| | | Entertainment News | |  Christian Bale arrested, released; denies assault
1:12AM CT
LONDON (AP) - The darkness around Batman has deepened: While audiences were shattering weekend box-office records in the U.S., Christian Bale was in London, where his mother and sister reportedly leveled assault allegations against the star of "The Dark Knight" that have yet to become clear.
| | | |
| U.S. News | |  Hurricane Dolly makes landfall in South Texas
1:40PM CT
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) - Hurricane Dolly gathered strength and slammed into the South Texas coast Wednesday with punishing rain and winds of 100 mph, blowing down signs, damaging an apartment complex and knocking out power to thousands.
| | | |
| International News | |  Suspicion, terrain are foes for US in Afghan surge
12:53PM CT
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - As violence in Afghanistan escalates, the U.S. is responding by scrambling to get in more troops. But it's far from clear how the strategy will work in a vast, rugged land where hiding places are many and suspicion of foreign forces is deep.
| | |
| Business News | | Stocks advance following sharo drop in oil prices
2:06PM CT
NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks rose moderately Wednesday as another decline in oil prices and several upbeat profit reports eased some of Wall Street's concerns about the economy.
| | |
| High Tech News | | Google unveils reference tool after 7-month test
2:38PM CT
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Google Inc. is taking the wraps off an Internet encyclopedia designed to give people a chance to show off — and profit from — their expertise on any topic.
| | | |
| Political News | |  Obama tells Israel he's committed to its security
2:41PM CT
SDEROT, Israel (AP) - From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Wednesday professed "an unshakable commitment to the security" of Israel, whether the threat comes from terrorists, Iran or elsewhere.
| | | |
| Science News | | Unknown disease killing off Florida's state tree
2:42PM CT
MIAMI (AP) - The sabal palm, Florida's state tree, is under attack by a microscopic killer that has scientists stumped. An unknown but growing number of sabal palms in the Tampa Bay area have died from a mysterious disease that researchers are struggling to identify. Even after scientists pinpoint the disease — and that could take years — they will have to learn what insect spreads it. The disease will be tough to stop.
| | | |
| Health News | | Gates, Bloomberg pool riches to fight smoking
1:58PM CT
NEW YORK (AP) - Microsoft founder Bill Gates and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are pooling their piles of money to pour $375 million into a global effort to cut smoking.
| | | |
|