PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – U.N. troops and ex-soldiers from Haiti’s (search) disbanded army fought two gun battles in the country’s west and center on Sunday, killing at least four people, including two peacekeepers, in the deadliest day for the 10-month-old U.N. mission, officials said. The Sri Lankan and Nepalese soldiers who …

ROME – Pope John Paul II (search) made the sign of the cross from the window of his hospital and greeted hundreds of faithful waiting in the courtyard below for the second Sunday since he was rushed back to the clinic with breathing trouble 11 days ago. Wearing his white …

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – They rode in chauffeured limousines, were whisked across the country in private jets and were treated to spas at luxury resorts. Along the way, the poor family with the cancer-stricken son circulated within a constellation of celebrities — Chris Tucker (search), George Lopez (search), Kobe Bryant …

BEMIDJI, Minn. – A teenager wounded in the Red Lake High School shooting said he reached out to gunman Jeff Weise (search) before the attack because the boy seemed to have no friends. “He looked like a cool guy, and then I talked to him a few times,” 15-year-old Cody …

PHILADELPHIA – In the final weeks of Philadelphia’s heated 2003 mayoral campaign, FBI (search) agents crept into City Hall and installed a microphone above the mayor’s desk. For months, they had been gathering evidence that city contracts were being traded for campaign contributions. They wanted to know whether Mayor John …

WASHINGTON – President Bush said he has a deep desire to see Lebanon secure religious and political freedom as he welcomed a leading Lebanese Christian into the Oval Office on Wednesday. Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir (search), head of the 900,000-member Maronite Catholic Church, has been a longtime critic of Syria’s …

People who go in for lip piercing (search) may get more than they bargained for. Besides attracting attention, they could also wind up with receding gums (search). Lip piercing can lead to receding gums and may make the problem worse, say researchers from Ohio State University. They compared the gums …

This is a partial transcript of “Special Report With Brit Hume,” March 17, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. Watch “Special Report With Brit Hume” weeknights at 6 p.m. ET (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: The president of the United States has not given us …

This is a partial transcript of “The Big Story With John Gibson,” March 3, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. JOHN GIBSON, HOST: At long last, training Iraqi troops is becoming a worldwide effort. NATO (search) members giving the coalition a boost in getting Iraqi forces up to par, …

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. – Two men have been charged in connection with the abduction and slaying of a 10-year-old girl whose body was found in a creek, authorities said. Charles Hickman (search), 20, charged with murder and criminal confinement in the death of Katlyn Collman (search), told investigators her abduction was …