U.S. authorities said four people were killed and 17 others injured after a train slammed into a parade float headed to a West Texas event honoring wounded veterans.

City of Midland spokesman Ryan Stout said the crash happened at a Union Pacific railroad crossing around 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Adam Levine spans music and television with his leading six nominations for the People's Choice Awards.

The Maroon 5 frontman and star of TV's "The Voice" is up for favorite band, song, album and music video, along with favorite celebrity judge and favorite competition TV show.

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of 13 deaths possibly linked to so-called "energy shots" and cautioning consumers to talk to their doctors before they take them or other energy drinks.

The agency has received 92 reports that cite illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths after consumption of a product marketed as 5-Hour Energy. The FDA has also received reports that cited the highly caffeinated Monster Energy Drink in five deaths and one non-fatal heart attack.

Seven concerts. Seven cities. Seven days.

Rihanna has begun her "777" tour in Mexico City with an exclusive party for about 2,000 fans.

Brazilian researchers are turning to cloning to help fight the perilous decline of several animal species.

The scientists at Brazil's Embrapa agriculture research agency said this week they have spent two years building a gene library with hundreds of samples from eight native species, including the collared anteater, the bush dog, the black lion tamarin, the coati, and deer and bison varieties, as well as the leopard and the maned wolf.

Fantastic fibbers are gathering at a remote pub in northwestern England to vie for the title of world's biggest liar.

The annual competition is held at the Bridge Inn in the Lake District hamlet of Santon Bridge. Contestants have five minutes to impress the judges with a whopping but convincing lie.

Medical and police authorities are launching a major international probe into the illegal trafficking in human organs for transplants, to help clamp down on the crime, one of the researchers said Thursday.

Frederike Ambagtsheer, of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, said a three-year probe now aims to map out the trade and the involvement of criminals in the trafficking.

Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band and Kanye West will hit the stage at a Superstorm Sandy benefit concert next month in New York City.

Madison Square Garden announced Thursday that Billy Joel, The Who, Alicia Keys and Jon Bon Jovi will also perform at the Dec. 12 show, dubbed "12-12-12." More performers will be announced later.

Lionel Messi's mood should be better by now. Barcelona has a game on Saturday.

He's a proud Argentine, but his scoring disconnect with the national team sharply contrasts with his record-setting feats for the Spanish club. Criticism at home of his inability to score more for Argentina wasn't dampened after the team played out a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia midweek.

France's prime minister assured a German audience on Thursday that his country is committed to getting its debt under control, and said that is essential to preserving France's sovereignty.

Jean-Marc Ayrault's first visit in Germany since taking office in May comes as concerns grow that France's economy, the eurozone's second-largest, is weakening just as the government has to slash spending to reduce its deficit. France is Berlin's most important ally in fighting Europe's debt crisis.