Annan lied about son's role
U.N. investigator alleges secretary general protected in oil-for-food probe

Troop Levels in Iraq May Drop, Rumsfeld Says
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday he expects some 20,000 U.S. troops to return home from Iraq after next week's elections, and he suggested that some of the remaining 137,000 forces could pull out next year.

Pentagon sticks with 2-war plan
The Pentagon, in a major four-year decision, has decided to stick with having the capability of being able to fight two major conflicts at once, The Washington Times has learned.

Afghans welcome NATO expansion, Taliban threaten
Afghanistan welcomed NATO's decision to expand its peacekeeping mission on Friday, saying it would boost security, while the Taliban said more alliance troops would only increase opportunities for guerillas to attack them.

Rumsfeld says 'I have no plans to retire'
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the craftsman of U.S. Iraq war strategy and a magnet for criticism, said on Thursday he had no plans to retire from the post more than 2-1/2 years into the conflict.

WAR ON TERROR

Officials Say Air Marshals Did The Right Thing
The White House said Thursday that two federal air marshals appeared to have acted properly when they shot and killed an agitated passenger who claimed to have a bomb in his backpack.

Eyewitness: "I Never Heard the Word 'Bomb'"
A passenger on Flight 924 gives his account of the shooting and says Rigoberto Alpizar never claimed to have a bomb

Passenger: Alpizar Was Agitated at Gate
The passenger shot to death by air marshals in Miami had been agitated before boarding the plane and was singing "Go Down Moses" as his wife tried to calm him, a fellow passenger said Thursday.

United States terror watchlist 80,000 names long
A watchlist of possible terror suspects distributed by the US government to airlines for pre-flight checks is now 80,000 names long, a Swedish newspaper reported, citing European air industry sources.

GOP Seeks Quick Passage of New Patriot Act
Congressional Republican leaders will press for passage next week of a new Patriot Act to combat terrorism, but a Senate filibuster looms on a measure that liberal and conservative critics alike say is a threat to individual liberties.

FBI: Al-Qaeda Can't Launch Crippling Cyber-attack
Al-Qaeda and other terror groups are more sophisticated in their use of computers but still are unable to mount crippling Internet-based attacks against U.S. power grids, airports and other targets, the FBI's top cyber crime official said.

DISEASE

Avian flu could kill 2 million Americans
CBO reports on devastating economic impact of virus

Bird flu kills Thai boy, bleak reports in US
Bird flu killed a young Thai boy, Asia's 70th victim of the deadly virus, authorities said on Friday, as two reports detailed how a pandemic could cause a serious recession in the United States.

Bird-flu whistleblower arrested in China
Farmer who was praised for reporting 200 dead geese seized by police

Hospitals may help spread flu pandemic
U.S. hospitals could contribute to the spread of influenza during a pandemic because most do not follow good hygiene practices, a group reported on Thursday.

axis of evil

US, UN condemn Iranian leader's Holocaust comments
Comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressing doubt about the Holocaust and suggesting Israel be moved to Europe are appalling and reprehensible, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.

Iran Prez: Move Israel to Europe
Six weeks after declaring that Israel should be "wiped off the map," Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is urging that the Jewish state be relocated to Europe.
 

HURRICANE NEWS

New Orleans Chief Says 60 Officers Fired
The city has fired 60 police officers and suspended more than 25 others who didn't show up for duty in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city's police chief said Thursday as officials worked their way through a long list of disciplinary hearings.

After Katrina, A Leaner Tulane
New Orleans's Tulane University, facing significant financial shortfalls since Hurricane Katrina, announced a plan yesterday to reduce its annual operating budget by laying off 230 faculty members, cutting seven NCAA Division I programs and eliminating underperforming academic programs.

ON THE HOME FRONT

Southwest States to Get 1,700 New Border Patrol Agents
The U.S. Border Patrol will add 1,700 agents along the Mexican border before October, with Arizona getting more than 640, the agency said yesterday.

Soda Legal War Soon to Begin
Trial lawyers who made a fortune from lawsuits against tobacco companies are moving on to a new potential payday: Suing soft drink companies over the sale of sugary beverages in schools.

