Fenninger beats Maze; Shiffrin of US 8th in GS

SEMMERING, Austria (AP) -- Anna Fenninger of Austria had two near-perfect runs to win a World Cup giant slalom on Friday, while second-place Tina Maze of Slovenia extended her lead in the overall standings.

In difficult conditions because of snowfall, Fenninger posted the fastest time in both runs on the Panorama course and finished in a combined time of 2 minutes, 13.09 seconds to beat Maze by 1.10. Tessa Worley of France, who was second after the opening run, was third.

American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin, who won her first World Cup race last week, was eighth for the best GS result in her career. She's now 10th in the overall standings.

Shiffrin had several mistakes in her final run but used a blistering second to finish2.68 seconds off Fenninger's winning time.

US new home sales jump to fastest rate in 2 1/2 years

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans bought new homes last month at the fastest pace in more than two and a half years, further evidence of a sustained housing recovery.

Sales of new homes rose 4.4 percent in November from October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 377,000, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That's the fastest pace since April 2010, when a federal tax credit boosted sales.

New-home sales have also increased 15.3 percent over the past year, although the improvement comes from depressed levels. Sales remain below the 700,000 that economists consider healthy.

Atty: Hobby Lobby won't offer morning-after pill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An attorney for Hobby Lobby Stores said Thursday that the arts and crafts chain plans to defy a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill, despite risking potential fines of up to $1.3 million per day.

Hobby Lobby and religious book-seller Mardel Inc., which are owned by the same conservative Christian family, are suing to block part of the federal health care law that requires employee health-care plans to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraception pills.

Fireworks warehouse in Nigeria explodes, killing 1

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) -- A massive explosion ripped through a warehouse full of fireworks in Nigeria's largest city on Wednesday, sparking a fire that threatened surrounding city blocks and sending a plume of thick smoke high into the sky. At least one person died and 15 others were wounded, emergency officials said.

The blast occurred around 9 a.m. in the Jankara area of Lagos Island, a neighborhood of narrow streets and tall cement buildings holding shops and housing people sometimes a dozen to a room in the megacity of Lagos. The force of the explosion echoed miles away and shook windows.

An Associated Press journalist saw members of the Nigerian Red Cross treating people with minor cuts and bruises a few blocks from the site. Later, rescuers pulled out a badly charred corpse from the still-smoldering structure.

Plane crash-lands on Myanmar road, 2 killed

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- A flight packed with Christmas tourists crash-landed on a road in central Myanmar on Tuesday, killing at least two people and injuring 11, officials said.

Four foreigners were among the injured on the Air Bagan flight. The Information Ministry initially identified the fatalities as three Myanmar citizens: a tour guide and an 11-year-old child on board the plane, and a man riding a motorcycle on the road where the plane came down. A later report from the airline mentioned only two deaths.

The flight was carrying 71 people, including 48 foreign passengers, from the city of Mandalay to Heho airport in Shan State, the gateway to a popular tourist destination, Inle Lake, Air Bagan said in a statement Tuesday evening that revised earlier figures.

Texas Rep. Hall to be oldest US House member ever

DALLAS (AP) -- When Ralph Hall was elected to the U.S. House in 1980 at the age of 57, he had already served in the Navy in World War II, built a successful business career and served in Texas' state government for many years.

On Christmas Day, the North Texas congressman will become the oldest person ever to serve in the U.S. House, surpassing the record of North Carolina Rep. Charles Manly Stedman, who died in office in 1930 at age 89 years, 7 months and 25 days.

Hall, who turns 90 on May 3, became the oldest House member to ever cast a vote this year. Those close to the Rockwall Republican say he remains active. Voters re-elected him last month to a 17th term, and Hall told the Dallas Morning News he may even run again.

Coalition 'not trusted' to tackle housing crisis, survey shows

Poll of 600 housing experts reveals 6% believe Tories can deliver on housing pledges, with trust falling to 4% for Lib Dems

Housing experts do not trust the coalition government to tackle the UK's housing crisis, a survey of 600 experienced managers and strategists has revealed.

Labour and Conservative policymakers have identified housing as a key battleground at the next election, fighting to win the support of Generation Rent – young people who are struggling to get on the housing ladder and may never afford a home of their own.

Heavy rain raises threat of Christmas Day flooding

Rail chiefs urge people not to travel in south-west and steer clear of floodwater after several stranded motorists are rescued

Heavy rain late on Monday could bring more flooding on Christmas Day as the bad weather continues to threaten homes, businesses, roads and railways.

Rail bosses urged people not to travel in the south-west of England with the main rail route into Devon and Cornwall blocked until Friday at least by floodwaters from the River Exe between Tiverton and Exeter.

Emergency services also warned people not to walk or drive near floodwater. A disabled woman had to be rescued when her car stalled at Saul, near Frampton on Severn, Gloucestershire, on Monday, while Devon and Cornwall police released video footage of a rescue of a woman at Umberleigh, near Barnstaple, Devon.

Richard Adams, early figure in gay marriage, dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Richard Adams, who used both the altar and the courtroom to help begin the push for gay marriage four decades before it reached the center of the national consciousness, has died, his attorney said Sunday.

After a brief illness, Adams died Dec. 17 at age 65 in the Hollywood home he shared with Tony Sullivan, his partner of 43 years, attorney Lavi Soloway told The Associated Press.

Adams and Sullivan met at a Los Angeles gay bar called "The Closet" in 1971, but their life and relationship would soon be on display for a worldwide audience.

They were granted a marriage license in 1975, but for years fought in vain to see it recognized by governments and a population for whom the idea of two married men was still strange and foreign. They were subjected to anti-gay slurs even from government agencies.

'Malaria is not going away because we are getting fake treatment'

China suspected as source of counterfeit drugs that are holding back fight against malaria in Africa

The life-saving medicine arrives on cargo trucks and in suitcases, crossing borders to be put on sale in pharmacies, shops and hospitals. There is just one problem: it isn't life-saving at all.

To look at the packaging, you would never know. It is usually a dead ringer for the real thing. Only on closer inspection will you find a watermark missing or notice the crumbling edges of a tablet that to well-trained inspectors can be the telltale signs of fakery. Even health professionals are routinely fooled.

"I have taken them myself," said Dr Mechtlida Luhaga, who has been both doctor and patient in Africa's long battle against malaria. "I took Alu and nothing happened. I had another blood test to recheck and still had the same parasites. The drugs were fake."

Christmas shoppers flood high streets in last-minute gift hunt

Retail groups predict festive splurge of around £5bn this weekend, but say overall footfall appears down on last year

Consumers are massing for a final pre-Christmas assault on the shops, with retailers around the country reporting strong last-minute sales despite the prevailing economic gloom.

With retail groups predicting a combined festive splurge of around £5bn this weekend, the second wave was necessarily more focused given Sunday opening hours, with the big retailers limited to six hours of selling time.

Bethlehem Christians feel the squeeze as Israeli settlements spread

Near a biblical landscape of donkeys and olive trees, homes are being built and Palestinian Christians fear for their future

Amid plastic bags snagged on gorse bushes, rusting hulks of cars in a breakers yard and a few shabby trailers, traces of a biblical landscape are still to be found on a hillside between the ancient cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. A couple of donkeys are tethered to a gnarled olive tree; nearby, sheep and goats bleat as they huddle against the chill December air.

But this terrain will soon be covered in concrete after the authorisation last week of the construction of more than 2,600 homes in Givat Hamatos, the first new Israeli settlement to be built since 1997.

Pharmacy linked to deadly meningitis outbreak files for chapter 11 bankruptcy

New England Compounding Center's filing shields company from creditors while it sets up compensation fund for victims

A pharmacy blamed for causing a deadly nationwide meningitis outbreak has filed for bankruptcy protection and said it is seeking to set up a fund to pay victims.

Contaminated steroid injections from the New England Compounding Center are thought to have been responsible for 39 deaths and 620 illnesses.

The chapter 11 filing in US bankruptcy court on Friday shields the company from the threat of creditor lawsuits while it establishes the fund.

From the archive, 22 December 1920: Immovable boxer and kinema 'king'

The middle-aged bald little man is the US boxer Johnny Coulon, who is mystifying Paris by his uncanny power to stay on his legs

PARIS, TUESDAY

The mysterious grip of Johnny Coulon, the boxer, and the financial adventures of a young man of 23 named Himmelfarb among kinema producers are the main topics of conversation in the cafés of the Grands Boulevards. Wherever one sits to take the many-coloured apéritif, by one's side is a gesticulating couple with a photo on the table in front of them of a middle-aged, bald little man engaged in a complicated effort with some giant or other in fighting attire. The little man so illustrated is the American boxer Coulon, who is mystifying Paris and such eminent scientists as he can get interested by his uncanny power to stay on his legs.

My first Christmas… in a B&B

Latvian immigrant Erika Rudasha on how she feels spending her first Christmas in emergency B&B accommodation in Sussex with her four-year-old daughter

This time last year, I had just moved to the UK from Latvia. I have a four-year-old daughter, Evelina, and there's discrimination against single mothers there. I hadn't been able to get a permanent job and I don't have any family, so we'd been homeless and moving between crisis centres.

I've studied PR and journalism, and worked as an artist. The plan was to come to the UK, find a good job – or start my own business – and make a home for my daughter. It hasn't worked out like that. I stayed with a friend for three months before being offered accommodation. However, the landlord had drinking problems, turned violent and tried to sexually abuse me. We had to return to my friend's flat. Finally, in June, I found a room to rent, borrowed money, and stayed there until November, when we were given notice.

Putin Backs Proposed Ban on US Adoptions

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin touched on many topics in his end-of-year address, including U.S.-Russian relations, the conflict in Syria and his health. One topic, however, seemed to garner particular attention from the Russian leader - a law passed by Washington that punishes Russians who abuse human rights. 

In his speech, Putin expressed anger over the U.S. Congress' recent passage of the so-called Magnitsky Act. The legislation requires Washington to freeze the assets of and bar entry to anyone who was allegedly involved in the 2009 death of Russian anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Magnitsky worked for Russia’s largest Western investment fund and claimed to have uncovered a scheme used by Russian officials to embezzle more than $230 million in taxes paid by that firm. He was later arrested by the same officials he had accused of the tax fraud. He died in prison awaiting trial on corruption charges.

