12/16/2011 12:54:05 AM
AP - Congress appears on track to avert a government shutdown this weekend, even as President Barack Obama's push to extend a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for another year is encountering snags.
12/16/2011 12:57:11 AM
AP - The final Republican presidential debate before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus crystalized the strengths and weaknesses of the chief contenders as perhaps no other event thus far.
12/16/2011 2:13:46 AM
AP - Entering 2012, President Barack Obama's re-election prospects are essentially a 50-50 proposition, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. It found that most Americans say the president deserves to be voted out of office even though they have concerns about the Republican alternatives.
12/16/2011 2:28:15 AM
AP - Cancer weakened, but did not soften Christopher Hitchens. He did not repent or forgive or ask for pity. As if granted diplomatic immunity, his mind's eye looked plainly upon the attack and counterattack of disease and treatments that robbed him of his hair, his stamina, his speaking voice and eventually his life.
12/16/2011 1:48:52 AM
AP - Thousands of children suffered sexual abuse in Dutch Catholic institutions, and church officials failed to adequately address the abuse or help the victims, according to a long-awaited investigation released Friday.
12/16/2011 1:18:20 AM
AP - The U.S. military is making its case for why Army Pfc. Bradley Manning should be court-martialed on charges of endangering national security by stealing and leaking an enormous trove of government secrets.
12/16/2011 12:18:23 AM
AP - After a Good Samaritan helped her pay off the layaway bill she'd accumulated to buy Christmas gifts for her grandchildren, Lori Stearnes planned to collect her paycheck Friday and head to Kmart anyway.
12/16/2011 12:23:50 AM
AP - The worst drought in Texas' history has led to the largest-ever one-year decline in the leading cattle-state's cow herd, raising the likelihood of increased beef prices as the number of animals decline and demand remains strong.
12/16/2011 1:11:12 AM
AP - You've heard of tech companies starting in a Silicon Valley garage. What about on a ship?
12/16/2011 1:32:44 AM
AP - Ho hum, another winning season for the Atlanta Falcons.
12/15/2011 10:32:52 PM
Reuters - Republican presidential candidates pounced on front-runner Newt Gingrich on Thursday to try to blunt his surge at the last debate before Iowa launches the 2012 U.S. election season.
12/16/2011 12:25:27 AM
Reuters - Deutsche Bank AG has launched the sale of a large chunk of its global asset management business, with a price tag seen between 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion) and 3 billion, two financial sources familiar with the sale process said on Friday.
12/15/2011 11:54:22 PM
Reuters - The U.S. Navy said it would station several new coastal combat ships in Singapore and perhaps in the Philippines in coming years, moves likely to fuel China's fears of being encircled and pressured in the South China Sea dispute.
12/16/2011 12:28:00 AM
Andreas Georgiou wants to make Greece's statistical office boring and reliable. His efforts have been met with a strike and a criminal investigation that could lead to life in prison.
12/15/2011 9:01:00 PM
Supporters say the Army private is a whistle-blower and a hero, but prosecutors will make the case that Manning is responsible for one of the biggest leaks in decades. During the proceedings, which begin Friday at Fort Meade, Md., both sides have an opportunity to make their case.
12/15/2011 9:01:00 PM
Tax season is months away, but there are steps you can take before year's end that could save you money when it's time to file. An editor at Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine recommends taking advantage of an energy-efficient-home credit set to expire this year, and giving yourself what she calls a self-made pay raise.
12/15/2011 9:01:00 PM
Queen Jackson has been homeless for about a year. As she recently told her case manager, Debra MacKillop, it all started in 2009, when she was laid off. Since then, there have been hard moments â€" and some precious ones, as well.
12/16/2011 12:39:06 AM
Japan's prime minister says the Fukushima nuclear plant is now in a "cold shutdown condition", nine months after the earthquake and tsunami.
12/16/2011 2:28:39 AM
Tens of thousands of children have suffered sexual abuse in Dutch Catholic institutions since 1945, a damning report says.
12/16/2011 1:26:00 AM
British-born author, literary critic and journalist Christopher Hitchens dies in a Texas hospital, aged 62, after suffering cancer.
12/16/2011 2:17:37 AM
Thailand reissues a passport to fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, saying he is "no longer a threat to the country".
12/16/2011 12:22:05 AM
Authorities in Beijing issue new rules requiring users of popular microblog sites to register their personal details.
12/15/2011 11:13:12 PM
Former Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's killing may have been a war crime, says the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor.
12/15/2011 9:30:44 PM
Republican front-runners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney save their fire for President Obama, in their last TV debate before Iowa's caucus.
12/16/2011 1:38:40 AM
US Army analyst Bradley Manning, accused of leaking government secrets to the website Wikileaks, is to make his first military court appearance.
