WASHINGTON  — That age-old stereotype about dangerous women drivers is shattered in a big new traffic analysis: Male drivers have a 77 percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than women, based on miles driven.

LONDON  — Hurricane-force winds and heavy downpours hammered northern Europe on Thursday, killing 25 people and disrupting travel for tens of thousands — including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose plane was forced to circle for 15 minutes before landing amid winds gusting to 77 mph.

SAN FRANCISCO — A biotechnology advocacy group reported Thursday that a record number of biotech crops were planted worldwide last year, but critics complained the gains were more of the same: aimed at making corn, soy and cotton crops resistant to weed killers and bugs.

SACRAMENTO — California taxpayers will be asked to spend billions of dollars to reform the state’s overcrowded and mismanaged prison system.

ST. LOUIS — The parents of a kidnapped Missouri boy said Thursday they believe their son was molested during the four years he was missing, and his grandmother claimed his captor had awakened the boy every 45 minutes, apparently as a way to control him.

AMERICAN FORK, Utah — Three pregnant teens living in a group home whacked the director in the head with a frying pan, tied her up and fled in a minivan, police said.

WASHINGTON — The House wrapped up the Democrats’ “100 Hours” legislative sprint Thursday with time to spare, voting to recoup billions of dollars in lost royalties from oil and gas companies and roll back industry tax breaks.

WASHINGTON — The Chinese military used a ground-based missile to hit and destroy one of its aging satellites orbiting more than 500 miles in space last week — a high-stakes test demonstrating China’s ability to target regions of space that are home to U.S. spy satellites and space-based missile defense systems.

BEIJING — Michelle Kwan’s first performance as an American diplomat was almost flawless.

CAIRO, Egypt — An Egyptian blogger went on trial Thursday on charges of insulting Islam and causing sectarian strife with his Internet writings. Egypt’s first prosecution of a blogger came as Washington has backed away from pressuring its Mideast ally to improve its human rights record and bring democratic reform.

DALLAS — A group of Methodist ministers from across the nation launched an online petition drive Thursday urging Southern Methodist University to stop trying to land George W. Bush’s presidential library.