Paul J. Procopio of Lynnfield, a World War II veteran and retired contractor, died Monday at Union Hospital in Lynn. He was 85.
Born in Somerville, Mr. Procopio had lived...
Early yesterday morning, stories emerged that while working on the new $1.3 billion Yankee Stadium, a carmine-hose fan had sunk a Red Sox team shirt into the concrete under...
On the day General Electric stock was trashed on Wall Street, some of the company's financial documents were sent fluttering onto Boston's streets for passersby...
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that the international community's patience with Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe is starting to run out. Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 12 Apr 2008 | 1:04 pm
LAS VEGAS - A 26-year-old entrepreneur from Texas was named Miss USA on Friday, besting 50 other beauty queens for the coveted crown.
Crystle Stewart, of Missouri City,...
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - For 46 years, crime, recessions and hurricanes proved no threat to the daily ritual of St. Monica School, where the entire blue-and-white uniformed student...
BAGHDAD - Shiite militants fought U.S. and Iraqi forces around Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City early Saturday, despite a call for calm by anti-American cleric...
BOAO, China - Chinese President Hu Jintao took a hard line Saturday in his first remarks on the recent unrest in Tibet, saying the matter is an internal affair that directly...
WASHINGTON - Top financial leaders, faced with the biggest crisis to hit the global economy in at least a decade, are pledging to strengthen their regulation of banks and...
LUSAKA, Zambia - African leaders hoped to find a resolution to Zimbabwe's deepening political crisis Saturday at an emergency summit in Zambia, but Zimbabwean President...
Iraqi soldiers acting on tips from detained Shiite militiamen found 14 bodies Saturday that had been buried in a field south of Baghdad, officials said. It was the second discovery... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:46 pm
MUNCIE, Ind. - Barack Obama sees himself with a disadvantage in Pennsylvania and with an advantage in North Carolina.
"So Indiana may end up being the tiebreaker,"...
China's President Hu holds a historic meeting with Taiwan's vice-president-elect amid hopes of improved ties. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:39 pm
HARARE (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki said Saturday there was "no crisis" in Zimbabwe after holding his first face-to-face talks with Robert Mugabe since the country's disputed March 29 elections. Source: AFP - Wire stories | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:36 pm
As obesity rates continue to rise in the U.S., so might our acceptance of those who are overweight. But a new study from Yale University suggests the converse trend: rather than feeling tolerance in our society, the overweight and obese say they feel more heavily discriminated against now than they did a decade ago. Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:35 pm
>...Iraqis came to respect American soldiers as warriors who would protect them from terror gangs. But Iraqis also discovered that these great warriors are even happier helping rebuild a clinic, school or a neighborhood. They learned that the American soldier is not only the most dangerous enemy in the world, but one of the best friends....>> Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:33 pm
AP - Top financial leaders, faced with the biggest crisis to hit the global economy in at least a decade, are pledging to strengthen their regulation of banks and other financial institutions while anxiously hoping the slump in the United States will be a short one.
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A top Iranian official will discuss his country's disputed nuclear program with the U.N. atomic watchdog boss Mohamed ElBaradei in Vienna this week, the official IRNA... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:26 pm
VERONA, Italy (Reuters) - Wearing an Italian soccer cap and sipping an espresso, Moroccan Abbes Mohamed is certain that a centre-left victory in Italy's election on Sunday and Monday would... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:21 pm
AP - For 46 years, crime, recessions and hurricanes proved no threat to the daily ritual of St. Monica School, where the entire blue-and-white uniformed student body gathered outside each morning to join in prayer.
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- African leaders hoped to find a resolution to Zimbabwe's deepening political crisis Saturday at an emergency summit in Zambia, but state media reported that President Robert Mugabe would not attend the "unnecessary" meeting.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:13 pm
AP - African leaders hoped to find a resolution to Zimbabwe's deepening political crisis Saturday at an emergency summit in Zambia, but state media reported that President Robert Mugabe would not attend the "unnecessary" meeting.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi forces killed at least 13 gunmen in heavy battles overnight around Baghdad's Sadr City, the U.S. military said on Saturday, but authorities went ahead and eased a two-week-old blockade of the slum.
AP - Barack Obama sees himself with a disadvantage in Pennsylvania and with an advantage in North Carolina. "So Indiana may end up being the tiebreaker," he said this week.