On abortion, both Britain and Ireland need to rediscover the spirit of 67 | Zoe Williams

We pander to the anti-abortion lobby, and are too willing to settle for a few scraps of reproductive rights

When, this week, you read a headline saying, Ireland to legalise abortion; or see a statement from the Catholic church saying "Irish abortion reform is a 'licence to kill innocent babies'", you should treat it with great scepticism. For a start, nobody has suggested changing the law, nobody's legalising anything, and innocent babies have more to fear, as ever, from the Catholic church, than from any Irish abortion providers.

Nobody has suggested, even out of respect for the recently killed Savita Halappanavar, the slightest modification in the law, so that an abortion might be permitted in a case where the mother would probably die without it, and the foetus would probably die regardless. There are no new ideas, and no concessions to anybody – all that's been mooted is the codification of a supreme court ruling, so that the abortion provision they do have is no longer just precedent, it's actually enshrined in law.

Wade, James carry Heat past Timberwolves, 103-92

MIAMI (AP) -- The Miami Heat were outrebounded by 28, matching the second-largest margin in team history. They finished with only 24 boards, matching the second-lowest total in any game over the franchise's quarter-century of existence.

Somehow, none of that mattered.

Dwyane Wade scored 24 points, LeBron James added 22 points and 11 assists and the Heat survived a strangely one-sided night on the glass to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-92 on Tuesday night - becoming the first team since 1994 to be outrebounded by such a wide margin and still win, according to STATS LLC.

Seattle police loosens pot rules for applicants

SEATTLE (AP) -- The Seattle police department says it is loosening rules on past marijuana use by applicants.

Police officials say the change in policy comes because voters legalized the recreational use of pot by approving Initiative 502.

The department says that until this week, applicants were immediately disqualified if they had smoked marijuana within three years of applying for a position. The new rule lowers that to a year.

Turkey, Iran Relations Remain Strained

ISTANBUL, TURKEY — Turkey's foreign minister has criticized Iran for its reaction to a NATO decision to deploy Patriot missiles on the border between Turkey and Syria. The NATO decision has added to tensions between Iran and Turkey, whose relations are already strained over the Syrian crisis.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday dismissed Iran's concerns about the decision by NATO to deploy batteries of the Patriot anti-missile defense system along Turkey’s border with Syria.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Davutoglu said that instead of criticizing the Patriot system, Iran should tell the Syrian government to halt its oppression against its own people, and provoking Turkey through border violations.

The day Comet plunged to earth

The electrical retail giant finally closed its doors yesterday – but not before shoppers descended on branches looking for one final bargain

It's the last day of trading for Comet, the electrical retail giant that went into administration last month after almost 80 years on the British high street.

Opening hours at the 49 remaining stores, according to their customer service hotline, are from 9am until they sell out. At the Tottenham Hale branch in north London it's barely 11am but the pickings are already looking slim. Shop assistants stand around looking bewildered. "Twenty-five minutes left," one staff member shouts. "Ninety per cent off everything!"

Newtown victim's mom delivers moving remembrance

The mother and uncle of 6-year-old Noah Pozner delivered messages at his funeral reflecting on the life of the little boy killed in Friday's school shooting, and lessons to draw from his loss. People identifying themselves as reporters were not allowed into the service, but the family made transcripts available to The Associated Press. Here they are, in full:

From mother, Veronique Pozner:

The sky is crying, and the flags are at half-mast. It is a sad, sad day. But it is also your day, Noah, my little man. I will miss your forceful and purposeful little steps stomping through our house. I will miss your perpetual smile, the twinkle in your dark blue eyes, framed by eyelashes that would be the envy of any lady in this room.

Ethiopia Drops One Charge in Muslim Case

ADDIS ABABA — The Ethiopian High Federal Court has dropped one charge in the terror case against 29 Muslims.  Terrorism charges were not dropped, although defense lawyers had argued those charges are unconstitutional.

The 29 Muslims who were arrested in July on terrorism charges and accused of trying to overthrow the government appeared in court.  Their defense lawyer Tamam Ababulga says the charge of attempting to destroy the government and creating a Muslim state was dropped.

“Charges dropped, because the element that constitutes the two charges are the same.  Therefore, they may end up in double jeopardy," Ababulga said. "This is very significant because, if the case is continued in such a way, it may double the punishment.”

Christmas can be very Zen

Not all new rituals sit in shallow soil. I was raised an atheist but have no problem matching Christmas traditions with Buddhism

People either insist on repeating the traditions they had as children, or they detach and reject tradition altogether. On occasion they create new ones, particularly if they start new families or enter a new culture. But new rituals, even after years of diligent practice, will always sit in shallower soil. My childhood was spent in Sweden, and so to me Christmas must always be snowy, dark and eerily quiet. You must have candles in your window, gingerbread men and a real pine tree. There are the stranger Swedish traditions too such as compulsory viewing of Donald Duck re-runs, and opening all the presents on Christmas Eve; but we won't go into that right now.

Barcelona 4-1 Atlético Madrid | La Liga match report

Lionel Messi scored twice for Barcelona, who recovered from a 31st-minute goal by Radamel Falcao to beat second-placed Atlético Madrid and open up a nine-point lead at the top.

Falcao opened the scoring in the battle of La Liga's hottest forwards after being played through, by chipping the Barcelona goalkeeper with his left foot.

Adriano drew Barcelona level with a magnificent strike before Sergio Busquets put the home side in front on half-time. Messi scored his first with a fine left-foot shot placed in the corner and added his second, and 90th of the calendar year, after the Atlético defence dithered and the Argentinian poached the ball.

Pentagon front-runner has strong Obama ties

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel is a contrarian Republican moderate and decorated Vietnam combat veteran who is likely to support a more rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

As President Barack Obama's top candidate for defense secretary, Hagel has another credential important to the president: a personal relationship with Obama, forged when they were in the Senate and strengthened during overseas trips they took together.

Hagel, 66, emerged last week as the front-runner for the Pentagon's top job, four years after leaving behind a Senate career in which he carved out a reputation as an independent thinker and blunt speaker.

Broadcasting in 2013: BBC must get back on track in a fully digital TV world

It's likely to be a tricky year for linear channels as catch-up TV surges ahead

One thing is for sure. Well, probably. The BBC will have fewer director generals in 2013 than it did in 2012.

Lord (Tony) Hall, the former BBC News chief turned chief executive of the Royal Opera House, will take up the role in March. His task is nothing less than to piece together the corporation's shattered reputation – and restore morale – in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal and Newsnight's catastrophic report libelling Lord McAlpine.

Sebastian Coe to be honoured at BBC Sports Personality of the Year show

• Coe will receive Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday
• Previous winners include David Beckham and Alex Ferguson

Sebastian Coe is to be honoured for his achievements on and off the track by being given the Lifetime Achievement Award at Sunday's BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. The broadcaster says Lord Coe's recognition comes not only for his efforts in leading the bid to bring, and subsequent successful staging of, the Olympic and Paralympic Games to London, but also for his career as a middle-distance runner. The 56-year-old, who was last month appointed as the new chairman of the British Olympic Association, won 1500m golds at successive Games in 1980 and 1984. Coe became chairman of the London 2012 bid team in 2004 and played a key role in securing the vote ahead of a bid from Paris. A 12-time world record-holder, he retired in 1990 and became Conservative MP for Falmouth and Camborne. In 2002 he was made a peer, Lord Coe of Ranmore, and was knighted in 2006.

Father of Newtown victim extends 'love and support' to gunman's family

Robbie Parker, 30, the father of six-year-old Emilie, discusses 'horrific tragedy' and tells of 'beautiful, blonde, smiling' daughter

Relatives of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shootings have been speaking about their grief, as the names of the victims were officially published on Saturday.

Robbie Parker, 30, father of six-year-old Emilie Parker, showed remarkable compassion in remarks in which he extended his support to the family of the man who took his daughter's life.

"It is a horrific tragedy and I want everyone to know that our hearts and prayers go out to them. This includes the family of the shooter," Parker said.

Militants attack airport in NW Pakistan; 9 killed

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- Suicide bombers armed with rockets attacked the military side of a Pakistani airport in the northwestern city of Peshawar Saturday, killing four civilians and wounding more than 30, officials said. Five militants also were killed.

Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistan's tribal region, the main sanctuary for al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the country. The city has frequently been attacked in the past few years, but Saturday was the first strike against the airport, which is jointly used by the air force and civilian authorities.

The militants fired three rockets at the airport, two of which hit a wall ringing the premises, said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Peshawar is the capital. The third landed near a government building outside the wall, Hussain said.

2 dead after shooting at Las Vegas Strip hotel

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A man shot and fatally wounded a woman, then killed himself Friday at the Excalibur hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, sending many patrons fleeing in fear.

It happened at about 8:30 p.m. near the high-rise hotel's front entrance, Las Vegas Metro Police Lt. Ray Steiber said.

The man died at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after shooting the woman, who was a vendor at Excalibur's concierge desk, Steiber said. The woman was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.

US: Recognizing Syrian Opposition Strengthens Fight Against Assad

STATE DEPARTMENT — Official U.S. recognition for a coalition of Syrian opposition groups is meant to isolate extremists and increase pressure on embattled President Bashar al-Assad.

With Syrian rebels gaining ground on Assad forces, the Obama administration says recognizing political opponents strengthens the fight against him.

"We have said all along that in the absence of any moves by the regime to end this, in the absence of any commitment to any kind of a transition, we are going to continue to support the opposition as we can," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Man charged in 1996 WA murder appears in court

HAMILTON, Mont. (AP) -- A 59-year-old western Montana man charged with killing a Washington state woman who disappeared in 1996 is still fighting extradition, but he did confirm his identity to a state judge.

Clifford Everell Reed of Victor faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of his co-worker, Sandi Johnson of Kirkland, Wash. Court records indicate he had a romantic interest in her that she did not reciprocate.

Bengals beat Eagles 34-13

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- So long, Eagles.

Up ahead for the Cincinnati Bengals, the only Pennsylvania team that truly matters.

Andy Dalton threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score, an opportunistic defense forced five turnovers and Cincinnati beat the Philadelphia Eagles 34-13 on Thursday night.

The Bengals (8-6) took a half-game lead over the Steelers for the last playoff spot in the AFC. But their game at Pittsburgh next week is far more important in the standings than this one.

US holiday sales slowly pick up after Sandy

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. consumers shook off Superstorm Sandy last month and stepped up holiday shopping, helped by a steady job market and lower gas prices.

Retail sales rose 0.3 percent in November from October, reversing the previous month's decline. Sales increased mostly because Americans spent more online, bought more electronics and began to replace cars and rebuild after the storm.

And a sharp drop in gas prices lowered the overall increase. Excluding gas stations, retail sales rose a solid 0.8 percent, according to the Commerce Department report released Thursday.

Boehner: White House risks fiscal cliff stalemate

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker John Boehner says the White House is so resistant to cutting spending that it is risking pushing the country off the "fiscal cliff."

In remarks he prepared to deliver to reporters on Thursday, the Ohio Republican says President Barack Obama has not been serious about controlling spending, which Republicans say is the source of government's budget deficit problems. Boehner says Obama wants far more in tax increases than on spending reductions, and says the president's refusal to control spending is why talks between the two men have failed to reach an agreement so far.

NY agency voting on using smartphones to hail cabs

NEW YORK (AP) -- Every New Yorker knows how to hail a yellow cab.

The next step for some might be to "e-hail" a cab using a smartphone.

Members of the city's Taxi & Limousine Commission are to vote Thursday on whether to allow people to nab a ride electronically. Downloaded apps would link customers with drivers.

Virgin Galactic future at Spaceport uncertain

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- The deal was sold to New Mexicans in classic Richard Branson fashion. If taxpayers would build the colorful British businessman a $209 million futuristic spaceport, he would make New Mexico the launching point for a space tourism business catering to the rich and famous.

Now, with Spaceport America nearly complete but still mostly empty, a Virgin Galactic official says the company will reassess its agreement if lawmakers don't pass liability exemption laws for its suppliers, raising the possibility it could take its spacecraft elsewhere.

US economy could withstand brief fall off 'cliff'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's the scenario that's been spooking employers and investors and slowing the U.S. economy:

Congress and the White House fail to strike a budget deal by New Year's Day. Their stalemate triggers sharp tax increases and spending cuts. Those measures shrink consumer spending, stifle job growth, topple stock prices and push the economy off a "fiscal cliff" and into recession.

The reality may be a lot less bleak.

Even if New Year's passed with no deal, few businesses or consumers would likely panic as long as an agreement seemed likely soon. The tax increases and spending cuts could be retroactively repealed after Jan. 1.

US economy could withstand brief fall off 'cliff'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's the scenario that's been spooking employers and investors and slowing the U.S. economy:

Congress and the White House fail to strike a budget deal by New Year's Day. Their stalemate triggers sharp tax increases and spending cuts. Those measures shrink consumer spending, stifle job growth, topple stock prices and push the economy off a "fiscal cliff" and into recession.

The reality may be a lot less bleak.

Even if New Year's passed with no deal, few businesses or consumers would likely panic as long as an agreement seemed likely soon. The tax increases and spending cuts could be retroactively repealed after Jan. 1.

Record Number of Journalists Are Jailed in 2012

A record number of journalists were imprisoned in 2012, and there are concerns it could be even worse in the New Year. The Committee to Protect Journalists has released its annual report listing the top jailers of members of the media. VOA’s Joe De Capua reports.

CPJ’s Mohamed Keita says attacks on the press have steadily grown.

“232 journalists were jailed in 27 nations around the world as of December 1st, 2012, surpassing the 1996 record of 185. And out of all these journalists, only three were international journalists. The vast majority were local journalists,” he said.

Worry Grows Over Rising Sectarian Attacks in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — Sunni-dominated Pakistan has seen an unprecedented spike in religious violence this year, with at least 375 minority Shi'ite Muslims killed across the country. Government critics say the violent conflict is likely to intensify if authorities do not do more to improve local governance and punish those who carry out sectarian attacks.

Sectarian bloodshed in Pakistan had peaked in the 1990s, and the violence subsided after the country joined with the U.S.-led coalition 10 years ago to fight terrorist and extremist groups.

Under pressure from the United States and other allies, Pakistan banned several Shi'ite and Sunni militant groups for having links to al-Qaida and Taliban extremists fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan.

USDA to allow more meat, grains in school lunches

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture Department is responding to criticism over new school lunch rules by allowing more grains and meat in children’s meals.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told members of Congress in a letter Friday that the department will do away with daily and weekly limits of meats and grains. Several lawmakers wrote the department after the new rules went into effect in September saying kids aren’t getting enough to eat.

School administrators also complained, saying set maximums on grains and meats are too limiting as they try to plan daily meals.

“This flexibility is being provided to allow more time for the development of products that fit within the new standards while granting schools additional weekly menu planning options to help ensure that children receive a wholesome, nutritious meal every day of the week,” Mr. Vilsack said in a letter to Sen. John Hoeven, North Dakota Republican.

Google teaming with Israeli high-tech startups

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- Google is searching for promising Israeli high-tech companies.

The international technology giant on Monday launched its "Campus Tel Aviv," a 1,500 square foot (140 square meter) space that will hold regular events for local entrepreneurs and offer access to Google staff and other industry experts.

The facility will also host "Launchpad," a selective, free two-week boot camp for early stage startups. It plans to help 100 promising Israeli startups there each year.

McDonald's November sales figure rises

NEW YORK (AP) -- McDonald's Corp. said Monday that a key sales figure rose in November, as U.S. customers snapped up the world's biggest hamburger chain's breakfast offerings and limited-time Cheddar Bacon Onion sandwiches.

The increase follows a decline in October, the first drop in McDonald's key monthly sales gauge in nearly a decade.

Investors sent McDonald's shares up 2.2 percent in premarket trading on Monday.

Obamas attend annual holiday concert in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A holiday concert attended Sunday by President Barack Obama and his family included some non-traditional entertainment this year: a performance by South Korean rapper and Internet sensation PSY.

PSY- wearing an all-red outfit including a sparkling, sequined top- was backed by dancers wearing reindeer antlers as he performed his popular "Gangnam Style" dance, which mimics riding a horse.

The rapper, born Park Jae-sang, had apologized Friday for using what he called "inflammatory and inappropriate language" during anti-U.S. protests at concerts in 2002 and 2004. The flak from his remarks didn't dampen the festive holiday mood Sunday.

Syrian Rebels Set Sights on Damascus Airport

Syrian rebels say they plan to seize Damascus International Airport, declaring it a legitimate target in their fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

A rebel commander said Friday attacks on the airport are justified because it is being used as a military zone. He said civilians should avoid the area. It was unclear just how close to the airport the battles had reached.

Fighting has intensified in the past week in the southern districts of the Syrian capital and its suburbs.

Earlier Friday, Syrian activists said the army had bombed two Damascus suburbs and increased reinforcements in an effort to try to reclaim territory controlled by rebels.

LAPD apologizes to Notorious B.I.G.'s family

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Police detectives apologized to the family of Notorious B.I.G. for failing to warn them about the planned release of his autopsy report more than 15 years after he died in a drive-by shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department said Saturday.

The detectives had intended to notify the rapper's family, but the report was released prematurely "due to an administrative error," the department said in a statement.

"Our detectives personally spoke with the Wallace family (Friday) night, and apologized for not notifying them prior to the release" said Capt. Billy Hayes, who heads LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, which is investigating the killing. "Obviously this has been a challenging case for us to solve. We hope that witnesses or other people with information will come forward and give us the clues we need to solve this case."

Astronaut, Cosmonaut Plan for a Year in Orbit

Think of where you were and what you were doing six months ago. Now think about where you were and what you were doing 12 months ago.

Veteran NASA astronaut Scott Kelly said that might give you a better idea of what is in store for him and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. They are the two space travelers selected for a one-year stay aboard the International Space Station - more than twice as long as the usual mission.  

South African icon Nelson Mandela hospitalized

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela was admitted to a military hospital Saturday for medical tests, though the nation's president told the public there was "no cause for alarm" over the 94-year-old icon's health.

The statement issued by President Jacob Zuma's spokesman said that Mandela was doing well and was receiving medical care "which is consistent for his age." The statement offered no other details.

Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term. He later retired from public life to live in his village of Qunu, and last made a public appearance when his country hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

Crist considers another run for Florida governor as a Democrat; GOP says 'bring it on'

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Now that former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist is a Democrat, pretty much everyone in Florida's political world expects him to seek his old seat.

"I will consider it, and I will think about it," Crist said by phone while boating off of Miami and before a planned dinner with former Democratic governor and Sen. Bob Graham.

Crist revealed his long-anticipated conversion Friday that after more than two years as an independent. He made the announcement on Twitter and included a photo of his new voter registration form that he filled out at the White House.

Brazil remembers famed architect with vigil, samba

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The city where architect Oscar Niemeyer was born 104 years ago said goodbye Friday with a public vigil, flowers and, yes, samba.

After a viewing in Brasilia, in the presidential palace he himself designed, Niemeyer's body was flown to Rio for a vigil. Men and women filed by his wooden casket covered by a Brazilian flag and three red roses in the City Palace, paying their respects before his burial.

At the Sao Joao Batista Cemetery, a few hundred mourners easily pushed their way into what was supposed to be a closed ceremony, following the funeral procession through the front gates, squeezing into the mazelike space tightly packed with mausoleums and statues.

George Zimmerman sues NBC and reporters

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- George Zimmerman sued NBC on Thursday, claiming he was defamed when the network edited his 911 call to police after the shooting of Trayvon Martin to make it sound like he was racist.

The former neighborhood watch volunteer filed the lawsuit seeking an undisclosed amount of money in Seminole County, outside Orlando. Also named in the complaint were three reporters covering the story for NBC or an NBC-owned television station.

The complaint said the airing of the edited call has inflicted emotional distress on Zimmerman, making him fear for his life and causing him to suffer nausea, insomnia and anxiety.

The lawsuit claims NBC edited his phone call to a dispatcher in February. In the call, Zimmerman describes following Martin in the gated community where he lived, just moments before he fatally shot the 17-year-old teen during a confrontation.

Pot smokers celebrate in streets as Wash. State legalizes marijuana

SEATTLE (AP) -- The crowds of happy people lighting joints under Seattle's Space Needle early Thursday morning with nary a police officer in sight bespoke the new reality: Marijuana is legal under Washington state law.

Hundreds gathered at Seattle Center for a New Year's Eve-style countdown to 12 a.m., when the legalization measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they cheered and sparked up in unison.

A few dozen people gathered on a sidewalk outside the north Seattle headquarters of the annual Hempfest celebration and did the same, offering joints to reporters and blowing smoke into television news cameras.

Bosnia's capital becomes safe haven for stray dogs

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- It's past midnight and a van stops on a hilly Sarajevo street. The side door slides open quietly and four dogs jump out. The van makes a U-turn and disappears into the dark.

A few moments later, animal protection activist Amela Turalic is awoken by a phone call, and a female voice informs her that another "delivery" has just been made.

The city that was the scene of some of the worst warfare during the Balkans wars has unexpectedly become a safe haven - for stray dogs facing death elsewhere in the country.

Sandy is thought to have slowed US hiring in Nov.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Superstorm Sandy is widely thought to have slowed U.S. job growth last month. The only question is how much - an answer that's expected to emerge Friday in the government's jobs report for November.

Yet once the storm's impact is cleared away, the report may reveal that the job market is strengthening.

Many economists predict employers added fewer than 100,000 jobs last month, and some think it was fewer than 50,000. That would be far below the 171,000 created in October and normally a sign of a weak market. The unemployment rate is expected to remain 7.9 percent.

Merriam-Webster look-up hawks choose 2 2012 words of the year: capitalism and socialism

NEW YORK (AP) -- Thanks to the election, socialism and capitalism are forever wed as Merriam-Webster's most looked-up words of 2012.

Traffic for the unlikely pair on the company's website about doubled this year from the year before as the health care debate heated up and discussion intensified over "American capitalism" versus "European socialism," said the editor at large, Peter Sokolowski.

The choice revealed Wednesday was "kind of a no-brainer," he said. The side-by-side interest among political candidates and around kitchen tables prompted the dictionary folk to settle on two words of the year rather than one for the first time since the accolade began in 2003.

Serbia ambassador to NATO leaps to death from parking garage platform at Brussels airport

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Serbia's ambassador to NATO was chatting and joking with colleagues in a multistory parking garage at Brussels Airport when he suddenly strolled to a barrier, climbed over and flung himself to the ground below, a diplomat said.

By the time his shocked colleagues reached him, Branislav Milinkovic was dead.

His motives are a mystery. Three diplomats who knew Milinkovic said he did not appear distraught in the hours leading up to his death Tuesday night. He seemed to be going about his regular business, they said, picking up an arriving delegation of six Serbian officials who were to hold talks with NATO, the alliance that went to war with his country just 13 years ago.

World Bank: Arab World hit hard by climate change

DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- The Middle East and North Africa will be especially hard hit by climate change in the coming decades, the World Bank said in a report Wednesday, saying the region will see less rainfall, more recording-breaking temperatures and rising sea levels.

Should temperatures rise as expected, the hotter conditions are likely to hit the region's $50 billion ((EURO)38.2 billion) tourism industry and further worsen its food security since many countries in the region - especially Gulf states - depend heavily on imports to feed their populations. Crop failures will also increase while yields will decrease and household incomes will fall, the report said.

Police searching desperately for sick girl with open catheter in heart after mom takes her

PHOENIX (AP) -- Emily has leukemia. She just underwent a month of chemotherapy and had her right arm amputated after suffering complications. Doctors say she is at risk of dying from an infection.

But the sick 11-year-old isn't in a hospital.

Her mother last week inexplicably unhooked a tube that had been carrying vital medication through the girl's heart, got her out of bed and changed her clothes. Then she did something police say is even more baffling - she walked the child out of the hospital, the tiny tube still protruding from her chest.

New search engine connects literary dots

NEW YORK (AP) -- Author Jennifer Gilmore is reading a biography of the late David Foster Wallace. She's curious about his most famous book, the novel "Infinite Jest," and wants to poke around on the Internet to learn more.

Her destination is Small Demons, smalldemons.com , an encyclopedia and "Storyverse" that catalogues names, places, songs, products and other categories for thousands of books.

CDC says US flu season arrives early, could be bad, but one-third of Americans are vaccinated

NEW YORK (AP) -- Flu season in the U.S. is off to its earliest start in nearly a decade - and it could be a bad one.

Health officials on Monday said suspected flu cases have jumped in five Southern states, and the primary strain circulating tends to make people sicker than other types. It is particularly hard on the elderly.

"It looks like it's shaping up to be a bad flu season, but only time will tell," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

US slams Israel on new settlement plan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration on Monday harshly criticized its top Mideast ally, Israel, over new settlement construction plans in areas the Palestinians claim for a future state and urged it to rethink them.

The White House and State Department said the plans run counter to longstanding U.S. policy, particularly as they relate to a sensitive piece of land outside Jerusalem known as E1.

"We reiterate our long standing opposition to Israeli settlement activity and East Jerusalem construction," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters. "We oppose all unilateral actions, including settlement activity and housing construction as they complicate efforts to resume direct, bilateral negotiations and risk prejudging the outcome of those negotiations and this including building in the so called E-1 area."

Bangladesh fire victims want old jobs back

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- As 112 of her co-workers died in a garment-factory fire, Dipa Akter got out by jumping from the third floor through a hole made by breaking apart an exhaust fan. Her left leg is wrapped in bandages and she has trouble walking.

Now she wants back in.

"If the factory owner reopens the factory sometime soon, we will work again here," the 19-year-old said. "If it's closed for long, we have to think of alternatives."

Major retailers whose products were found in the fire have disavowed the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory, but workers who survived have not. They can't afford to.

Spain's king leaves hospital after hip operation

MADRID (AP) -- King Juan Carlos has been discharged from a hospital in Madrid nine days after entering to undergo reconstructive surgery on his left hip joint.

The 74-year-old Spanish monarch joked with journalists as he left a hospital Sunday in the front passenger seat of a chauffeur-driven car, promising to "take things very easy" during his recuperation.

A hospital statement says the king had "very satisfactorily completed the first phase of his rehabilitation."

In April, the head of state was flown back from a controversial elephant hunting safari in Botswana, after fracturing his right hip joint.

The king has had several health issues in the past two years, including knee surgery and the removal of a benign lung tumor.

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Chinese AIDS patients fight hospital rejections

BEIJING (AP) -- Wang Pinghe wants the tumor in his liver removed before it becomes life-threatening. But the 28-year-old Chinese villager knows it will be hard to find a hospital that will do the operation - because he has AIDS.

In China, hospitals routinely reject people with HIV for surgery out of fear of exposure to the virus or harm to their reputations. After years of denying AIDS was a problem in China, the country has significantly improved care for patients, but the lingering stigma sets back those advances.

Feds seize 132 domain names to stop knockoff sales

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- More than 100 domain names were seized in an international crackdown on websites that sell counterfeit merchandise, federal authorities said Monday, just in time for the biggest online shopping day of the year.

It was the third consecutive Cyber Monday that websites selling knockoff sports jerseys, DVDs, cologne and other goods were blocked from doing business. This year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations coordinated the 132-site effort with Europol and police in Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania and the United Kingdom.

"This is not an American problem, it is a global one, and it is a fight we must win," ICE Director John Morton said in a statement.

Despite talk of compromise, fiscal deal elusive

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Talk of compromise on a broad budget deal greeted returning lawmakers Monday, but agreement still seemed distant as the White House and congressional Republicans ceded little ground on a key sticking point: whether to raise revenue through higher tax rates or by limiting tax breaks and deductions.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, pressed his case for revenue derived by reducing tax loopholes rather than raising tax rates on wealthy taxpayers, as President Barack Obama insists.

Boehner, voicing the Republican stance, said: "The American people support an approach that involves both major spending cuts and additional revenue via tax reform with lower tax rates."

Rolling Stones storm London; New York next

LONDON (AP) -- The verdict is in: The Rolling Stones are back. They may look old, but they still sound young.

That was the consensus Monday as Britain's rock critics responded to the Stones 50th anniversary bash Sunday night, the first of five shows to commemorate their half century of rhythm and blues-tinged rock. It was the band's first London performance in five years, and their own advancing years had led some to be skeptical that they could still perform at the highest level.

JFK's last night, largely forgotten, considered seminal event for Latinos as a voting bloc

President John F. Kennedy was supposed to just stop by and wave hello.

Instead a group of eager Latinos persuaded him to come inside and speak to a packed room of Mexican-American civil rights activists. And then he persuaded his wife, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, to address the crowd in Spanish.

It was Nov. 21, 1963. Hours later, the president was dead, his assassination overshadowing the significance of a speech that can be seen as the birth of the Latino vote, so instrumental in 2012 in helping re-elect the first black president, Barack Obama.

To historians, Kennedy's appearance at the Rice Ballroom in Houston was likely the first time that a president officially acknowledged Latinos as an important voting bloc.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt and American Allyson Felix named IAAF World Athletes of the Year

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Usain Bolt won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award for the fourth time Saturday after defending his 100 and 200 meter gold medals at last summer's Olympic Games in London.

The Jamaican sprinter, who beat out American hurdler Aries Merritt and Kenyan runner David Rudisha, had previously won the award in 2008, 2009, and 2011.

"For me this is a great honor to win a fourth time. I really worked hard and I was really focused this year. This season was one of my toughest. I had my ups and downs, even though we don't like to talk about them," said Bolt, who thanked his coach and the fans at the Olympics.

Why must we buy? Black Friday's powerful pull

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (AP) -- Gravy was still warm. Dallas Cowboys were still in uniform. Thanks were still being given across the country as the pilgrimages to the stores began, heralding a new era of American consumerism.

Lured by earlier-than-ever Black Friday sales, people left Grandma and Grandpa in search of Samsung and Toshiba. They did not go blindly: In dozens of interviews, people acknowledged how spending has become inseparable from the holidays. Older folks pined for the days of Erector Sets and Thumbelinas while in line to pay iPad prices. Even some younger shoppers said it felt wrong to be spending money instead of quality time on Thanksgiving.

Iowa GOP officials call presidential straw poll part of losing past, look to inclusiveness

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- In the days since Republicans lost an election many in the party thought was theirs, chatter has been bubbling about what the GOP should do to recover.

For Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, it starts with the smallest of actions: abandoning the state's now-infamous straw poll.

Once a festive checkpoint on the road to the leadoff Iowa caucuses, the poll has devolved into a full-blown sideshow, Branstad and other critics contend. They say it's an unfair and false test that has felled good candidates and kept others from competing in the state.

Turkey, apple pie and some arguing: Politically divided families brace for T-day friction

Ah, Thanksgiving. A little turkey, some cranberry mold, maybe apple pie with ice cream, some football on TV. Getting together with the cousins. Catching up beside the fire. Togetherness.

On second thought: Scratch that. What were we thinking? This was an election year.

"The Thanksgiving table will be a battleground," says Andrew Marshall, 34, of Quincy, Mass.

Like many extended families across the country, Marshall's includes Democrats and Republicans, conservatives, liberals and independents. And so, like many families that count both red and blue voters in their ranks, they're expecting fireworks. Things had already gotten so bad on Facebook, the family had to ban political banter.

Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell offer custom recordings

NEW YORK (AP) -- Imagine having William Shatner supply your outgoing voicemail message. Or maybe you'd prefer Morgan Freeman coolly telling callers to wait for the beep. Or perhaps having Betty White joke around is more your speed.

All it takes is $299 and some luck.

The advocacy group Autism Speaks is offering custom-recorded messages from those celebrities as well as Will Ferrell, Carrie Fisher, Tom Hanks, Derek Jeter, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart and Ed Asner.

From Dec. 3 to Dec. 9, a limited number of 20-second long MP3 messages will be recorded by each celebrity on a first-come, first-served basis for fans to do with as they wish. All requests must be of the PG variety.

Despite investigations spreading blame around, 2 workers shoulder blame for BP oil disaster

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The manslaughter charges brought against two relatively low-ranking BP rig workers in the deadly Gulf of Mexico disaster may be as far as federal prosecutors are willing to go. Or maybe they intend to use the two men to work their way up the corporate ladder.

The Justice Department has said only that its criminal investigation is still going on. As a result, others are left guessing about prosecutors' intentions.

"Either there simply isn't evidence that anybody higher up was involved, or the department has concluded the only way it's going to make its case against more senior corporate officers is if it charges and eventually obtains cooperation" from the two men, said David Uhlmann, a University of Michigan law professor and former chief of the Justice Department's environmental crimes section.

Obama's education agenda may look less like real reform and more like tying up loose ends

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's education agenda for next four years may look less like real reform and more like tying up loose ends, experts say, with practical budget issues and an age-old power struggle between Congress and the administration getting in the way.

Campaign-year aspirations for Obama's second term included closing the educational achievement gap and boosting college graduation rates to the highest in the world. But those lofty goals may have to wait, as lawmakers and Obama tackle a number of gritty funding-related issues that just can't wait.

Civil rights chief says govt should automatically register voters from existing databases

WASHINGTON (AP) -- One of the top enforcers of the nation's civil rights laws said Friday government should be responsible for automatically registering citizens to vote by using existing databases to compile lists of all eligible residents in each jurisdiction.

The proposal by Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, chief of the Justice Department's civil rights division, follows an election with breakdowns that forced voters in many states to wait in line for hours.

In remarks at George Washington University law school, Perez said census data shows that of 75 million adult citizens who failed to vote in the 2008 presidential election, 60 million were not registered and therefore ineligible to cast a ballot.

Judge grants Miley Cyrus civil restraining order

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A judge has granted Miley Cyrus a three-year civil restraining order against a man convicted of trespassing at her home in Los Angeles.

The stay-away order was granted Friday against Jason Luis Rivera by Superior Court Judge William D. Stewart.

The 40-year-old Rivera was convicted in October of trespassing at the singer's home and sentenced to 18 months in jail.

He is scheduled to be released in May. Authorities said at the time of Rivera's arrest in September that he was carrying scissors and ran into the wall of Cyrus' home as if trying to break in.

Rivera did not respond to Cyrus' petition.

The 20-year-old former star of "Hannah Montana" did not attend the hearing. Her attorney Bryan Sullivan declined comment.

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Israel and Hamas battle on social media as well

JERUSALEM (AP) -- The hostilities between Israel and Hamas have found a new battleground: social media.

The Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas militants have exchanged fiery tweets throughout the fighting in a separate war to influence public opinion.

Shortly after it launched its campaign Wednesday by killing Hamas' top military commander Ahmed Jabari, the Israeli military's media office announced a "widespread campaign on terror sites & operatives in the (hash)Gaza Strip" on its Twitter account.

Report: Employers plan modest increase in hiring for new college grads in coming year

Modest good news for college students: An annual survey predicts employers will increase hiring of new 4-year college graduates about 5 percent in the coming year. Demand for graduates with associate's degrees is expected to increase more sharply - by about 30 percent compared to last year's survey- while MBA hiring appears headed for an unexpected decline.

The 42nd annual survey out Thursday from Michigan State University's College Employment Research Institute collects responses on hiring plans from more than 2,000 U.S. employers. It paints a mixed picture reflecting an improving economy but also uncertainty over whether Congress and the White House will carry the country off the fiscal cliff in January, potentially sending the economy back into recession.

In UK, Twitter, Facebook rants land some in jail

LONDON (AP) -- One teenager made offensive comments about a murdered child on Twitter. Another young man wrote on Facebook that British soldiers should "go to hell." A third posted a picture of a burning paper poppy, symbol of remembrance of war dead.

All were arrested, two convicted, and one jailed - and they're not the only ones. In Britain, hundreds of people are prosecuted each year for posts, tweets, texts and emails deemed menacing, indecent, offensive or obscene, and the number is growing as our online lives expand.

House GOP elects a woman, McMorris Rodgers, to a top leadership post after election losses

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Stinging from double-digit election losses among female voters, House Republicans elected a woman to their top leadership team Wednesday in a tense test of gender politics and the clout of the GOP's power brokers.

The election of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state to the No. 4 leadership position among House Republicans dispatches conservative favorite Tom Price of Georgia, who had been endorsed by Mitt Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. House Speaker John Boehner didn't take sides, but McMorris Rodgers was considered the leadership favorite.

Doctors, others demand clearer Irish abortion law

DUBLIN (AP) -- Pressure mounted Thursday for the Irish government to draft a law spelling out when life-saving abortions can be performed - a demand that came after a pregnant woman who was denied an abortion died.

Activists protested Thursday night in Belfast a day after thousands rallied in London, Dublin, Cork and Galway in memory of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist who died a week after doctors said she was starting to miscarry her 17-week-old fetus.

Despite her rising pain, doctors refused her request for an abortion for three days because the fetus had a heartbeat. She died in the hospital from blood poisoning three days after the fetus died and was surgically removed.

Rocky's not so tough: Sly outnumbered by his girls

ROME (AP) -- Rocky's going soft.

Sylvester Stallone confessed Wednesday he's woefully outnumbered at home by his girls - and couldn't be happier.

Presenting his latest film "Bullet to the Head" screening at the Rome Film Festival, he said Wednesday: "I came into my life like Rambo, like Rocky: Boom, boom, no problem. And then one girl, two girls, three of them."

Official: NY emergency chief fired for using crew to clear tree at home during Sandy

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has fired his $153,000-a-year emergency management director for diverting a crew to remove a tree from his Long Island home's driveway after Superstorm Sandy hit, a state official said Wednesday.

Director of Emergency Management Steven Kuhr was fired after the governor was told that Kuhr called a Suffolk County crew to remove a fallen tree from his driveway, according to the official. Kuhr was working in Albany at the time last week, shortly after Sandy hit.

Early vote turns to Election Day effort, last act of long, intensive presidential campaign

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ever urgent as the clock ran down, Barack Obama's and Mitt Romney's teams pressed voters to get to the polls while thousands who were already there waited in long lines for their final chance to avoid the Election Day crush.

"I thought I'd come today to beat the rush tomorrow," 24-year-old Britnee Luke, a Romney supporter from Columbus, Ohio, said Monday in a line where she had stood for more than an hour Monday morning. "Oh, well."

That line - more than 1,000 murmuring voters winding in a maze through a former department store on Columbus' west side - was just one of the many scenes where some of the 2012 presidential campaign's final acts were playing out across the country.

Freddie Mac posts $2.9B net income for Q3

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mortgage giant Freddie Mac posted net income of $2.9 billion for the July-September quarter, its second straight profitable quarter.

The government-controlled company attributed the gain to rising home prices and fewer mortgage delinquencies.

Freddie paid a dividend of $1.8 billion to the U.S. Treasury and requested no additional federal aid.

The increase compared with a loss of $6 billion for the same quarter of 2011. It also marked the sixth quarter in which Freddie sought no additional aid since being taken over by the government in September 2008.

Syrian rebels take villages near Israel-held area

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Syrian rebels control almost all the villages near the frontier with the Israel-held Golan Heights, the Israeli defense minister said Wednesday, bringing the conflict dangerously close to the Jewish state and raising the possibility of an armed clash with the region's strongest power.

During a tour of the Golan Heights, Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave a scathing assessment of Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and said Israel will remain "vigilant and alert."

"Almost all of the villages, from the foot of this ridge to the very top, are already in the hands of the Syrian rebels," said Barak, who was accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The Syrian army is displaying ever-diminishing efficiency."

Family defends Malaysian held over Facebook insult

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- The family of a Malaysian man detained for allegedly insulting a state sultan on Facebook called for his release Monday, saying the government is violating his free-speech rights.

Police arrested 27-year-old Ahmad Abdul Jalil in Kuala Lumpur and took him to southern Johor state late Friday. He was freed briefly Monday after a magistrate court in Johor refused to extend his remand order but police immediately arrested him again, said his sister Anisa Abdul Jalil.

Anisa said the family was told he was being investigated for seditious remarks against the Johor sultan.

She said the family did not know what the offensive postings were. Local media have reported that the Facebook postings at issue question Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar's abilities as leader of a special forces group.

1 killed, 1 missing in South Africa boat accident

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- A rescue official says one man is dead and a local tour guide is missing after a boat capsized off Hout Bay near the western city of Cape Town.

Craig Lambinon of the National Sea Rescue Institute said there were 38 people onboard the charter boat Miroshga on Saturday, not 41 as previously assumed, and that there was one fatality. At least 24 of the survivors were hospitalized with serious or minor injuries.

SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: High court makes a brief appearance as campaign issue at VP debate

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A closely divided Supreme Court. Four justices in their 70s. Presidential candidates with dramatically different views of the ideal high court nominee.

And yet, until late in Thursday's debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, hardly a word about the court had passed the candidates' lips. When the presidential candidates debated a week earlier, the Supreme Court was not mentioned even once.

Neither President Barack Obama nor Republican challenger Mitt Romney talks about the court in campaign speeches.

Egypt's prosecutor general will keep job after agreement reached with president

CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt's new president backed down Saturday from his decision to remove the country's top prosecutor, keeping him in his post and sidestepping a potential clash with the country's powerful judiciary.

The two-day standoff between President Mohammed Morsi and Prosecutor General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud escalated with a backlash from a powerful group of judges who said Morsi's move had infringed upon their authority.

The standoff, which both sides later described as a "misunderstanding," exposed the enduring strength of an establishment packed with holdovers from the days of former President Hosni Mubarak, and underlined Morsi's limitations in challenging long-standing institutions.

Son of Kyrgyzstan's deposed president arrested in London, faces possible US extradition

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) -- The fugitive son of Kyrgyzstan's deposed president has been arrested by police in London on a U.S. extradition warrant on suspicion of fraud, British and Kyrgyz authorities said Saturday.

London's Metropolitan Police said 34-year-old Maksim Bakiyev was arrested Friday afternoon and faces charges of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice between 2010 and 2012.

He was detained by officers from the force's extradition unit after agreeing to go to a police station in the upmarket Belgravia area of the city, and released on bail until his next court hearing on Dec. 7, it said.

Beverage industry sues over NYC ban on big, sugary drinks at restaurants, concession stands

NEW YORK (AP) -- Soda makers, restaurateurs and other businesses sued Friday to try to block the city's unprecedented move to restrict sales of super-sized, sugary drinks, an effort the city called a coup for public health but the industry views as unfair and undemocratic.

"For the first time, they're telling New Yorkers how much of certain safe and lawful beverages they can drink," said Caroline Starke, a spokeswoman for the business groups, whose complaint also faults the city for making the decision through an unelected board. The groups include the American Beverage Association, the National Restaurant Association, a soft drink workers union and groups representing interests ranging from movie theater owners to Korean-American grocers.

Profits soar at 2 largest mortgage lenders

NEW YORK (AP) -- Is the mortgage market really back?

The country's two biggest mortgage lenders, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, reported Friday that a surge in home lending pushed them to record profits.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon declared that the housing market "has turned the corner." Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf said that "every quarter, we have more confidence."

Wells said it issued $139 billion in mortgages from July through September, compared with $89 billion in the same period last year. JPMorgan wrote $47 billion in mortgages, compared with $37 billion last year.

Best Buy to match some rivals' online pricing

NEW YORK (AP) -- Best Buy said Friday that it has authorized its store staffers to match online prices of competitors in some cases, as it ramps up for the all-important holiday season.

Best Buy and others already offer price-matching guarantees for local competitors' brick-and-mortar stores. But stores don't usually match online prices, since those tend to be lower.

Competition between online merchants and discount stores is expected to be fierce during the crucial holiday period - when a retailer can make up to 40 percent of annual sales.

Letters show Ryan asking for federal programs as he pushed for smaller government with Romney

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is a fiscal conservative, champion of small government and critic of federal handouts. But as a congressman in Wisconsin, Ryan lobbied for tens of millions of dollars on behalf of his constituents for the kinds of largess he's now campaigning against, according to an Associated Press review of 8,900 pages of correspondence between Ryan's office and more than 70 executive branch agencies.

For 12 years in the House, Ryan wrote to federal agencies supporting expansion of food stamps in his Wisconsin district. He supported city officials and everyday constituents who sought stimulus grants, federally guaranteed business loans, grants to invest in green technology and money under the health care law he opposes.

Decade after attack, tears for dead, hope for Bali

BALI, Indonesia (AP) -- A decade after bombs ripped through two Bali nightclubs, Friday was filled with reminders of what was lost in this tropical paradise, and what was not. Tears fell as victims' names were read at a memorial, but not far away, surfers paddled for world-class waves and vacationing shoppers lined busy sidewalks haggling for souvenirs.

Suicide bombers killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, when one blew himself up inside and another set off a car bomb at the popular Sari Club and Paddy's Pub in Kuta that sultry Saturday night in 2002. But radicalism did not take over this moderate Muslim nation, and the visitors terrorists once scared away from the resort island have come flooding back.

21 arrested in NYC, accused of selling pills via Craigslist ads; 'No law enforcement please'

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Craigslist ad offered black-market Percocet pills for sale but warned potential customers: "No LE please." Meaning: No law enforcement.

Like that made a difference.

The 40-year-old man accused of placing the ad was among 21 people arrested in an attempt by the New York Police Department to make an example out of some of the smallest of small-time drug dealers: students, young professionals and others who clean out the medicine cabinet and then are brazen enough - and foolish enough - to offer the pills for up to $20 a pop over the Internet.

Turkey: Syrian plane was carrying ammunition

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Escalating tensions with Russia, Turkey defended its forced landing of a Syrian passenger jet en route from Moscow to Damascus, saying Thursday it was carrying Russian ammunition and military equipment destined for the Syrian Defense Ministry.

Syria branded the incident piracy and Russia called the search illegal, saying it endangered the lives of Russian citizens aboard the plane.

The accusation by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan contradicted denials by both Russia and Syria that anything illegal had been aboard the Airbus A320 that was intercepted over Turkish airspace late Wednesday.

Court sides with Samsung in dispute with Apple

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- A federal appeals court has sided with Samsung Electronics Corp. in one aspect of its ongoing patent dispute with Apple Inc.

The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday overturned a judge's order blocking Samsung from selling its Galaxy Nexus smart phone pending a patent lawsuit by Apple.

PC shipments fall, 1 firm says Lenovo overtakes HP

NEW YORK (AP) -- Worldwide shipments of PCs fell sharply in the third quarter, as some consumers spent their electronics dollars on smartphones and tablets and others held off for a new version of Windows.

One research firm also estimated Wednesday that Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd. outsold Hewlett-Packard Co. for the first time to become the world's largest seller of PCs.

Gartner said global PC shipments fell 8.3 percent to 87.5 million, while IDC said the decline was 8.6 percent to 87.8 million. Their reports came hours after a third research firm, IHS iSuppli, projected that PC shipments are bound for their first annual decline in 11 years.

IMF offers bleak assessment of stalled recovery

TOKYO (AP) -- Plagued by uncertainty and fresh setbacks, the world economy has weakened further and will grow more slowly over the next year, the International Monetary Fund says in its latest forecast.

Advanced economies are risking recession, the international lending organization said in a quarterly update of its World Economic Outlook, and the malaise is spreading to more dynamic emerging economies such as China.

Romney skips 'Kids Pick the President' TV special, disses children, producer says

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Mitt Romney may want to reconsider his campaign strategy involving the pint-size voters of tomorrow.

The Republican presidential candidate skipped the chance to take part in Nickelodeon's "Kids Pick the President" special that includes President Barack Obama, said Linda Ellerbee, the show's host and executive producer. The decision "disses" children, she said.

During last week's presidential debate, Romney vowed to cut federal funding for PBS while acknowledging it's the home of popular "Sesame Street" character Big Bird.

Re-elected Chavez faces likely economic reckoning

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- During his re-election campaign, President Hugo Chavez promised to deepen the "21st century socialism" that has meant an ever-greater state role in the economy. That message won him a surprising 11-percentage point win in what many had thought would be a tight race.

Still, he's set to start a fourth presidential term under challenging economic circumstances. The government's free-spending ways, bankrolling the generous social programs that aided his re-election, may be seriously crimped.

Chavez faces immediate economic time bombs beginning with a rapidly expanding public debt, one of Latin America's highest inflation rates and a weakening currency.

More than 30 civilians killed by Nigeria military

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) -- Nigerian soldiers angry about the killing of an officer shot dead more than 30 civilians Monday in a northeastern city long under siege by a radical Islamist sect.

The attack came from soldiers attached to a special military unit on guard in Maiduguri, the spiritual home of the sect known as Boko Haram, in an effort to supposedly protect its citizens from the violence gripping the city. The killings likely will further antagonize a population already alienated by checkpoints, security force harassment and the threat of being killed by soldiers who are targets for the sect's increasingly bloody guerrilla attacks.

UnitedHealth plans overseas growth with $4.9B deal

UnitedHealth Group Inc. will spend about $4.9 billion to buy a majority stake in Brazilian health benefits and care provider Amil Participacoes SA, as the largest U.S. health insurer leaps into an international market it says is primed for growth.

UnitedHealth, based in Minnetonka, Minn., said Monday that the deal gives it better access to a country of 200 million people where only 25 percent of the population is covered by private health insurance. In contrast, about 78 percent of the U.S. market has private health benefits, as opposed to government coverage like Medicaid or Medicare.

Freeze, drought take bite out of fall tourism

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Devastating spring freezes and a historic drought have stripped some charm from rustic fall destinations, leaving some corn too short to create mazes, orchards virtually devoid of apples and fall colors muted.

Extreme weather has forced agritourism ventures in the heart of the country to scramble to hold onto their share of an industry that generates hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Pat Schaefers, who runs Schaefers Corn Maze near Lollie, Ark., hopes visitors to the farm's two mazes won't mind that the corn is just 6 to 8 feet this fall - up to 4 feet shorter than the wall of corn families and school groups normally pay to get lost and turned-around in.

Papal pardon expected for butler after conviction

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- A painful and damaging chapter in Pope Benedict XVI's papacy closed Saturday with the conviction of his former butler on charges he stole the pontiff's private letters and leaked them to a journalist. But questions remain as to whether anyone else was involved in the plot, and when the pope will pardon his once-trusted aide.

Paolo Gabriele, until recently affectionately dubbed "Paoletto" by his intimate pontifical family, stood stone-faced as Judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre read out the conviction and sentenced him to 18-months in prison for the gravest Vatican security breach in recent memory.

Pakistanis, Americans protest drones in long drive

ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Thousands of Pakistanis joined by a group of U.S. anti-war activists headed toward Pakistan's militant-riddled tribal belt Saturday to protest U.S. drone strikes - even as a Pakistani Taliban faction warned that suicide bombers would stop the demonstration.

The motorcade march was led by Imran Khan, an ex-cricket star-turned-populist politician who heads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Militants have dismissed Khan as a tool of the West despite his condemnations of the drone strikes, which have killed many Islamist insurgent leaders.

NKorean soldier defects to SKorea across border

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- A North Korean soldier killed two of his officers Saturday and defected to South Korea across the countries' heavily armed border in a rare crossing that prompted South Korean troops to immediately beef up their border patrol, officials said.

The soldier shot his platoon and company commanders before crossing the western side of the Demilitarized Zone at around noon, a Defense Ministry official said, citing the soldier's statement after he was taken into custody by South Korean border guards.

In NC, long-standing rivalry between progressives and conservatives gets boost from outsiders

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina's population has nearly doubled since 1970, fueled by an economic expansion that brought an influx of Midwesterners, Northeasterners and nonwhites and turning the state from a Republican presidential stronghold into a battleground.

Among the new residents: Carol Fentiman, 66, a Chicago native who retired with her husband to the western Carolina mountains seven years ago from California and is a Democratic Party volunteer. And Piper Phillips, 18, a college student who moved here a year ago from Ohio and who will cast her first presidential ballot this year for Barack Obama.

Spaniard tried in Cuba dissident death; no verdict

BAYAMO, Cuba (AP) -- A Spanish political activist was tried Friday on charges of negligently causing the car crash that killed a prominent Cuban dissident. Several government opponents including noted blogger Yoani Sanchez were detained around this eastern city where the proceedings were taking place.

Defendant Angel Carromero's trial wrapped up in the evening in Bayamo, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of the capital and near the site of the July 22 highway crash in which Oswaldo Paya and another dissident, Harold Cepero, died.

Syrian regime opens new urban front, shells Homs

BEIRUT (AP) -- The Syrian military opened a second urban front Friday, attacking the rebel stronghold of Homs with the most intense artillery barrage in months and putting opposition fighters there and in Syria's largest city, Aleppo, increasingly on the defensive.

Syria's civil war has been locked in a bloody stalemate, and embattled President Bashar Assad could extend his hold on power if he retakes Aleppo and Homs. Amateur video from Homs, a symbol of resistance, showed black columns of smoke rising from the city, as loud explosions went off every few seconds.

While Assad stepped up attacks at home, tensions with neighboring Turkey flared again Friday, reviving fears that the 18-month-old conflict in Syria could ignite a regional conflagration.

American man shoots, kills chef at Israel hotel

JERUSALEM (AP) -- A young American shot and killed a chef at a hotel in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat Friday, before forces from an anti-terror unit shot the gunman dead, police said. The incident appeared to be based on a personal dispute.

The attacker was on a Jewish work and study program and was employed at the hotel until earlier this week.

Eilat police official Eitan Gedassis told Israel Radio the attacker snatched a gun from a hotel security guard and fired a number of shots at the Leonardo Club hotel in the Red Sea resort city, killing the chef.

Report says EU nuclear plants need better safety

BRUSSELS (AP) -- The cost of needed improvements to the 145 nuclear reactors in the European Union could run as high as (EURO)25 billion ($32 billion) over the coming years, the bloc's energy commissioner said Thursday.

A new EU report released Thursday said that stress tests carried out in the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan showed that almost all of the EU plants needed safety improvements.

Officials said earlier that the tests did not reveal the need to close any of the EU nuclear plants immediately.

Ryan wants GOP message to be so compelling, voters give the ticket a clear victory and mandate

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan said Thursday that he wants the Republican campaign message to be so detailed and compelling that Mitt Romney will be elected president "by acclamation."

The Wisconsin congressman said at a $1,000-per-plate fundraiser at a Knoxville hotel that the GOP message contrasts with what he called the divisive tactics of President Barack Obama in the closely contested race.

"Since he can't run on hope and change and all these new promises - because the last ones have been mostly broken - he will have to divide this country. He will have to distort and distract and try to win by default," Ryan said of the Democratic president. "We want to win by acclamation."

Russian investigators file charges against Alexander Lebedev, tycoon critical of Kremlin

MOSCOW (AP) -- A Russian tycoon who has financed a newspaper critical of the Kremlin and supported the opposition has been charged with hooliganism and assault for punching a businessman during a television talk show. He dismissed the criminal case as politically motivated.

Russia's top investigative agency, which announced the charges Wednesday, said the defendant, Alexander Lebedev, cannot leave Moscow while the probe is under way. In Russia, filing charges marks the start of a criminal investigation, which may or may not lead to a trial.

Cisco CEO's pay package dipped 9 pct in past year

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Cisco Systems Inc. trimmed CEO John Chambers' pay package for the past fiscal year by 9 percent as concerns about growth at the maker of computer networking equipment weighed on the company's stock.

The value of Chambers' compensation totaled $11.7 million, down from nearly $12.9 million in the previous year, according to documents filed Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Most of Chambers' pay was tied to the future performance of Cisco's stock. That's been the case for most of Chambers' 17-year reign as CEO. That arrangement has worked out well for both Chambers and the company, which is based in San Jose, Calif. Adjusting for stock splits, Cisco's shares have increased 10-fold under Chambers' leadership.

Cuban sugar looks to rebound after bitter decline

JARONU, Cuba (AP) -- Cuba's signature industry is showing signs of life two years after the worst harvest in more than a century.

Hulking processing plants are coming back online and production is rising, a boon to rural towns like Jaronu where producing sugar has been a way of life for generations.

Officials recently said that the harvest is expected to increase by 20 percent in the coming season after jumps of 7 percent and 16 percent in the last two harvests.

At the Brasil refinery in the steamy central province of Camaguey, a $6 million makeover is under way. During a recent visit, bulldozers were busy re-grading the floor, operators were laying foundations for new machinery and workers buzzed about, hammering and welding amid a deafening mechanic roar and a pervasive oily odor.

APNewsBreak: Ex-wife of ex-LA Dodgers owner wants divorce reopened, says he lowballed value

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The ex-wife of former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt wants to set aside the couple's divorce settlement, claiming he vastly understated the value of a team that sold earlier this year for $2 billion, the highest figure ever paid for a pro sports franchise.

Jamie McCourt's attorney, Bertram Fields, told The Associated Press that she "thought very long and very hard about whether to file this motion" but that after other means failed, she returned to court.

AP-GfK Poll: Most say Obama's health care law will be implemented; but 7 in 10 expect changes

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It still divides us, but most Americans think President Barack Obama's health care law is here to stay.

More than 7 in 10 say the law will fully go into effect with some changes, ranging from minor to major alterations, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds.

Only 12 percent expect the Affordable Care Act - "Obamacare" to dismissive opponents - to be repealed completely.

The law - covering 30 million uninsured, requiring virtually every legal U.S. resident to carry health insurance and forbidding insurers from turning away the sick - remains as contentious as the day it passed more than two years ago. There's still more than another year before its major provisions go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014.

Tipping point? Many fans believe replacement refs finally cost someone a win and it was Pack

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Entire stadiums have booed them. The Patriots' Bill Belichick grabbed one by the arm and the Redskins' Kyle Shanahan was so hopping mad he followed one into the tunnel after the game.

But it took the team that Vince Lombardi built, playing in a "Monday Night Football" headliner, to put the NFL's latest labor headache - locked-out officials and their struggling, under-fire replacements - front and center for the nation. Even President Barack Obama, a Bears fan slogging through a re-election campaign, weighed in Tuesday, saying, "We've got to get our refs back."

Confronting global violence, Muslim anger, Obama presses world leaders to reject extremism

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Confronting global tumult and Muslim anger, President Barack Obama exhorted world leaders Tuesday to stand fast against violence and extremism, arguing that protecting religious rights and free speech must be a universal responsibility and not just an American obligation.

"The impulse towards intolerance and violence may initially be focused on the West, but over time it cannot be contained," Obama warned the U.N. General Assembly in an urgent call to action underscored by the high stakes for all nations.

Iconic Israeli newspaper Maariv faces collapse; critics allege it's part of anti-media blitz

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Throughout much of Israel's history, the Maariv daily was known as the "country's paper," the newspaper with the highest circulation and a cornerstone of Israeli media. Now it is on its last legs - the victim, some say, of a Jewish-American billionaire who is a close friend of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson launched his free "Israel Hayom" or "Israel Today" daily five years ago. The tabloid has steadily gobbled up market share since then. Handed out by ubiquitous distributors clad in red overalls at busy intersections, it has become the most read newspaper in Israel.

Death of Libyan rebel hailed for capture of Gadhafi brings calls for vengeance

MISRATA, Libya (AP) -- One of the young Libyan rebels credited with capturing Moammar Gadhafi in a drainage ditch nearly a year ago died Tuesday of injuries after being kidnapped, beaten and slashed by the late dictator's supporters - the latest victim of persistent violence and instability in the North African country.

The death of Omran Shaaban, who had been hospitalized in France, raised the prospect of even more violence and score-settling, with the newly elected National Congress authorizing police and the army to use force if necessary to apprehend those who abducted the 22-year-old and three companions in July near the town of Bani Walid.

At UN speech, Obama says there is 'no speech that justifies mindless violence'

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- President Barack Obama is condemning an anti-Muslim film and the violence in the Middle East that has followed its release, saying there is "no speech that justifies mindless violence."

Obama says in a speech Tuesday before the U.N. General Assembly that "there are no words that excuse the killing of innocent" and "no video that justifies an attack on an embassy."

Obama says the video "is an insult not only to Muslims, but to America as well."

At secretive session, North Korea's parliament passes a law expanding public education

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- North Korea's parliament convened Tuesday for the second time in six months, passing a law that adds one year of compulsory education for children in the socialist nation, the first publicly announced policy change under leader Kim Jong Un.

The Supreme People's Assembly's second meeting of the year was notable mainly as a departure from how Kim's father did business. Before he died in December, Kim Jong Il convened his legislature just once in most years, and during one three-year period after his own father's death it didn't meet at all.

By adding a year to North Korea's state-funded educational system, from 11 to 12 years, Kim may be trying to cultivate loyalty among younger generations as he consolidates his power base.

