Suicide bomber strikes Sadr City
BAGHDAD — A suicide car bomber struck in the main Shiite district of the capital Wednesday, killing at least nine people as the U.S. military said its troop buildup in Baghdad was nearly complete. Three more U.S. soldiers were killed by bombs in the capital.
Around the globe: Justice looks into hiring decisions
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating whether its former White House liaison used political affiliations in deciding whom to hire as entry-level prosecutors, the Associated Press has learned.
Beer Power: Foster’s, scientists team up to generate clean energy from beer-making
CANBERRA, Australia — Scientists and Australian beer maker Foster’s are teaming up to generate clean energy from brewery waste water — by using sugar-consuming bacteria.
Neb. executioners could administer second jolt if inmate survives the first
LINCOLN, Neb. — Executioners are prepared to administer a second jolt of electricity to a death row inmate if his heart is still beating 18 minutes after the first, state authorities said Wednesday.
Rest now for better recall later
Throw out the ginkgo. Forget mnemonics. New research suggests there’s a simple way to lock in new info: Sleep on it.
Driver who hit Halberstam car claims he had green light
MENLO PARK — The driver who hit the vehicle carrying author David Halberstam claims he had the green light in the crash that killed the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
FDA asks antidepressant makers to warn young adults about suicide risks
WASHINGTON — Young adults face an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior when they first begin taking antidepressants and should be warned about the danger, federal health officials said Wednesday.
Tom Poston, a longtime master at playing clueless sidekicks, dies
LOS ANGELES — Tom Poston, the tall, pasty-faced comic who found fame and fortune playing a clueless everyman on such hit television shows as “Newhart” and “Mork and Mindy,” has died. He was 85.
N.J. man died of thirst during wilderness survival adventure in the Utah desert
BOULDER, Utah — By Day 2 in the blazing Utah desert, Dave Buschow was in bad shape.
South Korean TV show sheds light on AIDS
SEOUL, South Korea — A new TV soap opera is gaining popularity in South Korea with the tear-jerking tale of an 8-year-old girl infected by the virus that causes AIDS — a disease that still invites more ostracism than sympathy here.
Freeway connector to reopen within 10 days, Schwarzenegger says
OAKLAND — One of two freeway connectors shut down by Sunday’s collapse of an overpass will reopen within 10 days after officials determined it had not been as badly damaged as they had feared, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday.
Chief: Officers’ use of force to clear LA rally ‘grave concern’
LOS ANGELES — Coming under intense criticism, Police Chief William J. Bratton said Wednesday officers’ use of brute force to disperse an immigration rally was of “grave concern” and promised a full investigation.
Mysterious killer of America’s honeybees could make dinner bland
BELTSVILLE, Md. — Unless someone or something stops it soon, the mysterious killer that is wiping out many of the nation’s honeybees could have a devastating effect on America’s dinner plate, perhaps even reducing us to a glorified bread-and-water diet.
San Francisco’s new juvenile hall crowded with serious offenders
SAN FRANCISCO — A surge in youths arrested for serious crimes has filled the city’s juvenile hall beyond capacity, despite attempts to send young offenders to community-based alternative programs, officials said.
Families vs. workers debate bogs down immigration talks
WASHINGTON — Who should get a preference when it comes to immigrants?
Two students seriously injured when SUV plows into middle school crowd
BELMONT — A sport-utility vehicle jumped a curb outside a middle school Wednesday afternoon and plowed into a group of children waiting for a bus, seriously injuring at least two of them, police and hospital officials said.
After veto survives House, Democrats meet with Bush on Iraq
WASHINGTON — Congress failed to override President Bush’s veto of legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on Wednesday, a defeat for anti-war Democrats that triggered immediate talks on a new measure to fund the conflict.
