Fire near Daley home linked to cougar case?

Nearby house gutted in blaze following threat

Mayor Daley received a threatening letter that indicated a fire set near his Michigan vacation home was related to the shooting of a cougar in Roscoe Village last month. Officials are investigating.

Survivors pulled from rubble of China quake

A strong aftershock sparked landslides near the epicenter of this week's powerful earthquake Friday, burying vehicles and again cutting off ravaged areas of central China.

Myanmar death toll nearly doubles

The cyclone's official death toll has nearly doubled to almost 78,000 and another 56,000 people remain missing two weeks after the devastating storm, state television reported Friday.

Bush's Hitler comment: Did he break protocol?

New bin Laden tape released

Osama bin Laden said in a new audio recording released Friday that al-Qaida will continue its holy war against Israel and its allies until it liberates Palestine.

Woman indicted in Missouri MySpace suicide case

Lori Drew is accused of creating a fraudulent MySpace persona whose comments may be linked to the teen's death.

Invoking a criminal statute more commonly used to go after computer hackers or crooked government employees, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles on Thursday charged a Missouri mother with fraudulently creating a MySpace account and using it to "cyber-bully" a 13-year-old girl who later committed suicide.

Evidence from Lane Bryant scene still being analyzed

Suspect in women's deaths may have committed crimes before, police say

Police and the state crime lab are still analyzing hair and fingerprint samples recovered from the Lane Bryant store where five women were slain and a sixth was wounded in February, officials said Thursday.

1 killed, 2 wounded in Southwest Side shooting

A man was killed and two others were wounded in a gang-related shooting late Thursday on Chicago's Southwest Side, police said.

Racially insensitive shirts still on sale at Wrigley

Team, Fukudome offended, but tops still being hawked

The Cubs attempt to prevent vendors from selling racially insensitive T-shirts outside Wrigley Field apparently have hit a snag.

Obama's 'sweetie'

'Hold on one second, sweetie!" I yelled to a guy across the newsroom, using the S-word in public.

Same-sex marriage ruling adds a volatile new issue to the presidential race

The question could push Republicans to the right and Democrats to the left.

The California Supreme Court's decision allowing same-sex marriage probably throws the politically volatile issue into November, when a proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage could spill into the presidential campaign and contests for Congress and the state Legislature.

John McCain and Barack Obama tilt toward the center on Iraq plans

The presidential hopefuls, once far apart on the war, leave themselves more wiggle room.

After launching their candidacies with opposite positions on the Iraq war, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama seem to be edging toward a middle ground between them.

In China, one man's hunt for his missing wife

Tan Keren searched the rubble himself with his hands, then called in machinery. On Day 3 came an answer.

At first, Tan Keren tried using his bare hands to tear away at slabs of concrete and giant beams to save the most important person in his life: his wife, business partner and best friend.

3 dead after wrong-way driver causes crash on I-5 in Commerce

Three people were killed on Interstate 5 south of downtown Los Angeles after a motorist driving the wrong way crashed head-on against another vehicle.

Actress faces tough Hollywood script

Austin Highsmith's big break was hurt by the writers strike. Now the possibility of an actors strike is creating a difficult scene.

In the summer of 2003, Austin Highsmith, a young actress from North Carolina, packed a suitcase and drove cross-country in pursuit of the Hollywood dream.

Vitamin D deficiency linked to breast cancer, study finds

Patients with deficient levels at the time of diagnosis are more likely to have their cancer metastasize and turn deadly, researchers say. But experts caution against treating cancer with supplements.

Women who had a vitamin D deficiency when they were diagnosed with breast cancer were 94% more likely to have their cancer metastasize and 73% more likely to die within 10 years, Canadian researchers reported Thursday.

Mars' north pole is layered, scientists say

The finding is based on radar images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which show seven distinct layers of ice and dust.

Mars' north pole, like a French parfait, comes in layers.

L.A. files 'cyber bully' charges against Missouri mother in connection with girl's suicide

Lori Drew is accused of creating a fraudulent MySpace persona whose comments may be linked to the teen's death.

Invoking a criminal statute more commonly used to go after computer hackers or crooked government employees, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles on Thursday charged a Missouri mother with fraudulently creating a MySpace account and using it to "cyber-bully" a 13-year-old girl who later committed suicide.

Marine found shot to death in San Clemente

The man, whose identity was withheld, was found lying in a drainage ditch.

An active-duty Marine was found shot to death Thursday morning in a drainage ditch in a hilly area of San Clemente.

Three girls found unconscious in Chatsworth; suspect arrested

Los Angeles police detectives have arrested a suspect after three girls were found unconscious Thursday morning in a Chatsworth park. One was partly clothed and may have been sexually assaulted.

From Metalwork to Luxury Condos: Century-Old SoHo Shop Ends Its Run

After serving industry and then local designers and artists, a metalwork business shut down when its owners found it worth more closed than open.