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING) Nagoya Grampus leapfrogged idle Kashima Antlers to temporarily go top of the J-League after a rare 2-0 win away to Shimizu S-Pulse on Saturday. Yoshizumi... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:12 pm
AP - Texas child welfare officials have brought in mental health professionals and behavioral experts as the agency tries to ensure a sense of normalcy for the more than 400 children removed from a polygamous sect's enclave, an agency spokeswoman said.
AP - For President Bush, it would seem a small gesture to make a big point: Staying away from the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Olympics would send a clear signal of U.S. anger over China's crackdown against anti-Beijing Tibetan protesters.
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Shiite militants fought U.S. and Iraqi forces around Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City early Saturday, despite a call for calm by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr after the assassination of one of his top aides.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:10 pm
AP - Shiite militants fought U.S. and Iraqi forces around Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City early Saturday, despite a call for calm by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr after the assassination of one of his top aides.
African leaders hoped to find a resolution to Zimbabwe's deepening political crisis Saturday at an emergency summit in Zambia, but Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has refused to attend,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:10 pm
South Africa's president urges patience over poll results in Zimbabwe, after talks with President Robert Mugabe. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:10 pm
BOAO, China (AP) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao took a hard line Saturday in his first remarks on the recent unrest in Tibet, saying the matter is an internal affair that directly threatens Chinese sovereignty.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:07 pm
AP - Chinese President Hu Jintao took a hard line Saturday in his first remarks on the recent unrest in Tibet, saying the matter is an internal affair that directly threatens Chinese sovereignty.
BOAO (AFP) - Taiwan's vice president-elect said he and Chinese President Hu Jintao held "candid and harmonious" talks Saturday in the highest-level contact between the sides, and they had brought results. Source: AFP - Wire stories | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:07 pm
General view of the Asia Forum in Boao in southern China's Hainan province. Taiwan's vice president-elect said he and Chinese President Hu Jintao held "candid and harmonious" talks on the margins of the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:06 pm
Taiwan's vice president-elect Vincent Siew (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Hu Jintao during the Boao Forum for Asia. Siew said he and Hu held "candid and harmonious" talks in the highest-level... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:06 pm
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Catholics angered and demoralized by the priest sex abuse scandal say one man can help revitalize the Church with bold action: Pope Benedict.
Taiwan's vice president-elect has held an historic meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in the highest-level political contact between the sides in nearly 60 years. Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:02 pm
A Viking ship made entirely of 15 million ice-cream sticks has set sail for England from the Netherlands on Tuesday, Reuters reports. Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:57 am
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's election stalemate is not a crisis and its electoral commission must be given time to release the results of a presidential poll held two weeks ago, South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Saturday.
Between the launch of Sputnik on 4 October 1957 and 1 January 2008, approximately 4600 launches have placed some 6000 satellites into orbit, of which about 400 are travelling beyond geostationary orbit or on interplanetary trajectories.Today, it is estimated that only 800 satellites are operational - and there's a LOT of junk...see hi-res images. Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:56 am
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING QUOTES FROM MAOIST CHAIRMAN PRACHANDA) Nepal's former rebel chief Prachanda was confirmed elected Saturday from Kathmandu in a constituent assembly election that... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:47 am
A Kashmiri Muslim prays inside the shrine of Sufi saint Shiekh Abdul Qadir Jeelani in Srinagar, India, Saturday, April 12, 2008. Hundreds of Sufi devotees prayed ahead of the saint's Urs or yearly commemoration... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:45 am
In the new science-bashing movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, Ben Stein and the rest of the filmmakers sincerely and seriously argue that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution paved the way for the Holocaust. Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:29 am
Maybe it's because Microsoft's already set the tone for high-priced fraggin'. Or maybe it's because the Heroic Map Pack is now available for free. But 800 points for the new Legendary Map Pack (due out April 15) suddenly doesn't seem so bad anymore. While playing the Legendary Map Pack, its price tag never even entered our minds... Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:28 am
Breathing Earth. Real-time tracker of carbon dioxide emissions in countries all over world; also births/deaths, constantly updating real-time tracking while you're on the site. E.g; US (1000 tons CO2 every 5.4 seconds); China (1000 tons CO2 every 9.2 seconds); Chad (1000 tons CO2 every 66.4 hours). [FYI...click on "Enter" on site to get to map] Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:28 am
