11:30 a.m. WASHINGTON -- Japan and the United States agreed Monday to make it easier for inventors in one country to patent their ideas in the other country - part of joint efforts to fight global piracy of copyrighted goods.

An energy crunch that chokes fuel supplies, dims the lights at homes and workplaces, and ravages Western economies may no longer be the stuff of 1970s history books. It could be a vision of the near future.

SAN FRANCISCO — Crouched in military fatigues, you peer through night-vision goggles and brandish a semiautomatic gun as you hunt down terrorists who’ve overtaken Las Vegas.

SAN FRANCISCO — Technophiles are eagerly waiting to learn whether the king of digital music can colonize an entirely new category of consumer electronics.

SACRAMENTO — Someday, they may be called The Google Years.

DENVER — Feedlot operators still reeling from storms that pounded prime cattle ranges in the central United States likely will pay more to prep cattle for market in the weeks ahead.

LEOMIL, Portugal — As the European Commission urges the continent to move away from traditional energy sources and adopt a lifestyle that cares for the environment, Eduardo Rocha is one step ahead.