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LONDON/MOSCOW – Britain’s efforts to extradite former KGB officer and current Russian parliamentarian Andrei Lugovoy to stand trial for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko has received a setback with German prosecutors closing their case against Lugovoy’s business partner Dmitri Kovtun. Kovtun, a former Soviet military intelligence officer, had been accused of illegally transporting radioactive material into

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Litvinenko murder: UK efforts to extradite ex-KGB agent nixed

more images more images Obama orders review of possible Fort Hood signs FORT HOOD, Texas — President Barack Obama has ordered a review to determine if warning signs were mishandled of contact between the Fort Hood shooting rampage suspect and a radical Islamic cleric who encouraged Muslims to kill U.S. troops in Iraq.

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Fort Hood shootings suspect charged with murder, Obama orders review of possible warning signs

AP sources: Probers eye census worker’s insurance WASHINGTON — Investigators trying to solve the mystery of a census taker found hanging from a tree with the word “fed” scrawled on his chest are examining whether he manipulated the scene in order to conceal a suicide and make a life insurance claim possible for his son, law

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AP sources: Authorities eye life insurance policy in mysterious hanging death of census taker

UK’s Brown: NATO troop increase for Afghanistan LONDON — Britain’s prime minister says NATO nations may contribute 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan — offering key backing as the U.S. decides whether to increase troop levels. Prime Minister Gordon Brown launched an impassioned defense of the controversial military campaign in Afghanistan during an interview Friday on the BBC,

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Britain’s prime minister says NATO nations may contribute 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan

more images more images more images more images Mideast radicals fill space left by peace impasse CAIRO — Iran’s closest allies in the Middle East are seizing on a deadlock in U.S.-backed peace efforts to try to sway a frustrated Arab world to their side. Radicals have escalated their rhetoric as hopes for progress on an Israeli-Palestinian deal have faded. The

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Backsliding in Mideast peace process leaves opening for radicals to step up influence

Attacks kill 16 in Pakistan, spy agency targeted PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Suicide car bombers killed 16 people and wounded more than 80 in two attacks in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, including a devastating strike on the regional headquarters of the spy agency overseeing much of the country’s anti-terror campaign. The bombings were the latest in a string

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Pair of suicide attacks kill 16 in Pakistan, including bold strike against powerful spy agency

Heavy snow storms in northern China kill 38 BEIJING — Unusually early snow storms in northern China have claimed 38 lives in weather-related incidents and caused more than half a billion dollars in damage, the Civil Affairs Ministry said Friday. Nineteen of the deaths resulted from traffic accidents related to the storms that began on Nov.

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Early snow storms in China kill 38, damage more than 7,000 buildings; $513 million in damage

Disney CEO hints at successor amid upbeat 4Q LOS ANGELES — The Walt Disney Co. posted a surprise 18 percent increase in fourth-quarter earnings Thursday and announced an executive job switch that pointed to an eventual successor to Chief Executive Robert Iger. Iger, 58, said he was behind the decision to turn Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs

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Disney CEO Iger hints at successor as 4Q beats Wall Street forecasts and advertising improves

Judge delays auction for Philly newspapers 1 week PHILADELPHIA — The bankruptcy auction for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News is on hold one week while creditors appeal a key bid rule. The auction to determine the next owner of the two major dailies had been set for next week

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Judge delays bankruptcy auction for Philly newspapers 1 week while creditors appeal bid rules

Perzel among 10 charged in Pa. legislative probe HARRISBURG, Pa. — A former House speaker, an ex-lawmaker and eight aides Thursday became the latest — and the first Republicans — to be charged in a 3-year-old investigation into the diversion of public resources and employees to Pennsylvania legislative campaigns

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Pa. AG charges ex-House Speaker Perzel, 9 other Republicans in legislative corruption probe

Diary that helped expose Stalin’s famine displayed LONDON — The diaries of a British reporter who risked his reputation to expose the horrors of Stalin’s murderous famine in Ukraine are to go on display on Friday. Welsh journalist Gareth Jones snuck into Ukraine in March of 1933, at the height of an artificial famine engineered by Soviet

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Diary of British reporter who sacrificed reputation to expose Stalin’s famine goes on display

more images more images Fort Hood suspect charged with 13 counts of murder FORT HOOD, Texas — The Army psychiatrist in the Fort Hood massacre was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder Thursday as he lay in a hospital bed and President Barack Obama ordered a review to determine if the government fumbled warning signs of the

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Fort Hood suspect charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder, eligible for death penalty

San Diego Great Dane named world’s tallest dog LOS ANGELES — The Guinness Book of World Records officially says an ailing 4-year-old Great Dane named Titan from San Diego is the world’s tallest dog. Owner Diana Taylor says Titan is blind, deaf, epileptic and undergoes acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments every three weeks. He is also a gentle soul

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Guinness Book of World Records says white Great Dane in San Diego is tallest dog on planet

Bolivia: Lake Titicaca at dangerously low levels LA PAZ, Bolivia — Evaporation blamed on global warming has reduced Lake Titicaca, one of the world’s highest navigable lakes, to its lowest level since 1949, authorities said Thursday. Diminished rainfall and a rise in solar radiation have in the past four years led to critically low water levels that

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Bolivian authorities warn Titicata, world’s highest lake, at dangerously low level

LaHood to create panel to fix airline industry WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday he will create a special panel to come up with a plan to restore health to the ailing airline industry, which is losing billions of dollars, shedding jobs and blamed for using a business model that critics say undermines safety. LaHood,

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Obama administration seeks plan to restore the ailing airline industry to financial health

