Hollywood has been sending actor Patrick Swayze messages of support ever since news broke that Swayze was fighting a tough battle with pancreatic cancer, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper is reporting. “It is so sad,” Swayze’s “Dirty Dancing” co-star, Jennifer Grey, said, according to the Telegraph. “If I saw him on the …

DAYTON, Ohio – President Bush on Thursday defended the slow pace of progress in Iraq, asserting “it is not foot-dragging” as Iraqi politicians try to reach agreement on political, security and economic goals. Bush derided calls from Congress for troop withdrawals or deadlines so that the military could focus more …

In 1992, the ELF was founded in Brighton, England The ELF advocates “monkeywrenching,” a euphemism for acts of sabotage and property destruction against industries and other entities perceived to be damaging to the natural environment “Monkeywrenching” includes tree spiking, arson, sabotage of logging or construction equipment, and other types of …

A South African woman was scared to death on Monday — literally. Nora Mazibuko, 68, was inside of a post office when a security guard’s gun accidentally went off and the noise frightened her, causing her to collapse, Health24.com reports. Mazibuko’s daughter, Philisiwe Mazibuko, who was waiting outside, said her …

ALBANY, N.Y. – As he is sworn in as the state’s 55th governor, Lt. Gov. David Paterson plans to use his inaugural speech to project confidence and optimism, while relating his own personal struggles to the ability of New York to overcome challenges, an aide said. Paterson, who is legally …

BAGHDAD – Iraq’s main Sunni bloc boycotted a conference Tuesday aimed at reconciling the nation’s sectarian groups, a sign of the deep schisms still facing this country. Members of the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front said they would not participate in the conference until Shiite lawmakers address their political demands. They …

DALLAS – The man who owns the .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver Jack Ruby used to kill accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald says the gun is going up for auction this month in Las Vegas. Anthony Pugliese III, who paid $200,000 for the gun at an auction in 1991, won’t …

BOONEVILLE, Ark. – An explosion at a meat packing plant on Sunday caused an ammonia gas leak that forced 180 people from their homes, but none of those working at the plant was injured, emergency responders said. The explosion in the western Arkansas town of 4,000 occurred in the freezer …

NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans police have cordoned off the area where officers shot and killed a man this afternoon. Yellow tape blocks traffic in both directions along Saint Charles Avenue, as well as the wide median about eight blocks from Lee Circle. Police spokesman David Adams has not yet …

JERUSALEM – A Palestinian homicide bomber blew himself up among shoppers outside a mall Monday, killing at least five people and putting pressure on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for a tough response ahead of a fierce election campaign. Sharon held an emergency meeting of his security Cabinet to decide how …