The Associated Press

North Carolina's struggles at the free throw line are proving costly.

A statement on the Egyptian president's office's Twitter account has quoted Mohammed Morsi as calling military measures "a full coup."

With a solemnity reserved for momentous occasions, the Senate passed historic legislation Thursday offering the priceless hope of citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in America's shadows. The bill also promises a military-style effort to secure the long-porous border with Mexico.

More than 800 women's rights protesters crowded into the Texas Capitol on Sunday to watch Democrats try a series of parliamentary maneuvers to stop the Republican majority from passing some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country.

North Texas authorities are searching for three suspects they say participated in a shooting at a house that left a 12-year-old dead and a sleeping teenager injured.

Texans still recovering from the devastating 2011 drought have an online tool for information on water supplies and disaster assistance.

A Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, has landed in Phoenix after a possible threat.

The NSA and FBI appear to be looking even wider under a clandestine program code-named "PRISM" that was revealed in a story posted late Thursday by The Washington Post.

The government has been secretly collecting the telephonerecords of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top secret court order.

Authorities say a campus police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has died from injuries in a shooting on the campus outside Boston.

Google will take over a troubled municipal fiber-optic system and make Provo, Utah, the third city to get its high-speed Internet service via fiber-optic cables. 

Melany Jean, a UT student from West, said the fertilizer plant, which is located in a residential area, has never been a cause for concern in the West community before.

American Red Cross crews from across Texas are being sent to the site of an explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco where multiple injuries have been reported.

 A student went on a building-to-building stabbing attack at a Texas community college Tuesday, wounding at least 14 people before being subdued and arrested, authorities said.

In past deadly confrontations between North and South Korea, a jointly operated industrial park stayed open, churning out goods.

Montana’s chief federal judge will retire following an investigation into an email he forwarded that included a racist joke involving President Barack Obama. 

Egypt’s Islamist government is “strongly committed” to freedom of expression, a presidential spokesman insisted Wednesday, distancing the administration from legal proceedings against a popular comedian.

Mexican drug cartels whose operatives once rarely ventured beyond the U.S. border are dispatching some of their most trusted agents to live and work deep inside the United States. 

The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote on what would be the first U.N. treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar international arms trade.

An Iranian confectioner has made five tons of ice cream in hopes of setting a new record.

 Concluding two days of intense debate, the Supreme Court signaled Wednesday it could give a boost to same-sex marriage by striking down the federal law. 

A group of at least six beavers at a Utah bird refuge have emerged as key players in helping contain a fuel leak that left half of them with severe burns.

Faced with an outcry from advocacy groups, an Arizona lawmaker has changed his proposed legislation that would have made it a crime for a transgendered person to use a bathroom other than his or her birth sex.

 Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered a historic national apology to the thousands of unwed mothers who were forced to give up their babies for adoption over several decades. 

The legislation thrust Colorado into the national spotlight as a potential test of how far the country might be willing to go with new gun restrictions. 

Prosecutors said Monday two men accused of plotting to rob and kill soul singer Joss Stone planned to decapitate her, then dump her body in a river.

Political leaders in Cyprus scrambled to devise a new plan that would not be so burdensome for people with less than €100,000 ($129,290) in the bank.

Pope Francis is the first ever from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernized Argentina's conservative Catholic church.

A lesbian couple’s desire to adopt each other’s children has grown into a potentially groundbreaking challenge to Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Nearly 4 million of Syria’s 22 million people have been driven from their homes by the civil war.

If your public tour of the White House has now been canceled, House Speaker John Boehner says come visit the Capitol instead.

Gunmen shot dead an online journalist while he ate at a taco stand in the Mexican town of Ojinaga, which lies across the border from Presidio, authorities said Monday.

Cardinals said Monday they want to talk to Vatican managers about allegations of corruption and cronyism within the top levels of the Catholic Church. 

National Instruments Corp. to expand and create jobs in Austin with new state funding.

Tweets allow peek at life in North Korea. 

Truth and alcohol may not mix, particularly when people are asked how much they drink.

The London-based oil giant acknowledged it made “errors in judgment” before the deadly blowout, but it also cast blame on the owner of the drilling rig and the contractor involved in cementing the well.

Iraq’s Transportation Ministry says the country’s airline will resume commercial flights to Kuwait for the first time since Saddam Hussein’s forces invaded the Gulf nation in 1990.

An online vote to name Pluto’s two newest, itty-bitty moons is over. 

A homeless Kansas City man will soon have well over $100,000 after returning an engagement ring to a woman who accidentally dropped it in his cup earlier this month.

Sixth-grader Caroline Pla is fighting the archdiocese for the right to keep playing church-sponsored youth football.

Undercover youth test retailers

A leak in a fuel oil return line caused the engine-room fire that disabled a Carnival cruise ship at sea, leaving 4,200 people without power or working toilets for five days, a Coast Guard official said Monday.

EU finance ministers, condemning the Feb. 12 nuclear test by North Korea, have imposed trade and economic sanctions on the Asian nation.

 Sri Lanka’s navy says it has rescued 32 Myanmar nationals whose wooden vessel began sinking while making a perilous journey to Australia. 

A French father demanding visiting rights with his son climbed down Monday from his protest perch atop a crane, but said it will be a long time before divorced dads are seen as credible single parents. 

Pennsylvania graduate student Megan Thode is suing her professor and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, claiming  a C-plus resulted in $1.3 million in lost earnings for her.

President Barack Obama will press a politically-divided Congress to approve more tax increases and fewer spending cuts during a State of the Union address. 

With a few words in Latin, Pope Benedict XVI did what no pope has done in more than half a millennium, stunning the world by announcing his resignation. 

Thousands of pine seedlings grown at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas are being packed up and shipped for planting in Bastrop County.

Representatives of the Congolese government and the M23 rebels signed a preliminary agreement in which both parties accepted responsibility for the failure of an earlier peace deal. 

British researchers have unveiled a futuristic Antarctic research base that can move, sliding across the frozen surface to beat the shifting ice and pounding snow that doomed its predecessors.

The Scottie dog has a new nemesis in Monopoly after fans voted in an online contest to add a cat token to the property trading game, replacing the iron, toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced Wednesday. 

The discovery of King Richard III under a parking lot in the English city of Leicester thrilled history buffs around the world. 

The “After Effects” exhibition, featuring 36 storm-inspired works by 23 artists, opens Friday at the Chashama gallery in the Chelsea neighborhood.

Fort Hood and the Texas A&M Forest Service reach an agreement to be able to more directly deal with wildfires.

In her first video statement since she was nearly killed, a Pakistani schoolgirl shot by the Taliban remained defiant in arguing for girls’ education, saying Monday she would keep up the same campaign that led to her attack. 

President Barack Obama declared Monday on his first trip outside Washington to promote gun control that a consensus is emerging for universal background checks for purchasers. 

The Oakland Athletics acquired Jed Lowrie and Fernando Rodriguez from the Houston Astros for Chris Carter, Brad Peacock, and Max Stassi.

A 15-year-old Icelandic girl has been granted the right to legally use the name given to her by her mother, despite the opposition of authorities and Iceland’s strict law on names.

A 15-year-old girl who performed in President Barack Obama’s inauguration festivities is the latest face on the ever-increasing homicide toll in the president’s hometown. 

The massive blimp-like aircraft flies but just barely, hovering only a dozen feet off a military hangar floor during flight testings.

Protesters battled police for hours in Cairo on Monday and thousands marched through Egypt’s three Suez Canal cities in direct defiance of a nighttime curfew and state of emergency. 

A former U.S.-backed dictator who presided over one of the bloodiest periods of Guatemala’s civil war will stand trial on charges he ordered the murder, torture and displacement of thousands of Mayan Indians, a judge ruled Monday. 

 The Netherlands’ Queen Beatrix announced Monday that she is ending her reign after 33 years and passing the crown to her eldest son. 

