news

• 
  Tough road ahead in Senate for health care bill

  The Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed far-reaching health care legislation, handing President Barack Obama a hard-won victory on his chief domestic priority though the road ahead in the Senate promises to be rocky.

• 
  Some saw trouble ahead for Fort Hood suspect

  In retrospect, the signs of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's growing anger over the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan seem unmistakable. But even people who worried his increasingly strident views were clouding his ability to serve the U.S. military could not predict the murderous rampage of which he now sands accused.

• 
  Afghan vows to keep corrupt officials out of govt

  The embattled Afghan president pledged Sunday that there would be no place for corrupt officials in his new administration — a demand made by Washington and its international partners as they ponder sending more troops to confront the Taliban and shore up his government.

• 
  AP IMPACT: Framed for child porn _ by a PC virus

  Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.

• 
  Pakistan bomb kills anti-Taliban mayor, 11 others

  A suicide bomber blew himself up Sunday in market in Pakistan's northwest crowded with shoppers ahead of a Muslim holiday, killing 12 people, including a mayor who once supported but had turned against the Taliban, officials said.

• 
  Ida brushes past Mexico, watch issued for US coast

  Hurricane Ida swiped the resort city of Cancun on Sunday with bands of wind and rain as it steamed north toward the Gulf of Mexico, where officials issued a hurricane watch for coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.

• 
  High court to look at life in prison for juveniles

  Joe Sullivan was sent away for life for raping an elderly woman and judged incorrigible though he was only 13 at the time of the attack.

• 
  Germany celebrates memory of Berlin Wall falling

  Twenty years ago Monday, they danced atop the Berlin Wall, feet thudding on the cold concrete, arms raised in victory, hands clasped in friendship and giddy hope.

• 
  Carrey's 'Christmas Carol' wraps up $31M weekend

  Jim Carrey's Scrooge is collecting holiday donations from movie fans with a $31 million opening weekend to take the No. 1 spot with his new take on "A Christmas Carol."

• 
  Mickelson rallies to win HSBC Champions

  Phil Mickelson won the HSBC Champions on Sunday by rallying against a familiar foe. Only it wasn't Tiger Woods. Mickelson made an 18-footer to save par on the 16th after whiffing on a flop shot, then holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th to close with a 3-under 69 and overcome a late charge by Erie Els, who was in the lead until hitting into the water and making bogey on the final hole.

More

• 
  Healthcare faces tough path in Senate

  After a landmark win in the U.S. House of Representatives, President Barack Obama's push for healthcare reform faces a difficult path in the Senate amid divisions in his own Democratic Party on how to proceed.

• 
  More troops needed for Afghanistan: U.S. General Casey

  General George Casey, Army chief of staff, on Sunday became the latest U.S. military official to advocate sending more troops to Afghanistan as President Barack Obama nears a decision on a new strategy.

• 
  House backs anti-abortion amendment

  The House of Representatives voted on Saturday to tighten a ban against using federal funds to finance abortions under the proposed Democratic healthcare reform legislation.

• Afghan Taliban deny have missing U.S. troops' bodies

  The Taliban denied on Sunday they were holding the bodies of two U.S. soldiers who had gone missing last week in northwestern Afghanistan after earlier claiming they had recovered the two dead servicemen.

• 
  Market attack in Pakistan kills at least 12

  A suicide bomber killed an anti-Taliban village mayor and 11 other people in an attack near Pakistan's volatile city of Peshawar on Sunday, officials said.

• 
  Thousands of Japanese protest U.S. base plan

  Thousands of Japanese gathered in sweltering heat on the southern island of Okinawa on Sunday to demand that a U.S. Marine base be moved out of the region, days ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama.

• Hurricane Ida strengthens, 42 dead in El Salvador

  Hurricane Ida intensified off the Mexican resort of Cancun on Sunday and aimed for the Gulf of Mexico as the storm's heavy rains killed at least 42 people in El Salvador.

• 
  U.N.'s Goldstone criticizes U.S. reaction to Gaza report

  The head of a U.N. investigation that accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza, Richard Goldstone, has said he is disappointed there has been such a "lukewarm" reaction to his findings in the United States.

• At least 42 killed in El Salvador by Ida's rains

  At least 42 people have been killed by flooding and mudslides in El Salvador due to heavy rains caused by Hurricane Ida, Interior Minister Humberto Centeno said in a press conference carried by national radio.

