News For Thursday Oct 16, 2008 News For Thursday Oct 16, 2008

World World

Azerbaijan's president re-elected by landslide - Added 13 minutes ago

The president of oil-rich Azerbaijan has been re-elected to a second five-year term by landslide, according to early official returns released Thursday. With 70 percent of precincts counted, Ilham Aliyev won 89.04...

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The Swiss government says it will help UBS and Credit Suisse raise billions of dollars in new capital. ...

Israelis kill 2 alleged Palestinian firebombers - Added 1 hour ago

Israeli and Palestinian officials say troops shot and killed a Palestinian as he was preparing to throw a Molotov cocktail at Israeli soldiers in the West Bank village of Kufr Malik. The Israeli military says he was...

Thai, Cambodian officials hold peace talks - Added 1 hour ago

Thai and Cambodian troops faced off at a disputed border as military officials held urgent peace talks Thursday, a day after a deadly gunbattle near an 11th-century temple sparked fears of war. Thousands of Cambodian...

Suicide attack kills 4 at Pakistani police station - Added 1 hour ago

A suicide car bomber attacked a police station in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing four security officers _ the latest in a series of blasts that are eroding confidence in the nuclear-armed country. The attacker...

5,800 Chinese babies hospitalized on tainted milk - Added 2 hours ago

Nearly 6,000 Chinese babies remain hospitalized with kidney problems resulting from milk powder adulterated with the industrial chemical melamine, the Health Ministry said. Six of the children were in serious...

US military: No. 2 al-Qaida in Iraq leader killed - Added 2 hours ago

American soldiers killed the alleged No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, a Moroccan who trained in Afghanistan, recruited foreign fighters and ran operations in northern Iraq where Sunni insurgents remain a potent threat,...

NATO soldier killed in southern Afghanistan - Added 2 hours ago

NATO says one of its soldiers has been killed in southern Afghanistan. The military alliance says in a statement that the soldier was killed Wednesday in the southern Helmand province. It did not release the soldiers...

NKorea threatens to break off all ties with SKorea - Added 3 hours ago

North Korea threatened Thursday to break off all relations with South Korea if its new conservative government continues what the North called a policy of reckless confrontation with the communist nation. The warning,...

Iraq: US agrees to limited Iraqi jurisdiction - Added 3 hours ago

American troops could face trial before Iraqi courts for major crimes committed off base and when not on missions, under a draft security pact hammered out in months of tortuous negotiations, Iraqi officials familiar...

Suicide attack kills 2 at Pakistani police station - Added 3 hours ago

A suicide bomber driving a minibus attacked a police station in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, wrecking the building and killing at least two police officers, officials said. The bomber struck in Mingora, the main...

Experts seek cure to global hunger - Added 4 hours ago

!!-- pobj:IADES101-1015081708 -->Much of the world today is consumed by fears of recession and unemployment. But for nearly a billion people, the fear is more basic _ having nothing to eat. Experts from Africa, Europe...

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(AP) _ Police say suicide car bomb kills at least two security officials in northwest Pakistan. ...

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,183 - Added 6 hours ago

As of Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008, at least 4,183 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians...

Georgia-Russia talks off to shaky start in Geneva - Added 7 hours ago

The first high-level talks between Russia and Georgia since their war broke down Wednesday, but international sponsors said the negotiations had only hit a procedural snag and will resume next month. The delegations...

Missing American's husband arrested in St. Maarten - Added 7 hours ago

Police in St. Maarten have arrested the husband of a missing Southern California woman on suspicion of involvement in her disappearance. Prosecutor Taco Stein says Frank Cordes was taken into custody in the Dutch...

EU leaders split over how to reach climate goals - Added 8 hours ago

European Union leaders agreed Wednesday to stick to ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020, but divisions over how to share out the cuts were widened by fears over the impact of the financial...

Crisis bodes ill for climate change talks - Added 8 hours ago

The global financial crisis could hardly come at a worse time for nations seeking a new agreement on climate change that _ on top of everything else _ will cost tens of billions more dollars. As Western governments...

After victory, Canada PM keeps focus on economy - Added 9 hours ago

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new economic plan Wednesday, a day after his Conservative Party's re-election victory fell short of a Parliament majority amid voter disgruntlement over his slow...

Pakistani intelligence agents re-arrest American - Added 9 hours ago

Pakistani intelligence agents re-arrested an American detained in the country's volatile Afghan border region and were questioning the man, police said Wednesday. The man _ identified by police as Jude Kenan _ was...

Tasers in spotlight of alleged French spying plot - Added 9 hours ago

A postman-turned-leftist politician who has campaigned against the use of Tasers claims he has been targeted by a shady spy ring _ allegedly made up of crooked cops, private eyes and the head of a French company that...

What Crisis? Kremlin downplays financial woes - Added 10 hours ago

Talking to Russians on the street, you'd be forgiven for thinking there was no economic crisis. TV channels gloss over the subject and state news agencies are under orders to avoid frightening language. But beyond the...

List of possible challengers to Iran's Ahmadinejad - Added 10 hours ago

Possible challengers to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in elections next June: ___ MOHAMMAD KHATAMI: Reform-minded president in 1997-2005. Khatami, 65, now leads efforts for global dialogue on religion and...

Deadly fighting erupts at Thai-Cambodian border - Added 10 hours ago

Escalating tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over a disputed border near a historic temple erupted Wednesday in a deadly gunbattle, prompting officials to quickly declare that they would resolve the dispute through...

Zimbabwe opposition leader pessimistic about talks - Added 10 hours ago

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai expressed pessimism Wednesday about talks on Zimbabwe's proposed government of national unity but his rival President Robert Mugabe was confident negotiations were nearing a...

Iranian reformers wonder if Khatami can rise again - Added 10 hours ago

It all seemed like the stirrings of a major political challenge to Iran's firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: schoolchildren serenaded the popular reformist leader he replaced and a hometown audience chanted...

Azerbaijan's president set for winning 2nd term - Added 11 hours ago

The president of oil-rich Azerbaijan headed for re-election Wednesday with the opposition boycotting the vote and accusing the West of ignoring Azerbaijan's democratic shortfalls while seeking its energy riches. Six...

Kramnik holds Anand to second draw in chess - Added 11 hours ago

World chess champion Viswanathan Anand of India started the second game of his championship match against Russian challenger Vladimir Kramnik with a definite advantage Wednesday, but had to settle for a draw. Still, it...

Russian lawyer suspects mercury poisoning - Added 11 hours ago

A Russian lawyer said Wednesday she suspects she and her family were poisoned by mercury found in her car, keeping her away from the start of the trial of three men accused in the slaying of journalist Anna...

Madonna and Guy Ritchie announce their divorce - Added 12 hours ago

After countless denials of domestic trouble, Madonna and Guy Ritchie announced Wednesday they are divorcing after nearly eight years of marriage. The couple's announcement brings to an end a showbiz union that spanned...

Sex-on-beach trial exposes Dubai's cultural divide - Added 12 hours ago

The British pair on trial for sex on the beach deny going all the way, but even a snuggle in the sand is too much in this Persian Gulf city. Although Dubai sells itself as a party hot spot, its Arab population hews to...

Thousands of Christians march in Jerusalem parade - Added 12 hours ago

Thousands of Christians from around the world, waving blue and white Israeli flags, marched Wednesday in a colorful holiday parade in Jerusalem to commemorate a Jewish holiday and show their support for Israel. The...

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Polish official says 27 EU leaders endorse continent-wide emergency bailout for banking sector. ...

After 436 years, Austrian stables take in women - Added 13 hours ago

It's no longer a man's world in Austria's most sophisticated stables. The country's prestigious Spanish Riding School, for centuries a bastion of masculinity, is modernizing: On Wednesday, the 436-year-old institution...

UK government considering huge telecoms database - Added 13 hours ago

Britain is considering setting up a database of all phone and e-mail traffic in the country as part of a high-tech strategy to fight terrorism and crime, its top law-and-order official said Wednesday. Opposition...

Whale sanctuary becomes law in Chile - Added 14 hours ago

Chile has turned all of its Pacific Ocean territorial waters into a whale sanctuary. President Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday signed into law a measure that bans all whale hunting off Chile's 3,400-mile...

UK government weighs telecom terror database - Added 14 hours ago

Britain's top law-enforcement official says that the government is considering setting up a database of all phone and e-mail traffic in the country as part of a high-tech strategy to fight terrorism and crime. ...

Convicted Lockerbie bomber wins legal victory - Added 14 hours ago

The former Libyan intelligence agent convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland has won an important victory in his effort to have his conviction overturned. A Scottish court ruled Wednesday that...

Britain, France call for a global finance summit - Added 14 hours ago

The world's top economies should hold a global summit this year on reforming the world's financial system, British and French leaders declared Wednesday. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the international...

Chilean general sentenced in human rights case - Added 14 hours ago

A retired Chilean army general has been sentenced to six years in prison for the killing of five dissidents during the former military dictatorship. The Supreme Court says the final sentence of Gen. Sergio Arellano was...

Falling oil prices make Iraq revisit budget - Added 14 hours ago

A steep drop in the price of oil may force Iraq to scale back its $79 billion budget for 2009, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. Also, a U.S. projection for a cumulative $79 billion budget surplus this year based...

Restoration starts on part of Berlin Wall remains - Added 14 hours ago

East German leader Erich Honecker famously proclaimed in 1989 that the Berlin Wall could remain in place for another 100 years. It turns out that his faith in East German construction was almost as off the mark as his...

Catholic women march in Rome for female priesthood - Added 14 hours ago

!!-- pobj:ROM102-1015081131 -->!!-- pobj:ROM101-1015081131 -->!!-- pobj:ROM103-1015081131 -->Catholic women seeking to become priests denounced the church's ban on female ordination as sexist and unjust, bringing their...

Drunk passenger fails in attempted hijacking - Added 14 hours ago

A drunk man claiming to have a bomb tried to hijack a Russian-bound Turkish Airlines plane on Wednesday but fellow passengers quickly overpowered him, officials said. Russian transport police detained him after the...

Pakistan gets help from China for ailing economy - Added 15 hours ago

Pakistan's president Wednesday won more help from longtime ally China as his country grapples with an ailing economy and chronic electricity shortages, though the prospect of a much anticipated civilian nuclear deal...

Georgia-Russia talks off to shaky start in Geneva - Added 15 hours ago

The first high-level talks between Russia and Georgia since their war broke down Wednesday, but international sponsors said the negotiations had only hit a procedural snag and will resume next month. The delegations...

Dalai Lama to leave Indian hospital, resume travel - Added 15 hours ago

The Dalai Lama has recovered from surgery to remove gallstones and will resume his travel schedule by the end of the month, a senior aide said Wednesday. "His Holiness is fine. He has recovered," said Tenzin Takhla,...

Romania court upholds sentences against 2 generals - Added 15 hours ago

Romania's Supreme Court upheld 15-year prison sentences against two retired army generals convicted for their role in killing demonstrators while trying to suppress the 1989 anti-communist revolution that toppled...

Mandela's former prison hit by rabbit infestation - Added 15 hours ago

Robben Island, the wind-swept site where Nelson Mandela spent so many years in jail, has been home to thousands of lepers and political prisoners. But now it's struggling to cope with its latest inhabitants _ rabbits. ...

American soldiers, civilians vote in Afghanistan - Added 15 hours ago

American soldiers, aid workers and military contractors in Afghanistan are filling out absentee ballots this week and sending them back to the U.S. to be counted by election officials. U.S. soldiers and citizens in...