news

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  Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan

  Signaling an imminent decision on Afghanistan troop levels, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" and destroy terrorist networks in the region.

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  Man says through aide leaving coma like rebirth

  With a caretaker holding his hand, a Belgian man who was diagnosed as comatose for 23 years typed out a message Tuesday that he felt reborn after decades of loneliness and frustration.

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  Home prices up slightly in September

  The summer's trend of rising home prices is ebbing as the traditional home shopping season ends, two reports Tuesday showed.

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  Economy's rebound not as strong as first thought

  The economy is growing modestly, with consumers too wary about spending to invigorate the recovery.

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  Obama: US-Indian ties help define 21st century

  President Barack Obama declared Tuesday that U.S. ties with India will be "one of the defining relationships" of the 21st century as he welcomed India's prime minister for the first state visit of his administration.

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  SC legislators begin Sanford impeachment hearings

  South Carolina legislators upset with Gov. Mark Sanford's summer disappearance to see his lover in Argentina have begun debating a measure that ultimately would remove him from office.

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  Festival of mass animal sacrifice begins in Nepal

  The ceremony began with prayers in a temple by tens of thousands of Hindus before dawn Tuesday. Then it shifted to a nearby corral, where in the cold morning mist, scores of butchers wielding curved swords began slaughtering buffalo calves by hacking off their heads.

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  Furry felons rob SAfrican tourists, steal food

  Visitors to South Africa's premier holiday destination who are worried about becoming victims of the country's high crime rate could find themselves instead robbed by a more furry kind of felon: baboons.

• ABC's `Good Morning America' cancels Lambert

  ABC's "Good Morning America" is saying "no thanks" to Adam Lambert.

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  Late field goal gives Titans 20-17 win over Texas

  Rob Bironas kicked a 53-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining and the Tennessee Titans beat the Houston Texans 20-17 Monday night for their fourth straight victory after an 0-6 start.

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  U.S. Q3 economic growth revised down, house prices up

  The U.S. economy grew more slowly than first thought in the third quarter, but a fifth month of gains in house prices in September and an improvement in consumer morale signaled the anemic recovery was intact.

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  Rajaratnam gives detailed denial of insider charges

  Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, accused in one of the biggest insider trading cases ever, on Tuesday gave a detailed denial of the charges and said government wiretaps violated his constitutional rights.

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  Obama says will announce Afghan plan soon

  President Barack Obama said Tuesday he will announce a new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan soon and that his intention will be to have a plan to "finish the job" there after eight years of war.

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  Obama seeks to reassure Singh on U.S.-India ties

  President Barack Obama sought to reassure Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday of his commitment to boosting U.S. ties with India even as his administration has set its rivals, China and Pakistan, as top priorities.

• Fed asks U.S. banks to submit TARP repayment plans

  The U.S. Federal Reserve this month asked banks that were part of its "stress tests" to submit plans to repay government money, if they have not already repaid it, a person familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.

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  Philippines imposes emergency; massacre toll reaches 46

  The Philippines placed two southern provinces and a city under emergency rule on Tuesday after gunmen killed 46 people in a brutal election-related massacre that has shocked the country.

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  Iran says needs guarantees to ship nuclear fuel

  Iran could consider sending its low-enriched uranium abroad, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, signaling a possible softening of its opposition to a plan aimed at easing Western concern over its nuclear ambitions.

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  Iraq national vote unlikely in January

  Iraq will be unable to hold a national election in January as planned, a poll official said on Tuesday, heaping more uncertainty on a vote meant to cement democracy and pave the way for a partial U.S. troop withdrawal.

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  Netanyahu says Hamas prisoner deal may not happen

  An Israeli prisoner exchange with Hamas has not yet been agreed and may not happen, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, after a senior cabinet colleague predicted a breakthrough within weeks.

