Hundreds of British and Iraqi soldiers assaulted a police station in Basra, killing seven gunmen and rescuing 127 prisoners from almost certain execution.
While some Louisiana residents continue to rebuild homes or live in government-funded trailers, nearly 5 percent of the state's population has fled since Hurricane Katrina, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today.
If smoking 40 cigarettes a day is bad, you might think that smoking 20 would be half as bad. But reducing tobacco use doesn't reduce cancer risk by the same amount, and researchers have provided a clue as to why: Smokers who cut back compensate for the drop in nicotine by inhaling more smoke from each cigarette.
AP - From soldiers who donned red Santa hats in Afghanistan to devoted worshippers visiting Bethlehem, Christians around the world celebrated Christmas Day with the sobering thoughts of peace and tolerance even as open war flared in Somalia.
AP - Two more American soldiers were killed in Iraq, officials said Tuesday, pushing the U.S. military death toll to at least 2,974 one more than the number killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
AP - Islamic fighters attempting to wrest power from Somalia's internationally recognized government retreated from the main front line early Tuesday, witnesses said, a day after Ethiopian fighter jets bombed the country's two main international airports.
Schoolgirls as young as 12 will be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease linked to cervical cancer, under plans being drawn up by the Department of Health.
James Brown, the legendary R&B belter, a singer and songwriter who created a foundation for funk and provided the roots of rap, is dead. Personal manager Charles Bobbit, who was with him in his final hours, said: "His greatest regret was the possibility he would not perform on New Year's Eve."