Central California man says he strangled his grandmother

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Police say a Central California man jailed for carjacking his mother's vehicle has told detectives he strangled his 78-year-old grandmother.

Children's Hospital receives gift from filmmaker's estate

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Children's Hospital Los Angeles has received an $11 million gift from the estate of late Oscar-winning filmmaker Billy Wilder and his wife.

Record cold in S. California overnight

Southern Californians awoke Thursday to record cold with sub-freezing temperatures in the mountains and deserts, but forecasters said a slight warming trend was on the way.

Latin Americans rank as happiest people on planet

MEXICO CITY (AP) - The world's happiest people aren't in Qatar, the richest country by most measures. They aren't in Japan, the nation with the highest life expectancy. Canada, with its chart-topping percentage of college graduates, doesn't make the top 10.

Game maker THQ files for bankruptcy

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Struggling video game company THQ Inc. said Wednesday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is selling its business.

Adele voted AP Entertainer of the Year

NEW YORK (AP) - Though Adele didn't have a new album or a worldwide tour in 2012, she's still rolling. After a year of Grammy glory and James Bond soundtracking, Adele has been voted The Associated Press Entertainer of the Year.

Ex-ABC News veteran Sam Donaldson charged with DUI

LEWES, Del. (AP) - ABC News veteran and former correspondent Sam Donaldson is facing a drunken driving charge in Delaware.

China's airing of 'V for Vendetta' stuns viewers

BEIJING (AP) - Television audiences across China watched an anarchist antihero rebel against a totalitarian government and persuade the people to rule themselves. Soon the Internet was crackling with quotes of "V for Vendetta's" famous line: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

$66M Kinkade estate dispute secretly settled

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - After a rancorous public showdown, a secret settlement has been reached in the dispute between Thomas Kinkade's widow and girlfriend over the late artist's multi-million-dollar estate.

Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss Universe

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A 20-year-old Boston University sophomore and a self-described "cellist-nerd" brought the Miss Universe crown back to the United States for the first time in more than a decade when she won the televised contest Wednesday.

US Army seeks death penalty in 16 Afghan killings

SEATTLE (AP) - The U.S. Army said Wednesday it will seek the death penalty against the soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a predawn rampage in March, a decision his lawyer called "totally irresponsible."

Government prepares to sell General Motors stock

DETROIT (AP) - The U.S. government's short stint in the auto business is coming to an end.

Armored backpacks and a rush on guns after Conn.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The reaction to the deadly Connecticut school shooting can be seen at gun stores and self-defense retailers across the nation, with anxious parents buying armored backpacks for children and firearms enthusiasts stocking up on assault weapons in anticipation of tighter gun control measures.

Women square off in Vegas for Miss Universe crown

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Women from around the world squared off Wednesday night for the right to be called Miss Universe, as celebrity judges descended on the red carpet and brought some extra sparkle to the Las Vegas Strip.

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy welcome a baby boy

NEW YORK (AP) - Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy's "Homeland" just got bigger. Danes' rep confirms the couple welcomed a baby boy named Cyrus Michael Christopher. People.com first reported Monday's birth. It's the first child for 33-year old Danes and 37-year-old Dancy. They were married in 2009. There's no word yet whether the new mom will attend the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 13. She's nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a ...

Meditation teacher Nancy Cooke de Herrera dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Pioneering meditation teacher Nancy Cooke de Herrera has died. She was 90.

Judge rejects Bulger's future immunity claim

BOSTON (AP) - Gangster James "Whitey" Bulger cannot present evidence to a jury about his claim that he was given immunity for future crimes, including murder, a federal judge ruled Monday, calling Bulger's contention that he had a license to kill "beyond the pale."

Calif. woman dies after nurse refuses to do CPR

NYPD seeks suspect in death of expectant parents and baby

NEW YORK (AP) - Police have identified a suspect being sought in the hit-and-run deaths of a pregnant woman and her husband whose baby died on Monday, a day after the Brooklyn car crash.

Pentagon to furlough teachers, cut commissary time

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon will furlough about 15,000 military school teachers and staff around the world because of the automatic budget cuts that took effect last Friday, but spokesman George Little said Monday the department will manage the process so the schools don't lose their accreditation.

Schwarzenegger to be executive editor of magazines

LOS ANGELES (AP) - He was the Terminator, then a governor, and now Arnold Schwarzenegger is an editor.

Cardinals begin pre-conclave meetings amid scandal

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Cardinals said Monday they wanted to be briefed about the true state of Vatican dysfunction before they elect the next pope, evidence that the scandal over leaked papal documents is casting a shadow over the conclave and setting up one of the most unpredictable papal elections in recent times.

House, debris over Fla. sinkhole to be removed

SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) - Authorities hope to get a better look at a sinkhole that swallowed a man in his Florida home once demolition crews knock down the remaining walls of the house Monday and begin clearing away the debris.

Spending cuts seem here to stay

WASHINGTON (AP) - The spending cuts are here to stay if you believe the public posturing Sunday.

Scientists say baby born with HIV apparently cured

WASHINGTON (AP) - A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2½ and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection.

Thailand's prime minister vows to end ivory trade

BANGKOK (AP) - Facing the possibility of sanctions, Thailand's prime minister vowed for the first time to work toward ending her country's trade in ivory. But she gave no timeline for implementing a domestic ban, and conservationists warned that the unprecedented slaughter of elephants in Africa would continue until she does.

Biden leads re-enactment of voting rights march

SELMA, Ala. (AP) - The vice president and black leaders commemorating a famous civil rights march on Sunday said efforts to diminish the impact of African-Americans' votes haven't stopped in the years since the 1965 Voting Rights Act added millions to Southern voter rolls.

Rogers, founder of Motown group The Miracles, dies

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) - Bobby Rogers, a founding member of Motown group The Miracles and a songwriting collaborator with Smokey Robinson, died Sunday at his suburban Detroit home. He was 73.

1 dead, 1 in custody in Hayward police shooting

AN FRANCISCO (AP) - One person is dead and a second person is in custody after an officer-involved shooting in Hayward early Sunday.

'Giant Slayer' scares up ho-hum $28 million debut

LOS ANGELES (AP) - It wasn't exactly a mighty victory, but "Jack the Giant Slayer" won the weekend at the box office.