NASSAU, Bahamas – A Bahamas paramedic was charged Monday in an alleged scheme to extort $25 million from John Travolta after his chronically ill son died of a seizure at the family’s vacation home. Tarino Lightbourne, 47, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to extort and conspiracy to extort …

Expectations are high for President Obama’s first 100 days. Can he fix the economy and the housing crisis? Will he fulfill his promise to withdraw American troops from Iraq and increase the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan? What will he do about continuing tensions in the Mideast? Talk about stress. …

BELGRADE, Serbia – Stefan Markovic slipped and stumbled on Belgrade’s icy streets and cursed both the Russians and the Ukrainians for the bad air he’s breathing. “Those damned Soviets!” he shouted. “First they destroyed us with their communism. Now they create more misery. They even poisoned the air we breathe.” …

OAKLAND, Calif. – The transit officer who shot and killed an unarmed man may have mistakenly pulled his service pistol instead of a stun gun, according to documents filed by his lawyer Friday. Attorney Michael Rains made the argument in urging a judge to grant bail for 27-year-old Johannes Mehserle. …

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A captive reptile in New Zealand has unexpectedly become a father at the ripe old age of 111 after receiving treatment for a cancer that made him hostile toward prospective mates. The centenarian tuatara, named Henry, was thought well past the mating game until he was …

Served on a plate, George would have cost a hungry diner more than $100, but this elderly crustacean has been set free instead. George is a 140-year-old lobster that was granted a reprieve by the New York City restaurant City Crab and Seafood. The 20-pound crustacean was returned to the …

WASHINGTON – Here’s rare good news about an environmental crisis: We dodged disaster with the ozone layer. A NASA study about ozone-munching chemicals from aerosol sprays and refrigeration used a computer model to play a game of what-if: What if the world 22 years ago didn’t agree to cut back …

NEWARK, N.J. – Two officials of a Florida-based charter jet company charged in connection with a 2005 crash at Teterboro Airport pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday. Joseph Singh and Brien McKenzie were the first of six former officials of Fort Lauderdale-based Platinum Jet Management to make court appearances …

NEW YORK – It was no illusion. Legendary illusionists Siegfried and Roy appeared in public last weekend for the first time in more than five years, sharing the stage with the Bengal tiger that had ended their careers, for what they said was one last performance. “They really wanted a …

LOS ANGELES – Disney’s “Race to Witch Mountain” raced to No. 1 at the weekend box office, bypassing expectations with $25 million in ticket sales. The PG-rated sci-fi flick starring Dwayne Johnson as a cab driver with a pair of alien teenagers along for the ride topped the R-rated superhero …