Former UT All-American and NFL kicker and punter Russell Erxleben was arrestd Thursday on charges of running an illegal Ponzi investment scam. 

Yemeni officials say a U.S. drone strike on a car outside the capital of Sanaa has killed at least seven suspected al-Qaida militants.

Nearly a year after Morocco was shocked by the suicide of a 16-year-old girl who was forced to marry her alleged rapist, the government has announced plans to change the penal code to outlaw the traditional practice. 

The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said Wednesday.

Retired Cardinal Roger Mahony and other top Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles officials maneuvered behind the scenes to shield molester priests. 

Authorities say a southwest Ohio highway pileup involving as many as 85 vehicles has left one person dead. 

Russia said Monday it is sending two planes to Lebanon to start evacuating its citizens from Syria, the strongest sign yet that President Bashar Assad’s most important international ally has serious doubts about his ability to cling to power. 

In a country riven by political strife, Venezuela’s military often has served as the arbiter of power.

The U.N. and African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan says more than 100 people have been killed and other 70,000 displaced from their homes because of recent tribal warfare in Darfur. 

The FBI director met with top Libyan officials on Thursday to discuss the probe into last year’s killing of the U.S. ambassador. 

Want to make your ex-girlfriend jealous? Need to show your friends you are in a serious relationship when you aren’t? A Brazilian website says it has the answer: fake girlfriends. 

The militants appeared to have no escape, with troops surrounding the complex and army helicopters clattering overhead.

A helicopter crashed into a crane and fell on a crowded street in central London during rush hour Wednesday, sending flames and black plumes of smoke into the air.

Leading up to President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, strong emotions are emanating from both sides of the aisle on a range of subjects in today’s highly charged political environment of Washington. 

People refused to venture outdoors and buildings disappeared into Beijing’s murky skyline on Sunday as the air quality in China’s notoriously polluted capital went off the index.

The Piper PA-46 had taken off from an airport near Paris, Texas, around 8 a.m. when it went down.

France claimed new successes in its campaign to oust Islamist extremists from northern Mali on Sunday, bombarding the major city of Gao with airstrikes targeting the airport and training camps used by the al-Qaida-linked rebel group controlling the city. 

An angry Mohammed Morsi refused Thursday to call off a referendum on a disputed constitution that has sparked Egypt’s worst political crisis in two years.

New census data released Thursday affirm a clear and sustained drop in illegal immigration, ending more than a decade of increases.

Hundreds of same-sex couples across Washington state started picking up marriage licenses Thursday as a voter-approved law legalizing gay marriage took effect.

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.

Rescuers say four crew members have died and seven are still missing in the icy waters of the North Sea, after a cargo ship collided with another vessel and sank off the Dutch coast Wednesday night.

Egypt descended into political turmoil Wednesday over the constitution drafted by Islamist allies of President Mohammed Morsi.

Palestinians will ask U.N. Security Council to call for Israeil settlement freeze.

The pontiff will tweet in eight languages, resonding live to questions about faith. 

Male inmates said they were forced to perform humiliating acts, including gulping hot sauce and slathering it on themselves.

A military appeals court has thrown out a judge’s order to shave the Fort Hood shooting suspect and removed the judge from the case.

The news drew congratulations from around the world, with the hashtag “royalbaby” trending globally on Twitter.

Palestinians erupted in wild cheers Thursday, hugging each other, setting off fireworks and chanting “God is great” after the United Nations granted them a state of their own.

The future of Twinkies is virtually assured.

Three California men have been indicted on terrorism-related charges for allegedly plotting to kill Americans overseas.

A German lawmaker says Parliament is close to passing a law explicitly banning bestiality after animal rights groups and tabloid newspapers pushed for existing legislation to be clarified.

The expected U.N. vote Thursday to recognize a state of Palestine will be far more than symbolic.

Egypt’s highest appeal courts suspended their work Wednesday to protest presidential decrees that gave the country’s Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi nearly absolute powers.

Female service members who filed suit hope move will add pressure to drop the policy of female prohibition.

An Ohio woman dubbed the “cleaning fairy” after she broke into a home, cleaned it and left a $75 bill has been put on probation for one year.

Wal-Mart says a Bangladesh garment factory that caught fire Saturday killing 112 people had previously produced merchandise for the retailer without its permission.

U.S. shoppers hit stores and websites at record numbers over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.

The main suspect in the legendary art heist is said to have whispered with his dying breath: “Only I know where the ‘Adoration’ is...”

Tel Aviv's leading art museum moved nearly 200 works into a rocket-proof safe after being spooked by rocket attacks on Israel's cultural capital.

Attorney was fired after using foul language. 

A spokesman for director Peter Jackson said some of the deaths were from natural causes.

High brand recognition and success of Hostess products offers option of selling assets to other companies, including Twinkies.

Casualties mark the deadliest day so far in the 2012 Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Prime Minister Enda Kenny said he was awaiting findings from three investigations into the death of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian woman who was 17 weeks pregnant

The unique bird and reptile species that make the Galapagos Islands a treasure for scientists and tourists must be preserved.

Software company founder John McAfee denies he killed a neighbor in Belize but says he won’t turn himself in for questioning.

British law-makers on Monday accused major multinational companies of aggressive tax avoidance.

Few seem to be enjoying the management meltdown at the venerable BBC more than Rupert Murdoch, the News Corp. chief

New budget comes days after a separate bill of spending cuts and tax hikes passed, following severe disagreements.

Members of Congress want more details on the investigation of an extramarital affair between former CIA director Gen. David Petraeus and his biographer.

Texas District Judge Steve Yelenosky issued an injunction that will keep Planned Parenthood in the Women’s Health Program pending resolution of the organization’s lawsuit claiming a rule banning it violates state law.

Syrian opposition leaders say they have made progress toward forging a broad-based leadership group sought by the international community.

Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow pot for recreational use

Darrell K Royal, the former Texas football coach known as much for his folksy, simplistic approach to life as for his creative wishbone offenses and two national championships, has died. He was 88.

A Pakistani couple poured acid on their 15-year-old daughter after they caught her looking at a boy.

Cuban struggles to restore the electrical grid for the city of Santiago, only 28 percent has been restored.

Some big-name celebrities will help President Barack Obama make his closing case to voters in the most competitive states.

The new U.S. push appears aimed at creating a unified leadership that could work more closely with the West.

Some state lawmakers are demanding an immediate meeting of a legislative committee that oversees DPS.

Stripped of its bustle and mostly cut off from the world, New York was left wondering Tuesday when its particular way of life — carried by subway, lit by skyline and powered by 24-hour deli — would return.

Day by day, Alzheimer’s disease is robbing Edith Royal of her beloved husband Darrell.

Stock trading will be closed in the U.S. for a second day Tuesday as Superstorm Sandy bears down on the East Coast. 

Residents of the town of Labe, 155 miles northeast of the capital, Conakry, say that riot police fired tear gas at hundreds who gathered to protest. 

The projected storm surge from Hurricane Sandy is a “worst case scenario” with devastating waves and tides predicted for the highly populated New York City metro area.

A war contractor knew an oilfield plant was riddled with a well-known toxin but ignored the risk to soldiers.

Supreme Court justices sharply questioned the University of Texas’ use of race in college admissions Wednesday in a case that could lead to new limits on affirmative action.

The winner of a roach-eating contest in South Florida died shortly after downing dozens of the live bugs as well as worms, authorities said Monday. 

An Italian man gave up his protest atop the St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday evening, after more than 24 hours perched on the 130-meter-high (426-foot) dome to demonstrate against government reforms.

A federal inspector found two strains of salmonella and unclean conditions at an Indiana cantaloupe farm’s fruit-packing plant during inspections prompted by a deadly outbreak linked to the farm’s melons.

An outbreak of a rare and deadly form of meningitis has now sickened 26 people in five states who received steroid injections mostly for back pain, health officials said Wednesday. Four people have died, and more cases are expected.

In their first debate, President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney delved into dense discussions on taxes, health care, entitlement programs and more.

