UN officials criticize Myanmar's response to cyclone ( Fri, 09 May 2008 00:56:14 +0200) UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Top U.N. officials criticized Myanmar's response to a devastating cyclone, calling on its ruling junta Thursday to postpone a constitutional referendum and to ease restrictions slowing the delivery of international aid.... Read more
Spain claims full sunken treasure ( Fri, 09 May 2008 02:30:36 +0200) MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Spain formally laid claim Thursday to a shipwreck that yielded a $500 million treasure, saying it has proof the vessel was Spanish.... Read more
Overlooked in the global food crisis: A problem with dirt ( Thu, 08 May 2008 17:09:14 +0200) WASHINGTON (AP) -- Science has provided the souped-up seeds to feed the world, through biotechnology and old-fashioned crossbreeding. Now the problem is the dirt they're planted in.... Read more
Cyclone Nargis had all the makings of `a perfect storm' ( Thu, 08 May 2008 18:01:30 +0200) BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- It was Asia's answer to Hurricane Katrina. Packing winds upwards of 120 mph, Cyclone Nargis became one of Asia's deadliest storms by hitting land at one of the lowest points in Myanmar and setting off a storm surge that reached 25 miles inland.... Read more
Underground sport: Saudi women shed veils to play basketball ( Thu, 08 May 2008 19:02:22 +0200) JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- The players bounded into the gym, shedding their long black cloaks and veils to take to the basketball court. Up this night: Jeddah United against the Jaguars, as 30 women spectators hooted and hollered from the stands.... Read more Malaria, diarrhea reported after storm hits Myanmar ( Thu, 08 May 2008 19:44:58 +0200) Health experts are scrambling to prevent widespread illness after reports of malaria outbreaks and diarrhea surfaced in areas of Myanmar hardest hit by a cyclone, U.N. health officials said Thursday.... Read more
Lost in the Holocaust: experts plumb newly opened archive ( Thu, 08 May 2008 19:51:52 +0200) BAD AROLSEN, Germany (AP) -- A mother and child separated. A father's war wound. An uncle's name on a list.... Read more
Iraqi army: Iraqi al-Qaida leader held ( Thu, 08 May 2008 20:40:48 +0200) BAGHDAD (AP) -- The Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman says the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq has been arrested in the northern city of Mosul.... Read more
Myanmar cyclone victim takes solace in new baby ( Thu, 08 May 2008 21:17:03 +0200) KAW HMU, Myanmar (AP) -- As the waters rose around her house, Ohn Tay grabbed her 8-year-old son and scrambled to safety. Hours later, she gave birth to a baby girl.... Read more Cuban blogger receives Spanish award - in absentia ( Thu, 08 May 2008 01:53:38 +0200) MADRID, Spain (AP) -- A Cuban woman who gained worldwide acclaim for a blog that offers stinging criticism of the Communist regime was honored Wednesday with a Spanish journalism award - in absentia.... Read more
Russian parliament approves Putin as prime minister ( Thu, 08 May 2008 10:00:39 +0200) MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's parliament has overwhelmingly voted to make Vladimir Putin the prime minister.... Read more
Clashes erupt in Lebanon as Hezbollah stages strike ( Wed, 07 May 2008 10:31:04 +0200) BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Protesters from the Hezbollah-led opposition clashed with supporters of Lebanon's U.S.-backed government Wednesday as a strike by the Shiite militant group paralyzed large parts of the capital Beirut.... Read more
Koalas at risk from climate change ( Wed, 07 May 2008 11:07:41 +0200) CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Koalas are threatened by the rising level of carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere because it saps nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves they feed on, a researcher said Wednesday.... Read more
Cyclone could cause long-term food shortages in Myanmar ( Wed, 07 May 2008 09:28:51 +0200) BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Cyclone Nargis has devastated Myanmar's agriculture heartland, known as its rice bowl, experts said Wednesday, and could result in long-term food shortages for the impoverished country.... Read more
Dmitry Medvedev takes Russian presidential oath of office ( Wed, 07 May 2008 09:55:10 +0200) MOSCOW (AP) -- Dmitry Medvedev was inaugurated as Russia's president on Wednesday, pledging to bolster the country's economic development and civil rights, in what may signal a departure from his predecessor's heavy-handed tactics.... Read more