12/16/2011 2:11:28 AM
Crew from a Russian fishing vessel holed beneath the waterline in icy Antarctic waters board lifeboats, as rescuers warn it could take days to reach them.
12/15/2011 10:11:26 PM
The government of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti faces a confidence vote in parliament as it seeks to pass crucial austerity measures.
12/15/2011 11:57:25 PM
Russia is finally set to join the World Trade Organization on Friday at a ceremony in Geneva, after 18 years negotiating its membership.
12/15/2011 5:25:08 PM
Legalising same-sex marriage may create a healthier environment for gay men, say US researchers.
12/15/2011 1:59:15 PM
An official in the south-east Chinese province of Guangdong has promised to freeze and investigate local government land acquisitions that have left the village of Wukan in open revolt against the authorities
12/15/2011 11:45:21 PM
Doctors in California are preparing to send home one of the smallest premature babies ever to survive anywhere in the world.
12/16/2011 2:12:33 AM
Security Correspondent Gordon Corera reports on whether a "spy war" is taking place in Iran
12/16/2011 1:43:49 AM
Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day.
12/15/2011 9:47:39 PM
The BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner, looks back at the events of the Arab Spring over the past year.
12/15/2011 11:12:59 PM
A US Army analyst suspected of leaking government secrets is set to make his first military court appearance.
12/15/2011 10:36:36 AM
An Afghan woman who was sent to prison for adultery because she was raped has said she may marry her attacker
12/15/2011 2:41:10 PM
More Santas than you can probably handle, some fake sheep, and the tale of the girl and the balloon - the week's weird and wonderful video stories in Newsbeat's Odd Box with Dominic Byrne.
12/15/2011 2:37:49 PM
Ratings agency Fitch downgrades six of the world's largest banks, including Goldman Sachs and Barclays, citing the challenging financial markets.
12/16/2011 2:14:12 AM
Zynga, the online games maker behind Mafia Wars and FarmVille, is set to raise $1bn on its US stock market debut.
12/15/2011 11:46:27 PM
A field trial of LED lights in social housing says the new technology can deliver huge energy savings, reduce costs and makes residents feel safer.
12/15/2011 10:35:24 AM
The search giant is awarded a US patent for a system that tells driverless cars when to take control of the wheel.
12/15/2011 7:18:32 AM
Silent film homage The Artist leads the field at the 2012 Golden Globes, scoring six nominations in all.
12/16/2011 1:45:57 AM
Controversial radio DJ Howard Stern is to replace Piers Morgan on the judging panel of America's Got Talent, it is announced.
12/14/2011 4:29:13 PM
The erosion of traditional cultural taboos in Madagascar has led to an unsustainable number of lemurs being killed for bushmeat, a study suggests.
12/14/2011 10:37:03 AM
Years of astronomical observations show an enormous gas cloud spiralling in toward the supermassive black hole at our galaxy's centre.
12/15/2011 5:19:09 PM
Penicillin doses for children - which have stayed the same for 50 years - need to be reviewed because youngsters are getting heavier, experts have said.
12/14/2011 12:35:52 AM
Hairier skin may be the key to avoiding being bitten by bed bugs, claim Sheffield academics.
12/16/2011 12:02:16 AM
Build-up to Champions League and Europa League draws as Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Stoke City await their fate.
12/16/2011 1:49:03 AM
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is set to find out on Friday if he faces disciplinary action from Uefa after appearing to aim a clenched fist gesture at Shamrock Rovers supporters.
12/15/2011 4:39:58 PM
The first 600 visitors prebooked to view the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo are to see them later as they go on public display.
12/15/2011 9:11:23 AM
China chooses the character "kong" meaning "control" as word of the year for 2011 in state-backed poll.
12/16/2011 1:41:25 AM
President Alassane Ouattara's party wins the most seats in Ivory Coast's parliamentary polls - the first poll since ex-leader Laurent Gbagbo's arrest, officials say.
12/15/2011 11:46:45 PM
Doctors in India's West Bengal state battle to save dozens of people still critically ill after drinking toxic alcohol that has now killed 160.
12/15/2011 5:48:50 PM
Russia circulates a UN Security Council resolution aimed at resolving the crisis in Syria, in a move that surprised Western nations.
12/15/2011 3:22:27 PM
Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom issues an official apology for a massacre committed by soldiers during the country's civil conflict.
12/15/2011 4:06:58 PM
Police in Bahrain detain prominent blogger and rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja during a protest near the capital Manama, reports say.
12/15/2011 7:42:37 PM
Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress agree a compromise spending bill, averting the threat of a US government shutdown.
12/15/2011 4:46:08 PM
Hospitals in England and Wales are falling short in the care given to dementia patients, a review says.
12/16/2011 1:55:40 AM
Labour holds the Feltham and Heston seat in a by-election, with an increased majority over the Conservatives.
