ATLANTA – Delta Air Lines Inc. will file a request with a bankruptcy court judge Monday to terminate its pilots’ pension plan, the company’s chief executive said in a letter to a lawmaker Friday. CEO Gerald Grinstein said in the letter to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson that the nation’s third-largest …

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Curt Gowdy, one of the signature voices of sports for a generation and the longtime broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox, died Monday at 86. He died in Palm Beach after a long battle with leukemia, Red Sox spokeswoman Pam Ganley said. Gowdy made his broadcasting …

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A national retailers association filed suit in federal court Tuesday, challenging a Maryland law that requires Wal-Mart to spend more on health care for its employees. Maryland became the first state to enact such a law when Democrats in the General Assembly overrode Republican Gov. Robert L. …

Sly Stone, the J.D. Salinger of funk, was drawn out of seclusion by a Grammys tribute. Wednesday night in Los Angeles, the reclusive pioneer of a hugely influential soul-rock-funk fusion made his first major public appearance since Jan. 12, 1993, when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall …

LONDON – A woman describing herself as an artist sparked a major security alert Wednesday in London after suspicious packages were discovered near roads, shopping malls and subway lines, and she was arrested, police said. Police sealed off major arteries into the city and partially shut down four subway lines …

ATOTONILCO, Mexico – They name their babies Johnny and Leslie, so certain are they that their kids’ future lies in the United States. Returning migrants sprinkle English into their speech as they talk knowingly about job markets in U.S. towns. America may want to stop illegal immigration, but most Mexicans …

NEW YORK – Muhammad Ali, one of the world’s most recognized people, has sold 80 percent of the marketing rights to his name and likeness to a firm for $50 million. The 64-year-old former heavyweight champion, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, will retain a 20 percent interest in the business. …

HANGZHOU, China – China’s controversial choice for a Tibetan holy figure made his first major appearance before an international audience Thursday, saying Tibetan Buddhists should be patriotic and “defend the nation.” Gyaltsen Norbu, 16, is the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism and a key figure in the struggle for the …

NEW YORK – U.S. chain store sales rose in the latest week on Easter-related purchases and mild weather, according to two reports issued Tuesday. Sales advanced 1.1 percent in the week to April 15 after rising 1.8 percent the previous week, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and …

NEW YORK – News Corp. (NWS), the media conglomerate controlled by Rupert Murdoch, has reached a settlement with a group of shareholders who sued the company over its handling of a “poison pill” anti-takeover defense. Lawyers for the shareholders said Thursday that News Corp., in a reversal, told them it …