End in sight, health care battle tilts Obama's way (AP)

3/19/2010 7:50:02 PM

AP - One by one, House Democratic fence-sitters began choosing sides Friday, and the long, turbulent struggle over landmark health care legislation tilted unmistakably in President Barack Obama's direction.

Judge orders renegotiation of 9/11 settlement (AP)

3/19/2010 8:57:53 PM

AP - A federal judge on Friday rejected a legal settlement that would have given at least $575 million to people sickened by ash and dust from the World Trade Center, saying the deal shortchanged 10,000 ground zero workers whom he called heroes.

Final health bill omits some of Obama's promises (AP)

3/19/2010 7:51:21 PM

AP - It was a bold response to skyrocketing health insurance premiums. President Barack Obama would give federal authorities the power to block unreasonable rate hikes.

World diplomats urge resumption of Mideast talks (AP)

3/19/2010 7:58:00 PM

AP - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Friday that the United States and Israel have found a way around the worst disagreement the two allies have faced in years while international diplomats set goals for new U.S.-backed peace talks aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state.

7th anniversary of Iraq War passes, little noticed (AP)

3/19/2010 7:53:11 PM

AP - It was a day like any other day — except that it was the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And, for the most part, that was forgotten.

Pope's Irish letter faces critical Catholic world (AP)

3/19/2010 7:54:10 PM

AP - Pope Benedict XVI addresses Ireland on Saturday in a letter apologizing for the sex abuse scandal here — a message being watched closely by Catholics from Boston to Berlin to see if it also acknowledges decades of Vatican-approved cover-ups.

Letter: Lehman accounting tricks possibly illegal (AP)

3/19/2010 9:08:03 PM

AP - A Lehman Brothers whistleblower warned his bosses that accounting gimmicks the bank used before its collapse may have been illegal, his lawyer said Friday.

Court: Anna Nicole Smith gets none of oil fortune (AP)

3/19/2010 7:54:14 PM

AP - The elderly Texas billionaire who married Anna Nicole Smith in the last year of his life never intended to leave the former stripper any portion of his vast fortune, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

No. 12 seed Cornell dominates Temple 78-65 (AP)

3/19/2010 7:45:25 PM

AP - Confident, relaxed and definitely on their game.

NCAA: Ohio State defeats UC-Santa Barbara 68-51 (AP)

3/19/2010 9:05:00 PM

AP - Fifty years after winning the national title, the Buckeyes are one step closer to another.

House Democrats see momentum on health bill (Reuters)

3/19/2010 8:46:57 PM

Reuters - Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives lobbied undecided members for support and voiced growing confidence on Friday they will win a close vote on final passage of a sweeping healthcare overhaul.

Gunmen block roads in Mexico's drug-plagued north (Reuters)

3/19/2010 7:06:34 PM

Reuters - Armed men likely linked to drug gangs blocked highways with trucks and buses in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey on Friday in an apparent attempt to hamper army operations near the U.S. border.

ACORN on verge of bankruptcy: report (Reuters)

3/19/2010 8:28:09 PM

Reuters - The U.S. liberal grass-roots group ACORN is on the brink of bankruptcy and its leaders will hold a teleconference this weekend to discuss the group's future, The New York Times reported on its website on Friday.

Quartet tells Israel to halt settlement activity (AFP)

3/19/2010 7:46:20 PM

AFP - The Middle East Quartet urged Israel to stop building settlements and set a bold target for a final deal with the Palestinians by 2012 as it tried to kickstart the stalled peace process.

Nation on brink of history, Obama says, as health care vote looms (AFP)

3/19/2010 6:58:19 PM

AFP - US President Barack Obama girded for a crucial weekend vote on his sweeping health care overhaul plan, with Democrats poised to make history after a century of struggling for reform.

Cornell, Missouri, Ga. Tech Extend NCAA Upset Trend

3/19/2010 6:42:00 PM

The NCAA men's basketball tournament featured more surprises as first-round play continued Friday. Cornell, Missouri and Georgia Tech were all underdog winners.

Pope's letter on Irish abuse due

3/19/2010 6:06:02 PM

The Vatican is due to publish a letter from Pope Benedict to Irish Catholics, seeking forgiveness for paedophile scandals by priests.

9/11 dust pay-out deal 'too low'

3/19/2010 2:45:02 PM

A US judge says a planned $657m deal for 10,000 people who worked at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks is insufficient.

Kosovo row mars EU-Balkans summit

3/19/2010 7:18:10 PM

Serbian President Boris Tadic boycotts an EU-Balkan integration conference because of a row over Kosovo's status.

Cheesecake, open up! New York police say sorry to elderly couple

3/19/2010 5:38:29 PM

New York's police chief has delivered a cheesecake to an elderly couple in Brooklyn, to apologise for dozens of mistaken police visits to their home.

Live - Bangladesh v England

3/19/2010 7:52:18 PM

Bangladesh win the toss and decide to bat first in the second Test against England in Mirpur.

Rio Tinto signs China mine deal

3/19/2010 5:52:55 AM

Rio Tinto signs a big West African venture deal with China, days before four of its officials go on trial in Shanghai.

