CHANTILLY, Va. – A federal judge on Thursday rejected a constitutional challenge filed by two former lobbyists with a pro-Israel group who are charged under a World War I-era espionage law with receiving and disclosing national defense information. Lawyers for the two former lobbyists with the American Israel Public Affairs …

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An 18-month-old boy was found dead Wednesday inside a van at his home in northeastern Kentucky, authorities said. Fleming County Deputy Coroner Gary Workman said he suspected the death was heat-related, but said an official cause of death wouldn’t be made until after an autopsy planned for …

WASHINGTON – Federal investigators are pursuing leads in the United States related to the foiled plot to blow up flights from Britain but so far have found no evidence of terrorist activity, Bush administration officials said Friday. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, meanwhile, said he would adjust new flight restrictions …

KIEV, Ukraine – The first funerals were held Saturday for Russians killed when a passenger jet crashed in Ukraine after encountering rough weather, killing all 170 people registered aboard. Meanwhile, the identified remains of 36 victims were being returned to St. Petersburg, Russia, where most of the passengers lived, aboard …

LOS ANGELES – The Will Ferrell comedy “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” raced ahead of the competition to remain the box office champ for a second weekend with $23 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates released Sunday. Last week’s news of another terror plot against airliners …

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Macedonians voted Wednesday in parliamentary elections considered crucial for the tiny Balkan nation’s aspirations of eventual membership in the European Union and NATO. Past polls have been marred by irregularities, and President Branko Crvenkovski urged a free and fair vote in a country struggling to ease tensions …

Israel’s war against the radical Islamic guerrilla group Hezbollah began with the June 26 kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas. For the next two weeks, Israeli forces entered Gaza at will, searching for the kidnapped soldier while trying to dismantle Hamas. On July 12, …

NEW YORK – Retail sales growth stalled in June, leaving merchants wondering whether shoppers who were resilient for much of the year are now curbing their spending because of higher gas prices. As the nation’s retailers began reporting their monthly sales early Thursday, disappointments included Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), Costco …

PARIS – In a story July 4 on the unveiling of a statue of Thomas Jefferson in Paris, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Jefferson served as George Washington’s minister to France in 1785. The Second Continental Congress appointed Jefferson minister. Washington was not president at the time. — France …

PIERSON, Fla. – A Florida woman has won the first round of a nasty cat fight with her neighbors, getting the go-ahead to keep more than 200 felines at her home, at least temporarily. The Volusia County Planning and Land Development Regulation Commission recommended Monday that Kristy Grant, of Pierson, …