U.S., France search for Afghan compromise

Visiting French President François Hollande told President Barack Obama on Friday that France's combat troops would leave Afghanistan by year's end and pledged to find a way "for our allies to pursue their mission" in talks at a looming NATO summit. The two leaders also bonded [...]

Witnesses paint graphic picture of fight

But Nobody Saw How the Deadly Altercation Began.

Blind Chinese activist says he's at Beijing airport, may fly to U.S.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday he has left a hospital in Beijing, where he has been for the past three weeks since he sought refuge in the U.S. embassy, and was waiting at the airport. Chen said he believes he will be headed on a flight to the United States, but added he was still uncertain of it. The departure of Chen and his family would mark the removal of a sticking point in already difficult U.S.-China relations that have been marred by China's handling of human rights. The U.S. embassy was not immediately available for comment. ...

Driver who was hero in '76 Calif. bus kidnap dies

The nation called Ed Ray a hero when he led a terrified group of children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their school bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.

Georgia woman learns toll of flesh-eating bacteria

Faced with the prospect of losing both hands and her one remaining foot, a young Georgia woman battling to survive a case of flesh-eating bacteria that has already claimed one leg mouthed the words "Let's do this."

Police nab airline pilot with loaded gun in luggage
BUFFALO, New York (Reuters) - An airline pilot was arrested Friday morning at Buffalo Niagara International Airport after security screeners discovered a loaded revolver in his baggage. Brett Dieter, 52, of Barbersville, Virginia, arrived at the upstate New York airport Friday to pilot a flight to New York City's LaGuardia International Airport for Piedmont Airlines, a passenger airline that subcontracts under U.S. Airways. While at a security checkpoint, a scan of Dieter's bag revealed a .357 magnum revolver loaded with five rounds. ...

SpaceX test flight to space station seen as milestone

An Obama administration plan to cut the cost of space flights faces a key test on Saturday when a privately owned rocket lifts off for a practice run aimed at the first private docking at the International Space Station. Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule are scheduled for launch at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Meteorologists expect good conditions for a launch, but if weather or technical problems force a delay, Falcon 9's next opportunity to fly would be on Tuesday. ...

Facebook IPO honeymoon over

All that hype for a 23-cent gain! Facebook's (FB) first day as a publicly traded company started with a bang and ended in a wimper.

Obama holds 2-to-1 cash advantage over Romney
President Barack Obama holds a cash advantage of more than 2-to-1 over Republican challenger Mitt Romney but the president's money advantage is beginning to dwindle.