WASHINGTON (AP) — A comprehensive defense policy bill that aims to deal with the epidemic of sexual assault in the military is heading to the Senate, where it could get slowed by Republican outrage over majority Democrats' limits on GOP power.

    LaMarcus Aldridge had 31 points and a career-high 25 rebounds, prompting Portland fans to chant ''MVP! MVP!'' during the Trail Blazers' 111-104 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

    A court hearing could provide details of allegations against school workers charged with lying and interfering with investigators following the rape of a 16-year-old girl by two eastern Ohio high school football players.

    New Zealand teen sensation Lydia Ko announced Friday she had signed with management giant IMG Worldwide, just two months after turning professional following a stellar amateur career. The 16-year-old, who won her first pro tournament in Taiwan on Sunday is already ranked number four in the world, generating a wave of hype that has seen Time magazine name her as one of the world's most influential teens. Ko, whose grounded attitude has impressed pundits, said having IMG manage her affairs would allow her to concentrate on her game. "My family and I spoke with many candidates and IMG emerged as the clear choice to represent me, in large part because of their global reach," she said in a statement.

    SAN DIEGO (AP) — The attorney for a naval investigator said his client will plead guilty to bribery charges for accepting pricey vacations and prostitute services in trade for providing information and advice to an Asian defense contractor at the center of a multimillion-dollar fraud probe, the Navy official's lawyer said Thursday.

    Just like that, huh BeyoncĂ©?! While many artists usually spend months promoting their upcoming releases in hopes that album sales skyrocket, Queen B decided to go against the grain...

    It's never bad idea to take another look at Freddie Prinze Jr.'s hot body. And who better to gush over his muscled physique than his very lucky wife, Sarah Michelle...

    Warning: We're about to run down the biggest TV moments from Thursday night. If you don't want to be spoiled on a particular show, skip to the next! Scandal: So long, Jake!...

    Suddenly, it's 1997 again and we're slightly (and by slightly, we mean super) overjoyed that Cameron Diaz isn't standing inbetween these two meant-to-be lovers. Yes, meant to be. That...

    Amy Adams' wardrobe in American Hustle may be dated, but it's as chic as all heck. Even the pasties she wears in her quick peekaboo stripper scene are things to...

    The stores, or commissaries as they are known on military bases, could be on the chopping block as the Pentagon looks at options for slashing its budget.

    Investors have pulled out $72 billion from bond mutual funds this year. The outflow is the first in nearly a decade for bond funds, and tops the previous record in 1994.

    DHAKA (Reuters) - At least four people were killed in Bangladesh on Friday when supporters of Islamist leader Abdul Quader Mollah vented their fury at his execution for war crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

    BANGKOK (Reuters) - The leader of a protest group trying to overthrow Thailand's government said on Friday the prime minister should either step down or be forced out, and his movement would then need around a year to push through reforms.

    SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has executed the powerful uncle of young leader Kim Jong Un, state media said on Friday, the biggest upheaval in years as the ruling dynasty sought to distance itself from responsibility for the isolated states's dire living standards.

    DENVER (AP) -- Synthetic marijuana is believed to have sickened 221 people in Colorado during a monthlong outbreak this year, according to a federal report released Thursday....

    WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's a growing side effect of modern medicine: A test for one condition turns up something completely unrelated. It might be a real danger, or an anxiety-provoking false alarm....

    ATLANTA (AP) -- Health officials say the flu season seems to be getting off to more normal start this year....

    WASHINGTON (AP) -- Technology problems with President Barack Obama's health care website are forcing the administration to extend a federal insurance plan for some of the sickest patients by a month....

    SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Women at high risk of developing breast cancer because of family history or bad genes have a new option to help prevent the disease....

