CHICAGO – General Mills Inc. (GIS) Thursday reported a 38 percent increase in quarterly profit, as the No. 2 cereal maker said that higher prices and lower interest expenses boosted results. Earnings for its fiscal first quarter were well above Wall Street’s expectations, despite a sharp drop in the amount …

WASHINGTON – Some key events and controversies in the career of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas: 1984: Elected to represent the 22nd District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. 1994: Elected majority whip. July 1997: DeLay was part of a group that tried, but failed, to oust …

NEW YORK – Crude-oil prices rose Wednesday as traders braced for the possibility that Hurricane Rita could smash into key oil facilities in Texas. Workers fled oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico (search) less than a month after Hurricane Katrina tore through the same region, as Rita strengthened into …

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – President Bush (search) hopscotched the country from one high-tech disaster command center to another Saturday, declaring himself satisfied with the government’s response to the latest monster hurricane. Seeking to project a take-charge role on Hurricane Rita (search), Bush tracked its assault on Texas and Louisiana from …

CHICAGO – Nike Inc. (NKE), the world’s largest athletic shoe maker, posted a bigger-than-expected 32 percent jump in quarterly profit on Monday on strong sales in the key U.S. footwear market, pushing its stock higher. The robust sales marked a turnaround from last quarter, when Nike reported its slowest revenue …

This is a partial transcript from “The O’Reilly Factor,” September 19, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. Watch “The O’Reilly Factor” weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET and listen to the “Radio Factor!” BILL O’REILLY, HOST: In the “Back of the Book” segment tonight: One of the …

NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip – Palestinian police Tuesday blocked off abandoned Jewish settlements and chased after scavengers in a first attempt to impose order after chaotic celebrations of Israel’s pullout from the Gaza Strip. The overwhelmed forces were unable to halt looting of the area’s prized greenhouses. Egyptian guards, meanwhile, …

CAIRO, Egypt – Donations to Hurricane Katrina (search) relief poured in from around the world Sunday, with Kuwait offering $500 million and other Mideast countries offering aid and condolences despite widespread opposition to U.S. policies in the area. But the Al Qaeda in Iraq group, led by the Jordanian Abu …

LONDON – Crude oil prices eased on Thursday after data showed U.S. oil stockpiles had not been drained as much as expected in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (search). U.S. light crude was off 12 cents at $64.25 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (search) after dropping more …

SYDNEY, Australia – A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Friday off the northeast coast of the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea (search), the U.S. Geological Survey (search) said. There were no immediate reports of damage, and officials said there was no danger of a tsunami. The quake was centered …