Search results for

Some are calling it "the trial of century." In New Orleans Monday, dozens of lawyers will pack into a federal courtroom to argue over BP's civil liability from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Millions of barrels of oil fouled beaches from Texas to Florida. Billions of dollars are at stake.

The latest survey of economic forecasters by the National Association of Business Economics predicts a 2 percent growth this year. That's down from last year's 2.2 percent. The current budget battle in Congress is partly blamed for slowing the economy.

If you download copyrighted material illegally, you might get a warning from your Internet service provider starting as soon as Monday. That's according to blogs covering file-sharing communities like Bit Torrent, where users share and download movies and music for free. The crackdown is led by big copyright holders like the Motion Picture Association of America.

In fiction, Peter Cameron's complicated romance, Mohammed Hanif's tale of unwelcome inheritance, Kathryn Harrison's historical drama, and Stephen Dau's bildungsroman arrive in paperback. In softcover nonfiction, James Fallows documents the rise of China's aerospace industry.

Also: Toni Morrison's digital signing; our picks for the best books out this week; and William S. Burroughs in a Nike ad.

The church's cardinals can start the process of choosing a new pope right after Benedict's resignation takes effect later this week — rather than wait the 15 days that rules had required. One cardinal, Keith O'Brien of Britain, has stepped down after being accused of inappropriate behavior.

Betty LeMaster took her 10-pound rock to Middle Tennessee State University to have it checked out. According to the Daily News Journal, testing revealed her doorstop is fossilized coral.

Jennifer Lawrence's best actress win at the Oscars on Sunday may be remembered longer than her performance at the awards show. On the red carpet, she was bleeped after uttering a four-letter word; and while walking to the stage to accept her award, she tripped on the stairs.

The commission working on rewriting parts of Alabama's 112-year-old Constitution may soon become more diverse. Alabama's Constitutional Revision…

A small college in Selma says it has received its largest financial donation ever. Concordia College says it has received a commitment of $5 million from…