Top headlines:
U.S. gives Mexico $197 million for drug war: The U.S. government finally released the first part of a $400 million aid package Wednesday to support Mexico's police and soldiers in their fight against drug cartels. ›10:45
No. 1 Tide vs. No. 2 Gators for SEC title: To earn a national championship, Alabama or Florida will have to win two games matching No. 1 vs. No. 2.The top-ranked Crimson Tide and second-ranked Gators held their spots in the AP Top 25 Sunday, setting up the 40th game matching the highest ranked teams in the AP Top 25.Alabama (12-0) and Florida (11-1) will play Saturday at the Georgia Dome in the Southeastern Conference title game. The winner is virtually guaranteed a spot in the BCS national championship game in Miami on Jan. 8.No. ›20:52 30 Nov, Sun
Man in eagle deaths grateful for pardon: Twelve years after pleading guilty to federal charges in the deaths of three bald eagles, Leslie Owen Collier learned his name was cleared: He was pardoned by President George W. Bush. ›00:10 1 Dec, Mon
India names attack masterminds: A Pakistani militant group apparently used an Indian operative as far back as 2007 to scout targets for the elaborate plot against India's financial capital, authorities said Thursday. ›23:53
No electricity? Island now energy independent: Energy independence is still only a hypothetical goal for the U.S., but the owner of a tiny island off the coast of Connecticut says he has already achieved that feat and is offering his work as a model. ›01:50 23 Nov, Sun
Feds halt plan to drill in Utah canyons: The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has announced it is pulling auction parcels from an expanded oil-and-gas leasing program in Utah, including tracts inside Nine Mile Canyon and Desolation Canyon. ›11:19 3 Dec, Wed
EarthTalk Q&A: Eco-clubs, Bush's legacy: Read answers to readers questions about environmental topics. ›20:39 21 Nov, Fri
Ski deals, with lodging, from $125: We've gathered a flurry of affordable packages for ski bunnies throughout the U.S. and Canada. ›15:31
Dry wipe can clean up toxic chemicals: A new dry wipe can clean up chemical agents such as mustard gas, giving soldiers a more convenient way to deal with toxic materials on the battlefield, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. ›01:00 5 Dec, Fri
$1 million inaugural package for disadvantaged: A Va. businessman has spent $1 million to bring to Barack Obama's inauguration disadvantaged people, terminally ill patients, wounded soldiers and others down on their luck. ›00:54 5 Dec, Fri
Portable media players shrink in size, price: Portable media players are almost essential for any music, video or photo fan which could be just about anyone on your holiday gift list. ›20:58
Flood washes away barrier project qualms: Monday's deluge Venice's biggest in 22 years may help wash away remaining resistance to an elaborate project to build mobile barriers that will prevent future flooding here. ›19:29
Automakers pitch Congress anew on rescue: U.S. automakers drew fresh skepticism from lawmakers Thursday in a rocky confrontation over their pleas for an expanded $34 billion rescue package they say they need to survive. ›22:06
Van driver headed to Nobel ceremony: A scientist-turned-van driver in Alabama whose work helped two other men win this year's chemistry Nobel Prize is headed to Sweden to watch them collect the award. ›20:02
ConsumerMan: Empty promises for protection: For $10 a month, LifeLock offers a proven solution that prevents your identity from being stolen before it happens. But the company has been hit with a lawsuits. ›22:45
Mars science laboratory delayed to 2011: The Mars Science Laboratory mission, originally slated to launch next year, has been delayed until 2011, NASA announced today. ›17:59
3 dead in Puerto Rico plane crash: An emergency response team on Thursday reached the remote site of a small-plane crash in the Puerto Rican rainforest, recovering the remains of a Caribbean pilot and two U.S. tourists. ›19:45
Activist vows no retreat against Japan whalers: The leader of a militant conservation group that has skirmished violently with Japanese whalers he will not retreat from confrontation during his bid to stop this season's hunt in Antarctic waters. ›15:46 3 Dec, Wed
Will lame ducks decide car industry's fate?: A defeated and retiring group of Republican senators, one-tenth of the chamber's membership, may be the decisive voting bloc on the proposed automaker bailout loan. ›22:20
Cruise ship carrying 122 adrift in Antarctica: A cruise ship carrying 122 people is taking on water after running aground in the Antarctic on Thursday but is in no danger of sinking, the Argentine Navy said. ›00:02 5 Dec, Fri
Pakistan police losing terrorism fight: Outgunned and out-financed, police in volatile northwestern Pakistan are fighting a losing battle against insurgents, dozens of interviews by The Associated Press show. ›23:06
10 wonders in a winter wonderland: Is it really true that no two snowflakes are alike? Get the cold, hard facts on that question and nine other scientific puzzlers posed by the winter season. ›14:05 3 Dec, Wed
Cosmic Log: Snow globes full of stars: Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Astronomers are offering a double dose of cosmic ornaments for the holiday, in the form of stunning images of globular clusters. ›00:05 5 Dec, Fri
Solar panels on graves power Spanish town: A gritty, working-class town outside Barcelona has placed a sea of solar panels atop mausoleums at its cemetery, transforming a place of perpetual rest into one buzzing with renewable energy. ›18:33 23 Nov, Sun