    MARION — Local authors offering everything from murder mysteries to poetry will host a group book signing from 10 a.m. to

    The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission has awarded its highest honor to a Harlan County couple who revived an environmental education program.Click to Continue »

    Lawmakers from the Appalachian region have major clout in Frankfort, occupying six of the top leadership positions in the Legislature.Click to Continue »

    All-star cheer and dance teams representing eight states are competing this weekend in Louisville at the Triple Crown Showdown of cheerleading.Click to Continue »

    Kentucky motorists who get behind the wheel after drinking may be outsmarted by their phones with the introduction of a new app from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety.Click to Continue »

    The Geminid meteor shower is underway! Forecasters say the best time to look is during the dark hours before sunrise on Saturday morning, Dec. 14th.

    Medical oncologists have a vital role to play in cancer care, particularly as treatments become ever more complex, a new position statement from the European Society for Medical Oncology says.ESMO's aim with the position statement is to guarantee to Europe's growing number of cancer patients access to optimal treatment.

    A new study presented today at the IOF Regionals 4th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting in Hong Kong showed that patients with Colles' fracture are at higher risk than patients with osteoporosis to have a subsequent hip fracture within one year; Colles' fracture and osteoporosis together further increase the risk of hip fracture.

    Echocardiography with conventional M-mode and 2D modalities is a simple and cost effective way to increases the accuracy of pre-participation sports screening, according to research presented at EuroEcho-Imaging 2013 by Dr. Alexander Kisko from Presov, Slovakia.

    The dangerous parasite Schistosoma mansoni that causes snail fever in humans could become significantly less common in the future a new international study led by researchers from the University of Copenhagen predicts. The results are surprising because they contradict the general assumption that climate change leads to greater geographical spread of diseases. The explanation is that the parasite's host snails stand to lose suitable habitat due to climate change.

    (Reuters) - A waterlogged course at Mount Edgecombe on the first two days of the European Tour's Nelson Mandela Challenge in Durban has forced organizers to shorten the tournament to 54 holes. The first round was still to be completed early on Friday, the third day of competition, with England's Daniel Brooks holding a one-shot clubhouse lead at eight-under par. The start of this year's tournament was brought forward by 24 hours to avoid clashing with the funeral of former South African President Nelson Mandela on Sunday. Last year's tournament, won by Scott Jamieson, was also hit hard by the weather and was played over 36 holes.

    Four days after letting his cold-weather critics have it, Manning lets his teammates have it and gives the doubters some new ammo — while putting the Tom Brady & the Pats in the AFC driver's seat.

    DENVER (Reuters) - Four people were stabbed, with one critically wounded, in a melee late on Thursday in a parking lot outside a stadium hosting a U.S. National Football League game, police said. Police responded to reports of a disturbance at about 9:55 p.m. local time (0455 GMT) outside Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado where the Denver Broncos were playing the San Diego Chargers, said city police department spokesman Steve Warneke. ...

    DENVER (AP) — At least three people were stabbed in a parking at Sports Authority Stadium Field at Mile High after the Denver Broncos' game Thursday night.

    Joe Johnson and Andray Blatche had 21 points each, but it was Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the spotlight as Brooklyn beat Doc Rivers' Los Angeles Clippers 102-93. Pierce on Thursday had 10 points and Garnett scored just two, but the former Boston stars emerged with the victory over their former Celtics coach Rivers in their first meeting since Rivers took the helm of the Clippers this season. "I'll always have a special place for Doc," said Garnett, who made a point of shaking Rivers' hand and giving his old coach a quick hug before the game.

    JERUSALEM (AP) -- An Israeli startup is trying to combat a common fear for international travelers: getting socked with hundreds or thousands of dollars in unexpected roaming charges for using cellphones away from home....

