BEIJING – China reported its first three confirmed human cases of bird flu Wednesday as the government raced to vaccinate billions of chickens, ducks and other poultry in a massive effort to stop the spread of the virus. The World Health Organization said the victims contracted the virulent H5N1 strain …

JONESBORO, Ga – A Georgia road named for the plantation in “Gone With the Wind” may get a new name. There’s a movement in suburban Atlanta’s Clayton County to rename Tara Boulevard after civil rights icon Rosa Parks. The leader of the group asking the county commission for the name …

WASHINGTON – With Republicans in control of both chambers on Capitol Hill, issues such as cutting the budget, controlling spending and authorizing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be easy to solve. But they’re not. Republicans have battled Democrats to open ANWR to oil drilling for more …

Breastfeeding mothers who are concerned about colic may want to watch what they eat. A study published in the current issue of Pediatrics suggests that excluding highly allergenic foods from a nursing mother’s diet could reduce crying and fussiness in her newborn’s first six weeks of life. The study involved …

Christmas trees are going up all over America, except in some places where shadowy and mysterious forces seem to be fighting it. Seriously. Take for example the Coca-Cola Santa. For 74 years he has been a fixture of Coca-Cola advertising during the weeks just before Christmas. The Coke Santa is …

WASHINGTON – With just three months left before he leaves office, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan (search) raised a warning to Congress: The country could face “serious economic disruptions” if bloated budget deficits are not curbed. The Fed chief’s strong comments, made during an appearance Thursday before Congress’ Joint Economic …

New research shows that a compound in red wine and grapes may counter a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. But don’t count on wine to ward off Alzheimer’s. “Going now to the public and telling them, ‘You should drink wine and you won’t have Alzheimer’s disease’ is totally wrong,” researcher Philippe …

WASHINGTON – At a time when middle-income families are increasingly priced out of buying homes, the government should encourage affordable housing availability by providing tax credits to investors in troubled areas, Rep. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said Wednesday. “Although national homeownership levels have reached historic highs, the dream of homeownership remains …

WASHINGTON – Crude oil prices fell 4 percent in the past week and settled Friday at a five-month low just above $56 a barrel. The steady move lower has coincided with mild U.S. weather, the recovery of oil production and refining facilities that were shut down by hurricanes Katrina and …

AMMAN, Jordan – Some 1,100 Iraqi lawyers have withdrawn from Saddam Hussein‘s defense team, citing insufficient protection following the slayings of two peers representing co-defendants of the ousted Iraqi leader. In a statement obtained Sunday, the lawyers did not say whether Saddam’s chief Iraqi attorney, Khalil al-Dulaimi, was among those …