Guantanamo prisoner says former US man who reached plea deal now has a cat

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- A former Maryland resident who is detained at Guantanamo Bay seems to have acquired a cat at the isolated prison on a U.S. base in Cuba, a fellow prisoner says in a letter released Friday.

Majid Khan has not been seen in public since he pleaded guilty in February to aiding al-Qaida in a deal that requires him to testify against others at Guantanamo. Details of his confinement are shrouded in secrecy as he is one of about a dozen men the Pentagon calls "high-value detainees," who are kept apart from others.

The letter from prisoner Rahim al-Afghani has one intriguing bit of information and little else: "Majid Khan has a cat," he writes to his lawyer, Carlos Warner, a federal public defender in Cleveland, Ohio.

Fake social media followers newest ploy, accusation in today's political campaigns

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Forget ballot box irregularities. There's a virtual dust-up under way over how Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney amassed more than 100,000 new Twitter followers in just one weekend.

It may seem trivial, but not to social networking junkies or campaigns mindful of the need to project a digital image of popularity and power.

An analysis by the technology firm Barracuda Labs found most of the Twitter users who followed Romney over that July weekend were probably fake, although it's impossible to know who's behind the spike: Romney's campaign, a supporter or an opponent. Romney went from 673,000 to 814,000 followers during that time, though that number has since risen to more than 861,000. President Barack Obama has more than 18 million followers.

Moody's: More Calif. cities at risk of bankruptcy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- One of the nation's top credit rating agencies said Friday that it expects more municipal bankruptcies and defaults in California, the nation's largest issuer of municipal bonds.

Moody's Investors Service said in a report that the growing fiscal distress in many California cities was putting bondholders at risk.

The service announced that it will undertake a wide-ranging review of municipal finances in the nation's most populous state because of what it sees as a growing threat of insolvency.

The report has both investors and government leaders worried.

Douglas, Wieber enjoy celebrity sparkle after gold

NEW YORK (AP) -- They've been on a whirlwind tour since the Olympics - from "Late Night With David Letterman" to the Empire State Building and the New York Stock Exchange - but gold-medal gymnasts Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber have one more stop to make before they can truly take a breath: the White House.

President Barack Obama made the invitation in a phone call. "We'll definitely take him up on it," Douglas said.

The girls say they are trying to get the most out of this post-London euphoria. Long days of interviews, autographs and photo ops haven't left them jaded. "Were enjoying every step of the way," said Wieber, who with Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross and Aly Raisman gave the United States its first Olympic team title in women's gymnastics since 1996.

Disappointing numbers: UK trade body says tourism slumped during London Olympics

LONDON (AP) -- The Olympics brought less tourist money to recession-hit Britain than businesses had hoped for, a trade group said Monday, with a majority of tourist companies reporting losses from last year.

A survey of more than 250 tour operators, hoteliers and visitor attractions found that tourist traffic fell all over Britain, not just London, said UKinbound, a leading trade association representing British tour operators and other businesses dependent on tourists.

"A lot of people thought London would be very busy and very expensive at this time," said Mary Rance, the group's chief executive. "We weren't completely surprised but we were a bit disappointed that (the Olympics) seem to have had an impact around the U.K., not just London."

UK PM: Officials face athletic honors overload

LONDON (AP) -- British athletes' Olympic success means the people charged with doling out the country's knighthoods and other honors will have their work cut out for them, Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday.

As of Sunday afternoon, Britain had scored 29 gold medals, a haul made especially sweet because London is the host of the 2012 games. So there should be an abundance of options when officials decide who Queen Elizabeth II will reward in her semiannual honors list, Cameron told reporters.

"How they're going to cope I'm not quite sure," he joked.

Brazil turns Olympic volleyball court into a party after denying US women its 1st gold

LONDON (AP) -- A second-straight volleyball gold inspired summersaults from Brazil. It brought tears to the United States.

The Brazilians turned Earls Court into a carnival with a 3-1 upset victory over the U.S. women in the final at the London Games on Saturday. As they danced into the medal ceremony, the team sang "The champion is back!" in Portuguese.

What a run up to Rio.

US gas prices spike; refinery problems cited

NEW YORK (AP) -- A surprise surge in gasoline prices is taking some of the fun out of summer.

The national average for a gallon of gas at the pump has climbed to $3.67, a rise of 34 cents since July 1. An increase in crude oil prices and problems with refineries and pipelines in the West Coast and Midwest, including a fire in California, are mostly to blame.

Analysts don't expect gas prices to get as high as they did in April, when 10 states passed $4 a gallon and the U.S. average topped out at $3.94. But this is still unwelcome news in this sluggish economy, since any extra money that goes to fill gas tanks doesn't get spent on movies and dinners out.

Former Congressman Hoekstra wins Mich. GOP primary in bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Stabenow

DETROIT (AP) -- Former Michigan Congressman Pete Hoekstra has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, overcoming a challenge from two Republicans who questioned his record as a conservative.

The Holland former lawmaker defeated Clark Durant of Grosse Pointe and former Kent County Judge Randy Hekman of Grand Rapids Tuesday in the GOP primary. He'll advance to a November matchup with Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Macy's posts 16 percent hike in 2Q net income

NEW YORK (AP) -- Macy's reported a nearly 16 percent increase in net income for its second quarter, helped by cost-cutting and its strategy to tailor its merchandise to local markets.

The department chain, which operates stores under its namesake and upscale Bloomingdale's names, also raised its annual earnings guidance. Its shares rose almost 3 percent Wednesday.

Macy's Inc., which has been a standout among its peers throughout the economic recovery, is the first in a series of major retailers that will report second-quarter results that will provide insight into how Americans are spending. The results from Macy's may reassure economists concerned that shoppers may pull back just as the crucial back-to-school selling season begins.

Jordan, NBA players to hold basketball-themed fundraisers for Obama in New York

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is joining NBA legend Michael Jordan and an array of basketball stars to raise money for his re-election campaign later this month.

The Obama campaign is planning a fundraising "shoot-around" and dinner in New York on Aug. 22 featuring several NBA stars, including Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics, John Wall of the Washington Wizards and others. Jordan, who played for the Chicago Bulls, Obama's favorite NBA team, and NBA Commissioner David Stern are co-hosting a $20,000-per person fundraising dinner with the president later in the day.

Obama is a longtime basketball fan who regularly plays pickup games with friends and aides. His campaign held a fundraiser last February at the Orlando-area home of NBA player Vince Carter, who is also involved in the New York events.

Former Atlanta Hawks All-Star Dan Roundfield drowns in Aruba while aiding struggling wife

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Dan Roundfield, an NBA veteran who had three consecutive All-Star seasons, has drowned off the Caribbean island of Aruba while helping his wife as she struggled in rough water. He was 59.

Roundfield, who played 11 professional seasons with Indiana, Atlanta, Detroit and Washington, had been swimming with his wife, Bernie, off the southeastern tip of Aruba on Monday when they became caught in rough water beyond a protected reef area, said John Larmonie, a police spokesman on the southern Caribbean island.

The former All Star was apparently swept away in a strong current as he tried to help his struggling wife, Larmonie said. Police, firefighters, the Coast Guard and volunteers searched for him, finding his body about 90 minutes later, trapped by rocks underwater.

Tigers score 5 runs with 2 out in 10th, beat Indians 10-8 on Cabrera's homer

DETROIT (AP) -- Miguel Cabrera's towering fly ball was headed toward left-center field - and at first, the Detroit slugger couldn't tell if it would clear the fence.

When it did, the Tigers celebrated perhaps the most spectacular comeback of the 2012 baseball season.

Cabrera hit a two-run homer to cap a stunning five-run rally by Detroit with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Tigers a 10-8 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. Cleveland has lost nine straight, and this one slipped away in unthinkable fashion.

Doctors: Japan nuclear plant workers face stigma

TOKYO (AP) -- A growing number of Japanese workers who are risking their health to shut down the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant are suffering from depression, anxiety about the future and a loss of motivation, say two doctors who visit them regularly.

But their psychological problems are driven less by fears about developing cancer from radiation exposure and more by something immediate and personal: Discrimination from the very community they tried to protect, says Jun Shigemura, who heads a volunteer team of about ten psychiatrists and psychologists from the National Defense Medical College who meet with Tokyo Electric Power Co. nuclear plant employees.

They tell therapists they have been harangued by residents displaced in Japan's nuclear disaster and threatened with signs on their doors telling them to leave. Some of their children have been taunted at school, and prospective landlords have turned them away.

Sweden remembers WWII hero Raoul Wallenberg

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Sweden on Saturday commemorated the life of a diplomat credited with saving thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis in World War II, but whose fate remains one of the country's greatest war-time mysteries.

Crowds gathered in the town of Sigtuna, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Stockholm to celebrate the centennial of the birth of Raoul Wallenberg, whose defiance of the Nazis has been commemorated worldwide in statues, streets names, and on postage stamps.

Wallenberg served as Sweden's envoy in Budapest from July 1944 - where he saved the lives of at least 20,000 Jews by giving them Swedish travel documents, the so-called "shutzpass," or moving them to safe houses. He is also credited with dissuading German officers from massacring the 70,000 inhabitants of the city's ghetto.

Parents of US gold-medal Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte facing foreclosure in Florida

DELAND, Fla. (AP) -- The parents of U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte are facing foreclosure in Florida.

According to a lawsuit filed in May in Volusia County, CitiMortgage is suing to foreclose on Steven and Ileana Lochte. The bank is seeking to recoup $250,000. The news was first reported by TMZ.

Court records show that Ileana Lochte asked the court to dismiss the case last month. Messages left Saturday for her attorney were not immediately returned.

Romney says he has paid 'a lot of taxes,' has never had a year without them

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declared Friday that he has "paid taxes every year - and a lot of taxes" as he rejected an anonymous claim that he hadn't paid taxes for a decade on his vast personal wealth.

Democrats have tried to make Romney's personal wealth and how he's managed it a key issue in the presidential contest. The former Massachusetts governor, who would be among the richest presidents ever elected, is aggressively competing with President Barack Obama for the support of middle-class voters.

Romney has refused to release more than one year of personal tax returns, despite calls from Democrats and some Republicans to do so, saying his critics would distort the information and use it against him. He has promised to release a second year of returns.