MIAMI – Supermodel May Andersen, arrested after allegedly hitting a flight attendant on a plane from Amsterdam to Miami, was refused entry into the United States on Monday and will be returned to the Netherlands, officials said. Andersen, 23, will return to Amsterdam on the next available flight from Miami, …

LUXEMBOURG – Microsoft (MSFT) ended RealNetworks’ (RNWK) reign as the maker of the world’s favorite media player after it ditched its rival’s Net Show and bundled its own program with the Windows operating system, the European Commission told an EU court Tuesday. Providers like RealPlayer and even Apple’s (AAPL) QuickTime …

SEATTLE – A water-loving rodent native to South America that has destroyed thousands of acres of wetlands in the southeast has been spotted near Lake Washington. Nutria are semi-aquatic, chocolate-colored rodents that can weigh more than 20 pounds and eat one-quarter of their weight a day in crops and plants …

TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas health officials said today there are 205 confirmed and probable cases of mumps in 31 counties. Local health departments are also investigating an additional 32 patients with potential symptoms of mumps. Douglas County has 102 of the confirmed and probable cases. The rest of the reports …

MEERUT, India – The death toll from a devastating blaze at a trade fair in northern India rose Tuesday to 52, as angry crowds demanded that those responsible for the fire be brought to justice. At least 200 people were injured by the flames or trampled Monday as the fire …

WASHINGTON – From Iraq reconstruction to Hurricane Katrina, poor contracting oversight enables Alaska Native corporations to capitalize on multimillion-dollar no-bid deals at a potential cost to taxpayers and small businesses, a federal audit says. A draft report by the Government Accountability Office, obtained Tuesday, indicates gaps in the overseeing of …

TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey doctors will be required to educate expecting mothers and their families about postpartum depression and screen new moms for the disorder under a new law signed Thursday. Gov. Jon S. Corzine called the new requirements, which go into effect this fall, “a significant and positive …

NEW YORK – A 3-year-old boy out for a ride with his family on Easter Sunday was shot and killed when a stray bullet pierced their minivan, police said. The incident occurred about 2 p.m., when two groups of men began arguing in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx …

ATLANTA – The wreckage of famed test pilot Scott Crossfield‘s single-engine plane indicates it broke apart during a severe thunderstorm, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. Crossfield, who in the early 1950s was the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound, died April 19 while …

WACO, Tx – The world’s largest Baptist university warned students that they could be disciplined if they pose for Playboy magazine, but some still showed up to meet photographers, a publication spokeswoman said. Playboy spokeswoman Theresa Hennessey declined to say how many Baylor University students were interviewed when the photographers …