News alert:

  1. Immigration ruling could send message to states (AP)


    Two woman walk along the U.S.-Mexico border showing graffiti that reads 'the walls' in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, Tuesday, July 27, 2010. Arizona's new immigration law SB1070 takes effect Thursday, July 29. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)AP - States that had been watching Arizona's immigration law in hopes of copying it received a rude awakening when a judge put most of the measure on hold and agreed with the Obama administration's core argument that immigration enforcement is the role of the federal government.

  2. AP survey: A bleaker outlook for economy into 2011 (AP)


    Kasey Doshier, 32, Art Director at MediaTec Publishing, stands along the downtown Chicago riverside where she often brings her lunch, instead of eating out, Tuesday, July 27, 2010 in Chicago. Doshier said the recession taught her to rein in her spending. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)AP - The U.S. economic recovery will remain slow deep into next year, held back by shoppers reluctant to spend and employers hesitant to hire, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists.

  3. Gulf cleanup will change once oil stops for good (AP)


    A large sheen of oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, background, is seen approaching Timbalier Island in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana, Wednesday, July 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - The government's point man for the Gulf spill plans to meet with coastal parish officials Thursday to talk about what's next now that the oil has stopped flowing.

  4. Jury of Rangel's House peers meets in ethics case (AP)


    Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., gives thumbs up as he gets in the elevator to leave his office for a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 28, 2010.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)AP - A jury of Rep. Charles Rangel's congressional peers is ready to publicly discuss charges of ethical misdeeds. But the political discussions outside the room will be far more significant.

  5. AP-Univision Poll: College dreams for Hispanics (AP)


    Yajahira Deaza poses for a photograph in her apartment in the Bronx borough of New York Wednesday July 28, 2010. More than 10 years have passed since she gave up her pursuit of a degree in computer science, but Yajahira Deaza still has regrets. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)AP - More than 10 years have passed since she gave up her pursuit of a degree in computer science, but Yajahira Deaza still has regrets. She says she feels incomplete.

  6. Mother Nature helping firefighters battle Cal fire (AP)


    A demolished trailer that caught fire at Old West Ranch where residents were evacuated due to a wildfire about 10 miles southeast of the Mojave Desert town of Tehachapi, Calif., Wednesday, July 28, 2010. Firefighters on Wednesday braced for strong afternoon winds at the sites of two wildfires north of Los Angeles that have burned about 40 homes, threatened at least 150 more and forced some 2,300 people to evacuate. The two blazes in mostly rural Kern County remained out of control after scorching more than 26 square miles (67 square kilometers) of hilly pine forests and chaparral. (AP Photo by Alex Gallardo)AP - Cooler temperatures and calmer winds helped firefighters in their battle against the most destructive of two big wildfires that have burned homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate mountain communities on the edge of the Mojave Desert and in the southern Sierra Nevada.

  7. Pakistan general balances all sides of conflict (AP)


    AP - As the U.S. searches for an exit from Afghanistan, it is increasingly relying on Pakistan's powerful army chief to help pave the way — despite fresh allegations that spies under his command have long aided the Taliban.

  8. Medvedev widens powers of KGB successor agency (AP)


    Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (pictured) has signed into a law a bill expanding the powers of the successor to the Soviet-era KGB security service, the Kremlin said in a statement. The bill, criticised by rights groups, would allow the Federal Security Service to issue official warnings to individuals whose actions are deemed to be creating the conditions for crime.(AFP/File/Alexey Panov)AP - Russia has broadened the authority of the Federal Security Service, the KGB's main successor agency, giving it Soviet-style repressive powers in a move critics say could be used to stifle protests and intimidate government opponents.

  9. Extortion suspect's attorney to question Pitino (AP)


    A representative from the US Attorney's Office escorts University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, second left, to the federal courthouse in Louisvile Wednesday, July 28, 2010. Pitino will testify in the trial of Karen Sypher who is accused of attempting to extort money from the coach after a sexual encounter. (AP Photo/ The Courier-Journal, Barry Westerman) NO MAGS NO SALES NO ARCHIVESAP - Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino is used to answering questions from reporters.

