DAMASCUS (AFP) ― The Syrian army said it has seized the last rebel-held district of the capital as insurgents in the strategic northern city of Aleppo came under heavy bombardment by regime forces.The army on Saturday said it had retaken the hold-out rebel district of Tadamun in Damascus, a day after the United Nations deplored the failure of diplomacy to end a conflict that has reportedly claimed more than 21,000 lives in nearly 17 months.A brigadier general who refused to give his name told jo

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Are we alone? Or was there life on another planet? NASA’s $2.5 billion dream machine, the Mars Science Laboratory, aims to take the first steps toward finding out when it nears Mars’s surface on Monday.The planet is Earth’s closest neighbor, and scientists have found signs of water there, hinting that some form of life was once likely, even though Mars is now a dry place with a thin atmosphere, extreme winters and dust storms.NASA said it will find out if its Mars Science Labo

WASHINGTON (AP) ― President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney, locked in a super tight U.S. presidential race, both argued that numbers in the latest jobs report bolster their position that they are best equipped to fix the economy.Romney, meanwhile, received a celebrity boost Friday night when Clint Eastwood endorsed the Republican at a fundraiser in Idaho.The latest numbers showed monthly job creation was higher than expected ― but unemployment also increased. That gave each candid

BEIJING (AFP) ― China on Saturday attacked U.S. criticism of its decision to set up a new military garrison in the South China Sea, saying it sent the “wrong signal” and threatened peace in the hotly disputed waters.Washington on Friday accused Beijing of raising tensions in the region after it announced last week the establishment of the tiny city of Sansha and a garrison on an island in the disputed Paracel chain.The move has infuriated Vietnam and the Philippines who accuse Beijing of steppin

U.S. actress Kristen Stewart is spending her days acting like a “heartbroken teenager” after her cheating scandal was reported by media. According to news reports, the "Twilight" star is now staying with her former producer Giovanni Agnelli as she brought her belongs from her and Robert Pattinson’s home last week.Kristen does not shower at all and just eats ice cream, news reports said.“She is crying her eyes out non-stop and does not want to communicate with anyone,” a source quoted by the Dail

A Chihuahua is being hailed as a hero after authorities say it sniffed out two girls who were lost in a Georgia forest.The girls, ages 5 and 8, disappeared Monday for a couple of hours when they were walking on trails near their neighborhood about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. As police and firefighters began to search for the girls, neighbor Carvin Young grabbed his 3-year-old Chihuahua and join

An analysis by a top government scientist says the extreme heat and drought seen in the U.S., Europe and other regions in recent years must be global warming. Specifically the study by NASA scientist James Hansen blames climate change for last year's drought in Texas and Oklahoma, the 2010 heat wave in Russia and the 2003 European heat wave that led to tens of thousands of deaths.Hansen told The A

 Iran claims it has successfully test-fired an upgraded version of a short-range ballistic missile.Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi says the solid-fueled Fateh-110 has a range of 300 kilometers. He claims it can pin-point targets at sea, making it the most accurate weapon of its kind in Iran's arsenal.Iran has been pushing to upgrade its missiles, which already can target Israel and other parts

MADRID (AP) ― Police have arrested three suspected members of al-Qaida who amassed explosives and may have been plotting attacks in Spain or elsewhere in Europe, Spain’s interior minister said Thursday. Authorities found evidence suggesting they were experimenting with ultralight planes and remote-controlled planes. The three ― a Russian, a Russian of Chechen descent, and a Turk, according to Spanish police ― were detained Wednesday. The Turk was arrested in the southern city of La Linea borderi

CAIRO (AP) ― Egypt’s new prime minister and his cabinet were sworn in on Thursday, the first government since the election of a Muslim Brotherhood leader as the country’s first freely elected president. Prime Minister Hesham Kandil asked Egyptians to rally behind his new government, promising it would represent all the people and trying to deflect the belief that the cabinet will be solely under the Brotherhood’s sway. The cabinet seemed designed to avoid any appearance of Brotherhood domination