The European Union is committed to negotiations toward Turkey's membership and he urged the country to speed up reforms, the European Commission's president said Saturday. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:25 am
Inside the private security firm that gathered intelligence on Greenpeace and other environmental outfits for corporate clients. A tale of intrigue, infiltration, and dumpster-diving. Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:21 am
Last year, a young Tennessee couple was carjacked. Then followed a sheer hell of rape, torture, and murder. As if that weren't bad enough, new testimony indicates that the girlfriend, Channon Christian, was forced to shoot her own boyfriend. Source: Digg | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:21 am
Italian authorities say a small earthquake has shaken the Alban Hills southeast of Rome. No injuries or damage have been reported. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:16 am
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING WITH DETAILS) Chinese President Hu Jintao and Taiwan's vice president-elect met Saturday on China's Hainan Island in the first meeting between top Chinese and... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:09 am
The incoming chairman of UBS AG, Peter Kurer, said the Swiss bank would stick to its integrated business model, despite massive write-downs caused by the subprime mortgage crisis, according to a newspaper interview published Saturday. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:05 am
From 'ballpark figures' to 'off the wall', the BBC's Kevin Connolly feels right at home with the vocabulary of the baseball game. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:03 am
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- For a 13-year-old boy in this impoverished, teeming city, some things are more important than classes - rice, for one.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:02 am
Sarah Rainsford discovers that despite limits on free speech in Turkey, some people are still willing to publish controversial work. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
Richard Downes reflects on his recent visit to Zimbabwe, where many people inside the country are desperate for change. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:59 am
BOAO, China (AP) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Taiwan's vice president-elect Saturday on improving economic relations, the highest-level political contact between the sides in more than half a century.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:59 am
About 10,000 textile workers clashed with police on Saturday near Bangladesh's capital during protests demanding better wages to meet higher food prices, a police official said. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:59 am
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The International Monetary Fund holds its spring meeting here Saturday amid what officials describe as the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Depression and as the global economy weakens. Source: AFP - Wire stories | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:49 am
US and Iraqi forces kill 13 militants in fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City, as a two-week blockade is lifted. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:43 am
The director of Gaza's only power plant says he'll have to shut it down in two to three days unless Israel resumes fuel shipments. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:42 am
Iraqis inspect a market in Baghdad's Sadr City that was damaged by an alleged air strike. Iraqi authorities have ordered residents off the streets of Baghdad's Shiite militia bastion Sadr City, warning... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:42 am
Iraqis walk through a checkpoint surrounding Baghdad's Shiite Sadr City neighbourhood. Iraqi authorities have ordered residents off the streets of Baghdad's Shiite militia bastion Sadr City, warning they... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:42 am
Iraqi men inspect the damage to a house hit by an alleged air strike in Baghdad's Shiite Sadr City neighbourhood. Iraqi authorities have ordered residents off the streets of Baghdad's Shiite militia bastion... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:42 am
Taiwan's vice president-elect Vincent Siew, left, smiles during a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia held in Boao, southern China's Hainan province, Saturday,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:26 am
Bangladeshi garment store assistants wind up work at the end of a day's trading in Dhaka, in 2007. About 10,000 garment workers rioted Saturday close to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, smashing cars and... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:09 am
An Australian man was in critical condition in southern Thailand on Saturday after swallowing condoms that were packed with hashish and burst inside his stomach, police said. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:05 am
Bear Stearns & Co.'s assets under management have shrunk 20 percent since the end of November, and stock and fixed income trading has plummeted to "well less" than half of activity levels in 2007 and the first quarter of this year, the company said in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Friday. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 9:56 am
South Korean bulls Hyudongi, left, and Jumong wrestle during the 2008 Bullfighting Festival in Cheongdo, southeast of Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 12, 2008. Jumong won this opening round match... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 9:46 am
U.S. and Iraqi forces killed at least 13 gunmen in heavy battles around Baghdad's Sadr City, the U.S. military said on Saturday. Source: MSNBC.com: Top MSNBC Headlines | 12 Apr 2008 | 9:46 am
