Nation & World news

Court lifts gay marriage ban

SAN FRANCISCO – The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would invalidate virtually any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation.

Vitamin D deficiency linked to cancer spread

Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found – adding to evidence the "sunshine vitamin" has anti-cancer benefits.

More female cancer patients having entire breast removed

A growing number of women with early stage breast cancer seem to be choosing to have the whole breast removed instead of just the cancerous lump, doctors are reporting.

McCain sees Iraq pullout by end of his first term

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sen. John McCain on Thursday offered for the first time what he hopes will be an end date for the war in Iraq, part of a vision he presented in which his policies lead to peace and prosperity at home and abroad by 2013, the end of what would be his first term as president.

Republicans balk at war funding tactics

WASHINGTON – A war-funding measure passed the House of Representatives Thursday, but without any war funding.

Iranian Embassy workers fired on in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Four Iranian Embassy employees were shot and wounded, two of them seriously, as they drove in northwestern Baghdad on Thursday night, Iranian and Iraqi officials said.

EPA easing air rules near national parks

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration is on the verge of implementing new air quality rules that will make it easier to build power plants near national parks and wilderness areas, according to rank-and-file agency scientists and park managers who oppose the plan.

VA doctor urged staff to avoid diagnosing PTSD

WASHINGTON – The physician in charge of the post-traumatic stress disorder program at a medical facility for veterans in Texas told staff members to refrain from diagnosing PTSD because so many veterans were seeking government disability payments for the condition.

China quake toll expected to hit 50,000

HANWANG, China – The Chinese government said Thursday that the number of people killed by this week's earthquake in Sichuan province was likely to more than double to 50,000 as rescuers dug out more victims – some still alive, but many more dead.

Myanmar asks for foreign aid to replant rice fields

BANGKOK, Thailand – Myanmar's military government has appealed for international help in getting Irrawaddy Delta rice farmers back to their fields after Cyclone Nargis, as concerns grow about future food shortages if cultivators miss the upcoming planting season.

Bush speech in Israel fuels anger

JERUSALEM – On an emotional visit to mark Israel's 60th anniversary, President Bush on Thursday compared people seeking talks with Iran and radical Islamic groups to the Nazis' appeasers, provoking a political storm at home and accusations that he was politicizing the celebration.

Lebanese factions agree to hold talks

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanese factions took another major step toward calming a flare-up of sectarian and political violence Thursday by agreeing to immediately resume long-stalled talks over a new government.

Fuel pipeline spill causes panic, death

A road-grader accidentally tore open a fuel pipeline Thursday and sent an inferno raging over houses and a school, setting off a stampede of terrified children and killing about 100 people and injuring 20, a Red Cross official said.

'Cyber-bully' indicted in suicide

LOS ANGELES – Invoking a criminal statute more commonly used to go after computer hackers or crooked government employees, federal prosecutors Thursday charged a Missouri mother with fraudulently creating a MySpace account and using it to "cyber-bully" a 13-year-old girl who later committed suicide.

Copters vandalized at Boeing

RIDLEY PARK, Pa. – Two military helicopters were vandalized on the production line at a Boeing factory near Philadelphia, the Defense Department said Thursday as it offered a reward.

