COLUMBIA, S.C. – A license plate with an image of a cross in front of a stained glass window with the words “I Believe” could be available to drivers in South Carolina under a bill that has won key approval in the Senate. The Senate gave the bill second reading …

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – A Dutch school director preparing an exhibition on Anne Frank has found a Christmas postcard signed by the Jewish teenage diarist, a museum said Wednesday. The card was sent in 1937 and addressed to Samme Ledermann, one of Frank’s best friends, and postmarked from Aachen, a town …

OTAY MOUNTAIN, Calif. – The Otay Mountains east of San Diego have for years provided an open corridor for illegal immigrants entering the United States. But now a unique air unit is closing up this gap, flying in by helicopter every day to catch unsuspecting immigrants. Part mountain goat, part …

During the 2000 election, with Bill Clinton as president, the economy was viewed through rose-colored glasses. According to polls, voters didn’t realize that the country was in a recession. Although the economy started shrinking in July 2000, most Americans through the entire year thought that the economy was fine. But …

WASHINGTON – Sen. Arlen Specter completed his last scheduled round of chemotherapy on Monday and said he planned to celebrate with a martini and dinner with friends. The 78-year-old Republican from Pennsylvania traveled to Washington on Monday after receiving the 12th and final dose at a Philadelphia hospital. He worked …

LOS ANGELES – Batman’s joust with the Joker has set another box office record. Stoked by fan fever over the manic performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, “The Dark Knight” set a one-day box office record with $66.4 million on opening day, Warner Bros. head of distribution …

Experts say a slug with blade-like teeth found in a Welsh garden is a new species, the BBC reported. The creature was discovered in Cardiff last year and sucks in earthworms like spaghetti, the BBC said on Thursday. Another was found in Caerphilly. Called the “ghost slug,” the Selenochlamys ysbryda …

WASHINGTON – The two men nominated to replace the ousted U.S. Air Force leadership said Tuesday they will work to restore trust and confidence in the beleaguered service, under fire for poor handling of its nuclear duties and other missteps. Michael Donley, the nominee for secretary of the Air Force, …

SAN DIEGO – “Terminator Salvation” won’t hit theaters until next summer, but thousands of fans got an early look at a portion of the film Saturday. Director McG presented never-before-seen footage during a Comic-Con panel and offered a few hints about what to expect from the highly anticipated fourth installment …

BELGRADE, Serbia – Just a few months ago, thugs outraged at Kosovo’s independence set part of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on fire, and ultranationalists prepared to seize power. But this week’s capture of genocide suspect Radovan Karadzic revealed an extraordinary turnaround for Serbia, and the prospect of yet another …