Lakers fans chanted "MVP! MVP!" for Kobe Bryant as he led a third-quarter run that helped Los Angeles lock up its first Pacific Division title in four years. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 9:39 am
His guilt is beyond question, his crime beyond comprehension. The issue for the jury will be whether Joseph Edward Duncan III deserves to die for kidnapping two young siblings in a bloodbath at their home and whisking them away to the remote wilderness of western Montana, where he tortured and raped them, and then killed the 9-year-old boy. Source: Newsvine - Get Smarter Here | 12 Apr 2008 | 9:35 am
Graphic fact file of the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. Nepal's ex-rebel Maoists have taken a surprise early lead in elections to rebuild the country after a bloody civil war and create a republic, results... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesWorld | 12 Apr 2008 | 9:26 am
KATHMANDU (AFP) - Nepal's ex-rebel Maoists have taken a surprise early lead in elections to rebuild the country after a bloody civil war and create a republic, results showed on Saturday. Source: AFP - Wire stories | 12 Apr 2008 | 9:25 am
Malaysia embattled prime minister signals that he is willing to discuss a transition of power to his deputy. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:43 am
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Afghan and foreign troops clashed with and called airstrikes on militants in southern Afghanistan, leaving 24 dead and eight wounded, an official said Saturday.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:24 am
Nepal's Maoists wins four seats and lead in others as election results for a new constituent body come in. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:21 am
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Finance chiefs from rich nations offered a gloomier assessment of the global economy on Friday and vowed to act swiftly on wide-ranging reforms aimed at moving beyond a credit crisis that threatens world growth.
China's president says a crackdown in Tibet is an internal matter, in the wake of Olympic torch protests. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:12 am
LONDON (AFP) - Top children's writers including Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling have signed an open letter calling on world leaders to take urgent action over Darfur to protect the stricken region's children. Source: AFP - Wire stories | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:10 am
A shootout at a California movie theater has wounded two police officers and left a suspect dead. Source: MSNBC.com: Top MSNBC Headlines | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:03 am
Police have banned political rallies and the opposition has accused the authorities of waging a violent crackdown, as Zimbabwe's political crisis deepened nearly two weeks after a presidential election that produced no official winner. Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Apr 2008 | 7:20 am
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Group of Seven has warned the global economy is sputtering and vigorously backed measures to prevent a recurrence of what is being called the worst financial crisis in seven decades. Source: AFP - Wire stories | 12 Apr 2008 | 7:11 am
Witnesses say the car had been traveling at a high rate of speed. The victims are all members of a church group.
The five young men were part of a caravan of vehicles motoring to an Ontario ice skating rink Friday when their car swerved on the 60 Freeway in Pomona and slammed into a concrete divider.
Unlike Arizona and Utah, it closed a compound forcibly.
After a polygamist sect took up residence outside this tiny ranch town a few years ago, the library stocked paperback, cassette and hardcover copies of "Under the Banner of Heaven," an unsparing look at such groups that was suddenly in hot demand.
The Democrat says of struggling communities, 'It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy.' Clinton and McCain call his comments elitist.
Battling for support in Pennsylvania and other blue-collar bastions, Barack Obama fended off charges of elitism and insensitivity Friday after painting a harsh portrait of America's struggling small towns.
Olga Rutterschmidt didn't know Helen Golay planned to kill homeless men for their insurance, public defender tells jury.
A 75-year-old woman accused of killing homeless men for insurance money had no knowledge that her partner in crime was planning murder as a part of the plot, her attorney argued Friday.
Is the well-publicized cleanup campaign slowing? The area is still safer than two years ago, but many wonder where things are headed.
The LAPD's campaign against drug dealing on skid row arrived this month at the apartment of an alleged street-corner dealer. Police found $135,035 -- including about $6,000 in quarters, nickels and dimes.
The action, which follows similar increases by rivals, comes as the airline finishes up inspections that grounded 300 jetliners.
Beleaguered American Airlines, still coping with thousands of flight cancellations, said Friday that it would raise fares by as much as $30 on round-trip tickets to help offset rising fuel costs.
American Airlines says services should be normal by Sunday, after cancellations over safety fears. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition | 12 Apr 2008 | 6:58 am
BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - The Olympic torch was on its way to the East African nation of Tanzania early Saturday after passing through the Argentine capital under tight security in a relay free of the scuffles that marred earlier similar events in other countries. Source: AFP - Wire stories | 12 Apr 2008 | 6:10 am
TERRE HAUTE, Indiana (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama came under fire on Friday for saying small-town Pennsylvania residents were "bitter" and "cling to guns or religion," in comments his rivals said showed an elitist view of the middle class.