Unions Bankrolled Analyst Vetting Pension Bill

Albany legislators failed to disclose that an expert who advised them was paid by unions that would benefit.

District Puts All the World in Classrooms

A district in Nassau County is taking globalization to the graduate level, integrating international studies into every aspect of its curriculum.

Labor Report Shows Gains in City’s Job Picture While Rest of State Weakens

The number of private-sector jobs in the city was up 35,500, or 1.1 percent, compared with April 2007, for a total of 3.2 million jobs.

New Parking Rules Receive a Wary Welcome

Park-Anywhere Day arrives Monday in Park Slope, and no one knows just what to expect.

Of Canadians, Tourism, and Free Parties as Ads

Canadian Tourism Commission offered free food and drink on a Midtown rooftop garden that is rarely open to the public to entice New Yorkers to spend their summer vacations up north.

Young Spiritual Leader Arrives in New York, Ready to Teach and Be Taught

His Holiness, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje, one of the most important leaders in Tibetan Buddhism.

Son Born to New York Congresswoman

Representative Kirsten Gillibrand, a first-term Democrat from the Albany region is the sixth woman to have a child while a member of Congress.

Law Makes Noose Display a Felony

Displaying a noose as a threat in New York State will now be punishable by up to four years in prison.

In Manhattan’s Dominican Areas, a Different Political Campaign Holds the Stage

New York’s Dominican’s, eligible to participate in elections back home, are being courted for their votes.

New Indictment in Police Corruption Inquiry

An Internal Affairs Bureau sergeant bluntly advised a New York City detective suspected of being involved with illegal drugs on how to avoid investigators.

No Nets Arena Yet, but Suites Are on Sale

The effort to sell the luxury suites at the Nets’ proposed — and long-delayed — arena near downtown Brooklyn began Thursday with the opening of a showroom in Manhattan.

McGreevey on Stand in Divorce Proceedings

James McGreevey, the former New Jersey governor, has begun testifying in his high-profile divorce battle with Dina Matos McGreevey.

After a Hectic Week, a Partylike Evening at Phillips de Pury Brings in $59 Million

The sum seemed small compared with Sotheby’s and Christie’s totals on Tuesday. But it was a respectable result, and of the 64 works up for sale, only 9 failed to sell.

Lottery Numbers

May 15, 2008.

NYC: Bad Words, Overused, Can Lose Their Sting

The most surprising thing about Sue Simmons’s unbleeped blooper the other night is that anyone in this city even noticed.

Big City: A School Succeeds With Extra Study and Little Homework

A principal at a Bedford-Stuyvesant school employs novel methods to help his students succeed.

Public Lives: The Serene Life of a Fighter for Civil Liberties

Nadine Strossen served as the president of the A.C.L.U. for 18 years.

China buries quake dead as new aftershock hits

BEICHUAN, China (Reuters) - China struggled to bury its dead and help tens of thousands of injured and homeless on Friday when a powerful aftershock brought new havoc four days after an earthquake thought to have killed more than 50,000.

Bush in Saudi Arabia to press king on oil and Iran

RIYADH (Reuters) - President George W. Bush held talks with Saudi King Abdullah on Friday to seek help in taming record oil prices and shore up Arab support for his efforts to contain Iran's growing influence.

Amid clamor to drop out, Clinton campaigns on

BATH, South Dakota (Reuters) - Sitting on board Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign plane are the remnants of a colorful balloon replica of the candidate, once nearly life-size but now almost deflated and shriveled.

Bin Laden marks Israel anniversary with combat vow

DUBAI (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden vowed in an audio tape to mark Israel's 60th anniversary to continue to fight the Jewish state and its allies in the West.

Zimbabwe sets presidential run-off for June 27

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe said on Friday it would hold a delayed presidential election run-off on June 27 in which the opposition hopes to oust veteran leader Robert Mugabe after almost 30 years in power.

U.S. sees need for "tangible action" on Iran: Israel

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States and Israel agree on the need for "tangible action" to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman said after a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush.

Suspected suicide blast kills 10 in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (Reuters) - A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber crashed his motorbike into a police bus in the Sri Lankan capital on Friday, killing 10 people, the military and hospital authorities said.

Marine sentenced for sex abuse of Japan teen

TOKYO (Reuters) - A U.S. court martial sentenced a Marine to four years in prison on Friday for sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl on the southern island of Okinawa, in a case that has sparked widespread public anger.

Indian village proud after double "honor killing"

BALLA, India (Reuters) - Five armed men burst into the small room and courtyard at dawn, just as 21-year-old, 22-week pregnant, Sunita was drying her face on a towel.

Indian police suspect Bangladeshi hand in blasts

JAIPUR, India (Reuters) - Police probing bombings in western India that killed 63 people said on Friday that new evidence pointed increasingly towards Indian Islamists backed by a Bangladeshi militant group as being behind the blasts.