Pirates free two ships after ransom

Somali pirates released two hijacked ships after ransoms were paid, U.S. military officials said Thursday.

U.S. shifts its approach in Iraq

With violence down sharply this year, the U.S. military is broadening its efforts to reconcile Sunnis and Shiites.

Napolitano eyed for Homeland Security

An early Barack Obama supporter from the southwestern part of the country, the former Arizona attorney general is a leading contender for the job of secretary of homeland security.

Holder's ascent revives pardon furor

Eric Holder is in line for nomination by President-elect Barack Obama to the attorney general's job that Holder has long wanted, but a 2001 episode with fugitive financier Marc Rich is stirring partisan acrimony.

Obama pledged change, picks insiders

President-elect Barack Obama promised the voters change but has started his Cabinet selection process by naming several Washington insiders to top posts.

Governors pledge fight on global warming
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his counterparts in 12 states and regional leaders from four other countries signed a declaration Wednesday pledging to work together to combat global warming.

McDonald's courts moms as emissaries

McDonald's has recruited mothers to go behind the scenes of the company's operations, meet senior executives and then communicate what they see via the Web in a bid to brighten its image.

Massive search for S. Pacific fishermen
The New Zealand air force searched for 29 fishermen Thursday after the charred remains of their boat was found abandoned near the South Pacific island nation of Kiribati.

Scoop: Jennifer Aniston gets a kick out of ‘Friends'

The "Marley & Me" star tells New York Times magazine, "This is horrible to say, but there are times when I laugh my rear end off."

Pakistan summons U.S. envoy
Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador Thursday to protest a suspected U.S. missile strike deep inside its territory as militants threatened revenge attacks unless the cross-border raids stop.