Republican presidential front-runner gets campaign boost after three straight lossesPORTLAND, Maine (AP) ― Mitt Romney eked out a narrow win in Maine’s Republican caucuses, state party officials announced Saturday, providing his campaign for the party’s presidential nomination a much-needed boost after three straight losses earlier last week.But the former Massachusetts governor’s margin of victory over Texas Rep. Ron Paul was so slim it all but guaranteed scrutiny of the party’s decision not t

WASHINGTON (AP) ― President Barack Obama’s opposition is now the divided one.For three weeks of heated rhetoric, Republicans cast the president’s new rule that religious schools and hospitals must provide insurance for free birth control to their employees as an attack on individual liberty. The contentious issue united recently fractured Republicans, Catholic bishops and religious groups while badly splitting Democrats who feared an election-year fallout.Obama’s leading Republican rivals ― Mitt

UniCredit SpA, Intesa Sanpaolo SpA and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA were among 34 Italian financial firms downgraded by Standard & Poor’s, after the credit-ratings company reduced the nation’s grade last month. UniCredit, Italy’s biggest bank, and No. 2 Intesa had their long-term ratings lowered to “BBB+” from “A,” S&P said Friday in a statement. Monte dei Paschi, the No. 3 bank, was reduced to “BBB” from “BBB+.” All three have a negative outlook, S&P said. Italy’s credit rating was cut t

Billionaire investor George Soros predicted weak growth and lingering political tension that could shatter Europe’s economic union even if Greece agrees to austerity measures. “Right now the European Union and particularly the heavily indebted countries face a lost decade,” Soros said. “It might actually be longer than a decade because Japan that had a similar situation with the real estate boom and the banking crisis has had now 25 years of no growth,” Soros said. “That will create tensions wit

TRIPOLI (AP) ― Libya demanded Niger hand over one of Moammar Gadhafi’s sons who is under house arrest in the neighboring African nation after he warned in a television interview that his homeland was facing a new uprising.Mohammed Hareizi, spokesman for the ruling National Transitional Council, said Saturday that Niger must extradite Al-Saadi Gadhafi and other ex-regime officials to “preserve its relationship and interests” in Libya.The demand came days before the first anniversary of the Feb. 1

ATHENS, Greece (AP) _ Greece's future in the eurozone came under renewed threat as popular protests again turned violent and dissent grew among its lawmakers after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts.The country's beleaguered coalition government promised to push through the tough new aus

Deal reached with 5 largest mortgage lendersWASHINGTON (AP) ― A landmark $25 billion settlement with the nation’s top mortgage lenders was hailed by government officials Thursday as long-overdue relief for victims of foreclosure abuses. But consumer advocates countered that far too few people will benefit. The deal will reduce loans for only a fraction of those Americans who owe more than their homes are worth. It will also send checks to others who were improperly foreclosed upon. But the amoun