WASHINGTON – The Senate endorsed President Bush’s climate-change policies Tuesday, approving a measure that avoids mandatory reductions of heat-trapping pollution while still boosting government support for cleaner energy sources. In a second setback for environmentalists, the Senate agreed to conduct an inventory of offshore oil and gas resources that some …

A top government health official reaffirmed obesity’s standing as an “epidemic” Thursday in an attempt to quell public confusion left by controversy over the health consequences of excess weight. The comments come several weeks after an April study concluded that being overweight does not increase the overall risk of death. …

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Tuesday confirmed one of its former lawyers, Thomas B. Griffith (search), to sit on the U.S. Appeals Court, the sixth judge it has elevated to the federal appellate court in the last month. With a 73-24 vote, Griffith becomes the newest judge on the U.S. …

NEW YORK – A Brooklyn College (search) professor has ignited a firestorm of controversy over comments he made about organized religion. Timothy Shortell (search), who was recently elected as the chairman of the sociology department, wrote in an online posting that “religious adherents” are “an ugly, violent lot” and “in …

CONCORD, N.H. – Not many people can retire on a nickel — unless it’s a rare 1913 Liberty Head (search) like the one that sold Thursday for $4.15 million. It is the second-highest price ever reported paid for a rare coin. Legend Numismatics (search), a coin dealership in Lincroft, N.J., …

CHICAGO – Walgreen Co. (WAG), the largest U.S. drugstore chain, Monday reported a 20 percent increase in quarterly profit, helped by rising prescription demand and growth of digital photo printing (search). The better-than-expected results sent shares of Walgreen up 4 percent on the New York Stock Exchange. Walgreen has been …

CANBERRA, Australia – Two Chinese defectors — one of them a diplomat who walked away from his post — claim that their homeland is running a spy network in Australia and other Western countries. The diplomat, Chen Yonglin (search), left his job as the first secretary at the Chinese Consulate-General …

WASHINGTON – The White House took exception Sunday to the reported characterization of a British memo questioning the adequacy of U.S. planning for a postwar occupation of Iraq. “There was significant post war planning,” said spokesman David Almacy. “More importantly, the memo in question was written eight months before the …

ROME – Hundreds of letters and e-mails testifying to the late Pope John Paul II‘s (search) saintliness — including reports of possible medical miracles attributed to him — have arrived in Rome in recent weeks supporting his beatification, the cleric spearheading his case said Wednesday. Polish Monsignor Slawomir Oder told …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A U.S. Army staff sergeant was charged with murdering his two commanders last week at a base outside Baghdad, the military said Thursday in what is believed to be the first case of an American soldier in Iraq accused of killing his superiors. The military initially concluded …