BAGHDAD – Editor’s note: U.S. Army Capt. Dan Sukman is serving a one-year deployment to Iraq. For previous entries and his bio, see the Soldier’s Diary archives. 18 August Although the military is often written about in books and portrayed on both TV and in the movies, it is probably …

OSLO, Norway – Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) has struck a defiant stance with Scandinavian regulators, staunchly defending its right to make its iPod the only portable music player compatible with songs purchased from the company’s iTunes music store. Norway’s consumer agency on Wednesday released non-confidential portions of Apple’s 50-page response …

This is a partial transcript from “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” August 15, 2006, that was edited for clarity. NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: The first question, an often repeated one in Democratic circles, that, if we were not involved in Iraq, we would be better prepared to fight the War on …

CARACAS, Venezuela – One of President Hugo Chavez‘s most threatening enemies is on the loose, and many Venezuelans wonder what new plots he has in mind. Carlos Ortega escaped from a military prison over the weekend, and troops and police were ordered to guard ports, airports and embassies to prevent …

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation took its support of AIDS-related research and care to a new level Wednesday, announcing a half-billion-dollar grant to a global fund that provides AIDS assistance in poor countries. The Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will receive the grant over five …

There is good news and bad about worldwide trends in childhood allergy and asthma. The epidemic increase in asthma incidence among children in the U.S. and other industrialized countries may finally be stabilizing. But allergy and asthma is on the rise in many developing countries that have not seen similar …

VIENNA – Police on Tuesday searched for possible undiscovered hidden rooms at the house where a kidnapped schoolgirl was imprisoned in an underground cell for more than eight years, authorities said. Twelve officers combed through the house in Strasshof, a tidy suburb just northeast of Vienna, checking the home’s construction …

SAN ANTONIO – Former U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez said Thursday he has dropped out of the crowded free-for-all race to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Henry Bonilla. Rodriguez, 59, was one of six Democrats who filed to run in the special election in 23rd Congressional District, which has been represented by …

LOS ANGELES – Fred Savage, former child star of ABC’s “The Wonder Years,” is now a father to a baby boy. The actor’s wife, Jennifer Lynn Stone, gave birth to the 6-pound, 13-ounce child in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Savage’s agency, Creative Arts Agency, confirmed Monday. Savage, who turned …

WASHINGTON – Here’s a reality check amid Congress’ showdown with President Bush over stem cell research: The potential treatments for diabetes, spinal cord injury and other devastating disorders are years away from being tested in people. How fast scientists can do key experiments to prove whether embryonic stem cell research …