The breathing problems that Pope John Paul II is said to be suffering are not a routine complication of the flu but likely are worsened by the main health problem he suffers — Parkinson’s disease (search), several doctors say. “A normal person might get some tightness or constriction in the …

WASHINGTON – President Bush warned Saturday that if Congress does not act now to overhaul Social Security (search), the choices ahead will be harsh and painful. He repeated his call to add private accounts to the system. As he has in visits to eight states, Bush emphasized in his weekly …

WASHINGTON – President Bush (search) on Monday sent the Senate 20 judicial nominees, including several who were blocked in his first term, signaling a new fight with Democrats. “Every judicial nominee deserves a prompt hearing and an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” Bush said at …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi officials Thursday released the first partial returns from national elections, showing a commanding lead by candidates backed by the Shiite Muslim clergy. Sunni insurgents unleashed a wave of attacks, killing at least 30 people, including three U.S. Marines and a dozen Iraqi army recruits. Meanwhile, election …

JERUSALEM – Israel’s defense minister ordered a halt Thursday to the controversial policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinian homicide bombers and gunmen after an internal army review concluded it has not deterred attackers but has inflamed hatred. Since the 1967 Middle East War (search), Israel has razed more than …

LONDON – British Prime Minister Tony Blair (search) on Thursday strongly endorsed the leadership of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan (search), who is under fire over allegations of kickbacks and bribes in the U.N. Oil-for-Food (search) program. Blair welcomed Annan’s call for the U.N. to be reformed and said despite …

FORT MITCHELL, Ky. – A nine-months’ pregnant woman fought off and killed a knife-wielding woman who may have been trying to steal the baby, police said Friday. Police said 26-year-old Sarah Brady (search) acted in self-defense in killing Katherine Smith (search) on Thursday. No charges were filed. Smith, 22, had …

JERUSALEM – Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jewish worshippers confronted Natalie Portman (search) and her co-star, objecting to the couple kissing during the filming of a scene beside Jerusalem’s Western Wall. (search) The incident Tuesday evening underlined the sensitivity of the site, a remnant of the biblical Jewish temples, the holiest place …

HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut’s legislature moved closer to legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples, as a key panel approved a measure that could make it the first state in the country to recognize gay unions through legislative action rather than court order. The legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee voted 25-13 to …

LOS ANGELES – Sandra Dee (search), who at the height of her fame in the 1960s was arguably the biggest female teen idol of her time, has died, leaving a legacy of film roles that includes “Gidget” (search) and “Tammy and the Doctor.” “She was Gidget, and she was Tammy, …