WASHINGTON – Sinn Fein (search) chief Gerry Adams (search) and other Northern Ireland political leaders will not be invited to a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon with congressional leaders, another sign that the United States is unhappy over the stalled peace process. Adams will not be attending the annual St. Patrick’s …

INDIANAPOLIS – A 15-month-old Afghan boy was breathing on his own Wednesday following surgery to repair a life-threatening heart defect that had been diagnosed by a U.S. military doctor working in a refugee camp. Surgeons at the Riley Hospital for Children (search) operated on Qudrat Wardak (search) for about six …

AUSTIN, Texas – Michigan State (search) recovered from Kentucky’s 3-point prayer that sent the game into overtime, taking over in the second extra session and pulling away for a 94-88 victory Sunday to cap a weekend filled with heart-stopping finishes. The Spartans are headed to their fourth Final Four in …

VATICAN CITY – Roman Catholic officials say Pope John Paul (search) celebrated Mass today in his hospital suite in Rome. The pope is in the hospital recovering from throat surgery and a relapse of the flu. The Vatican says the pope has agreed to doctors’ requests that he stay a …

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Buddhist monks and Hindu priests held prayers in temples across Sri Lanka on Tuesday to give thanks that a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean overnight did not cause a tsunami. The Sri Lankan government was among several in the region that issued — then withdrew …

NEW YORK – Mary Cheney (search), daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney (search), plans to publish a memoir under a new subdivision of Simon & Schuster devoted to conservative books, the company announced Tuesday. Cheney, a top aide during her father’s campaigns in 2000 and 2004, has drawn much political …

SUFFIELD, Conn. – A parole board Thursday rejected a rapist’s bid to be released from prison, keeping the former jet-set fugitive behind bars until at least 2008. Alex Kelly (search), who was charged in 1986 with raping two teenagers while he was a high-school wrestling standout, was visibly angry after …

VIENNA, Austria – Iran received an “extensive” written offer from the nuclear black market in the 1980s, the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency said Monday, reacting to reports that the list contained all the know-how required for weapons-related enrichment technology. Mohamed ElBaradei (search), head of the International Atomic …

NEW YORK – A former FBI informant testified at the terror-funding trial for a Yemeni sheik and his assistant that the defendant had boasted of supplying arms, money and fighters to Usama bin Laden (search ). Mohamed Alanssi (search ), called as a hostile witness for the defense, testified Thursday …

Two conflicting studies on the pain relief drug Celebrex (search ) are deepening questions over whether the drug’s benefits are worth the risk. At the same time, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, Kaiser Permanente (search), announced that it would stop covering Bextra because the drug poses an unreasonable …