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BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Mankind's best friend for thousands of years is ready to teach new tricks to science. The genetic makeup of the dog -- in this case a boxer named Tasha -- has been deciphered and should help identify genes that make both dogs and people vulnerable to cancers, heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, blindness, deafness and even some psychiatric disorders, scientists said Wednesday. The work is the first virtually complete decoding of the species and illuminates the blue ...

JAMESTOWN, North Dakota (AP) -- A man shown as a hostage on an insurgent video is an ex-Marine who traveled around the world as an industrial electrician, and who impressed people who knew him in high school with his toughness. Ronald Schulz was the captain of his high school cross-country team and a four-year letter winner who won an award for practicing on 77 consecutive days, said Russ Schmeichel, who was his coach at Jamestown High School. "He was a hard-nosed little guy who like to compet ...

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A 44-year-old U.S. citizen who claimed to have a bomb was shot and killed when air marshals opened fire on a boarding bridge at the Miami airport, several sources told CNN. No bomb was found. American Airlines Flight 924 was in Miami on a stopover during a flight from Medellin, Colombia, to Orlando, Florida, when the man, identified as Rigoberto Alpizar, said there was a bomb in his carry-on backpack, a Department of Homeland Security official said. Alpizar was confr ...

By Mirja Spernal LONDON (Reuters) - Disney's first Narnia film opened in London on Thursday, launching what promises to be one of the hottest box office battles in years as the studio takes on the hugely successful Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were among the guests on the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall for the world premiere of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", based on C.S. Lewis' classic children's sto ...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- First daughter Barbara Bush was wearing a ring on the third finger of her left hand Wednesday, but the White House said she is not engaged. Susan Whitson, spokeswoman for the first lady, said the jewelry that the 24-year-old had on during a visit to Children's National Medical Center with her mother was not an engagement or wedding ring. At the hospital on Wednesday, first lady Laura Bush showed a home video of White House holiday life -- from the first dogs' point of view - ...

(CNN) -- The Islamist militants holding four Christian aid workers captive said late Wednesday they had extended by two days the deadline the group set for their execution. A group calling itself the Swords of Justice Brigades, had threatened to kill Briton Norman Kember, 74, American Tom Fox, 54, and Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Sooden, 32, if its demands to release Iraqi prisoners were not met by Thursday. All four of the peace activists from Christian Peacemaker Teams were kidnap ...

By Mike Collett-White LIVERPOOL (Reuters) - Liverpool prepared to honour a famous son on Thursday with floral and musical tributes to mark the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death. In a ceremony in the centre of the city where Lennon was born and raised, fans and officials will create a shrine beneath a statue of the legendary Beatle, gunned down in New York by a fan in the presence of his wife Yoko Ono. Later in the day, the city holds a memorial service for the man who created some of th ...

TORONTO, Canada (AP) -- With a deadline looming for two Canadians kidnapped in Iraq, the family of one made an emotional plea for his life. The kidnapper's threat to kill the hostages by Thursday prompted the family of James Loney to make the plea in a news conference. The original deadline set by the group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness was Thursday. Al-Jazeera later said it was extended until Saturday. Loney of Toronto and Harmeet Singh Sooden, formerly of Montreal; along with To ...

By Toni Clarke BOSTON (Reuters) - How can a Chihuahua and a Doberman belong to the same species? A detailed analysis of the dog genome answers these questions and will also shed light on human health and biology, scientists said on Wednesday. A U.S. government-funded study of the complete genetic map of an inbred boxer named Tasha not only helps explain how poodles differ from jackals, but might ...

By Peter Griffiths LONDON (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after complaining of feeling faint. Thatcher, 80, who held office from 1979 to 1990 as first female prime minister, was taken to hospital by ambulance after falling ill at her hairdressers, her spokesman said. "She was feeling unwell, rather faint and not herself," Mark Worthington said. "As a precaution, she was taken to hospital. "Doctors have carried out a series of tests an ...