The Los Angeles Lakers are Pacific Division champions for the first time in four years and have a shot at the Western Conference title after winning their most important game of the season. But they had to survive a tremendous scare, blowing all but one point of a 30-point lead. Kobe Bryant, making a push for his first MVP award, had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and the Lakers held off the New Orleans Hornets 107-104 Friday night to move within a half-game of the conference-leading Hornets.
Nearly a year after the Virginia Tech massacre, Seung Hui Cho's parents have virtually cut themselves off from the world. Relatives from South Korea have not heard from them. The blinds are always drawn at their home, and several windows are papered over. Source: MSNBC.com: Top MSNBC Headlines | 12 Apr 2008 | 5:04 am
HAVANA (AP) -- Thousands of Cubans will be able to get title to state-owned homes under regulations published Friday - a step that might lay the groundwork for broader housing reform.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 5:01 am
SAN JUAN DE LA VINA, Mexico (AP) -- People wondered about the bearded stranger with a foreign accent who moved into a rustic cabin weeks ago in the pine-clad mountains surrounding this picturesque village.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 4:49 am
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major League Baseball strengthened its drug-testing program on Friday in response to the Mitchell Report on the use of drugs in the sport.
At the airport in Newark, N.J., this week, I picked up a new book, the one plus about modern air travel being that you get a chance to read (Globe Insider subscribers only)
Protection groups say government slow to find alternatives to animals for checking products, such as the safety of Botox. Source: MSNBC.com: Top MSNBC Headlines | 12 Apr 2008 | 4:16 am
The iconic pop artist's foundation sent boxes of photos to academic art museums. UC Davis got a youthful governor at the threshold of fame.
Nobody at the Nelson Gallery at UC Davis knew what to expect from the box of 150 photos that arrived this week from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
BOSTON (Reuters) - General Electric Co posted an unexpected 6 percent drop in first-quarter profit on Friday, the biggest shock yet to an American industrial bellwether from the credit crisis and the latest sign the U.S. economy may be in a recession.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Runners surrounded by rows of security carried the Olympic flame past thousands of jubilant Argentines on Friday in the most trouble-free torch relay in nearly a week.... Source: AP Top International News At 8:13 a... | 12 Apr 2008 | 12:47 am
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Authorities have seen no signs of al Qaeda trying to insert operatives into the United States from Mexico, but the militant group has considered doing so, a U.S. intelligence official said on Friday.
Finance officials from the world's top economic powers have endorsed a plan aimed at preventing another financial crisis like the credit and mortgage debacles that erupted in the United States and quickly sent tremors around the globe.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American Airlines accelerated inspections and related work on Friday to get its MD-80 planes back in service after a nightmare week for the carrier that saw it cancel more than 3,000 flights over a recurring safety issue, affecting 300,000 travelers.
Runners flanked by rows of security carried the Olympic torch past thousands of jubilant Argentines as China supporters in red windbreakers tried to reverse weeks of bad publicity for the host of the Summer Games.
Zimbabwe's opposition yesterday called a general strike after officials said President Robert Mugabe would snub a regional summit called to discuss rising fears of bloodshed over delayed election results.
As tension increased over... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 9:51 pm
Marijuana legalization activists are pushing for new city ordinances to make enforcement of pot possession the lowest priority for police and prosecutors. Seattle passed such a measure in 2003. Has anything changed on the streets there over the past four years?
Speculation that Tiger Woods could capture golf's Grand Slam by winning all four major tournaments this year appears premature. At the Masters Tournament, Woods is well off the pace on Friday. Wall Street Journal sportswriter Stefan Fatsis discusses the challenges Woods faces on the course.
Abu Haider is the leader of a Mahdi army cell in Sadr City. His best friend from childhood, Hassan, works for Iraq's national police. The story of their complex friendship shows the difficulty for U.S. and Iraqi forces to disentangle the "good guys" from the "bad guys" in the militant stronghold.
Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, says that progress is being made in Iraq, but he warns of Iranian attempts to influence Iraq through militia groups. This week, Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus testified on Capitol Hill about the state of the Iraqi government.