The West suspects Iran is aiming to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

The security contractor at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Tennessee has been fired.

A court-imposed Tuesday deadline is looming for a judge to decide whether Pennsylvania’s tough new law requiring voters to show photo identification can remain intact.

No explosives were found; the game will resume Monday at a time to be determined.

Texas Southern University has suspended its famous marching band after university officials received a report of hazing among its members.

The Austin City Council has voted to make the capital city of Texas the first in the state to formally endorse the legalization of same-sex marriages.

A gunshot rang out at an Oklahoma junior high school before classes began Wednesday, terrifying teenagers who feared a gunman was on the loose.

Mexican authorities say troops have clashed with an armed group near a church in southern Mexico, leaving 11 people dead, including a soldier and one woman.

The White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama considers the deadly assault on the U.S. consulate in Libya a terrorist attack.

San Francisco may soon give new meaning to the world "downsizing."

National Zoo officials waited Monday for word on why a 6-day-old panda cub died and lamented a heartbreaking setback to their closely watched breeding program.

Lonmin miners celebrated a wage deal Wednesday that ended a deadly and prolonged strike.

A judge in Mexico has ordered the detention of 16 guards and officials at a prison near the U.S. border. 

Lonmin miners celebrated a wage deal Wednesday that ended a deadly and prolonged strike.

India’s ruling Congress party worked to shore up its governing coalition

Libyans try to rescue Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Monday it will no longer seek oil off coast of Alaska this year.

Grisly scene, product of the cartels, found just days after a 16-body event in the nearby state of Tamaulipas.

Tough-talking union leader takes on Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a bitter contract dispute.

A woman on Texas death row for the stabbing and bludgeoning of a 71-year-old woman has received a Jan. 29 execution date.

Leading member in Libya's oldest opposition movement is elected as new prime minister.

Fires at two clothing factories in Pakistan left 283 people dead.

Iraq’s fugitive Sunni vice president was sentenced Sunday to death by hanging.

Despite the requirement to stay out of oil-bearing rock, they were elated to finally begin work.

Chicago teachers say they’re prepared to walk off the job for the first time in 25 years.

Scholars at Amherst College in Massachusetts believe a collector may have what would be just the second known photo of Emily Dickinson.

Pauline Marois’ victory rally was marred by a shooting in Quebec.

Someone claiming responsibility demanded $1 million not to make them public.

Air Force sex scandal trial put off, with no explantion.

Beer lovers, the secret is out.

TV viewership for last week’s Republican National Convention dropped sharply from 2008.

Tens of thousands of customers remained in the dark Monday in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

About 270 miners at the Lonmin Platinum Mine in South Africa were charged Thursday with the murders of 34 striking colleagues who were shot by South African police officers, authorities said, a development that could further infuriate South Africans already shocked and angered by the police action.

Finally a hurricane, the unwieldy and wobbly Isaac bore down on New Orleans. 

President Bashar Assad said in an interview broadcast Wednesday that his armed forces will need time to defeat the rebels. 

  Two CIA agents wounded in Mexico shooting go to US.   

Ann Romney swept onto the stage at the Republican National Convention late Tuesday night and delivered a forceful defense of her husband’s character and values. 

A federal judge ordered former NFL wide receiver Sam Hurd to be jailed indefinitely Tuesday for failing two drug tests and allegedly buying drugs.

Renowned classical pianist Van Cliburn has been diagnosed with advanced bone cancer and is resting comfortably at his Texas home.

The junior kicker is heading home to Texas.

Two Mexican-American Democratic lawmakers launched a new political action committee (PAC) on Thursday to mobilize Hispanic voters in Texas.

Cowden was the oldest of the 12 people killed in the massacre at the “Dark Knight Rises.”

 The Big East Conference has dropped its lawsuit against TCU and will receive the $5 million it was seeking from TCU.

The fate of Texas’ controversial new voter ID law, which requires voters to show photo identification at the polls, is set to be decided this week in a federal court in Washington.

Elected officials have let loose with a few choice vulgarities over the past two weeks in otherwise G-rated public settings.

Andrew F. Oberle was in critical condition and in a medically induced coma in the hospital Monday night.

An environmental group says last year’s drought improved water quality along Texas beaches and led to a 45 percent drop in the number of 2011 health advisory days at Texas beaches.

The Milwaukee Bucks are getting a much-needed big man and the Houston Rockets are positioning themselves to make a big move.

No sentencing date was immediately set for 30-year-old Higinio O. Ochoa III, who faces up to five years in prison.

Will Bruin scores twice in second half, tying game in the 90th minute and beating out Toronto's lead.

Bob Bowlsby will officially take over at the Big 12 on June 15.

San Antonio guard Tony Parker says he suffered an eye injury during a nightclub brawl involving singer Chris Brown and members of hip-hop star Drake’s entourage.

USADA bringing doping charges against seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

USADA bringing doping charges against seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, questioning his victories in those storied cycling races.

Roger Clemens’ lawyers tear into the case against the former pitching great during closing arguments Tuesday.

The 22-year-old won the LPGA Championship to become the first Chinese player to win an LPGA Tour title.

The increases take effect in October.

For all the points, rebounds and assists that filled Kevin Durant's stat line, it was a defensive play he made that fired up his teammates.

West Virginia University hires Randy Mazey as head baseball coach.

Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday called for agencies to look for new ways to get leaner.

On World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders condemned  the attacking and murdering of journalists.

The U.S. economy’s recovery looks enduring. It’s just not very strong.

The documents, published online Thursday, are a small sample of those seized during the U.S. raid. 

A college student picked up in a federal drug sweep in California was never arrested, never charged and should have been released.

It is one of four versions created by the Norwegian expressionist painter.

A federal judge has at least temporarily stopped the execution of a rapist who was on parole when prosecutors say he killed a neighbor.

Hamid Karzai signed a deal that could keep thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan for years.

President Nicolas Sarkozy is the underdog, and he knows it.

77,000 young tourists visited Mexico on spring break trips between March 5 and 30. 

Authorities use a bouncy house to assist a black bear down from a tree.

A New York man was convicted Tuesday of plotting an aborted suicide mission against New York City subways.

A policy barring foreign tourists from buying marijuana in the Netherlands went into effect in parts of the country.

Britain’s High Court has ordered the country’s Internet service providers to block file-sharing websites.

Twenty activists who converged on a police station to protest a controversial police technique went on trial Monda. 

May Day protests may disrupt the morning commute in major U.S. cities.

A federal judge stopped Texas from preventing Planned Parenthood from getting funds — a decision the state immediately appealed.

Chen Guangcheng, a campaigner for disabled rights and against coercive family planning, is a challenge for China’s authoritarian government.

One World Trade Center will lay claim to the title of New York City’s tallest skyscraper on Monday.

Their chief remaining dispute is how to pay for the $5.9 billion cost of keeping those rates low.

A recovery in the U.S. housing market is thought to be central to the recovery in the U.S., which will have a worldwide impact.

Manning’s supporters have raised funds for his benefit, portraying him as a whistleblower, patriot and hero.

He was pronounced dead at 6:25 p.m. CDT, nine minutes after the lethal drugs began to flow into his body.

A sergeant will be discharged for criticizing President Barack Obama on Facebook.

Israel legalized three unsanctioned West Bank settler outposts and was trying to save another.

The first new case of mad cow disease in the U.S. since 2006 has been discovered in a dairy cow in California, but health authorities said the animal never was a threat to the nation’s food supply.

News Corp. executive James Murdoch’s behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign spilled out into the public domain Tuesday, casting a harsh light on the British government’s Olympics czar.

An Egyptian court upheld a conviction against one of the Arab world’s most famous comedians, Adel Imam.

The international community urged Sudan and South Sudan to talk out their arguments over where the border lies.

Two brothers accused of beating a black teenager while patrolling an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood are set to go on trial Monday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hushed up a vast bribery campaign that top executives of its Mexican subsidiary carried out to build stores across that country, according to a published report.

