CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Obese people have a blind spot when it comes to their own weight problem, according to a study that showed only 15 percent of people in that category view themselves as obese. Such a lack of self-awareness can be deadly. “If somebody doesn’t perceive themselves to be …

NEW YORK – Bausch & Lomb Inc.’s (BOL) move to halt shipping a type of contact lens solution in the United States after some users were diagnosed with serious eye infections could have broad implications for the company, analysts said on Tuesday. The company is halting shipments of one specific …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. troops have sharply increased patrols in Baghdad since the spike in sectarian violence, a U.S. general said Thursday, raising questions about the capabilities of Iraqi forces. A car bomb killed least 15 people in a Shiite area of the capital. At least 21 other people, including …

The following provides information on FEMA and federal disaster assistance. FEMA is a former independent agency. March 2003: FEMA became part of the new Department of Homeland Security. FEMA is tasked with responding to, planning for, recovering from and mitigating against disasters. FEMA can trace its beginnings to the Congressional …

NEW YORK – The world’s largest food services company is facing a new lawsuit alleging that its involvement with bid-rigging of U.N. procurement contracts resulted in up to $856 million in damages to a longtime vendor of the international organization. ES-KO International, a Monaco-based food services firm, is suing Compass …

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina – Islamic militants with ties to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups have been crisscrossing the Balkans for more than 15 years, according to an intelligence report on their activities in Bosnia. The analysis, compiled jointly by U.S. and Croatian intelligence and obtained by The Associated Press, said …

TEHRAN, Iran – Five inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency have arrived in Iran visit its uranium enrichment and reprocessing facilities, state-run television reported Saturday. Iran’s deputy nuclear chief Mohammad Saeedi said the inspectors would visit the Natanz uranium enrichment plant and the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility, both in …

TOKYO – A team of Japanese researchers drilling on Antarctica has recovered what is believed to be the oldest sample of ice ever — possibly dating back 1 million years, officials said Tuesday. The ice sample was taken from a depth of 9,994 feet into the Antarctic ice sheet near …

WASHINGTON – A handful of House Republican moderates are having second thoughts about their December vote to curb federal programs like Medicaid and student loan subsidies, adding at least some suspense to a revote on Wednesday. Republican leaders remain confident they will prevail on the five-year, $39 billion budget-cut measure, …

NEW ORLEANS – Under pressure from angry residents and a lawsuit, the city of New Orleans has agreed to notify owners before any Hurricane Katrina -damaged home is demolished, even those homes washed into streets or reduced to heaps of debris. Homeowners were outraged last month when a top official …