ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Great news finally arrives from a favorite sibling or longtime friend. After a moment of reflection and celebration, get back in touch with a timely response. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): It pays to listen to the advice of a trusted, experienced fiscal counselor. Take the suggestions under consideration and realize your financial goals. GEMINI (May 21 - June 21): Make a positive impression on the people that ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Congress is considering legislation that would create a privately funded memorial to dogs that have served with the U.S. military. Until a 2000 law allowed them to be adopted, many of the dogs that served with U.S. soldiers were euthanized by military veterinarians, The Denver Post reported. Most of the more than 4,000 dogs that served in Vietnam died there. Some were killed by enemy troops, some died of tropical diseases, and some ... [full story]

CHICAGO - Community groups in Chicago, pairing with Illinois politicians, are trying to tackle the increasing problems facing the children of prison inmates. Many officials within the Illinois prison system have applauded the move, calling it a major necessity in a city where an estimated 90,000 children are dealing with an imprisoned or paroled parent, The Washington Post said Monday. "I'm so grateful they put a face on this issue," said Roberta Fews, an official ... [full story]

BAGHDAD - A U.S. father and son who hadn't seen each other in 12 years were reunited in Baghdad recently to celebrate an important birthday. The Army arranged a meeting between Master Sgt. William McGraw and his son, Pfc. Logan McGraw, after learning the two had lost touch due to a divorce, the Los Angeles Times reports. William McGraw says the last time he saw Logan his son was 8-years-old. "For whatever reason, it's unknown ... [full story]

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Researchers from the University College London are being credited with saving the life of an oxygen-deprived female climber on Mount Everest. The British research team was set up on the mountain's South Col, called a death zone because of the thin atmosphere there, in order to study oxygen deprivation, the BBC said Monday. When climbers recently found 22-year-old Usha Bista unconscious on the mountainside, the British medical research team saved her life ... [full story]

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Russia - Experts monitoring Russia's massive Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano said Monday it was spewing ash more than four miles into the sky. In addition to the huge ash column, volcanic station head Yuri Demyanchuk said the volcano launched volcanic dust nearly 5.6 miles into the air Sunday as its activity continued to increase, Itar-Tass reported. Demyanchuk said while some ash ultimately fell on nearby residential areas, there was no pressing need to evacuate the ... [full story]

KABUL, Afghanistan - The commander of Finland's peacekeeping forces in northern Afghanistan said a faster medical response would not have saved a soldier killed by a bomb. "He was so close to the explosion and received such serious injuries, that he could not have been saved even if he had been put immediately on a helicopter and flown to a hospital," Lt. Col. Ali Mattola told Helsingin Sanomat of St. Petri Immonen. Mattola, whose Maimana-based ... [full story]

ARLINGTON, Va. - President George Bush Monday honored U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and those still serving there in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. "Those who serve are not fatalists or cynics. They know that one day this war will end, as all wars do," Bush said in his Memorial Day remarks. "Our duty is to ensure that its outcome justifies the sacrifices made by those who fought and died in it. ... [full story]

ST. LOUIS - The American Muslim Coalition engaged in its first event, honoring veterans at Missouri's Jefferson Barracks during a Memorial Day celebration. With more than 20 volunteers on hand, the newly formed group honored the former soldiers at the site's Veterans Affairs Medical Center buildings and offered their support to troops currently overseas, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Monday. Event organizer Dr. Zia Moiz Ahmad said Sunday's celebration was to show the Muslim community ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday Americans need a sense of balance when thinking about U.S. troop deaths in Iraq. "When you take a look at the life of a nation and all that's required to keep us free, we had more than 3,000 Americans murdered on 11 September, 2001," Pace said on CBS' "The Early Show." "The number who have died, sacrificed themselves since that time is ... [full story]