Afghans protest rumored desecration of Koran by U.S. troops  —  Hundreds of protesters in Kabul burn an effigy of President Obama, a sign of rising religious conservatism and anti-Americanism in the country.  The U.S. military denies committing acts of sacrilege.

Prosecutors Turn Tables on Student Journalists  —  EVANSTON, Ill. — For more than a decade, classes of students at Northwestern University's journalism school have been scrutinizing the work of prosecutors and the police.  The investigations into old crimes, as part of the Medill Innocence Project …

Women pay up to 50% more for health insurance premiums  —  Checking the “female” box when buying health insurance is likely to cost extra — perhaps up to 50 percent more than a man would pay for the same coverage.  —  Gender-rating — or what some term as flat-out sexual discrimination …

Newt Gingrich Says He May Run for President in 2012  —  Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker and perennial big thinker in the Republican party, said this morning that he will likely run for president in 2012 if he and his wife, Callista, assess the field of candidates in 2011 and feel “a requirement as citizens that we run.”

Va. GOP makes timely adjustment to changes in state  —  McDonnell looks to end string of Democratic victories  —  In the 12 years since James S. Gilmore III last claimed the governor's mansion for Republicans, Virginia has undergone dramatic demographic changes, becoming more populous, diverse, wealthy and educated.

Online auction to raise funds in Scott Roeder case  —  An Army of God manual.  A prison cookbook compiled by a woman doing time for abortion clinic bombings and arsons.  An autographed bullhorn.  —  These are among the items that abortion foes plan to auction on eBay and other Web sites …

New Nukes!  —  Since taking office, President Obama has consistently asserted that one of his foremost priorities is to transform America's energy landscape and move us away from high levels of carbon emissions and imported energy toward clean energy and less foreign dependence.

Deadly Blasts Rock Baghdad, Killing Dozens  —  BAGHDAD—Two powerful car bombs near high-profile government offices rocked the capital on Sunday in the deadliest attack here this year, killing at least 136 people and raising fresh worry about the capabilities of Iraq's security services ahead of national elections scheduled for January.

Eyes on the Prize  —  BAGHDAD, Aug. 25, 2012 — President Obama flew into Baghdad today on his end-of-term tour to highlight successes in U.S. foreign policy.  At a time when the Arab-Israel negotiations remain mired in deadlock and Afghanistan remains mired in quagmire …

The Public Option: Rumor Check  —  A rumor is making the rounds that the White House and Senator Reid are pursuing different strategies on the public option.  Those rumors are absolutely false.  —  In his September 9th address to Congress, President Obama made clear that he supports …

Veteran reporter's 5 lessons for Obama  —  Editor's note: Columnist and author Helen Thomas, 89, was a United Press International correspondent for 57 years and covered every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy.  Craig Crawford is a TV commentator and political writer.

Historians Reassess Battle of Agincourt  —  MAISONCELLE, France — The heavy clay-laced mud behind the cattle pen on Antoine Renault's farm looks as treacherous as it must have been nearly 600 years ago, when King Henry V rode from a spot near here to lead a sodden and exhausted English Army …

Police in £9m scheme to log ‘domestic extremists’  —  Thousands of activists monitored on network of overlapping databases  —  Police are gathering the personal details of thousands of activists who attend political meetings and protests, and storing their data on a network of nationwide intelligence databases.

In Defense of the ‘Balloon Boy’ Dad  —  FOR a country desperate for good news, the now-deflated “balloon boy” spectacle would seem to be the perfect tonic.  As Wolf Blitzer of CNN summed up the nation's unrestrained joy upon learning that the imperiled boy had never been in any peril whatsoever …