SAN FRANCISCO – Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Tuesday’s session are Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Time Warner Inc., Home Depot Inc., Merck & Co. and Medtronic Inc. Abgenix Inc. (ABGX) is expected to post a fourth-quarter loss of 44 cents a share, according to …

ALBANY, N.Y. – Gov. George Pataki, showing no improvement five days after surgeons removed his appendix, was transferred Tuesday to a New York City hospital and underwent another operation. Doctors operated to alleviate a blockage in Pataki’s digestive system, said his spokesman, David Catalfamo. Afterward, the governor was “awake, alert …

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Joe Manchin on Monday proposed adding emergency shelters to the array of new safety gear mandated in response to what has become one of the deadliest years in West Virginia’s underground mines. The governor wants all 315 underground mines to contain at least one rescue chamber …

WASHINGTON – Over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., brokered a deal between the company and the Bush administration to agree to a new investigation of security issues related to Dubai Ports World’s plan to assume significant operations at six U.S. ports. Republican leaders were looking to curtail …

WAILUKU, Hawaii – Maui may be running out of sand, threatening not only its famous year-round beaches but the state’s booming construction industry. Sources of readily available sand may run out within five to seven years, according to a report being prepared for Maui County. The vast system of sand …

CHICAGO – McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) Wednesday posted a 5.7 percent increase in January global comparable sales, helped by demand for breakfast food, extended hours, gift cards and mild U.S. weather. The world’s biggest fast food company said January sales were up 9.7 percent at U.S. restaurants open at least 13 …

BOSTON – Key events in the deaths of Rachel Entwistle and her 9-month-old daughter, Lillian: 1999: Neil Entwistle meets Rachel Souza at Britain’s University of York, where she was spending the year abroad. 2003: Entwistle and Souza marry. April 2005: Baby Lillian is born. January 2006: Entwistles move into their …

NEW YORK – A dancer who makes drums with animal hides was hospitalized after apparent exposure to anthrax spores, but officials called the illness a rare accident unrelated to terrorism. “We have every reason to believe that this infection is an isolated, accidentally and naturally transmitted case,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg …

WASHINGTON – A growing number of governors, along the border and beyond, are sharpening their complaints about the flood of immigrants pouring into their states, pushing the Bush administration and Congress for action. Republicans and Democrats alike on Sunday said they planned to bring the concerns to President Bush and …

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysia’s ambition to send an astronaut to space next year should inspire other Muslim countries to embark on space exploration, an Islamic professor said Tuesday. However, Muslims who travel to space must tackle religious challenges such as performing prayers at zero gravity and ensuring their meals …