WASHINGTON – Strange things are happening in Congress. The playground bully in the Senate — the Appropriations Committee — actually took a loss last week at the hands of senators determined to strip so-called pork barrel projects from a bill that’s supposed to be devoted to the war in Iraq …

NEW YORK – A federal appeals court ruled that lie detector tests can be used to ensure convicted sex offenders are obeying the rules of their probation and that a ban on Internet use is appropriate for some offenders. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling pertained to Jeffrey …

WINDHOEK, Namibia – Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt celebrated their daughter’s birth in Namibia by donating $300,000 to help other babies in the impoverished southern Africa nation. Jolie gave birth to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt at the Welwitschia Clinic in Walvis Bay on Saturday. Mother and baby were both healthy and …

There was a nearly sixfold increase in the number of weight loss surgeries performed in the U.S. between 1998 and 2002, a new study shows. Roughly 14,000 gastric bypass surgeries were conducted in 1998, compared with nearly 82,600 such surgeries in 2002. Using hospital discharge data, researchers concluded that the …

LONDON – Here’s to you — Mrs. Robinson is back. Elusive American writer Charles Webb said Wednesday he has signed a publishing deal for a sequel to his 1963 novel “The Graduate,” which introduced the memorable love triangle of twentysomething Benjamin Braddock, his sweetheart Elaine and her seductive mother, Mrs. …

CARACAS, Venezuela – A huge cloud of ash billowing from a Montserrat volcano forced the suspension of some international flights over the Caribbean on Sunday, airline and airport officials said. Flights between Venezuela and Miami were grounded, as well those to and from the Dutch island of Aruba, after a …

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration expressed optimism Monday that a recently completed trade agreement with Vietnam can be signed by early June and supporting legislation can win congressional approval this summer. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Karan Bhatia said the target date was for both countries to sign the agreement in …

TOLEDO, Ohio – A priest was convicted Thursday of stabbing a Roman Catholic nun to death as she prepared for Easter services at a hospital 26 years ago, a murder prosecutors say was steeped in religious ritual. Prosecutors suggested that the Rev. Gerald Robinson had a strained relationship with the …

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Former Gov. Don Siegelman went on trial Monday on charges he swapped political favors for gifts and campaign donations in deals with former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy and two of his cabinet members. Siegelman “took the executive branch of state government and he turned it into an …

WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed R. David Paulison as FEMA’s chief on Friday, hours after a senator ended his stall on the nomination over problems with the agency’s flood insurance program. Paulison’s confirmation was part of an unanimous consent agreement as the Senate headed out of town on a one-week …