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An express train carrying hundreds of passengers from Moscow to St. Petersburg derailed late Friday, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens of others, emergency officials said. Officials say the derailment could be the result of sabotage, fueling fears of terrorism.

The Secret Service has formally apologized for allowing two party crashers into the White House state dinner on Tuesday night. The Secret Service continues to investigate how the husband and wife — who are looking for a role in a reality TV show — got past security and actually met the president. Melissa Blocks talks with Roxanne Roberts of The Washington Post.

The Virginia couple who sneaked into a state dinner this week met President Obama in the receiving line, the White House said Friday, as the Secret Service issued an apology that security procedures were not followed.

After a Northwest Airlines plane flew past Minneapolis last month, air traffic controllers asked the pilots repeatedly for explanations about why they didn't heed radio calls, according to transcripts released on Friday.

South Carolina is luring more people into stores this holiday weekend by offering a tax-free promotion. But the write-off only applies to guns. Gun stores are extending their hours, and one is even preparing free barbecue for people in line. Nov. 27-28 are being dubbed the "Second Amendment Weekend." It's the brainchild of State Rep. Mike Pitts, who says he doesn't see the weekend so much as a stimulus, but as a political statement. Buyers will not pay state or local sales taxes on handguns, rifles and shotguns, which can run upward of 9 percent. ...

World markets have been shaken by fears that Dubai's main finance company may be unable to meet scheduled payments on a debt of more than $60 billion. Governments and financial analysts worry that the emirate could default and have an impact on the recovery of the world economy.

The world's No. 1 golfer was injured in a car accident early Friday outside his Florida mansion, and a local police chief said the PGA star's wife used a golf club to smash out the back window and help get him out of the SUV.

Market confidence has been hit hard by news that Dubai World, a government investment company, has asked creditors if it can postpone its forthcoming payments until May. The Dow lost 1.5 percent during Friday's abbreviated trading session.

This weekend, Honduras is holding a presidential election, which many hope will end months of political turmoil. A coup in June removed the country's president, Manuel Zelaya. Honduras is one of the poorest in the hemisphere; the political infighting has only made life more difficult.

The suspect's twin sisters, aunt and a 6-year-old cousin were shot to death during a family celebration in Jupiter, Fla. One of the sisters was pregnant. Two other people were wounded, one critically.

Texas longhorns have made a comeback. The animals, once nearly extinct, now number more than 330,000 in herds across the country. Tip to tip, their horns can measure six feet and beyond. And every year, breeders gather in Fort Worth, Texas, to answer the question: Whose horns are longer?

Vast crowds of pilgrims cast stones at walls representing the devil on the third day of the annual hajj on Friday as Muslims around the world began celebrating Eid al-Adha, the most important holiday of the Islamic calendar.

Atlantis and its seven astronauts enjoyed a "picture perfect" touchdown Friday, ending an 11-day flight that resupplied the International Space Station. It was Atlantis' next-to-last mission and only five shuttle flights remain.

U.N. nuclear watchdog governors voted overwhelmingly on Friday to censure Iran for building a uranium enrichment plant in secret. Twenty-five nations backed the resolution that demands Tehran immediately stop uranium enrichment. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Critics of trying the alleged Sept. 11 co-conspirators in civilian court in New York argue that the venue is inappropriate for terrorism suspects. But supporters say those fears are overblown, and that a federal trial would avoid the taint of the long-troubled military commission system.

The nation's biggest retailers began gearing up for the busy post-Thanksgiving shopping day months ago. The Conference Board predicts U.S. households will spend about 7 percent less on gifts this season than last year. At a Target store in Maryland, some shoppers were up early looking for specific items.

For hundreds of thousands of football fans, fall weekends are a time for tailgating — part picnic, part pep rally, part drunken revelry in stadium parking lots. Now safety experts say the parties need to be reined in, citing concerns about underage drinking and drunken driving.

Sensations on the skin can help people understand speech, according to a study in the journal Nature. The study builds on decades of research showing that the brain often uses visual information to augment hearing — making people "whole-body perceiving machines," says one researcher.

Scientists in California are experimenting with carbon banking. The idea is to manage forests so they absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and slow down global warming. Countries could, in essence, be paid to turn their forests into carbon banks. But first, climate scientists need to become climate accountants — to put hard numbers on how much carbon trees breathe in and out.