    Microsoft has joined the FIDO Alliance, an industry group attempting to craft industry standards that reduce reliance on passwords, long regarded as a weak point in Web security.Launched in July 2012, FIDO, which stands for Fast IDentity Online, is hoping its specifications for security devices and browser plugins will be widely adopted across the technology industry.Such efforts depend on voluntary adoption by many companies and organizations. So far, those participating in FIDO include heavyweights Google, MasterCard, Lenovo, Infineon, LG Electronics and a variety of smaller companies.Authentication hardware and software widely varies, with many proprietary clients and protocols. FIDO hopes that standardizing authentication technologies will lead to better interoperability and innovations in biometrics, PINs (personal identification numbers) and secondary authentication technologies, according to its website.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

    Foxconn Technology Group has come up short in trying to limit the overtime hours of its workers in China, but still made progress in improving the working conditions at three of its factories that make products for Apple, a labor group said Thursday.The iPhone manufacturer has completed nearly all the goals in its plan to improve conditions at the three factories, according to a recent audit from the Fair Labor Association. But the manufacturing giant is struggling to cap workers’ overtime to the Chinese legal limit of 49 hours per week.Workers at the three factories located in Shenzhen and Chengdu are instead generally working less than 60 hours per week, meeting the FLA’s own code on labor standards. Only for a seven-week period at one facility did working hours exceed 60 hours.The plan to meet the 49 hours per week limit was an ambitious goal Foxconn set out to achieve, starting last year. Both Foxconn and its major client Apple had just faced harsh criticism from the public after The New York Times published a report describing poor working conditions at the factories.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

    BANGKOK (AP) -- For years, protesters in Thailand have used social media to organize rallies. Now they're taking smartphones to a new level....

    Twitter has reversed a controversial policy change announced Thursday that would let a user block others on Twitter, but the blocked people could still continue to follow and see the user’s tweets and interact with them.”We have decided to revert the change after receiving feedback from many users—we never want to introduce features at the cost of users feeling less safe,” wrote Michael Sippey, Twitter’s vice president of product, in a blog post.The policy changes proposed by Twitter earlier in the day came in for sharp criticism from users.Before the new policy, if a user was being harassed or trolled by spam accounts, clicking the “block” button would prevent the persons from following the user and also remove them from mentions and timeline, according to a petition on Change.org.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

    WASHINGTON (AP) -- In March 2007, retired FBI agent Robert Levinson flew to Kish Island, an Iranian resort awash with tourists, smugglers and organized crime figures. Days later, after an arranged meeting with an admitted killer, he checked out of his hotel, slipped into a taxi and vanished. For years, the U.S. has publicly described him as a private citizen who traveled to the tiny Persian Gulf island on private business....

    SEATTLE (AP) — Is there still a chance that Puget Sound-area machinists could reach agreement with Boeing to handle much of the work on the company's new 777X jet? Hours after it appeared that negotiations between the company and the union had collapsed, there were more questions than answers.

    KWETHLUK, Alaska (AP) -- Christmas in Alaska came early this week to nearly 300 students attending school in the Yup'ik Eskimo village of Kwethluk....

    At least three people were stabbed in a parking at Sports Authority Stadium Field at Mile High after the Denver Broncos' game Thursday night.

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A comprehensive defense policy bill that aims to deal with the epidemic of sexual assault in the military is heading to the Senate, where it could get slowed by Republican outrage over majority Democrats' limits on GOP power.

    PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -- Tens of thousands of South African mourners waited in line on Friday to view the body of Nelson Mandela, which was lying in state for the third and final day, with the likelihood that many would be turned away before the casket is taken away later in the day....

    BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) -- French troops backed by a helicopter traded fire Friday with suspected former rebels in a neighborhood rife with sectarian tensions, within hours of the arrival of France's military chief in the Central African Republic capital....

    JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- A South African Cabinet minister is apologizing for the sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial who outraged deaf people worldwide by making signs they said amounted to gibberish....

    A South African Cabinet minister is apologizing for the sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial who outraged deaf people worldwide by making signs they said amounted to gibberish.

    Iraqi officials say 22 suspects facing terrorism charges have escaped from a jail in northern Baghdad after killing a security guard.