(AP) Russia: Arafat’s death not caused by radiationBy VLADIMIR ISACHENKOVAssociated PressMOSCOWA Russian probe into the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has found no trace of radioactive poisoning, the chief of the government agency that conducted the study said Thursday.
(AP) US drone strike in Pakistan kills 3 militantsBy MUNIR AHMEDAssociated PressISLAMABADA suspected American drone fired two missiles at a home in a northwestern tribal region of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, killing at least three foreign militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said
(AP) AP Exclusive: Al-Qaida leader targeting UN workersBy QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRAAssociated PressBAGHDADThe shadowy leader of a powerful al-Qaida group fighting in Syria sought to kidnap United Nations workers and scrawled out plans for his aides to take over in the event
Injuries have forced New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to do more with less this season. He’s not happy about it. “I’m in favor of total preparation for the players for the season,” Belichick remarked in a conference call
(AP) NJ tribe sues makers of film ‘Out of the Furnace’By SAMANTHA HENRYAssociated PressNEWARK, N.J.Members of the Ramapough Native American tribe have filed a $50 million lawsuit against the makers of a recent Hollywood movie they say depicts their people
(AP) NY charter schools worry about mayor-elect’s plansBy KAREN MATTHEWSAssociated PressNEW YORKOperators of New York City’s publicly financed, privately run charter schools are bracing for changes promised by Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio — including the possibility of having to pay
Christmas in Afghanistan is not as simple to celebrate as it is stateside, according to a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command (JC). It takes dedication and heart to celebrate holidays abroad. For one, it takes
(AP) Bomb attacks on Christians in Baghdad kill 37By SINAN SALAHEDDINAssociated PressBAGHDADMilitants in Iraq targeted Christians in two separate bomb attacks in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 37 people, officials said. In one attack, a car bomb went off
By JOSH LEDERMANAssociated PressHONOLULUFor first lady Michelle Obama, a joyous Christmas Eve tradition briefly ran up against the harsh realities of a world where all is not calm and bright. Mrs. Obama for the fourth year volunteered for the NORAD
By BRADLEY KLAPPERAssociated PressWASHINGTONMailing a letter is about to get a little more expensive. Regulators on Tuesday approved a temporary price hike of 3 cents for a first-class stamp, bringing the charge to 49 cents a letter in an effort
By BRADY McCOMBS and PAUL FOYAssociated PressSALT LAKE CITYA federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that gay marriages can continue in Utah, denying a request from the state to halt same-sex weddings that have been occurring at a rapid rate since
By GRANT SCHULTEAssociated PressLINCOLN, Neb.Three years after a flood wiped out part of a bridge spanning the Elkhorn River in Neligh, residents of the small northeastern Nebraska city received a festive surprise: an anonymous, $650,000 donation to rebuild the historic
By KEVIN BEGOSAssociated PressINDIANA, Pa.For a time it looked like the Jimmy Stewart Museum wasn’t going to make it. It’s in the actor’s hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania–an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh and off the radar of many fans who might
(AP) Egypt PM calls bombing ‘worst kind’ of terrorismBy MOHAMMED WAGDY and MAGGIE MICHAELAssociated PressMANSOURA, EgyptEgypt’s interim Prime Minister says the bombing of a police headquarters outside of Cairo that left 13 killed is the “worst kind of terrorism” against
(AP) Vets return to streets to reach the homelessBy KEVIN FREKINGAssociated PressCONCORD, Mass.Not far from where the Boston Massacre helped sow the seeds for the Revolutionary War, David Dyer points toward the underpass where he’d score crack cocaine by day
(AP) UK finally pardons computer pioneer Alan TuringBy RAPHAEL SATTERAssociated PressLONDONHis code breaking prowess helped the Allies outfox the Nazis, his theories laid the foundation for the computer age, and his work on artificial intelligence still informs the debate over
(AP) Russia closes criminal case of Greenpeace activistBy IRINA TITOVAAssociated PressST. PETERSBURG, RussiaOne of the activists detained in Russia’s Arctic has been granted amnesty, Greenpeace said on Tuesday. The 30 crew members aboard a Greenpeace ship were detained at a
On December 23 the inventor of the world’s most popular firearm–the AK-47–died and was quickly eulogized by the Associated Press (AP) as an inventor of “assault weapons” who “sowed havoc” and “[contributed] to bloodshed.” Mikhail Kalashnikov was 94 years old
(AP) Iceland’s hidden elves delay road projectsBy JENNA GOTTLIEBAssociated PressREYKJAVIK, IcelandIn this land of fire and ice, where the fog-shrouded lava fields offer a spooky landscape in which anything might lurk, stories abound of the “hidden folk” — thousands of
With veterans’ groups fighting against cuts in military pensions, the Associated Press (AP) is out with a story suggesting that in light of active duty military pay, healthcare, and “quality of life” benefits, retiring military personnel should be able to
(AP) Health plan sticker shock ahead for some buyersBy CARLA K. JOHNSONAP Medical WriterCHICAGOAs a key enrollment deadline hits Monday, many people without health insurance have been sizing up policies on the new government health care marketplace and making what
(AP) Pussy Riot member released from prisonBy NATALIYA VASILYEVAAssociated PressMOSCOWA member of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot was released from prison Monday, saying that the amnesty bill that gave her freedom was a Kremlin public relations stunt. Maria Alekhina
(AP) Rodman leaves NKorea without word if he met leaderBEIJINGFormer basketball star Dennis Rodman left North Korea on Monday without answering questions from the media on whether he had met with leader Kim Jong Un. The two struck up a
(AP) Obama attends Oregon State-Akron game in HawaiiBy OSKAR GARCIAAssociated PressHONOLULUPresident Barack Obama and the vacationing first family momentarily skipped the beach in Hawaii on Sunday to take in a college basketball game. Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters
By JANET McCONNAUGHEYAssociated PressNEW ORLEANS Louisiana’s lieutenant governor says the “Duck Dynasty” reality TV show is important to state tourism–and he could help connect the Robertson family with new producers if they cannot reach agreement with the A&E network. The
