Gaddafi loyalists hold out during Eid holiday

Loyal followers of Muammar Gaddafi are refusing to surrender to those who have forced him into hiding, raising the prospect of new fighting in Libya when an ultimatum expires after this week's Eid holiday. The new ruling council, keen to consolidate its grip and relieve hardship after six months of war, won a $1.55 billion cash injection when the U.N. Sanctions Committee released banknotes in Britain in frozen accounts once controlled by Gaddafi. The new leaders said Libya may start pumping oil again in days.In the capital's newly renamed Martyrs' Square, hundreds of people gathered for morning prayers to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr...

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Exxon, Rosneft tie up in Russian Arctic, U.S

Exxon Mobil Corp and Rosneft signed an agreement to extract oil and gas from the Russian Arctic, in the most significant U.S.-Russian corporate deal since U.S. President Barack Obama began a push to improve ties. The pact, which includes an option for Rosneft to invest in Gulf of Mexico and Texan properties, ended any hope of Britain's BP reviving its deal with state-owned Rosneft to develop the same Arctic territory. That deal was blocked in May by the billionaire partners in another BP Russian venture.The pact gives Exxon, the biggest U.S. oil company, access to substantial reserves in Russia, the world's top oil producer. For Rosneft,...

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Libya's rebels learn to patrol loyalist territory

The rebels roared along the bleak and empty desert highway, leaving the last checkpoint far behind as they probed the no-man's-land that separates them from the final stronghold of Moammar Gadhafi's crumbling regime. Stopping in Heisha, some 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, the patrol found a dusty collection of single-story, concrete buildings that stretched from the highway to the desert.They also found the green flags of Gadhafi flying everywhere and at least one poster of the long-serving leader — a sign that the town still supported the old regime, or at least that its forces had recently been there."There...

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Security on rise nationwide for 9/11 anniversary

The federal government is escalating security around the country in preparation for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and conducting confidential briefings with state and local law enforcement organizations. But officials say there is no specific indication that a terror plot against the U.S. is under way. Americans can expect more security at airports, mass transit stations, U.S. borders, government buildings and major athletic events over the next month, said an intelligence official who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive security matters.The FBI and Homeland Security Department have been briefing state and local...

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Panel: Widespread waste and fraud in war spending

As much as $60 billion in U.S. tax dollars has been lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade due to lax oversight of contractors, poor planning and corruption, according to an independent panel. In its final report to Congress, to be publicly released Wednesday, the Commission on Wartime Contracting said the waste could grow as U.S. support for reconstruction projects and programs wanes, leaving Iraq and Afghanistan to bear the long-term costs of sustaining the schools, medical clinics, barracks, roads and power plants already built with American money.Government agencies should overhaul the way they award...

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Petraeus leaving Army after 37 years to head CIA

Gen. David Petraeus is bidding farewell to the Army that has been his life and the troops that have been his family for 37 years. America's best-known general is taking off his uniform before starting a new chapter as the 20th director of the CIA next week, where he will keep waging war on al-Qaida and other terrorist groups, but in a far different manner.The soldier-scholar-statesman is to be sworn in as the nation's spy chief on Sept. 6, less than a week before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.It's a sharp and unexpected career turn for the man...

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BofA looks to exit correspondent mortgage business: report

Bank of America Corp is looking to sell its correspondent mortgage business and the unit's employees could be notified as soon as Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter. The bank had decided to exit the correspondent channel, which employs more than 1,000 people, because it no longer fits with the long-term strategy for its mortgage unit, the Journal said. Correspondents fund loans and sell them to larger lenders.The bank has used the correspondent channel to build origination volume and make money by re-selling the loans to other parties and then servicing them, the newspaper said.Loans purchased...

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Dad: It was 'horse play' before boy went overboard

A man accused of throwing his 7-year-old son overboard during a sightseeing cruise around Newport Harbor said Tuesday they were just "horse playing" and talked about jumping in the water together. "I was not trying to kill my son. We were playing in the shallows," Sloane Briles told KTLA-TV. "I discussed it with him. We'd jump in together and just thought it would be funny, ha ha."Two of 85 people who were on the Sunday afternoon tour saw things differently. In 911 tapes released Tuesday, the passengers expressed shock and disgust after seeing Briles toss the boy into the water."I'm on a boat tour called the Queen and there's a man...

