Scott Neuman

It sounded a bit far-fetched, and perhaps it was.

Iran's former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied the Holocaust and threatened to wipe Israel off the map. But his successor, President Hassan Rouhani, considered a relative moderate by contrast, has taken a somewhat softer tone. So, when Rouhani allegedly tweeted the ...

Gratuity included? A new IRS rule could end, or at least curtail, the practice.

The Internal Revenue Service will soon begin classifying automatic gratuities as service charges that are taxable as regular wages and subject to payroll tax withholding. Currently, they're considered tips, and it's up to the wait staff ...

As many as 130 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on a fog-covered bridge in Kent, England, that resulted in dozens of injuries along a major traffic artery.

Eight motorists suffered serious injuries in the morning rush-hour accident that closed down the A249 Sheppey Crossing, which is southeast of ...

Scientists have demonstrated the ability to scale-up an 'uncrackable' computer encryption system that utilizes quantum physics to ensure security.

The technique is based on information that is carried by photons, the basic particles of light. While it's been demonstrated on a small scale, the team headed by Andrew Shields and ...

A Senate panel has voted to approve a resolution giving President Obama the authority to carry out punitive strikes against Syria for its use of chemical weapons.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the authorization by a 10-7 vote, with one senator voting present. The measure must be passed by ...

The U.S. economy held steady with "modest to moderate" growth between early July and late August, as Americans bought more cars and auto factories ramped up hiring.

The Federal Reserve's so-called Beige Book, comprising reports from 12 geographic districts around the country, showed that manufacturing activity "expanded modestly" and ...

Venezuela's President Nicholas Maduro said a massive power outage that plunged most of the country into darkness Tuesday, causing traffic chaos in the bustling capital of Caracas, was due to sabotage.

Officials said 70 percent of the country was without electricity, shutting down traffic lights and partially disrupting the ...

The Texas and Mississippi National Guards are refusing to process benefits claims for same-sex couples, despite a Department of Defense directive to the contrary.

Maj. Gen. John Nichols, commander of the Texas forces, made the announcement Tuesday, saying the state's Family Code conflicts with the Defense directive that ...

Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter widely regarded as the fastest man alive, says he's thinking about hanging up his running shoes after the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

The 27-year-old holds world records in the 100 and 200 meters and has six Olympic gold medals. But Bolt says that before retiring, ...

Egypt's top prosecutor has referred ousted President Mohammed Morsi to trial on charges of inciting deadly violence against his opponents.

State television said Sunday that Morsi, senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam el-Erian, former presidential aides and advisors Assad Sheikha and Ahmed Abdel-Ati were among those charged in connection with clashes ...

Another high-level corruption probe has begun in China even as the trial of former regional Chinese Communist Party boss Bo Xilai was apparently still underway.

Jiang Jiemin, the head of the commission that oversees state-owned companies, is suspected of a "serious violation of discipline" related to his top job ...

Radiation surrounding Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has increased 18 fold following a report last month that radioactive water had leaked into the ground around the plant, which was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., which owns the Dai-Ichi Fukushima plant, reports that radiation ...

Secretary of State John Kerry says that tests have shown evidence of Syria's use of the chemical agent sarin in an attack on the opposition last month that the White House has blamed on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

"I can share with you today that blood and hair ...

Syrian state media on Sunday reacted to President Obama's decision to ask Congress for authorization to strike President Bashar al-Assad's regime, calling the move the start of a U.S. retreat.

"Whether the Congress gives the red or green light for an aggression, and whether the prospects of war have ...

Nelson Mandela, still in critical condition with a chronic lung infection, was discharged from a hospital Sunday and taken by ambulance to his home in Johannesburg after three months of intensive care. The former South African president and anti-apartheid leader is 95.

The news comes a day after mistaken ...

Veteran British journalist and broadcaster Sir David Frost has died from a suspected heart attack while aboard a luxury cruise ship. He was 74.

The Guardian and The Daily Mail both report that Frost was giving a speech aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, en route from Southampton to ...

(This post last updated at 4:10 p.m. ET)

Lawmakers, many of whom had urged President Obama to seek authority from Congress before going ahead with a military strike against Syria, were largely positive about his decision to do just that.

The president, in a Rose Garden address on Saturday, said ...

Mohammed Badie, the top leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, has suffered a heart attack while in jail, Reuters reports, quoting the state-run al-Ahram newspaper on Saturday.

However, state-run news agency MENA has denied a report by the private al-Nahar website, citing security sources, that Badie had died.

Interior Minister Mohamed ...

(Post updated at 10 p.m. ET)

President Obama said Saturday he had decided that the U.S. should take military action against Syria in response to its use of chemical weapons, but that he will seek a congressional authorization for the action that could come "tomorrow, or next week or one ...

A liquid ammonia leak at an industrial refrigeration unit in Shanghai has killed at least 15 people and left six others in critical condition.

NPR's Frank Langfitt says the leak occurred before noon on Saturday at a cold storage facility in the city's northern Baoshan District, which handles seafood.