Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Israelis today that he has a treatable form of prostate cancer. Watch the above AP video report for details and for the latest developments, read this story from Jerusalem by Matti Friedman.
--Paul Chavez
There's a simple rule at the astronomy village in eastern Georgia: now white light. Watch the AP video above for more details and for an even more on the village, read this report by Dorie Turner.
--Paul Chavez
From Malibu to San Diego, the skies of Southern California filled with dark, acrid smoke from dozens of wildfires that burned at least 655 homes, including more than 130 in the Lake Arrowhead mountain resort alone.
In Malibu, police checkpoints kept drivers off the usually busy Pacific Coast Highway and the surreal effect was heightened by the numerous helicopters taking part in an aerial bucket brigade.
In northern Los Angeles County, helicopters also were hard at work as new wildfires suddenly appeared this afternoon, briefly threatening a massive subdivision known as Stevenson Ranch.
The Santa Ana winds, which blow hot and dry from the desert toward the sea, howled throughout the day and inflated tall, wide columns of purple and black smoke. The smoke at times obliterated the sun, turning it into a faint orange disc.
The fires forced authorities to warn more than 265,000 people in Southern California to leave their homes, including about 250,000 in San Diego County.
The wildfires of 2007 are yet another dark chapter in SoCal's history, which includes the deadly wildfires of 2003 that killed 22 people and destroyed 3,640 homes, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the 2005 La Conchita mudslide and, of course, the 1994 Northridge earthquake that killed dozens and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.
For more on the SoCal wildfires, read this report by a team of AP reporters.
--Paul Chavez
A drug-resistant staph "superbug" that infects more than 90,000 Americans each year may cause more deaths than AIDS.
Watch the AP video report for more details and for an in-depth look at the issue, read this story by AP medical writer Lindsey Tanner.
--Paul Chavez
Blind triathlete Aaron Scheidies will attempt to make history this weekend as the first disabled athlete to finish in under two hours at the U.S. Open Triathlon. Scheidies, 25, already is the best visually impaired triathlete in the world. For more on his upcoming challenge, watch the above AP video report.
Watch the above video to learn more about a New York Times report that the U.S. Marines want out of Iraq to send Marines instead to Afghanistan. For even more details on the U.S. military, read this report filed today from London by AP military writer Robert Burns.
After a two-week absence, the mayor of gambling resort Atlantic City resigned from office via his lawyer. Roberty Levy checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic while he was gone. His disappearance came amid a federal investigation for embellishing his Army service in Vietnam.
Watch the AP video report above for more details and read this story filed today by Wayne Parry for an in-depth look at Levy.
Two European scientists who independently discovered a phenomenon known as giant magnetoresistance are sharing the 2007 Nobel Prize for physics. The finding by France's Albert Fert and German Peter Gruenberg lets iPods and other digital devices store tons of data on ever-shrinking hard disks.
Watch the AP video report above for more details and for an in-depth report, read this story filed today from Stockholm, Sweden.
Interpol made a rare worlwide appeal today asking the public's help to identify a suspected pederast who allegedly abused boys in Cambodia and Vietnam. Police in Europe unscrambled digitally altered images of the man that were found on the Internet to reveal what he looks like.
For more details, watch the above AP video report. For the latest developments, read this story filed today from Paris by John Leicester.
President Bush told reporters today during a hastily called Oval Office appearance that the U.S. does not torture terrorism suspects.
"This government does not torture people," the president said.
You can watch Bush's emphatic speech in the AP video report above and get the whole story in this report filed today from Washington by Jennifer Loven.
asap interactive designer Jenni Sohn is in Seoul, South Korea, where much of the nation is buzzing about a summit between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea.
But some in the country are focusing on events elsewhere -- like in Myanmar, where the ruling military junta has cracked down on pro-democracy protests.
Watch the above video clip from Sohn's recent interview with Nay Tun Naing, secretary of the Korea branch of Myanmar's National League for Democracy party. (Though take note: The death toll Naing cites is under dispute. The government said 10 people died in the protests; dissident groups put the number at or over 200.)
For the latest developments in Myanmar, read this report filed today from Yangon.