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Jen Aniston: Why I've Worn the Same Bikini for Years

Jennifer Aniston is a repeat offender and proud of it! In a new interview with Glamour mag, the actress, 42, defends her tendency to wear the same articles of clothing over and over again -- like the bikini she's been photographed in for two years straight. "I'll wear it for as many years as the strings still tie!" Aniston tells Glamour, adding that she's not a fan of elaborate two-pieces worn by some stars. "Bathing suits now have so much hardware on them that they singe your skin. When you take your bikini off, it looks like you've been branded with crop circles and lightning bolts and words like Gucc...

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London rocks to carnival beat despite riot fears

London's colourful Notting Hill Carnival got off to a peaceful start on Sunday, defying fears that Europe's biggest street festival could be marred by a repeat of this month's devastating riots.The two-day, Caribbean-flavoured extravaganza draws up to a million revellers out onto the west London streets to watch troupes of dancers in exotic costumes perform on floats as powerful sound systems pump out music.But there were few early arrests amid a beefed-up police presence Sunday as revellers vowed to put the riots behind them and show off a better side of London life."It's healing for the riots," care worker Graham Randall told AFP. "It...

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U.N. agency warns of possible bird flu resurgence

The United Nations warned of a possible major resurgence of bird flu and said a mutant strain of the H5N1 virus was spreading in Asia and elsewhere. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Monday urged increased surveillance and preparation for a potential outbreak of the virus, which it says has infected 565 people since it first appeared in 2003, killing 331 of them.The virus was eliminated from most of the 63 countries infected at its peak in 2006 after mass poultry culling, but since 2008 it has been expanding geographically in both poultry and wild birds, partly due to migration patterns, the FAO said."The general departure...

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Bolt to run for redemption in 200, 4x100 relay

Usain Bolt will only need about 20 seconds to show the world he is lightning fast and not just a little jumpy. The Jamaican sprinter said in a statement Monday that he was disappointed with his false start in the 100 meters, which disqualified him from the world championship final."I was feeling great through the rounds and was ready to run fast in the final," said Bolt, who has become the face of track and field since setting world records in both the 100 and 200 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "I worked very hard to get ready for this championships and things were looking good."Bolt was looking to defend his world titles in both the...

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Typhoon floods homes in Taiwan, heads for China

A typhoon that flooded homes, roads and farmland in Taiwan with more than 20 inches (half a meter) of rain left the island Monday and headed to southeastern China. Typhoon Nanmadol stayed over Taiwan for only a few hours and was weaker than when it pummeled the Philippines, where at least 16 people died and another eight were missing.One death in Taiwan was attributed to the storm — a motorcyclist hit by debris — and disruption to everyday life was extensive.Some 30,000 households in southern and eastern Taiwan lost power, 8,000 people were evacuated and scores of roads and bridges were closed due to the heavy rain. Offices and schools...

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Pope names Baltimore archbishop to new post

The pope has tapped Baltimore's archbishop to take over leadership of the ancient Catholic order that works to protect the rights of Christians in the Holy Land. The Vatican said Monday that Monsignor Edwin O'Brien will replace retiring U.S. Cardinal John Foley as grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.The job has previously carried with it the rank of cardinal, meaning 72-year-old O'Brien might get a red hat when the pope next appoints cardinals. A replacement for O'Brien in Baltimore wasn't announc...

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Japan No.2 opposition: grand coalition hard

A grand coalition between the ruling Democratic Party, which on Monday chose Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as Japan's new premier, and main opposition parties would be difficult to form now, the head of the second-biggest opposition party said. The strained relationship between the Democrats, led by outgoing Prime Minister Naoto Kan, and feisty opposition parties has complicated policymaking as Japan deals with a resurgent yen, rebuilding from the huge tsunami, and a murky energy outlook in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.Noda, picked to become Japan's sixth premier in five years, faces a divided parliament in which the...

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Syrian forces storm northern village, kill 1

Syrian security forces pursuing anti-government protesters stormed a northern village Monday, killing at least one person and wounding many others during raids and house-to-house searches, activists said. The operations in Sarameen in the northern Idlib province were accompanied by similar raids in the village of Heet near the border with Lebanon, along with a military buildup just outside the central town of Rastan, which has become a hotbed of dissent against President Bashar Assad's regime.The prime minister of Turkey, a former close ally, warned Assad that his regime could face a demise like those in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya if...

