Key issues in relations between Germany and the United States as the 2008 U.S. presidential election approaches: _ CLIMATE CHANGE. Germany has been a leading force in European efforts to set targets for the reduction...

Berlin has been fertile ground for speeches by sitting U.S. presidents. John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan are remembered for their bold declarations during the Cold War, and Bill Clinton made a simple declaration about...

Jobless claims shoot up to 406,000 as companies retrench amid economic slowdown. ...

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as climate and energy issues at Germany's chancellery Thursday, part of a tour aimed...

IN THE HEADLINES Obama arrives in Germany, kicking off European leg of his overseas trip ... McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge, says some elements began before Bush's order ... Obama wraps up tour of...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the U.S. deal with India on nuclear energy cooperation will be good for both countries and for global efforts to prevent the spread of atomic technology that could be used to...

The nation's two satellite radio companies say they are negotiating a $19 million payment for violating Federal Communications rules. The agreement is expected to lead to approval of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s $3.9...

The towering trucks that give U.S. troops the best protection against roadside bombs and enemy bullets also make them vulnerable to routine hazards like sharp turns, rutted roads and rickety bridges. Five deaths caused...

Widespread flooding was expected Thursday from Hurricane Dolly that has loitered as a tropical storm overnight, soaking deep south Texas and northeastern Mexico with more than foot of rain. Dolly slammed ashore...

Two friends of former police officer Drew Peterson told a newspaper he made incriminating statements during secretly taped conversations following the disappearance of his fourth wife _ claims that Peterson denies. "If...

Japanese and Mongolian scientists have successfully recovered the complete skeleton of a 70-million-year-old young dinosaur, a nature museum announced Thursday. The scientists uncovered a Tarbosaurus _ related to the...

Radovan Karadzic was preparing his false identity during the autocratic rule of his mentor, an official said Thursday, promising to track down the people who helped the Bosnian Serb warlord stay on the run from genocide...

The U.S. Embassy on Thursday launched an expanded immigration program that provides 5,000 more visas each year for Iraqis who have put themselves at risk by working for the U.S. government. The new guidelines represent...

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama arrived in Berlin on Thursday, meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and kicking off the European leg of his overseas trip amid high expectations. The German capital is...

Sri Lankan forces battled rebel gunmen deep inside the nation's northern jungles Thursday, killing 25 guerrilla fighters and seizing new territory, the military said. Other battles killed 25 rebels and four soldiers,...

Drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. posted a 44 percent increase in second-quarter earnings as sales growth was helped in part by the weaker dollar. Lilly reported net income of $958.8 million, or 88 cents per share,...

Wall Street headed for a mixed open Thursday sifted through another stream of earnings reports and awaited the release of key housing data later in the morning. A fresh reading on sales of existing homes will likely...

The number of newly laid off people filing claims for unemployment benefits bolted past 400,000 last week as companies trimmed their work forces to cope with a slowing economy. The Labor Department reported Thursday...

The government reports that the number of newly laid off people filing claims for unemployment benefits bolted past 400,000 last week as companies trimmed their work forces to cope with a slowing economy. The Labor...

Southwest Airlines Co. earned a profit in the second quarter and beat Wall Street expectations by continuing to rely on financial deals that lowered its fuel costs. Revenue increased by 11 percent, as Southwest raised...

Batman star Christian Bale asked for privacy Thursday in his first comments since allegations he assaulted his mother and sister at a London hotel, saying the incident was a "deeply personal matter." The Welsh-born...

Madame Tussauds unveiled a waxwork of Amy Winehouse on Wednesday complete with her signature beehive, black eyeliner and a bright yellow minidress. Winehouse's hair and 5-inch black heels make the model nearly 6 feet...

Barack Obama has packed his overseas trip with presidential images: a helicopter ride over Iraq with the U.S. military commander; a visit to a Holocaust memorial; a meeting at Afghan President Hamid Karzai's palace. He...

More than 30 actors dissatisfied with stalled contract talks said Wednesday they have joined to campaign for seats on the Screen Actors Guild's board of directors, a move that could eventually break the stalemate with...

