U.S. National - AFP

Snow-blanketed US battles freezing winds and ice
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 1:36 pm ET

AFP/Getty Images/File

CHICAGO (AFP) - Heavy snow blanketed much of the central United States Thursday after a massive winter storm left residents battling frigid temperatures and icy roads. Full Story »
Condemned US man receives new stay after failed execution
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 2:32 pm ET

AFP/File

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US man whose Ohio execution was halted after prison authorities spent two hours trying in vain to insert a needle has received a new injunction delaying his execution by lethal injection. Full Story »
Muslim radicalization in US gains momentum: analysts
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 5:23 pm ET

AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Long-feared by US intelligence, Muslim radicalization appears to be gaining momentum in the United States, where a spate of recent cases has featured youths recruited and trained overseas for jihad, analysts say. Full Story »
US mine firm pays historic $1.79 billion for cleanup
AFP – Fri Dec 11, 4:41 am ET

ASARCO

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A bankrupt Arizona copper mining firm has paid 1.79 billion dollars for environmental cleanup and restoration in the largest such payout in US history, US federal agencies said Thursday. Full Story »
FTC warns of explicit content in virtual worlds
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 6:10 pm ET

AFP/File

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US consumer protection agency warned parents Thursday that children can easily bypass age requirements in virtual worlds and access violent or sexually explicit content. Full Story »
US household wealth up, debt down: Fed
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 4:53 pm ET

US Federal Reserve

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US household net worth rose for a second straight quarter in the July-September period as Americans reduced their debt by the largest amount on record, a Federal Reserve report showed Thursday. Full Story »
Few punished, compensated one year after Madoff arrest
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 4:25 pm ET

AFP/File

NEW YORK (AFP) - A year after Bernard Madoff's arrest in Wall Street's biggest fraud, only three people have admitted guilt, few victims have been compensated and billions of dollars remain missing. Full Story »
Bryant tops early All-Star voting, McGrady on track
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 5:09 pm ET

AFP/NBAE/Getty Images

NEW YORK (AFP) - Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tops the early returns in NBA All-Star voting, and Tracy McGrady is on track to start alongside him even though McGrady hasn't played yet this season. Full Story »
Home run king Bonds' career behind him - report
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 3:14 pm ET

AFP/Getty Images/File

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Barry Bonds, whose links to the BALCO steroid scandal made him a lightning rod for controversy as he marched to baseball's home run record, is finished playing, his agent told the San Francisco Chronicle. Full Story »
Obama defends war at Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
AFP – Thu Dec 10, 4:32 pm ET

AFP/Pool

OSLO (AFP) - A humble President Barack Obama on Thursday joined a list of revered Nobel peace laureates, but in a steely speech he warned he would not hesitate to wage war if it was "morally justified." Full Story »