In the Himalayan resort town of Nathiagali, a party is under way. Ice clinks in tumblers and corks pop while the conversation — an amalgam of English and Urdu that is the mark of Pakistan's élite — flows from meditation techniques to a heated debate over a U.S. politician's warning that Pakistan is on the brink of collapse. The hostess, Rifat Haye, 54, is one of two female pilots with the national airline and is celebrating her promotion to ...

Warning: "This is not a blog for children." That's according to the mission statement of the blogger Legofesto, who's amazingly found a way to use LEGO — the stackable, clickable, infinitely malleable children's toys — to tell the story of Guantanamo Bay detainees, prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison, British bank instability, and civilian deaths in the Iraq War. Legofesto, a blogger located in the United Kingdom, won't reveal her identity, but her politics are clear. According to the ...

The White House indicated Wednesday that a report and a photo from the controversial low-altitude New York flyover by a 747 plane used as Air Force One could be released soon. Earlier, White House officials had said that there were no plans to release photos to the public. But the tone seemed to change on Wednesday. "The report, I believe, will be concluded at some point this week. We'll release its findings and release a photo," White House Press ...

For many young Christians, the moment they first notice discrepancies in the Biblical tales they've faithfully studied is a rite of passage: e.g., if Adam and Eve were the first humans, and they had two sons — where did Cain's wife come from? The revelation that everything in the Bible may not have happened exactly as written can be startling. And when the discovery comes along with scientific evidence of evolution and the actual age of planet Earth, it can ...

Eight soldiers, including three U.S. troops, have been killed in a Taliban attack in eastern Afghanistan, a U.S. State Department spokesman said in Washington. Madeleine was 3 years old when she disappeared during a family vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 4, 2007. Portuguese police closed the case last July without a resolution. The picture, which her parents revealed in an interview on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" airing Monday, is a school-style photo showing Madeleine at 6 years ...

Dare to fall into a black hole and you would get vaporized in what is probably the most violent place in the universe. But the journey would yield some amazing sights, though you might need three eyes for the best view of what's going on, new research suggests. Humans have only gotten close to black holes in sci-fi books and movies. In fact, astronomers can't even see black holes directly, though there is strong evidence millions of them exist ...

A U.N. panel Friday targeted three North Korean companies to have their assets frozen in response to Pyongyang's April 5 rocket launch. The companies that made the list were Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (KOMID), Korea Ryonbong General Corporation and Tanchon Commercial Bank. U.N. member nations that have dealings with those companies must now freeze their assets. "KOMID is the DPRK's primary arms dealer and main exporter of equipment related to ballistic missiles, with offices in a number of foreign ...

Anoop Desai says he was comfortable with his "geeky" image on "American Idol." Lil Rounds says her soulful singing is what made her unique -- that and her name, of course. Desai and Rounds were eliminated from "Idol" on Wednesday. The judges used the save option last week to keep Matt Giraud in the competition, so the contestants with the two lowest vote totals this week were sent packing. Five contestants remain: Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, Matt Giraud, Allison Iraheta ...

A Nigerian militant group promised Sunday to release a sick British hostage held since September 2008. "Based on the milk of human kindness and compassion, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) will release Mr. Robin Barry Hughes on health and age considerations very soon," the group said in a written statement. "This release is not a quid pro quo but a gesture that puts us on a higher pedestal than the Nigerian government, whose ...

These are not good times to be a newsprint journalist. But let's not worry about that problem. Let's worry about this one: What is Hollywood going to do without the cynical yet incorruptible investigative reporter, his seen-it-all-before editor, the banter of the newsroom and the built-in suspense of the deadline Try to imagine "His Girl Friday," "Ace in the Hole" or "All the President's Men" with Perez Hilton (or his avatar) in the lead. Sobering, isn't it The gripping ...