Kidnapped Britons say Somali pirates are losing patience, could kill them within a week. A retired British couple snatched from their yacht by Somali pirates said in an interview broadcast Friday they fear they could be killed within a week or handed to a terrorist group if a ransom demand is not paid.
Tenn. judge finds law allowing guns in bars is unconstitutional, 'fraught with ambiguity'. Tennessee's new law allowing people with handgun permits to be armed in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol is unconstitutionally vague, a judge ruled on Friday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Morticians who use formaldehyde to embalm bodies have a higher risk of leukemia, researchers reported on Friday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors bet on growth in the IPOs of a Chinese hotel chain and an online education company on Friday, but were less enthusiastic about a spin-off of mining giant Rio Tinto.
FIFA, French federation rule out replay of France-Ireland qualifier. There will be no rematch.
Johnson goes for 4th Cup championship from pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson will go for his fourth straight Cup title from the pole.
Northeast Pa. residents sue Houston-based natural gas driller over polluted water wells. Pat Farnelli says there's something in the water at her house. The last time she drank it, she says she vomited four times. It's made her children sick, too.
Florence museum: lost Galileo relics, a tooth and 2 of astronomer's fingers, found again. Two fingers and a tooth removed from Galileo Galilei's corpse in a Florentine basilica in the 18th century and given up for lost have been found again and will soon be put on display, an Italian museum director said Friday.
A Pennsylvania university's requirement that overweight undergraduates take a fitness course to receive their degrees has raised the hackles of students and the eyebrows of health and legal experts.
Report: Hershey may make $17 billion offer for Cadbury, topping Kraft's hostile bid. The Wall Street Journal reports that Hershey Co. may make a $17 billion competing bid for UK candy company Cadbury.
Gold prices inch higher, buoyed by safe-haven appeal; Other metals little changed. Gold prices finished higher for a sixth straight day Friday, rising even as the dollar strengthened.
Overweight students at university in Pennsylvania told to take fitness class or risk diplomas. A Pennsylvania university's requirement that overweight undergraduates take a fitness course to receive their degrees has raised the hackles of students and the eyebrows of health and legal experts.
End of an era: Brunswick Naval Air Station's planes to depart as base readies for closing. The rumble of Navy patrol aircraft flying overhead will soon be a thing of the past as the remaining P-3 Orions depart from Brunswick Naval Air Station.
BOSTON (Reuters) - Investors tempted to put money into star hedge fund manager John Paulson's new gold portfolio will have to commit at least $10 million and leave the money locked up for at least one year, according to a prospectus.
UC students protest 32 percent fee hike by occupying campus buildings. Students barricaded themselves inside buildings on University of California campuses to protest a 32 percent increase in student fees and budget cuts that have led to slashed programs and lost jobs.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Past the security man and his pit bull and through a haze of eye-watering smoke, two youths load up a pipe next to a row of shiny glass jars with two dozen varieties of marijuana bud displayed like candy.
Pat Farnelli says there's something in the water at her house. The last time she drank it, she says she vomited four times. It's made her children sick, too.
Diplomats from 6 world powers urge Iran to accept UN nuclear plan. Representatives of six world powers urged Iran on Friday to accept a U.N. plan aimed at delaying its ability to build a nuclear weapon, as the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency warned Tehran not to miss the opportunity to resolve the dispute.
TORONTO (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips Corp will pay $38,137 for 2009 air quality violations at its 190,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania, state environmental regulators said on Friday.
US prosecutors to drop manslaughter case against Blackwater guard in deadly '07 Iraq shooting. Prosecutors say they'll drop manslaughter charges against one of the Blackwater Worldwide contractors charged in a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting.
ROME (Reuters) - An art collector has found a tooth, thumb and finger of the renowned Italian scientist Galileo Galilei who died in the 17th century, Florence's History of Science museum said on Friday.
UC students protest 32 percent fee hike by occupying campus buildings. Students barricaded themselves inside buildings on University of California campuses to protest a 32 percent increase in student fees and budget cuts that have led to slashed programs and lost jobs.
Fitch increases rating outlook for Flowserve on leverage, operating performance. Fitch Ratings boosted its rating outlook for Flowserve Corp. on Friday citing the pump making and fluid handling company's low leverage, good operating performance and other factors.
