KABUL, Afghanistan – Gunfire broke out Thursday at a protest in western Afghanistan against a U.S. sniper in Iraq who used a Koran for target practice and officials said a NATO soldier and two civilians were killed. Police opened fire on demonstrators who threw rocks and set tents on fire …

A simple viral infection has put Karele Galaise-Seguin on a waiting list for a new heart. For the past 17 days she has been hooked up to a heart-lung machine at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, awaiting a transplant, The Canadian Press reported. Karele, 16, was taken to a hospital near …

Police have linked the disappearance of a Florida teen with the murder of a senior citizen. Florida officials now believe that the April 22 disappearance of Morgan Amanda Leppert, 15, of San Mateo, Fla., is linked to the murder of a 66-year-old Melrose, Fla., man found dead on Thursday, according …

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt – President Bush said Saudi Arabia’s small increase in oil production will not solve soaring U.S. fuel prices, but he defended the wealthy kingdom Saturday against American lawmakers “screaming the loudest” for Riyadh to open its spigots. Bush also encountered bitter Arab criticism that he favors Israel …

UNION, Mo. – The Missouri woman accused of slashing a young mother’s throat, kidnapping her newborn and passing off the child as her own for five days has reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Shannon Torrez of Lonedell entered an Alford plea today in Franklin County to one count each …

YINGXIU, China – Rescuers rushed to reach 24 coal miners trapped underground by China’s’ earthquake almost two weeks ago, officials said Saturday, as the government sharply raised the quake’s death toll, warning it could exceed 80,000. It was not known if the miners were dead or alive, but authorities were …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An apparent stranger shot the bride, groom and two other people at an outdoor wedding in rural Arkansas, then was arrested after being chased by outraged guests, a sheriff’s official said Sunday. The wedding was just ending Saturday when the suspect approached with a 9 mm …

Washington state public health officials are trying to track down at least 2,000 people who may have been exposed to the measles at a church event in March, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Three members of a Grant County family who attended the Generation Church Conference in Kirkland, Wash., in …

PARIS – Investigators at Societe Generale SA say they suspect former futures trader Jerome Kerviel was helped by an assistant to cover up massive trading positions that led to a multibillion dollar loss. They say the French bank’s management failures and culture of risk-taking were partly to blame for failing …

NEW YORK – Several leading child welfare groups Tuesday urged an overhaul of federal laws dealing with transracial adoption, arguing that black children in foster care are ill-served by a “colorblind” approach meant to encourage their adoption by white families. Recommendations for major changes in the much-debated policy were outlined …