Soft Drinks Reportedly Linked to Health Problems
The U.S. ranks No. 1 in the world in the consumption of soft drinks, with the average American drinking 150 quarts a year - but experts say these beverages can pose serious health risks.

Jet Slides Off Chicago Runway; Boy Dies
A jetliner trying to land in heavy snow slid off a runway, crashed through a fence and slid into a busy street, hitting one vehicle and pinning another beneath it. A 6-year-old boy was killed.

Lawsuit prompts towns to allow nativity
Officials objected despite display of Menorah, Christmas tree

ACLU Struggling With Infighting
A major rift has emerged at the American Civil Liberties Union under the leadership of Executive Director Anthony D. Romero, whom critics charge is more interested in fund-raising than in civil liberties.

Quran-oath lawsuit thrown out
Judge says ACLU lacks plaintiff, standing to bring case

Man searches fields, trash bins for lottery ticket
A $25,000 lottery ticket was easy money for Mike Sargent -- until he lost it.

Husband, ex-wife want mistress to return house
Man signed over home to paramour as gift, then she changed mind, locks

Love it or hate it, it's office party time of year
It's office party time of year again, but the holiday shindigs just aren't what they used to be.

Brothers die in crashes minutes, miles apart
Kentucky siblings both killed when vehicles struck trees

Lynched Santa upsets neighborhood
'It's just nasty, there is no spirit of Christmas in this'

New York subway builders find 200-yr-old wall
Builders working on a new subway station at the southern tip of Manhattan have found the remains of a stone wall thought to be part of a fort that protected the city in the late 17th century.

Drunken bunnies busted after plane spat
2 'yelling and cussing' Playboy playmates compromised safety of flight

AROUND THE WORLD

Kofi Annan's 'Gifts' to U.N. Staff
Christmas seems to have come early to some employees at the United Nations, claim several veteran staffers.

Hugo Chavez Claims Gov't Overthrow Plot Foiled
Lawmakers allied with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that authorities had foiled a plot by government opponents and the CIA to overthrow the government. The United States rejected the allegations.

Venezuela Adds the Bronx to Citgo Oil Discount Program
Venezuela's government made its first delivery of discounted heating oil to a New York City low-income housing development on Tuesday, part of a promise that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made to provide oil directly to poor Americans.

EUROPEENING

Rice Clears the Air with NATO Allies
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she can give no guarantee that terrorism detainees won't be abused again despite what she called the United States' clear rules against torture.

Britain grapples with gruesome 'honor' crimes
Rukhsana Naz was 19 when her mother pinned her to the floor of their family house and her brother strangled her with a length of plastic cable.

Bigger brothels key to soccer sex explosion
Germany encouraging super bordellos to control prostitution during World Cup

Italian lawmakers to consider porn tax
20% levy would help reduce national deficit, fund breaks to families

NEWS MEDIA

Saudi says he nixed Fox News 'Muslim riots' banner
A Saudi prince who owns shares of the Fox News Channel claims he persuaded network chief Rupert Murdoch to change a screen banner during a broadcast that identified the recent unrest in France as "Muslim riots."

U.S. reporter denied entry to Syria because he's a Jew
In protest, John Batchelor radio crew stays in Jordan for broadcast

ENTERTAINMENT

Families to Change Race on New TV Series
A black family learns what it's like to be white while a white family becomes black in the six-part documentary series "Black.White," scheduled for broadcast on the FX cable network in March. Makeup temporarily transforms the two families for the series developed by filmmaker R.J. Cutler and actor-rapper Ice Cube.

'Narnia' set for lion's share of box office
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe," which opens Friday amid overwhelming early praise, is a slam-dunk to end Harry Potter's three-week reign at the North American box office.

Disney's 'Narnia': Christ Need Not Apply
Disney's holiday season release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is set for this weekend -– and some Christians are worried the media giant is more intent on cashing in on the faithful, rather than sharing the film's Christian message.

Narnia's lion really is Jesus
Christopher Morgan
An unpublished letter from the novelist C S Lewis has provided conclusive proof of the Christian message in his Narnia children’s books.

Singer Don Ho Says He's Feeling Better
Legendary Hawaiian crooner Don Ho on Thursday said he's feeling much better and may return home to the islands within a few days.

