LONDON – A childhood tale set in Libya, a 19th-century Australian saga and a story of love and loss in World War II are among the finalists announced Thursday for the Man Booker Prize, Britain’s most prestigious award for fiction. As usual, the choices were contentious, with several of the …

WASHINGTON – The Senate will consider a bill calling for erecting 700 miles of fencing on the U.S-Mexican border, a proposal that has been approved twice by the House. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., used a legislative maneuver to get the bill to the floor as early as Wednesday, …

MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota is notifying more than 13,000 past and present students that their personal information is contained on computers stolen last month. The two Apple computers were stolen from the Institute of Technology in mid-August. The stolen desktop computers contained records on entering Institute of Technology …

DETROIT – Ford expanded its plans to remake itself into a more competetive automaker and end financial losses on Friday by cutting more than 10,000 additional salaried jobs, extending buyout offers to all 75,000 of its hourly workers and shuttering two more plants. The announcement from Ford came as Chrysler’s …

TEHRAN, Iran – Irandeployed its first locally-manufactured fighter bomber plane on Wednesday during large-scale military exercises, state-run television reported. “The bomber Saegheh or lightening is similar to (the American) F-18but more powerful. It was designed, optimized and improved by Iranian experts,” the report said. The report said the Iranian air …

HOUSTON – Ken Lay’s death wiped away his convictions. Andrew Fastow got a reduced six-year sentence. That leaves former CEO Jeffrey Skilling as the sole top Enron Corp. executive who could be given at least 20 years in prison when he is sentenced Monday for helping orchestrate the biggest corporate …

I hear you!! My e-mail is swamped with letters about the Duke alleged rape case. Here is a sample: E-mail #1: I have no doubt these rich, spoiled, arrogant, privileged, young men are obnoxious, self-centered and a myriad of other bad adjectives. And with alcohol, ego, and testosterone they might …

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea warned Wednesday that it could abandon its policy of pursuing engagement with North Korea if the communist neighbor goes ahead with a nuclear test. South Korea said earlier in the day that the North should take full responsibility for all consequences if it put …

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Dennis Hastert requested Sunday that the Justice Department conduct an investigation into former Rep. Mark Foley‘s electronic messages to teenage boys — a lurid scandal that has put House Republicans in political peril. “As Speaker of the House, I hereby request that the Department of Justice …

WASHINGTON – Deer probably spread a brain-destroying illness called chronic wasting disease through their saliva, concludes a study that finally pins down a long-suspected culprit. The key was that Colorado researchers tested some special deer. Chronic wasting disease is in the same family of fatal brain illnesses as mad cow …