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  WHO probing drug resistant swine flu

  The World Health Organization is looking into reports in Britain and the United States that the H1N1 flu may have developed resistance to Tamiflu in people with severely suppressed immune systems, a spokesman said Tuesday.

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• Probe into Ky. census worker's death concludes

  Authorities were set Tuesday to release findings from an investigation into the death of a census worker found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest.

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  Filmmaker Tyler Perry donates $1M to NAACP

  Filmmaker Tyler Perry has donated $1 million to the NAACP to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the civil rights organization.

• 3 Sacred Heart lacrosse players accused of rape

  The attorney for a Sacred Heart University lacrosse player charged with helping two teammates sexually assault a woman says the accusations are a gross exaggeration of alcohol-fueled hijinks.

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  Chef Paula Deen accidentally hit by charity ham

  Celebrity chef Paula Deen got an unexpected serving of ham — across her face.

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  New dad-in-space: Focusing on shuttle job easy

  NASA's new dad in space, shuttle astronaut Randolph Bresnik, said Tuesday he had no problems focusing on his job while awaiting his daughter's birth.

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  SC legislators begin Sanford impeachment hearings

  South Carolina legislators upset with Gov. Mark Sanford's summer disappearance to see his lover in Argentina have begun debating a measure that ultimately would remove him from office.

• Senator urges Adidas to keep NBA uniforms in USA

  The official uniforms for NBA players could soon be made in Asia.

• 3 airlines fined in Minnesota tarmac stranding

  The government is imposing fines for the first time against airlines for stranding passengers on an airport tarmac, the Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

• Arms dealer pleads guilty in Ala. smuggling case

  A Belgian arms dealer has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting airplane engines and parts from the U.S. to Iran for use in aging F-5 fighter jets sold to the Islamic nation before its 1979 revolution.

• Research: Giving thanks brings health, happiness

  Bill Golden survived more than 20 years in the Army and another 30 in law enforcement. He fell sick with colon cancer, and at 86, he has an artificial hip and arthritis in his knees.

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  Man says emergence from long coma was like rebirth

  A Belgian man wrongly diagnosed as vegetative for 23 years told The Associated Press Tuesday that the discovery he was fully conscious brought him a feeling of rebirth after decades of loneliness and frustration.

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  Iraq elections face delay

  A senior official said Tuesday that Iraq must delay a national vote scheduled for January because of a political dispute, and the vice president who triggered the crisis indicated he would veto a key election law for a second time.

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  Wooing of Taliban fighters is dangerous game

  A battered taxi sped up a dusty road toward a squad of Afghan soldiers searching for bombs planted in the dirt. Army gunmen who had fanned out for protection readied for a suicide attacker. The car screeched to a halt.

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  Philippines declares emergency after 46 killed

  The Philippine president placed two southern provinces under emergency rule Tuesday as security forces unearthed more bodies, pushing the death toll to 46 in some of the deadliest election violence in the nation's history.

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  Indian probe blames mosque attack on Hindu leaders

  An Indian government investigation released Tuesday into the 1992 demolition of a mosque by a raging mob reportedly accused top Hindu nationalist politicians of complicity in the attack that sparked nationwide ethnic riots, leaving 2,000 people dead.

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  Philippines imposes emergency; massacre toll reaches 46

  The Philippines placed two southern provinces and a city under emergency rule on Tuesday after gunmen killed 46 people in a brutal election-related massacre that has shocked the country.

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  Iran says needs guarantees to ship nuclear fuel

  Iran could consider sending its low-enriched uranium abroad, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, signaling a possible softening of its opposition to a plan aimed at easing Western concern over its nuclear ambitions.

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  Netanyahu says Hamas prisoner deal may not happen

  An Israeli prisoner exchange with Hamas has not yet been agreed and may not happen, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, after a senior cabinet colleague predicted a breakthrough within weeks.

• Magnitude 6.8 quake recorded near Tonga

  A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck northeast of the South Pacific island nation of Tonga on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey said, but a destructive tsunami was not expected.

