Israel's Supreme Court rejects rights groups' appeal against Gaza fuel cuts

Israel's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by human rights groups on Thursday for an injunction against fuel cuts to the Gaza Strip, rejecting their argument that the cuts cause humanitarian harm.

Israel instituted the cuts as part of a policy of pressure to stop daily rocket fire at Israel by Gaza militants.

The court ruled that reducing fuel supplies could hinder Gaza militants from targeting border towns with primitive rockets called Qassams, and would not cause a crisis in the impoverished territory.

Gaza depends on Israel for all its fuel. Israel began reducing fuel supplies in October and gasoline supplies have been cut by 33-45 percent so …

Teens reading in verse? It could be worse

It's a seeming boon for teen poetry lovers: Novels, memoirs and more are being written in verse. Pioneered by young adult authors in the 1990s -- Mel Glenn, Karen Hesse and Sonya Sones -- the now popular format makes a tough medium look accessible.

Luckily many of these books are quite good -- thoughtfully conceived with lines pushing for insight and, at the least, circling around a metaphor.

Unfortunately others beg the question, "Why was this written in verse?" Maybe it's cynical to say, but on the page the poems often have the look of text messaging screaming, "Hey, I'm easy to read. You can gobble me like candy." Is that why some publishers, scrabbling for …

Gay activists rally for royal wedding

Same-sex marriage activists presented a giant wedding card for Prince William and Kate Middleton outside the gates of Buckingham Palace on April 25.

The card congratulated the royal couple on their wedding, which took place four days later, and urged them to support legalization of samesex marriage. The United Kingdom currently offers same-sex couples civil partnerships that carry the same rights as marriage.

The card said: "We wish you a happy life together. You can get married, gay people can't. We are banned by law. We ask you to support marriage equality."

Organizer Peter Tatchell said the action was well-received.

"Everyone outside the palace expressed …

Worker exposed to small amount of uranium at Japanese nuclear fuel plant, no injury

A small amount of uranium powder escaped from a machine at a Japanese nuclear fuel plant near Tokyo, slightly exposing a worker to radiation, the plant operator said Thursday.

There was no health threat to the worker and the spill from Wednesday's incident was contained inside the plant in Yokosuka, about 30 miles (45 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo, according to Global Nuclear Fuel-Japan Co.

The accident occurred when a uranium pressing unit was started up …

United Technologies plans another 1,500 job cuts

United Technologies Corp. says it plans to cut another 1,500 jobs through 2011 after eliminating 900 positions in the first half of this year.

The parent company of jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, Otis elevator, Sikorsky Aircraft and other businesses said Monday in a regulatory filing that it will take restructuring and other costs of $121 million in 2010 related to the …

Shoney's New Chief Hungry for a Rebound

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Shoney's Inc., a business adrift, has found ananchor in new leader C. Stephen Lynn.

Lynn has known since he was 10 what he wanted. The son of analcoholic textile mill worker with a sixth-grade education, hedreamed of running his own company.

Overcoming the company-town poverty in LaGrange, Ga., Lynnearned degrees from Tennessee Tech and the University of Louisville.He excelled in the corporate world, and at 36, Lynn was runningSonic Corp. in Oklahoma City.

Sonic was a mess when he arrived. Sales at its 1950s-styledrive-in diners had been declining for years; 300 units had closed.

Lynn made it a winner. Sonic opened 500 …

Republican field crowded and likely to remain so

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — They are barely blips in presidential polls and their campaign cash is scarce. Some are running on empty, fueled mainly by the exposure that comes with the blizzard of televised debates and interviews they eagerly grant to skeptical reporters.

Yet the second-tier candidates for the Republican presidential nomination soldier on. They argue that the race is far from over and that anything …