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Bomber of Baghdad mosque disguised self as beggar

The suicide bomber who killed 29 people at Baghdad's largest Sunni mosque disguised himself as an injured beggar and attended prayers there for nearly a week, a senior religious figure said Monday. The attack hit Sunnis praying at a special service Sunday night during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and appeared calculated to try to re-ignite widespread violence in Iraq just months before U.S. troops are to complete their withdrawal.The bomber, who pretended to be a beggar, had attended prayers for six straight days at the Um al-Qura mosque in western Baghdad, said Sheik Ahmed Abdul Gafur al-Samarraie, head of an endowment that oversees...

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Lockerbie bomber in coma, near death, brother says

The brother of the Libyan man convicted in the Lockerbie bombing says he is in a coma and can no longer communicate with his family. The Scottish government released Abdel Baset al-Megrahi in 2009, believing he would soon die of cancer. He was greeted as a hero in Libya and met with Moammar Gadhafi.Speaking outside the family home in Tripoli, his brother Abdel-Nasser said Monday that al-Megrahi will not return to prison in the West, as some have requested because he is "between life and death."New York senators on Aug. 22 asked the Libyan rebels' transitional government to hold al-Megrahi fully accountable for the 1988 bombing of Pan...

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Foes of Libya's Gaddafi advance on his hometown

Libyan forces converged on Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte on Monday, hoping to seal their revolution by capturing the last bastions of a fallen but perhaps still dangerous strongman. Gaddafi's whereabouts have been unknown since Tripoli fell to his foes and his 42-year-old rule collapsed a week ago.The leader of Libya's ruling council asked NATO to pursue its five-month-old air campaign, which has given essential firepower to ragtag rebels who rose against Gaddafi in February."I call for continued protection from NATO and its allies from this tyrant," Mustafa Abdel Jalil said in Qatar, a tiny but wealthy Gulf Arab country that...

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Beyoncé flaunts baby bump on stage

Beyoncé Knowles has made an amazing announcement last night at the MTV Video Music Awards while on the red carpet glowing in her orange flowing Lanvin gown, and again at the very tail end of her performance. While on the red carpet posing for photos, there were no words spoken, just a moment and a position shift that left the crowd of paparazzi and photogs whistling and congratulating the new mother to be. MTV tweeted about the news right after, sharing a photo of the gushing mom. Later on in the evening, Bey took the stage in a fuchsia sequined jacket and dress pants to perform her 4 album song, “Love On Top.” Covered up and classy with her...

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Lady Gaga and Britney Spears () Gaga's awkward moment with Britney

The MTV Video Music Awards is one of the few award shows where wacky antics are expected and encouraged. This year was no exception. Among the standout moments: Beyonce's baby bump rub, Justin Bieber's appearance with his pet snake and a Lady Gaga-Britney Spears kiss, with Gaga dressed as a man. To present Spears with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, Lady Gaga dressed as her drag king alter-ego Jo Calderone. When Spears walked on stage, the two shared a polite smooch. A few minutes later, Gaga tried to recreate Spears' infamous 2003 Madonna liplock, but Spears pulled away saying she had already done that. Gaga looked disappoin...

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Officials: 29 dead in suicide bomb in Iraq mosque

A suicide bomber blew himself up inside Baghdad's largest Sunni mosque Sunday night, killing 29 people during prayers, a shocking strike on a place of worship similar to the one that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war five years ago. Iraqi security officials said parliament lawmaker Khalid al-Fahdawi, a Sunni, was among the dead in the 9:40 p.m attack.Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for Baghdad's military operations command, confirmed the bombing happened inside the Um al-Qura mosque during prayers in the western Baghdad neighborhood of al-Jamiaah. The blue-domed building is the largest Sunni mosque in Baghdad."I heard...

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Gadhafi forces killed detainees, survivors say

Retreating loyalists of Moammar Gadhafi killed scores of detainees and arbitrarily shot civilians over the past week, as rebel forces extended their control over the Libyan capital, survivors and a human rights group said Sunday. In one case, Gadhafi fighters opened fire and hurled grenades at more than 120 civilians huddling in a hangar used as a makeshift lockup near a military base, said Mabrouk Abdullah, 45, who escaped with a bullet wound in his side. Some 50 charred corpses were still scattered across the hangar on Sunday.New York-based Human Rights Watch said the evidence it has collected so far "strongly suggests that Gadhafi...

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