RAFAH, Gaza Strip --Tens of thousands of Gazans on foot and riding donkey carts poured into Egypt on Wednesday, after gunmen used land mines to blast down parts of a 12-kilometer (seven-mile) barrier between the two territories _ effectively ending Israel's blockade of Gaza imposed a week ago. Jubilant...

La Mirada --With a lesser number of students present during the break between the spring and fall semesters, Biola took the opportunity to make improvements on the campus. George Davis, supervisor of Facility Planning and Brian Langworthy, landscaping and grounds manager, shared with The Chimes what...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. --''No Country for Old Men'' and ''There Will Be Blood'' led with eight Academy Awards nominations each Tuesday, among them best picture and acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem --but it remained in doubt whether any stars would cross striking writers' picket lines...

NEW YORK -- Nearly 40 years after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., some say his legacy is being frozen in a moment in time that ignores the full complexity of the man and his message. ''Everyone knows --even the smallest kid knows about Martin Luther King --can say his most famous...

MONROVIA, Liberia --One of Liberia's most notorious rebel commanders, known as Gen. Butt Naked for charging into battle wearing only boots, has returned to confess his role in terrorizing the nation, saying he is responsible for 20,000 deaths. Joshua Milton Blahyi, who now lives in Ghana, returned...

WASHINGTON --President Bush, acknowledging the risk of recession, embraced about $145 billion worth of tax relief Friday to give the economy a ''shot in the arm. '' Bush said such a growth package must also include tax incentives for business investment and quick tax relief for individuals. And he...

NEW YORK --Scientists in California say they have produced embryos that are clones of two men, a potential step toward developing scientifically valuable stem cells. The new report documents embryos made with ordinary skin cells. But it's not the first time human cloned embryos have been made. In...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Inc. has redoubled its effort to distribute movies online, gaining a foothold in a promising but unproven business that could eventually bolster its other core products. The tech giant launched a movie rental service at its online iTunes Store Tuesday and won the alliances of...

WASHINGTON --Federal gasoline taxes should be raised up to 40 cents per gallon over five years, a special commission urged Tuesday in calling for drastic changes to fix aging bridges and roads and reduce traffic deaths. The two-year study by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study...

WASHINGTON --Bud Selig and Donald Fehr, the commissioner and union leader often at loggerheads, sat side-by-side Tuesday as Congress pressed them yet again with questions about baseball's doping problem. At a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the same, wood-paneled room where...

SANTA ANA, Calif. --Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona, the target of a federal corruption case, retired Monday to focus on defending himself against the charges. ''With a heavy heart, I therefore announce my retirement as sheriff, effective today,'' Carona announced on the department's Web site....