news

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  October home sales rise 10.1 pct from September

  Home sales far exceeded expectations last month, surging to the highest level in 2 1/2 years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of an expiring tax credit.

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  Economic survey: Job losses to bottom out in 1Q

  Economists expect the joblessness that has weighed down the nation's economic recovery will start to slowly abate in 2010, but they predict consumers will continue to keep a tight rein on spending, according to a new survey.

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  Schumer: Dems ready to go-it-alone on health care

  A leading Senate Democrat said Monday his party is determined to push through a health care overhaul bill with or without Republican support because the "system is broken."

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  4 US service members die in Afghan attacks

  Bomb attacks and a firefight killed four U.S. troops in 24 hours in Afghanistan, the military said Monday, adding to the growing toll as NATO and the U.S. consider whether to send more forces to the war.

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  Miners' families want answers in China mine blast

  Grieving miners' families demanded answers Monday from mining officials about the underground gas explosion that left at least 104 men dead in northeastern China.

• Mom: Son in coma heard everything for 23 years

  A mother says her son has emerged from what doctors thought was a vegetative state to say he was fully conscious for 23 years but could not respond because he was paralyzed.

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  Astronauts take spacewalk No. 3 after suit snag

  A pair of astronauts stepped out on the third and final spacewalk of their shuttle mission Monday, helping to install an enormous oxygen tank at the International Space Station.

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  Michael Jackson wins 4 at AMAs; Swift top artist

  The King of Pop is still winning awards and setting records doing it.

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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.

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  Colts beat Ravens 17-15 to go to 10-0

  The Indianapolis Colts are two wins away from the longest winning streak in NFL history.

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  U.S. existing home sales seen at highest since July 2007

  Sales of existing U.S. homes likely rose for a second consecutive month in October, reaching their highest since July 2007, according to a Reuters poll, as buyers scrambled to take advantage of greater affordability and a first-time home buyer tax credit.

• Gunmen kill 21 in Philippine political war

  Gunmen abducted and killed at least 21 people in the southern Philippines Monday, apparently to prevent a woman filing her husband's nomination to run for provincial governor in elections next year, the military said.

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  Pakistani forces attack Taliban, kill 22

  Pakistani security forces, backed by tanks and artillery, attacked Taliban positions in the northwest of the country, killing 22 militants, a senior police official on Monday.

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  Radiation leak investigated at Three Mile Island

  Federal officials are investigating a radiation leak at Three Mile Island, scene of the worst U.S. nuclear power accident, but said on Sunday there was no threat to public health or safety.

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  Iraq parliament passes new vote law

  Iraq's fractious parliament on Monday approved an amended version of a law needed to hold a general election next year, but sidestepped a veto by Sunni Arab Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi, lawmakers said.

• China attacks "biased" U.S. cyber-spying report

  China on Monday accused a U.S. congressional advisory panel of bias for a report in which it said the Chinese government appeared increasingly to be piercing U.S. computer networks to gather useful data for its military.

• Two Afghan ministers suspected of embezzlement

  Two Afghan cabinet ministers are being investigated under suspicion of embezzlement, a deputy attorney general said on Monday, at a time when President Hamid Karzai faces tough Western pressure to clean up his government.

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  Dimon seen as successor to Geithner: report

  (Reuters) - Several U.S. policy makers consider JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon as a potential successor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the New York Post said, citing sources.

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  Taylor Swift wins five American Music Awards

  Country crossover star Taylor Swift overshadowed the late Michael Jackson at the American Music Awards on Sunday, winning five prizes including artist of the year.

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  Astronauts take spacewalk No. 3 after suit snag

  A pair of astronauts stepped out on the third and final spacewalk of their shuttle mission Monday, helping to install an enormous oxygen tank at the International Space Station.

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  Medical marijuana finds social outlet in Ore. cafe

  At the newly opened Cannabis Cafe, people sit around taking tokes from a "vaporizer" — a contraption with a big plastic bag that captures the potent vapors of heated marijuana. Glass jars hold donations of dried, milky-green weed, and the cafe serves up meals and snacks for the hungry.

• 2 men charged after 3 men found slain in rural Ky.

  Kentucky State Police say two arrests have been made following the discovery of three bodies in rural Kentucky.

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  Kennedy dispute reveals divide among Catholics

  A bitter dispute over abortion that prompted Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop to ask Rep. Patrick Kennedy not to receive Holy Communion has revealed the depth of the divide among Catholics over how politicians should reconcile their faith with their public duties.

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  FBI wants public's help in civil rights killings

  Over the last three years, the FBI scoured faded documents, interviewed aging lawmen and tracked down witnesses from killings that occurred decades ago, many of them involving white police officers who shot black men or teenagers.

