African men jailed for 8 years over gay sex
Nine men, including a prominent activist, have been convicted of homosexual acts and sentenced to eight years in prison, their lawyer and a gay rights group said Thursday.
Floods cut Washington highways
Floods and avalanches kept tens of thousands of people in Washington state from their homes Thursday and cut off highways that link Seattle's ports with markets around the country.
Dismal December sales add to retailer woes
Major retailers Thursday reported dismal sales for December, confirming fears that the holiday season was the weakest in four decades.
Walters: Oklahoma can silence Big 12 critics with win
Walters: Oklahoma has an opportunity to validate every verbal bouquet tossed the Big 12's direction this season. The Sooners, losers themselves of four consecutive BCS bowls and no strangers to the "Over-rated!" chant, take on a Florida squad that is as fast and deep as anyone in the nation. And that might as well be playing a home game.
Small retailers struggle in tough season
Like a lot of small retailers, Henry Burton depends heavily on the holiday season to ring up sales, and, like a lot of retailers, this past holiday season proved especially challenging.
Diplomats seek Gaza cease-fire
The U.N. suspended food shipments to Gaza on Thursday, but a cease-fire resolution moved toward a vote in the U.N. Security Council.
Gotti neighbor allegedly dissolved in acid
It's been one of the last mysteries from John Gotti's gangland career: What happened to the neighbor who accidentally ran over and killed the mobster's 12-year-old son — and then vanished?
Report: Missile kills top al-Qaida men
A CIA strike in Pakistan killed two top al-Qaida terrorists long sought by the U.S., including the man believed to be behind a deadly hotel bombing in Pakistan, U.S. officials told the Washington Post.
Job hunts grow harder in recession
New claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week, but the number of people continuing to seek aid rose sharply.
How many meerkats? London Zoo critter count
The annual count is a legal requirement for all British zoos, and it's also a useful tool for monitoring animal conservation efforts. Zookeepers say it makes sense to have a census.