With Philip Morris' blessing, Congress appears ready to empower the FDA to regulate tobacco. Bills passed by House and Senate committees would give the agency authority to mandate changes in the manufacture and sales of cigarettes, but stop short of allowing outright bans.
The Olympic torch heads to Argentina on Friday, after anti-China protesters disrupted its journey in Paris and San Francisco. The torch's 20-nation global route has been attracting activists angered over China's human rights record -- in particular, its grip on Tibet and its arming of Sudan's government.
Frontier Airlines is the fourth U.S. carrier to declare bankruptcy in the past two weeks. The discount airline says it will keep flying. But Frontier -- like other airlines -- is under tremendous financial pressure as the economy slows and fuel prices soar. Carriers are likely to pass along more of their costs to fliers as they struggle to remain in business.
CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Friday he was worried in 2006 that the United States would fail in Iraq but stated publicly at the time that it was winning because he needed to maintain morale.
Families of British soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan because of faulty or missing equipment could sue the Government for breaching their human rights following a landmark high court ruling. Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 11 Apr 2008 | 7:37 pm
Prince William received his wings from his father as he became a qualified RAF pilot, but it was the presence of his girlfriend which caused the most excitement. Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 11 Apr 2008 | 7:20 pm
One of the most intriguing questions of the Democratic presidential contest is whether being black is a net gain for Barack Obama, and whether being a woman is a net gain for Hillary Clinton.
Clinton offered no answer yesterday,... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 7:15 pm
An NHS doctor has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after admitting he failed to warn the authorities after he learned his brother was planning the car bomb attack on Glasgow Airport in 2007. Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 11 Apr 2008 | 6:21 pm
Tony Blair's government broke the law when it abandoned a fraud investigation into a multibillion-pound arms deal between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia, the High Court ruled.
Two senior judges condemned the government's "abject"... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 6:15 pm
With more than 100,000 people stranded by the American Airlines debacle, hotels and concessionaires are making a mint. Sam Eaton talks about the trickle-down effect of the grounded planes.
U.S.-backed Sunni neighborhood watches are eager to become official members of the Iraqi security forces. The United States is spending millions to retrain the former insurgents, hoping to keep them productive members of society.
A new poll suggests that John McCain would be even with a Democratic rival in November. NPR News Analyst Juan Williams talks about the poll's findings and about President Bush's decision to attend the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies.
The killing of a senior aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatened to raise tensions amid a violent standoff between al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.
China sentenced the former Communist Party chief to 18 years in prison for being at the center of a scandal involving the misuse pension funds, sparing him the usual punishment for serious economic crimes - death.
Navy says USS Typhoon unsuccessfully tried to contact a small, high-speed boat after it came within 200 yards of the U.S. ship, but the Iranian vessel stayed away after the Typhoon fired a flare. Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:46 pm
The Olympic torch dodged China foes in Europe and played hide-and-seek with crowds in San Francisco. Now the flame is making its only Latin American stop on a five-continent tour amid cloak-and-dagger secrecy after recent turmoil. Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:15 pm
Stolen and sensitive US military equipment, including fighter jet parts wanted by Iran and nuclear biological protective gear, has been available on popular internet sites such as eBay, say congressional investigators. Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:15 pm
Karren Brady has come a long way since her early days as managing director at Birmingham City Football Club.
During her first press conference, one reporter didn't ask the struggling club's new boss about her long-term financial... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:00 pm
Germany's chief Nazi prosecutor is now more likely to be consoling the grandchild of a war criminal than chasing Adolf Hitler's murderous henchmen.
More than 60 years after World War II ended, Nazi hunters are running out of targets... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:00 pm
Flicking through a day's newspapers often feels like tackling a numerical assault course.
"Young people who use sunbeds increase their risk of skin cancer by 75 per cent."
"Ninety-six per cent of children in European orphanages... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:00 pm
Australia's national capital is anxiously watching the tempestuous journey of the Olympic torch as it goes to South America after violent protests in London and Paris, and the farce of San Francisco's route detours.
Canberra's... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:00 pm
In Hollywood's take on Black Widows - women who ensnare, then kill men like the namesake spider - the temptresses are invariably young.
But, if prosecutors in Los Angeles are correct, in real life they may be septuagenarians.
Even... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:00 pm
Pope Benedict is unlikely to discuss specific world trouble spots but will assail the notion that "might is right" when he addresses the United Nations next week, a papal envoy said.