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  Program to help truckers attracts drug smugglers

  A U.S. program that offers trusted trucking companies speedy passage across American borders has begun attracting just the sort of customers who place a premium on avoiding inspections: Mexican drug smugglers.

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  Lawyer: 9/11 defendants want platform for views

  The five men facing trial in the Sept. 11 attacks will plead not guilty so that they can air their criticisms of U.S. foreign policy, the lawyer for one of the defendants said.

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  Holidays will again test NYC air travel bottleneck

  Fewer people are expected to fly this holiday season, but travelers shouldn't expect a full reprieve from the horrid flight delays of Thanksgivings past, especially if they need to land anywhere near New York City.

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  To millions, Oprah's not a megastar, just a BFF

  Like any wife who knows her husband well, Nancy Martus knows what will annoy her man. Like when she utters the phrase, "Oprah says..."

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  Bio-fuel growth raises concerns about forests

  Forests are a treasure trove of limbs and bark that can be made into alternative fuels and some worry the increasing trend of using that logging debris will make those materials too scarce, harming the woodlands.

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• Attack on election convoy kills 21 Filipinos

  Dozens of gunmen hijacked a convoy carrying journalists, and family and supporters of a candidate for provincial governor, killing at least 21 of the travelers Monday in the southern Philippines' worst political violence in years.

• Mom: Son in coma heard everything for 23 years

  A mother says her son has emerged from what doctors thought was a vegetative state to say he was fully conscious for 23 years but could not respond because he was paralyzed.

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  Big Bang atom smasher sends beams in 2 directions

  The world's largest atom smasher made another leap forward Monday by circulating beams of protons in opposite directions at the same time in the $10 billion machine after more than a year of repairs, organizers said.

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  Amended Iraq election law still angers Sunnis

  Iraq's parliament on Monday amended the country's vetoed election law with a new version that doesn't address the concerns of the country's aggrieved Sunnis, prompting predictions of further vetoes and delayed elections.

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  France shows off cutting-edge navy ship in Russia

  A cutting-edge French warship sailed into St. Petersburg Monday to show off its capabilities to potential buyers in the Russian navy, whose pursuit of an amphibious assault capacity is frightening some neighboring countries.

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  Iraq parliament passes new vote law

  Iraq's fractious parliament on Monday approved an amended version of a law needed to hold a general election next year, but sidestepped a veto by Sunni Arab Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi, lawmakers said.

• Gunmen kill 21 in Philippine political war

  Gunmen abducted and killed at least 21 people in the southern Philippines Monday, apparently to prevent a woman filing her husband's nomination to run for provincial governor in elections next year, the military said.

• Two Afghan ministers suspected of embezzlement

  Two Afghan cabinet ministers are being investigated under suspicion of embezzlement, a deputy attorney general said on Monday, at a time when President Hamid Karzai faces tough Western pressure to clean up his government.

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  Pakistani forces attack Taliban, kill 22

  Pakistani security forces, backed by tanks and artillery, attacked Taliban positions in the northwest of the country, killing 22 militants, a senior police official on Monday.

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  Saudi Arabia seeks to curb flu and stop protest at haj

  More than two million Muslims gather this week for the annual haj pilgrimage to Islam's holy city of Mecca, where Saudi authorities hope to minimize spread of the H1N1 virus and prevent any political demonstration.

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• More anti-gay, religious-motivated crimes reported

  Reports of hate crimes against gays and religious groups increased sharply in 2008, according to new FBI data released Monday.

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  Schumer: Dems ready to go-it-alone on health care

  A leading Senate Democrat said Monday his party is determined to push through a health care overhaul bill with or without Republican support because the "system is broken."

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  Sizing up the Kennedy dynasty's next generation

  Sen. Edward M. Kennedy will be a tough act to follow, even for the Kennedys. His death, coupled with the decision by family members not to seek the seat he held for nearly five decades, has prompted predictions that the family's long-running political dynasty is over.

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  Indian PM to be feted by Obama at state visit

  India has watched with wariness as President Barack Obama's administration has lavished attention on rivals Pakistan and China. Now, Obama is trying to ease Indian worries by honoring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the first state visit of his presidency.

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  Analysis: Fed under fire as public anger mounts

  Suddenly the Federal Reserve is everybody's punching bag.

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  Healthcare reform faces challenges in Senate

  President Barack Obama's U.S. healthcare overhaul plan has cleared an important Senate hurdle but lawmakers warned on Sunday of challenges ahead in winning support for passage, even among Obama's own Democrats.

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  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.

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  Obama adds Afghanistan meeting to Monday schedule

  President Barack Obama added a Monday night meeting with top advisers on Afghanistan to his schedule as he closes in on a decision on whether to send more U.S. troops.

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  Dimon seen as successor to Geithner: report

  (Reuters) - Several U.S. policy makers consider JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon as a potential successor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the New York Post said, citing sources.

