TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The son and namesake of former Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles Jr. (search) is dropping out of the 2006 governor’s race, less than two months after announcing he would run, a spokesman said Tuesday. Lawton “Bud” Chiles III (search), 51, decided not to run after learning of a …

A once-a-month pill to help women battle the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis (search) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Boniva will be the first monthly osteoporosis medication, said Dr. Ronald Emkey of Radiant Research in Reading, Pa., which conducted trials of the drug. Current medications are taken weekly. …

MADRID, Spain – An Iraqi-born Spanish businessman kidnapped in Baghdad (search) several weeks ago has been freed after a ransom was paid, Spain’s leading daily reported Thursday. El Pais reported that the kidnapped man, identified only by his initials, U.A.H., was freed Tuesday, El Pais said, citing unidentified government sources. …

GUNUNG SITOLI, Indonesia – Indonesia’s government acknowledged Thursday it has been slow in delivering food and water to victims of the nation’s latest massive earthquake, as rescuers pulled survivors and bodies out of rubble on two islands. The government lowered its estimated death toll to between 400 and 500 people …

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A woman bared her chest and shouted “shame, shame” in an apparent protest against the monarchy as Britain’s Prince Charles (search) arrived at an official function Tuesday in New Zealand’s (search) capital. The woman, exposed from the waist up, was grabbed by two uniformed police officers, …

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesian prosecutors have appealed a 30-month sentence handed down to militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir (search) for conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings — a move likely to please Australia and the United States, which are hoping for a longer sentence against the preacher. Chief prosecutor Salman …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Al Qaeda (search) in Iraq released a video Sunday claiming to show the murder of an Interior Ministry official, and the debate raged about religion’s place in Iraq’s much-anticipated new government as lawmakers were summoned to their second-ever session. Supporters of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi criticized …

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – In a huge blow to Michael Jackson‘s (search) defense, the judge in the pop star’s child molestation trial ruled Monday that jurors can hear evidence about five past allegations that the singer molested or groomed children for molestation, including actor Macaulay Culkin (search). Also among the …

WASHINGTON – The nation’s electronic intelligence agency warned President Bush (search) in 2001 that monitoring U.S. adversaries would require a “permanent presence” on networks that also carry Americans’ messages that are protected from government eavesdropping. The warning was contained in a National Security Agency (search) report entitled “Transition 2001,” sent …

WASHINGTON – Inflation at the wholesale level rose by 0.4 percent last month, the biggest increase in three months, as the price of energy and food products shot upward, the government reported Tuesday. The increase in the Labor Department’s (search) Producer Price Index (search) followed a 0.3 percent increase in …