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  Iraq national vote unlikely in January

  Iraq will be unable to hold a national election in January as planned, a poll official said on Tuesday, heaping more uncertainty on a vote meant to cement democracy and pave the way for a partial U.S. troop withdrawal.

More

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  Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan

  Signaling an imminent decision on Afghanistan troop levels, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" and destroy terrorist networks in the region.

• Senator urges Adidas to keep NBA uniforms in USA

  The official uniforms for NBA players could soon be made in Asia.

• CPSC chief: Agency moved too slowly on crib safety

  A day after the recall of 2.1 million cribs linked to four suffocations, the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission conceded the agency "hasn't been acting as quickly as it should."

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  CAPITAL CULTURE: 60 years of US meals for India

  In the history of U.S.-India relations, there's been plenty of broken bread and even a few crumbled Triscuits.

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  Obama: US-Indian ties help define 21st century

  President Barack Obama declared Tuesday that U.S. ties with India will be "one of the defining relationships" of the 21st century as he welcomed India's prime minister for the first state visit of his administration.

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  Obama says will announce Afghan plan soon

  President Barack Obama said Tuesday he will announce a new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan soon and that his intention will be to have a plan to "finish the job" there after eight years of war.

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  South Carolina governor faces ethics allegations

  Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, a conservative seen as a presidential contender before a sex scandal wrecked his reputation, faces 37 possible ethics violations, the state ethics commission said on Monday.

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  Obama seeks to reassure Singh on U.S.-India ties

  President Barack Obama sought to reassure Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday of his commitment to boosting U.S. ties with India even as his administration has set its rivals, China and Pakistan, as top priorities.

• Obama administration urged to join Mine Ban Treaty

  U.S. acceptance of a treaty banning landmines is "long, long overdue" and President Barack Obama should use a 10-year review this weekend to announce plans to join the accord, anti-landmines campaigners said on Monday.

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  Obama honors Mugabe foes for defying a "dictator"

  U.S. President Barack Obama honored a group of women Monday who have confronted Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and said they had defied a dictator.

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  Man says emergence from long coma was like rebirth

  A Belgian man wrongly diagnosed as vegetative for 23 years told The Associated Press Tuesday that the discovery he was fully conscious brought him a feeling of rebirth after decades of loneliness and frustration.

• 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.

• 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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  Health reform: Is tax on 'Cadillac' plans fair?

  Schoolteacher Kinzi Blair makes only $46,000 a year, but she has what many would consider a "Cadillac" health plan, now targeted for a big tax increase by health reformers.

• Study: kids watching hours of TV at home daycare

  Parents who thought their preschoolers were spending time in home-based day cares, taking naps, eating healthy snacks and learning to play nicely with others may be surprised to discover they are sitting as many as two hours a day in front of a TV, according to a study published Monday.

• Former NIH chief: Ignore new mammogram guideline

  The former director of the National Institutes of Health is advising women to ignore new guidelines that delay the start of routine mammogram testing for breast cancer.

• Mammogram guidelines spark debate over health bill

  Lawmakers broke along party lines on a new aspect of the health care debate Sunday as a former National Institutes of Health chief urged women to ignore guidelines that delay the start of breast cancer screenings.

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  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.

• Canada woman to fight insurance co. over Facebook

  A Canadian woman on sick leave for depression said Monday she would fight an insurance company's decision to cut her benefits after her agent found photos on Facebook of her vacationing, at a bar and at a party.

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  Big Bang atom smasher starts speeding proton beams

  The world's largest atom smasher used its accelerator Tuesday to speed up proton beams for the first time as scientists moved ahead in efforts to learn more about the universe.

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  New dad-in-space: Focusing on shuttle job easy

  NASA's new dad in space, shuttle astronaut Randolph Bresnik, said Tuesday he had no problems focusing on his job while awaiting his daughter's birth.

• CO2 curve ticks upward as key climate talks loom

  The readings at this 2-mile-high station show a troubling upward curve as the world counts down to crucial climate talks: Global warming gases are building in the atmosphere at record levels from emissions that match scientists' worst-case scenarios.

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  Icebergs head from Antarctica for New Zealand

  Ships in the south Pacific Ocean have been alerted that hundreds of icebergs believed to have split off Antarctic ice shelves are drifting north toward New Zealand, officials said Tuesday.

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  Man says emergence from long coma was like rebirth

  A Belgian man wrongly diagnosed as vegetative for 23 years told The Associated Press Tuesday that the discovery he was fully conscious brought him a feeling of rebirth after decades of loneliness and frustration.

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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.

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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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  Dark ocean depths home to exotic, unknown life

  The permanent darkness of the ocean depths is home to a far greater range of animals, from luminous jellyfish to tubeworms that live off oil seeping from the seabed, than previously thought, scientists said on Sunday.

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  Houston, we have a baby

  Shuttle Atlantis astronaut Randy Bresnik awoke early on Sunday to a much-anticipated call that his new daughter had been born.

• Soviet Union's non-Communist astronaut dies age 83

  The Soviet Union's only non-Communist astronaut, Konstantin Feoktistov, has died at the age of 83, Russia's space agency said on Sunday.

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  Furry felons rob SAfrican tourists, steal food

  Visitors to South Africa's premier holiday destination who are worried about becoming victims of the country's high crime rate could find themselves instead robbed by a more furry kind of felon: baboons.

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  Chef Paula Deen accidentally hit by charity ham

  Celebrity chef Paula Deen got an unexpected serving of ham — across her face.

• Sparkling reindeer-dung jewelry sells at Ill. zoo

  Sparkly reindeer-dung necklaces are going on sale at an Illinois zoo that hopes to attract the same holiday shoppers who swept up its dung Christmas ornaments last year.

• Agent showing house finds pile of bones

  A real estate agent showing a house got to the basement and found about 100 human bones in a corner.

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  Kangaroo tries to drown dog, attacks owner

  A kangaroo startled by a man walking his dog attacked the pair, pinning the pet underwater and slashing the owner in the abdomen with its hind legs. The Australian, Chris Rickard, was in stable condition Monday after the attack, which ended when the 49-year-old elbowed the kangaroo in the throat.

• Mass. woman seeks funds for turkey's eye surgery

  A Massachusetts woman is seeking donations from fellow pet lovers to help pay for eye surgery for her turkey named Jerry. Lyndsey Medeiros and her husband adopted three-year-old Jerry and another turkey from a Rhode Island farm last week. But Jerry has cataracts, and the eye problems mean he can't at independently or join his female companion, Penelope, in flying.

• Tavern owner says he'll unveil 100-proof turkey

  You'll need to be 21 to take a bite out of this Thanksgiving turkey. New York City tavern owner Paul Hurley said he'll unveil what he is calling the nation's first 100-proof turkey on Monday. A spokesman for the owner of O'Casey's Tavern in Midtown Manhattan said that the bird is infused with fruitflavored and 100-proof Georgi vodka for three days before being cooked.

• Police: RI teen skipped school, robbed bank

  Police say a 17-year-old Warwick boy who skipped school to rob a bank has been arrested after leaving fingerprints on the threatening note he passed to the teller. Warwick police Capt. Sean Collins said the boy handed a note riddled with misspellings to a teller Thursday, demanding money or "everyoe will be shot.

• Me-OW! Cat survives Illinois outage-causing run-in

  A cat went from meow to ow when officials say it accidentally made contact with a substation's fuse, causing an outage to about 1,500 homes and businesses in southwestern Illinois. The feline apparently survived the encounter early Monday in the Greene County city of Carrollton.

• Ga. high court rules mower isn't a motor vehicle

  A riding lawn mower may have four wheels, a powerful engine and can cost as much as a used car. If it's stolen, however, the Georgia Supreme Court concluded Monday that it's not a motor vehicle.