The pontiff's speech in the General Assembly... Source: New Zealand Herald - World | 11 Apr 2008 | 5:00 pm
Government concedes effort to block anti-Islam clip futile in face of internal criticism, easy dodges by users. Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Apr 2008 | 4:48 pm
Israel Defense Forces now requires active soldiers not to reveal selves as such on social-networking Web sites. Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Apr 2008 | 4:14 pm
Thousands of police officers in Buenos Aires have been deployed to protect the Olympic torch during the seventh lap of its round-the-world relay in the Argentine capital. Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 11 Apr 2008 | 4:07 pm
China voiced disapproval Friday over U.S. congressional resolution urging Beijing to stop cracking down on Tibetan dissent. Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Apr 2008 | 4:02 pm
Melting ice in southern Chile caused a glacial lake to swell and then empty suddenly, sending a "tsunami" rolling through a river. No one was injured in the remote region.
A senior aide of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was assassinated Friday in the holy city of Najaf, officials said. Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Apr 2008 | 3:40 pm
The Defence Secretary, Des Browne, may appeal a High Court ruling that sending troops on patrol or into battle in Iraq and Afghanistanwithout adequate equipment could breach their human rights. Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 11 Apr 2008 | 3:37 pm
More than 50 survivors were sentenced to two months in jail in Thailand and then deportation after 54 others suffocated in the back of a seafood truck attempting to smuggle them. Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Apr 2008 | 3:02 pm
An NHS doctor has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after admitting he failed to warn the authorities after he learned his brother was planning the car bomb attack on Glasgow Airport in 2007. Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 11 Apr 2008 | 2:44 pm
Prince William received his RAF "Wings" from his proud father the Prince of Wales today after completing an intensive flying course Source: Telegraph News | Top News | 11 Apr 2008 | 1:20 pm
AP - Top financial leaders, faced with the biggest crisis to hit the global economy in at least a decade, are pledging to strengthen their regulation of banks and other financial institutions while anxiously hoping the slump in the United States will be a short one.
AP - Trevor Immelman knows he'll be nervous this weekend, though he's been through something a lot more stressful than leading the Masters.
AP - A 26-year-old entrepreneur from Texas was named Miss USA on Friday, besting 50 other beauty queens for the coveted crown.
AP - For 46 years, crime, recessions and hurricanes proved no threat to the daily ritual of St. Monica School, where the entire blue-and-white uniformed student body gathered outside each morning to join in prayer.
AP - African leaders hoped to find a resolution to Zimbabwe's deepening political crisis Saturday at an emergency summit in Zambia, but state media reported that President Robert Mugabe would not attend the "unnecessary" meeting.
AP - Barack Obama sees himself with a disadvantage in Pennsylvania and with an advantage in North Carolina. "So Indiana may end up being the tiebreaker," he said this week.
AP - Texas child welfare officials have brought in mental health professionals and behavioral experts as the agency tries to ensure a sense of normalcy for the more than 400 children removed from a polygamous sect's enclave, an agency spokeswoman said.
AP - For President Bush, it would seem a small gesture to make a big point: Staying away from the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Olympics would send a clear signal of U.S. anger over China's crackdown against anti-Beijing Tibetan protesters.
AP - Shiite militants fought U.S. and Iraqi forces around Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City early Saturday, despite a call for calm by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr after the assassination of one of his top aides.
AP - Chinese President Hu Jintao took a hard line Saturday in his first remarks on the recent unrest in Tibet, saying the matter is an internal affair that directly threatens Chinese sovereignty.
Read the full, unedited transcript of NBC's Ann Curry's interview with the Dalai lama.
Comment by James Hall Managing Partner, Hall & Associates LLC
Four young members of a church group died following a car crash on Friday.
The Los Angeles Lakers are Pacific Division champions for the first time in four years and have a shot at the Western Conference title after winning their most important game of the season. But they had to survive a tremendous scare, blowing all but one point of a 30-point lead. Kobe Bryant, making a push for his first MVP award, had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and the Lakers held off the New Orleans Hornets 107-104 Friday night to move within a half-game of the conference-leading Hornets.
Chen-Ming Wang pitched a two-hitter as the New York Yankees beat Boston 4-1.
The 26-year-old entrepreneur bested 50 other beauty queens for the coveted crown.
Woods completes second round at 1-under, trails by seven shots.