COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Authorities investigating four unsolved shootings around the country ranged from hopeful to skeptical over a report Friday that Washington-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo says he and his one-time mentor were responsible. The four 2002 shootings, including three previously investigated for possible links to Malvo and John …

WASHINGTON – The seven men described as “homegrown terrorists” were due in court Friday after being indicted and charged with conspiring with Al Qaeda to “levy war against the United States.” The men, arrested Thursday night in Miami in a raid by federal agents, are charged with trying to, among …

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Islamic world is fed up with violence and extremism in the name of religion and is ready for an era of progressive, democratic Muslim governments, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said Friday. Khatami said current conflicts between the West and Islam have created a situation …

CHICAGO – Dave Chappelle told Oprah Winfrey he was stressed out and not crazy or on drugs when he abruptly left his hit Comedy Central show last spring during production. In his first television interview since ditching “Chappelle’s Show” in May, the comedian said that after he signed a $50 …

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran reaffirmed its commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty on Sunday, a day after its hard-line president implied Tehran was considering withdrawing from the pact after being reported to the U.N. Security Council. The declaration by the Iranian Foreign Ministry came as inspectors from the U.N. nuclear …

RICHMOND, Va. – Altria Group Inc. (MO), the company behind the top-selling Marlboro cigarette brand, said Tuesday its fourth-quarter profit rose 18 percent on strong international tobacco results, boosted by acquisitions and higher pricing. The owner of the Philip Morris tobacco operations and Kraft Foods (KFT) also gave a cautious …

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but occasionally there’s a cheap feast for the eyes. Several topless bars, peep shows and sex show clubs in Amsterdam’s famed “Red Light” prostitution district have declared an open house on Feb. 18, hoping to shore up …

ST. LOUIS – Scientists at a large gathering in St. Louis didn’t just defend evolution — they rallied in support of it. Many at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the nation’s largest gathering of scientists, spoke out over the weekend against what they called religious pressure in …

SAFAGA, Egypt – Hundreds of relatives of passengers on a ferry that sank in the Red Sea attacked the offices of the ship’s owners Monday, throwing furniture into the street and burning the company’s sign. Riot police fired tear gas to restore order. Family members also tried to storm a …

HOUSTON – Thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees who have been staying in hotels at FEMA‘s expense will have to pay their own way beginning Tuesday unless they were able to arrange extensions from federal officials. Hotel managers posted notices and slipped leaflets under evacuees’ room doors informing them of the …