MOSCOW – A Russian cargo ship carrying food and supplies as well as Easter gifts blasted off Monday for the international space station, the Russian space agency said. The unmanned Progress M-56 ship lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at around 08:03 p.m. (1603 GMT), said the space …

SMYRNA, Tenn. – Smyrna officials called off the search Tuesday for 28-month-old Analyce Guerra and said they are focusing on interviewing the toddler’s friends and family to determine her whereabouts. An Amber Alert was issued for the Tennessee girl after her mother woke up Monday morning to find the front …

WASHINGTON – The U.S. military has spent just 40 percent of the $7 billion appropriated in 2005 for the training of Iraqi and Afghanistan security forces, a top Pentagon priority that is lynchpin for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The slow pace of spending was outlined in a …

SAN DIEGO – Secure Networks USA LLC says it has just the escape route for painful dates: A plea you can pre-arrange online before your encounter. Here’s how it works: Before your date, go on the Internet and scribble a message to friends and family. Set the time for the …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Sunni Arab politicians reaffirmed their opposition to Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari on Monday, urging Shiite politicians to come up with new names for the top Iraqi post to end the deadlock over formation of a new government. Sunni rejection followed a similar statement Sunday by Kurdish leaders, …

ASADABAD, Afghanistan – A rocket slammed into a packed school yard Tuesday near a U.S.-led coalition base in eastern Afghanistan, killing seven children and wounding 34 other people. Police blamed Taliban militants for the explosion at the Salabagh School in Asadabad, about 105 miles northeast of Kabul, in volatile Kunar …

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. – A couple’s dramatic account of newborn sextuplets turned out Tuesday to be nothing more than an elaborate scam. Sarah and Kris Everson’s story about their six babies’ births had holes in it from the very start — from their mysterious withholding of information for more than …

UNITED NATIONS – Bird flu has hit 45 countries, killed more than 100 people and seems to be spreading quickly, the U.N. official in charge of tracking the virus said Wednesday. Dr. David Nabarro said the virus has led to the deaths of some 200 million birds and has impoverished …

ATLANTA – A federal grand jury has indicted a 21-year-old Georgia Tech student for material support of terrorism, U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said on Thursday. Syed Haris Ahmed, a naturalized citizen from Atlanta, is being held by federal authorities at an undisclosed location, known only to his family, his …

TRENTON, N.J. – Tyco International Ltd. (TYC) said Monday it has agreed to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission $50 million to settle charges related to allegations of accounting fraud by the high-tech conglomerate’s prior management. The regulatory agency had accused Tyco of inflating operating earnings, undervaluing acquired assets, overvaluing …