NEW YORK – Police have stepped up patrols of hotels in Manhattan as a precaution following the suicide bombings of three hotels in the Jordanian capital of Amman. Without providing details, police said Thursday that the number of critical response patrol vehicles was increased, and that special attention was being …

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghanistan’s government said Monday the U.S. military has been “very lenient” in punishing American soldiers for burning the bodies of two Taliban rebels in an incident caught on camera. The U.S. military said Saturday that four soldiers would face disciplinary action but not criminal charges since their …

DENVER – A Washington-based group has asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate whether Focus on the Family or its founder James Dobson violated IRS rules by electioneering. James Bopp, an attorney for the Colorado Springs-based conservative Christian group, said the group has fully complied with IRS code. The complaint, …

TOKYO – A Japanese space probe successfully landed and then departed from the surface of an asteroid, despite an initial announcement that the attempt had failed, Japan’s space agency said Wednesday. JAXA officials had said on Sunday that the Hayabusa probe, on a mission to briefly land on the asteroid …

LOS ANGELES – The divorce tale “The Squid and the Whale” led contenders Tuesday for the Independent Spirit Awards with six nominations, including best-picture and honors for director Noah Baumbach and actors Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney. The other best-picture nominees were the cowboy tales “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Three …

CARACAS, Venezuela – A map of South America flashed on the screen and theme music played as live news broadcasts began Monday on a new Latin American TV station backed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (search) as an alternative to large corporate media outlets. Telesur — financed by mainly by …

NEW YORK – As the weather outside grows frightful, you can be cheered by the fact that there are more Online Shopping sites than ever before. Shopping on the Internet means no waiting in line at the mall or department stores, a wide selection of stores right at your fingertips, …

BERLIN – Chancellor-designate Angela Merkel pledged Saturday that her new government would work to reverse Germany’s troubled economy and not shrink from “doing what we consider right,” amid criticism of plans to raise taxes. Merkel — poised to become Germany’s first female chancellor — presented the 143-page coalition accord her …

Weekdays at 3 p.m. in the East and high noon in the West! The news begins anew with “Studio B”… A new prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. The prime minister says 173 detainees were found malnourished and showing signs of torture. Analysts say the discovery appears to validate Sunni complaints …

WASHINGTON – The House on Friday backed a plan to require television broadcasters to switch to all-digital transmissions by December 2008, three months earlier than they would have to under provisions of a Senate bill. House lawmakers also voted to set aside $830 million to help millions of Americans with …