GUINSAUGON, Philippines – The village of Guinsaugon disappeared on Friday. And so did nearly every man, woman and child who lived in this eastern Philippines farming community of 1,857 people. Only a few jumbles of corrugated steel sheeting, sticking up from 30 feet of sludge, indicate Guinsaugon ever existed. Rescue …

WASHINGTON – Shoppers who judge the freshness of meat by its pink color may be deceived by a relatively new industry practice of treating meat with carbon monoxide, critics say. The meat industry defends the use of carbon monoxide to help meat retain its pink hue, saying large sums of …

JERUSALEM – Israel’s acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said Monday he will work with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as long as he does not join forces with Hamas. Olmert also said Israel would continue transferring monthly tax payments to the Palestinian Authority as long as Hamas was not in control. …

PARAMUS, N.J. – Retailer Toys R Us Tuesday said it selected Gerald Storch, the former vice chairman of rival Target Corp (TGT), as its chairman and chief executive. The CEO role has been vacant since the chain’s $6.6 billion sale last year to private equity group Global Toys Acquisition LLC, …

This is a partial transcript from “Hannity & Colmes,” February 14, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: And welcome back for a special edition of “Hannity & Colmes.” We’re live from San Francisco tonight. The USS Iowa, displacing 45,000 tons and carrying a crew of almost …

San Francisco turned into the nation’s biggest slumber party on Tuesday night. Postings online and word-of-mouth drew nearly 1,000 people to the city’s Ferry Building for a 30-minute outdoor pillow fight, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “I haven’t giggled so hard for a really long time,” resident Amy Davis, …

NEW YORK – A man jumped to his death from the Empire State Building after buying a ticket to its observation deck, police said Thursday. Police identified the victim as Dovid Abramowitz, 21, of Manhattan. Abramowitz jumped from a vacant office on the 66th floor of the 102-story building in …

LAGOS, Nigeria – Militants holding nine foreign hostages in southern Nigeria destroyed an oil pipeline Monday and blew up a boat in violence that has cut about 20 percent of crude production in Africa’s oil giant. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it attacked a Shell-operated …

This is a partial transcript of “The Big Story With John Gibson,” February 20, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. JOHN GIBSON, HOST: Resetting our “Big Story,” the White House is allowing a company from the United Arab Emirates to run several major U.S. seaports. Lawmakers from both parties …

NEW ORLEANS – Tourists and locals stood side-by-side — in some spots 6 to 8 feet deep — as two of the Carnival season’s biggest and glitziest parades rolled through a city struggling to reclaim some of its famous fun. “It’s very special,” said Barbara Sykes, who flew in from …