Pentagon review set in wake of Ft. Hood

Washington -- The Pentagon said Thursday it will scour its procedures for identifying volatile soldiers hidden in the ranks following the Fort Hood shooting rampage and for lapses that might allow others to slip through bureaucratic cracks. - 11/20/2009

Afghan president promises stability

Kabul, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai was inaugurated Thursday for a second term, pledging that Afghanistan will prosecute corrupt officials and control its own security within five years. - 11/20/2009

Canned pumpkin may be hard to find

Portland, Ore. -- The holidays may not be so sweet this year. Nestle -- which sells nearly all the canned pumpkin in the U.S. -- says poor weather hurt its harvest, creating a potential shortage of its Libby's pumpkin pie products through the holidays. - 11/20/2009

Palin's book tour to include stop at Fort Hood

Fort Hood, Texas -- Sarah Palin's tour to promote her new memoir will include a stop at Fort Hood to benefit the victims of the shooting rampage and their families. - 11/20/2009

Young women don't need Pap tests as often, report says

New guidelines for cervical cancer screening say women should delay their first Pap test until age 21, and be screened less often than recommended in the past. - 11/20/2009

Researcher says text proves Shroud of Turin real

Rome -- A Vatican researcher claims a nearly invisible text on the Shroud of Turin proves the authenticity of the artifact revered as Jesus' burial cloth. - 11/20/2009

Grinch! North Pole irked at end to Santa replies

Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers. The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. - 11/19/2009

FAA fixes computer glitch that caused flight delays

Romulus -- The Federal Aviation Administration has repaired a glitch in its system that delayed flights across the nation this morning, but caused relatively few problems at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. - 11/19/2009

• Video: Flight computer glitch fixed, air delays remain

Afghan President Karzai sworn in to second 5-year term

Kabul -- Afghanistan will control its own security within five years and prosecute corrupt officials, President Hamid Karzai pledged today in an inauguration speech made under intense pressure to shed the cronyism and graft that marked his government's first term. - 11/19/2009

Giuliani against trying Mohammed in civilian court

Washington -- Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Thursday that trying self-professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a federal civilian court in New York is unwise and unnecessary. - 11/19/2009

Ark. cop suspended after using Taser on girl, 10

Little Rock, Ark. -- An Arkansas police officer who used a stun gun on an unruly 10-year-old girl has been suspended -- not for using the Taser but for not having a video camera attached when he used it. - 11/19/2009

Experts say radical measures won't stop swine flu

London -- Health experts say extraordinary measures against swine flu -- most notably quarantines imposed by China, where entire planeloads of passengers were isolated if one traveler had symptoms -- have failed to contain the disease. - 11/19/2009

U.S., South Korea mend ties

Seoul, South Korea -- President Barack Obama said today the United States has begun talking with allies about fresh punishment against Iran for defying efforts to halt its nuclear weapons pursuits. - 11/19/2009

Somali pirates thwarted

Nairobi, Kenya -- This time the Maersk Alabama was ready. This time it did what a multinational naval force couldn't. Guards used guns and a sound blaster Wednesday to repel the second pirate attack on the U.S.-flagged ship in seven months. - 11/19/2009

• Interactive: Modern piracy plagues the world's waters

Afghan leader seeks balance as new term begins

Kabul, Afghanistan -- Under intense pressure to fix his corrupt government, Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to strike a balance in his second inaugural speech today: answer international demands for reform while appeasing his political allies who returned him to power. - 11/19/2009

Veto threatens Jan. vote in Iraq

Baghdad -- Iraq's path toward political stability after years of war threatened to veer off course Wednesday when a vice president vetoed part of a key election law, a move likely to delay a national vote slated for January. - 11/19/2009

Iran refuses U.N. plan to process uranium

Tehran, Iran -- Iran will not ship its low-enriched uranium out of the country for processing, its foreign minister said Wednesday, once again rejecting a U.N. plan aimed at thwarting any attempt by Tehran to make nuclear weapons. - 11/19/2009

TV ad seeks to recruit Arab-Americans to CIA

Dearborn -- There's a swirl of activity in a spacious, modern kitchen as final meal preparations are made. - 11/19/2009

• U.S. Atty. Holder to speak at Advocates dinner

Obama meets with his half brother during visit to Beijing

Beijing -- President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he met briefly with a half brother who lives in China and who recently wrote a semi-autobiographical novel about the abusive Kenyan father they share. - 11/19/2009

Nation/World briefs

Rome -- The Dalai Lama said Wednesday there will be a setback in the Tibetan cause when he dies, but that he has faith in the next generation of his followers. The 74-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader has now spent 50 birthdays in India, where he heads a government in exile. - 11/19/2009

Conn. newspaper Courant hit with plagiarism suit

Hartford, Conn. -- A small, family-owned Connecticut newspaper sued the state's largest newspaper Thursday, saying it repeatedly plagiarized stories after cutting its own reporting staff to save money. - 11/19/2009

Maersk Alabama repels 2nd pirate attack with guns

Nairobi, Kenya -- Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday for the second time in seven months, though private guards on board the U.S.-flagged ship repelled the attack with gunfire and a high-decibel noise device. - 11/18/2009

• Interactive: Modern piracy plagues the world's waters

U.N.: Fight climate change with free condoms

London -- The battle against global warming could be helped if the world slowed population growth by making free condoms and family planning advice more widely available, the U.N. Population Fund said today. - 11/18/2009

Obama: Professed 9/11 mastermind will be convicted

Washington -- President Barack Obama predicted that professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be convicted, as Attorney General Eric Holder defended putting him through the U.S. civilian legal system. - 11/18/2009

• Obama says he met with half brother while in China