National & World News

National news

Canned pumpkin in short supply
November 20, 2009
The holidays may not be so sweet this year.
Food banks burdened by high demand in sour economy
November 20, 2009
Soup kitchen workers are seeing new faces in line and charities are taking more calls for help as the recession makes for a less-than-bountiful Thanksgiving.
Customs agents seize 316,000 glass bongs
November 20, 2009
Customs officials say they got a surprise when they found 316,000 glass bongs disguised as Christmas ornaments at the Los Angeles harbor.
Tax on cosmetic procedures could help fund health reform
November 20, 2009
They call it the “Botax.” The White House and Senate Democrats have turned to a proposal to tax breast implants, tummy tucks, wrinkle-smoothing injections and other procedures as they search for ways to pay for costly health care overhaul plans.
Volunteers try to save Santa letter service
November 20, 2009
A group of volunteer Santa Claus “elves” in Alaska’s frigid interior is determined to save a popular holiday letter service featuring the North Pole’s most beloved icon.
Glitch snarls air traffic in latest woes for FAA
November 20, 2009
For the second time in a little more than a year, a glitch at one of the two centers that handle flight plans for the nation’s air travel system set off delays and cancellations for passengers around the country.
No rebuke for ‘admonish,’ Webster’s 2009 Word of the Year
November 20, 2009
When the U.S. House admonished Rep. Joe Wilson for shouting “You lie!” at President Barack Obama during a health care speech to Congress, it not only lit up talk show lines, but also sent many people scurrying to the Internet in search of a definition.

World news

Researcher: Writing proves Shroud of Turin is real
November 21, 2009
A Vatican researcher has rekindled the age-old debate over the Shroud of Turin, saying that faint writing on the linen proves it was the burial cloth of Jesus.
23 dead, 90 trapped in mine explosion
November 21, 2009
A gas explosion tore through a coal mine in northern China today, killing 23 people and trapping another 90 nearly a third of a mile under ground, central government authorities said.
Floods devastate U.K., much of Ireland
November 21, 2009
Raging floods engulfed northern England’s picturesque Lake District on Friday following the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in Britain, killing a police officer and trapping dozens in their swamped homes.
Muslim countries seek blasphemy ban
November 20, 2009
Four years after cartoons of the prophet Muhammad set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery — essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West.
200 Web sites spread al-Qaida’s message in English
November 20, 2009
Increasing numbers of English-language Web sites are spreading al-Qaida’s message to Muslims in the West.
U.N. urges help for 1B deprived children
November 20, 2009
UNICEF urged the world to help the 1 billion children still deprived of food, shelter, clean water or health care — and the hundreds of millions more threatened by violence — two decades after the U.N. adopted a treaty guaranteeing children’s rights.
Plane misses runway, landing in lava
November 20, 2009
A U.N.-run radio station says a passenger plane overshot a runway in eastern Congo and landed in lava, injuring 20 people.