WASHINGTON – A fight within the Democratic Party over control of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives could influence the outcome of President-elect Barack Obama’s efforts to cap the heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming. Obama has said he wants to act quickly on climate …

SYDNEY, Australia – The name may seem like a joke, but the Australian Sex Party is serious — serious about sex, according to their slogan. The country’s newest political party is also serious about a number of other issues: quashing a government proposal for a national Internet filter that would …

U.S. government health officials Thursday slapped a sweeping detention order on dozens of imported foods from China, from snacks and drinks to chocolates and candies. It is unusual for the Food and Drug Administration to put such a broad hold on goods from an entire country, not just a few …

NEW YORK – The Killers are back, and this time they’ve brought the weird. The Las Vegas quartet’s third studio album “Day & Age” sees them tapping into a little of their hometown’s oddness in both new image and sound. They break out steel drums, harpsichords and horns. They sing …

The nation’s leading pediatricians group says children from newborns to teens should get double the usually recommended amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it may help prevent serious diseases. To meet the new recommendation of 400 units daily, millions of children will need to take daily vitamin D …

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Steele did everything he could to help the jury come to a verdict in Britney Spears’ driving-without-a-license case Tuesday in Los Angeles, Calif. He even allowed prosecution and defense attorneys to make additional closing arguments. But in the end, the judge declared a mistrial …

NEW YORK – The Beatles are coming to a game console near you. For the first time, the legendary group’s music will be featured in the lucrative video-game market in a deal with MTV Games and Harmonix, creators of the “Rock Band” series. The game is scheduled to make its …

LAS VEGAS – A prosecutor vowed to badger a key witness in O.J. Simpson’s defense about whether he wanted to put out a murder contract on a former co-defendant who testified against the fallen football star. Simpson is on trial for an alleged armed robbery and kidnapping in a Las …

BEIJING – Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said Wednesday it will set new quality standards for its suppliers, following a series of scandals involving Chinese-made products, which account for a major portion of the company’s sales. Meanwhile, the United Nations recommended China increase oversight of its food safety …

Thai police are expected to destroy some 2,000 cheap Chinese-made tear gas grenades, one day after a probe found they were laced with a powerful explosive that caused at least three deaths, the Thai News Agency reported Tuesday. Pol. Maj-Gen. Phuwadol Wuttaganok, commander of the Royal Thai Police Ordinance Division, …