  10. Panasonic to buy out Sanyo, Panasonic Electric (AP)


    A salesclerk adjusts Sanyo's eneloop rechargeable batteries on display at Yamada Denki LABI electric shop in Tokyo, Thursday, July 29, 2010. Panasonic is planning to take 100 percent ownership of its subsidiaries Sanyo Electric and Panasonic Electric Works in a move costing up to $9.4 billion to strengthen green businesses such as electric cars and solar panels. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)AP - Panasonic is planning to take 100 percent ownership of its subsidiaries Sanyo Electric and Panasonic Electric Works in a move costing up to $9.4 billion to strengthen green businesses such as electric cars and solar panels.

  11. Key parts of Arizona anti-immigration law blocked (Reuters)


    Rosamaria Soto (L), Maria Uribe (C) and Georgina Sanchez pray during a vigil outside the Arizona State Capital after U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton blocked the most controversial sections of Arizona's new Senate Bill 1070 immigration law in Phoenix, July 28, 2010. REUTERS/Joshua LottReuters - A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked key parts of Arizona's tough new immigration law hours before it was to take effect, handing a victory to the Obama administration as it tries to take control of the issue.

  12. BP aims for quick well kill and weighs asset sales (Reuters)


    A BP cleanup crew shovels oil from a beach in May 2010 at Port Fourchon, Louisiana. BP's chief executive Tony Hayward resigned on Tuesday, claiming to have been Reuters - BP Plc may permanently shut the well that caused the worst off-shore oil spill in U.S. history as early as Monday, the company said as speculation grew over assets it might sell to cover mounting costs.

  13. China urges change in U.S. policy to avoid friction (Reuters)


    Reuters - The United States should alter policy to take account of China's role as a major player on the world stage if it wants to avoid friction and instability, a major state newspaper said on Thursday.

  14. Foreclosures up in 75 percent of top U.S. metro areas (Reuters)


    An estate agent's board showing is pictured outside a south-east London house in April. British home prices fell for the first time in five months during July when they dropped 0.5 percent compared with June, a key survey by home-loans provider Nationwide has shown.(AFP/File/Ben Stansall)Reuters - Foreclosures rose in 3 of every four large U.S. metro areas in this year's first half, likely ruling out sustained home price gains until 2013, real estate data company RealtyTrac said on Thursday.

  15. Schwarzenegger declares California fiscal emergency (Reuters)


    Registered warrants, or IOUs, printed at the State Controller's office in Sacramento, July 2, 2009. REUTERS/Max WhittakerReuters - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency over the state's finances on Wednesday, raising pressure on lawmakers to negotiate a state budget that is more than a month overdue and will need to close a $19 billion shortfall.

  16. Afghan president asks why allies won't act on Pakistan (Reuters)


    Reuters - Afghan President Hamid Karzai questioned on Thursday the willingness of his Western allies to strike insurgent bases in Pakistan given the strong evidence of Islamabad's support for the Taliban.

  17. Toyota says to recall 412,000 cars in the U.S. (Reuters)


    A woman is reflected in a glass door outside the Toyota Motor Corp showroom in Tokyo July 27, 2010. Toyota Motor Corp will likely be able to build the popular Prius hybrid car in the United States when it is remodelled next, a top executive said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS)Reuters - Japan's Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday it would recall 412,000 high-end passenger cars in the United States to fix steering problems.

  18. No U.S., coalition vessels near Japan tanker: U.S. Navy (Reuters)


    Reuters - There were no U.S. Navy or maritime coalition vessels near a Japanese supertanker damaged in an incident in the Strait of Hormuz, a Fifth Fleet spokesman said on Thursday.

  19. French couple charged over eight baby murders (AFP)


    Some candles are displayed in front of the house where the remains of six newborn babies were found in Villers-au-Tertre. A French judge has charged a mother with the murder of eight of her newborn babies and her husband with hiding the bodies.(AFP/Denis Charlet)AFP - A French judge charged a mother with the murder of eight of her newborn babies on Thursday and her husband with hiding the bodies.

  20. Judge blocks key parts of Arizona immigration law (AFP)


    An immigrant stands on a curbside awaiting work in Phoenix, Arizona. Arizona's bid to curb illegal immigration was going into force minus its most controversial sections, after a US judge blocked a provision giving police the power to spot-check the immigration status of suspected lawbreakers.(AFP/Getty Images/John Moore)AFP - Arizona's bid to curb illegal immigration was going into force on Thursday minus its most controversial sections, after a US judge blocked a provision giving police the power to spot-check the immigration status of suspected lawbreakers.