• China attacks "biased" U.S. cyber-spying report

  China on Monday accused a U.S. congressional advisory panel of bias for a report in which it said the Chinese government appeared increasingly to be piercing U.S. computer networks to gather useful data for its military.

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  Schumer: Dems ready to go-it-alone on health care

  A leading Senate Democrat said Monday his party is determined to push through a health care overhaul bill with or without Republican support because the "system is broken."

• 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.

• Canadian woman loses benefits over Facebook photo

  A Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook in which she appeared to be having fun.

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  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.

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  Astronauts take spacewalk No. 3 after suit snag

  A pair of astronauts stepped out on the third and final spacewalk of their mission Monday to take care of some odd jobs at the International Space station.

• Grand Canyon to change 'unfair' permit system

  Getting one of the roughly 11,500 permits granted each year to backpack overnight in the Grand Canyon has become so competitive and "unfair" that managers at the national park have decided to change the system.

• Warming's impacts sped up, worsened since Kyoto

  Since the 1997 international accord to fight global warming, climate change has worsened and accelerated — beyond some of the grimmest of warnings made back then.

• Big Bang atom smasher sends beams in 2 directions

  Scientists working on the world's largest atom smasher say they are now circulating beams of protons in opposite directions at the same time in the $10 billion machine after more than a year of repairs.

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  Denmark: 65 world leaders for UN climate summit

  Sixty-five world leaders have said they will attend the Copenhagen climate summit in December, and several more have responded positively to invitations, Danish officials said Sunday.

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  "Big Bang" machine set to yield surprises

  Scientists could begin garnering information on the origins of the universe in the coming months as the world's biggest particle collider starts moving to full power next year, a project leader said 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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  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.

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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.

• Christmas kissing: On the cheek to avoid swine flu

  Britain's authority on etiquette says it's more hygienic to exchange kisses on the cheek than to shake hands — so the swine flu pandemic should not make people afraid of kissing under the mistletoe this holiday season.

• 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.

• Pregnant woman seeks help, allegedly robs homes

  Wichita police arrested a pregnant woman after she allegedly robbed homes after asking residents for help. Police said the woman, who is eight months pregnant, had been telling people in west Wichita that her car broke down and she needed to call someone for a ride.

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  South Koreans to get Apple's iPhone this week

  Apple Inc's iPhone is coming to South Korea this week, a local carrier announced Sunday, bringing the iconic communications device to one of the world's most sophisticated mobile phone markets.

• 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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  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.

• Fox CEO wants US to join France on Internet piracy

  The CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment says the U.S. should join France in cutting off the Internet connection of users who repeatedly download copyright-protected films.

• Scientist: Leak of climate e-mails appalling

  A leading climate change scientist whose private e-mails are included in thousands of documents that were stolen by hackers and posted online said Sunday the leaks may have been aimed at undermining next month's global climate summit in Denmark.

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  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.

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  Nadal loses to Soderling at ATP Final in London

  Rafael Nadal lost to Robin Soderling for the second straight time, falling 6-4, 6-4 Monday in their opening round-robin match at the ATP World Tour Finals.

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  McNabb, Eagles beat Bears 24-20

  Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles found a way to pull out a close win. They also hurt the Chicago Bears in the process.

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  McPherson leads heading into LPGA final round

  The sky cleared and Lorena Ochoa and Jiyai Shin were left with one day to settle their duel for LPGA Tour player of the year.

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  Phelps looking ahead to better times in 2010

  Michael Phelps is ready to put an up-and-down post-Olympic year behind him and focus on the challenges that await in 2010, including adjusting to a ban on the high-performance suits that rocked his sport.

• Slight rise in construction cost of London Games

  The projected final cost of construction for the 2012 London Olympics has risen slightly, but the overall budget for the games remains unchanged.

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  BCS at-large bids up for grabs in final weeks

  Iowa and Penn State ended their seasons eligible for an at-large BCS bid, and Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech are also in position to be eligible for invites to the four big-money bowl games even though they have no shot to win their conferences.

• AP source: WKU hires Stanford's Taggart as coach

  A person with knowledge of the decision says winless Western Kentucky has hired Stanford assistant Willie Taggart as its football coach.

• Kroenke moves closer to Arsenal takeover threshold

  American businessman Stan Kroenke has bought 10 more Arsenal shares to put him closer to the threshold that forces him to make a takeover bid.

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  Real Salt Lake beats LA to win MLS Cup

  They were railed and criticized for reaching the championship of Major League Soccer despite a losing record in the regular season.

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  Ole Miss, Cal, UNC back in AP Top 25

  Mississippi, California and North Carolina, teams that started the season with lofty expectations before stumbling, have surged back into the AP Top 25 college football poll.

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