• 
  Obama wraps up Afghan review, eyes final options

  President Barack Obama is wrapping up deliberations on war strategy in Afghanistan and is considering final Pentagon options that include sending about 30,000 more troops, officials said on Saturday.

More

• 
  Some saw trouble ahead for Fort Hood suspect

  In retrospect, the signs of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's growing anger over the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan seem unmistakable. But even people who worried his increasingly strident views were clouding his ability to serve the U.S. military could not predict the murderous rampage of which he now sands accused.

• 
  Ida brushes past Mexico, watch issued for US coast

  Hurricane Ida swiped the resort city of Cancun on Sunday with bands of wind and rain as it steamed north toward the Gulf of Mexico, where officials issued a hurricane watch for coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.

• 
  Tough road ahead in Senate for health care bill

  The Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed far-reaching health care legislation, handing President Barack Obama a hard-won victory on his chief domestic priority though the road ahead in the Senate promises to be rocky.

• 
  Killings remain unsolved as sniper execution nears

  It galled her to do it, but Sarah Dillon was desperate for answers, so she wrote letters to convicted snipers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo: If you murdered my son, please confess, she wrote.

• 
  Alleged Ohio serial killer rare among mass killers

  Authorities say Anthony Sowell lured women into his home in a busy neighborhood, killed them — most by strangulation — and scattered their remains throughout the inside and buried some in the backyard.

• Suspect identified in Seattle police killing

  Police described a suspect in the shooting death of a Seattle policeman as a "lone domestic terrorist" and said he was also suspected of firebombing four police vehicles.

• Funeral services held for slain New Mexico nun

  A slain Catholic nun who lived and worked on the Navajo Indian reservation was remembered Saturday for her passion for the poor at funeral services.

• Police: 1 killed, 3 injured in shooting near Vail

  Gunfire erupted inside a bar near the ski town of Vail Saturday night, leaving one man dead and three others wounded, police said. A 63-year-old suspect was quickly arrested.

• 
  House votes strict ban on abortion subsidies

  A bipartisan House coalition voted Saturday to prohibit coverage of abortions in a new government-run health care plan that Democrats would establish to compete with private insurers.

• 
  Ground broken for Flight 93 memorial in Pa.

  With the words "Let's roll" — the command issued by United Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer to lead the passenger revolt — U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and 39 victims' relatives and dignitaries turned shovels of dirt at a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday for a permanent national memorial.

More

• 
  Afghan vows to keep corrupt officials out of govt

  The embattled Afghan president pledged Sunday that there would be no place for corrupt officials in his new administration — a demand made by Washington and its international partners as they ponder sending more troops to confront the Taliban and shore up his government.

• Iraqi parliament passes key election law

  Iraq's parliament has passed a long-delayed electoral law, paving the way for nationwide elections.

• 
  AP interview: Pablo Escobar's son asks forgiveness

  The son of the late notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar is back in the public eye 15 years after fleeing Colombia for a life of anonymity as an architect in Argentina.

• 
  Dalai Lama visits town near Tibet, angering China

  Joyous Buddhist pilgrims welcomed the Dalai Lama back Sunday to the Himalayan town he first set foot in five decades ago while fleeing Chinese rule in his native Tibet — a rare trip close to his homeland that has angered Beijing.

• Iranian lawmaker warns Russia over missile delay

  A senior Iranian lawmaker warned Russia that its delay in delivering an anti-aircraft missile defense system to Tehran could harm relations between the two countries, state television reported Sunday.

• 
  Market attack in Pakistan kills at least 12

  A suicide bomber killed an anti-Taliban village mayor and 11 other people in an attack near Pakistan's volatile city of Peshawar on Sunday, officials said.

• 
  Abbas supporters in West Bank urge him not to quit

  Supporters of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas turned out in the West Bank on Sunday to urge him to run again for the presidency following his announcement that he did not want a second term in the job.

• Iraqi lawmakers pass election law

  Iraq's parliament Sunday passed a long-delayed election law paving the way for a national vote in January after overcoming a potentially explosive row over the disputed city of Kirkuk, lawmakers said.

• 
  SPECIAL REPORT: In eastern Europe, people pine for socialism

  In the dense forests of the idyllic Danube island of Persin, home to the endangered sea eagle and the pygmy cormorant, lie the ghastly remains of a communist-era death camp.

