Most Recommended Top Stories

Iran sanctions working: U.S. and French defense chiefs
Reuters – Thu Sep 16, 5:19 pm ET

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sanctions against Iran may be working better than originally expected, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday, as his French counterpart urged allies to show no weakness going forward. Full Story »
Breakthrough for cancer-hit Tasmanian Devils
AFP – Thu Sep 16, 5:52 am ET

AFP/File

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian scientists said on Thursday they had made a breakthrough in the fight to save the cancer-hit Tasmanian devil by mapping the species' genome for the first time. Full Story »
Pope in UK urges tolerance, warns against atheism
Reuters – Thu Sep 16, 2:43 pm ET

Reuters

GLASGOW (Reuters) - Pope Benedict started a trip to Britain on Thursday with some of the clearest criticism yet of his Church's handling of its sexual abuse crisis and urged the country to beware of "aggressive secularism." Full Story »
Obama says education is key to innovation
AP – Thu Sep 16, 4:06 pm ET

AP

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says innovation is key to the country's economic future but that innovation depends on students developing their skills in science, technology, engineering and math. Full Story »
How Elizabeth Warren Will Help Consumers
U.S. News & World Report – Thu Sep 16, 3:09 pm ET

Soon after word got out that the White House appointed Elizabeth Warren to serve as special advisor and help set up the new consumer protection bureau, Twitter and Facebook erupted with shouts of excitement from personal finance and consumer experts: "Yahoo!" exclaimed Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life. "Elizabeth Warren's appointment is a huge victory for consumers!" Full Story »
Oprah to pick Franzen's "Freedom" for book club
Reuters – Thu Sep 16, 5:25 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American author Jonathan Franzen's best-selling new book "Freedom" is expected to be influential talk show queen Oprah Winfrey's new book club pick, publishing industry sources said on Thursday. Full Story »
Poverty rate hits 15-year high
Reuters – Thu Sep 16, 3:02 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. poverty rate rose to 14.3 percent in 2009 from 13.2 percent the year before, bringing the percentage of the population living in poverty to the highest level since 1994, as the economic downturn took its toll on jobs, the government said on Thursday. Full Story »
Taliban urge Afghan vote boycott, warn of violence
Reuters – Thu Sep 16, 12:09 pm ET

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban renewed a warning on Thursday they would try to disrupt Afghanistan's parliamentary poll and urged a boycott, while poll monitors said the electoral watchdog had not acted forcefully enough against fraud. Full Story »
7 Ways to Save Money on Your Pet
U.S. News & World Report – Thu Sep 16, 12:19 pm ET

Is the cost of your doghouse keeping you in the poor house? The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says the annual cost of owning a medium-sized dog is around $1,580 while a cat can cost you $1,035 each year. If these feline fees and puppy prices leave you scratching for funds at the end of the month, try these seven ways to cut your pet costs and put more purr in your purse. Full Story »
Fenty's Loss in D.C.: A Blow to Rhee's Education Reform?
Time.com – Thu Sep 16, 4:50 am ET

Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty appointed revolutionary school chancellor Michelle Rhee. Will his defeat to Vincent Gray in the Democratic primary mean that Rhee may exit too? How the fate of her sweeping reform is in doubt Full Story »
Arctic sea ice melts to third lowest area on record
AFP – Thu Sep 16, 5:54 am ET

AFP/ESA/File

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Arctic sea ice melted over the summer to cover the third smallest area on record, US researchers said on Wednesday, warning global warming could leave the region ice free in the month of September 2030. Full Story »
US jobless claims fall faster than expected
AFP – Thu Sep 16, 10:01 am ET

AFP/Getty Images/File

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell faster than expected last week, extending a four-week decline, government data showed Thursday. Full Story »
Panel to review FBI work in anthrax case
Reuters – Thu Sep 16, 7:01 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional investigators plan to examine how the FBI determined that one scientist was responsible for the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, a lawmaker said. Full Story »
FBI urges U.S. Mohammed cartoonist to go into hiding
Reuters – Thu Sep 16, 9:38 pm ET

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A Seattle cartoonist who stirred up a religious storm with a tongue-in-cheek encouragement to draw images of the Muslim prophet Mohammed has gone into hiding after a threat to her safety. Full Story »
Oprah picks Franzen's `Freedom' for book club
AP – Thu Sep 16, 3:42 pm ET

AP

NEW YORK - Oprah Winfrey has forgiven Jonathan Franzen. Full Story »
Sarkozy hits back as Roma row explodes at summit
AFP – Thu Sep 16, 4:23 pm ET

AFP

BRUSSELS (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy stunned a European summit Thursday, clashing with top officials and tripping up on a claim that Germany was about to copy controversial Roma deportations. Full Story »
Stephen Sondheim honored with a Broadway theater
AP – Wed Sep 15, 9:35 pm ET

AP

NEW YORK - Stephen Sondheim has received a belated birthday gift: his name on a Broadway theater. Full Story »
Michael Steele's 'Fire Pelosi' bus tour: 48 states or bust
The Christian Science Monitor – Wed Sep 15, 7:39 pm ET

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele hit the road in a big red bus Wednesday. And not because some in the GOP would like to see the back of him as their party’s chief spokesman (although that’s also true). Full Story »