Bear's threatened listing heralds legal battles

17,328 boxes later, Girl Scout has record

Edwards endorses Obama

United Way targeting health, education

Nation in brief: Man arrested in Florida fire

As death toll grows, China's quake-related woes worsen

Theft, exports of night-vision gear on the rise

Myanmar lets foreign aid workers enter

U.S. will keep sending emergency supplies

Venezuela offered aid to rebels, files show

Lebanon backs down in scrap with Hezbollah

President arrives in Israel for talks on peace process

House OKs farm bill despite Bush veto threat

Pilot soars with jet-powered wing

Nation turning en masse to meds

Food-aid proposal pushes genetically altered crops

Steady rain hampers search for China quake survivors

Congress votes to suspend deliveries to oil reserve

Seven bombs kill 80 in western India city

Clinton dominates Obama in West Virginia primary

GOP loses another congressional seat

McCain backer gives apology to Catholics

Exercise may benefit girls in long run

'Combines' artist Rauschenberg dies at age of 82

Myanmar police blocking foreign aid workers

Colombia extradites paramilitary leaders

Sept. 11 figure's charges dropped

Gates criticizes Pentagon's over-focus on future wars

Bush worries about potential for attack

Nation in brief: Fire investigators suspect arson

Quake slams China

McCain tackles global warming

In-flight cell use gets man disorderly conduct charge

U.S. flies relief aid into Myanmar

Main Shiite factions make Sadr City truce official

State Department hid corruption in Iraq, former staffers say

Poultry killed after bird flu outbreak

New GI bill plan puts GOP on the spot

Wind energy could rival nuclear power, study says

Nation in brief: Sect member gives birth in custody

Pakistan coalition unravels over judges dispute

World in brief: Swimmer says he poked shark in eye

Lebanon governing coalition criticizes U.S. for inaction

Bolivian president, critics back recall

Tornado 'last straw' for fading town

Florida governor declares state of emergency amid fires

Tornadoes threatened Jenna Bush wedding

Poll: Eight in 10 unhappy with nation's direction

Libertarian enters race for White House

Not all taxpayers getting stimulus checks

Wedding surprises small town

Middle-schoolers suspended for not standing during pledge

Myanmar faces health crisis, Oxfam warns

Lebanon fighting moves to hills outside Beirut

Sudan cuts ties with Chad

President's party upsets Serbian radicals

Tornado death toll at least 22

Clinton's Mother's Day spent campaigning

Homes evacuated during brush fires

Sadr City remains wary as violence eases

Report says pesticides, chemicals decreasing in oceans

It's centennial year for Mother's Day

Rulers in Myanmar proceed with voting

Rebels take fight to capital

Demonstrators protest alleged killing

Agreement may end fighting in Sadr City

Lebanon leaders try to curb conflict

McCain uses head start to try to define Obama

GOP convention leader quits

Obama leads in superdelegates

Storms kill 18 in Oklahoma, Missouri

Nation in brief: Five bodies found on property

Reef offered as resting place for sea lovers

In passing: Irvine Robbins, ice cream magnate

Opposition leader agrees to runoff in Zimbabwe

Key officer in border city killed

Private Bush wedding still attracts a crowd

VA lacks data on vets' suicides

Murdoch halts quest to purchase Newsday

China, India strain global food supply

World in brief: Ruling coalition leads in elections

Union, nine superdelegates strengthen Obama's hand

Drug czar says marijuana increases depression risk

Hezbollah flexes muscle, seizes swath of Beirut

Resurgent militia one more setback for Bush, allies

Mahdi Army relents on Iraqi troops

Delaware crematory handled soldiers, pets

Military allows U.S. aid, rejects foreign presence

World in brief: Medvedev lauded with arms parade

Mom pregnant with 18th

Researchers will dig at Manson hiding place

Nation in brief: Jackpot winner slow to collect

Poll shows either Democrat would beat McCain

Frugal spenders prompt drop in trade deficit

Farm bill adds cash for state crops

Eddy Arnold, who transformed country music, dies at 89

'Stop-loss' use keeping more soldiers in Army

Military allows foreign aid in battered Myanmar

Mexico's top cop gunned down

World in brief: Muslim cleric granted bail

House passes mortgage relief package

Lebanon teeters toward civil war

Olmert denies taking bribes

Al-Qaida in Iraq leader captured, Iraqi officials say

Security forces tell residents to move out of Sadr City

California conservationists, developer reach historic deal

Katrina increased kids' health complaints

Alleged child molester found, arrested

Nation in brief: Lawmaker admits affair, daughter

Land swap benefits top McCain fundraiser

Mrs. McCain says her tax returns are private

Cyclone survivors make it to land

Despite mounting pressure, Clinton shows no sign of quitting race

Volcanic ash blankets town in Argentina

Olympic flame reaches the top of the world

Pentagon records show unfit troops deployed

Raul Castro's reforms for Cuba 'no change at all,' Bush says

Ahmadinejad's comments irk clerics

Former detainee part of suicide attack in Iraq

Iraq downplays chances of more U.S.-Iran talks

World in brief: Paramilitary leader extradited to U.S.

