Dutch bishop: Call God 'Allah' to ease relations  —  Roman Catholic leader stokes already heated debate on religion  —  AMSTERDAM - A Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands has proposed people of all faiths refer to God as Allah to foster understanding, stoking an already heated debate …

An Early Clash Over Iraq Report  —  Senior congressional aides said yesterday that the White House has proposed limiting the much-anticipated appearance on Capitol Hill next month of Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker to a private congressional briefing …

Unknown noises from mine shift drilling plan  —  HUNTINGTON, Utah (CNN) — Rescue workers said they detected a noise Wednesday night — though it's unclear what it was — deep inside the Utah mine where six men have been trapped for nine days.  —  "We saw some indication of noise for a period …

Earthquake in Peru Kills Hundreds  —  A powerful earthquake shook Peru Wednesday night, killing at least 337 people, Civil Defense authorities said today.  More than 800 people are believed to have been injured.  —  Most of the reported dead were in the region near Ica, south of the capital …

Judges Skeptical of State-Secrets Claim  —  Lawyers for the Bush administration encountered a federal appeals court Wednesday that appeared deeply skeptical of a blanket claim that the government's surveillance efforts cannot be challenged in court because the litigation might reveal state secrets.

Rush Interviews Karl Rove  —  BEGIN TRANSCRIPT  —  RUSH: I would like to introduce you all to Karl Rove.  Karl, welcome to the EIB Network.  I cannot tell you how great it is finally to have you here with us.  —  KARL ROVE: Well, thanks, Rush.  I'm honored you'd ask me and delighted to be with you.

Fred Thompson's Gamble  —  When Fred Thompson makes his long-delayed entrance into the Republican presidential race, he will not tiptoe quietly.  Instead, he will try to shake up the establishment candidates of both parties by depicting a nation in peril from fiscal and security threats …

Patriotic parents needed to reignite Ruskie baby boom  —  MOSCOW - This would make a heck of a reality TV show.  —  The baby-poor Russian region of Ulyanovsk wants to its people to procreate, and has come up with a holiday and prizes to encourage them to their duty for Mother Russia.

The Death of Diversity  —  People in ethnically diverse settings don't care about each other.  —  Diversity was once just another word.  Now it's a fighting word.  One of the biggest problems with diversity is that it won't let you alone.  Corporations everywhere have force-marched middle managers …

Reign of Error  —  THE AVERAGE NEWSPAPER CORRECTS VERY FEW OF ITS FACTUAL ERRORS, SAYS PROFESSOR.  —  The average newspaper should expand by a factor of 50 the amount of space given to corrections if Scott R. Maier's research is any guide.  —  Maier, an associate professor at the University …

FBI probes contracts to company with ties to Stevens  —  WASHINGTON — The FBI is investigating the National Science Foundation's award of $170 million in contracts to the oil field services company that oversaw renovations on U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens' home, McClatchy Newspapers has learned.

Army Suicides Highest in 26 Years  —  WASHINGTON — Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new military report.  —  The report, obtained by The Associated Press ahead …

Blogger gets hot and bothered over Nasa's climate data error  —  An amateur meteorologist in Canada has embarrassed Nasa scientists into admitting that some of the data they used to show significant recent increases in global warming is flawed.  —  As a result of Stephen McIntyre's calculations …

Death toll from Iraq bombings likely to be worst of war  —  BAGHDAD — Officials said Wednesday that as many as 500 people probably died in a series of coordinated truck bombings that devastated two northern Iraqi villages Tuesday and set a record for mass carnage in war-torn Iraq.