Fans must register for Jackson memorial tickets

Fans wishing to attend singer Michael Jackson's memorial service next week will have to register for the 11,000 free tickets, organizers said Thursday. The 20,000-seat Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, will host the memorial service on Tuesday.

Lone survivor of 1971 crash fell 2 miles

A Lockheed Electra turboprop flying over the Amazon rainforest on Christmas Eve in 1971 broke into pieces in midair, thrusting 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke into a free fall. She dropped 2 miles into the jungle canopy but survived with only minor injuries; the 91 other people on board died. With search crews unable to locate the site, her ordeal was far from over.

Attacks, arrests slowing online news from Iran

Bloody attacks and midnight arrests, combined with a regime growing more tech savvy, have begun to stem the online information flow from dissidents in Iran, activists and human rights officials say. Once emboldened by an ability to dodge the government and spread news, many in the youth-driven protest movement, they say, now fear the consequences.

Ex-VP accuses insurer of 'purging' customers

Wendell Potter says he is finished defending the insurance industry, which he says is "beholden to Wall Street."

MySpace suicide case 'tentatively' overturned

A federal judge tentatively overturned the conviction of a Missouri woman accused of using MySpace to deceive a teenage girl who eventually committed suicide, a U.S. attorney's spokesman told CNN.

Judge admonished for explicit items on Web site

A judicial council on Thursday admonished the chief judge of the nation's largest federal appeals court for having "sexually explicit photos and videos" on his personal Web site, but decided against any further punishment.

Air France jet 'went straight down,' report says

The Air France plane that crashed last month with 228 people aboard "did not break up or become destroyed in flight," the French air investigation agency announced today. "The plane went straight down," investigator Alain Bouillard said.

Captured U.S. soldier reportedly sold to clan

A U.S. soldier has been captured by militants in Afghanistan, the U.S. military and the Taliban said Thursday.

FBI talks detail Saddam's Iran fear, WMD bluff

In 2004, even after being captured by U.S. forces, Saddam Hussein told an FBI interrogator he believed Iran was a greater threat to Iraq than the United States, according to newly released FBI documents.

Commentary: Obama meets match in Russia?

Barack Obama often seems to have much of the planet at his feet in rapt attention to his every word.

UN chief begins mission in Burma

The UN secretary general visits Burma to seek the release of political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi.

WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable'

The UN's top health official tells a swine flu forum in Mexico that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable.

Jackson's former wife 'undecided'

The late Michael Jackson's ex-wife is undecided over whether to fight for custody of their two children, her lawyer says.

Air France jet 'broke on impact'

French investigators believe the Air France plane that crashed in the Atlantic broke up on contact with water, not in mid-air.

US urges Russian break from past

President Obama warns Moscow ahead of a visit that "Cold War approaches" to relations with the US belong in the past.

Envoy to make Honduras demand

A top Latin American diplomat is due in Honduras where he is to demand the restoration of deposed President Manuel Zelaya.

Afghan rebels capture US soldier

A US soldier is captured by militants in eastern Afghanistan, as the US launches a major anti-Taliban offensive in the south.

Russian forces besiege 'gunmen'

Security forces in the Russian North Caucasus city of Nalchik besiege a flat after coming under fire, Russian media report.

Saddam interview tapes released

US investigators publish accounts of interviews with Saddam Hussein, giving a wealth of detail about the Iraqi leader.

Scottish sheep shrink as climate change favours the weak

Climate change is causing a breed of wild sheep in Scotland to shrink, according to research.

Descendant of India's last Mughal emperor is plucked from penury

A descendant of India's last Mughal emperor is rescued from a life of penury near Calcutta by gaining employment with state-run Coal India.

Owen linked to shock Man Utd move

Manchester United refuse to be drawn on growing speculation that they are in talks with striker Michael Owen.

Venus and Serena through to final

Serena Williams will face sister Venus in Saturday's Wimbledon final after prevailing in a marathon tussle with Russian Elena Dementieva.

Should gay sex be legalised in India?

Homosexual sex between consenting adults is no longer a criminal act in India. Will it change life for gay people?

UK Lt Colonel dies in Afghanistan

The highest ranking Army officer to be killed since the Falklands War is one of the two latest casualties in Afghanistan.

School place 'fraud' case dropped

A London council withdraws its action against a mother it accused of lying to gain a school place.

