MEXICO CITY – Conservative Felipe Calderon is acting more like Mexico’s president-elect every day, preparing a transition team and announcing plans for a national tour despite efforts by his rival to overturn the election results. Calderon’s presidential airs are infuriating leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who says the July 2 …

GENEVA – The United States should adopt a moratorium on death sentences, a U.N. rights body said Friday, noting that capital punishment appears to be disproportionately imposed on minority groups and poor people. The U.S. “should place a moratorium on capital sentences, bearing in mind the desirability of abolishing death …

NEW YORK – The biggest challenge of his life awaits Joey Chestnut on the Fourth of July — and he doesn’t want to choke. It’s a legitimate worry. Chestnut aims to inhale more than four dozen frankfurters in 12 minutes at the annual Coney Island hot dog eating competition. And …

ORLANDO, Fla. – Mickey Mouse made this medium-sized city loom much larger in the public eye than its population would suggest, but this year it has been running up a big-city statistic its residents would be better off without. In less than seven months this city of about 215,000 reported …

Microsoft needs to back up and re-fork its OS development from Windows 2000 Professional or even Windows NT 4.0. Then it needs to find a “pope” who can understand the code base. Let me explain. First, the coders seem to assume that Windows 2000 Professional is the best version of …

MADISON, Wis. – Las Vegas-style gambling, from slot machines to craps, can continue on Indian reservations in Wisconsin under a state Supreme Court decision released Friday. The court declined to curtail the gambling allowed on land held by 11 tribes, which operate 28 casinos. Dairyland Greyhound Park, a Kenosha dog …

KISMAYO, Somalia – Islamic militia opened fire Monday on several thousand protesters, wounding two children who were demonstrating against the fundamentalists’ takeover of a strategic Somali seaport, witnesses said Monday. Islamic fighters with white bands on their heads fired toward demonstrators who had set tires ablaze in protest at the …

WASHINGTON – House Republicans took a new crack at old immigration issues Thursday with pre-election votes on deporting gang members, imprisoning tunnelers and empowering local police to arrest illegal immigrants. With no prospects this year for passing broader immigration changes favored by the Senate, House GOP leaders said taking action …

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans on Wednesday rejected a Democratic attempt to attach dozens of national security programs to legislation intended to protect seaports. The Democrats’ proposal had threatened the overall ports security bill, which would install monitors at the 22 largest ports. These devices would screen for materials used to …

FRANKFURT, Germany – Two U.S. soldiers were killed after their attack helicopter crashed on a training mission, the U.S. Army said Wednesday. In a brief statement, the 1st Armored Division said that the two soldiers were killed Tuesday night in the accident when their AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter crashed at …