MEXICO CITY – The president of Mexico’s top electoral court on Saturday recommended rejecting the leftist party’s request for a ballot-by-ballot recount in the July 2 presidential vote, which has been disputed, prompting thousands of activists to set up protest camps in the heart of the capital. In a statement …

BALTIMORE – A laptop that might contain personally identifiable information on 193 people who have commercial driver’s licenses was stolen in Baltimore this week, transportation officials said Friday. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, part of the Department of Transportation, said a the laptop was stolen Tuesday from a government-owned …

This is a partial transcript from “The Beltway Boys,” on August 12, 2006, that has been edited for clarity. Watch “The Beltway Boys” Saturday at 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 2:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. ET. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED …

BOMBAY, India – Heavy rains kept schools and colleges shut for a third day Wednesday and meteorologists forecast more downpours in India‘s financial capital, Bombay, as the nationwide death toll rose to more than 250 since the monsoon began in June. The warnings came as officials in the eastern state …

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. – Dull, boring snoozers. Yep, that’s our five “Lazy Portfolios!” When I mention them to my buddies at the Pismo Beach Athletic Club they yawn and shake their heads: “Yeah lazy, but no fun!” My comeback: “If you want to gamble, go to Vegas — at least …

A member of the Kansas City Star’s editorial board is criticizing a billboard campaign by a local brewing company that uses the rhyme “eenie, meenie, minie, moe” because he says the phrase has racist origins. Writing on the paper’s op-ed pages, Lewis Diuguid called use of the phrase offensive. He …

The headline reads, “Microsoft Bows to Pressure to Interoperate with ODF.” Oh no, Microsoft isn’t. The Redmond crew has an entirely different agenda for “supporting” the OpenDocument Format with its own Open XML Translator. It’s not even news, actually, according to Andrew Updegrove, a partner with Boston law firm Gesmer …

ROME – Italy coach Marcello Lippi resigned Wednesday, three days after guiding the Azzurri to their fourth World Cup title. Despite widespread calls for him to stay, Lippi suggested weeks ago that he would resign. He feels he and his son, Davide, were attacked personally in the corruption scandal that …

Now that Drew Barrymore doesn’t have to stay in character, the actress says she’s ready to learn poker from the pros. Barrymore, who stars in “Lucky You,” a movie set at the 2003 World Series of Poker, said she missed out on lessons given to other actors by pros such …

PANAMA CITY, Panama – Lawmakers on Friday approved a national referendum on whether the government should undertake the biggest modifications to the Panama Canal since it was opened in 1914. The $5.3 billion project calls for a construction of a third set of locks on the canal that would reduce …