NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says sanctions imposed on Iran are important but so far haven’t been effective. Netanyahu said today that the Iranian president’s guided tour of centrifuges at Tehran research reactor on Wednesday was proof that sanctions have not properly crippled Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear capabilities. The Israeli […]

VIENNA (AP) — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki- moon says Syria’s relentless attacks on civilians could amount to crimes against humanity. The comment is significant because such crimes usually involve mass atrocities against innocent people and sweeping crackdowns on their human rights. U. N. human rights chief Navi Pillay first used the term Monday, as […]

LOS ANGELES ( AP) — Banks took back more U.S. homes in January than in the previous month, the latest sign that foreclosures are accelerating after slowing sharply last year while lenders sorted out foreclosure abuse claims. Foreclosures rose 8 percent nationally last month from December, but were down 15 percent from a year earlier, […]

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — A helicopter crash in remote northwest Wyoming has killed one of the three people aboard who were trying to help a snowmobiler, and sheriff ’s officials say the snowmobiler also has died. The snowmobiler’s party had called for help Wednesday. Teton County sheriff ’s officials say the helicopter had reached them […]

DETROIT ( AP) — Alain Ghonda travels the globe with heightened awareness after Christmas 2009, when a plane he was on could have been destroyed in midair by a terrorist smuggling a bomb in his underwear. “After having that experience, you do not know who’s sitting next to you,” said Ghonda, 40, a consultant from […]

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors earned its highest profit ever last year. The 103-year-old company made $7.6 billion in 2011, up 62 percent from 2010. Full-year revenue rose 11 percent to $105 billion. North America led the way with a $7.2 billion pretax profit. But problems surfaced that could hurt future earnings. GM lost $700 […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder today threw his support behind Mitt Romney’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination, calling the former Massachusetts governor “the man for the job.” “ Given his accomplishments, background, character, experience, ideas and intellect, Mitt Romney has what it takes to build a foundation for America’s success in this […]

PORTLAND Over the objections of fishermen and shrimp processors, regulators on Wednesday voted to shut down the New England shrimp fishery after Friday because fishermen have reached their catch limit for the season. Fishermen this year were allowed to harvest 4.9 million pounds of the small, sweet shrimp that live in the cold waters of […]

NAPLES (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a man on charges connected to a breakin at a Naples home in 2006 just a month before the statute of limitations would have run out on the investigation. State police say 29-year-old Brandon Libby was indicted earlier this month on the charges of burglary and aggravated […]