JERUSALEM – Special legal teams will defend Israeli soldiers against potential war crimes charges stemming from civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, the prime minister said Sunday, promising the country would fully back those who fought in the three-week offensive. The move reflected growing concerns by Israel that officers could …

A New York couple is haunted by calls from credit agencies wanting to collect debt their dead son owed. Roco and Laurie Crimeni’s 27-year-old son Vincent collapsed and died nearly a year ago of a sudden heart attack while he was playing softball. Since then, bill collectors have been calling …

Just days after Valerie Bertinelli wowed the world with her 48-year-old bikini body, Mariah Carey made her dramatic entry into the cougar bikini contest. Carey frolicked in this leopard-print number with her 28-year-old husband, Nick Cannon, on a Barbados beach on March 27, her 39th birthday. PHOTOS: Who wins the …

Orlando mother Casey Anthony and her lawyer were back in court Thursday when a federal judge ruled on motions to release a suicide note written by her father and to force prosecutors to turn over evidence dealing with DNA tests and investigative reports, MyFOXOrlando.com reported. Anthony, 22, is in jail …

The U.S. military in Baghdad confirmed Monday that an American fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone over Iraq last month. The drone was first detected flying into Iraqi airspace Feb. 25, about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad, the military said. Once pilots confirmed the drone did not belong to …

SAN JOSE, Calif. – In a spring rite that has become as predictable as cherry blossoms in the nation’s capital, public school employees throughout California warned of wrenching classroom cuts as local officials faced a deadline for issuing layoff notices to educators. The state Department of Education estimates that preliminary …

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse airport officials say hundreds of passengers were evacuated from two terminals after a wired black box was found aboard a Delta regional jet. Hancock International Airport officials say a pilot doing a preflight check found the box around 5:30 a.m. Friday on a plane that had …

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran said Monday it would try three Americans jailed since crossing the border from Iraq in July, a step certain to aggravate the U.S. at a time when Tehran is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki did not …

MOSCOW – A statement on a Web site sympathetic to Chechen rebels says the militants have claimed responsibility for last week’s Russian train bombing that killed at least 26 and injured scores of others. The Kavkazcenter.com Web site posted Wednesday what it said was a letter written on behalf of …

Health care providers are rolling out a different sort of stocking stuffer: Gift cards that can be used to pay bills and insurance premiums or for specific services at eye doctors and dentist offices. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida might have the largest program, selling cards at over 1,000 …