NEW YORK – Molson Inc and Adolph Coors Co. (search) closed their merger on Wednesday to create the world’s fifth-largest brewer by volume, before each reported earnings for the last time as independent companies. Shares of the new brewer, Molson Coors Brewing Co (TAP), were trading at $74.70 about 60 …

LONDON – Thirty years after their first romance, Prince Charles (search) and Camilla Parker Bowles (search), both now graying divorcees, will finally wed in a civil ceremony and put the official seal on a relationship Princess Diana (search) blamed for the breakdown of her marriage to the man who would …

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A group with ties to conservative Christians has launched a citizen petition to ban gay marriage in Florida. The proposal would amend the state Constitution in 2006 to define marriage as a union between “only one man and one woman” and that no other kind of marriage …

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Syria said Thursday it will begin withdrawing its troops in Lebanon (search) closer to its own border, a move designed to blunt international demands for a complete pullout and to ease a groundswell of anti-Syrian sentiment. But a dissatisfied United States said the move was not enough …

TEL AVIV, Israel – The crowd of youths was waiting to enter the seaside night club just before midnight Friday when the suicide bomber pushed into the group, detonating his deadly package and turning their party into a night of carnage. The explosion dispersed thousands of metal shards that had …

College textbooks (search) are a lot fancier than they used to be. Some are complete with colorful supplements and computer software. They’re also a lot pricier, rising at more than twice the rate of inflation. A new report blames the price hike on those flashy new add-ons. A Government Accountability …

WOODY CREEK, Colo. – A hand-scrawled note on the refrigerator in Hunter S. Thompson’s (search) kitchen says, “Never call 911/Never/This means you/HST.” Over the sink, a snapshot shows the famously reckless father of Gonzo journalism (search) nuzzling a tiny kitten. This room, jammed with cooking utensils, writing mementos and a …

BURBANK, Calif. – But does he do laundry? Teen hockey sensation Sidney Crosby (search) fired several pucks at a clothes dryer on the “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (search) on Thursday, a tribute to the family appliance that he once battered when he honed his skills for a future …

CRAWFORD, Texas – A patriotic camp with a “God Bless Our President!” banner sprung up downtown Saturday, countering the anti-war demonstration started by a fallen soldier’s mother two weeks ago near President Bush’s ranch. The camp is named “Fort Qualls,” in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls, 20, …

Notify the media! This is a “Nixon goes to China” deal. A plane crash happens in Canada — a French plane, no less. Some of you out there think this is like hitting the exacta for me, and that is exceedingly unkind of you to think, I must say. It’s …