Sunnis and Shiites are the two main branches of Islam, which split off after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632. Some people believed the prophet's son-in-law, Ali, was the rightful heir to lead the faith -- they became Shiites. The Sunnis, mea

A day after a Palestinian construction worker's deadly rampage in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Thursday for reviving the practice of demolishing the homes of attackers' families, and his chief deputy proposed cutting some Arab neighborhoods off from the rest of the city.

About 200 opposition supporters crowded outside the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe on Thursday, appealing for protection amid new reports of violence aimed at dissenters against the heavy-handed rule of President Robert Mugabe.

Joseph Patrick Dwyer, a former Army medic who became famous after he was photographed helping a wounded Iraqi boy, died Saturday from an apparent overdose. He was 31.

A Vermont man whose 12-year-old niece was found dead near his home carefully orchestrated events and e-mails to make it appear she had gone to see someone she met online, prosecutors said Thursday as they charged him with kidnapping.

An explosive wildfire ravaged the hillsides above this scenic coastal community Thursday, leaving the popular tourist region mostly deserted ahead of the holiday weekend.

Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.