The breast cancer drug Herceptin may help prevent breast cancer’s return in some patients, new research shows. That finding comes from a study of about 1,000 women with early breast cancer. More than one in five of those women had the HER2/neu gene, which Herceptin targets. The HER2/neu gene overproduces …

MCALLEN, Texas – The owner of a tour company whose bus exploded and killed 23 nursing home residents as they fled Hurricane Rita pleaded not guilty Monday to conspiracy and safety violations. Global Limo Inc. and its president and director, James H. Maples, are accused in a three-count federal indictment …

NEW YORK – Britney Spears defended photographs showing the pop star driving with her infant son on her lap, saying she was dodging the paparazzi. Several photos published Tuesday showed Spears driving her SUV in Malibu, Calif., with son, Sean Preston, on her lap, rather than strapped into a car …

Sony BMG is not the only company to dabble in using copy-protection technology that resembles rootkits. According to anti-virus vendor F-Secure, based in Helsinki, Finland, the German DVD release of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” — a recent movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie — contains a DRM (digital rights …

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – Authorities are investigating reports of an assault on a Muslim cleric and vandalism and harassment of worshippers at a Detroit-area mosque. The FBI is involved in the case, and Gov. Jennifer Granholm has offered state aid if needed, according to The Detroit News. The reports involve Al-Islah …

WASHINGTON – Al Qaeda is still plotting and preparing attacks on the United States, though great strides have been made to degrade the terror organization, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte told a Senate panel on Thursday. Speaking on behalf of the entire U.S. intelligence community in a rare open session, …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – At least 24 people were killed Monday by bombings across Iraq, including a homicide attack on a bus in Baghdad that left 12 dead. The U.S. command said an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb southeast of Karbala, about 50 miles southeast of Baghdad. The …

NEW YORK – With few physical clues to the whereabouts of an escaped show dog, the hunt for the award-winning whippet has entered another realm. About 12 psychics are counseling searchers as they check the heated cargo buildings near where Vivi escaped from a travel cage at Kennedy International Airport, …

HOUSTON – Andrea Yates‘ attorney rejected a plea offer Monday that would have sent her to prison for 35 years for drowning her children and avoided a retrial. Defense attorney George Parnham said he rejected the plea offer because it doesn’t guarantee Yates would receive mental health treatment. The prosecution …

WASHINGTON – Senators from both parties on Tuesday challenged a Bush administration plan to sell more than 300,000 acres of national forest to help pay for rural schools in 41 states. Lawmakers said the short-term gains would be offset by the permanent loss of public lands. They also said profits …