George Zimmerman’s defense attorney showed some of the weaknesses in prosecutors’ claims.

Greenville County investigators say surveillance video caught Washington leaning over the customers' cups. 

Discovery will retire as an artifact representing the 30-year shuttle program.

You can buy Fat Bastard wine in Alabama, but you’ll have to go elsewhere for Dirty Bastard beer.

Lucas Harrell pitched into the seventh inning and shut down the Washington Nationals offense. The Astros bullpen woke ‘em back up.

Dick Clark stood as an avatar of rock ‘n’ roll virtually from its birth and, until his death Wednesday at age 82.

CAIRO — Fans charged in Egypt’s deadliest soccer riot declared their innocence in the first session of their trial Tuesday, directing their anger toward police, charged with collaborating in the killing of 75.

Quake causes panic; tsunami fears lead authorities to order coastal evacuations.

Profitability of American companies and Spanish debt auction creates biggest gain in a month.

Drug war related deaths continue to flow in Nuevo Laredo, stronghold of the Zetas cartel.

The Taliban made their intentions clear over the weekend, mounting spectacular coordinated attacks that spawned an 18-hour battle with Afghan and NATO forces.

The television was tuned to forecasters’ dire warnings of an impending storm when a siren was heard.

Connection in experiencing such trama and later media drama stays strong decades after murders.

Regime forces halted heavy shelling and other major attacks in line with the truce that began Thursday.

North Korea fired a long-range rocket early Friday, defying international warnings against moving forward with a launch widely seen as a provocation.

A UC Davis task force said the decision to douse seated Occupy protesters with the eye-stinging chemical was “objectively unreasonable”.

The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that employers are under no obligation to ensure that workers take legally mandated lunch breaks.

The military sealed off the city’s downtown area and lobbed grenades at the prime minister’s home.

Black students represent less than 4 percent of the 40,000 undergraduate students at the College Station campus.

Kahn: You’re better off not saying anything at this point in the game.

The federal government will pay more than $1 billion to settle a series of lawsuits brought by American Indian tribes.

The NCAA put Baylor on three years of probation.

Prosecutors near a decision on whether to charge George Zimmerman with killing Trayvon Martin.

Spanish village put the idea to the vote Tuesday, and a majority of its citizens approved

Even with decades of mental health correspondence and a bad history, priest in proximity with children for years.

Issues of the economy, unemployment, taxes keep Americans split between Obama and Romney.

The gigantic museum includes the house where Stalin was born and some 47,000 exhibits.

All but one of Japan’s 54 reactors are offline for regular safety checks, and the last will be shut down in May.

More than $1 billion has been spent over the past decade searching for the causes of autism.

Rebels are supposed to stop fighting 48 hours prior to peace talks, but the fire has not ceased.

The list of winners went beyond news coverage, including popular television shows, radio series and websites.

Thursday's rocket attack, the first in nearly two years, raised new Israeli concerns about militant activity.

Zoo officials have created a private love nest for Britain’s only pair of giant pandas in hope the fertility-challenged animals will mate.

The head of Egypt’s constitutional assembly said Wednesday the committee will forge ahead with its work.

The first detachment of 200 U.S. Marines has arrived in northern Australia. 

A rule prevents male-born transgenders from entering the Canadian Miss Universe Pageant

As president, Francois Hollande would levy a 75 percent tax on anyone who makes more than €1 million a year.

A gunman opened fire at a Christian university in California Monday, killing at least six people.

The skyscraper being built to replace the terror-wrecked twin towers is now 100 stories high.

The Supreme Court has ruled that jailers may subject people arrested for minor offenses to invasive strip searches

Universal human rights demand that Argentina and Britain work together to give those remains back to their families.

A coalition of more than 70 partners pledged Sunday to send millions of dollars and communications equipment to Syria’s opposition groups.

The U.K. government is preparing proposals for a surveillance network that could keep track of every message sent to anyone at any time

President Barack Obama accused Republicans of clinging to economic policie.

Perry will visit the one Beef Products Inc. plant that’s still in operation to combat misconceptions and misinformation.

Dozens of officials in Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime will be blocked from attending the London Olympics.

Material that can be used to make nuclear bombs is stored in scores of buildings spread across dozens of countries.

Milky white chemical clouds were briefly visible in much of the night sky along the Eastern seaboard on Tuesday after NASA launched a series of rockets to study the jet stream at the edge of the earth’s atmosphere.

A Tibetan exile lit himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in the Indian capital Monday.

Supreme Court justices signaled they are ready to confront the challenges to President Barack Obama’s historic health care overhaul.

Pope Benedict XVI delivered a message of peace to Mexicans who fear their nation's evils. 

A year of sanctions, diplomacy and harsh rhetoric failed to stop Syria’s bloody crackdown and oust President Bashar Assad.

Obama pressures China to show more influence and warning North Korea that it is headed toward a crippling “dead end” of isolation.

Five high-ranking executives with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity have resigned in the aftermath of the organization’s decision to eliminate its funding for Planned Parenthood.

Estonia had been under pressure from the U.S. to adopt such legislation and thereby avoid being kept on a watchlist.

It got personal for a judge in Honolulu when he put a man in a chokehold for jumping onto his bench.

Riot police set off explosions outside an apartment building early Thursday.

Syrian rebel commander Ahmad Mihbzt and his ragtag fighters grabbed their aging rifles to fight Syrian troops advancing on their village.

Mitt Romney sought a strong Illinois primary victory Tuesday to solidify his lead over Rick Santorum.

A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit central and southern Mexico on Tuesday.

Russia said Monday that Syria’s government and rebels should halt their fighting once a day.

A motorbike assailant opened fire with two handguns Monday in front of a Jewish school.

New Capitol monument honors original Tejano settlers of Texas; will be located near the south gate.

Charges against an American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians are expected to be filed within a week.

Dozens of police officers cleared the park where the Occupy movement was born six months ago.

Syria’s deputy oil minister announced in a video that he has defected from President Bashar Assad’s regime.

Six world powers avoided any bitter criticism of Iran and said diplomacy — not war — is the best way forward.

Barack Obama’s former nanny, Evie, is overwhelmed by her jolt from transgender slum-dweller to local celebrity.

A Virginia Tech official defends the delay in alerting students to the shootings of two students to begin the unprecedented 2007 massacre.

Virginia’s governor has signed into law a bill requiring women to undergo abdominal ultrasound exams before having abortions.

Marine Sgt. Gary Stein started a Facebook page called Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots to encourage service members to exercise their free speech rights.

Strike a result of recent attempts to decrease truck congestion in the streets.

New shipments will be first in three years after a rough expulsion in 2009.

Tribal leaders and militia commanders declared oil-rich eastern Libya a semiautonomous state on Tuesday

The Tennessee Titans have tagged safety Michael Griffin as their franchise player.

Obama urged diplomacy to prevent Iran's getting a bomb, while Netanyahu emphasized Israel's right to a preemptive attack.

Mitt Romney’s allies are hoping Super Tuesday’s powerful imprint on the Republican presidential nomination will bring clarity.

Sneaking across the desert behind army lines, al-Qaida militants launched a surprise attack against military bases in south Yemen.

Iceland's former prime minister faces trial as first world leader criminally charged over the 2008 financial crisis.

BP's settlement with people and businesses harmed by its 2010 oil spill removes uncertainty about potential financial damages.

Collision presumed result of shoddy maintenance; exact cause unclear.

Soaring price of "supergraim" causes land disputes.

Syrian rebels retreat from Homs after month of military siege.

Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the bill into law Thursday, and it takes effect in January 2013, despite opposition. 

The Syrian regime vowed to “cleanse” a rebel-held district in the besieged central city of Homs after nearly four weeks of shelling.

Authorities say a teen who was hurt but survived a deadly shooting rampage at an Ohio high school has been released from the hospital.

10 people have been killed in southern Illinois by severe storms that slammed the Midwest.

