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JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that his country would hold the Lebanese government responsible for any attacks on Israeli targets by the country’s Hezbollah militia. It was the latest shot in a war of words that has been escalating since a July 14 explosion at a …

Seven students have been punished for violating the code of conduct at Oprah Winfrey’s school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa, the second controversy to hit the fledgling institution since it opened in 2007. Winfrey representative Don Halcombe said Wednesday that four students were expelled and three were suspended last …

LOS ANGELES – The sister of Britney Spears’ former manager testified Wednesday that the pop singer said in recent months that she was afraid of her father and wanted help hiring her own lawyer. Attorneys for Spears’ father and conservatorship are seeking a long-standing restraining order against Osama “Sam” Lutfi, …

WASHINGTON – Art and fatherhood became intertwined when John R. Phelps volunteered to paint a portrait that would be included in a tribute to soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. His subject was his son. Phelps’ painting of Marine Pfc. Clarence Phelps (search) is among 1,327 images of soldiers in …

NEW YORK – If Terri Schiavo (search) dies from the removal of her feeding tube, her passing should be peaceful, experts say. After all, she is in a persistent vegetative state without conscious awareness, they noted. But studies show that even patients who can speak and who have chosen to …

Overweight women outnumber underweight or underfed women worldwide, even in developing countries and rural areas, according to a new study. Researchers found overweight women exceeded underweight women in well over half of the 36 developing countries studied. Overall, 32 percent of urban women in the developing countries were classified as …

A “pacemaker” implanted in the brain appears to help severely depressed patients who don’t respond to other treatments. In a small but potentially landmark study, four out of six formerly treatment-resistant patients got better after electrodes were implanted in a region of their brains thought to drive depression. Electrical stimulation …

TAMPA, Fla. – Terri Schiavo (search) didn’t have a living will. But because of her, thousands of other Americans won’t make that same mistake. Attorneys and organizations that promote the importance of living wills (search) and advance directives say the bitter legal battle over the severely brain damaged woman has …

WASHINGTON – Congress’ intervention in the case of Terri Schiavo (search) accelerated as Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (search) warned key Republicans that state efforts were faltering. It ended early Monday when President Bush signed a bill designed to save a life. The intervening few days were marked by legislative and …

NATANZ, Iran – An Iranian official confirmed Monday a uranium enrichment plant in central Iran is underground as a protection against airstrikes, but insisted that is not a sign the program aims to produce nuclear weapons. U.S. officials have said building nuclear facilities underground is inconsistent with Iran’s contention its …