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Obama delays Asia trip to deal with health care

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:31:27 GMT

\President Barack Obama has delayed his first international trip of the year, a three-country visit to Asia, to focus attention on the final push to salvage health care legislation after a year of contentious debate.

Retail sales rise unexpectedly in February

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:50:02 GMT

Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from storming the malls,

New wave of foreclosures threatens market

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:52:02 GMT

Swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but haven't yet lost their homes may soon lead to a new round of foreclosures.

39 dead, scores hurt in Lahore blasts

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:11:21 GMT

Two suicide bombers kill at least 39 people and wound nearly 100 in the Pakistani city of Lahore.

11 Siberian tigers starve to death in zoo

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:31:46 GMT

Eleven Siberian tigers — among the world's rarest species — died of malnutrition after being kept in small cages and fed chicken bones at a cash-strapped zoo in China, state media said.

Lawmaker: I went skinny-dipping with teen

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:02:29 GMT

Utah's House majority leader says he paid a woman $150,000 to keep silent about going nude "hot-tubbing" with her when she was minor a quarter century ago.

Cashier, 91, attacked by thief but keeps working

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:52:12 GMT

A 91-year-old New York pharmacy cashier refuses medical attention and goes back to work after a thief punches her.

Affluent California county plans to sue Toyota

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:44:27 GMT

Orange County prosecutors say they'll file a lawsuit against Toyota because of continuing problems with their vehicles.

Gays wed for first time in Mexico

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:13:16 GMT

Five same-sex couples make history in Mexico City as they wed under Latin America's first law that explicitly approves gay marriage.

Deal reached on ground zero health claims

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:17:06 GMT

New York City has agreed to pay up to $657 million to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits filed by ground zero responders who say they were sickened by World Trade Center dust.

Weak economy means it's a freebie nation

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:21:42 GMT

Whether it's to boost sagging business or attract customers to a new product, there seems to be a freebie fad going on. That's a boon for budget shoppers and can be good for companies too.

Scoop: Cowell's engagement a surprise to many

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:13:12 GMT

The “American Idol” judge went from bachelor to betrothed before most people knew he was even dating his fiancée, Mezhgan Hussainy. Just how did this happen?

Sources: Woods out at least until Masters

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:53:20 GMT

Tiger Woods is likely to play his first tournament since the sex scandal broke in November at Augusta National in April, two people with knowledge of his plans have told The Associated Press.

Mobile giving for Chile pales compared to Haiti

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:59:54 GMT

So far, Americans have pledged $100,000 in donations via cell phone for victims of Chile's earthquake compared to more than $43 million raised that way for victims of Haiti's Jan. 12 quake.

Spector’s attorney appeals murder conviction

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:39:47 GMT

Lawyers for legendary music producer Phil Spector have asked an appellate court to throw out his second-degree murder conviction on grounds of judicial error and prosecutorial misconduct.

White House, Democrats close in on health bill

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:42:30 GMT

President Barack Obama is postponing his long-scheduled Asian trip for a few days to make a final push for passage of historic legislation reinventing the health care system.

‘Idol’s’ top 12 proves a need for voting lesson

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:25:27 GMT

So I’m thinking maybe it’s time people got a refresher course on this whole voting thing: The point of the competition is to vote for the very good singers and send home the ones who aren’t as good.

Opinion: Beasts of Big East left in shambles

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:23:07 GMT

Sporting News: Syracuse, Pitt and Villanova spent two months establishing superiority and two days waiting to play their first games in the Big East tournament. Two sessions later, they all were eliminated after a wild Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

BA cabin crew to strike for 7 days this month

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:56:24 GMT

British Airways PLC cabin crew plan to strike for a total of seven days this month, potentially disrupting thousands of travellers ahead of Easter holidays, after talks with management over changes to pay and working conditions broke down.

West Virginia beats buzzer to avoid upset bug

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:42:07 GMT

Da’Sean Butler took an inbounds pass and banked in a 3-pointer from the head of the key at the buzzer to give No. 7 West Virginia a 54-51 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

Teacher found dead; wolves to blame?

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:02:28 GMT

Villagers in a remote Alaska region are blaming the death of a 32-year-old schoolteacher on wolves after her body was found along on isolated road.

Crash leaves Reid's wife with broken neck, back

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:32:53 GMT

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's wife remained hospitalized Friday with serious injuries suffered when a tractor-trailer rear-ended the minivan she and their daughter were riding in on a suburban Virginia interstate, officials said.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy seeks 'fuller life'

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:50:50 GMT

Teddy Kennedy's youngest child entered the family business at 21, the youngest member of the sprawling political clan ever to win elected office. Now he's leaving, and he wants to talk about how he anguished over this decision.

Al-Qaida suspect worked at nuclear plants

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:19:26 GMT

An American accused in Yemen of being a member of al-Qaida worked at nuclear power plants in the U.S., a spokesman for a group of plants in New Jersey says.

Government may tighten car safety standards

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:42:01 GMT

Government vehicle safety regulators may seek greater authority to investigate defects in vehicles and are weighing a range of safety requirements in response to Toyota's massive recall.

California murder suspect broke parole

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:08:29 GMT

A convicted sex offender charged with murdering one California teenager and under investigation for another killing violated his parole by moving too close to a school.

Man who murdered 2 executed in Texas

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:50:54 GMT

A man whose cross-country crime spree with his girlfriend a decade ago ended in a gun battle with police in San Francisco was executed Thursday in Texas for killing a sheriff's officer.