PITTSBURGH – Prosecutors on Thursday dropped charges against one of two men accused of shooting five Duquesne University basketball players, but filed charges against two additional suspects. All charges were dropped against Brandon Baynes, 18, of Penn Hills, in the Sept. 17 shooting after an on-campus dance party. Allegheny County …

SAN FRANCISCO – Electronic Arts Inc. said Thursday that sales of its latest “Madden” football video game grossed more than $100 million in its first week, the biggest launch in the franchise’s 17-year history and the latest sign of an improving outlook for the industry. EA, the world’s largest video …

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis and its six astronauts glided to a safe landing in darkness early Thursday, ending a 12-day mission whose smooth success was briefly upstaged by the high drama caused by mysterious floating debris. “Nice to be back. It was a great team effort,” said …

LANCASTER, N.H. – Republican Sen. John McCain, a possible 2008 presidential candidate, said Friday the United States should send another 20,000 troops to Iraq. A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain said increasing U.S. forces would require expanding the standing Army and Marine Corps — a step the …

VIENNA, Austria – The United States, France and Britain will urge the U.N. Security Council to ban the sale of missile and nuclear technology to Iran for its defiance of demands to stop uranium enrichment, diplomats said Tuesday. The U.N. diplomats told The Associated Press that a draft resolution would …

BOSTON – Massachusetts began signing up its poorest residents for low-cost health insurance, the first step in the state’s goal to be the first in America to require all citizens to have health insurance. “This is a historic day for us,” said Gov. Mitt Romney on Monday. “It’s real today.” …

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Of the dozens of vintage gowns and flashy costumes Cher put up for auction, a skimpy black number made of fishnet, rhinestone and patches of fabric got the highest bid. The Bob Mackie-designed outfit, which came with a black leather jacket, sold for $60,000 — about …

These nude dudes might be taking it off for a good cause, but after you see them, you might wish they would put it all back on. Florida’s Forever Young Dancers are an all-male revue who routinely strip down for charity. And while they might sound like a group of …

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez proposed his ally Bolivia as an alternative candidate for the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, but Latin American countries failed to immediately agree on a third candidate to break a deadlock between Venezuela and U.S.-backed Guatemala. Chavez, in a speech to supporters, said it …

PANAMA CITY, Panama – Panama is embarking on an ambitious expansion of its storied canal to accommodate today’s larger ships, recognizing that one of the engineering wonders of the world badly needs an update. In a referendum marred by relatively low turnout, voters Sunday authorized the construction of a third …