Our Great City

From the runway to main street, nail art has emerged as a democratic form of self-expression that anyone can participate in.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops denounced President Barack Obama's compromise over whether to require religiously affiliated institutions to provide contraception to female employees, saying the proposal raises "serious moral concerns," according to a statement posted on its website late Friday.

Initial tests detected blood on a comforter found in a storage unit in Washington state belonging to Josh Powell, authorities said. Powell, who was considered a person of interest in his wife's disappearance, killed himself and his two sons at their home last week.

A trio of House Republican freshmen told an annual gathering of conservative activists on Friday that, far from backing down, they believe they should double down on the conservative principles that carried them into office in 2010 on a wave of tea party support.

Los Angeles public school officials are working with sheriff's detectives to determine whether other schoolchildren were victims of alleged teacher sexual misconduct at Miramonte Elementary School, a spokesman said Friday.

Nearly a week after Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution intended to halt the killing in Syria, Saudi Arabia has drafted a similarly worded document -- but one that lacks the same punch.

Obama says all women will have birth control coverage, but religious institutions won't have to pay for it. He said women's health shouldn't be tied to the workplace.

Rio de Janeiro's police and firefighters declared a strike Friday, just a week before Carnival kicks off, raising fears of violence and crime as tourists arrive for the famed parades and street parties.

Mitt Romney's conference address was a chance to assure conservatives he shares their values, days after rival Rick Santorum's stunning sweep. FULL STORY | BLOG

Websites affiliated with the CIA, Mexico's mining ministry and the state of Alabama were down Friday, allegedly done in by hackers, government officials and a well-known hacking group reported.

Tim Stanley says Romney's a moderate next to Santorum's whipped-up angry conservative -- and that may be just what the right needs in a race against Obama.

Rep. Spencer Bachus, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, acknowledged Friday that he is under investigation for possible violations of insider trading laws, but insisted he will be cleared.

A man convicted of stalking singer Madonna, and who once threatened to knife her, was arrested Friday, a week after he escaped from a Southern California mental hospital, police said.

Jennifer Glass says the furor and "accommodation" over coverage for contraception raises sticky questions over who is ultimately paying for insurance provided by employers --Catholic or othewise.

Kevin Clarke says Obama's "accommodation" on health insurance mandates for contraception coverage should satisfy Catholic leadership. Time to return to productive dialogue

A boat carrying Somalis fleeing violence in their homeland capsized this week in the Gulf of Aden, leaving at least 11 people dead and another 34 missing, a U.N. agency said.

Europe remained gripped by frigid temperatures and snow Friday, with the icy weather closing much of the Danube River to shipping and disrupting travel across the region.

The prosecution in the sex-abuse case against a former Penn State assistant football coach will request today that he stay indoors during house arrest.

Relations between the United States and Iran, already strained by U.S. sanctions on Iran's central bank and Iranian naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, are on the verge of spinning out of control.

With each passing day, Greece's economic and political malaise deepens despite one massive International Monetary Fund-European Union bailout package after another to keep that country afloat. And with each passing day, as the Greek economy continues its downward spiral under the weight of externally imposed draconian budget austerity, there is the increased risk that a disorderly Greek euro exit could result in real contagion to the rest of the European periphery and especially to Italy, an otherwise solvent country.