Organizers of a California pumpkin weigh-off championship said a $25,000 prize will go to the person who grows the world”s first 1-ton pumpkin. The winning pumpkin at the Half Moon Bay, Calif., competition must break the 2,000-pound threshold and be the heaviest pumpkin weighed in at...

U.S. actress and recording star Queen Latifah is to serve as host of a syndicated daytime talk show to debut in the fall of 2013, its producers said. Corin Nelson is to be executive producer of the program from Flavor Unit Entertainment, Overbrook Entertainment and Sony Pictures...

U.S. actress, autism activist and author Jenny McCarthy says she plans to pose nude for Playboy at the age of 39. The New York Daily News said she is to appear sans clothing in the publication”s July-August issue, which hits newsstands June 29. She made her first appearance in...

The Weinstein Co. says it has acquired the U.S. rights to “The Oath of Tobruk,” a documentary about the end of Moammar Gadhafi”s reign in Libya. French philosopher, journalist and filmmaker Bernard-Henri Levy made the documentary during the eight-month period of conflict...

Irish actor Gabriel Byrne is to star in the History channel”s first scripted drama series, “Vikings.” Byrne is best known for his work in TV”s “In Treatment,” as well as the films “Vanity Fair,” “The Usual Suspects,”...

Michael Jackson”s record label says it plans to release a 25th anniversary edition of the late American pop star”s “Bad” album. Epic/Legacy Recordings said it is working with Jackson”s estate on the “Bad 25″ set, which is to be released Sept....

U.S. President Barack Obama ticked off a list of accomplishments Monday at the close of the NATO leaders meeting in Chicago. Obama praised his counterparts for reaching agreements on Afghanistan, the European missile defense system and how to pool resources in these tough economic...

NATO leaders say they”re committed to providing Afghanistan with the money and training needed to transition to a life without NATO forces. The International Security Assistance Force, meeting at the NATO summit in Chicago, said the foundation of NATO”s transition strategy is...

The Orlando Magic fired Coach Stan Van Gundy Monday and agreed to “part ways” with General Manager Otis Smith. “These are the days you dread in this business, but we feel it”s time for new leadership and new voices,” Magic Chief Executive Officer Alex Martins...

British rock band Coldplay confirmed on its Web site plans to perform at the Paralympic Games closing ceremony this summer in London. The Paralympics are multi-sport events in which athletes with disabilities compete. This year”s edition is to start Aug. 29. Coldplay said Sunday it...

U.S. stock indexes rose Monday despite disappointing numbers posted by high-tech hopeful Facebook. After its initial public offering Friday, Facebook shares backpedaled Monday, closing at $34.03, down $4.20. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index, which won bragging rights by signing on the...

European antitrust regulators said it was in the public”s interest to reach a settlement with Google quickly to resolve allegations of market abuse. “I believe that these fast-moving markets would particularly benefit from a quick resolution of the competition issues...

A massive 2010 earthquake-tsunami in Chile caused the surprising reappearance of long-forgotten beach habitats and species not seen for years, researchers say. Such a result may not be among the expected effects of a natural disaster but that”s what happened after the 8.8-magnitude...

Washington, D.C., Councilmember Marion Barry was hospitalized in Las Vegas Monday for a blood clot he developed while traveling, officials said. Barry was in Las Vegas as part of a D.C. delegation attending RECon, an international shopping center convention, WRC-TV, Washington,...

More than 100 protesters marched Monday to the downtown Chicago headquarters of Boeing in an anti-war demonstration coinciding with the end of the NATO summit. WLS-TV and WBBM-TV reported as many as 150 protesters marched 2.5 miles from Union Park on the city”s Near West Side to...

NATO leaders meeting in Chicago say an interim ballistic missile defense system in Europe is a reality. The missile shield is designed to protect European countries against the increasing threats posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles, NATO said Sunday. Members of the alliance...

Newly inaugurated French President Francois Hollande missed U.S. President Obama”s speech Monday at the Chicago NATO session on Afghanistan. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Hollande was late because he was meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Hollande, who...

Fatah and Hamas representatives met Monday in the Gaza Strip on a deal to register new voters in Gaza and establish a unity government, officials said. Under the agreement reached Sunday in Cairo, the Palestinian Elections Commission will start work in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip May...

Jurors began their first full day of deliberations Monday in the case of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, accused of using campaign funds to cover up an affair. The jury received the case Friday following jury instructions. Prosecutors and defense attorneys presented their closing arguments...

Battles between Lebanese factions supporting or opposing Syrian President Bashar Assad left several people dead in Lebanon Monday, officials said. Fighting led to the expulsion of the pro-Assad Arab Movement Party from a largely Sunni Muslim neighborhood in the southern part of Beirut, The...

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett said President Obama may not be on the state”s ballot if Hawaii doesn”t verify his birth certificate. Bennett said last week he”s been asking Hawaii for verification that the state has Obama”s birth certificate on file for two...

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged graduates of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, to help people in need in the United States and abroad. Blair told the 465 graduates of the private, liberal arts college Sunday to pursue “noble causes” such as helping save...

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano arrived in Tehran Monday for nuclear talks, Iranian officials said. Amano was accompanied by his chief inspector, Herman Nackaerts, and colleague Rafael Mariano Grossi. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said the talks will focus...

An investigation into U.S. gang rape allegations against ex-International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been reopened, officials said. Prosecutors in Lille, France, said earlier in May investigators submitted new evidence based on testimony from two Belgian prostitutes...

President Barack Obama “needs to become the adult” on the U.S. debt, said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and he needs to lead, said House Speaker John Boehner. The Senate Republican leader and House speaker intensified their push to secure spending cuts as part of any deal to...

NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving of Cleveland is among 13 players on the select team that will train against the U.S. men”s national basketball team. The teams will work together in Las Vegas in July, preparing for the Summer Olympics beginning July 27 in London. “The USA...

Rafael Nadal won the Italian Open title for the sixth time Monday, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Nadal took his third clay-court title of the year with a 7-5, 6-3 decision over the top-ranked Serb. The Spaniard”s victory came six days before the French Open, the second...

British bird sanctuaries said they are filling up with owls as Harry Potter-inspired pet owners get tired of the birds. Pam Toothill, of the Owlcenter in Corwen, Wales, said she had only six of the birds prior to the release of the first Harry Potter film, but the number has since grown to...

A British retailer selling a T-shirt featuring Queen Elizabeth II”s head on a nearly-nude body said it is meant to be “fun” rather than “properly offensive.” The T-shirt, sold by online retailer Shot Dead in the Head, features the Queen”s head on a...

Zoological experts said they do not believe a penguin spotted in various locations since escaping from a Tokyo aquarium is likely to leave the area. Experts said the Humboldt penguin, which escaped from the local government-run Tokyo Sea Life Park in March has since been seen in various...