Israel conditionally welcomes cease-fire plan
Israel tentatively welcomed a proposal for a Gaza cease-fire and briefly halted its offensive to allow aid to reach civilians, but also gave the military a green light to press ahead with its assault on Hamas.
Bikers strap on fruit to dodge helmet law
Police in Nigeria have arrested scores of motorcycle taxi riders with dried fruit shells, pots or pieces of rubber tire tied to their heads with string to avoid a new law requiring them to wear helmets.
Lovesick teen's boyfriend jailed over murders
A 20-year-old man who helped kill a lovesick girl's family because the two were forbidden to date has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Mississippi now has highest teen birth rate
Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen pregnancy rate, displacing Texas and New Mexico for that lamentable title, according to a new federal report.
Obama taps chief performance officer
President-elect Barack Obama promised Wednesday to scour the federal budget to "put government on the side of taxpayers and everyday Americans."
Scoop: Spears' tour gets off to shaky start
According to Us Weekly, Britney Spears just doesn't have the work ethic she used to and it's affecting her upcoming tour.
India: Mumbai gunmen directed by phone
"We have three foreigners, including women," the gunman said into the phone.
Cubans pin hopes on Obama
In central Havana, many people hope that President-elect Barack Obama will do something — almost anything — to help end the official hostilities between Cuba and the U.S.
Rare gathering: Bush, Obama, 3 ex-presidents
An entire generation has gone by since the nation last saw this tableau of American history: every living U.S. president together at the White House.
'God' author faces plagiarism claim
Neale Donald Walsch, best-selling author of "Conversations with God," said that he unwittingly passed off another writer's Christmas anecdote as his own in a recent blog post.