Also, read this story by Michael Casey on how Aung San Suu Kyi's status as an icon of democracy is growing.
Authorities believe smoke and fumes from a chemical fire likely killed five workers trapped in an underground pipeline at a hydroelectric plant in Georgetown, Colo.
Watch this AP video report to learn more about the investigation into what went wrong at the plant.
--Chelsea J. Carter
An inquest into the death of Princess Diana is underway in London where a jury has been hearing evidence to determine if her 1997 death was an accident or murder.
Jurors already have seen a photo taken just moments before the accident that killed Diana; her companion, Dodi Fayed, and driver Henri Paul. Watch the above AP video report for more details and for the latest information on the inquest, read this report by Robert Barr.
--Paul Chavez
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told The Associated Press in an interview today that his country would not launch an attack on Israel or any other country. He also said he does not believe the United States is preparing for war against Iran.
AP Deputy International Editor Nicolas B. Tatro was present during the 30-minute interview at Ahmadinejad's hotel near the United Nations for this AP story.
In this photo slideshow, Tatro tells asap about the AP's interview with the controversial leader.
--Jaime Holguin
Shootings at Delaware State, a tornado in Florida and a woman caught on video encouraging her daughter to beat someone up.
That's what's getting the lion's share of attention today from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.
Listen to this audio clip
to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.
-- Eric Carvin
A sex education book that its publisher said has been sold in 25 countries and translated into 21 languages upset a Lewiston, Maine, woman so much that she checked out copies from two local libraries and refuses to give them back. JoAn Karkos, 64, sent a disapproving letter to the libraries and a check for $20.95 with each letter to cover the cost of the book, "It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health."
For more details, watch the above AP video report and/or read the story below the jump.
--Paul Chavez
Continue reading "Critic of sex ed book keeps library copies" »
O.J. Simpson memorabilia was at the heart of another legal drama today in Santa Monica, Calif., where a judge gave Fred Goldman a week to come up with a list of items that Simpson is accused of stealing from a Las Vegas hotel room.
Watch the above AP video report for more details and for the latest in the Simpson saga, read this story by Robert Jablon.
--Paul Chavez
Hurricane Humberto surprised the Texas-Louisiana coast early today with 85 mph winds and heavy rain that knocked out power to more than 100,000 customers and killed at least one person. Watch the AP video above for details and for the latest developments, read this story from High Island, Texas, by reporters Juan A. Lozano and Matt Sedensky.
--Paul Chavez
The search is on for victims and survivors of a powerful magnitude-8.4 earthquake that struck Indonesia. Watch this AP video report for details and read this dispatch from Jakarta, Indonesia, by Robin McDowell for the latest information.
--Paul Chavez
The victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were remembered today under somber skies in New York. Watch the above video for more details on the memorial services.
--Paul Chavez
Watch the above video where actor George Clooney talks about his new film, "Michael Clayton," and the pressure of winning awards in Hollywood.
--Paul Chavez
How's Owen Wilson doing after his suicide attempt? In this AP video report, Wes Anderson, the director of Owen Wilson's latest film, offers an update.
-- Eric Carvin
"They could leave. There are lots of reasons that people might not want to come back to New Orleans, but New Orleans is one of those places that is sort of a magnet."
Those are the words today -- the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina -- from Brian Schwaner, news editor for The Associated Press in New Orleans. In this audio clip, Schwaner notes what Aug. 29 means for his city. He also wrote this piece to offer a view of what he calls the crisis of the Gulf Coast.
For more AP coverage of today's anniversary see AP reporter Cain Burdeau's reports on vigils and memorials in this story. asap offers a look at the Katrina diaspora in this interactive presentation, and Schwaner offers a tour of New Orleans in the AP video below.
-- Caryn Rousseau
The investigation into the death of Russian Czar Nicholas II and his family is being reopened by prosecutors. The family was executed in 1918 and the remains of two family members have been found. More in this AP video.
-- Caryn Rousseau
The Atlanta Falcons could try to recover $22 million of Michael Vick's signing bonus from his 10-year, $130 million contract. The NFL suspended the quarterback on Friday after he acknowledged guilt to dogfighting charges. More on what the Falcons might do in this AP video. And AP writer Larry O'Dell in Richmond, Va., offers this look at what's next for Vick.
