WASHINGTON – Claiming a victory against X-rated spam, the Federal Trade Commission (search) late Tuesday won an order to shut down illegal Internet advertising for six companies accused of profiting from sexually explicit e-mail. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip M. Pro (search) in Las Vegas granted the commission’s request …

HEBRON, West Bank – Seven candidates are contesting the Palestinian presidential elections on Jan. 9. They are: ——— Mahmoud Abbas, 69: interim Palestinian leader, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the nominee of the ruling Fatah party. Abbas, a prime minister under Yasser Arafat, is a pragmatist who opposes …

JERUSALEM – A pro-peace group is hoping that a potent mix of Hollywood glamour and religion will motivate Palestinians to vote in next week’s presidential elections — and their star attraction is actor Richard Gere (search). Gere, together with an Islamic cleric and a Greek Orthodox Church official, recorded a …

WASHINGTON – Although Judge John Roberts (search) has had a distinguished legal career, with only two years of service on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit he has not established an extensive judicial record. Some of the more instructive cases about his judicial philosophy are ones about …

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked thousands of Floridians whose homes were damaged by last summer’s four hurricanes to give back more than $27 million in aid overpayments. FEMA earlier this year began mailing letters to residents in efforts to recoup the overpayments from people …

People who drink coffee regularly may lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But don’t count on a daily jolt of java to fend off diabetes just yet. The researchers reporting the finding aren’t advising coffee as a diabetes prevention method. They say they found support for the idea …

NEW YORK – Grammy-winning singer Ashanti (search) hit a sour note with a federal jury, which concluded Thursday she owes $630,000 to her first producer for breach of contract. The singer was not in court when the jury returned its verdict in favor of Genard Parker (search), who worked with …

WASHINGTON – The same day a federal agency assumed control of United Airlines’ pension plans (search), House Republicans advanced legislation aimed at reducing similar defaults in the future. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, in a roll-call Thursday that Democrats protested by voting “present,” approved a bill that: …

NEW YORK – Billy Bob Thornton (search) has effectively brought the drunk, foul-mouthed Kriss Kringle of his “Bad Santa” to the baseball diamond. In the remake of the 1976 sandlot classic “Bad News Bears,” (search) Thornton doubles the “anti” in Walter Matthau’s anti-hero. Leading a team of young misfits, he …

NEW YORK – Although Roger Waters (search) dabbled with operatic themes in Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” (search) he’s never written a traditional opera — until now. Waters will debut “Ca Ira (There Is Hope),” (search) his opera about the French Revolution, Sept. 27 with a double-CD and DVD project from …