Minister in Tory homophobia claim

Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw angers Tories by saying "a deep strain of homophobia still exists on the Conservative benches".

Patient safety 'still threatened'

Changes recommended after a fatal drug slip-up eight years ago have not been implemented, MPs say in a review of patient safety.

Darling issues warning to bankers

Chancellor Alistair Darling warns bankers it would be "disastrous" if they return to their old ways and repeat past mistakes.

Child witnesses 'wait too long'

Young witnesses in sex abuse or violence cases are being forced to wait more than a year to give evidence in crown courts in England and Wales, a report says.

Probe into RAF jet fighter crash

Investigators and engineers begin the second day of a recovery operation after a jet fighter crash which killed two air crew.

Pardon appeal for Shields refused

Justice Secretary Jack Straw provisionally refuses an appeal for a pardon for jailed Liverpool football fan Michael Shields.

Final moments

How Air France debris gives clues to jet's break-up

Coup? What coup?

President's removal that passed many Hondurans by

It's quiz time!

What secrets did this dinosaur mummy reveal?

Obama to tell Putin: Time to move past Cold War

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Days from his first Moscow summit, President Barack Obama declared Thursday that former Russian President Vladimir Putin "still has a lot of sway" in his nation and needs an in-person reminder the Cold War is over....

Marines suffer first casualties in Afghan campaign

NAWA, Afghanistan (AP) -- U.S. Marines suffered their first casualties of a massive new military campaign Thursday as they engaged in sporadic gunbattles along 55 miles of Taliban-controlled heartland in southern Afghanistan. One Marine was killed and several others were injured or wounded on the first full day of the assault, the largest military operation in Afghanistan since the fall of Taliban government in 2001....

Jackson ex-wife shows interest in custody of kids

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The future of Michael Jackson's children was thrown into question Thursday when his ex-wife emerged and won a delay in a custody hearing while she decides whether she wants to raise her two offspring....

Senate bill fines people refusing health coverage

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with fines of more than $1,000 under a health care overhaul bill unveiled Thursday by key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama's top domestic priority....

Los Angeles police under scrutiny in Jackson death

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The investigation of Michael Jackson's death is widening as questions intensify about the drugs he took, the doctors who provided them and the actions of police....

FBI notes: Saddam Hussein sought familiar refuge

BAGHDAD (AP) -- After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein stayed in Baghdad until he saw "the city was about to fall." Months later, he was caught hiding at the same farm where he had fled in 1959 after taking part in an attempt to kill the country's prime minister....

GOP, White House at odds on Sotomayor documents

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A top Republican pressed for more information Thursday about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's ties to a Puerto Rican civil rights group he said took extreme positions on race, as the White House argued that the material was irrelevant to the judge's nomination....

Feds seize Madoff penthouse, wife leaves

NEW YORK (AP) -- Federal marshals seized disgraced financier Bernard Madoff's $7 million Manhattan penthouse on Thursday and forced his wife to move out and leave her possessions behind, including a fur coat she had asked to take with her, an official told The Associated Press....

Police: Conn. teens mishear sex screams, beat man

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- A 16-year-old girl thought she heard her mother being assaulted by her boyfriend and rounded up some friends who beat him up, only to learn later that the couple actually were having sex, the woman and police said. The girl misinterpreted the woman's amorous screams, and she and four other teens went to the woman's bedroom in the Torrington home on June 6, police Lt. Bruce Whiteley said Thursday....

Un-bee-lievable: Bee swarm delays Astros' 7-2 win

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Talk about adding a late-inning buzz to a ballgame. The Houston Astros - who once had the "Killer Bs" - beat the San Diego Padres 7-2 on Thursday, but only after waiting out a 52-minute delay in the top of the ninth inning caused when a swarm of bees took over part of left field at Petco Park....

OAS chief: Honduras sanctions likely

A top diplomat says he is heading to Honduras to demand the return of the toppled president. He says if the demand is rejected, sanctions  will likely be imposed on the impoverished  nation.

Afghan insurgents capture U.S. soldier

Insurgents have captured an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan after he walked off post with three Afghan counterparts, officials said Thursday.

Marines suffer casualties in Afghan strike

U.S. Marines suffered their first casualties of a massive new campaign Thursday as they engaged in sporadic gunbattles along 55 miles of Taliban-controlled heartland in southern Afghanistan.

