In Tobacco-Loving Va., Bars to Quit Cold-Turkey The bluish haze that has hung over the Third Street Diner’s bar and booths for decades finally lifts next month as a new anti-smoking law takes hold in Virginia, a huge shift for a state whose tobacco habit dates to the Jamestown settlement some 400 years ago. Bob Lewis, AP NEWS - 6 minutes ago
Kandahar Governor Survives Assassination Attempt An official in the volatile south of Afghanistan says the governor of Kandahar province has survived an assassination attempt while he was on his way to a mosque for prayers marking the Muslim holiday of Eid. Staff, AP NEWS - 6 minutes ago
Pirates Pitcher Digs Spikes Into Farming Policy An e-mail requesting an internship arrived at the Agriculture Department this summer with an impressive resume: Princeton University degree in operations research and financial engineering, 3.8 college GPA, 1520 SATs. Frederic J. Frommer, AP NEWS - 6 minutes ago
Food Banks Go High-Tech to Feed the Hungry Food banks across the country are undergoing a high-tech revolution, adopting sophisticated databases, bar coding, GPS tracking, automated warehouses and other technologies used in the food industry that increasingly supplies their goods. George Tibbits, AP NEWS - 7 minutes ago
Was President in Danger From Dinner Crashers? The Secret Service maintains that President Barack Obama was never in danger at a state dinner after an uninvited Virginia couple got through security, but it wouldn’t comment on whether anyone is screened for radiological or biological weapons. Larry Margasak, AP NEWS - 7 minutes ago
Rush Starts as Holiday Shopping Season Revs Up The nation’s retailers are ushering in the traditional start of the holiday shopping season with expanded hours and deep discounts on everything from toys to TVs to lure crowds of shoppers. Anne D'Innocenzio, AP NEWS - 8 minutes ago
Shuttle Crew Prepares for Return to Earth Favorable weather conditions awaited the shuttle Atlantis and its seven-astronaut crew on their expected return to Earth Friday, after a successful 11-day mission to the International Space Station. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 15 minutes ago
Nigerian President Treated for Heart Condition The chief physician for Nigeria’s president says the leader is undergoing treatment for a heart condition at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Staff, AP FEATURES - 16 minutes ago
AP NewsAlert Local official says Kandahar governor survives assassination attempt in southern Afghanistan. Staff, AP NEWS - 16 minutes ago
The Nation’s Weather The low pressure system off the New England coast was forecast to slowly lift northeast on Friday, while rain and high-elevation snow were expected to persist across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Appalachians. Weather Underground, AP NEWS - 20 minutes ago
Dollar Sinks to Fresh 14-Year Low Vs. Yen The dollar sank to a fresh 14-year low against the yen Friday as worries about Dubai’s debt mountain drove investors to buy safe haven assets like the yen. Malcolm Foster, AP NEWS - 23 minutes ago
Apple’s IPhone Set to Make Splash in South Korea The iPhone’s arrival in South Korea is generating considerable buzz among consumers and industry watchers amid expectations it will shake up a market dominated by world-beating domestic manufacturers. Kelly Olsen, AP NEWS - 24 minutes ago
Key British Diplomat Testifies to Iraq Inquiry Britain’s top diplomat at the United Nations in the buildup to the 2003 Iraq war is giving evidence to the country’s inquiry into the invasion. Staff, AP NEWS - 24 minutes ago
Russian PM Putin in France for Economic Talks Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is holding talks aimed at deepening business and financial cooperation with France. Staff, AP NEWS - 32 minutes ago
Pakistan: Militants Kill 3 Anti-Taliban Figures A key anti-Taliban tribal leader was assassinated Friday in a roadside bombing, the latest in a series of attacks against pro-government militias in the Afghan border area of northwestern Pakistan, officials said. Anwarullah Khan, AP NEWS - 33 minutes ago
Climate Debate Heats Up Caribbean Summit An approaching global climate summit has raised the temperature at a typically low-key meeting of leaders from Britain’s former colonial empire. Ben Fox, AP NEWS - 35 minutes ago
Oil Slides to Near $74 as Dubai Woes Roil Markets Oil prices slid to near $74 a barrel Friday in Asia as investors curtailed their risky bets on commodities amid uncertainty about the global fallout from Dubai’s financial troubles. Stephen Wright, AP NEWS - 36 minutes ago
Namibia Vote Expected to Return Party to Power Namibia’s longtime ruling party may see its grip on this desert nation weakened by a challenge from a new breakaway party hoping to attract voters dissatisfied with corruption and leadership scandals. Alexandra Regner, AP NEWS - 37 minutes ago
Asian Stocks Tumble Amid Dubai Fears, Dollar Slump Asian stock markets tumbled Friday, with Hong Kong and South Korea down nearly 5 percent, as fears mounted over the fallout from Dubai’s massive debt problems. European stocks extended their slide. Jeremiah Marquez, AP NEWS - 38 minutes ago
