WORLD NEWS
Hamas among intractable issues in Mideast talks
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — To relaunch Middle East peace talks on Thursday, the Israeli and Palestinian leaders and their American mediators quietly agreed to push aside the question of Hamas — the Islamic militant group that controls one of the two Palestinian territories and rejects negotiations. ...Read More
Karzai: Afghan govt will back Kabul Bank
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai reassured nervous customers at the troubled Kabul Bank on Thursday, saying every penny of their deposits would be guaranteed by the government. ...Read More
Afghan president says airstrike killed civilians
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — NATO said an airstrike in northern Afghanistan on Thursday killed about a dozen insurgents, but President Hamid Karzai said the victims were campaign workers seeking votes in this month's parliamentary elections. ...Read More
UN to release Congo 'genocide' report in October
GENEVA (AP) — A report detailing hundreds of gruesome attacks against civilians in Congo over a 10-year period won't be released until October, the U.N.'s top human rights official said Thursday, after Rwanda angrily protested the findings in a draft version. ...Read More
Sudan's north-south faultline worries about war
AGOK, Sudan (AP) — Four months before Southern Sudan is scheduled to hold an independence referendum, tensions are already rising in this oil-rich region that sits on the expected future border, with allegations the central government is using violence and ethnic cleansing to sway the vote. ...Read More
Book says Nazi hunter Wiesenthal worked for Mossad
JERUSALEM (AP) — A new book claims renowned Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal worked for Israel's Mossad spy agency, providing information on war criminals and Germans working in Arab countries. ...Read More
Gates in Afghanistan to meet with Karzai, Petraeus
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan's capital Thursday for meetings with President Hamid Karzai and top NATO commander Gen. David Petraeus. ...Read More
Samsung unveils iPad competitor Galaxy
BERLIN (AP) — Samsung Electronics Co. is unveiling a new tablet PC named Galaxy Tab as the latest device meant to rival Apple Inc.'s popular iPad. ...Read More
Google, Skype targeted in India security crackdown
MUMBAI, India (AP) — India has widened its security crackdown, asking all companies that provide encrypted communications — not just BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion — to install servers in the country to make it easier for the government to obtain users' data. That would likely affect digital giants like Google and Skype. ...Read More
Gen. Petraeus calls relationship with Karzai sound
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The top US military commander in Afghanistan says the sometimes strained relationship between the US and Afghan President Hamid Karzai is solid. ...Read More
SAfrica to end amnesty for illegal Zimbabweans
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's government is withdrawing the special status granted to illegal Zimbabwean immigrants who fled their country's economic meltdown and political violence, a spokesman said Thursday. ...Read More
2 US troops, dozens of Afghan insurgents killed
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two American troops died in fighting in Afghanistan on Thursday, while NATO and local officials said coalition and Afghan forces killed dozens of insurgents in a series of ground and air engagements. ...Read More
US changes military commanders in Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) — The United States changed commanders in Iraq Wednesday, beginning the final phase of American military involvement in the country despite political uncertainty and persistent violence. ...Read More
"Tony Blair: I cried for Iraq war victims"
LONDON (AP) — Tony Blair's long-awaited memoir says the former British prime minister doesn't regret the Iraq war — although he wept for its victims — and carries revelations about the politician's alcohol use, his interactions with the queen and his testy relationship with his successor. ...Read More
Hamas: 150 members arrested in wake of shooting
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Hamas officials in the West Bank say 150 members of the Islamic militant group have been arrested in an overnight raid by Palestinian security forces following a shooting attack that killed four Israelis. ...Read More
Bomb attack kills Afghan Muslim religious leader
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A bomb attack Wednesday in Afghanistan's volatile southern city of Kandahar killed the director of the local office for facilitating pilgrimages to Islamic holy sites, police said. ...Read More
Pakistani PM: Floods slow growth, raise inflation
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's prime minister is predicting that economic growth will fall by 2 percentage points to 2.5 percent because of this summer's devastating floods. ...Read More
US enters final phase of Iraq war
BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. marks on Wednesday the transition to the final phase of the Iraq war, shifting the focus of the remaining 50,000 American troops from combat operations to preparing Iraqi security forces to protect the country on their own. ...Read More
Rape probe against WikiLeaks founder reopened
STOCKHOLM (AP) — A senior Swedish prosecutor reopened a rape investigation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Wednesday, the latest twist to a puzzling case in which prosecutors of different ranks have overruled each other. ...Read More
Mozambique police fire at crowds protesting prices
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Police opened fire Wednesday on stone-throwing crowds who were protesting rising prices in this impoverished country, said witnesses who described seeing one boy who appeared to have suffered a fatal head injury. ...Read More
Private Mozambican TV: 6 killed in protest
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — A private television station in Mozambique says six people have been killed as police shoot at protesters. ...Read More
Palestinians crack down on Hamas after shooting
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian security forces arrested more than 150 Hamas members in an overnight sweep throughout the West Bank after the Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for shooting dead four Israelis on the eve of new Mideast peace talks. ...Read More
Gunmen fire on plane carrying aid workers in Congo
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Gunmen in eastern Congo fired Wednesday on a private plane carrying international aid workers who escaped into the forest, the regional director of International Medical Corps told The Associated Press. ...Read More
Police: Bombs wound 20 at Shiite march in Pakistan
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police say two time bombs have exploded during a Shiite religious procession in the eastern city of Lahore. At least 20 people were wounded in the blasts and a subsequent stampede. ...Read More
Police: 3 bombs kill 14 at Pakistani Shiite march
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Three bombs ripped through a Shiite Muslim religious procession in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding at least 100 others, police said. ...Read More
Dutch prosecutors say Yemenis likely to be freed
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Two Yemeni men arrested amid fears they were conducting a dry run for an airline terror attack almost certainly will be released soon in the Netherlands, a prosecution spokesman said Wednesday. ...Read More
Dutch prosecutors say Yemenis freed
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Two Yemeni men arrested on arrival from the United States on suspicion they may have been conducting a dry run for an airline terror attack were released without charge Wednesday after investigations turned up no evidence to link them to a terror plot, Dutch prosecutors said. ...Read More
Official: 3 bombs kill 18 at Pakistan Shiite march
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Three bombs ripped through a Shiite Muslim religious procession in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, killing 18 people and wounding at least 150 others, officials said. ...Read More
Official: 3 bombs kill 25 at Pakistan Shiite march
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Three bombs ripped through a Shiite Muslim religious procession in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, killing 25 people and wounding about 150 others, officials said. ...Read More
Calderon: Mexico shows gains in security, economy
MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Felipe Calderon delivered his latest "state of the nation" report to Congress on Wednesday, saying Mexico has made gains in security and is enjoying its strongest economic growth in a dozen years. ...Read More
Kabul Bank braces for run on deposits after doubts
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Managers of Afghanistan's largest bank braced for a run on deposits Thursday, a day after nervous customers showed up in droves to take out their money following the resignation of two top executives allegations of mismanagement and unorthodox lending practices. ...Read More
Facebook page leads search for loved ones in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The desperate quest to find loved ones started just minutes after the earthquake, as cell phones rang unanswered from beneath the rubble of Haiti's best hotel. ...Read More
Pakistan militants kill 35 despite floods
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The triple bombing of a religious procession in Pakistan adds to the strains on a government already struggling with devastating floods and shows that Islamist militants are back in business despite the natural disaster. ...Read More
US forces still in fight at end of combat mission
HAWIJA, Iraq (AP) — Even as President Barack Obama was announcing the end of combat in Iraq, American soldiers were sealing off a northern village early Wednesday as their Iraqi partners raided houses and arrested dozens of suspected insurgents. ...Read More
Ponzi scheme shakes West African nation of Benin