Tories to announce bank tax plan

3/19/2010 7:58:06 PM

Conservative leader David Cameron is due to announce plans to tax banks - even without other countries' agreement.

Murder arrest over body in Thames

3/19/2010 5:55:44 PM

A man is arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a man is recovered from the Thames at Wapping.

SNP seek election 'opportunities'

3/19/2010 7:18:05 PM

SNP leader Alex Salmond will tell his party's conference a hung parliament at Westminster would be "redolent with opportunity".

Seventh anniversary of Iraq war is little noticed

3/19/2010 3:54:08 PM

It was a day like any other day except that it was the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And, for the most part, ...

Berlusconi jokes that women are lining up

3/19/2010 2:37:00 PM

Newly separated Silvio Berlusconi says he has no trouble getting a date.

Weekend forecast: Mild on both coasts, but messy in the middle

3/19/2010 1:37:45 PM

While both coasts enjoy a mostly mild, dry weekend, much of the central USA will cope with a wild weather potpourri of snow, ...

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AP: NASA, Royal Caribbean, Wall Street banks got flu shots

3/19/2010 1:58:00 PM

Last fall, as swine flu cases mounted and parents desperately sought to protect their kids, the hard-to-get vaccine was handed ...

Red River area waits for flood

3/19/2010 11:04:32 AM

As Midwest rivers continue to rise this weekend, emergency managers and some residents are optimistic that lessons learned in ...

Revamped student loan bill tucked into massive health bill

3/19/2010 10:46:31 AM

Compromises abound, but the current health care/student loan bill would make huge investments in higher education, pouring upwards ...

Heavy rains swamp camps holding Haiti's homeless

3/19/2010 10:26:59 AM

One of the heaviest rainfalls since Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake swamped homeless camps Friday, sweeping screaming residents into ...

Chart: Highlights of health care bill

3/19/2010 9:26:54 AM

Some of the key changes that House Democrats made to the Senate health care bill.

Snowstorm blankets Colorado on last day of winter

3/19/2010 8:13:22 AM

A late-winter storm is bringing snow and cold that canceled classes for several Colorado school districts and made for a slick ...

IED attacks in Afghanistan more lethal

3/19/2010 8:08:45 AM

Attacks on U.S. and allied forces with makeshift bombs in Afghanistan are 50% more lethal than three years ago, reflecting insurgents' ...

Munich diocese faces 'tsunami' of abuse claims

3/19/2010 6:59:44 AM

Pope Benedict XVI's former diocese in Munich says it is facing new allegations of physical and sexual abuse on a daily basis.

Pakistan arrests halt U.N. contacts with Taliban

3/19/2010 6:14:17 AM

The arrests of top Taliban figures in Pakistan abruptly halted secret U.N. contacts with the insurgency at a time when the efforts ...

Clinton says deal with Russia near on nukes

3/19/2010 6:35:39 AM

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says American and Russian negotiators are "on the brink" of agreement on a nuclear ...

Roadside bomb, gunmen kill 4 in Baghdad

3/19/2010 5:58:57 AM

Iraqi officials say a roadside bomb and a gun attack have killed four people and wounded seven others in Baghdad.

Obama assures Indonesians he will visit this year

3/19/2010 4:52:31 AM

In an interview airing Friday on RCTI, President Obama has assured the people of Indonesia that he is looking forward to visiting ...

Obama tries to close the health care deal

3/19/2010 5:05:05 PM

President Obama made a final, urgent public plea for health care reform Friday, and he will address House Democrats on Saturday, a day before the scheduled vote.

Pope signs letter on abusive priests

3/19/2010 7:23:57 PM

The Roman Catholic Church's crisis over sex abuse now has spread through half a dozen countries on two continents. | FAITH SHATTERED | OPINION: CRITICISM "UNFAIR" | OPINION: GOVERNMENTS MUST STEP IN |

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British Airways strike under way

3/19/2010 7:21:19 PM

British Airways cabin crew members opted to go ahead with a strike this weekend after talks between the union and the airline broke down.

State will fund Casey Anthony's defense

3/19/2010 8:13:30 PM

The state of Florida must fund some of Casey Anthony's defense in her first-degree murder trial for the death of daughter Caylee, a judge ruled Friday.

Argentine state OKs chemical castration

3/19/2010 1:20:57 PM

Officials in Argentina's Mendoza province have authorized chemical castration for rapists after a significant increase in sexual assaults last year.

Student charged with stealing rare docs

3/19/2010 6:54:16 AM

An alleged theft of more than two dozen historical documents has shaken a New Jersey university where students are granted access to the artifacts.

Anna Nicole estate loses $300M fight

3/19/2010 3:33:46 PM

Anna Nicole Smith's estate is not entitled to $300 million the deceased actress had claimed was intended as a gift from her oil tycoon husband, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

Greenpeace in battle over Kit Kat viral

3/19/2010 9:13:38 AM

A video clip which shows an office worker opening a Kit Kat chocolate bar and finding an orangutan's finger has been re-posted on video-sharing Web site YouTube, a day after it was removed at the request of food giant Nestlé.

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