-- Caryn Rousseau
Storms have been flooding parts of the Midwest for days. This AP video focuses on one town -- Fenton, Mich. -- and how it has dealt with the damage. Read AP reporter Dan Strumpf's story to get the bigger picture.
-- Caryn Rousseau
Convicted sex offender John Evander Couey was sentenced to death today for kidnapping 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, raping her and burying her alive in his yard.
The girl's father, Mark Lunsford, teared up as he listened to the judge read a detailed history of the case for nearly an hour. Outside court, he had a message for Couey: "Skip all these appeals. Take your punishment. Stand up and be a man."
Watch the AP video report above for more on this story.
--Paul Chavez
What's going on between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki? AP's Iraq editor, Brian Murphy, answers that question in this video report.
For the latest developments on al-Maliki, Bush and Iraq, read this dispatch from Iraq by Robert H. Reid.
--Ray Zablocki
An armada of volunteers and firefighters rescued people in waist-high water today as Findlay, Ohio, saw its worst flooding in nearly 100 years.
Watch this AP video and for more details check this story from Ohio by John Seewer.
--Paul Chavez
News this morning from Iraq is that 14 U.S. soldiers are dead after their Black Hawk helicopter went down in the northern part of the country. AP writer Hamid Ahmed reports from Baghdad that it's the deadliest crash since January 2005. Read more in Ahmed's AP story or watch this AP video.
-- Caryn Rousseau
Hurricane Dean slammed into Mexico yesterday as a powerful Category 5 hurricane, but quickly weakened. Still, authorities warned that Hurricane Dean will make landfall again and could regain some strength.
For more, read this story from Mexico by Mark Stevenson for the latest developments.
--Paul Chavez
A rare category 5 hurricane slammed into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula near the border with Belize, bringing sustained winds of 165 mph -- and gusts up to 200 -- as it tore through a somewhat sparsely populated part of the region.
There were no immediate reports of deaths, injuries or damage from Hurricane Dean, but authorities had had little chance to survey the area by early Tuesday.
Get a glimpse at the hurricane in this raw AP video shot in Cancun, Mexico. And for more on the effects of the storm go to this story by the AP's Mark Stevenson.
-- Eric Carvin
They don't just do "Thriller." They also do "Y.M.C.A." Those dancin' innmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines show off some of their other moves in this AP video. Read what Paul Alexander, the AP's bureau chief in Manila, thought about visiting this prison where the inhabitants are encouraged to get their groove on.
-- Derrik J. Lang
Give The AP a minute and The AP gives you the world headlines.
Here's the latest news headlines today: From the Utah mine disaster to the heat wave gripping the U.S, from the Connecticut home invasion to the Dutch ban on magic mushrooms.
--Chelsea J. Carter
Marc Antony and J.Lo, Annie Leibovitz shoots celebrity Gap campaign, Sean Penn meets Hugo Chavez and Stevie Wonder to go on U.S. tour -- get the latest in this AP video. -- Caryn Rousseau
Minnesota bridge collapse. Nearly a million toys recalled. Vehicles go green. And an anonymous NYC subway rescue. The latest -- in this minute-long AP video report.
-- Caryn Rousseau
An interstate bridge collapsed today during bumper-to-bumper traffic, sending vehicles crashing into the Mississippi River. At least six people have been killed.
To learn more, watch this AP video report.
--Chelsea J. Carter
Ingmar Bergman, one of cinema's greatest artists, has died at the age of 89. Learn more about his life and work in this AP video -- which includes a snippet of his most famous scene: a knight playing chess with the shrouded figure of Death.
-- Stephanie Hoo
World news in a minute, AP style. Today: NASA investigating drunk astronauts; Stock market extends sell-off; Korean hostage pleads for help; Nicole Richie headed for jail.
-- Stephanie Hoo
More violence today in Iraq, while a revised U.S. military plan states Iraqi forces will be unable to enforce security until 2009. Learn more in this AP video.