COTONOU, Benin (AP) — More than a hundred thousand people in the tiny West African nation of Benin have lost their savings in a Ponzi scheme run by a now-defunct company that appeared to be publicly endorsed by the country's president. ...Read More
Hamas leader rejects talks with Israel
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The top Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip rejected compromise with Israel in a fiery speech Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed four Israelis in a strong reminder that the Islamic militant group cannot be ignored in any Mideast deal. ...Read More
US moves into final military phase in Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday moved into the final phase of its military involvement in Iraq, with administration officials saying the war was ending even as the new commander of the remaining 50,000 troops warned of the ongoing threat from "hostile elements." ...Read More
Australian lawmakers reveal $9.7 B hole in pledges
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's opposition Liberal Party had overstated national savings from their election promises by up to 10.6 billion Australian dollars ($9.7 billion), according to official figures released Wednesday by independent lawmakers who are likely to decide which political party forms the next government. ...Read More
Mexico confirms 2nd migrant survived massacre
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A second migrant survived the massacre of 72 Central and South Americans near the border with the U.S., Mexican authorities confirmed Wednesday, and they said he has given information that helped their investigation. ...Read More
China requires ID to buy mobile phone numbers
BEIJING (AP) — China wants people who buy new cell phone numbers to register their personal details, joining many European and Asian countries in curbing the anonymous use of mobile technology. ...Read More
Afghan refugees forced to start over after floods
AZAKHEL, Pakistan (AP) — After fleeing the Soviet invasion of his country with nothing, Afghan refugee Ziarat Gul spent three decades building a new life in neighboring Pakistan. ...Read More
Government controls message on rescue timeline
SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) — Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said Wednesday he hopes 33 miners trapped nearly a half-mile underground will be home by Christmas — a lengthy rescue timeline that doesn't square with experts' shorter estimates but could reflect a political strategy aimed at avoiding unmet expectations. ...Read More
Tony Blair: 'I cried for Iraq war victims'
LONDON (AP) — Tony Blair regrets banning fox hunting, but not invading Iraq. He was captivated by Princess Diana, intimidated by Queen Elizabeth II. He heaps praise on President George W. Bush but calls his close colleague Gordon Brown a man of "zero" emotional intelligence. He acknowledges that some find him delusional, and says he possibly drank a bit too much. ...Read More
Official: 3 bombs kill 6 at Pakistani Shiite march
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Three suicide bombs ripped through a Shiite Muslim religious procession in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, killing six people and wounding at least 88, police said. ...Read More
Typhoon suspends SKorean flights, subway, kills 3
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Typhoon Kompasu struck South Korea early Thursday, killing three people while it knocked over streetlights and scaffolding in what was called the strongest tropical storm to hit the Seoul area in 15 years. ...Read More
Australian key lawmaker backs Labor to govern
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Prime Minister Julia Gillard edged closer to retaining power in Australia on Thursday when an independent lawmaker said he would support her center-left Labor Party to form Australia's first minority government in almost seven decades. ...Read More
Key Australian lawmaker backs Labor to govern
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Prime Minister Julia Gillard edged closer to retaining power in Australia on Thursday when an independent lawmaker said he would support her center-left Labor Party to form Australia's first minority government in almost seven decades. ...Read More
Pakistan Shiites mourn those killed in triple bomb
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Thousands of Shiite Muslims, thumping their chests and crying, mourned Thursday at funeral prayers for victims of a triple bombing that heaped more tragedy on Pakistan, which is already struggling to cope with devastating floods. ...Read More
Gunfire continues in Mozambique; police say 4 dead
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Angry protesters burned tires on the streets of Mozambique's capital and a TV station said at least one person was killed Thursday, a day after at least four people died in clashes between police and rioters. ...Read More
Few signs of run on Afghanistan's Kabul Bank
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Larger than usual crowds gathered to withdraw funds from Afghanistan's largest bank Thursday, but there was little sign that questions surrounding its viability had sparked a major panic. ...Read More