Medvedev inaugurated as president of Russia

Evangelical leaders decry politicization of their faith

Senate rejects wind insurance amendment

Nation in brief: Sharpton arrested in acquittal protest

U.N. urges Myanmar to let aid workers in as help arrives

Obama clinches N.C.; Indiana tips to Clinton

Nevada governor wants wife to vacate mansion

House takes up mortgage relief plan

Drug investigation leads to San Diego State frats

Minnesota couple claims $180 million Powerball prize

Nation in brief: Georgia execution first since ruling

First Lady grows into diplomat role

Agents raid headquarters of whistle-blower counsel

EPA official says agency may not put limits on perchlorate

Democrats tie vets' benefits to withdrawal

Eruption forces Chileans to flee

Sadr City civilians fleeing as street battles escalate

Soldier's battle heard on voice mail

World in brief: Chinese leader visits Japan

McCain outlines judicial philosophy

Nuns turned away at Indiana poll

Huffington claim called 'totally false'

10,000 die in one Myanmar town

Violinist to play, thank driver

Survey finds strong spike in new voters this year

Candidates try to win Indiana, North Carolina

EPA asked to rethink ethanol law

Nation in brief: Executions set to begin again

Deaths raise doubts about Army vehicles

Five killed as thousands protest Somali food prices

World in brief: Renovation project begins at U.N.

Breast-feeding may lead to higher verbal IQs

Financier Robert Vesco died in November, document says

Interpol hunting pedophile suspect

Baseball argument got man killed by car, witnesses say

Cemetery poses dilemma for potential property buyer

Cyclone kills hundreds; Myanmar junta on spot

Iraq softens tone on Iran meddling

Bolivian state seeks autonomy

Obama, Clinton stress differences

Bush addresses grads in tornado-hit town

Nation in brief: Pipe bomb explodes inside courthouse

Rice keeps pressure on Israel

Documents show dilemma over Jewish refugees

World in brief: Officials plan second meeting

Bypass surgery called 'solution to diabetes'

Lottery numbers

Microsoft abandons Yahoo bid

Arkansans begin sifting through tornadoes' rubble

Democrat wins congressional seat

No smoking allowed at pipe convention

Hard line on Iran divides Clinton from rival

Obama ekes out win in Guam

Circumcision victim seeks asylum

China heightens efforts to stop deadly virus

Merlin German, 'Miracle' Marine

Strike levels militant hub

Iraq, Iran reach security deal

Classical concert a first in Saudi Arabia

Economy steadying

Thirty years after its debut, World Wide spam thrives

Democrats heat up gas tax rhetoric

Water outlook dismal in California

Twisters pound 4 states, kill seven in Arkansas

Brash challenger elected London mayor

Chinese officials to meet with Dalai Lama delegates

World in brief: Castro ends ban on desktop PCs

Bush details $70 billion war request

Nation in brief: Defiant Methodists support gay couple

He may have figured it was worth a shot

Bush's reading plan is no help, study finds

Fed cracks down on credit card industry

CDC warns of potential measles outbreak in U.S.

EPA plans tougher airborne lead limit

Congress passes bill covering genetic tests

Tornado-flattened town rising 'stronger, greener'

'D.C. Madam' dead of apparent suicide

FTC announces plans to probe oil market

Suicide bombers kill dozens in wedding party

Farm bill negotiators near record-spending agreement

Nation in brief: Clinton delegate moves to Obama

U.S. kills Somali Islamist leader

Journalist freed from Guantanamo after 6 years

Mexico fills void in meth supply

Injured nun asks judge to show assailant mercy

GSA chief quits after critical investigations

Proposal eases gun ban in national parks

U.S. troop deaths in Iraq hit seven-month high

Hispanic population growth may lead to spike in voting turnout

White House says banner has cost Bush

Nation in brief: Surgery removes girl's giant tumor

Pentagon mulling increased Afghanistan command role

Five killed in Australia boat collision

World in brief: Opposition party rejects runoff

Report details al-Qaida safe haven, carnage

Earthquakes have residents worried, experts baffled

Officials look into sect's possible abuse of boys

Chemist who accidentally discovered LSD dies at 102

Militiamen ambush U.S. patrol

Bush calls for Alaska drilling, less regulation to ease fuel crunch

U.S. must decide if polar bear endangered

McCain says market is best fix for health care

Obama disavows former pastor

Nation in brief: Measure tightens bisphenol A rules

Scientists thawing out half-ton, 26-foot squid

World in brief: Federal troops protecting hospital

Photo ID for voters OK, high court says

Former Guantanamo chief prosecutor says he was pressured

Obama's former pastor defends, amplifies remarks

Four U.S. soldiers die in intense fighting

Report spurs Vietnam to cease U.S. adoptions

Zimbabwe opposition unites to solidify Parliament grip

World in brief: Communist Party congress planned

Report criticizes states' child abuse policies

Twisters wreak havoc in Virginia

California firefighters keep flames at bay

Pregnancy, motherhood widespread among teen girls in sect, state says

Spitzer call girl sues 'Girls Gone Wild'

