dupre_apology

The prostitute at the center of the scandal that brought down former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has apologized ... to his wife.

brazil_plane_crash

A police investigation has found that 10 government and airline officials were to blame for a TAM airlines crash ... in Sao Paulo in July, 2007. Nearly 200 people died in the crash, and it was Brazil's worst air disaster in history.

ca_wildfire_wrap

Thanks to better weather, California firefighters are making progress on three major wildfires still burning around Los Angeles. The ... cause of all three is still under investigation.

snowstorm

A blast of cold wind spread snow along the Great Lakes from Michigan to New York on Monday. ... The weather system is moving toward the southeast, and a winter storm warning has been posted for parts of West Virginia and Maryland.

mexico_plane

The turbulent wake of a larger plane likely caused the crash of a government jet that killed Mexico's second-most ... powerful official, investigators said Friday.

minnesota_bridge

The design flaw that brought down a highway bridge in Minneapolis went undetected for 40 years. Federal safety officials ... say that, even today, government design reviews might not detect similar problems.

caylee_anthony_body

Florida authorities say a search of a lake at an Orlando park has not turned up any evidence related ... to the case of missing 3-year-old Caylee Anthony.

wa_flooding

The National Weather Service says showers should be ending, followed by mostly dry weather through the weekend in Washington. ... That should keep western Washington rivers receding and help dry out areas saturated by repeated rains.

Toy_hazards

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission wants consumers to be mindful of five hazards while shopping for toys this ... holiday season. After a series of toy recalls, the government says it is doing more to catch harmful toys.

la_kkk_murder

Police say an Oklahoma woman who was lured over the Internet to take part in a Ku Klux Klan ... initiation was shot and killed after the ritual went awry, and the group tried to cover it up.

Egypt_pyramid

Egypt's chief archaeologist has announced the discovery of a 4,300-year-old pyramid in Saqqara, the sprawling necropolis and burial site ... of the rulers of ancient Memphis.

Rival_monks_fight

Israeli police rushed into one of Christianity's holiest churches Sunday and arrested two clergyman after an argument between monks ... erupted into a brawl next to the site of Jesus' tomb.

Cuba_hurricane

Hurricane Paloma made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur late Saturday as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, but ... soon weakened to a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Russia_sub_accident

At least 20 people are dead following an accident aboard a Russian submarine in the Sea of Japan. ... Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has ordered a thorough investigation.

Culinary demonstration helps promote Austrian tourism

The atmosphere was upbeat when the cheerful Beata Pfeiffer appeared and put on her apron to show her cooking ... knowhow. Even before she began working with her pots and pans, she informally explained that Austrian cooking has a history of Hungarian and German influences. Krautfleckerl, a famous Austrian dish of pasta and cabbage with bacon, was what Beata Pfeiffer with her Hungarian background casually offered to demonstrate first to an international group gathered at the Cooking Studio at the Eslite Bookstore Xinyi last week. Pallas Chen coordinated the activity.

stevens_juror

The juror who left Sen. Ted Stevens trial actually left to attend a horse race in California. The juror ... had told the court she left the proceedings because her father had died.

fossett_bones

Authorities have confirmed that the bones discovered last week are those of late adventurer Steve Fossett. Fossett disappeared in ... September 2007. The wreckage of his plane was found last month.

day_of_dead

Family members and friends gathered at graveyards across Mexico on Saturday night, in remembrance of their departed loved ones, ... as part of the country's annual Day of the Dead ceremonies.

Obit_terkel

Studs Terkel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose best-selling oral histories celebrated the common people has died in Chicago. He ... was 96.

Congo_latest

The rebel general laying siege to Congo's eastern provincial capital of Goma wants direct talks with the government to ... stop the unrest. Among other issues, Laurent Nkunda objects to a deal giving China access to the region's resources.