Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama landed in Berlin Thursday, kicking off the European leg of his overseas trip amid high expectations. The German capital is the first stop on a whirlwind tour that will take...

Motorsport boss wins lawsuit against tabloid for story alleging he attended a Nazi-themed orgy ...

IN THE HEADLINES Obama wraps up tour of Israel with visit to Jerusalem holy site ... McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge, says some elements began before Bush's order ... Obama campaign expands ad reach...

Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy...

From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Wednesday professed "an unshakable commitment to the security" of Israel, whether...

Even before the release of a federal report into what went wrong at a deadly Utah mine cave-in last summer, critics were already finding fault. The Mine Safety and Health Administration planned a private briefing for...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to pay thousands of state employees the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour until lawmakers reach a deal on California's overdue state budget. Democrats and Republicans have...

The scene repeats itself daily on city streets: a driver gets stuck bumper to bumper, blocking an intersection and preventing another car from turning left. But authorities say that was enough to cause Edwin Ramos to...

Hurricane Dolly slammed ashore and then loitered over deep south Texas as a tropical storm, dumping as much as a foot of rain in places and ripping roofs off buildings with 100 mph winds. Emergency managers waited for...

Growing costs and vulnerability to anti-ship missiles sank the Navy's once-heralded "stealth destroyer," a highly advanced warship designed to slip close to the shore unnoticed and pummel targets with big guns. Faced...

Australia's prime minister, who has won applause for apologizing to Aborigines for past wrongs, has revived plans for a constitutional revision to recognize the country's indigenous people. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd...

A family court judge in New Zealand has had enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something about it. Just ask Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. He had her renamed. Judge Rob Murfitt...

Motor racing boss Max Mosley won a landmark privacy-invasion lawsuit Thursday against a tabloid newspaper's claims he took part in a "Nazi" orgy. High Court judge David Eady ruled the News of the World must pay Mosley...

A Chinese news agency says an aftershock has jolted parts of China, injuring at least five people. The official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday that the 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit parts of Shaanxi and Sichuan...

Palestinian security says more than 20 Jewish settlers have attacked a Palestinian village in the West Bank, smashing cars and windows and cutting electricity wires. No injuries were immediately reported in the...

The top business news from The Associated Press for the morning of Thursday, July 24, 2008: Visa survey shows foreign travel remains popular NEW YORK (AP) _ The weak U.S. dollar has not dissuaded Americans from...

Japanese shares rose for the third straight session Thursday, lifted by further gains on Wall Street and a continuing slide in oil prices. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index increased 290.38 points, or 2.18 percent, to...

South Korea's Hyundai Motor said Thursday that its second-quarter net profit declined nearly 11 percent despite higher sales, and vowed to fight high oil prices by aggressively exporting more fuel efficient vehicles. ...

Oil prices steadied in Asian trading Thursday after shedding nearly $4 a barrel in the previous session on concerns that high fuel prices are dampening demand in the world's biggest energy consumer. A weekly report by...

Canon Inc. said Thursday its second-quarter profit fell 13 percent from a year ago as a stronger yen chipped away at the value of booming overseas sales of color copiers. The Japanese camera maker recorded a 107.84...

50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent. The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that...

Entertainment highlights during the week of July 27-Aug. 2: 1928: Leo the Lion roared for the first time at the beginning of MGM's first talking picture, "White Shadows in the South Seas." 1940: The cartoon character...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 27-Aug. 2: July 27: TV producer Norman Lear is 86. Singer Harvey Fuqua of The Moonglows is 79. Actor Jerry Van Dyke ("Coach") is 77. Actor John Pleshette ("Knots Landing") is...

More than 30 actors dissatisfied with stalled contract talks said Wednesday they have joined to campaign for seats on the Screen Actors Guild's board of directors, a move that could eventually break the stalemate with...

It was more than 50 years ago but Ry Cooder remembers it like it could have been last week; he was 8 years old and Johnny Cash came on the radio singing "Hey Porter." A third-grader with a guitar was hooked. Cooder...

Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games begin. Hardy's "A"...

Once again, Cadel Evans needs to make up time on a Spanish rider if he wants to win the Tour de France. Runner-up last year to Alberto Contador, the Australian is now chasing Carlos Sastre. Evans got dropped by Sastre...

Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games begin. Hardy's "A"...

Reed Johnson had three hits, including a grand slam in the eighth, and the Chicago Cubs routed the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6 on Wednesday night. Ted Lilly (10-6) drove in the tying run and threw six uneven innings to...

Rich Aurilia lined a go-ahead two-run double to center field in the eighth inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Washington Nationals 6-4 on Wednesday night. Aurilia came up big with an eight-pitch...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This monthly column about the issue of homosexuality by various authors is a partnership between Baptist Press and the SBC Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals.MIDLAND, Texas (BP)--I spoke recently at a...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column by Mike Licona of the North American Mission Board is the second column in a four-part series on the exclusivity of Christianity.ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--In yesterday's column I ended by saying...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Alana Blackwell was a junior in high school when a friend at church invited her to hang out with a group of Baptist college students at Louisiana State University. Blackwell, a future LSU Tiger...

WINTHROP, Mass. (BP)--For nine years in Massachusetts, the town of Winthrop has been changing little by little as God has worked through the lives of Dick and Doreen May.The Mays, natives to the area, planted the...

GREENVILLE, S.C. (BP)--About 900 teenagers and camp staff narrowly escaped injury when severe storms struck the campus of North Greenville University July 21.The students, who were attending Centrifuge and M-fuge camps,...

!!-- hobj:320 -->The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr....

Scientists may have found a way to test for and possibly avoid the most serious side effect of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, one of the top-selling medicines in the world. In rare cases, statins can cause muscle...

It was a hot lead for detectives on a cold case. People suddenly were getting salmonella at a Minnesota restaurant more than 1,000 miles from the center of the nation's outbreak. Not my tomatoes, protested the manager....

More older children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder while the rate is holding steady for children under 12, according to a government report released Wednesday. Some experts called the...

Tuberculosis cases continue to fall in the United States, but some immigrants have disturbingly high rates of the disease, according to a study released Tuesday that called for more aggressive action. TB rates were...

Hundreds of feet beneath Earth's surface, a few seasoned cave explorers venture where no human has set foot. Their headlamps illuminate mud-covered walls, gypsum crystals and mineral deposits. The real attraction,...

Hynix Semiconductor Inc., the world's second-largest memory chip manufacturer, said Thursday it will close its only U.S. factory amid changes in production standards and steep price declines buffeting the industry. ...

Amazon.com Inc. doesn't seem to be bothered by high gas prices or the sputtering U.S. economy. On Wednesday, the Internet retailer reported second-quarter earnings that more than doubled and easily topped analysts'...

Facebook Inc. is introducing more tools to help the software applications fueling the online hangout's popularity and is promising to intensify its efforts to weed out programs that violate its rules for protecting...

The legal salvos between Nokia Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. stopped months ago, part of what officials at the wireless industry heavyweights described as a truce in a long-running battle that spanned three continents. Peace...

Hurricane Dolly was expected to make landfall Wednesday near the Texas-Mexico border, bringing up to 15 inches of rain to southern Texas. Flooding was anticipated, especially along the coast, because of the heavy rain...

A cold front hovering over the Ohio Valley early Tuesday was expected to trigger showers and thunderstorms from the Central Plains to New England, while Tropical Storm Dolly threatened Texas. Scattered showers, strong...

Tropical storms Dolly and Cristobal were to continue spinning away in the Atlantic Basin on Monday. Cristobal was to pull away from the North Carolina coastline in the morning, but showers and gusty winds were to last...

Tropical Storm Cristobal was expected to continue to move northeastward along the eastern seaboard on Sunday, possibly making landfall over the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In any case, it was to produce much-needed...

Scattered showers and possible thunderstorms were forecast for northern New England on Saturday, and the same low pressure system could trigger showers over the Great Lakes region. Severe weather was possible over the...