Indonesia Rejects Bali Plan for Turtle Sacrifices Indonesia has rejected a push by the resort island of Bali for rare turtles to be legally slain in Hindu ceremonies, siding with conservationists of the protected reptiles against religious advocates, an official said Friday. Niniek Karmini, AP NEWS - 41 minutes ago
Japanese Flock to First-Ever Open Budget Debate Japanese flocked to a large gymnasium in central Tokyo in recent weeks to see what for them was an unusual sight: senior bureaucrats being grilled over their budget requests for next year. Malcolm Foster, AP NEWS - 46 minutes ago
2 Rescued Earlier at Site of Utah Cave Tragedy The medical student who died in a Utah cave was the third spelunker in recent years to get stuck in the same tiny crevice but the only one die — an outcome that devastated the dozens of rescuers who worked for more than a day to save him. Jennifer Dobner, AP NEWS - 46 minutes ago
Slovenia: Patient’s Heart Stops After H1N1 Shot Slovenian health authorities say a 77-year-old woman was hospitalized when her heart stopped minutes after she received a swine flu shot. Staff, AP FEATURES - 72 minutes ago
China Leaders Vow to Tackle Climate Change: Xinhua China’s Communist Party leadership pledged during a meeting Friday to “actively” tackle climate change and stick to its current fiscal and monetary policies, state media reported. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 75 minutes ago
World Powers Seek Iran Nuclear Censure World powers united on Friday to seek a new UN censure of Iran’s nuclear programme and demand that it halt construction of uranium enrichment site kept secret until recently. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 75 minutes ago
Philippine Massacre Suspect Charged With Murder Andal Ampatuan Jnr, the Philippine politician detained in connection with the massacre of 57 people in the southern Philippines, was charged Friday with murder connected to this week’s brutal election-linked killings, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera told reporters. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 75 minutes ago
Australia Carbon Cuts Hit by Opposition Revolt Australia’s bid to pledge carbon cuts ahead of next month’s global climate talks was in serious doubt Friday as an opposition revolt over the legislation threatened to trigger snap polls. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 75 minutes ago
K.Rouge Jail Head Makes Shock Demand for Acquittal Former Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch stunned Cambodia’s UN-backed war crimes court Friday by asking judges to acquit and release him on the final day of arguments in his trial. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 75 minutes ago
K.Rouge Jail Chief Makes Shock Acquittal Demand Former Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch asked Cambodia’s UN-backed war crimes court Friday to acquit and release him, in a surprise development on the final day of arguments in his trial. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 75 minutes ago
Yen Surge Overshadows Japan Unemployment Drop A fall in Japan’s jobless rate pointed at a recovery in the world’s number two economy Friday, but the government fretted that the surging yen could again derail the export-reliant nation. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 75 minutes ago
ING Announces Terms for 7.5-Bln-Euro Rights Issue Dutch bank and insurance group ING announced on Friday it would issue 1.7 billion new shares at 4.24 euros (6.3 dollars) apiece to raise 7.5 billion euros to pay back government emergency funding. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 75 minutes ago
Nuclear Watchdog Issues Reactor Concerns The nuclear safety watchdog has warned that French and US-Japanese reactors planned for construction in Britain could be rejected unless safety concerns were met. Afp, AFP EUROPEAN EDITION - 75 minutes ago
Govt ‘to Block’ Financial Supervision From Brussels Prime Minister Gordon Brown has made it a personal priority to rein in European Union proposals to regulate financial services from Brussels, a source has said. Afp, AFP EUROPEAN EDITION - 75 minutes ago
‘Belle De Jour’ Misses Satisfaction of Old Life A scientist who wrote a racy blog and a best-selling book about being a prostitute has admitted she misses some parts of her old job as a call girl. Afp, AFP EUROPEAN EDITION - 75 minutes ago
Vauxhall Says No Job Cuts Due at Ellesmere Vauxhall, the British arm of General Motors, has ruled out job cuts at its main car plant as it announced plans to increase the factory’s production. Afp, AFP EUROPEAN EDITION - 75 minutes ago
UFO-Obsessed Hacker Loses Bid to Block US Extradition A Briton accused of hacking into US military and NASA computers faces extradition to the United States after the British government rejected last-ditch requests to block the move. Afp, AFP EUROPEAN EDITION - 75 minutes ago
London Stocks Slide Further on Dubai Threat London’s benchmark FTSE 100 shares index fell by more than one percent shortly after the start of trading on Friday following sharp losses across Asian markets on worries about Dubai’s debt default threat. Afp, AFP EUROPEAN EDITION - 75 minutes ago
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