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  HP profit jumps on cost cuts, new market expansion

  Hewlett-Packard Co.'s cost-cutting and push into new markets is helping soften the blow from weakness in the company's mainstay businesses.

• Joost acquired by online ad company Adconion

  The struggling online video startup Joost (juice-st) is being sold to an online advertising company that plans to continue operating its Web site under the same name.

• EU drops Qualcomm antitrust probe

  European Union antitrust regulators on Tuesday dropped a monopoly abuse probe into wireless chip maker Qualcomm Inc. after mobile phone companies withdrew complaints about high royalty fees.

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  Friends go online at Foursquare to meet offline

  Laura Fitton's ascent has been staggering: In less than a year, she's become mayor of nine different places in several different states, all without giving any speeches or kissing any babies.

• Google scoops up display ad specialist Teracent

  Google Inc. has snapped up another startup in its quest to sell more visual advertising on the Web.

• Nokia to ax 220 R&D jobs in Japan

  Nokia Corp. said Tuesday it is axing 220 jobs at research and development units in Japan as the world's largest mobile phone maker continues to cut costs.

• Canada woman to fight insurance co. over Facebook

  A Canadian woman on sick leave for depression said Monday she would fight an insurance company's decision to cut her benefits after her agent found photos on Facebook of her vacationing, at a bar and at a party.

• Retailers look to stretch out Cyber Monday push

  Retailers are thinking beyond Cyber Monday — a holiday marketing promotion many push for the Monday after Thanksgiving — and trying to spin their discounts into into Cyber Weekends or even Cyber Weeks.

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  Barnes & Noble reports 2Q loss, cuts guidance

  Barnes & Noble on Tuesday posted a larger second-quarter loss than last year and lowered its profit forecast for this quarter in anticipation of weak holiday sales and high costs of launching its electronic book reader, the Nook.

• Newspaper circulation may be worse than it looks

  While U.S. newspapers are losing subscribers at a staggering rate, a few dailies stand out because their circulation is rising. But they aren't necessarily selling more copies.

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  Juan Martin del Potro wins 1st match at ATP Finals

  Juan Martin del Potro held on to beat Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (1) Tuesday in his second round-robin match of the ATP World Tour Finals.

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  Champion boxer survived where friends went astray

  Devon Alexander was 7 when his mom gave in and let him join the new boxing program in his downtrodden neighborhood. He came home the first day crying, his nose bloodied from a sparring session with his friend Terrance Barker.

• Roethlisberger expected to play despite concussion

  Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has a concussion, but is expected to play at Baltimore as long as he continues to pass the daily tests given to players who have sustained the injury.

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  Late field goal gives Titans 20-17 win over Texas

  Rob Bironas kicked a 53-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining and the Tennessee Titans beat the Houston Texans 20-17 Monday night for their fourth straight victory after an 0-6 start.

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  Ochoa edges Shin for LPGA's top player award

  Lorena Ochoa and Jiyai Shin fought to the last hole for the LPGA's top player award.

• NFL, union approve about half team neurologists

  The NFL and its players union have approved independent doctors to evaluate head injuries for about half of the league's 32 teams as part of a new program.

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  Mauer near-unanimous pick as American League MVP

  At the ripe old age of 26, Joe Mauer now has an AL Most Valuable Player award to add to a jam-packed trophy case that already holds three batting titles, three Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves.

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  Kansas still No. 1 in AP poll; Syracuse No. 10

  Syracuse was so impressive in the 2K Sports Classic that it made one of the best entrances ever into The Associated Press' college basketball poll.

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  Florida's Meyer: Notre Dame not a coaching option

  Standing behind the same podium where quarterback Tim Tebow delivered his now-famous promise 14 months and 21 wins ago, coach Urban Meyer vowed Monday to be at Florida "as long as they'll have me."

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