Even short-term use of popular acid-reducing heartburn drugs may raise the risk of hip fractures, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The increased risks appeared two years after patients started taking proton pump inhibitors such as Takeda Pharmaceutical Co’s Prevacid and histamine-2 receptor antagonists, or H2RAs, such as GlaxoSmithKline’s Zantac, researchers …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Department of Correction has fired five employees who were working when two convicted murderers escaped a state prison after donning guard uniforms that were made in the facility. Department spokeswoman Dina Tyler said Thursday that the fired workers included one captain, one sergeant and …

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The parents of a California State University, Sacramento student who was allegedly beaten to death by a dorm mate were still reeling with shock when they received another jolt. Gerald and Elizabeth Hawkins say 10 days after their son Scott died, they got a bill for $29,186.50 …

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – Police in South Carolina are looking for a 1-month-old boy taken from a vehicle at a North Charleston post office. The State Law Enforcement Division issued an Amber Alert on Monday evening for Angel Miguel Perez. The child was last seen about 5 p.m. A police …

NEW YORK — This holiday season’s biggest entertainment blockbuster likely will be a sequel to a popular franchise, with jarring depictions of war and an intricate story of good versus evil. It could easily rake in more than last year’s record $155 million opening weekend for “The Dark Knight.” But …

DRESDEN, Germany – A Russian-born German man was found guilty Wednesday of murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a pregnant Egyptian woman in court, an attack that triggered outrage in the Muslim world. The Dresden state court said in its ruling that because of the particularly …

You can’t escape them. Fangs are everywhere these days, hoping you’ll also want a taste of the bloodthirsty fervor that has gripped the nation. Between the best-selling books-turned-movies “Twilight Saga,” HBO’s wildly popular “True Blood,” and the CW’s “The Vampire Diaries,” vampires have become a serious pop culture obsession. “New …

LINDEN, N.J. – Authorities say a man was killed after he fell out of a horse trailer traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike. Turnpike spokesman Joe Orlando said the accident happened shortly before noon Monday in the northbound lanes just south of Exit 13 in Linden. The man was pronounced …

GENEVA – Scientists moved Saturday to prepare the world’s largest atom smasher for exploring the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs. The nuclear physicists working on the Large Hadron Collider were surprised that they could so quickly get beams …

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Interim government leaders have suspended constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties in a pre-emptive strike against widespread rebellion Monday, three months to the day since they ousted President Manuel Zelaya in a military-backed coup. Zelaya supporters said they would ignore the decree issued late Sunday and march in the …