JPMorgan Chase drops controversial arbitration clause from credit card contracts. JPMorgan Chase & Co. said Friday it is dropping a clause from its credit card contracts that required disputes with customers to be handled through binding arbitration, a move that could lead to consumers filing class-action and other lawsuits.
Gephardt pushes for more investment in medical research, says it can cut costs, find cures. Former U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt pushed Friday for Iowa to expand its focus on public health, arguing the state has the medical infrastructure in place to make it a leader in the field.
Convicted ringleader of plot to destroy Sears Tower, bomb FBI offices gets 13-year prison term. The ringleader of a group of men convicted of plotting to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices has been sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison.
Ravens' DE Dwan Edwards plans appeal of $5,000 fine for roughness. Baltimore Ravens defensive end Dwan Edwards plans to appeal the $5,000 fine he received for a hit delivered to Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joshua Cribbs on Monday night.
Senators want Chrysler, GM to give more details on dealer closures. Senators are calling on General Motors and Chrysler to release more details on ongoing talks over the automakers' plans to close thousands of auto dealerships as part of their bankruptcies.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate ethics committee on Friday admonished Roland Burris, saying he had been less than candid about his gubernatorial appointment to the Senate seat previously held by President Barack Obama.
Busy week for IPOs signals there's more to come, but investors remain picky about placing bets. The flurry of initial public offerings this week is confirmation that this fall's rebound in the market wasn't a fluke and sets the stage for more companies to raise money through IPOs in 2010. But the response to two of the newly public companies shows that investors continue to be careful about where they place their bets.
California investigates whether churches were cheated by leasing companies. California is investigating several companies suspected of bilking churches nationwide of hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent computer leasing schemes, authorities said Friday.
Chiropractors get a lift in the Senate health care bill, thanks to a senator from the state practitioners consider the birthplace of their profession ? Iowa.
Senate health bill helps chiropractors, biologic drugmakers but whacks insurance executives. Chiropractors get a lift in the Senate health care bill, thanks to a senator from the state practitioners consider the birthplace of their profession ? Iowa.
In restructuring, AP changes roles for 6 news editors and assigns 4 regional photo editors. The Associated Press has named six news editors to oversee expanded multistate territories and has assigned four interim regional photo editors as part of a restructuring of U.S. news management to ensure the continuing strength of the news cooperative's state reports.
California investigates whether churches were cheated by leasing companies. California is investigating several companies suspected of bilking churches nationwide of hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent computer leasing schemes, authorities said Friday.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell for a third straight day on Friday as investors took weaker-than-expected results from computer maker Dell <DELL.O> and homebuilder D.R. Horton <DHI.N> as a further sign that the recovery would be anemic.
ATP chief says tour will not reopen Agassi's drug case despite admission of crystal meth use. The ATP Tour will not reopen a doping case against Andre Agassi even though he admitted to lying about using crystal meth in 1997.
Saints running back Reggie Bush questionable for Tampa Bay. New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush has been held out of practice for the third straight day, and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay.
Holiday travelers waited longer to book this year, if they're traveling at all. Holiday travelers waited a little longer to book their flights this year, likely holding out for better deals and waiting to see if they would still have a job. And some aren't going at all.
Ky. appeals court upholds $6M verdict in case of McDonald's worker who was strip searched. A Kentucky appeals court upheld a $6.1 million award to a former fast food worker who was forced to strip in a McDonald's restaurant office after someone called posing as a police officer.
Stocks slip as investors push into safe-haven investments; Dell weighs on technology stocks. The stock market ended a down week with light selling as investors grew uneasy about a rising dollar and spiking demand for the safest government debt.
UPS rates for ground, air express to increase in 2010; Fuel surcharge tables to be adjusted. UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, is hiking 2010 rates for ground packages by an average of 4.9 percent.
The White House is on a collision course with Catholic bishops in an intractable dispute over abortion that could blow up the fragile political coalition behind President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
Abortion dispute with Catholic bishops could hinder Obama's health care bill in Senate. The White House is on a collision course with Catholic bishops in an intractable dispute over abortion that could blow up the fragile political coalition behind President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. motorists drove more miles for the fourth month in a row, which could indicate that both the economy and demand for gasoline are starting to recover, analysts said.
Becton Dickinson says it bought test making collaborator HandyLab for $275 million. Becton Dickinson and Co. said Friday it bought molecular diagnostic test maker HandyLab Inc. for $275 million.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the United States, health experts said on Friday.