Nation in brief: Study notes risks of blood substitutes

Palestinians endure their catastrophe

Recovered pieces back at Baghdad museum

Sandstorm, rocket fire fill Green Zone

Afghan leader survives assassination attempt

Police say woman held captive, raped by father 24 years

Clinton says Afghanistan requires 'more attention'

World in brief: Owner questioned after fire kills 55

Gene therapy aiding blind

Homes evacuated as wildfire nears

Thousands honor slain reservist

Nation in brief: Temblors continue as residents leave

At 60, Israel shows its age

Border fence may miss deadline

Al Sharpton vows to shut down city

Lottery numbers

Reno buffeted by quake, 100 aftershocks

Soldier-athlete runs on prosthetics

Fire at Connecticut apartments leaves 150 homeless

Risk is part of job, animal trainers say

Shark attack doesn't stop intrepid paddleboarders

Candidate McCain now backs tax policies he once opposed

Bush, Craig Ferguson headline White House dinner party

Bill targets ornamental testicles

In Passing: Giuffre, big-band musician, composer

14 inmates filed false Katrina claims, prosecutors allege

Shootout leaves 13 dead on Tijuana streets

Turkish scholars to revisit Islam

14-year-old daughter of wanted man is killed

Kenyan leaders preach peaceful coexistence

China's state media condemn Dalai Lama

In brief: Zimbabwe recounts confirm power shift

Joint Chiefs chairman says Iran is stepping up efforts to destabilize Iraq

$290 billion farm bill advances

Pennsylvania man survives 500-foot fall into old mine

Some taxpayers to get rebates on Monday

California triathlete killed by shark

3 N.Y. detectives cleared in fusillade against black

Shiite cleric al-Sadr extends cease-fire

China to meet with Dalai Lama envoy

World in brief: Abbas calls talks with Bush fruitless

Zimbabwe activists routed

FDA taking closer look at Lasik surgery

Cleric Al-Sadr eyes all-out battle with U.S.-led troops

Gun dealer advocates permits at Virginia Tech

U.S. displays evidence of Syrian reactor

Pakistani Taliban leader orders cease-fire for talks

Bush vows to outline Palestinian state

Israel, Syria start indirect peace talks

World in brief: U.S. joins call for Zimbabwe embargo

FAA admits falsified reports

Wet suit keeps penguin in the swim

Senate OKs benefits for Filipino veterans

Nation in brief: Rabid bobcat attacks Arizona hikers

McCain tours New Orleans; criticizes government response

Obama plans 50-state voter registration drive

Sunni bloc ready to rejoin Cabinet

Size of Iraqi force difficult to assess; dead are on payroll

Senate passes gene bill 95-0

Mother's diet may influence baby's sex

So far, Obama doing worse among whites in primaries

Broad study finds boost in U.S. kids' well-being

Petraeus promotion will reinforce Bush Iraq policy

U.S. says Green Zone attacks down

EPA scientists report political interference

World in brief: More Israel, Syria dealings reported

Senate Republicans block unequal-pay legislation

House vote delays Medicaid cuts

Nation in brief: Congress honors heart surgeon

Attorney general warns of new breed of mobsters

Doctors to remove 16-pound tumor

Al-Qaida sympathizers criticizing violence

Pakistan, militants negotiating peace deal

Call claiming abuse at sect tied to Colorado woman

Boot camps accused of deceptive marketing

Bill would stop bias based on gene tests

Somali pirates unafraid, organized

Pennsylvania win boosts Clinton's fundraising

Democrats resigned to lasting struggle

Pennsylvania victory keeps Clinton afloat

Experts say smog rules should consider lost lives

World hunger deepens as cost of food soars

Plan stiffens requirements of No Child Left Behind law

Sect children leave for foster care

Nation in brief: Star grizzly bear kills trainer

African nations block ship carrying arms for Zimbabwe

Bush, other leaders defend NAFTA

U.S., Iran icy as Iraqi premier pleads for neighbors' support

World in brief: Grim U.N. reports on Darfur's future

CIA to detail N. Korea-Syria nuclear ties

In Rust Belt, McCain touts free trade

Chelsea picks Hillary over Bill

Study finds more drunken driving in Midwest

Feds arrest octogenarian for spying for Israelis in '80s

Teen faces life in prison for school bombing plot

Ship pilot charged with lying about drugs

Desperate borrowers turning to arson

More felons in armed forces

Life expectancy falls for some U.S. women

Priest vanishes on balloon trip

Democrats campaign on eve of primary

U.S. use of drugs for interrogation alleged, denied

Carter says Hamas ready to accept Israel as neighbor

Nation in brief: Defense boss scolds U.S. military brass

China supplier banned over tainted heparin

McCain received disability pension of $58,358 in '07

Rice criticizes al-Sadr on surprise Iraq visit

Physician examines dead presidents' health

There are more Internet users in China than U.S.

