WASHINGTON — Automatic spending cuts could force some of the nation's busiest airports to close runways, causing widespread flight delays and cancellations, the union representing air traffic … more

DENVER — Colorado regulators grappling with a historic energy boom that’s pushing oil rigs to the very doorsteps of suburban schools and homes were among the first in the nation to require … more

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI basked in an emotional send-off Wednesday from an estimated 150,000 people at his final general audience in St. Peter's Square, recalling moments of "joy and light" … more

PARIS — The United States is looking for more tangible ways to support Syria's rebels and bolster a fledgling political movement that is struggling to deliver basic services after nearly two years … more

PRESTON, Conn. — A woman who picked up her two young grandsons from daycare and was supposed to bring them home so the 2-year-old could open his birthday presents instead drove them to a … more

KOLKATA, India — A fire broke out at an illegal six-story plastics market in the Indian city of Kolkata early Wednesday, killing at least 19 people, police said. The blaze, which started before … more

WASHINGTON — Rosa Parks is famous for her 1955 refusal to give up her seat on a city bus in Alabama to a white man, but there's plenty about the rest of her experiences that she deliberately … more

CHICAGO — Technology is supposed to make us easier to reach, and often does. But the same modes of communication that have hooked us on the instant reply also can leave us feeling forgotten.We … more

HAVANA — Cuban cigar sales rose last year despite the ongoing economic crisis in some of the most important European markets including No. 1 buyer Spain, state-run tobacco company officials said … more

ORACABESSA BAY, Jamaica — Mats of algae and seaweed have shrouded the once thick coral in shallow reefs off Jamaica's north coast. Warm ocean waters have bleached out the coral, and in a … more