Nineteen states have banned texting while driving. It's part of a growing movement to crack down on mobile phone usage behind the wheel that is reminiscent of earlier campaigns against drunk driving.

Large numbers of Americans are still losing their jobs, but the unemployment rate is particularly high among people with disabilities. They are almost twice as likely to get laid off and they have a harder time finding new jobs.

The German military's inspector general — the equivalent of chief of staff — and a deputy defense minister have stepped down over the Sept. 4 attack. A classified NATO report cited "procedural errors" in the strike, which killed 30 civilians.

Transportation planners are banking on a futuristic network of ecofriendly computer-automated pod cars as the next smart form of mass transit. Several U.S. cities are doing feasibility studies for personal rapid transit systems, and Britain's Heathrow Airport plans to launch its system in the spring.

A new report in Ireland — the second such report this year — says the Roman Catholic Church in the Dublin Archdiocese covered up decades of child abuse committed by priests. The inquiry accuses Catholic bishops of protecting the Church's reputation at the expense of the children in its care.

The head of Germany's armed forces and a senior official from the defense ministry resigned Thursday following allegations the ministry withheld information about civilian casualties sustained during an airstrike in Afghanistan in September. Christian Thiels, senior defense correspondent for the German television network ARD, says the two officials who resigned knew of the civilian casualties.

Thousands of people lined up for the spectacle of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York, while merrymakers gathered for massive parades in Philadelphia (above) and in other cities nationwide. President Obama phoned U.S. troops, and the space shuttle crew got a surprise feast.

Norway's government says Shirin Ebadi's medal was seized "within the last week or so" from a safe-deposit box in Iran. The human rights lawyer won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her efforts in promoting democracy.

The commitment from the world's largest polluter builds momentum ahead of a widely anticipated climate conference in Copenhagen next month. China pledges to reduce emissions by up to 45 percent as measured against its economic output.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, says his investigation of allegations that Iran tried to make nuclear arms has hit a wall because Tehran is not cooperating.

The Roman Catholic Church in Dublin covered up decades of child abuse committed by priests because bishops wanted to protect the church's reputation at the expense of victims, an expert commission reported Thursday after a three-year probe into previously secret church records.

A year after the assault that paralyzed India's commercial heart, the anniversary was commemorated across the city with candlelight vigils, prayer meetings, political speeches, concerts and soul-searching newspaper articles. Activists worry that security upgrades in the city are not enough to prevent a repeat of the attack.

John Jones, 26, of Stansbury Park died nearly 28 hours after he became stuck 700 feet into the cave known as Nutty Putty, a Utah County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. Rescuers were next to Jones for much of the day, but he was wedged in a small hole too tightly to pull him out. He had been exploring the cave passages with a group of people.

The Secret Service is looking into its own security procedures after determining that a Virginia couple managed to slip into Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House even though they were not on the guest list, an agency spokesman said. The Secret Service learned about the breach after the couple posted photos on Facebook.

India's financial capital, Mumbai, on Friday commemorates the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks that left 166 people dead.

Fear turns out be a very good thing for certain businesses. When North Korea or Iran mentions the word "nuclear," orders pour in to NukePills.com — a Web site that sells potassium iodide. The government also stockpiles this FDA-approved drug.

NASA has pioneered all kinds of irradiated, thermo-stabilized and freeze-dried Thanksgiving delights, like smoked turkey, candied yams and cornbread dressing. But this year, space shuttle Atlantis rocketed off without any special holiday fare because of a late schedule change.

One reason for the shortage of the new H1N1 flu vaccine this year is the way flu vaccines are made. A modified form of the virus is grown inside chicken eggs, but the process takes months. Now, scientists are working to create new flu vaccines that can be made much faster, using the virus' DNA.

The debate in Washington over how much the health care overhaul bills will cost has largely centered on the bottom line for the federal government. But polls repeatedly show Americans are much more concerned about how a reshaped health care system will affect their own family's financial situation.

The insurance company has been fighting Maurice "Hank" Greenberg ever since he was ousted amid an accounting scandal in 2005. AIG said it will pay up to $150 million in past legal fees and expenses for both Greenberg and former Chief Financial Officer Howard I. Smith.