A judge's ruling has brought the organization that hosts the Academy Awards a step closer to discovering how tickets to this year's show got online. An attorney for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said...

Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games begin. Hardy's "A"...

Top-ranked Roger Federer was knocked out of the Rogers Cup with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to France's Gilles Simon in a second-round match Wednesday night. Federer, who won the tournament in 2004 and '06, was playing his...

By the time Chipper Jones pulled up lame, the Atlanta Braves already had plenty of runs for Tim Hudson. Then Hudson departed with a tender elbow. Jones strained his left hamstring, and Hudson left after six innings...

Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games begin. Hardy's "A"...

U.S. forward LeBron James likely will miss Friday's exhibition against Canada as he recovers from a mild right ankle sprain. James shot baskets on the sidelines but was held out of a scrimmage at Valley High School on...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This monthly column about the issue of homosexuality by various authors is a partnership between Baptist Press and the SBC Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals.MIDLAND, Texas (BP)--I spoke recently at a...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column by Mike Licona of the North American Mission Board is the second column in a four-part series on the exclusivity of Christianity.ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--In yesterday's column I ended by saying...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Alana Blackwell was a junior in high school when a friend at church invited her to hang out with a group of Baptist college students at Louisiana State University. Blackwell, a future LSU Tiger...

WINTHROP, Mass. (BP)--For nine years in Massachusetts, the town of Winthrop has been changing little by little as God has worked through the lives of Dick and Doreen May.The Mays, natives to the area, planted the...

GREENVILLE, S.C. (BP)--About 900 teenagers and camp staff narrowly escaped injury when severe storms struck the campus of North Greenville University July 21.The students, who were attending Centrifuge and M-fuge camps,...

It was a hot lead for detectives on a cold case. People suddenly were getting salmonella at a Minnesota restaurant more than 1,000 miles from the center of the nation's outbreak. Not my tomatoes, protested the manager....

!!-- hobj:320 -->The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr....

Scientists may have found a way to test for and possibly avoid the most serious side effect of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, one of the top-selling medicines in the world. In rare cases, statins can cause muscle...

It was a hot lead for detectives on a cold case. People suddenly were getting salmonella at a Minnesota restaurant more than 1,000 miles from the center of the nation's outbreak. Not my tomatoes, protested the manager....

More older children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder while the rate is holding steady for children under 12, according to a government report released Wednesday. Some experts called the...

Hundreds of feet beneath Earth's surface, a few seasoned cave explorers venture where no human has set foot. Their headlamps illuminate mud-covered walls, gypsum crystals and mineral deposits. The real attraction,...

Hynix Semiconductor Inc., the world's second-largest memory chip manufacturer, said Thursday it will close its only U.S. factory amid changes in production standards and steep price declines buffeting the industry. ...

Amazon.com Inc. doesn't seem to be bothered by high gas prices or the sputtering U.S. economy. On Wednesday, the Internet retailer reported second-quarter earnings that more than doubled and easily topped analysts'...

Facebook Inc. is introducing more tools to help the software applications fueling the online hangout's popularity and is promising to intensify its efforts to weed out programs that violate its rules for protecting...

The legal salvos between Nokia Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. stopped months ago, part of what officials at the wireless industry heavyweights described as a truce in a long-running battle that spanned three continents. Peace...

The remnants of Hurricane Dolly were dumping heavy rain over southern Texas on Thursday, a day after making landfall, then weakening to a tropical storm. Flooding concerns persisted as Dolly crept across the state. A...

Hurricane Dolly was expected to make landfall Wednesday near the Texas-Mexico border, bringing up to 15 inches of rain to southern Texas. Flooding was anticipated, especially along the coast, because of the heavy rain...

A cold front hovering over the Ohio Valley early Tuesday was expected to trigger showers and thunderstorms from the Central Plains to New England, while Tropical Storm Dolly threatened Texas. Scattered showers, strong...

Tropical storms Dolly and Cristobal were to continue spinning away in the Atlantic Basin on Monday. Cristobal was to pull away from the North Carolina coastline in the morning, but showers and gusty winds were to last...

Tropical Storm Cristobal was expected to continue to move northeastward along the eastern seaboard on Sunday, possibly making landfall over the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In any case, it was to produce much-needed...