Now the Texas-based think tank is the latest target of WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange.

The Ohio teenager accused of killing three students is “someone who's not well,” a prosecutor said Tuesday.

All three judges on Tuesday pulled out of Egypt's trial of 43 pro-democracy workers.

Greece's Parliament approved new cuts in public sector pensions and government spending required to secure a second package of international rescue loans.

25 suspected members of the Anonymous hacker movement have been arrested.

Crime just one more in long line of looting; Egypt now seeks stolen treasures.

Difficulty of finding an exact price of damage puts roadblock in settlement.

Israeli defense officials to sell drones as well as anti-aircraft and missile defense systems to Azerbaijan.

Hungry residents risk Syrian government sniper fire or shelling to hunt for dwindling supplies.

Communities have long been accused of using downtown St. Louis as a dumping ground to dispose of homeless men.

The Occupy Wall Street movement plans to elect 876 “delegates” from around the country and hold a “general assembly”.

The cause wasn’t immediately determined, but many pointed to a deteriorating rail system.

It came and went in a flash, a number on a board for seconds at a time, but its symbolic power couldn’t be dismissed.

New York City’s mayor is facing off with Yale University over efforts by the NYPD to monitor Muslim student groups.

The Supreme Court will once again confront the issue of race in university admissions.

A burrow discovered to contain fruit and seeds had been stuck in the Siberian permafrost for over 30,000 years.

Philosophical differences between the top two Republican presidential candidates are becoming starker.

Prosecutors allowed to see prison psychologist's note pertaining to the Tucson shooting suspect that wounded Gabrielle Giffords.

Mexican President urges the United States to stop the flow of weapons into Mexico.

Carter's bottom-of-the-10th single in Game 6 of the 1986 Series helped the Mets eventually beat the Boston Red Sox.

Authorities have seized iPads from Chinese retailers in an escalating trademark dispute between Apple Inc. and a struggling local company.

Fire tore through a Honduran prison where 355 people died, many yet to even be charged with a crime, much less convicted.

San Antonio Spurs continue thier winning streak with 113-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Cisco wants the European Court of Justice to get the Commission to create open standards for video conferencing.

Critics say the bill is unnecessary and discipline should be handled by schools, not the Legislature.

Iran said Wednesday it is dramatically closer to mastering the production of nuclear fuel.

Rev. Rafael Reatiga found shot to death with another Roman Catholic priest, a Colombian prosecutor said Tuesday.

Egyptian Cabinet minister has accused the United States of directly funding nonprofit groups to create chaos.

Israel blamed Iran on Monday for bomb attacks on its diplomats’ cars in India and Georgia.

U.S. inability to deal with its consumption problem is leaving Central America with no option but to consider legalizing drugs.

Greek lawmakers approved new measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the debt-crippled nation from bankruptcy.

The seizure feeds growing speculation that Mexico could become a world meth producer.

The smallest cattle herd since the 1950s could cause as much as a 10 percent climb in prices.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Wednesday an accused killer’s MySpace pages were properly used as evidence.

Russian scientists have reached a gigantic freshwater lake hidden under miles of ice for some 20 million years.

A Missouri teenager who confessed to murdering a young neighbor girl faces the possibility of life in prison.

Russian officials pushed for reforms, promoting a settlement to end the uprising without removing him from power.

A top American cardinal on Monday defended Pope Benedict’s handling of sexual abuse cases by clergy.

Money donated by the n charitable people is starting to catch up with pre-recession giving.

Romania’s government collapsed Monday following weeks of protests against austerity measures.

Iranian authorities have arrested several people over alleged links to the BBC.

The U.S. closed its embassy in Syria and Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus on Monday.

Google India has reportedly removed content deemed offensive. 

Tony Parker appreciates San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich’s conservation plan.

Anonymous eavesdrops on phone call between international authorities, posts transcript

Take that, Brady. You too, Peyton.

Russia and China blocked a U.N. attempt to end nearly 11 months of bloodshed, raising fears that violence will escalate.

The rest of the state is still a long way off from being out of a historic drought, though Dallas is experiencing heavy rain.

Court ruling could revive appeals for a dozen prisoners who claim they confessed to crimes under torture.

R. Allen Stanford, once considered one of the United States’ wealthiest people, faces trial for fraud.

Last Thursday, the entire city of Hama, Syria shut down in response against the Assad regime.

United States may release several prisoners from Guantanamo Bay

Dozens of homeless people have died in an Eastern Europe cold snap.

Now the highway is sending thousands of drug bust cases Sierra Blanca’s way, courtesy of a Border Patrol checkpoint.

The bill would explicitly prohibit members of Congress from initiating trades based on non-public information.

Hugo Chavez warns private banks of nationalization if agriculture projects aren't financed.

Businesses are growing more confident in the economy, investing in more equipment and laying off fewer workers.

An international copyright agreement may lead to online censorship.

Doctors Without Borders has suspended its work in prisons in the Misrata, Libya due to rampant torture.

A top European anti-corruption body wants the U.S. to increase transparency of political funding through outside groups.

An ailing American woman and a Danish man are safely on their way home after a bold, dark-of-night rescue.

Moammar Gadhafi loyalists seize control of a Libyan mountain city in an attempt to undermine Libya's Western-backed rulers.

Secret Service questioned a man who had a firearm in his vehicle as he pulled up outside former President George W. Bush's Dallas home.

The biggest solar flare in years causes an intense aurora borealis across the night sky in northern Scandinavia. 

Brown is 141-39 overall Texas, including a 12-13 mark over the last two years in the Big 12.

HOUSTON — New Houston Astros owner Jim Crane is considering changing the name of the franchise as well as its uniforms. Crane says the team will conduct a study to decide whether or not to change the name. He says switching uniforms is something they are “highly considering.” Any changes wouldn’t happen until 2013 when Houston makes the move from the National League to the American League. Crane’s comments came at an event to announce several fan initiatives. The biggest move is a five percent rebate on full-season and 27-game season ticket accounts that are renewed by Jan. 31. The cheapest at the park will be cut from $7 to $5. The Astros will also allow fans to bring water and a small amount of food inside the stadium.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh left his battered nation Sunday on his way to the U.S. for medical treatment.

Perry returned home to Texas, where he has three years left to serve as the chief executive of Texas.

Russian diplomats rebuff any UN action, Arab Force denied peace-keepers’ entry.

The agency would rather make their current revolving-door policy the exception and not the rule as they detain migrants.

Some two dozen remain missing in terrifying Mediterranean cruise ship accident.

Police clashed with demonstrators protesting alleged election fraud in Moscow and at least two other major Russian cities.

Clear Channel Radio is getting into the daily deals business in a partnership with radio station rival Cumulus Media Inc.

The only trouble is the planet’s a bit big for life to exist on the surface. The planet is about 2.4 times the size of Earth.

Not all parents are worried technology will destroy the magic.

The United Kingdom was invaded by pandas this past Sunday.

Israel does not intend to launch a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities but it retains the option as a “last resort.”

Changes in the treaty would have to be approved by all 27 EU members, 10 of whom don’t use the euro currency.

His campaign has been rocked first with allegations of sexual harassment and, now, White’s affair claim.

Athletic Director Bill Byrne announced the move in a statement on Thursday evening.

In a conference call with his senior staff, Cain only committed to keeping his campaign schedule for the next several days.

The European financial crisis suggests the euro may be on the verge of extinction.

Many voters say immigration won’t determine which candidate they’ll back for the GOP nomination.

Kuwait faced a fresh bout of political uncertainty after the government has submitted its resignation to the Gulf nation’s ruler.

European leaders rushed Monday to stop a rampaging debt crisis.

Afghan troops and coalition forces came under fire from the direction of two Pakistan army border posts,

They won’t return home because they’re afraid of hard-line Islamic militants stalking the country.

Students who were pepper-sprayed opened the protest, saying they felt unsafe on campus with the chancellor in power.

