Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin  —  CAIRNS, Australia - Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef.  He was 44.

G.O.P. Seen to Be in Peril of Losing House  —  After a year of political turmoil, Republicans enter the fall campaign with their control of the House in serious jeopardy, the possibility of major losses in the Senate, and a national mood so unsettled that districts once considered safely Republican …

A Different Face of Iran  —  Despite the Politics, an American Finds Hope in a Forbidden Land  —  As a journalist, I've spent considerable time over the years in places where America was not always popular.  In the bad old days, that meant Russia, China and Vietnam; more recently I've reported …

Attacking Inequality  —  Tax Reform Has the Greatest Potential To Narrow the Gap  —  By now almost everyone agrees that inequality is serious.  Economic growth no longer seems to help the majority of workers; the proceeds flow to the top fifth or so of the workforce, and the top within the top has done especially handsomely.

Not Wanted: An Exit Strategy  —  The mostly bad news from Iraq this summer left a lot of people in Washington, including a few in the Bush administration, feeling confused, anxious and doubtful about whether the Iraqi government can deliver on its promise to stabilize the country.

Al-Qaeda Invites Me to Join Its Ranks  —  In a statement today, Al-Qaeda's American rep, Adam Gadahn (né Adam Perlman, whom the FBI seeks "in connection with possible terrorist threats against the United States"), has this to say: … So, Al-Qaeda wants me and my "sword" (a reference …

Caine hits out against today's 'banal' films  —  FILMS made today pale against cinema classics of the past because they are so lacking in dialogue, character and plot, Sir Michael Caine told The Times yesterday.  —  The Oscar-winning star has lost count of the number of times he has seen films …

Hijacking 9/11  —  The ABC television network is using the fifth anniversary of 9/11 as an opportunity to rewrite history.  On September 10 and 11, ABC/Disney will broadcast "The Path to 9/11", a 6-hour, two-part "docudrama" written and produced by conservative filmmakers who place a lion's share …

FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Sept 4  —  Source: Reuters  —  Sept 4 (Reuters) - Following are security and other developments in Iraq reported on Monday, as of 1515 GMT:  —  Asterisk denotes new or updated item.  —  *TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed after his vehicle was hit …

Olmert: Unaware of deal to free Shalit  —  PM denies Arab reports of agreement to release kidnapped soldier within two days in exchange for 1,400 Palestinian prisoners  —  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denied at the opening of hid briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday reports …

British tourist killed in Jordan shooting  —  A British man was killed today when a lone gunman shouting "Allahu Akbar!"  ("God is Great") started firing at a group of Western tourists in the Jordanian capital Amman.  —  A government spokesman said that five other tourists - two British women …