Pope ends U.S. visit

Clinton, Obama trade attack ads

Boys are often forced out of sect

McCain's priority is tax cuts, not balancing federal budget

Nation in brief: N.M. wildfire leads to towns' evacuation

Ex-Catholic bishop wins Paraguay election

World in brief: Clergy, worshippers fight at Jerusalem shrine

Bush seeks to cement ties with Canada, Mexico

A secretive enclave rises, unravels

NASA sets sights on moon, Mars

Lottery numbers

Democrats trade jabs on brink of primary

Bush holds talks with South Korean leader

Wayward dog makes 80-mile mountain, desert trek home

Nation in brief: Toddler in stroller blown into lake

Oklahomans remember victims of 1995 bombing

Essays offer glimpse of NIU gunman

Chinese-Americans protest at CNN

Pope delves into personal history

Benedict connects with young Americans

Scientific measures ever more precise

Disney animator Ollie Johnston dies

In Passing: John Wheeler, A-bomb physicist

Hamas bombers target border crossing

Russian capsule lands off target

Al-Sadr threatens war over crackdown

World in brief: Torch travels without disruptions

FLDS Mothers, children will be separated

Canada bans BPA from baby bottles

Carter meets Hamas leader but garners no concessions

5.2 earthquake shakes Midwest

Artificial-turf lead may be hazard

Pope urges more multilateralism

Sect's children must enter foster care, judge rules

McCain taxes put spotlight on wife

Birthday balloons, 115 of them

Nation in brief: Governor delivers baby month early

HUD chief named, to mixed reviews

Roadkill survey finds many amphibians

World in brief: Taliban leader killed at roadblock

Veterans' mental health needs great; many don't get care, study says

Bets against mortgages paid off

Springsteen keyboardist Danny Federici dies at 58

At least 50 dead in funeral blast

Pentagon institute calls war 'major debacle'

Suicide bombings escalating since 2001

Meeting with sex abuse victims was 'healing'

Don't violate faith at colleges, pope says

Debate moderators take heat for questions

Farmers' grass-fire smoke chokes Buenos Aires

U.S. has no strategy for Pakistan, GAO reports

Senators blast FAA chief over canceled flights

In brief: Custody hearing for sect chaotic

Feds will collect DNA samples from all arrestees, detainees

High court rules lethal injections are 'humane' means of execution

Las Vegas man arrested in ricin possession case

Pope says church mishandled abuse crisis

Obama on defensive in debate with Clinton

Bush sets goal for limiting emissions

Cost of bumping passengers goes up

Nation in brief: Pair found guilty in life insurance plot

Iraq reassigns Basra commanders

Airstrikes in Gaza kill 20

A new look for Spain's Cabinet

North Korea food crisis is expected to worsen

World in brief: Polar bear cub makes debut

Execution considered for child rape convicts

En route to U.S., pope addresses sex abuse scandal

Cindy McCain's Ahi? Something smells fishy

Plastic ingredient may pose health risks

Bombings kill scores in Sunni areas of Iraq

Putin named leader of political party

Bush to endorse emissions goal, but will offer no plan of action

Specter remains upbeat after cancer resurfaces

McCain lays out economic plan

Poll shows Clinton slipping on honesty scale

Obama calls criticism by Clinton 'politics'

Candidates on Brown's itinerary

Prominent Hamas figure meets Jimmy Carter

Plane crash in Congo kills at least 21

French Assembly tackles 'scourge' of extreme dieting

World in brief: Many workers ignore call to strike

Reports allege deception over Vioxx

House bill bans use of cell phones in flight

'D.C. Madam' convicted of federal charges

Ferris wheel on eBay, shipping not included

Colorado wildfires kill 3, prompt evacuations

Nation in brief: House votes to kill IRS outsourcing