JERUSALEM – Israels military has picked a new air force chief at a time of growing tension with Iran. The military said Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, 52, was appointed Sunday and takes over in April. U.S. officials say Israel might be planning to attack Iran's nuclear facilities in the spring. Israel and other countries believe Iran is developing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies. Israel views Iran as a threat because of its nuclear and missile ... Full Story

KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban are not beaten, the peace process is bogged down in internal squabbles and Afghan security forces arent ready to take control of the nation. Yet the U.S. and its partners are talking about speeding up — rather than slowing down — their exit from the war. It's becoming dramatically clear that politics is driving NATO's war exit strategy as much or more than conditions on the battlefield. Political calendars in th ... Full Story

A NASA probe on a five-year mission to Jupiter fired up its rocket thrusters this week to better aim itself at the largest planet in our solar system. The Juno spacecraft performed the course adjustment on Wednesday (Feb. 1), marking the first of up to 12 planned maneuvers to stay on track during its 1.7 billion-mile (2.8 billion-kilometer) flight to Jupiter, mission managers said. NASA launched the $1.1 billion Juno probe toward Jupiter in August 2011 ... Full Story

Sun Feb 5, 2012 - 5:44 AM

Indianapolis was once called Naptown and India-No-Place for a reason. Native son Kurt Vonnegut Jr. referred to it in 1970 as "the 500-mile speedway race, and then 364 days of miniature golf, and then the 500-mile speedway race again." People used to roam city streets on Sundays, picking off pigeons with shotguns as part of "Operation Pigeon-Rid." For decades, there was no reason to stay downtown after dark. This week, as 150,000 visitors descended on a new, vib ... Full Story

HOPE MILLS, N.C. – North Carolina authorities say they used a stun gun on a woman motorist who blocked a McDonalds drive-thru for 20 minutes after employees refused to serve her because she cut in line. Authorities say 37-year-old Evangeline Lucca bypassed the order screen and line and pulled directly up to the pick-up window Friday afternoon at the restaurant in Hope Mills, about 60 miles south of Raleigh. Cumberland County sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Ta ... Full Story

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Director Zalman King, best known for erotic film "9 1/2 Weeks" and television series "Red Shoe Diaries," died on Friday in Santa Monica, Calif., after a long battle with cancer. He was 69. "Zalman was an extraordinary man and artist, more complex and humane than those who knew him only from afar could possibly imagine," said Allison Burnett, King's son-in-law. Actor Charlie Sheen paid a tribute to ... Full Story

Fri Feb 3, 2012 - 1:28 PM

MANILA, Philippines – A day after proclaiming the death of a top regional terrorist suspect in a U.S.-backed airstrike, the Philippine military acknowledged Friday that his remains still have not been found. Troops were searching the jungle camp that was hit Thursday for the body of Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, said regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang. Military officials said at least 15 people were killed in the d ... Full Story

SEATTLE (Reuters) – The U.S. Army has dismissed all charges against the last of five soldiers to face a court-martial in the slaying of unarmed Afghan civilians, officials from their home base near Tacoma, Washington, said on Friday. Army Specialist Michael Wagnon, who was released from military detention and placed under home confinement in April, had been charged with premeditated murder in the death of a villager in Afghanistan during a tour of duty in February 2010. ... Full Story

SYDNEY – Award-winning American cinematographer Mike deGruy and Australian television writer-producer Andrew Wight have died in a helicopter crash in eastern Australia, their employer National Geographic said Sunday. Police said an Australian helicopter pilot and his American passenger died at the scene Saturday when they crashed soon after takeoff from an airstrip near Nowra, 97 miles (156 kilometers) north of Sydney. Police did not immediately release the victims identi ... Full Story

Sun Feb 5, 2012 - 2:32 AM

PORTLAND, Ore. – Three mushroom pickers took refuge in a hollowed out tree after getting lost in an Oregon forest, fighting wintry chills for six days and drinking water from streams until a helicopter pilot spotted them. Belinda and Daniel Conne, along with their 25-year-old son, Michael, managed to reach a clearing Saturday, where the searchers saw them several miles outside the community of Gold Beach, roughly 330 miles south-southwest of Portland. "Its ... Full Story

CAPE TOWN/LONDON (Reuters) – Top executives at trader Glencore (GLEN.L) and miner Xstrata (XTA.L) are hammering out the final details of an $80 billion tie-up to seal the industry's largest ever takeover, which could be announced as early as Tuesday. Xstrata, in which Glencore already has a 34 percent stake, announced last week it had been approached by the world's largest diversified commodities trader and was in discussions over an all-share "merger of ... Full Story

Sun Feb 5, 2012 - 2:32 AM

PORTLAND, Ore. – Three mushroom pickers took refuge in a hollowed out tree after getting lost in an Oregon forest, fighting wintry chills for six days and drinking water from streams until a helicopter pilot spotted them. Belinda and Daniel Conne, along with their 25-year-old son, Michael, managed to reach a clearing Saturday, where the searchers saw them several miles outside the community of Gold Beach, roughly 330 miles south-southwest of Portland. "Its ... Full Story