Russia, US sign civil nuclear pact ( Wed, 07 May 2008 01:01:45 +0200) MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian and U.S. officials signed a key agreement on civilian nuclear power Tuesday that could give Washington access to Russian technology and potentially hand Moscow lucrative deals on storing spent fuel.... Read more Colombia extradites paramilitary warlord to US ( Wed, 07 May 2008 07:22:39 +0200) BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Colombia extradited one of the country's most feared paramilitary warlords to the United States early Wednesday to face drug trafficking charges, the government said.... Read more China accuses US of shoddy probe into tainted heparin ( Wed, 07 May 2008 00:32:05 +0200) BEIJING (AP) -- China's drug safety agency accused the United States on Tuesday of blocking Beijing's inquiry into a blood thinner linked to 81 deaths by refusing to provide details on victims and specifics about production.... Read more
Chinese president in Japan hoping to further ease frictions ( Tue, 06 May 2008 16:35:16 +0200) TOKYO (AP) -- President Hu Jintao, on the first visit to Japan by a Chinese leader in 10 years, called Tuesday for the Asian giants to improve their often strained relations and - as a show of goodwill - reportedly offered to lend Tokyo a pair of pandas.... Read more
Hitting age 60, Israel gets nostalgic for the old days ( Tue, 06 May 2008 18:11:28 +0200) JERUSALEM (AP) -- As Israel celebrates its 60th birthday, Israelis have their gaze set firmly backward.... Read more
Marines ignore Taliban cash crop to not upset Afghan locals ( Tue, 06 May 2008 18:35:08 +0200) GARMSER, Afghanistan (AP) -- The Marines of Bravo Company's 1st Platoon sleep beside a grove of poppies. Troops in the 2nd Platoon playfully swat at the heavy opium bulbs while walking through the fields. Afghan laborers scraping the plant's gooey resin smile and wave.... Read more Golfing Baghdad's Green Zone: a course with real bunkers ( Tue, 06 May 2008 18:44:51 +0200) BAGHDAD (AP) -- The weight of the 9-iron felt just right. My first swing off the first tee was smooth and the ball sailed straight and true.... Read more Historians seek public report on World War II forgeries ( Tue, 06 May 2008 20:05:37 +0200) LONDON (AP) -- British historians called Tuesday for a public report on the inquiry into 29 forged documents found at the National Archives that falsely accuse Winston Churchill's government of having a secret, cordial relationship with Nazi SS chief Henrich Himmler at the height of World War II.... Read more Report: NY businessman linked to probe of Ehud Olmert ( Tue, 06 May 2008 22:37:59 +0200) GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) -- A New York-area businessman and philanthropist has emerged as a key figure in an Israeli investigation into financial dealings of Ehud Olmert that have cast a new cloud over the embattled prime minister.... Read more
12 killed in air strikes in north Darfur, aid group says ( Tue, 06 May 2008 22:59:40 +0200) KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) -- The peacekeeping force in Darfur said Tuesday it was still trying to evacuate those wounded in airstrikes two days earlier that an aid group reported left 12 people dead, including six children.... Read more
In nod to world pressure, Myanmar delays vote in some areas ( Tue, 06 May 2008 12:35:57 +0200) BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Bowing partly to international demands, Myanmar's junta decided Tuesday to postpone voting on a new and long-awaited constitution in areas hardest-hit by a devastating cyclone as the death toll soared.... Read more
Guatemala puts adoptions on hold ( Tue, 06 May 2008 13:14:57 +0200) GUATEMALA CITY (AP) -- Guatemala's attorney general on Monday said 2,286 pending foreign adoptions have been placed on hold for at least a month while officials review related paperwork.... Read more
Interpol launches manhunt for pedophile suspect ( Tue, 06 May 2008 04:03:38 +0200) LYON, France (AP) -- Interpol launched a worldwide appeal to the public Tuesday to help identify a man suspected of sexually abusing young boys from Southeast Asia - hoping the rare move will lead to a quick arrest.... Read more
Police find 3 dead infants in Germany, arrest mother ( Mon, 05 May 2008 12:41:28 +0200) OLPE, Germany (AP) -- German police arrested the mother of three infants whose bodies were found stuffed into a basement freezer, a prosecutor's spokesman said Monday.... Read more
US: Hezbollah training Iraqi Shiite extremists in Iran ( Mon, 05 May 2008 14:14:38 +0200) BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi Shiite extremists are being trained by members of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in camps near Tehran, a U.S. military spokesman said Monday.... Read more
