White House economic adviser Christina Romer declared the president's stimulus plan "absolutely" is working to slow the economy's decline, though she still held open the possibility of a second stimulus package a few months down the road. Ahead of Friday's new unemployment figures that had unexpectedly good news that the recession may be ending, Romer said the president's stimulus absolutely is working but still left open possibility of a second stimulus in a few months if the recovery is slow. ...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday blasted accusations that his government supplied Colombian guerrillas with shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons and accused the neighboring country of blackmail. The remarks follow a freezing of diplomatic relations between the countries over the weapons issue and over negotiations that could lead to American military bases in Colombia. Colombia announced last week that three anti-tank weapons seized from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, had been traced to Venezuela. "What a coincidence that ...

Between late July and early December of 2008 four members of a Belgian-French group returned to Europe from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. On December 11, Belgian counter-terrorism police launched one of the largest operations in the country's history, arrested six people and charged them with participation in a terrorist group. According to Belgian counter-terrorism sources, the trigger for the Brussels arrests was an intercepted e-mail sent by one of the alleged recruits, Hicham Beyayo, in early December shortly after he ...

The commander of Turkey's NATO force in Afghanistan and another soldier were killed this week in a road accident in northern Afghanistan, the Turkish military said Thursday. Beckham has been criticized in the United States for going out on loan to AC Milan, missing the start of the MLS season, but on the eve of his return to action with Galaxy took the opportunity to put the record straight. "I was given chance to play for one of the biggest ...

Call it irony, call it the silver lining of a tragic death — Michael Jackson's passing has put the King of Pop back on top of the music charts. His hits have suddenly become the nostalgic sound track of summer 2009. And Jackson's reign could continue for years with fresh material that has never been released and artistic reworkings of existing classic tracks, according to Tommy Mottola, former CEO and chairman of Sony, the company that owns the distribution ...

Any attempt to pardon Mikhail Khodorkovsky -- once Russia's richest man, now its most famous inmate -- must follow standard procedure, including an admission of guilt, the nation's president said Sunday. "Concerning the possibility of a pardon for someone, Khodorkovsky or anyone else, the procedure has to be carried out in accordance with our country's rules," President Dmitry Medvedev said in a transcript on his Web site. "In other words, a person must appeal to the president, plead guilty to ...

Authorities in Hong Kong were reviewing surveillance tapes Tuesday to determine who tossed a bottle of acid from the top of a building, injuring 24 pedestrians in a busy shopping district. Monday's incident was the third such attack in the Mong Kok district in the last six months. Police have not ruled out the possibility that they are the work of the same person. The most recent attack occurred on Nielson Street Monday night when a bottle containing corrosive liquid ...

The search for the wreckage of an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with 228 on board intensified Thursday after clues appeared to rule out a mid-air fire or explosion. As several ships trawled the crash site in the Atlantic, Brazil's defense minister said a 20-kilometer (12-mile) oil slick near where the plane went down on Monday indicated it probably did not break up until it hit the water. If true, that would rule out an ...

A U.S. Senate report released Thursday says some experts predict Iran could have enough material for a nuclear bomb in six months. The staff report of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says efforts so far to stop Iran's nuclear program have failed and that the real status of Iran's nuclear program is unknown. "There is no sign that Iran's leaders have ordered up a bomb. But unclassified interviews conducted by a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff make ...

Same-sex marriage became legal in Maine on Wednesday as Gov. John Baldacci signed a bill less than an hour after the state legislature approved it. "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage," said Baldacci, a Democrat. But he raised the possibility that the residents of the state would overturn the law, saying, "Just as the Maine Constitution ...