Panda attacks zoo visitor for third time
For the third time,  Gu Gu the panda has attacked someone who climbed into its space, prompting officials at the Beijing Zoo to consider changes to keep visitors away from 240-pound animal.

Failed love museum offers balm for heartbreak

From an empty ring box to sexy lingerie and a pair of fur-lined handcuffs, an exhibition of the relics of failed love has come to Asia, hoping to bring solace to the heartbroken.

NYT: Bush's homeland security setup faces ax

Barack Obama is reportedly preparing to scrap the way President Bush oversaw domestic security in the White House and name a former CIA official to coordinate counterterrorism.

China jails democracy activist for 6 years
A 65-year-old democracy activist who tried to set up an opposition party in China has been sentenced to six years in jail, a human rights group said Thursday.

U.K. slashes interest rates to historic low
The Bank of England cut official interest rates by a half a percentage point to 1.5 percent on Thursday, the lowest level in its 315-year history.

Report slams Pentagon nuke oversight
A Pentagon advisory group plans to release a report Thursday criticizing the Defense Department for lack of focus on its nuclear mission and recommending more oversight, a senior defense official said.

U.S. admiral to head anti-pirate patrols

A U.S. Navy commander will lead a new international force to battle pirates off the coast of Somalia, officials said Thursday.

Rockets from Lebanon hit Israel

Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into Israel early Thursday, threatening to open a new front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with a bloody offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Thousands told to flee Wash. floods

Rain and high winds lashed Washington state, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt.