Legendary Singer James Brown Dies at 73  —  James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said.  He was 73.  —  Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia …

Ethiopia Hits Somali Targets, Declaring War  —  Ethiopia officially plunged into war with Somalia's Islamist forces on Sunday, bombing targets inside Somalia and pushing ground troops deep into Somali territory in a major escalation that could turn Somalia's internal crisis into a violent religious conflict …

The Peaceful Crusader  —  AMID all the useless bloodshed of the Crusades, there is one story that suggests an extended clash of civilizations between Islam and the West was not preordained.  It concerns the early 13th-century friar Francis of Assisi, who joined the Fifth Crusade not as a warrior but as a peacemaker.

Alarming 9/11 claim is found baseless  —  A military analysts' chart did not identify hijackers beforehand, senators report.  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee has rejected as untrue one of the most disturbing claims about the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes …

'Twas the Blogger's Night Before Christmas  —  'TWAS THE BLOGGER'S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS  —  'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the 'sphere  —  Bloggers were glad to see Christmas draw near.  —  Their PCs were turned off and all put away  —  The bloggers were swearing to take off the day.

10 myths — and 10 truths — about atheism  —  SEVERAL POLLS indicate that the term "atheism" has acquired such an extraordinary stigma in the United States that being an atheist is now a perfect impediment to a career in politics (in a way that being black, Muslim or homosexual is not).

Iran Rebuffs U.N., Vows to Speed Up Uranium Enrichment  —  Iran vowed Sunday to press ahead with uranium enrichment despite U.N. economic sanctions aimed at forcing a rollback in its nuclear program, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that the penalties would hurt the West more than his country.

FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Dec 25  —  Source: Reuters  —  Dec 25 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq as of 1500 GMT on Monday:  —  * denotes new or updated item.  —  *BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded near a U.S. patrol in southern Baghdad …

Climate of fear  —  BACK IN 1961, Rod Serling set an episode of "The Twilight Zone" in New York City at a time of uncontrolled global warming.  Somehow the Earth's orbit had shifted, and the planet was moving inexorably toward the sun.  "This is the eve of the end," Serling intoned in his introduction.

Italy Makes Arrest in Spy's Poisoning  —  ROME (AP) — An Italian who met with an ex-KGB agent the day the Russian fell fatally ill from radiation poisoning was arrested on Sunday, the man's father said.  —  The accusations against Mario Scaramella — international arms trafficking and slander …