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Microsoft releases Vista, Office 2007 to businesses

NEW YORK -- Microsoft Corp. launched its first computer operating system in five years Thursday, contending that the software and other new products will help people deal with information overload and become more productive.

Al-Sadr loyalists protest leader's meeting with Bush in Jordan

Lawmakers and Cabinet ministers loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr suspended participation in parliament and the government Wednesday to protest Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's planned meeting with President George W. Bush. The leaders had been scheduled to hold talks in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday, but the session was abruptly postponed a day shortly after Bush arrived. A statement from the 30 lawmakers and six Cabinet ministers said the meeting constituted a "provocation to the feelings of the Iraqi people and a violation of their constitutional rights." The statement did not explain that claim.

Authorities find traces of radiation on 2 British Airways jets in London

Authorities found traces of radiation on two British Airways jets, and the airline appealed Wednesday to tens of thousands of passengers who flew the aircraft to or from Moscow to come forward as investigators widened the search for clues into the poisoning death of a former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. The airline said the "risk to public health is low," adding that it was in the process of contacting tens of thousands of passengers who flew on the jets. Two planes at London's Heathrow Airport tested positive for traces of radiation, and a third plane has been taken out of service in Moscow awaiting examination, British Airways said in a statement.

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Pope calls for 'brotherhood' with Islam but warns of widening religious divides

ANKARA, Turkey -- Pope Benedict XVI began his first visit to a Muslim country Tuesday by urging all religious leaders to "utterly refuse" to support any violence in the name of faith, but he expressed worry that the risks of more conflicts and terrorism were growing in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Bush says U.S. won't quit Iraq until 'mission is complete'

RIGA, Latvia -- Under intense pressure to change course, President Bush on Tuesday rejected suggestions Iraq has fallen into civil war and vowed not to pull U.S. troops out "until the mission is complete." At the opening of a NATO summit, Bush also urged allies to increase their forces in Afghanistan to confront a strengthening Taliban insurgency.

Olmert, in dramatic policy shift, urges Palestinians to return to negotiations

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reached out to the Palestinians on Monday in one of his most conciliatory speeches yet, saying he was prepared to grant them a state, release desperately needed funds and free prisoners if they choose the path of peace.

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Iraqi leaders try to halt sectarian violence, slide into civil war

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders called for an end to Iraq's sectarian conflict Sunday and vowed to track down those responsible for the war's deadliest attack.

Palestinian attacks ignore truce agreement

JERUSALEM -- Israeli troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip as an unexpected truce took hold Sunday, but two major Palestinian militant groups, saying they had no intention of stopping their attacks, fired volleys of homemade rockets into Israel.

32 U.S. college students named Rhodes Scholars

BOSTON -- Harvard senior Parvinder Thiara's life was reshaped when his beloved grandfather died of infectious diarrhea from drinking tainted water in India while Thiara prepared to begin his second year in college.

Representative says he will introduce bill to reinstate draft

WASHINGTON -- Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 if the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee has his way.

Protestors harass President Bush during trip to Indonesia

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- Warmly greeted by world leaders in Vietnam, President Bush drew a different reaction Sunday at his upcoming stop in Indonesia, where thousands angrily protested America's policy in the Middle East and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Syrian official makes breakthrough visit to Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Syria's foreign minister arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, the highest ranking official from his country to visit since the U.S.-led war began in 2003, at a time when Syria is increasingly seen as key to helping stem the insurgency.

Hoyer wins race to be House majority leader

WASHINGTON -- Democrats picked Rep. Steny Hoyer to be House majority leader on Thursday, spurning Rep. Nancy Pelosi's handpicked choice moments after unanimously backing her election as speaker when Congress convenes in January.

80 kidnap victims still being held, says Iraqi education minister

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's higher education minister said Thursday that as many as 80 victims from a mass kidnapping earlier this week remain in captivity and that some of the 70 who have been freed were tortured.

Bush, Putin discuss Iran, nuclear weapons over lunch man says

MOSCOW -- President Bush, eager for Russian help in ongoing nuclear disputes with North Korea and Iran, tended to the sometimes frosty Washington-Moscow relationship Wednesday by paying a quick call on President Vladimir Putin. Bush paused to visit the Russian leader for an hour and a half at an airport stopover on his way to Asia for an eight-day trip that includes stays in Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia. Bush has meetings scheduled with several important allies, including Putin, on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific Rim leaders in Hanoi, Vietnam, later this week. But only Putin rated a social call as well.

Top general against timetable in Iraq

WASHINGTON -- The top U.S. commander in the Middle East warned Congress on Wednesday against setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, putting him at odds with resurgent Democrats pressing President Bush to start pulling out of the violence-torn country. Gen. John Abizaid spoke as the Senate Armed Services Committee began re-examining U.S. policy in the wake of last week's elections, which gave Democrats control of Congress starting next year and was widely seen as a repudiation of the administration's war policies.

Scores abducted in lightning raid on Baghdad government office

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen dressed as police commandos kidnapped scores of staff and visitors in a lightning raid on an education ministry office Tuesday in one of the biggest mass abductions since the start of the U.S. occupation. Five senior police officers -- including the neighborhood police chief -- were arrested, the government said. At least 82 people were killed or found dead in murders, bombings and clashes nationwide.