UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council unanimously recommended Thursday that the newly independent Balkan nation of Montenegro become the 192nd member of the United Nations. The General Assembly is expected to approve the council recommendation June 28. The tiny republic declared independence from Serbia on June 3 after its …

LIEGE, Belgium – A court ruled Thursday that a suspect in the killing of two schoolgirls whose bodies were found hidden in a storm drain must remain jailed, despite his lawyers arguing there is no evidence linking him to the girls’ disappearance and slaying. A convicted child rapist, Abdallah Aid …

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) is the latest Silicon Valley company to acknowledge some stock options awarded to employees might have been mishandled. Without providing details, the Cupertino, Calif.-based maker of personal computers and the iPod music player said Thursday its own internal investigation had uncovered “irregularities” in …

SEATTLE – Microsoft Corp. will offer a premium license for the upcoming version of its Exchange e-mail server that will let users do things like retrieve voice mails from their e-mail inboxes or give their computer a voice command to check their calendar or alert co-workers they’re going to be …

BEIJING – Chinese engineers Tuesday blew up a temporary barrier used during construction of the Three Gorges Dam, unleashing the full force of the Yangtze River upon the world’s largest hydroelectric project. The 1.4-mile-long Three Gorges Dam now assumes its role in controlling the deadly floods that have regularly ravaged …

Harvard-affiliated researchers said Tuesday they have begun efforts to create stem cells by cloning human embryos, joining the race among a small group of scientists in this controversial pursuit. The work at Children’s Hospital Boston, the main pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, is aimed at eventually creating stem …

GREENBELT, Md. – A kitten adopted at a PetSmart Inc. store was ill with rabies, prompting the pet-supplies chain to suspend animal adoptions in the mid-Atlantic. The kitten’s owner and the director of the animal rescue group that supplied the kitten are being treated for the disease as a precaution, …

NEW YORK – JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is introducing a new shuttle service between Washington and New York with introductory fares as low as $39 each way. The low-cost carrier will operate six daily nonstop flights from Dulles International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport starting Aug. 17. The introductory …

NEW ORLEANS – Five people ranging in age from 16 to 19 were killed in a street shooting early Saturday, the most violent crime reported in this slowly repopulating city since Hurricane Katrina hit last August. All were believed to have been gunned down while inside a sport utility vehicle …

INDIANAPOLIS – Six sexual offenders, including convicted child molesters and rapists, sued the city Wednesday to block a new ordinance that bans them from coming within 1,000 feet of parks, pools, playgrounds and other sites when children are present. The six, including a college student who has joint custody of …