Intertape Polymer to delist shares from NYSE PITTSBURGH — Intertape Polymer Group Inc. said Thursday it plans to voluntarily delist its shares of common stock from the New York Stock Exchange, but will continue to list its shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Canadian maker of plastic and paper packaging products said it thinks the Toronto

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Intertape Polymer to delist shares from NYSE due to low volume, but will continue trade on TSE

Treasury prices recover after 30-year sale NEW YORK — Long-term treasury prices finished Thursday moderately higher, recovering from a drop immediately following an auction of 30-year bonds. Prices for short-term Treasurys edged higher throughout the day. Tom Porcelli, a market economist at RBC Capital markets, said results for the government’s sale of $16 billion in 30-year bonds

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Long-term Treasury prices rebound from initial drop after 30-year bond auction

The hour may be at hand for Russia’s 11 time zones MOSCOW — Russia has 11 time zones across its vast territory — and its leaders believe that’s just too many hours in the day. President Dmitry Medvedev suggested Thursday that Russia reduce the number of time zones in the name of economic efficiency, which could have

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It gets late early: Russia may slash some of its 11 time zones to make economy efficient

more images more images Obama promises strategy, clear mission for troops ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska — Nearing a decision on sending more troops off to war, President Barack Obama told a military audience Thursday that he will not dispatch them into conflict without proper support — including the backing of the American people.

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Obama promises troops a clear mission, public support if he sends them into harm’s way

more images more images Claims fall; when jobs will come is anyone’s guess WASHINGTON — With the sputtering job market flashing an encouraging sign — unemployment claims at their lowest point since January — the White House announced a summit Thursday to try to speed the day when hiring finally starts again. While President Barack Obama called the new

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Unemployment claims at lowest since January as White House announces jobs summit

Recently I commented about how Verizon’s doubling of its early termination fee to $350 makes sense as the company needs to keep investing in ensuring its network is the best in the US. I may be the only person who appreciates having a fee go up as evidenced by the noise from journalists which is not subsiding. One of my favorite writers and video producers, David Pogue of The New York Times comments today that Verizon is gouging and has a plethora of ideas the company can implement to save consumers money.

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Verizon’s Rising Fees Still Makes Sense

Pakistanis worry about US nuclear intentions ISLAMABAD — In Washington, the ultimate Pakistani nightmare is that the country’s nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of Taliban militants or rogue soldiers. In Islamabad, though, talk of nuclear weapons taps into a very different fear: Washington. The United States, they’ll tell you in this capital city of well-ordered neighborhoods

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As the world worries about Pakistani nuclear security, Islamabad worries about Washington

National team to help manage bark beetle problem DENVER — A national team will help the U.S. Forest Service manage the attack against the beetle infestation that has swept through about 2.5 million acres of forests in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. Rocky Mountain Regional Forester Rick Cables says the team will help coordinate efforts to address

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National team to help Forest Service manage bark beetle epidemic in Colo., Wyo.

Palin says she knew Couric interview went badly CHICAGO — Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin suggests she recognized quickly that she’d done badly in her interview with CBS anchorwoman Katie Couric. In a written excerpt of an interview scheduled to air Monday on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Palin says that even as campaign advisers told her

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Sarah Palin tells Oprah Winfrey she knew her interview with Katie Couric went badly

Alliant Techsystems 2Q profit rises with sales MINNEAPOLIS — Shares of Alliant Techsystems Inc. rose modestly Thursday, a day after it said its fiscal second-quarter profit climbed 18 percent, helped by stronger sales of ammunition for security forces in Afghanistan. The maker of ammunition, propulsion systems and aerospace supplies also boosted its full-year profit and revenue forecasts

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Alliant Techsystems reports 18 pct profit rise in fiscal 2nd qtr, boosted by stronger sales

LRA approves $5M plan to fix Chinese drywall ills BATON ROUGE, La. — Some homeowners would get help fixing problems caused by trouble-plagued Chinese drywall under a $5 million plan that is being sent to state lawmakers after winning the unanimous backing Thursday of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. The program will require legislative and federal approval before

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$5M plan to help homeowners fix Chinese drywall problems approved by LRA; needs legislative OK

Lawyer: FBI asked terror suspect to be informant BOSTON — A Massachusetts man accused of plotting to kill Americans was portrayed by federal prosecutors Thursday as a jihadist who is too dangerous to be released on bail, but the man’s lawyer said he was charged only after he refused to become an FBI informant against Muslims.

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Lawyer: Mass. terror suspect charged only after he rejected FBI requests to become informant

Bloomberg shakes hands with terrorism associate NEW YORK — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he would not have shaken the hand of a character witness for a convicted terrorist if he had known about his history. Brooklyn imam Siraj Wahhaj (sur-AWJ’ wah’-HAHJ) was among clergy members invited to meet the mayor Wednesday. Wahhaj was a witness for

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Bloomberg voices regret after shaking hands with character witness in terror case

5 bodies found inside homes in Arkansas PEARCY, Ark. — Authorities say they found four bodies in a burning mobile home in southwest Arkansas and another person was found dead inside a nearby house. Officials say around 2:30 Thursday morning authorities in Pearcy received a report of a house fire and nearly 15 miles away, the fire

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4 people found dead inside charred trailer in Arkansas, another body found in nearby home

US court: CIA didn’t violate Plame’s speech rights NEW YORK — A federal appeals court in New York says the CIA did not violate Valerie Plame’s free speech rights. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2007 lower court decision in its ruling Thursday. The decision barred Plame from revealing the length of her tenure with

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Appeals court backs decision barring Valerie Plame from disclosing length of CIA career