12/15/2011 2:30:09 PM
The UK is asked to play a role in "technical discussions" over a proposed new EU fiscal pact despite refusing to sign up to the agreement.
12/15/2011 4:32:22 PM
Siemens' superior credit rating helped it beat Derby trainmaker Bombardier to the £1.4bn Thameslink contract, a Transport Select Committee report says.
12/15/2011 1:50:35 AM
A hospital in West Bengal treats hundreds
12/12/2011 3:22:03 PM
Rare images by celebrated Felice Beato
12/15/2011 4:02:13 PM
The newspaper article that changed world history
12/15/2011 4:01:37 PM
'Jailbreakers' use crash reports to target iPhone software
12/15/2011 4:02:07 PM
A legal battle for the Gaddafis' $16m London mansion begins
12/15/2011 6:08:02 AM
Why are so many Indians dying from toxic alcohol?
12/15/2011 10:58:30 AM
Hollywood and France fall for each other at the Golden Globes
12/15/2011 2:01:11 AM
Iraq can look forward to a brighter future, says John Simpson
12/15/2011 9:55:57 PM
Adults who are legally required to report suspected abuse have little reason to fear punishment if they don't, a USA TODAY analysis shows. 
12/15/2011 10:26:23 PM
Newt Gingrich was hammered by TV ads, in interviews and on the debate stage Thursday as his GOP rivals sought to slow his momentum. 
12/16/2011 12:16:05 AM
The tsunami-devastated Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant has reached a stable state of "cold shutdown." 
12/16/2011 2:30:24 AM
State media says a Chinese court has sent activist lawyer Gao Zhisheng back to jail for three years for breaking his probation. 
12/16/2011 2:32:02 AM
Russia's space agency says a probe bound for a moon of Mars that instead got stuck in Earth's orbit will plummet down to Earth next month. 
12/16/2011 2:00:40 AM
A damning report says church officials "failed to adequately deal with" the abuse or help the victims. 
12/16/2011 1:27:30 AM
Russia supports Canada's decision to pull out of the Kyoto Protocol, reaffirming Friday that Moscow will not take on new commitments. 
12/16/2011 12:28:41 AM
With household merchandise stacking up in a warehouse, the company opened the doors Thursday for an auction. 
12/16/2011 12:23:25 AM
A defendant in a sexual misconduct trial opened fire in a small northern Minnesota courthouse, injuring three people. 
&l t;a href="http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~ff/usatoday-NewsTopStories?a=XMZVJFLFqIw:xXPoy5yZ3tc:-BTjWOF_DHI">
12/16/2011 12:19:31 AM
The author, essayist and polemicist who waged verbal and physical battle on behalf of causes on the left and right died Thursday night. 
12/15/2011 8:23:38 PM
A national animal rights group wants a North Carolina man to abandon his famous New Year's Eve Opossum Drop. 
12/15/2011 6:14:00 PM
A question about rape on a fraternity survey at the University of Vermont has sparked a rally, a chapter suspension and an investigation. 
12/15/2011 9:59:40 PM
President Obama has not met with Republican leaders in Congress for 145 days. 
12/15/2011 5:25:00 PM
Newt Gingrich defended himself against attacks on his record and his temperament during the final GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses. 
12/15/2011 5:50:22 PM
The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said there are "serious suspicions" that the death of Gadhafi was a war crime. 
12/16/2011 2:28:56 AM
In the last showdown before the pivotal Iowa caucuses, the field of GOP candidates chose their words carefully late Thursday during the debate in Sioux City. 
12/16/2011 2:30:28 AM
Congressional negotiators have come to an agreement they believe will prevent a government shutdown before a Friday midnight deadline, according to Democratic sources. 
12/15/2011 5:18:13 PM
Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer and defense contractor BAE announced Thursday an "amicable" end to their dispute. 
12/16/2011 2:32:13 AM
The ratings firm Fitch downgraded a cluster of the world's largest banks Thursday, pointing to trading challenges facing international markets. 
12/15/2011 11:51:50 PM
British-American author and essayist Christopher Hitchens died Thursday from complications of esophageal cancer. 
12/16/2011 12:55:28 AM
Florida Gov. Rick Scott met late Thursday with a group of several hundred Florida A&M students upset over his recommendation that trustees suspend the school's president in the wake of alleged hazing and "financial irregularities." 
12/15/2011 11:51:40 AM
More than one and a half years have passed since a boyish-looking 22-year-old Army private was arrested, suspected to be behind the biggest intelligence leak in U.S. history. 
12/15/2011 11:24:07 PM
A former teacher in Oklahoma has been charged with sending lewd images of young female students to a retired professor in Pennsylvania, authorities said Thursday. 
visit www.HeadLines.BZ