MADRID, Spain – Pirates have hijacked a Spanish fishing boat with a crew of 26 off the coast of Somalia, Spain’s Foreign Ministry said Monday. There were no reports of injuries in the seizure Sunday, the ministry said. It said the vessel is called Playa de Bakio, its crew fishes …

WASHINGTON – President Bush, replying to criticism from Democratic presidential candidates, said Tuesday that “now is not the time to renegotiate … or walk away from” the North American Free Trade Agreement. “Now is the time to make it work better for all our people, and now is the time …

Three schools in North Portland, Ore., were placed on lockdown Wednesday after a report of shots fired nearby, KPTV.com reported. Officers are trying to track down a man who witnesses say fired a gun as he ran down the street near Humboldt Elementary School and Jefferson High School, KPTV.com reported. …

BAGHDAD – The 42 students in Mosul that were kidnapped by gunmen have been released without harm. Iraqi authorities say gunmen had kidnapped the college students traveling in a bus near the northern city of Mosul. Brig. Gen. Khalif Abdul-Sattar says three other students on a second bus were injured …

BAGHDAD – Anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gave a “final warning” to the government Saturday to halt a U.S.-Iraqi crackdown against his followers or he would declare “open war until liberation.” A full-blown uprising by al-Sadr, who led two rebellions against U.S.-led forces in 2004, could lead to a dramatic …

WASHINGTON – Federal regulators formally approved the merger of the nation’s only two satellite radio operators Friday, ending a 16-month-long drama closely watched by Washington and Wall Street. Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.’s $3.3 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. will mean 18 million-plus subscribers will be able …

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Many women who had abortions in Minnesota last year cited the bad economy as one of the reasons for their decisions, MyFox Twin Cities reported. More than 13,800 abortions were performed in Minnesota in 2007, according to a state report. Forty percent of women cited economic …

Barbie’s new S&M look has whipped up a storm — with protesters dubbing it “filth.” The doll’s image is transformed with kinky fishnets, motorcycle jacket, black gloves and boots. Maker Mattel says Black Canary Barbie, out in September, is based on a DC Comics superhero of the same name. But …

NEW YORK – Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday for setting off a gambling scandal that tarnished the league’s reputation and raised questions about the integrity of its officiating. The sentencing in Brooklyn federal court culminated a case that hung over the league …

Superheroes battling inner demons often rule the box office. This time, the superhero was a demon as “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” pulled in $35.9 million to debut as the No. 1 weekend film. Universal’s “Hellboy” sequel, starring Ron Perlman as the red-skinned devil fighting for the good guys, took …