Archive By Section - World

Jury: 26 years total for former U.Va. lacrosse player

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - A jury convicted a former University of Virginia lacrosse player Wednesday of second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend in a drunken, jealous rage, rejecting a first-degree murder verdict and a possible life sentence.

Southern Baptist leaders OK 'Great Commission'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Some Southern Baptists worry that their denomination's name still carries the stigma of a 19th century split with northern Baptists over slavery. Others who fought hard to build the brand and its conservative theology and politics don't want to see it go.

Mardi Gras revelry, parades take over New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS - From the family-friendly avenues of the Garden District to raunchy displays in the French Quarter, New Orleans let loose with a Fat Tuesday party as parades rolled and revelers frolicked amid showers of beads, trinkets and music.

Being a pill about the pill? Santorum out of step with nation's views

WASHINGTON - Most Americans don't share Rick Santorum's absolutist take on abortion. He's out of step on women in combat. He questions the values of the two-thirds of mothers who work. He's even troubled by something as commonplace as birth control - for married couples.

Dashboard technology is too distracting, government says

WASHINGTON - Carmakers should design potentially distracting dashboard technology so it's automatically disabled while the vehicle is in motion, federal safety officials said Thursday.

A 5-state ban for the 'Piggyback Bandit'

HELENA, Mont. - The stocky man showed up in a basketball uniform for a game at Century High School in North Dakota. Players and coaches assumed he was a fan who had come with another team, so nobody objected when he began to pitch in around the bench. "He helped lay out uniforms, got water. He even gave a couple of kids shoulder massages. Creepy stuff like that," said Jim Haussler, activities director for ...

More than 300 killed in Honduras prison fire

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Trapped inmates screamed from their cells as a fire swept through a Honduran prison, killing at least 300 inmates in one of the world's deadliest fires in decades, authorities said Wednesday.

Petition signers not giving up UND nickname fight

FARGO, N.D. - More than two months after the University of North Dakota officially dropped its divisive nickname, the public address announcer at a women's basketball game welcomed it back with a familiar roar: "Here come your Fighting Sioux!"

Browning, Barrett love letters go digital

WELLESLEY, Mass. (AP) - "I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett ..."

They're back! Social issues overtake US politics

WASHINGTON - All of a sudden, abortion, contraception and gay marriage are at the center of American political discourse, with the struggling - though improving - economy pushed to the background.

Sources: Pentagon rules shift on women in combat

WASHINGTON - Pentagon rules are catching up a bit with reality after a decade when women in the U.S. military have served, fought and died on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. On Thursday, the Pentagon is recommending to Congress that women be allowed to serve in more jobs closer to the front lines. The change would open up about 14,000 additional jobs to women. According to defense officials, the new rules are expected ...

Getting caffeine fix as easy as taking deep breath

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.

'Halftime in America' ad stirs up political debate

DETROIT - People rarely pick a fight with Dirty Harry. But Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ad featuring quintessential tough guy Clint Eastwood has generated fierce debate about whether it accurately portrays the country's most economically distressed city or amounts to a campaign ad for President Barack Obama and the auto bailouts.

Fire kills 2 sons, husband of missing Utah woman

GRAHAM, Wash. - Josh Powell's note was simple and short, a farewell to the world after two years of being scrutinized in the media, hammered by police and questioned by judges, prosecutors and social workers, living his life under a microscope since the day his wife vanished. "I'm sorry, goodbye," Powell wrote in an email to his attorney just minutes before authorities say he set fire to his home, killing himself and his two ...

Latest illnesses point to raw milk's popularity