CNN Hero of the Year Efren Peñaflorida has been conferred the Order of Lakandula, with a rank of komandante (commander) by President Arroyo. In a simple ceremony at Malacañang’s Reception Hall, the President awarded the order of political and civic merit to Peñaflorida for his “leadership, prudence, fortitude, courage and resolve in the service of [...]

An asteroid (inside circle) passed within 38,000 miles of Earth on Monday. (CNN) — You had a close encounter with a 40-yard-wide asteroid this week, but the astronomer who first spotted the large rock said it’s nothing to worry about. Asteroid 2009 DD45 on Monday passed within 38,000 miles of Earth, less than twice the [...]

(CNN) — Beyond the golden beaches and beneath the blue waters of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques is a site that resembles more of a munitions graveyard than a Caribbean paradise. Hundreds of corroding and unexploded bombs litter the sea floor, leaking toxins and taking a toll on nearby marine life. The munitions were [...]

LONDON, England (CNN) — Part-nationalized British banking group RBS announced massive losses for 2008, totaling £24.1 billion ($34.7 billion) on Thursday. The results are the worst in British corporate history. RBS’s loss exceeded the previous record set by Vodafone in 2006 by more than £10 million ($14.2 million). “Last year was undeniably tough and a [...]

The mummy known as Meresamun was entombed nearly 3,000 years ago. CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) — The beautiful singer was about 30 years old when the world forgot about her. But now we know what she looks like for the first time in nearly 3,000 years. It’s all thanks to one of the most sophisticated CT [...]

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A special court ruled Thursday that evidence presented in three cases by parents of children with autism did not prove a link between autism and certain early childhood vaccines. The ruling came from a panel of “special masters” who began hearing three test cases in 2007 involving children with autism — a [...]

(CNN) — Switzerland’s Credit Suisse has joined the list of banks revealing disastrous results for 2008 after it reported losses of $7.1 billion (8.2 billion Swiss francs). The country’s second largest bank lost 6 billion Swiss francs in the last quarter of the year alone, the bank said Wednesday. The figures compare with a $6.7 [...]

(CNN) — Somali pirates released a Ukrainian ship Thursday carrying tanks, ammunition and crew after receiving a ransom of $3.2 million, a spokesman for the ship’s owner said. Mikhail Voitenko told CNN all the pirates had left the ship Thursday night, and a man who identified himself as one of the pirates who was involved [...]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Tens of billions smaller and more precisely targeted. That’s the kind of economic recovery package a bipartisan group of moderate senators has been trying to craft for the Senate’s consideration. Until late Thursday night, the chamber debated amendments to a nearly $900 billion stimulus bill. Lawmakers generally agreed that stimulus is [...]

The figurine is small — about 6 centimeters high by 4 centimeters wide — but very detailed, archaeologists say. (CNN) — Archaeologists in Israel have discovered what they believe is the bust of a Roman boxer from the second or third century. “It seems that what we have here is a unique find,” the two [...]

(CNN) — The Dutch-based finance and insurance group ING is cutting up to 7,000 staff in an effort to help save $1.4 billion. It also announced Monday that CEO, Michel Tilmant, was stepping down. Tilmant will continue to serve ING as an adviser until his retirement in August, ING said in a statement. His designated [...]

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — In spite of prevention efforts, new cases of some of the most common sexually transmitted diseases are going up, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report, “Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2007,” also said that women and minorities in particular are more likely to [...]