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CANTON, Mass. – Shareholders of Reebok International Ltd. (RBK) voted Wednesday to approve the $3.8 billion sale of the sports sneaker and apparel maker to Adidas-Salomon AG, a deal that seeks to challenge Nike Inc.’s (NKE) market leadership. Reebok shareholders’ approval was the final hurdle for a deal that won …

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq – Iraqi and U.N. health officials said Monday a 15-year-old girl who died this month was a victim of the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, the first confirmed case of the disease in the Middle East. Tests were under way to determine if the girl’s …

This is a partial transcript from “On the Record,” January 9, 2006, that has been edited for clarity. GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Make no mistake about it, the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito are profoundly important to you and it’s already shaping up to be a fiery …

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Several months before a fatal fire killed 10 people in a group home, state regulators had sought to take away the operator’s license, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Instead of denying licenses to Joplin River of Life Ministries Inc. because of concerns that …

NEW DELHI – Pakistan is willing to give up its claim to Kashmir if India agrees to a far-reaching self-governance plan for the Himalayan region, Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf suggested Tuesday. While New Delhi and Islamabad have made scant public progress on settling their dispute over Kashmir, officials on …

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A missing month-old boy kidnapped at knifepoint was taken as payment because his parents failed to pay human smugglers, police said Saturday. Bryan Dos Santos Gomes‘ parents were brought into the United States illegally from Brazil, but failed to pay the smugglers’ entire fee, Fort Myers …

REDMOND, Wash. – Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) put out three software patches Tuesday that fix problems carrying a “critical” rating, the company’s highest threat level. All three could let an attacker remotely run code on a victim’s computer. The patches close holes in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser, its Windows Media …

BAGHDAD – At least 28 Iraqis and five U.S. service members were killed in attacks on Thursday as a U.S. helicopter hit by ground fire was forced to make an emergency landing and four kidnapped Americans and an Austrian were believed to be alive after a video surfaced following their …

TOKYO – A powerful earthquake struck off southwestern Taiwan on Tuesday, triggering a potentially destructive tsunami that was headed toward the Philippines on the second anniversary of the deadly waves that killed thousands in southern Asia. No damage or injuries were immediately reported. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said the quake …

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday expressed concern about the plight of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have fled their homeland to Syria and called on aid organizations to step up efforts to help them. “My thought goes today to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees …