Prominent scholars and experts are urging President Obama to adopt strong policies backing democracy in the Middle East. More than 140 people signed an open letter to the president. Its message will be the topic of a news conference Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington. "We urge you to elevate democratic reform and respect for human rights as key considerations in your engagement with both Arab regimes and Arab publics," the letter said. "We are writing ...

Sri Lanka's cricket team returned home to Colombo early Wednesday, as police in Pakistan searched for at least 12 gunmen believed responsible for the attack that left seven people dead. Police in Lahore on Wednesday confirmed six police officers and a driver of a van carrying umpires were killed after earlier reports had put the death toll at eight. Six team members were wounded by glass and shrapnel, and two -- Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera -- were shot ...

Low-fat, low-carb, high-protein — there's a diet plan of every flavor. And if you're one of the millions of Americans who struggle with weight, you've probably tried them all, likely with little success. That wouldn't surprise Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of a new study published in the February 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, whose findings confirm what a growing body of weight-loss evidence has already ...

President Obama's address to Congress was full of lofty promises to make unprecedented investments in government programs, even as he aims to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. But it takes more than a proposal to bring about real change. Will Obama be able to meet his goals CNN political analyst David Gergen says the answer will be "one of the greatest political dramas of our time." White House Press Secretary Robert ...

Cass Sunstein would not seem the kind of presidential appointee to get liberal groups up in arms. A professor at the University of Chicago Law School and prolific author, Sunstein is a reliable liberal on most questions of law and policy. So when President Barack Obama chose his old friend for a very powerful Washington job, director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs , it seemed safe to assume that the appointment would be treated as ...

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrapped up a 20,000-mile, four-nation trip to Asia -- her first in the new post -- emphasizing that the United States is actively engaged with the region. Clinton traveled to Japan, China, South Korea and Indonesia to discuss a range of issues, including solving the global economic crisis, the prevention of nuclear weapons proliferation and reversing the global warming trend. She returned to Washington on Sunday. Clinton broached the issue of human rights with ...

The mayor of Juarez announced Friday that the city's police chief is stepping down after receiving death threats from local drug cartels. At a joint news conference with Peres, Netanyahu said he accepted the task and he is willing to work with the moderate parties of Labor, led by Ehud Barak, and Kadima, headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. "We have different approaches in different areas, but we are all together in our desire to act for the good of ...