Little U.S. leverage in Honduran coup

The coup that deposed the president of Honduras exposed the small leverage that even millions of dollars in aid and longtime military cooperation will buy.

Biden to meet with Iraq leaders

Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Iraq to visit U.S. troops and meet with Iraqi leaders, including President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

FBI: Saddam feared Iran more than U.S.

The institute obtained the FBI summaries through a Freedom of Information Act request and posted them on its Web site Wednesday.

Feds OK seizure of Iraqi group's assets

The Obama administration authorizes the seizure of assets of an extremist organization in Iraq and an Iranian backer of insurgents, saying both are responsible for deadly Iraqi attacks.

Iran arrests 7 allegedly tied to exiles

Iran announces more arrests in the post-election turmoil, detaining seven alleged provocateurs of violence it says were linked to Iranian exiles.

U.S. won't close CIA 'black sites' for now

The government will not dismantle overseas locations where a former Guantanamo detainee claims he was interrogated by the CIA, a prosecutor says.

2 police dogs die in British heat wave

A heat wave in Britain and other parts of Europe killed two British police dogs left in a cruiser, police say.

Doomed Flight 447 fell intact into sea

Air France Flight 447 slammed into the Atlantic Ocean, intact and belly first, at such a high speed that the 228 people aboard probably had no time to even inflate life jackets, investigators said.

N. Korea test-fires barrage of missiles

North Korea fired a barrage of short-range missiles off its east coast in a possible prelude to the launch of a long-range missile toward Hawaii over the U.S. Independence Day holiday.

Court decriminalizes gay sex in New Delhi

A court ruled Thursday to decriminalize homosexuality in the Indian capital, a groundbreaking decision that could bring more freedom to gays in this deeply conservative country.

Shrinking sheep mystery solved: Blame warming

Two years after scientists concluded that a breed of wild sheep in Scotland was shrinking over time, a new study reveals why: milder winters tied to global warming.

China: PC makers voluntarily supply Web filter

Several PC makers were including controversial Internet-filtering software with computers shipped in China on Thursday despite a government decision to postpone its plan to make such a step mandatory.

100 Homes Threatened by Weakened Dam in Northern California

Iran Test-Fires Another 'Top Secret' Missile

Moussaoui Juror Falls Ill; Deliberations to Resume Friday

DHS Press Secretary Arrested on Child Seduction Charges

Duke Lacrosse Coach Resigns Amid Rape Flap

Saddam Dodges Questions From Prosecutors

Video Claims to Show Insurgents Dragging Burning Body of U.S

Kidnapped Brothers Killed in Venezuela

French Unions: Repeal Labor Law in 10 Days, or Else

Three Arrested, Man Shot in 'Baby Shower Gone Bad'

PM Says New Hamas Government Is Broke

Late-Season Snowfall Strikes East Coast

Investigators say Air France jet made hard landing, broke up on ... - Los Angeles Times

India gays win landmark ruling decriminalizing homosexual sex - Los Angeles Times

GI seemingly seized in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times

Honduras interim gov't says open to early election (Reuters)

Washington Post scraps plans for 'salons' at publisher's house - Los Angeles Times

U.N.'s Ban to urge Myanmar leader to free prisoners (Reuters)

Seoul shares trim loss; techs, defence issues gain - Reuters

Public Jackson memorial to be held at Staples Center Tuesday - USA Today

Michael Jackson memorial likely Tuesday (Reuters)

Envoy Prepares to Visit Honduras, Warning of Obstacles - New York Times

Jackson ex-wife shows interest in custody of kids (AP)

Marines suffer first casualties in Afghan campaign (AP)

Obama to tell Putin: Time to move past Cold War (AP)

Feds seize Madoff penthouse, wife leaves (AP)

Senate bill fines people refusing health coverage (AP)

Los Angeles police under scrutiny in Jackson death (AP)

FBI notes: Saddam Hussein sought familiar refuge (AP)

GOP, White House at odds on Sotomayor documents (AP)

Un-bee-lievable: Bee swarm delays Astros' 7-2 win (AP)

Marines establish positions in Afghan assault (AFP)

Activists Held by Israel for Trying to Break Gaza Blockade - New York Times

IOUs from California are on their way - San Jose Mercury News

South Carolina Finds No Misuse of State Funds - Wall Street Journal

Police: Conn. teens mishear sex screams, beat man (AP)

California turns to "IOUs" amid budget impasse (Reuters)