Nation/World
`Tap dance' on campaign trail
President Bush headlined a $2,100-per-head fundraiser here Wednesday night and the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate couldn't be happier.
A whale of a good upbringing
The beluga whale habitats have been dark and eerily silent lately. Normally noisy and crowded with visitors during the day, the underwater viewing areas are empty except for a few researchers who stand at the windows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, noting every move made by a wee, gray male beluga.
Colleges feel heat to help disabled
The first time the fire alarm went off in his University of Chicago dorm, Jonathan Ko, a quadriplegic, was in bed, without a plan of escape. Had it been a real fire, there would have been no obvious way for anyone to know he was stuck.
Phone rates set to jump in '07
In a deal approved Wednesday by the state, the cost of basic monthly phone service in the Chicago area will increase by as much as 50 percent by 2010, while AT&T--the dominant provider--will no longer be treated as a fully regulated utility.
Russia's untouchables labor as easy prey
A glimpse of Russia's immigration conundrum can be found behind the pallets of brick, lumber, sheet metal and iron at a sprawling construction-materials yard in this Moscow suburb, where ironworker Abdumalik Kholikov eats and sleeps in a trailer smaller than a prison cell.
Air-traffic control policy investigated
The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday night that the air-traffic controller on duty during the fatal crash Sunday of Comair Flight 5191 had slept only two hours between shifts. The agency said it is broadening its investigation into air-traffic control policy.
Book winds up Plame game
A new book identifying a former high-ranking State Department official as the source who leaked the name of a CIA operative has apparently solved one of Washington's longest-running whodunits.
Neighbor stabbed after abuse suspicions arise
A lawyer climbed through a neighbor's bedroom window and stabbed him to death after being told by a family member that the man had molested the lawyer's 2-year-old daughter, authorities say.
Blogs force Stevens to admit halting bill
Ending a mystery that had captivated conservative and liberal Internet activists, Ted Stevens of Alaska emerged Wednesday as the senator who secretly held up action on a bill to create a searchable online catalog of federal grants and contracts aimed at helping the public learn who receives government support.
Convict guilty in '03 rape, slaying
A convicted sex offender was found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and killing a college student who was seized from a shopping mall parking lot.
California bill meant to fight global warming
California would become the first state to impose a limit on all greenhouse gas emissions, including those from industrial plants, under a landmark deal reached Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats.
Mom accused in tagging
Victoria Villicano was known as a devoted mother who was often seen behind the wheel of her sport-utility vehicle, driving her two teenage sons to stores and sporting events.
Criminal probe casts pall over `Painter of Light's' empire
The FBI is investigating allegations that self-styled "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade and some of his top executives fraudulently induced investors to open galleries and then ruined them financially, according to former dealers contacted by agents.
Cigarette nicotine content rises
The amount of nicotine in most cigarettes rose an average of 10 percent between 1998 and 2004, according to a new study.
Shooting suspect charged with killing dad
A teenager arrested in a high school shooting that injured two students Wednesday later confessed to killing his father and was charged with murder, authorities said.
Ex-mayor and pastor is punished for theft
A federal judge sentenced a former Lynchburg mayor to 3 years of probation Wednesday for raiding his church's charity and stealing from disabled Social Security recipients.
Nurse who killed 29 donates kidney
A former nurse who admitted killing 29 patients in two states donated one of his kidneys to the brother of an ex-girlfriend, the nurse's lawyer said Wednesday.
Military shell given to kids at play; 2 killed
A military shell given to a group of children by a neighbor exploded while they played with it, killing two children and injuring five others, police said.
Olmert rejects lifting of Lebanon blockade
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday rejected a call by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to lift an air and sea blockade of Lebanon, saying it would be removed only when all elements of a UN cease-fire resolution are in place.
Shootings, blasts kill dozens in Iraq
Shootings and hidden bombs at a market, a gas station and army recruiting center killed at least 52 Iraqis on Wednesday, continuing a wave of sectarian violence that has defied stepped-up efforts to halt its spread.
U.S., allies prepare sanctions list
With Iran defying a Thursday deadline to halt production of nuclear fuel, the United States and three European allies are assembling a list of sanctions they would seek in the UN Security Council, beginning with restrictions on imports of nuclear-related equipment and material.
U.S. offers $20 million for better PR on Iraq
U.S. military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year, $20million public-relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of U.S. and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq.
Nearing storm whips Mexico's Pacific Coast
Hurricane John lashed tourist resorts with heavy winds and rain Wednesday as the dangerous storm marched up Mexico's Pacific Coast and forecasters predicted its center would brush close to land before nicking the tip of Baja California and heading out to sea.
Nearing storm whips Mexico's Pacific Coast
Hurricane John lashed tourist resorts with heavy winds and rain Wednesday as the dangerous storm marched up Mexico's Pacific Coast and forecasters predicted its center would brush close to land before nicking the tip of Baja California and heading out to sea.
Carolinas brace for floods as Ernesto shifts north
North and South Carolina put hundreds of National Guardsmen on standby Wednesday, concerned that rainy remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto could cause severe flooding.
Carolinas brace for floods as Ernesto shifts north
Hundreds of National Guard troops were on alert and officials in the Carolinas warned residents to be ready for anything Wednesday as Ernesto -- upgraded late Wednesday to a tropical storm--moved north away from Florida.
Questions raised over some terror plot charges
He is 17 years old, the son of a Muslim family that emigrated years ago to Britain from India. His lawyer describes him as a "steady, strong young man," which is good, because at the moment he is in a world of trouble.
5 terror suspects stay in jail
Five suspects who have not been charged in an alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners with liquid explosives can be held for another week, a British judge ruled Wednesday.
Germany awakens to threat
German authorities concede that only luck prevented terrorists from blowing up two trains last month, an admission that has set off a push for stronger security measures, including more video cameras, a new anti-terrorism database and even armed marshals.
Going where no female tourist has gone before
As high-tech entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari rose to wealth and prominence after immigrating to the United States from Iran as a teen, she never lost her childhood dream of being an astronaut. She often spoke of watching "Star Trek" as a girl in prerevolutionary Iran, of staring at the nighttime sky and dreaming big dreams.
Visiting Venezuelan president denounces `U.S. imperialism'
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez received a hero's welcome in Syria, where he said Wednesday the two countries will "build a new world" free of U.S. domination and vowed to "dig the grave of U.S. imperialism."
Cardinal: No threat linked to 1st abortion
A news report that a cardinal threatened doctors who performed an abortion with excommunication sparked a denial Wednesday from the prelate.
Life term urged for Bosnian Serb leader
War crimes prosecutors have demanded a life sentence for a former top Bosnian Serb politician charged with genocide for allegedly helping orchestrate atrocities during Bosnia's 1991-95 war.
Proposal takes aim at downloaded porn
The British government has proposed making computer downloading and possession of extreme and violent pornography a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
Chicago's Fossett claims glider record
Chicago tycoon and adventurer Steve Fossett, already famous for sailboating and solo ballooning records, claims to have soared to new heights in a glider over the Argentine Andes.
Women fear Somali regime
Her face is soft and round, cocooned in a loose blue cotton hijab. Her eyes are like black onyx, full of mystery.
Sri Lankan forces blamed for deaths
The massacre of 17 aid workers in war-torn Sri Lanka earlier this month was almost certainly committed by government troops, international cease-fire monitors said Wednesday.
Europe's mission to moon set for crash
Europe's first mission to the moon is due to crash-land in a cloud of dust and rock early Sunday, ending a three-year voyage that gathered data about the lunar surface and tested a new engine intended to propel future spacecraft to Mercury and other planets.
NAME DROPPING
- Kanye West, who's nominated for best pop video at Thursday's MTV Video Music Awards for "Gold Digger," says his elaborate Evel Knievel spoof "Touch the Sky"--featuring Pamela Anderson--was better than that. "It didn't get any nominations, but it's one of the most memorable videos of the year for me," he said.
The price of walking away
Dave Chappelle doesn't regret his decision to walk away from a $50 million deal to continue his hit Comedy Central show. But, then again, he may be missing that money.
Brooks & Dunn, Paisley, Urban scoop up CMA nods
Veteran duo Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney have something to shout about: a heap of nominations for the Country Music Association Awards.
Summer by the numbers, as film fest kicks off fall
Brian De Palma's "The Black Dahlia," set in 1940s Los Angeles, opened the 63rd Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, the first of 21 films vying for the coveted Golden Lion award.
Tennessee likely to fine Frist
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will probably be fined and have to make up for failing to do continuing medical education that Tennessee requires of doctors with active licenses.
