MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan – Doctors struggling with a constant flow of patients in a quake-ravaged Pakistani city warned on Saturday that the number of sick could swell dramatically in the coming weeks, as harsh weather creates conditions for pneumonia and other illnesses to spread. A total of 234 patients with winter-related …

DETROIT – Ford Motor Co.’s (F) board this week is expected to review parts of a restructuring plan that aims to revive the automaker’s ailing North American vehicle operations, a source familiar with the situation said on Monday. The No. 2 automaker has said it would unveil in January a …

The Creative Zen Sleek ($220 street), an industrial-looking 20GB MP3 player encased in silver-colored brushed aluminum, is roughly the size of a fourth-generation 20GB iPod but has a slightly wider screen. As with the Zen Micro, you control it with a touch strip surrounded by five clearly labeled buttons. Sound …

FORT WORTH, Texas – A former Boy Scouts executive was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison for collecting child pornography from the Internet. Douglas S, Smith, Jr., 62, an executive in the Boy Scouts of America at the time he was charged, pleaded guilty in March to one count …

HOUSTON – A recent Food and Drug Administration report says there is no conclusive evidence that someone taking Vioxx is at greater risk of a heart attack than someone taking other painkillers, a doctor testified Tuesday during the first federal lawsuit involving the drug. Dr. David Silver, a Los Angeles …

LAS VEGAS – Jessica Simpson‘s family says she’s holding up well since her marriage to Nick Lachey broke up the night before Thanksgiving. Both her father and her sister tell “Inside Edition” that Simpson will get through this. Ashlee Simpson says “it’s definitely difficult,” but she says they try to …

UNITED NATIONS – U.N. members agreed Friday night on a two-year budget that seriously restricts spending and applies pressure for management reform — a top priority for the United States and the European Union. The General Assembly’s budget committee was expected to approve the $3.8 billion plan, which includes a …

NEW YORK – Foxy Brown says she hasn’t heard another person’s voice in six months and will have surgery early next year to restore her hearing. The 26-year-old rapper was diagnosed with sudden hearing loss in May while she was recording her upcoming album, she told reporters Thursday. “I ask …

NEW YORK – Stocks tumbled Tuesday as the bond market gave signals that in the past have preceded economic slowdowns. The Dow Jones industrial average lost more than 100 points. The yield curve, the spread between the yields of short-term and long-term bonds, inverted for the first time in five …

NEW YORK – Before bringing back that itchy, brown sweater or that not-quite-state-of-the-art laptop computer, consumers this year should check to see what returning it to the store will cost them. While the boom in gift card sales has cut into the number of people who return unwanted holiday gifts, …