Up to 10,000 defy order to end Thai protest

Thousands of demonstrators batons and bamboo sticks, defied a court order to end their occupation of the prime minister's office compound, vowing to remain until the country's leaders resign.

Study: Life span tied to location

Major inequalities in health and life expectancy persist worldwide, according to an independent World Health Organization commission.

Bill Clinton sets aside differences with Obama

Bill Clinton laid to rest any speculation Wednesday night that he would not enthusiastically back Barack Obama by making a forceful call for voters to elect Obama president.

Raft made of plastic bottles crosses Pacific

Tanned, dirty and hungry, two men who spent three months crossing the Pacific on a raft made of plastic bottles to raise awareness of ocean debris finally stepped onto dry land.

NYT: New hope 45 years after King's dream

Many veterans of the March on Washington will gather at televisions Thursday night and watch an event they would have considered impossible not just in 1963, but perhaps in 1983, or 1993.

Audit: China mismanaged $6.7 billion
China's central government misused or mismanaged more than $6.73 billion last year, including using disaster relief money to build government offices , the National Audit Office said .

Japanese women shy from dual mommy role
As Japan's birthrate keeps dropping, experts worry about women's growing willingness to do without children - or childish husbands.

Retailer Sears offers a downbeat outlook
Sears Holdings Corp. offered a downbeat outlook Thursday, predicting that sales and gross profit margins will likely continue to be pressured for the rest of the year.

New Orleans faces evacuation

National Guard troops stood ready and batteries and water bottles sold briskly as the New Orleans area watched a storm march across the Caribbean on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary.