07/02/2009

North Korea test-fires short-range missiles
North Korea test-fired four short-range missiles Thursday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said, a move that aggravates already high tensions following Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and U.N. sanctions imposed as punishment.

07/04/2009

Deal to allow U.S. to ship weapons through Russia
MOSCOW – Russia said Friday that it will allow the United States to ship weapons across its territory to Afghanistan, a long-sought move that bolsters U.S. military operations but potentially gives the Kremlin leverage over critical American supplies.

17 die in U.S. attack in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD – U.S. missiles struck a training facility operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant communication center Friday, killing 17 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said.

North Korea fires more missiles
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea says North Korea has fired a fourth missile off its eastern coast.

Biden's Iraq visit draws mixed reaction
BAGHDAD – Vice President Joe Biden's surprise two-day visit this weekend to Iraq was meant to "re-establish contact" with leaders here, but some Iraqis bristled at the messenger.

British Embassy staff to be tried, Iranian cleric says
BEIRUT – A senior Iranian cleric said Friday that employees of the British Embassy in Tehran arrested in recent days would be put on trial for unspecified charges of acting against Iran's national security, a move denounced by members of the European Union.

International briefs
Germans: Demjanjuk

07/03/2009

INDIAN OCEAN CRASH
LE BOURGET, France – A severely bruised young girl believed to be the only survivor of an Indian Ocean plane crash flew back Thursday to Paris, where she was embraced gently by her father.

U.S. soldier captured by Taliban in Afghanistan may have left base alone
KABUL, Afghanistan – A U.S. soldier who apparently walked off his military base this week was captured by Taliban militants, U.S. military officials said Thursday.

UNCLASSIFIED INTERVIEWS
BAGHDAD – After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein stayed in Baghdad until he saw "the city was about to fall." Months later, he was caught hiding at the same farm where he had fled in 1959 after taking part in an attempt to kill the country's prime minister.

THE OPIUM TRADE
Helmand province, where 4,000 U.S. Marines launched a major anti-Taliban offensive Thursday, is the world's largest cultivator of opium poppies, the crop used to make heroin.

ASIA
TOKYO – North Korea continued to rattle its neighbors Thursday by firing four short-range missiles into waters off its east coast.

War report
Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Iraq on Thursday to visit U.S. soldiers and meet with Iraqi leaders, including President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Biden will press Iraqi leaders to make more progress toward political reconciliation, the White House said. It was his first trip to Iraq as vice president.

World briefs
Report: Israel, Hamas

CENTRAL AMERICA
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – A top diplomat said Thursday he is heading to Honduras to demand the return of the president toppled at gunpoint – a mission he said is likely to meet rejection.

New Delhi court overturns gay sex ban
NEW DELHI –In a landmark ruling Thursday that could usher in an era of greater freedom for gay men and lesbians in India, New Delhi's highest court decriminalized homosexuality.

PANDEMIC
CANCUN, Mexico – Swine flu is running wild in the Southern Hemisphere and spreading rapidly through Europe. The virus is even showing signs of rebounding in Mexico.

Air France jet was intact when it crashed
PARIS – An Air France jetliner that plunged from a stormy sky June 1 was intact when it smacked belly-first into the Atlantic Ocean at high speed, killing all 228 people aboard, French investigators said Thursday, but they acknowledged that they still have no clear idea what caused the disaster.

1 Marine dies in first day of new campaign in Afghanistan
NAWA, Afghanistan – U.S. Marines suffered their first casualties of a massive new military campaign Thursday as they engaged in sporadic gunbattles along 55 miles of Taliban-controlled territory in southern Afghanistan.

Marines descend upon Afghanistan
U.S. Marines pushed deep into southern Afghanistan on Thursday in an attempt to cut off Taliban supply lines from Pakistan and restore order. The troops encountered roadside bombs and sporadic small-arms attacks; one Marine was killed.

07/02/2009

U.S. Marines embark on large offensive in Afghanistan
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Thousands of U.S. Marines descended upon the volatile Helmand River valley in helicopters and armored convoys early today, mounting the first large-scale test of the U.S. military's new counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

07/01/2009

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison visits Texas troops in Iraq
Her visit to greet troops and receive an update on the security situation comes one day after the U.S. pulled remaining combat troops from cities and turned security over to Iraqis.
Transportation blog: Lawmakers file bills ahead of special session
Shiite cleric hopeful about U.S. pullback

07/02/2009

Before hanging, Saddam said he led on about WMDs to appear strong to Iran
WASHINGTON – Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein told an FBI interviewer before he was hanged that he allowed the world to believe he had weapons of mass destruction because he was worried about appearing weak to Iran, according to declassified accounts of the interviews released Wednesday.

Fossils found in Myanmar may shed light on where our ancestors were from
BANGKOK, Thailand – Fossils recently discovered in Myanmar could prove that the common ancestors of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, rather than Africa, researchers said in a study released Wednesday.

