Associated Press

Japanese Scientists Recover Million-Year-Old Ice From Antarctica, May Be Oldest Ever

The initials were spoken aloud only once all week, and then apparently by mistake. After this past week's testimony, any role the CIA had -- or didn't have -- in the interrogation of an Iraqi general who died in U.S.

One short test drive and Army Spc. Todd Strange is gushing "Oh, sweet! I love it!'' He's been home from Iraq a little over 30 hours and already he's trading in his little 2001 Dodge Neon for a muscle car - a 2006 Mustang GT, V-8 engine, price tag $26,320. By Russ Bynum

Former Vice President Al Gore called Monday for an independent investigation of President Bush's domestic spying program, contending the president "repeatedly and persistently" broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without court approval. By Larry Margasak

Spain's Defense Ministry ordered the house arrest Saturday of a senior officer who warned that the armed forces might have to intervene if the northeastern region of Catalonia went too far in its efforts toward greater self-government. By Ciaran Giles

Federal prosecutors and lawyers for Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff are putting the finishing touches on a plea deal that could be announced as early as Tuesday, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

In the high Arctic, deep in the Atlantic, on Africa's sunbaked plains, climate scientists are seeing change unfold before their eyes. In the global councils of power, however, change in climate policy is coming only slowly.

Three environmental groups sued the federal government Thursday, seeking to protect polar bears from extinction because of disappearing Arctic sea ice. By Dan Joling

As wetlands disappear and shorelines are degraded, the Great Lakes are losing their ability to cope with environmental stress and ward off a catastrophic breakdown, scientists said Thursday.

Two of Greenland's largest glaciers are retreating at an alarming pace, most likely because of climate warming, scientists said Wednesday. The other glacier, Helheim, is retreating at about 7 miles a year — up from 4 miles a year during the same period. By Alicia Chang

Tropical Storm Epsilon, 26th Named Storm of Busiest Storm Season, Forms in Central Atlantic

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not speak at the close of the conference, which was hosted by the Group of Eight economic giants and Arab nations but which was largely a U.S. initiative. By Anne Gearan

Voters approved ballot measures to ban handguns in San Francisco and urge the city's public high schools and college campuses to keep out military recruiters. By Louise Chu

Sway This Way and That, Against Your Will: Remote Control Device 'Controls' Humans

Tropical Storm Alpha Comes Ashore in Dominican Republic, Forcing Evacuation of 30,000. By Jose P. Monegro

South Africa's environment minister called on the United States and other holdouts Monday to sign the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.

Military ships and cargo planes loaded with food raced Monday to supply Amazon River communities stranded by drought, while sporadic rains raised hopes that the worst dry spell in decades could be ending.

Worldwide, it was the warmest September on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday.

Civil society groups will be taking to the streets beginning this week, staging demonstrations around the world in the run-up to the December WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong. By Gustavo Capdevila

Evangelicals, Republican women, Southerners and other critical groups in President Bush's political coalition are increasingly worried about the direction the nation is headed and disappointed with his performance, an AP-Ipsos poll found. By Will Lester

Hurricane Rita rattled even more debris out of New Orleans yesterday, as federal officials began bracing for another possible wave of oil, chemical, and hazardous waste spills. By Beth Daley and Adam Nossiter

Rapidly strengthening Hurricane Rita lashed the Florida Keys on Tuesday and headed into the Gulf of Mexico, where forecasters feared it could develop into another blockbuster storm targeting Texas or Louisiana. By Michelle Spitzer

Gaining strength with frightening speed, Hurricane Rita swirled toward the Gulf Coast a Category 5, 175-mph monster Wednesday as more than 1.3 million people in Texas and Louisiana were sent packing on orders from authorities who learned a bitter lesson from Katrina.

More than a week after Cuba offered to send physicians to the United States to aid the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, President Fidel Castro and his doctors still await an answer. By Anita Snow

The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region - and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.

The dead and the desperate of New Orleans now join the farmers of Aceh and the fishermen of Trincomalee, villagers in Iran and the slum dwellers of Haiti in a world being dealt ever more punishing blows by natural disasters. By Charles J. Hanley

Orhan Pamuk is scheduled to go on trial on Dec. 16 and could face up to three years in prison for comments on Turkey's killing of Armenians and Kurds, publisher Tugrul Pasaoglu said.

Says US must prevent oil fields from falling into hands of terrorists. By Jennifer Loven

Scientsits unsure what caused change. By Glennda Chui

Media Moguls Set to Gather in Idaho for Annual Schmooze Event; Started by Allen & Co. in 1983