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VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI said on the first anniversary of his election as pontiff Wednesday that he could not do the job alone, and he asked for continued prayers to be the “gentle and firm” pastor of the Roman Catholic Church. A visibly moved Benedict told an estimated …

WEST POINT, N.Y. – A month ago, 28-year-old Army coach Maggie Dixon left the Christl Arena court on the shoulders of jubilant cadets after leading the women’s basketball team to its first NCAA tournament berth. On Friday, Dixon was mourned in a chapel across the U.S. Military Academy‘s campus, a …

CHICAGO – No. 3 U.S. burger chain Wendy’s International Inc. (WEN) on Friday said sales at its U.S. company-owned restaurants open at least 15 months fell 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter. At U.S. franchised restaurants, same-store sales fell 1.9 percent. Wendy’s has seen sales pressured in recent months as …

FAIRFAX, Va. – Two of the most prominent and largest Episcopal parishes in Virginia voted overwhelmingly Sunday to leave The Episcopal Church and join fellow Anglican conservatives forming a rival denomination in the U.S. Truro Church in Fairfax and The Falls Church in Falls Church plan to place themselves under …

WASHINGTON – The government’s anti-drug ad campaign has not been proven to deter children from using drugs, and lawmakers should consider reducing funding for the $1.2 billion program, congressional auditors said Friday. The Government Accountability Office based its recommendation on its review of an independent evaluation of the media campaign …

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria – Three Filipino oil workers taken hostage in southern Nigeria were released in the presence of reporters early Monday after being held by unidentified captors for more than a week. The men, kidnapped last Friday, were handed over to the Filipino ambassador in Nigeria’s oil hub of …

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other city officials won’t have to testify in a trial challenging the city’s sale of a 14-acre garden that was reclaimed by the landowner and bulldozed last week amid protests. The plaintiffs had subpoenaed Villaraigosa and nearly a dozen members of the city …

WASHINGTON – States and cities could eventually lose $3 billion a year if Congress prohibits them from taxing companies that earn income in their states but do business without local employees or offices. The House expects to debate a bill Tuesday mandating that businesses have at least one employee in …

SAN`A, Yemen – Suicide bombers tried to strike two oil facilities in Yemen with explosives-packed cars, but authorities foiled the attacks and four bombers and a security guard were killed, the government said Friday. The attempts came ahead of this week’s presidential elections, in which President Ali Abdullah Saleh faces …

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The F-14 Tomcat, the dogfighting Cold War fighter jet immortalized in the movie “Top Gun,” made its ceremonial final flight Friday in a display that suggested the timing was right for retirement. Pilot Lt. Cmdr. David Faehnle and radar intercept officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert Gentry gave …