One official described the movements as evidence that Iran is trying to “clean” the area of traces of weapons-related work.

The longer life spans present additional risks for disabilities and chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

Over several years, Jimenez found a way to teach hundreds of young volunteers farming techniques and work habits.

State District Judge Denise Bradley imposed the sentence to allow Johnny Jolly to be treated for his addiction to codeine.

Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger acknowledged wide criticism of authorities for apparently letting the gang slip through their hands for years.

At one point, he even suggested to an acquaintance the president was planning to implant computer tracking chips into children.

Elsewhere, Occupy Dallas is evicted while Occupy London fares well.

The League also gave its government three days to halt the violence and accept an observer mission or face economic sanctions.

A new AP-Petside.com poll found that the most common way people acquire a pet is as a gift, followed by taking in a stray.

The project was hailed as a $300 million boon to the Austin economy and a critical breakthrough back into the U.S. market for Formula One.

A spike in cross-border attacks may cause Sudan and South Sudan to go to war over an oil-rich region.

Barry Walter faces up to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Demands increased for Oakland protesters to pack up after a man was shot and killed Thursday.

Italy is under intense pressure to construct an effective government to replace the newly resigned Berlusconi.

Obama's potential trade zone would increase U.S. exports and help to create jobs in the fastest growing region in the world. 

Gunmen in civilians clothes opened fire on anti-government protesters in Yemen’s capital.

Despite worries about online bullying, more than two-thirds of teenagers on social-networking sites say their peers are mostly kind.

Police say the naked bodies have been found on an outdoor basketball court in northern Mexico.

A rodeo bull has been freed from a giant tire that was stuck on his head for about 20 hours.

Scott Paterno: No one has asked Joe to resign.

Silvio Berlusconi survived sex scandals and corruption trials.

The State Department put a freeze Monday on expansion of a program that lines up summer jobs in the U.S. for foreign college students.

Rescuers are searching for signs of life amid mud and rubble after a rain-fueled landslide buried homes.

Demonstrators chanted, “Yes we can, stop the pipeline,” while other protesters carried a plastic tube.

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Oklahoma this Sunday, and residents are still picking up the pieces.

Al-Sadr noted the Pentagon’s recent reminders that it will keep an estimated 40,000 troops across the region, despite Obama's pledge for withdrawl.

The killing late Wednesday of Mayor Ricardo Guzman, 45, could be the latest in a string of drug cartel threats all political parties say have occurred against candidates.

A reconfigured bullpen is among nearly $12 million in stadium upgrades the Rangers was announced Thursday.

With Johnson out, the Texans have just four healthy receivers on their roster.

The MLB squad tied it in the sixth and added two more runs in the seventh.

Find out how the Occupy Everything movement is progressing across the nation, and how police are reacting to protesters.

He thinks it’s “disgusting” that the news media has started what Gingrich described as a “witch hunt” against Cain. 

Members claiming to belong to the hacker movement say they plan to expose collaborators of Mexico’s Zetas drug cartel.

The 442nd became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service. 

A risky decision by Greece's prime minister causes the world markets to plunge.

The resignation will delay its planned legal action to evict the protest camp.

More violence between Israel and Palestinian militants has Gaza’s Hamas rulers in a bind.

The Texas Rangers lost Game 6 and will not advance in the World Series. 

The Iraq War veteran injured during an anti-Wall Street protest wasn’t taking part in the demonstrations out of economic want.

President Obama said a new European plan to tackle the continent’s debt crisis would have an impact on the U.S. economy.

The Southern Andean Volcano Observatory says seismic activity related to the volcano increased starting early Tuesday night.

While struggling with the loss of his dog, Jim Arrighi also lost his wife, Juanita, who suffered from pulmonary disease.

Obama's administration defends the military dispatch to Africa as nuclear bombs are dismantled closer to home.

West Virginia considers changing conferences to stabilize Big 12, which seemed on the verge of collapse about a month ago.

Rescue workers erupted in cheers and applause Tuesday, and again after her mother and grandmother were pulled out.

Skinner came within an hour of lethal injection last year before the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in.

Police were still combing the rural, wooded area on the outskirts of Fayetteville, searching for clues.

Solo home runs by Mitch Moreland in the third and Adrian Beltre in the sixth off Chris Carpenter sparked the Texas comeback.

The existing agreement has no provision to allow peacekeepers to work with a Haitian military.

European leaders said they made progress at a weekend summit and plan to unveil concrete plans for containing the crisis by Wednesday.

In a title matchup that’s getting more interesting with every game, Holland put the emphasis back on pitching.

Cries of panic and horror filled the air as a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey, killing at least 138 people.

Clouds of tear gas choked central Athens as rival demonstrators fought with stones and firebombs outside parliament Thursday.

Gadhafi, dead at 69, was one of the world's most eccentric dictators, killed by his own people

 Retailers are so desperate this holiday season that they’re willing to lose money to get you to spend yours.

On a night when all the runs were driven in with opposite-field hits to right, Lance Berkman put St. Louis ahead.

Police used sledgehammers, crowbars and a cherry picker Wednesday to clear the way for the eviction of Irish Travelers.

Libyan fighters celebrated the fall of the former regime stronghold, meanwhile while launching an assault on Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte.

The nationally televised display of bravado was remarkable even for a man known for his extreme self-confidence.

Benjamin Fodor, better known as Phoenix Jones, insists he was breaking up a fight when he hit a crowd with pepper spray.

Vast stores of natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica have set off a rush to grab leases and secure permits to drill.

The public is aghast at having to release convicted perpetrators of suicide bombings.

The Cardinals needed more heavy duty from their bullpen after Kyle Lohse failed to make it out of the fifth.

Raj Rajaratnam was sentenced Thursday to 11 years behind bars for insider-trading.

Congress approved free trade agreements Wednesday with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

Groups that had been circulating signature petitions said they would not meet the Wednesday deadline to file.

The work stoppage appeared largest in northeast Alabama, the hub of the state’s $2.7 billion poultry industry.

A medical examiner said Tuesday that it is unreasonable to believe Jackson could have given himself a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol.

On Tuesday, Israel and Hamas performed a much-anticipated prisoner exchange that could have broad implications.

Documents recently published by Britain’s Parliament show that the top of its gilded spire is nearly 18 inches out of line.

After floundering in previous debates, Perry's supporters hope for a more polished candidate in upcoming televised debates.

Africa’s first democratically elected female president won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in recognition of the importance of women’s rights.

A significant majority of the American people don’t believe the country is moving in the right direction.

Thanks to a federal mandate, a new tool to help students and families pin down an answer is finally arriving this month.

A huge deployment of riot police surrounded students in the Plaza Italia, only to be pummeled by water cannons.

Schechtman: A good scientist is a humble and listening scientist.

Beltre hit three straight home runs and the defending AL champions advanced again, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3.

Dr. Bruce Beutler shares this year’s Nobel Prize in medicine with French scientist Jules Hoffman and Canadian-born Ralph Steinman.

Syrian troops going house to house have detained more than 3,000 people in the past three days in the rebellious town of Rastan.

Big 12 university leaders agreed to equally share the wealth from the conference’s most lucrative television deals.

Nielsen-Gammon: There’s a 25 percent chance Texas’ drought will persist another five years.

Flames engulfed a large complex at a Magnablend, Inc., facility in Waxahachie.

  “It hurts,” Romo said,  “We were obviously in a position to win this game. ... It doesn’t feel good right now.”

Rhode Island became the 13th state to allow in-state tuition for illegal immigrants at public colleges.

The criticism isn’t likely to subside as his opponents try to knock him from his front-runner perch.

Egyptian security officials in civilian clothes raided the Cairo office of Al Jazeera Live Egypt, roughing up its staff and confiscating equipment.

The international chemical weapons watchdog says stockpiles of chemical weapons have been found in Lybia.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry is renewing his criticism of the Federal Reserve Board, saying it must be more transparent.

