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JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (search) on Sunday said he opposes any further releases of Palestinian prisoners until the Palestinians (search) take tougher action against militant groups. Sharon made the announcement at a Cabinet meeting, hours before Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were to meet to discuss the releases. Under …

LINDEN, Texas – Citing the seriousness of the crime, a judge Friday added short jail terms to sentences recommended by juries for two of four men convicted of beating a mentally disabled black man and leaving him in a field. All four could have faced 10 years in prison on …

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A gag order bars Michael Jackson (search) from speaking out about his legal troubles, and the defense has not said if he will testify during his molestation trial. But Jackson may have offered his best defense on an album released a decade ago. “HIStory (search)” came …

See you weeknights in the No Spin Zone at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET! Tonight … “The O’Reilly Factor” is on… The Hardee’s chain goes to Paris, Paris Hilton that is, to spice up their restaurant ads! But is her new commercial too hot for TV? We’ll show you …

CHICAGO – Federated Department Stores Inc. (FD), parent of Macy’s (search) and Bloomingdale’s (search), on Wednesday posted a better-than-expected 27 percent jump in quarterly profit, helped by strong spring clothing sales. The Cincinnati-based department store operator said it was “more enthusiastic than ever” about its planned $11 billion takeover of …

LONDON – Prime Minister Tony Blair (search) said Thursday that Iran (search) should be referred to the U.N. Security Council if it breaches its nuclear obligations, while Tehran vowed to resume some activities that can be part of the process of making nuclear weapons. Hasan Rowhani, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, …

ATHENS, Greece – Nu-metal band Slipknot (search) hit the stage here despite a request by the Greece’s Orthodox Church for concert organizers to cancel the show because of the group’s violent lyrics and references to the devil. The band from Des Moines, Iowa, performed Monday night at the open-air Lykavitos …

LONDON – Many callers have offered information about the mysterious “Piano Man,” (search) including a mime who said he was a fellow street musician, but the hospital patient who loves to play Tchaikovsky (search) has yet to be positively identified, officials said Wednesday. Michael Camp (search), the man’s social worker, …

WASHINGTON – The U.S. military stepped up its investigation to find the source of revealing photos of Saddam Hussein (search) in jail as more were published in The Sun on Saturday, a day after the British tabloid ran a front-page picture of the former Iraqi leader clad in his underwear. …

Exercise may be good for the prostate as well as the heart. New research shows older men who exercise regularly have a much lower risk of dying from prostate cancer. The study showed that men over age 65 who engaged in at least three hours of vigorous physical activity, such …