• 
  Somalia sees end to Spanish hostage crisis in 3 weeks

  Somalia's government expects a settlement in about three weeks with pirates holding hostage 36 crew of a Spanish fishing vessel, a source close to the Somalian prime minister said Sunday.

More

• GOP lawmaker says Dems put agenda ahead of country

  A top House Republican says passage of the health care bill shows that Democrats didn't get the message from voters last week and in summer town-hall meetings.

• 
  Tough road ahead in Senate for health care bill

  The Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed far-reaching health care legislation, handing President Barack Obama a hard-won victory on his chief domestic priority though the road ahead in the Senate promises to be rocky.

• Senator: Senate will investigate Army shootings

  The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee says he plans to begin a congressional investigation of the shootings at Fort Hood.

• Casey says war in Afghanistan needs more US troops

  The Army's chief of staff says he believes more troops are needed in Afghanistan. But Gen. George Casey isn't saying exactly how many more should be sent into the war.

• Casey: Shootings leading to a hard look at Army

  The Army's chief of staff says the Army is taking a hard look at itself to make certain that something like the Fort Hood rampage doesn't happen again.

• 
  Healthcare faces tough path in Senate

  After a landmark win in the U.S. House of Representatives, President Barack Obama's push for healthcare reform faces a difficult path in the Senate amid divisions in his own Democratic Party on how to proceed.

• 
  Netanyahu's Washington trip clouded by Abbas threat

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington on Sunday with the U.S. Middle East peace drive in crisis over a threat by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to stand down.

• 
  House backs anti-abortion amendment

  The House of Representatives voted on Saturday to tighten a ban against using federal funds to finance abortions under the proposed Democratic healthcare reform legislation.

• 
  Obama "absolutely confident" on Senate health bill

  President Barack Obama said on Saturday he was "absolutely confident" the Senate would follow the lead of the House of Representatives in passing legislation to overhaul the healthcare system.

• 
  Thousands of Japanese protest U.S. base plan

  Thousands of Japanese gathered in sweltering heat on the southern island of Okinawa on Sunday to demand that a U.S. Marine base be moved out of the region, days ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama.

More

• 
  Tough road ahead in Senate for health care bill

  The Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed far-reaching health care legislation, handing President Barack Obama a hard-won victory on his chief domestic priority though the road ahead in the Senate promises to be rocky.

• 
  Alaska island village hit by suspected swine flu

  Suspected swine flu is sweeping a traditional Eskimo whaling village on a remote Alaska island — prompting an urgent medical mission to deliver help.

• 
  In Europe, most swine flu shots by invitation only

  In Britain, there are no long lines of people seeking swine flu vaccine. Doctor's offices aren't swamped with desperate calls. And there are no cries of injustice that the vaccine is going to wealthy corporations or healthy people who don't really need it.

• 
  Poll: One-third able to get swine flu vaccine

  Only about a third of adults who have tried to get a swine flu vaccine have been able to get it, according to a new national poll released Friday.

• FDA warns Web companies not to sell flavored cigs

  The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it has warned several companies to stop selling banned flavored cigarettes to U.S. consumers online.

• 
  Goldman Sachs, Citigroup got swine flu vaccine

  Some of New York's biggest companies, including Wall Street giants Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, received doses of swine flu vaccine for at-risk employees, drawing criticism that the hard-to-find vaccine is going first to the privileged.

• New gene therapy halts 2 boys' rare brain disease

  French scientists mixed gene therapy and bone marrow transplants in two boys to seemingly halt a brain disease that can kill by adolescence. The surprise ingredient: They disabled the HIV virus so it couldn't cause AIDS, and then used it to carry in the healthy new gene.

• WHO: Swine flu virus is top strain worldwide

  The World Health Organization's flu chief said the swine flu virus has now become the predominant flu strain worldwide.

• Old method of heart bypass better than 'off-pump'

  It seemed like a great idea — doing bypass surgery while the heart is still beating, sparing patients the complications that can come from going on a heart-lung machine. Now the first big test of this method has produced a surprise: Bypass has fewer problems and is more successful done the old way.

• 
  Medical aid group raises alarm about AIDS funding

  The global recession and pressure to divert funds to other health crises are hurting the fight against AIDS, a medical group warned Thursday, with one health worker saying he feared a return to the days when the AIDS virus was a death sentence in Africa.

More

• 
  W. Africa's last giraffes make surprising comeback

  A crisp African dawn is breaking overhead, and Zibo Mounkaila is on the back of a pickup truck bounding across a sparse landscape of rocky orange soil.

• 
  China sends panda expert to Taiwan to aid breeding

  Nothing like a little time apart to rekindle the affections that could lead to a baby panda.

• 
  Seattle team wins $900,000 in Space Elevator Games

  A Seattle team has collected a $900,000 prize in a NASA-backed competition to develop the concept of an elevator to space — an idea spurred by science fiction novels.

• Prized mushroom collection returns to China

  A Chinese scholar persecuted during the Cultural Revolution for smuggling a rare collection of mushrooms out of China before World War II was honored Saturday when the collection was returned more than 70 years later.

• 
  Sea lions killed, but Columbia salmon toll rises

  Killing or removing 25 California sea lions over the past two years has not reduced the toll on salmon at the base of Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River.

• 
  Another reason to cover your cough: pets at risk

  People who think they may have H1N1 flu need to stay away from work, avoid sneezing on their spouses and children and now, they have someone else to worry about infecting too -- their pets.

• 
  Canada to investigate disappearing Pacific salmon

  Canada will launch an investigation into why far fewer sockeye salmon than scientists had predicted returned to the Fraser River on the Pacific Coast this summer.

• 
  Hu says China seeks peaceful use of airspace

  China supports the peaceful exploration and use of space, President Hu Jintao said on Friday, days after its top air force officials sparked concerns with talk of a "Great Wall of steel in the blue sky."

• 
  WHO says pandemic flu on rise in China, Japan

  H1N1 swine flu is on the rise in China and Japan after triggering an unusually early start to the winter influenza season in Europe, Central Asia and North America, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

• Company sequences whole human genome for $1,700

  Want to know your entire DNA sequence? A California company has done it for as little as $1,700.

More

• Fla. police: Graffiti artist left work incomplete

  Police in Florida say a graffiti artist who apparently ran out of paint midway through a spray-painted creation left a note to potential critics to explain the unfinished work.

• Authorities say man stole car to face theft charge

  The California Highway Patrol say a man stole a car to make a court appearance on a previous auto theft charge.

• 
  SKorean woman passes driver's exam on 950th try

  A woman in South Korea who tried to pass the written exam for a driver's license with near-daily attempts since April 2005 has finally succeeded on her 950th time. The aspiring driver spent more than 5 million won ($4,200) in application fees, but until now had failed to score the minimum 60 out ofa possible 100 points needed to get behind the wheel for a driving test.

• Oregon man charged with DUI after 911 call

  Oregon police have charged a man with drunken driving after he called 911 to report his marijuana as stolen but the dispatcher couldn't understand him because he was vomiting while on the road.

• NZ lawmaker sculpted in cow manure

  A sculpture of a New Zealand government minister crafted from cow manure sold for New Zealand dollars 3,080 ($2,220) on an auction Web site. The bust of New Zealand Environment Minister Nick Smith, sculpted as a protest by artist Sam Mahon, attracted 112 bids before being picked up by an anonymous uyer on Friday.

• Pa. prostitution case tossed over gov't-funded sex

  An appeals court has ruled Pennsylvania State Police botched a prostitution investigation in which troopers gave an informant money to pay for sex four times at a massage parlor, along with a total of $180 for the man's trouble.

• Sleepwalker beaten after men find him in apartment

  Charges have been filed against three men accused of beating a man who sleepwalks after they found him asleep in one of the men's apartment. Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said the 21-year-old victim who was not identified, suffered injuries over most of his body. Kelsay said the man's injuries did not appear to require hospitalization, but the victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatme...

• Developer: Proposed wind farm site is too windy

  A wind-power company says a western Maine site it's been looking at is too windy for turbines. First Wind's Matthew Kearns told a public meeting in Rumford on Thursday that its proposed Longfellow wind farm on Black Mountain and North and South Twin mountains may not be viable.

• Wyoming hunter bags deer, then hungry lion

  Retired orthopedic surgeon Chris Smith thought his hunt was over when he bagged a white tail deer with a bow and arrow near Sheridan. Because the light was fading, he decided to return the next day to recover the deer. But when he returned Wednesday morning, the carcass had been covered by grass an bush — which is what mountain lions typically do.

