CALIFORNIA

Alien life stands a far better chance of being discovered thanks to vastly improved scientific detection devices, say scientists meeting this week in Denver at an American Chemical Society conference.

Michael Jackson, the iconic pop star, would have celebrated his 53rd birthday on Aug. 29, if he didn't pass away mysteriously on June 25, 2009. Meanwhile, on Jackson's birthday, more updates on the forthcoming trial of murder-suspect Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor, have been revealed - the judge has already barred the singer's dermatologist Arnold Klein from giving evidence.

The arrest of President Obama's uncle,Onyango Obama, is not the first legal issue for a prominent political family.

U.S. home prices dipped just 0.1 percent in June from May, according to Case-Shiller -- providing a ray of light that the U.S. housing market may be stabilizing.

A new study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience suggests that humans are hardwired to respond to animals.

President Obama's uncle isn't the first public official's relative to deal with the legal system.

An HIV scare shut down porn sets across the San Fernando Valley today after producers learned that a performer tested positive. Critics say the news will likely rekindle debate about health and safety within adult entertainment industry.

Firefighters battling a forest fire near Yosemite National Park since last week have manage to encircle about a third of the blaze, but a main road into the park remained cut off, officials said on Monday.

Asking whether hookah bars are illegal may seem like a silly question given the massive proliferation of such establishments in the last decade.

A former National Basketball Association athlete who once played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards was arrested following accusations he killed a woman in Georgia, the FBI said.

Javaris Crittenton, a former NBA player, was arrested at a Southern California airport Monday night on suspicion of murder.

Steve Jobs' biological father has said that he yearns to meet his son. The father has expressed regret at his decision of giving him up for adoption.

Hewlett-Packard Co's personal computer business will retain its position as the world's largest PC manufacturer even after any spinoff, the head of HP's PC business said on Tuesday.

Michael Jackson's dermatologist will not testify in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, a judge ruled on Monday, in a blow to defense plans to portray the singer as a drug addict who may have given himself the substance that caused his death.

Los Angeles wholesale gasoline differentials fell 15 cents per gallon Monday on news that production at Exxon Mobil's (XOM.N) 149,500 barrel per day (bpd) Los Angeles-area refinery in Torrance, California, was unaffected by a malfunction on Thursday night, traders said.

Arraignment was postponed for a second time on Monday for a California mom accused of dropping her 7-month-old baby to his death from a hospital parking structure.

If you were to scientifically engineer a modern male country star, you might come up with Jake Owen. He's got the stubble-laden dimples, the easy grin, the longish, slightly tousled hair, the pleasant, Southern-accented baritone, and the obligatory one-syllable first name and two-syllable last name.

A California mom accused of dropping her 7-month-old baby to his death from a hospital parking structure was due in court on Monday for her arraignment on murder charges.

California lawmakers rejected a bill on Monday that would have disincorporated Vernon, a small city near Los Angeles where excessive salaries of some officials attracted the attention of investigators.

Star bond fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach was in discussions to leave Trust Company of the West and succeed Bill Gross at Pacific Investment Management in 2009, according to court testimony.

Romney stops reports about the expansion of his California home.