Mexico-Beauty-Queen-Death

A Mexican beauty queen was killed during a weekend shootout in the restive northern state of Sinaloa, authorities said Monday. Maria Susana Flores Gamez , 20, was the 2012 Woman of Sinaloa. She was killed Saturday during clashes between criminals and military troops in the municipality of Mocorito. Two others, both men, also were killed in the shootout.

Global-Climate-Talks

On December 11, 1997, the world agreed that climate change needed to be tackled. The grandly named United Nations Framework on Climate Change adopted the Kyoto Protocol on that day, and it was eventually ratified by 191 countries. Now it's about to expire with a whimper.

Germany-Workshop-Fire

Fire raged through a workshop for the disabled in southwestern Germany on Monday, killing 14 people, police said.

Bangladesh-Fire-Mourning

As Bangladesh prepared to mourn the deaths of more than 100 clothing factory workers, firefighters battled a blaze at another apparel factory near Dhaka on Monday.

Israel-Barak-Resigns

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced his resignation Monday, saying he will quit politics in January to spend more time with his family.

US-Mexico-Fugitive-Captured

When Joe Saenz walked up to a Whittier, California-area home in summer 2008, a surveillance video shows he was smiling, rubbing his hands and greeting associates, according to authorities. On the streets he was known by the nickname "Smiley," and his demeanor that day fit that handle -- right up until he reached the front yard of the home. That's when, the FBI and police say, he drew a gun and shot one man several times in the head, execution-style. It was not the first murder Saenz was accused of. Authorities also say that in 1998 he killed two rival gang members and kidnapped, raped and killed his girlfriend. The FBI placed Saenz on its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list in 2009. Authorities suspect he later became a hit man for a Mexican drug cartel. Saenz eluded arrest for 14 years. But on Friday, authorities announced his capture in Guadalajara, Mexico, after a tip led officers to his location.

Dissolving-Sea-Snails

The shells of tiny snails in parts of the Southern Ocean are being dissolved as the water becomes more acidic as a result of the burning of fossil fuels by humans, scientists say.

Bear-attack-british-columbia

An elderly couple survived a bear attack in rural British Columbia, and authorities are hunting for the animal.

Queen-Elizabeth-Portraits-Exhibition

Four portraits of Queen Elizabeth II by pop artist Andy Warhol have gone on display at her home, Windsor Castle, for the first time as part of an exhibition of official images of the monarch marking the end of her Diamond Jubilee year.

SPORT-Golf-McIlroy-Majors-2012

Rory McIlroy is to trim his schedule to focus on 2013's four major trophies after a fairytale year in which he won both the U.S. PGA and European Tour money lists to finish on top of the world rankings.

U.S.A.

SCOTUS-Health-Care-Religion

The Supreme Court has ordered a federal appeals court to take another look at a key requirement in the health care reform law, and whether it violates religious freedoms.

US-Court-Harassment

The Supreme Court on Monday tried to make sense of conflicting standards when determining a key question in workplace discrimination claims: Who is the boss? In an intense oral argument, the justices raised numerous scenarios to explore when a worker's actions were supervisory in nature but appeared uncertain on what approach was best for resolving the central legal question and whether a clear definition could even be established.

US-NASA-Astronaut-Flight

Capt. Scott Kelly, a veteran astronaut, will set the record for the longest single space mission for an American, NASA announced Monday. Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will embark on a one-year mission to the International Space Station in 2015.

US-Space-Travel-Power

For potential power sources on space flights beyond the horizon, scientists are looking back to the future. A team of NASA and Department of Energy researchers has shown that a reliable nuclear reactor based on technology that's been around for decades could be used in spaceships, according to a news release from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where some of the researchers are based.

US-Body-Armor-Plates-Recall