Iran opposition candidates refuse to accept Ahmadinejad victory
TEHRAN, Iran – The two main opposition candidates in Iran's disputed presidential election on Wednesday defied warnings from the country's leaders and refused to accept the proclaimed victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Hondurans rally for, against new military-backed government
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Thousands of Hondurans demonstrated Wednesday for the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who vowed to fly home this weekend despite a warrant for his arrest. Thousands more rallied in favor of the new military-backed government.

Teen 'showed incredible physical, moral strength' in Yemeni air diaster
PARIS – The 14-year-old girl believed to be the lone survivor of a jetliner crash in the Indian Ocean was thrown from the plane and into the waves, where she heard voices but saw no one in the darkness, her father told a French radio station Wednesday.

Pakistani army aids recovery in embattled Buner district near Swat Valley
SULTANWAS, Pakistan – Nearly two months after Taliban militants expanded from their stronghold in the Swat Valley into neighboring Buner district, touching off an army offensive to remove them, there are early signs that life here is returning to normal.

07/01/2009

14-year-old girl likely sole survivor of Yemeni plane crash
MORONI, Comoros – Teams searching the Indian Ocean after the crash early Tuesday of a Yemeni passenger jet rescued a 14-year-old girl, who appeared to be the sole survivor of the 153 people on board, airline officials said.

06/30/2009

Analysis: U.S. out of Iraqi cities, but it still has an important role to play in Iraq
U.S. troops are out of Iraq's cities but not its future.

07/01/2009

War report: U.S. commander says Iran is still supporting militants in Iraq
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, accused Iran on Tuesday of continuing to support and train militants who carry out attacks in Iraq, including most of the ones in Baghdad. Odierno said the attacks have fallen in number but are still a problem. "Iran is still supporting, funding and training surrogates who operate inside of Iraq," he said. "They have not stopped, and I don't think they will stop."

Pakistan faces fight as Taliban peace deal ends
ISLAMABAD – A decision by Taliban militants to withdraw from a peace deal in a tribal region close to the Afghan border threatens to open a new front for the Pakistan army as it battles insurgents in two other areas.

U.S. sanctions firms with ties to North Korea
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration took steps Tuesday to curtail North Korea's ability to finance its trade in missiles and nuclear materials, with the Treasury and State Departments announcing actions against two companies with ties to North Korea.

Staff members' loyalty called into question as Ahmadinejad reshuffles his administration after disputed Iran election
Iran's ruling clerics closed ranks around President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday, hailing him as a "champion" amid signs that he may have begun purging his government of anyone perceived as an opposition sympathizer.

China postpones order to equip all computers with Internet-filtering software
BEIJING – The government has postponed a requirement, set to take effect today, to equip all newly sold computers with software to filter out objectionable Internet content, the state-run news agency said late Tuesday.

U.N. demands return of ousted Honduran leader
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – The U.N. General Assembly demanded Tuesday that Honduras' ousted president be restored to office, but the new leadership said Manuel Zelaya would be arrested if he returns home.

Israeli pilots failed to verify targets in Gaza war in December, Human Rights Watch says
JERUSALEM – Israeli pilots failed to verify targets of drone aircraft at least six times during the Gaza war, firing missiles that killed at least 29 civilians, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

06/30/2009

Plane with 153 crashes off Comoros, child rescued
A passenger jet carrying 153 people from Yemen crashed into the Indian Ocean in bad weather early Tuesday while trying to land at the island nation of Comoros. Search teams rescued a child from the sea, officials said, but there was no word on other survivors.

Panel affirms Ahmadinejad victory in Iran; U.S. questions recount
TEHRAN – Iran's election oversight body on Monday declared the hotly disputed presidential vote to be valid after a partial recount, rejecting opposition allegations of fraud and affirming a landslide victory for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Local soldier dies in Afghanistan
A Texas soldier died Friday in Afghanistan of injuries sustained in a vehicle roll-over, the Army said Monday. The victim was identified as Army Pfc. Peter K. Cross, 20, of Saginaw.

World briefs
Israel approves new houses

Iraqis celebrate withdrawal of U.S. troops from urban areas
BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces assumed formal control of Baghdad and other cities today after American troops handed over security in urban areas in a defining step toward ending the U.S. combat role in the country.

Backers of ousted Honduras leader clash with police
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Police and soldiers clashed with thousands of protesters outside Honduras' national palace Monday as world leaders from Barack Obama to Hugo Chávez demanded the return of a president ousted in a military coup.

Supreme Court agrees to hear international child custody case
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear arguments in a child custody dispute between a Texas mother and a British father that tests the boundaries of an international treaty.

Casinos closing in Russia's big cities
MOSCOW – Russian gamblers are placing their final bets before casinos close for good in Moscow and other big cities.

Karzai blames Afghan guards employed by U.S. for gunbattle that killed police chief
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – President Hamid Karzai accused Afghan guards working for U.S. coalition forces of killing a provincial police chief and at least four other security officers during a gunbattle outside a government office Monday.

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