» Blackout leaves millions of Chileans in darkness
SANTIAGO, Chile — A power failure plunged nearly the entire Chilean population into darkness Sunday night, rattling a country already anxious after last month's 8.8-magnitude quake.

» UN chief sees dangers up-close in Haiti quake camp
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon promised Haitians on Sunday that the world has not forgotten the quake-torn nation as it suffers from a shortage of shelter and growing violence in teeming camps for the homeless.

» Lesbian sgt. discharged after police tell military
OMAHA, Nebraska — Jene Newsome played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant: She never told anyone in the military she was a lesbian.

» FAA directs airlines to check tail flap of 737s
SEATTLE (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency airworthiness directive demanding that airlines check a mechanism that controls tail flaps on about 600 Boeing 737s.

» US mom: Daughter held in Ireland ‘lost her mind’
LEADVILLE, Colorado — Before her daughter disappeared last year, Christina Mott recalls that the 31-year-old who had been held in connection with an alleged assassination plot announced she had converted to Islam and told them they'd go to hell if they didn't follow in her steps.

» Wind, rain knock out power, divert US flights
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey — Strong winds and heavy rain pounded parts of the US Northeast on Saturday, knocking out power to nearly 450,000 customers, diverting international flights and toppling a boom crane at an Atlantic City casino construction site, injuring one police officer.

» Clinton slams Israel on housing announcement
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday delivered a stinging rebuke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his government's announcement this week of new Jewish housing in east Jerusalem, calling it "a deeply negative signal" for the Mideast peace process and ties with the US.

» Haiti: Kidnappers release 2 European aid workers
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Kidnappers have freed two Swiss women snatched off the streets of Haiti's capital and held for five days, officials said Thursday.

» Strong quakes torment Chile as leader sworn in
The earth shook and shook Thursday as dignitaries walked in for the swearing-in of Sebastian Pinera as Chile's president. It shook some more as they waited for him.

» Disaster experts praise Chile quake response
SANTIAGO, Chile – Despite complaints that aid was slow to reach the hungry and homeless, experts say Chile's response to one of history's most powerful earthquakes has been a model for disaster recovery.