• Miss. gov's son scores 2 holes-in-one in one round

  A single hole-in-one is a big enough dream for most golfers. But two in one round? That's some luck. Reeves Barbour, the 30-year-old son of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, had two aces in a single round Oct. 25 on a Robert Trent Jones course in Gainesville, Va.

More

• 
  AP IMPACT: Framed for child porn _ by a PC virus

  Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.

• 
  Software cos. eye key patent case in Supreme Court

  With the technology industry looking on, the Supreme Court on Monday will explore what types of inventions should be eligible for a patent in a pivotal case that could undermine such legal protections for software.

• 
  New `Call of Duty' could set entertainment record

  This holiday season's biggest entertainment blockbuster likely will be a sequel to a popular franchise, with jarring depictions of war and an intricate story of good versus evil. It could easily rake in more than last year's record $155 million opening weekend for "The Dark Knight."

• Sony offers `Cloudy' early to people with its TVs

  In a bid to sell living room electronics and spur buzz for "Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs," Sony Corp. is offering the movie for free to U.S. buyers of its Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players starting Monday.

• 
  Deja vu: Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target in DVD price war

  First it was books. Now it's DVDs.

• EBay settles lawsuit filed by Skype founders

  EBay Inc. has settled a legal skirmish with the founders of Skype that threatened to complicate eBay's plans to sell most of the Internet phone service to a group of investors for $2 billion.

• 
  Review: Motorola's Droid is a serious smart phone

  Since its debut in 2007, millions of people have gravitated toward Apple's iPhone, wooed by its sleek hardware, simple user interface and abundance of applications.

• 
  Activision posts 3Q profit, backs 2009 outlook

  It's been a rough year for the video game industry, but Activision Blizzard Inc. reported a profit for its third quarter because of lower costs and a good response for games such as "Guitar Hero 5" and "World of Warcraft."

• 
  No Doubt sues video game maker over 'Band Hero'

  No Doubt has sued video game maker Activision for putting words in band members' mouths.

• Google providing better view of personal data

  Google is offering a new privacy control that will make it easier for people to see some of the information being collected about them.

More

• 
  Mickelson rallies to win HSBC Champions

  Phil Mickelson won the HSBC Champions on Sunday by rallying against a familiar foe. Only it wasn't Tiger Woods. Mickelson made an 18-footer to save par on the 16th after whiffing on a flop shot, then holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th to close with a 3-under 69 and overcome a late charge by Erie Els, who was in the lead until hitting into the water and making bogey on the final hole.

• 
  Federer loses to Djokovic in Swiss Indoors final

  Top-ranked Roger Federer lost his hometown tournament on Sunday, falling 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to Novak Djokovic in the Swiss Indoors final.

• 
  Alabama beats LSU to move into SEC title game

  Julio Jones left defenders grasping at his heels and Alabama's defense was typically immovable. The Crimson Tide is riding that combination to the SEC championship game for the second consecutive season.

• 
  Zenyatta, a mare, wins Breeders' Cup Classic

  What a gal!

• 
  Collaros, No. 4 Cincy stay perfect with 47-45 win

  Zach Collaros kept No. 4 Cincinnati unbeaten with the second-best passing performance in school history, one that will make it tough to send him back to the bench.

• 
  Unhappy Iverson leaves Grizzlies 'indefinitely'

  Disgruntled Memphis guard Allen Iverson returned to his home in Atlanta after receiving permission to leave the team to attend to personal business.

• 
  Northwestern upsets No. 8 Iowa 17-10

  With Ricky Stanzi watching from the sideline on crutches, No. 8 Iowa ran out of magic.

• 
  Gerhart leads Stanford past No. 7 Oregon 51-42

  Toby Gerhart and Stanford did to the Oregon defense what the Ducks did a week ago to Southern California, opening up the Pac-10 race with a program-defining victory.

• 
  Italy routs Williams-less US team to win Fed Cup

  The Williams sisters were conspicuous by their absence on Sunday when Italy completed a shutout of the United States to win its second Fed Cup title in four years.

• 
  No. 12 USC outlasts Arizona State 14-9

  Will Harris returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown, Matt Barkley threw a 75-yard pass to Damian Williams for another score, and No. 12 USC held on for a shaky 14-9 victory over Arizona State on Saturday night.

More