Right-wing columnist described the ruling as a defeat for freedom of speech.

The 52-year-old fainted mid-song during an annual benefit for the Huguley Memorial Medical Center in Fort Worth.

Southwest Airlines said it was cursing — not kissing — that got a lesbian actress and her girlfriend escorted off a plane as it sat at a Texas airport.

Three-fourths of the young people said they consider these darker aspects of the online world, sometimes broadly called “digital abuse,” a serious problem.

The SEC presidents and chancellors are not currently considering any other schools for admission and that Texas A&M was the only one to submit an application. 

Dr. Conrad Murray's neglect left the superstar abandoned as he lay dying. 

A Saudi activist will stand trial for defying the kingdom’s ban on female drivers, a lawyer and rights advocates said Monday.

Here's a few brief news stories that might raise your eyebrows.

The two diplomats were followed out of the chamber by diplomats from more than 30 countries.

Lewis, a 54-year-old financial manager from Alma, Michigan, will attempt to become the oldest U.S. Mid-Am champion in Thursday’s 36-hole final.

What they are protesting is somewhat unclear. There are only about 200 of them left now, though they started out 1,500 strong.

The group has applied with ICM Registry to launch the website peta.xxx.

For now, scientists predict the earliest it will hit is Thursday U.S. time, the latest Saturday.

The nation’s military leaders of tomorrow say they have less preoccupation with the sexual orientation of their colleagues than generations before them.

The Texas governor tops GOP presidential polls despite attacks from all sides.

The Obama administration insisted there was still time to avert the divisive showdown.

The United States and Europe raced Sunday to avert or delay a looming United Nations showdown over Palestinian statehood that could crush already dim Mideast peace prospects.

Defying orders and tempting fate, Marine cpl. Dakota Meyer charged into heavy gunfire to rescue comrades under attack from Taliban insurgents.

The leaders of France and Britain will make a quick visit to Libya on Thursday

The Kent quadruplets have turned into young women whose life journey has landed them at East Texas Baptist University.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday sought to calm market fears that Greece is heading for a chaotic default on its debts as Europe struggles to contain a crippling financial crisis.

In a sharp challenge to the GOP, President Barack Obama proposed paying for his costly new jobs plan Monday with tax hikes.

The surprise assault on Israel’s embassy in Cairo has pushed Egypt’s ruling military into confrontation with a protest movement upset with their lack of progress.

Two million-year-old bones belonging to a creature with both apelike and human traits provide the clearest evidence of evolution’s first major step toward modern humans.

At some point, Texas A&M seems destined to end up in the Southeastern Conference, whether Baylor or any other member of the Big 12 likes it or not.

A private jet carrying a Russian professional hockey team to its first game of the season crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday, killing 43 people.

Casting himself as America’s CEO, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Tuesday outlined a sweeping economic plan.

The threat of rolling blackouts, constant strain on the Texas electric grid and hunkering down indoors to avoid the relentless summer heat may soon be sweaty memories.

Opponents of a new Republican congressional redistricting plan in Texas are hoping to prove in federal court the plan illegally dilutes minority voting strength.

Buffalo chicken in a flapjack and fried bubblegum are the judges’ top picks for the best and most creative foods that will be available this year at the State Fair of Texas.

Federal officials say offshore oil and gas workers in the Gulf of Mexico are going back to platforms and rigs that had been evacuated because of Tropical Storm Lee.

Food enthusiasts have been enrolling in culinary school in growing numbers, lured by dreams of working as gourmet chefs or opening their own restaurants.

Water started flowing again in several areas of Tripoli on Monday, putting an end to an outage of more than a week that rebels blamed on sabotage by retreating Moammar Gadhafi loyalists.

Ten years after the 9/11 attacks destroyed the World Trade Center, an 80-story glass and steel tower is rising like a phoenix from the ashes of ground zero.

A lockup along the shores of Lake Erie has become the first state prison in the nation to be sold to a private company.

A Houston woman got an abortion for her 12-year-old mentally disabled daughter in an effort to hide evidence that her son sexually assaulted the girl.

More than 40 major companies have agreed to double the number of engineering internships they offer in a bid to help universities train more people for jobs that require math and science skills.

Greenpeace activists shut down a petroleum services company Wednesday to protest oil exploration near a Brazilian marine national park.

Sensabaugh’s return was sort of a consolation prize, both for him and for Dallas.

Wildfires fueled by extremely dry conditions and strong winds destroyed dozens of homes in Oklahoma City and North Texas on Tuesday and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate.

The Justice Department replaced three officials Tuesday who played critical roles in a flawed law enforcement operation aimed at major gun-trafficking networks on the Southwest border.

School’s never out for 14-year-old Zoe Bentley. Nor is it ever in.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson was sentenced to 20 days in jail Monday after reaching a deal to settle two misdemeanor assault cases in Texas.

Warren Jeffs was hospitalized Monday in a medically induced coma after fasting in the weeks since receiving a life sentence for sexually assaulting underage followers.

The federal government has frozen some aid to tornado- and flood-ravaged Missouri and the South to focus on immediate help for victims of Hurricane Irene.

Bud Norris: Having Downs get the winning hit against his former team was great. I know he’s on cloud nine.

The bill would prohibit restaurants, grocery stores and other vendors from dispensing food in expanded polystyrene containers, commonly known as Styrofoam, beginning in 2016.

The fifth new Division I team in the last three years, UTSA will officially join the recent bonanza of college football startups when the Roadrunners play their first game Saturday.

The bill would prohibit restaurants, grocery stores and other vendors from dispensing food in Styrofoam containers beginning in 2016.

Slowly, the East Coast surveyed the damage, up to $7 billion by one private estimate, and worried of danger still lurking: the possibility of rivers and streams swelling with rainwater and overflowing over the next few days.

A report released by NASA’s watchdog said they acted properly when it chose not to award Houston a retired space shuttle.

Tens of thousands of Chileans marched peacefully Thursday demanding profound changes in the country’s government, while smaller groups broke away to fight with police.

The U.S. and South Africa reached a deal that will release $1.5 billion in frozen Libyan assets which the U.S. is earmarking for the rebels fighting to oust Moammar Gadhafi.

A 20-year-old Sumatran orangutan has died at an Ohio zoo after battling a respiratory disease for years.

A college professor committed suicide after killing a graduate student he had recently dated, Boise police said.

Medical marijuana cannot be sold through private shops, the Michigan appeals court said Wednesday, effectively cutting off a source for people with chronic ailments.

The manager of the state’s power grid is again urging Texans to conserve electricity as extreme heat pushes demand near record levels.

After months of unrelieved gloom and discord, Congress and President Barack Obama are starting to make a dent in the federal budget deficit.

The most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years shook buildings and rattled nerves from Georgia to Maine on Tuesday.

An Austin attorney was arrested Monday on federal racketeering charges alleging bribery of an already-convicted judge as well as witnesses in state and federal cases.

The roster hasn’t changed much, other than the guys in charge: coach Jason Garrett and new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

The head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints isn’t eligible for parole until he is at least 100 years old.

Texas voters must now decide which of the propositions will become constitutional amendments.

She also fed 18 cats, three dogs, 40 peacocks and other wildlife out of her home, which was covered in filth.

Retired Houston Rockets center Yao Ming could enter the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as early as next year — not as a player but as a contributor to the game.

About 15 percent of Virginia Tech students reported experiencing high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms several months after the 2007 shooting rampage that left 33 people dead.

Prosecutors had asked the jury for the life sentence after presenting their painstaking and sometimes graphic case.

Adam Scott hit all the right shots Sunday in a round that was close to flawless and earned him his first World Golf Championship title.

The helicopter landed Saturday afternoon at Laredo International Airport after the pilot mistook the airport for a landing strip in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

Those above the 150th floor must wait three extra minutes because they will be able to see the sun longer than those on the ground.

Stalled contract negotiations led thousands of workers in Verizon Communication Inc.’s wireline division to go on strike Sunday.

Jeffs asked Friday to be excused in protest. He didn't want anyone to represent him, but state District Judge Barbara Walther appointed two standby attorneys.

Jeffs, who acted as his own attorney, faces up to life in prison.

Jurors deliberated Wednesday without deciding the fate of five police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Mubarak wagged his finger and denied all charges against him as he went on trial for alleged corruption and complicity in the deaths of protesters who helped drive him from power.

Houston Texans All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson will miss “a day or two” of practice after dislocating his left index finger in a morning workout.

The Senate rushed the legislation to President Barack Obama for his signature just hours before the deadline.

Ending a perilous stalemate, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders announced historic agreement Sunday night on emergency legislation to avert the nation’s first-ever financial default.

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill to move California’s presidential primary from February to June next year in a money-saving move for the state.

Pfc. Abdo told authorities he planned to construct two bombs and then detonate the explosives at a restaurant frequented by soldiers.

A former star athlete who posed as a teenager to play high school basketball in West Texas was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after reaching a plea deal, a prosecutor said.

Republican front-runner Mitt Romney is focused on a match-up against President Barack Obama.

Ariel, a paralyzed male lion whose fight to walk again became the focus of an Internet fundraising campaign in Brazil, died Wednesday.

After being barred from talking with coaches during the lockout, and they spent much of Tuesday simply reconnecting.

Couples began saying “I do” at midnight in New York on Sunday as couples waited for the chance to exchange vows at the city clerk’s office.

Parts of the manifesto written by the suspect in Norway’s terrorist attack were taken almost word for word from the writings of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.

Minnesota’s state government shutdown ended Wednesday after 20 days, millions in lost revenue and frustration on the part of residents and politicians.

Two journalists who covered the aftermath of Tuesday’s shaving cream attack on Rupert Murdoch were briefly suspended from working in the British Parliament on Wednesday, after falling afoul of authorities there.

The Rangers said in a statement Monday that 64-year-old Ryan is “resting comfortably and reports he is feeling better.” He is expected to be released from the hospital in a few days.

Another major goes to Northern Ireland, with Darren Clarke taking the claret jug.

For Rep. Tim Scott the debt ceiling is not only the top issue voters in his South Carolina district want to talk about these days, it seems to be the only issue.

Japan stunned team USA in the Women’s World Cup final, beating them 3-1 on penalty kicks this Sunday.

Newly released videos recorded by the Northern California couple who held Jaycee Lee Dugard captive for 18 years provide chilling details about the kidnappers.

Bloody bodies were strewn in the dirt of Mumbai’s crowded neighborhoods and markets. Doors were ripped off storefronts, motorcycles were charred and a bus stop was shredded.

The first troops to leave Afghanistan as part of the U.S. drawdown handed over their slice of battlefield Wednesday to a unit less than half their size and started packing for home.

Showing a dramatic burst sure to captivate the folks back home, the Americans packed an entire World Cup’s worth of theatrics into a 15-minute span by beating Brazil 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie Sunday night.

A day after the jubilation of South Sudan’s independence proclamation, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. warned Sunday of a “real risk” that the north-south peace process could unravel unless outstanding issues such as oil and border demarcations are quickly resolved.

A reproductive rights group asked a federal judge Wednesday to block a new Texas law requiring doctors to conduct a sonogram before performing an abortion, arguing it is vague and unconstitutional.  

What could the future hold for Casey Anthony when she gets out of jail, perhaps as early as Thursday?

They’re coming on bicycle from Switzerland, by plane from the U.S. and Australia. From Bosnian towns and villages they’re heading through the woods on foot joining thousands of other pilgrims.

Teams of federal and state workers fanned out Sunday along Montana’s famed Yellowstone River to gauge the environmental damage from a ruptured Exxon Mobil pipeline that spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the waterway.

Until Sunday, Novak Djokovic never managed to win a grass-court tournament of any sort, let alone Wimbledon.

Venezuela’s government postponed next week’s summit of Latin American leaders Wednesday, citing President Hugo Chavez’s health as he recovers from surgery in Cuba.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry urged the U.S. attorney general to take action Wednesday against Americans who plan to take part in a pro-Palestinian protest by sailing to the Gaza Strip to challenge an Israeli naval blockade.

A Texas Senate committee has passed a weakened version of a bill criminalizing intrusive security pat-downs at airports, angering many of the people who showed up to support it.

Israel began tearing down a section of its contentious West Bank separation barrier Sunday near a village that has come to symbolize Palestinian opposition to the enclosure, the military said.

When James “Whitey” Bulger ruled the streets of South Boston, the New England crime scene was a battleground for a bloody turf war between the Italian Mafia and Irish street crews.

The bill was introduced by Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Ron Paul, a Texas Republican running for his party's presidential nomination.

Dwane Casey hopes to bring a rugged, NHL-style of defense to his newest job in the NBA. The Toronto Raptors hired Casey as their coach Tuesday, nine days after the Dallas assistant helped the Mavericks win the championship.

A total of 10,000 troops will leave the war zone by the end of this year — fulfilling Obama’s promise for a withdrawal starting next month — and more than 20,000 additional forces will leave by the summer of 2012.

The Golden Bears kept up their improbable postseason run with a 7-3 victory over Texas A&M.

Dozens of homes have been destroyed and hundreds of people evacuated as firefighters across Texas are working to contain wildfires fed by triple-digit temperatures, high winds and drought.

President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that Afghanistan and the United States are engaged in peace talks with the Taliban, even as suicide bombers stormed a police station near the presidential palace.

Virginia went on to defeat California 4-1 at the College World Series on Sunday after a seven inning scoreless tie.

NEW YORK — Unrest in Greece rattled global financial markets Wednesday. Stocks fell the most since June 1 as investors piled into lower-risk assets like the dollar and U.S. government bonds.

Dirk Nowitzki got the Dallas Mavericks to the brink of an NBA championship. His teammates did the rest, a perfect ending for a club that talked all season about its greatest strength being the sum of its parts.

Johnathan Taylor and Buddy Lamothe may never play baseball again after accidents left them partially paralyzed. That didn’t matter to the teams that picked them Wednesday during the final rounds of the Major League Baseball draft.

Gov. Rick Perry added immigration legislation, including a measure that would remove local law enforcement agencies' ability to not prioritize immigration violation.

Regardless of the setting or the surface, Rafael Nadal confounds Roger Federer the way no other man can.

A Washington gathering of religious conservatives did something this weekend a South Carolina Republican debate and a well-publicized forum in New Hampshire couldn’t do a few weeks ago.

Two U.S. senators said Sunday they will ask federal authorities to crack down on a secretive narcotics market operated on the Internet with anonymous sales and untraceable currency.

A federal grand jury charged two-time presidential candidate John Edwards with soliciting and covering up the secret spending.

Ratko Mladic, who will appear in public Friday for the first time since his arrest when he goes before a war crimes judge, was “extremely cooperative” when finally taken into U.N. custody after 16 years as a fugitive, a court official said Wednesday.

Several Texas senators on Thursday criticized the recent $200,000 raise for Texas basketball coach Rick Barnes.

  After nearly a decade of anger and fear, America rejoiced Monday at the demise of Osama bin Laden, the terror mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Navy SEALs who killed the world’s most-wanted terrorist seized a trove of al-Qaida documents to pore over, and President Barack Obama laid plans to visit New York’s Ground Zero.

In their zeal to set a Super Bowl attendance record, the NFL and Jerry Jones overlooked one important detail: Making sure all the temporary seats inside mammoth Cowboys Stadium had been inspected and were ready for the fans.

For 40 minutes, Texas made life hard for the nation's leading scorer.

Filling a critical need on a coaching staff that went through a major shakeup after a 5-7 season, Texas hired Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to do the same job with the Longhorns.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Freshman Cory Joseph hit a turnaround jumper over Dexter Strickland with 1.4 seconds left to help No. 22 Texas beat North Carolina 78-76 on Saturday.