Top headlines:
The FBI launches hiring blitz: The FBI said has launched one of the largest hiring blitzes in its 100-year history involving 2,100 professional staff vacancies and 850 special agents aimed at filling its most critical vacancies. ›17:14 6 Jan, Tue
Engineer: Ash spill warning signs ignored: The nation's largest government-run utility ignored two small leaks that could have provided a warning years before a Tennessee coal ash pond collapsed, a former federal regulator contends. ›23:35 6 Jan, Tue
Policeman feared missing arrested in Vegas: An Alabama police organized crime specialist who vanished last week was arrested in Las Vegas and accused of staging his disappearance to cover up a theft, police said Tuesday. ›16:05 6 Jan, Tue
Soap operas deliver safe-sex message: A federal study is using short videos to go beyond pamphlets on safe sex and deliver the message to women who might otherwise tune it out. ›20:51 3 Jan, Sat
Beijing woman dies from bird flu, China says: A Chinese woman has died from bird flu in a Beijing hospital, the government reported , but the World Health Organization said the case did not signal a new public health threat. ›20:46 6 Jan, Tue
Check out the latest batch of travel photos: Its A Snap! ›23:50 2 Jan, Fri
Officials fear rise in monoxide poisonings: Power outages spurred by the combination of bad weather and utility shutoffs in a bad economy could boost cases of carbon monoxide poisonings this year, health officials fear. ›14:05 6 Jan, Tue
Video: From the fall of Saigon to halls of Congress: Jan. 6: Louisiana Congressman Joseph Cao is the first Republican in more than a century to win the seat representing New Orleans, marking an extraordinary journey by a man who toppled a political giant and bucked conventional wisdom in the process. NBC's Ron Mott reports.(Nightly News) ›00:11
Destinations vie to be named a natural Wonder: The Grand Canyon, Mt. Everest and Loch Ness will vie with more than 200 other spectacular places in the next phase of the global competition for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. ›02:07
The games that make seeking so satisfying: "Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst" is a game so absorbing that it will leave you staring unblinkingly at your computer screen until your eyeballs shrivel into raisins and begin rattling around in your skull. ›10:59 6 Jan, Tue
New appeal in $54 million pants case: A former U.S. judge who unsuccessfully sued his South Korean immigrant dry cleaners for $54 million over a lost pair of pants is not giving up. ›21:40 6 Jan, Tue
Sail to Asia in luxury for a discount: Although exotic cruises to Asia can indeed cost a pretty penny, weve found a spring voyage on VacationsToGo.com priced at 33 percent off rack rates at $3,995. ›14:42 6 Jan, Tue
Boy, 6, misses bus, tries to drive to school: Having missed his bus, a 6-year-old Virginia boy tried to drive to school in his family's sedan and crashed. ›18:27 6 Jan, Tue
Europe hit with natural gas shortage: The Russia-Ukraine natural gas dispute hit Europe with the force of a winter storm Tuesday, cutting or limiting supplies to nearly a dozen nations. ›19:31 6 Jan, Tue
Lawyer: Phone use gripe preceded train crash: Lawyers for victims in a deadly commuter rail crash say the train engineer's employer knew he regularly used his cell phone while operating trains. ›01:29
Researchers make car parts out of coconuts: A team at Baylor University has made trunk liners, floorboards and car door interior covers using fibers from the outer husks of coconuts, replacing the synthetic polyester fibers typically used in composite materials. ›23:59 6 Jan, Tue
Baby's corpse thrown out with hospital's trash: Police are searching garbage dumps in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the body of a baby that was apparently thrown out with the trash at a Jersey City hospital. ›16:46 6 Jan, Tue
The fall of green travel: Environmentally-conscious vacations are out of fashion. Travelers expect their next getaway to be green and theyre not willing to pay more for it. ›22:56 5 Jan, Mon
Nicaragua turns to wind power: Energy-starved Nicaragua is turning to wind as it tries to reduce its dependence on oil-based power. ›22:15 1 Jan, Thu
New Year's in reverse: Ball set to rise: Happy new year in reverse! The massive Waterford Crystal ball that descended in Times Square to ring in 2009 is being lit again and sent back up a 141-foot flagpole, where it will remain year-round. ›14:01 6 Jan, Tue
Billionaire kills himself over financial crisis: The family of Adolf Merckle says the German billionaire committed suicide after his business empire got into trouble because of the global financial crisis. ›21:01 6 Jan, Tue
Ex-contractor to face charge in Iraq death: Federal prosecutors intend to charge a former security contractor for Blackwater USA in the killing of an Iraqi guard in 2006, his lawyer said Tuesday. ›20:55 6 Jan, Tue
Motorola phone made from recycled bottles: Motorola unveiled a cell phone made of recycled water bottles on Tuesday, hoping to cash in on the trend for environmentally friendly products. ›00:37
Mars trip proposed for space shuttles: The co-founder of a rocket launch firm has proposed an audacious plan to send astronauts on a one-way trek to Mars using a pair of tethered U.S. space shuttles that would parachute to the Martian surface. ›01:33
