination of testosterone, experience and a hunger for a share of profits can produce financial traders who consistently outperform the market -- even during a crisis.

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  Big Bang machine achieves first particle collisions

  ZURICH (Reuters) -- Scientists have smashed together proton beams for the first time in a 27-kilometre tunnel under the French-Swiss border in an initial step toward discovering how the universe came into existence, they said on Monday.

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  Robotic hamsters are holidays' unlikely new craze

  When Lori Fowlkes first saw robotic Zhu Zhu Pets toy hamsters in September, she remembers her kids started jumping up and down and saying "Please! Please! Can we buy them?"

• Dog with name tag 'works' drive-through window

  Customers at one Gulf coast gas station might be surprised at who responds to the counter when they pull up to the drive-through window: The store owner's dog. Dozens of times each day, Cody the chocolate Labradaor retriever will pop up on two paws behind the counter at a BP gas station and convenince store in Clearwater.

• Man accused of ramming car into hot dog stand

  Police said a North Carolina man rammed his car into a hot dog stand when the vendor refused to sell him a hot dog and drink for a dollar. WRAL-TV reported 23-year-old David Kelbaugh of Rolesville was charged Wednesday with assault with a deadly weapon, hit-and-run, driving while intoxicated and inury to property.

• Police seek bald man who swiped family's turkey

  Jackson police are working to crack a case of fowl play. They're searching for a man who broke into an apartment about 11 p.m. Tuesday and stole a family's holiday turkey. Police Lt. Christopher Simpson told the Jackson Citizen Patriot the suspect ran into the kitchen and stole the turkey out of th freezer.

• Police: Barefoot thief steals shoes for left feet

  It didn't take Knoxville police gumshoes to track down a suspected shoe thief. He was sauntering barefoot through the parking lot of a Knoxville store called the Shoe Show Wednesday morning when an employee identified him as the man who crammed shoes into his pockets and pushed her out of his way a he walked out Tuesday night.

• Pa. suspect's sweet tooth results in felony charge

  Police said a serial shoplifter from central Pennsylvania has taken three sweet steps over the line and now faces a felony charge. Sonya Mosey, 33, was jailed on a felony retail theft charge for allegedly stealing three snack cakes worth $4.27 from a convenience store on Oct. 27. Police said she tok a Hostess doughnut and two Tastykake items from the store, though she did pay for a soda pop.

• That hissing in the kitchen? Snake!!!

  Betty Corey first thought the hissing from her Lakebay, Wash., kitchen might be one of her dogs. Wrong. It was a 4-foot-long ball python. Not a fan of snakes, Corey called 911 and a Pierce County Animal Control officer removed the snake Tuesday morning. Officer Brian Boman said the agency will hous the snake at its shelter, keeping it warm and close at hand if its owner is looking for it.

• Not so jolly package causes TN Capitol evacuation

  A package for Tennessee's governor turned out not too jolly for staffers at the Capitol. Safety Department spokesman Mike Browning says officials evacuated the building for almost two hours Wednesday when the mail room found a package addressed to Gov. Phil Bredesen that contained moving parts.

• La. police say man broke into home to cook meal

  Alexandria police have arrested a man they said broke into an home to cook a meal. The Alexandria Daily Town Talk reported Wednesday that 29-year-old man, who told police he was homeless, was arrested and charged with burglary.

• Police: Dad leaves boy and goes into strip club

  A man was arrested after police said he left his 5-year-old son in a tractor-trailer while he ducked into an Indianapolis strip club to drink. The 39-year-old was arrested at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday on child neglect and public intoxication charges after calling police to report his truck stolen and his cild missing.

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• Holiday Web shopping looks brighter than last year

  Online retailers hope the convenience of the Web, plus discounts and deals, spur still-nervous shoppers to spend more online this holiday season — even as traditional retailers brace for mediocre sales.

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  Sony optimistic on 3-D TVs, in-house display

  A third to a half of the Sony Corp. TV sets sold annually will be packed with 3-D features by the year ending March 2013, a senior executive said Thursday.

• Time Warner Cable asks help on rising program fees

  Time Warner Cable Inc. is asking the public for help as it tries to curtail increases in the programming fees it has to pay to carry cable channels and broadcast stations on its systems.

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  AT&T and Verizon ads duel on airwaves and in court

  What would the holidays be without bickering between siblings? AT&T and Verizon are swamping TV with ads attacking facets of each other's wireless networks. While the ads stick fairly close to the truth, there's a lot they don't say.

• US online ad revenue down 5.4 pct in third quarter

  Online advertising revenue in the U.S. fell 5.4 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, as the sputtering economy kept its tight grip on even the fastest growing segment of industry, according to a report released Wednesday.

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  Facebook creates dual-class structure, but no IPO

  Facebook has created a dual-class stock structure designed to give founder Mark Zuckerberg and other existing shareholders control over the company.

• Microsoft says cost-cutting CFO to step down

  Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday said its chief financial officer is departing at the end of the year and will be replaced by the man now responsible for the books at the division that produces Microsoft Office and other business programs.

• Google apologizes for offensive first lady image

  Google Inc. is apologizing for a racially offensive image of the first lady that appears at the top of the list when users search for pictures of Michelle Obama on its site.

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  Review: A riff on robotics with self-tuning guitar

  New cars have been tuning themselves for the better part of two decades now, so it should feel less impressive that Gibson has built a guitar that can smoothly do the same.

• Senators press EU to speed its Oracle-Sun probe

  U.S. senators are pressuring European antitrust regulators to hurry their investigation of Oracle Corp.'s proposed acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc., citing Sun's "precarious" financial condition and fears about more layoffs at the struggling computing company.

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  Rogers throws 3 TDs in Packers 34-12 win vs. Lions

  Aaron Rodgers matched a career high with three touchdown passes and Green Bay beat the Detroit Lions 34-12 on Thursday, giving the Packers three straight wins and improving their playoff prospects.

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  Hawkins gets another year despite 4 losing seasons

  Colorado coach Dan Hawkins will get a fifth season in Boulder instead of a pink slip and a $3.1 million buyout.

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  Harris scores 20 as No. 15 Michigan wins in OT

  Manny Harris had 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to lead No. 15 Michigan to an 83-76 overtime win over Creighton at the Old Spice Classic on Thursday.

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  Murray beats Verdasco in 3 sets at ATP finals

  Andy Murray wasted 12 of 13 break points before overcoming Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) Thursday to close in on a semifinal spot at the ATP World Tour Finals.

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  Charles Woodson donates $2 million to U-M hospital

  Charles Woodson wants to be known as more than a football player.

• Fox's start mark could be in jeopardy for Miami

  Left tackle Jason Fox is sick and listed as doubtful for No. 19 Miami's game Saturday at South Florida, meaning he's unlikely for what would have been a history-making start for the Hurricanes.

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  McIlroy, McDowell take lead in World Cup of Golf

  Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell shot a better-ball 58 on Thursday to give Ireland a three-stroke lead over Argentina after the first round of the World Cup of Golf on Thursday.

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  2 sports close to venue change for London Olympics

  London Olympic organizers will avoid building a $66 million temporary arena after reaching an "agreement in principle" with two sports to move to an existing venue for the 2012 Games.

• Kroenke ups Arsenal stake, closes in on takeover

  American businessman Stan Kroenke has bought his second batch of shares this week in English soccer club Arsenal, edging closer to the threshold that forces him to make a takeover bid.

• Police question 2 players in match-fixing scandal

  German police have questioned two players from the Fortuna Duesseldorf soccer club Thursday in connection with the widening match-fixing scandal in Europe.

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