INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- California Republicans gathering this weekend for their state convention do so against a familiar backdrop: the picture of a party in decline and struggling to find its way in an increasingly diverse state.How the party will address its predicament will play out all weekend in a desert resort near Palm Springs.Insiders...

PITTSBURGH - THE Group of 20 approved a greater voice for Asian and Latin American countries in a historic shift that recognises the rising influence of both regions.The leaders of the world's 20 largest economies were attending a two-day meeting dedicated to fostering a healthy global recovery, and European leaders were expected to secure...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. government is stepping up prosecutions of wealthy individuals dodging taxes through off-shore accounts, with new cases expected to be made public "every couple of weeks," a top government attorney said on Saturday.U.S. officials have been sifting through about 250 client names obtained through a February settlement...

Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that Beijing would pledge to cut "carbon intensity", or the amount of carbon dioxide produced for each dollar of economic output, over the decade to 2020.His promise is a landmark because China has previously rejected rich nations' demands for measurable curbs on its...

More than a month’s worth of rain fell in just 12 hours as Tropical Storm Ketsana slammed ashore in the Philippines, killing at least 40 people and stranding thousands on rooftops in the capital’s worst flooding in more than 42 years.The government declared a “state of calamity” in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces on Saturday,...

In a somber funeral service attended by more than 600 people, Annie Le's relatives broke down as they remembered the Yale graduate student as a bubbly young woman whose dream in life was to heal the sick.Tears flowed inside the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in El Dorado Hills, Calif., as Le's brother Christopher translated a heart-tugging...

"The ticking bomb" is a cliché in movies about cops and spies and terrorists, but sometimes in real life, with real terrorists, it's the real deal. And that's what the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department saw themselves up against in the case of Najibullah Zazi, the 24-year-old Afghan immigrant indicted...

The US and Iran raised the stakes yesterday ahead of this week's nuclear showdown in Geneva, with threats of global strife if no resolution is found.The sharpened rhetoric followed Friday's revelation that Iran had been building a secret uranium enrichment plant under a mountain near Qom, and it points towards a new wave of sanctions that...

G20 leaders will today agree plans to reshape the world economy and give more say to developing nations such as China, India and Brazil when they conclude their summit in Pittsburgh.The reforms will secure a seat at the top table of global economic policy for emerging nations, with world leaders agreeing that the G20 should become a board...

This facility, buried in a mountain outside the city of Qom, is designed to enrich uranium and could be used to produce the essential material for a nuclear weapon. Iran chose to admit its existence shortly before President Barack Obama, Gordon Brown and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France made a joint appearance at the start of the G20 summit...

LONDON -- The European Union's drug regulator recommended Friday that two swine flu vaccines be licensed in the 27-nation bloc to ensure their availability before the start of the normal flu season.The European Medicines Agency called for the vaccines made by Novartis AG and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to be granted a marketing authorization. The...

NEW YORK -- "Surrogates" is itself a surrogate, a kind of stand-in for many of the sci-fi movies of the recent past: In it, you'll recognize the ideas of "Blade Runner," "Minority Report" and even "WALL-E."The Bruce Willis action flick opens with two murders - the first in years in a quasi-present day Boston. Technology has advanced enough...

Orders for durable goods such as aircraft and electronics fell unexpectedly in August, while sales of new homes rose less than expected, renewing concerns about whether the economy can sustain a recovery with consumer spending held back by job losses, tight credit and falling home values.Still, economists said the figures -- which follow...

Ken Burns's "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" was six years in the making and it is 12 hours long, camped out every night this week on PBS, beginning Sunday. It is beautiful and erudite and contains all the underlined importance and swelling emotion that a major Ken Burns moment requires of its viewers, but at least four cumulative...

WASHINGTON -- The Air Force on Friday launched its third attempt to award a $35 billion tanker contract to either Boeing Co. or Northrop Grumman Corp.The Air Force said it will be "crystal clear" in its requirements for new tankers that refuel military planes in flight in order to avoid errors from previous selection processes. The service...

Pakistan army says that its ongoing operations have severely dented the Taliban-led insurgency in the country's northwest. Military officials say the campaign is being gradually extended to what they consider the rebel stronghold - the border region of Waziristan. Senior army officials believe the advances against militants and close anti-terror...

For Californians, Ken Burns' gorgeous and exhaustive six-part documentary on the National Parks poses something of a dilemma. In the 12 hours it takes for "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" to unfold, an Angeleno could easily visit any of a half dozen national parks. Without traffic, you could conceivably get to Yosemite, where it...

LONDON -- The European Union's drug regulator recommended Friday that two swine flu vaccines be licensed in the 27-nation bloc to ensure their availability before the start of the normal flu season.The European Medicines Agency called for the vaccines made by Novartis AG and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to be granted a marketing authorization. The...

A version of health care reform legislation to be considered next week by a key Senate committee would spend $856 billion during the next decade to overhaul the U.S. health care system. Senator Max Baucus, who heads the Senate Finance Committee, spoke about the plan, which is the last of five legislative proposals to emerge from House and...

Orders for durable goods such as aircraft and electronics fell unexpectedly in August, while sales of new homes rose less than expected, renewing concerns about whether the economy can sustain a recovery with consumer spending held back by job losses, tight credit and falling home values.Still, economists said the figures -- which follow...

Anti-G20 protesters rampaged through the city centre of Pittsburgh tonight, smashing up shops and throwing rocks at police, as officers used tear gas and baton-charges in an attempt to bring them under control.In riots which continued through evening rush hour, about 300 protesters were reported to have remained from an initial crowd of 2,000...

Mass vaccination against swine flu could begin within weeks, following the approval of two vaccines by the European regulator today.One of the two recommended for a licence by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) is Pandemrix, the vaccine made by British company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) which is under contract to supply the UK. The other is...