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NEW YORK – Baseball players and owners agreed Sunday to drop the possibility of fines for steroid use, leaving suspensions as the only discipline, according to management’s top labor lawyer. Congressmen repeatedly criticized baseball for the fine possibility during Thursday’s hearing before the House Government Reform Committee (search). Management officials …

Key political events in Lebanon’s recent history: — 1952: Riad Solh, first prime minister of independent Lebanon (search), assassinated. — 1958: Six-month civil war between Muslims and leftists loyal to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser on one side and Christian parties backed by the United States and France who supported …

Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital here have begun studying Viagra (search) as a possible treatment for strokes. Animal tests have indicated the sexual performance drug used by millions of men can improve memory and movement by helping injured brains develop new cells and blood vessels, researchers said. The study will …

OKLAHOMA CITY – A court hearing for actor Macaulay Culkin (search) has been delayed so that attorneys can work on a plea bargain in his drug possession case, court officials said. Culkin, 24, was scheduled to appear in Oklahoma County District Court Thursday, but the hearing was moved to April …

OAK HARBOR, Ohio – About 30 ice fishermen on Lake Erie (search) were stranded Friday on a huge chunk of ice that broke away and drifted a half-mile away from the shore. By early afternoon, rescue crews using boats and a helicopter had brought nearly all the anglers back to …

Hot chocolate’s a hot item at America’s upscale eateries, and everyone’s trying to plop their own marshmallows into the mix. The comforting, steaming beverage of childhood winter nights has gotten a sexy makeover from the biggest names in the hot-drink business, and the public is slurping it up. Starbucks unveiled …

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Rosemary Palmer and her husband, Paul Schroeder, were making plans to attend funerals of Marine reservists killed earlier this week when two uniformed servicemen came down her street. It was her family’s turn. “We knew. They didn’t even get a chance to knock,” Palmer said. The couple’s …

JERUSALEM – An Israeli government official said Friday the population in its West Bank (search) settlements has grown by more than 12,000 in the past year, reinforcing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s (search) goal of strengthening large settlement blocs while withdrawing from the Gaza Strip. The latest figures drew new criticism …

CRAWFORD, Texas – President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana (search) on Saturday because of the approach of Hurricane Katrina (search) and his spokesman urged residents along the coast to heed authorities’ advice to evacuate. Bush, vacationing at his ranch, was being regularly updated about the storm, which …

OKLAHOMA CITY – An explosive device was found in a passenger’s carryon bag as the man passed through a checkpoint, and federal agents arrested him, the FBI said Thursday. Officials have found no apparent connection between Charles Alfred Dreyling Jr. and any terrorist group or activity, said Agent Gary Johnson, …