-- Stephanie Hoo
Residents of a small Connecticut town were in shock today after two parolees with long criminal records were charged with breaking into a prominent doctor's home, forcing a hostage to withdraw cash from a bank, and setting fire to the house -- killing the doctor's wife and two daughters.
William Petit Jr., a prominent endocrinologist, was severely injured and was the sole survivor of Monday's attack.
Learn more in this AP video, about the case that has stunned the upper-middle-class community of Cheshire, Conn. And, click here to read the latest.
-- Stephanie Hoo
Did you happen to miss last night's YouTube debate among the Democratic candidates for president? Let the AP's online political editor Ron Fournier fill you in on the highlights, in this video Q&A.
-- Stephanie Hoo
Larry Austin may look an awful lot like Ernest Hemingway _ but he hasn't read much of his work.
The white-bearded insurance agent won an Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest in Key West, Fla. this weekend, but is only familiar with two of the author's novels.
"I only read two of them: 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' and of course, 'The Old Man and the Sea,'" he said. "And I liked 'The Old Man and the Sea' because it was short and I had to do a book report on it."
Austin says he'll start reading more of Hemingway's work now. Find out more about the contest and Hemingway's favorite Key West bar in this AP video.
--Noreen Gillespie
As violence in Iraq spirals, the U.S. plans to hold talks with Iran tomorrow about the deteriorating security situation.
WHAT'S GOING ON: The United States accuses Iran of working to arm militants and harm U.S. troops in Iraq. Iran denies the allegations.
Learn more in this AP video. And, read the latest from Iraq here.
-- Stephanie Hoo
Check out this first-person account from Nelson Rico, who was working in a Manhattan building when an underground explosion shook the city. He says many workers panicked, and his first thought was a possible terrorist attack.
--Chelsea J. Carter
Check out the lastest news from AP in this video report: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid trying to pass defense authorization bill; Highest ranking Iraqi in al-Qaida leadership is in custody; Murder-suicide discovered in Kansas; DC Hummer gets trashed.
--Chelsea J. Carter
Shimon Peres took office as Israel's ninth president today and the 83-year-old elder statesman pledged to devote his seven-year term in the ceremonial post to achieving his lifelong dream of Middle East peace.
For more on Peres becoming president, watch the above AP video and for further details read this report from Jerusalem by reporter Josef Federman.
--Paul Chavez
U.S. forces and Iraqi police found themselves on opposite sites of a bloody gunbattle in Baghdad, leaving six policemen and seven other Iraqi gunmen dead.
How did this happen? Watch the AP video report above to find out.
To get even more details about the confusing gunbattle -- and to follow the rest of the latest developments from Iraq -- take a look at this AP story from Baghdad.
-- Eric Carvin
Fans are counting the days until the release of the final 'Harry Potter' book. What do you think is in store for the young wizard and his friends? Check out the predictions from the cast of the 'Potter' movies, in this AP video.
-- Stephanie Hoo
Much of the U.S. is in the grip of a relentless heat wave, with temperatures today expected to rise still further. See how cities are coping -- from east to west -- in this AP video report.
-- Stephanie Hoo
Freed BBC reporter Alan Johnston went home to his family after spending four months as a hostage in the Gaza Strip.
He told reporters that one of the hardest part of his ordeal was imagining his parents' anguish.
"I felt that I had brought the very worst of the world's troubles into their normally peaceful lives," Johnston said outside his parents' home in Scotland.
For more on Johnston's return, watch this AP video report.
--Paul Chavez
Thousands of people have flocked to Las Vegas to get married on what is being called the "luckiest day of the century." It's July 7, 2007, which lines up nicely as 7-7-7 on slot machines.
Watch this AP video report from Sin City for more.
--Paul Chavez
Heavy rains triggered a landslide in Mexico that buried a bus carrying at least 40 people. Rescuers digging through the night had recovered 14 bodies by early today, and officials were bringing coffins to the site.
Learn more about this developing story in this AP video -- and in the article by Jose Maria Alvarez.
-- Stephanie Hoo
It's flood season in China, with the rain-swollen Yangtze River at dangerously high levels. Already, more than 200 people have been killed by this summer's floods.
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