POLITICS

Drudge: GOP to Launch 'White Flag' Democrat Attack
The Drudge Report has learned from a top GOP operative that the Republican National Committee will provide state parties with a web video prior to release tomorrow afternoon that shows a white flag waving over images of Democrat leaders making anti-war remarks.

Poll: Political Corruption Widespread
Indictments, investigations and a congressman's guilty plea for taking millions in bribes have left most Americans convinced that political corruption is a deeply rooted problem, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll.

House Passes Tax Cut Retaining Lower Rates
The House voted Thursday to preserve tax cuts for investors through the rest of the decade, safeguarding the centerpiece of the Republican tax agenda in a $56 billion package of tax breaks.

Specter: Tough on Alito but No Filibuster
Senator Arlen Specter told the Washington Post Wednesday that Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. "faces some real hurdles” and that the fate of his nomination hinges on "how credible he is” in confirmation hearings set to begin January 9.

Disgraced 'Duke' Sells Mansion for $2.6M
Former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham has sold his mansion to a publishing heir for $2.6 million, slightly more than he paid for it two years ago.

SCHOOLS

Teacher's plea deal for sex with boy rejected
A judge in Marion County, Florida, on Thursday rejected a proposed plea deal for Debra Lafave, who pleaded guilty in another county to having sex with a 14-year-old student while she was a teacher.

Beverage Industry Sees Drop in School Soda Sales
It's not often that an industry brags when sales are down. However, the American Beverage Association sounds almost proud when it declares in a report released Thursday that the amount of nondiet soft drinks sold in the nation's schools dropped more than 24 percent between 2002 and 2004.

HEALTH

Older Baby Boomers Plagued by High Blood Pressure and Obesity
Half of Americans aged 55-64 have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, according to a new annual report on health in the United States issued today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC).

Cancer drug may help short boys be taller
The drug tamoxifen, usually used to treat or prevent breast cancer, may help short boys attain a normal adult height, researchers report.

RELIGION

Russia: Muslims Upset By State Symbols
A top Muslim cleric has reiterated calls on the Russian government to remove what he says are Orthodox symbols from the national coat of arms. Nafigulla Ashirov, the chief mufti of the Asian part of Russia, says its religious undertones violate the principle of secularity.

TECHNOLOGY

Camera Can Wirelessly Relay Video, Audio
Police officers stepping into hostage standoffs and other dicey situations now have something new to throw into the mix - a baseball-sized camera that can be hurled from afar, survive the landing and wirelessly relay video and audio back to base for two hours.

Anti-piracy CD problems vex Sony
Patch to protect computer from hackers has own 'hole,' vulnerability

space / science

Boeing shows off futuristic bomber
The aircraft, called the X-45C, would fly unmanned missions at nearly the speed of sound. A prototype was on display at Boeing facilities in Seattle.

Branson chooses New Mexico for space launch
British entrepreneur Richard Branson has chosen New Mexico for the launch pad of his planned space tourism flights, state officials said on Thursday.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY

Poll: Consumers Optimistic About Economy
People are feeling better about the economy and their own financial situations, a hopeful sign they'll act more like Santas than Grinches while holiday shopping.

Fat fingered typing costs a trader's bosses $225M
Clumsy typing cost a Japanese bank at least £128 million and staff their Christmas bonuses yesterday, after a trader mistakenly sold 600,000 more shares than he should have.

Coke poured out 1,000 new products in 2005
Coca-Cola made "good progress" this year and is seeing early signs of growth in North America after a slump in volume, Chief Executive Officer Neville Isdell said.

GLENNVIRNOMENT

Climate change: UN talks go down to the wire
Negotiations on charting the next steps on combating climate change were going down to the wire, with the United States cast once more in the villain's role.

ANIMALS

Man's best friend shares most genes with humans
Dogs' full genome sequence so similar, canines good medical model for people

Performing Monkeys Could Spread Primate Viruses to Humans
A new study warns that performing monkeys in Indonesia carry several viruses that could infect humans during the close contact common to street shows.

SHAFT UPDATE

Clinton to Appear at Climate Meeting
A contentious U.N. climate conference entered its final day Friday with the long-term future undecided in the fight against global warming, and with a surprise visitor on tap to rally the "pro-Kyoto" forces.