KANO, Nigeria – Hundreds of rioting Muslims have set a Shariah court ablaze in Nigeria’s northern Kano city to protest a judge freeing a cleric accused of insulting the prophet Muhammad. An AP reporter watched protesters throw blazing, fuel-filled tires into the building, then start marching through streets to demand …

GOUVERNEUR, N.Y. – Nine brains were found along a street in a northern New York village, but authorities say there’s nothing to fear. The brains are believed to have been part of a collection for educational or research purposes. No criminal activity is suspected. Residents discovered the brains on a …

BEIJING – A former member of China’s national legislature has gone on trial for organizing prostitution and destroying evidence. Liang Yaohui was the biggest name to fall in a wide-ranging crackdown on the sex trade in the southern city of Dongguan. Liang allegedly arranged for 100 prostitutes to entertain clients …

A fatal traffic accident– reportedly connected to an earlier reported homicide– temporarily closed all lanes of Interstate 295 just north of Richmond, Va., Friday afternoon, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. Three people died in the incident occurred in the southbound lanes near the US 301 interchange in Hanover County just before …

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. human rights chief said in a new report that lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people are victims of “pervasive, violent abuse, harassment and discrimination” in all regions of the world and cites hundreds of hate-related killings. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein said …

WASHINGTON – It’s a shame that Shamu and Flipper weren’t available to offer their thoughts to the Supreme Court Wednesday, as the justices were presented with starkly conflicting views over the impact of sonar technology on marine life. The U.S. Navy says its use of mid-range frequency sonar during training …

While all of us have been mired in this financial mess, we’ve forgotten it’s back to school time — with many offspring leaving home for college. Now, I don’t have kids. But that shouldn’t stop me from giving advice. If anything, being childless allows me the time to contemplate how …

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Seven NASA astronauts and the space shuttle Endeavour are poised to launch Friday evening on what they’ve called an extreme home-improvement job at the International Space Station. Endeavour is set to blast off at 7:55 p.m. EST (0055 Nov. 15 GMT) from a seaside launch pad …

The 2010 Ford Mustang enters a world very different than the outgoing model did in 2005, and it has nothing to do with the economy or global anything. Back then the Mustang was the only kid on the block. If you wanted a two-door muscle car, you talked to Ford. …

WASHINGTON – Although roughly 6 million U.S. citizens are eligible to vote oversees using absentee ballots — many of whom are serving in the military — only a fraction of their ballots are being counted. The bipartisan Election Assistance Commission found that of the nearly 1 million absentee ballots sent …