Scholars offer various explanations for the account of a Christmas 'star.' Their sources: computer reproductions of the night sky, accounts of ancient historians, and the Gospel of Matthew.
President Obama has scored huge victories — START, gays in the military — and huge losses. The difference? The GOP won't get behind anything that threatens the wealthy.
Russia's Medvedev lauds Obama for pushing New START through the Senate. North Korea is more subdued, ahead of US visit from China's Hu. Obama and Britain's Cameron, well, they still talk.
The secrecy around Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s selection of Cathleen P. Black to run the city’s schools highlighted his faith in business leaders and dislike of public debate.
Starting Thursday, Wal-Mart plans to offer free shipping on its Web site, a move that may create an expectation among consumers and a threat to smaller retailers.
Even if your company doesn’t offer a referral bonus, trip, or extra vacation time to encourage staff to suggest new hires, you’d be smart to recommend a friend.
AP - Shoppers came back in force for the holidays, right to the end. After two dreary years, Christmas 2010 will go down as the holiday Americans rediscovered how much they like to shop.
AP - Pope Benedict XVI ushered in Christmas Eve with an evening Mass on Friday amid heightened security concerns following the package bombings at two Rome embassies and Christmas Eve security breaches at the Vatican the past two years.
AP - With a rare Christmas snowfall descending on the Southeast and likely headed for the Mid-Atlantic, airlines canceled hundreds of flights and urged travelers to rethink their plans, while travel authorities warned of potentially dangerous roads.
The Senate voted this week to ratify the New START treaty, which sets new lower limits on the number of strategic nuclear warheads and delivery mechanisms in the U.S. and Russian arsenals. The treaty, however, will not come into force for at least a few more months.
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has long said he wanted to coordinate Russia's ratification process with the U.S. Senate, so now that it has been approved here the process will move forward there. It isn't expected to take long for the Duma to approve the pact, but given that the Russian Orthodox Christmas is coming up, the exchange of so-called "instruments of ratification," after which the treaty enters into force, may not happen until later in January.
Worshippers packed the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica to hear Pope Benedict XVI deliver Midnight Mass, while thousands converged on Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas.
Afghanistan is seeing higher levels of violence this year than last year at this time, with 20% more civilians being killed and the number of "security incidents" up by 66%, the United Nations says in a newly-released report.
Delta Air Lines has canceled about 500 Christmas Day flights, a spokesman said, as it and other U.S. airlines prepare for a storm that threatens the East Coast.
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