James Dobson, the influential evangelical leader of the Christian ministry Focus on the Family, has stepped down as board chairman, he announced Friday. During a meeting with employees, Dobson, 72, said the move means he will no longer be involved with the administrative side of the organization, according to spokesman Gary Schneeberger. But Dobson's public role isn't expected to change. He'll still appear on his daily radio broadcast and as an advocate for socially conservative issues, Schneeberger said. "There won't ...

One day before U.S. President Barack Obama's Canadian visit last week, Canadian fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers near Canadian air space, the defense minister said Friday. "At no time did Russian planes enter Canadian air space, but within 24 hours of the president's visit here ... we did scramble F-18 fighter planes from NORAD in Canada command," Peter MacKay said in a news conference in Ottawa. The Russian planes were in international waters, about 118 miles (190 kilometers) northeast ...

It should come as no surprise that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been quick to endorse emerging plans to hasten the departure of U.S. forces from his country. Maliki, after all, had opposed the Bush Administration's decision to increase U.S. troop levels in the surge of 2007, and he had forced a reluctant Washington to accept a hard deadline for withdrawal in the Status of Forces Agreement adopted late last year. The growing abilities of the Iraqi ...

Human beings are innately trained to do certain basic things: Eat. Drink. And despise television commercials. But put down that remote for a second. While in no way should you shun food and water, don't go skipping through the car ads on your TiVo. Turns out that sitting through those 30-second spots may make you happier than you think. According to a surprising study to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research, commercial interruptions often enhance enjoyment of television, ...

Imagine climbing 276 steps to change a light bulb. That's all in a day's work for Rian Harford. He's a mountain operations mechanic at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort. And that light bulb isn't just a regular light bulb. It belongs inside an air-traffic warning light that sits 253 feet high upon a wind turbine. Jiminy Peak, in Hancock, Massachusetts, touts itself as the first ski resort in North America to feature such a structure. The idea to build the turbine ...

A monk carrying a Tibetan national flag and shouting slogans set himself on fire in south-central China on Friday and then was shot at by police, a human rights group reported. Police fired three shots at the monk, but it was not known if any hit him or whether he survived, said Matt Whitticase, spokesman for the London-based Free Tibet organization. Whitticase said he based his report on eyewitness accounts. About 40 minutes before the shooting, around 1,000 monks trying ...

Top Democrats have expressed concern over President Obama's plan to draw down nearly two-thirds of U.S. forces in Iraq by August 2010, while some key Republicans are offering praise. At issue: Obama plans to leave between 35,000 to 50,000 residual forces in the war-torn country, serving in a training or advisory role to the Iraqi military. All U.S. troops have to be out of Iraq by December 31, 2011, under an agreement the Bush administration signed with the Iraqi ...

A "dangerously radioactive" teacher facing charges of child pornography is being hunted by UK police, media reported Friday. At issue: Obama plans to leave between 35,000 to 50,000 residual forces in the war-torn country, serving in a training or advisory role to the Iraqi military. All U.S. troops have to be out of Iraq by December 31, 2011, under an agreement the Bush administration signed with the Iraqi government last year. There are currently 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. ...

An Ethiopian immigrant with a history of mental health problems is in custody after being accused of mailing a letter with HIV-tainted blood to Barack Obama when he was president-elect, according to court records. Saad Bedrie Hussein told investigators that he is an admirer of Obama and that the letter -- containing his photo, an admission ticket to Obama's election night victory party in Chicago's Grant Park and six index cards containing writing and reddish stains -- was his way ...

Entertainer Ed McMahon has been hospitalized for more than three weeks with pneumonia and other medical problems, his spokesman said Friday. Doctors say McMahon is in serious condition, said the spokesman, Howard Bragman. "Ed's a big, strong, hearty guy and his family and I are hopeful and optimistic about his prognosis," he said. McMahon is 85. He will turn 86 on March 6. Bragman and McMahon's family are "praying and hoping for the best and are appreciative of everyone's thoughts ...