MEXICO CITY – A U.S. plan to provide Mexico with a major anti-drug aid package has received congressional approval, following months of negotiations in which Mexico proved itself to be a far more assertive neighbor than in the past, according to current and former high-ranking officials in both nations.
The U.S. Senate approved the aid — [...]

When Erica Nelson and Abby Flantz lost their way during an overnight hike into Denali National Park, they decided to keep hiking.
"We spent a couple of days (doing) 11 hours of hiking. We kept seeing more mountains, more ridges," recalled Nelson, 23.
"The terrain was a lot harder than we thought it would be, and it [...]

Tiger Woods’ career has been defined as much by spectacular shots as mind-boggling numbers. In just a dozen years on the PGA Tour, he already has won 65 times to rank third on the all-time list behind Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus. Woods has won 14 majors, closing on the record 18 won by Nicklaus [...]

Royal Dutch Shell said it shut down production from an offshore oil field that produces about 200,000 barrels per day after the most powerful militant group in Nigeria launched an attack on an installation there Thursday.
The group also said it captured an American worker on a supply vessel in the area of the rig.
A leader [...]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Senator John McCain said Wednesday that he wanted 45 new nuclear reactors to be built in the United States by 2030, a goal that he called "as difficult as it is necessary."
In his third straight day of campaign speechmaking about energy and $4-a-gallon gasoline, the presumptive Republican nominee told the crowd at [...]

When gay and lesbian couples started getting married in California this week, one set of voices was quiet among the choruses of "Here Come the Brides" — those of the conservative activists who put a same-sex marriage ban on the November ballot.
Instead of appearing in front of the television cameras that recorded joyful couples applying [...]

Michelle Obama said she was "touched" that first lady Laura Bush came to her defense after she was harshly criticized by Republicans for saying last February that for the first time in her adult life she was proud of the United States.
Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, later clarified her remarks, saying she [...]

An icy, unknown world might lurk in the distant reaches of our solar system beyond the orbit of Pluto, according to a new computer model.
The hidden world — thought to be much bigger than Pluto based on the model — could explain unusual features of the Kuiper Belt, a region of space beyond Neptune littered [...]

Serenaded by a gay men’s chorus, showered with rose petals and toasted with champagne, hundreds of tearful same-sex couples got married across the state Tuesday in what some are calling California’s new Summer of Love.
Wearing everything from T-shirts to tuxedos and lavish gowns, they rushed down to county clerks’ offices to obtain marriage licenses and [...]

The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism said Tuesday that travelers to certain destinations within the state can receive gas rebates through the state’s tourism Web site.
The deals vary by location and include The Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca, which is offering 10 gallons of gas, or $35 off a night’s stay at one of [...]

The world’s top cellphone maker, Nokia, unveiled two new models on Monday aimed at the business market dominated by the Blackberry, but Research in Motion Ltd shares rose because investors believe the maker of the popular handset is safe.
The new Nokia (NOK1V.HE) phones, meant to refresh the somewhat aging lineup of corporate offerings at the [...]

The identity of the mysterious dark matter thought to pervade the universe has eluded astrophysicists for decades. Now, for the first time a team hopes to look inside the sun for one of the prime candidates.
The invisible stuff called dark matter is thought to make up as much as 90 percent of the universe’s matter. [...]

Al Gore made his debut in the 2008 presidential campaign Monday night, encouraging voters to back Barack Obama because "take it from me, elections matter."
The former vice president’s speech at the Joe Louis Arena was part endorsement and part blistering attack on the man who denied him the White House eight years ago.
"After eight years [...]

The Caribbean remains a top destination among cruisers, and more are bringing their children along for the journey, according to a new survey by the Cruise Lines International Association.
Cruise experts also say that in response to rising fuel costs, cruise lines are increasing surcharges and changing their itineraries. Some are skipping Aruba, once a popular [...]

Expensive jet fuel and a soft American economy are threatening to sink Caribbean tourism as airline ticket prices soar and flights are sharply reduced, choking the flow of the vacationers that many tiny islands depend upon.
Tourism is the economic cornerstone of the Caribbean, which drew more than 15 million visitors last year to colonial cities [...]