Chinese earthquake toll jumps to 51,000

China said the death toll from last week's powerful earthquake jumped to more than 51,000, while the government appealed Thursday for millions of tents to shelter homeless survivors.

Stocks close higher after two-day plunge

Wall Street steadied itself Thursday after two sessions of steep declines, rebounding moderately as oil prices stepped back from their frenetic upward run.

Gas prices hit $3.83 as holiday nears

Lakers' furious comeback takes Game 1

Kobe Bryant scored all but two of his 27 points after halftime, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 89-85 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Ventre: Kobe finds way out of 'Bermuda Triangle'

Victory shows 'Idol' judges don't get it

What's America looking for in an "Idol"? This season's winner shows that producers, judges and the audience aren't always on the same page. By Craig Berman

New ‘Idol’ wins by 12 million votes

Friends quit smoking? You probably will too

The urge to smoke is contagious, but quitting apparently is, too. A team of researchers found that a smoker is more likely to kick the habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling did.

Newsweek: Does shunning smokers help them quit?

Supernova birth observed for first time

While peering at her computer screen four months ago, astronomer Alicia Soderberg and her colleague saw a strange, extremely bright, five-minute burst of X-rays. With that observation, they became the first astronomers to catch a star in the act of exploding.

U.S. to let Americans send cell phones to Cuba

Avoid new airline luggage charges

American Airlines’ decision to slap a $15 fee on the first checked bag isn’t the airline industry’s first attempt to squeeze more money from passengers through a sneaky surcharge. And it won’t be its last.

Readers respond to airline's decision