world

U.S. captures Afghan drug kingpin

By Alyson Brodsy and Tom Hays · Tuesday, April 26,2005 12:34 a.m.

NEW YORK -- An Afghan on the United States' list of most wanted drug kingpins, who allegedly forged a deal with the Taliban in exchange for protection, has been arrested, authorities said Monday.

Pope prayed not to be chosen

By Alyson Brodsy and Nicole Winfield · Tuesday, April 26,2005 12:34 a.m.

VATICAN CITY -- He kissed babies, blessed people in wheelchairs and joked that he felt like a guillotine was falling on him when he realized that he might be elected pope.

Bush urges Saudi prince to up oil production

By Alyson Brodsy and Jennifer Loven · Tuesday, April 26,2005 12:33 a.m.

CRAWFORD, Texas -- President Bush, meeting Monday with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah, was pressing that Mideast nation to pump more crude oil to ease gas prices in America.

Pope Benedict XVI officially installed Sunday

By Alyson Brodsy and Brian Murphy · Monday, April 25,2005 2:09 a.m.

VATICAN CITY -- In a broad message of outreach to formally begin his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI stressed his church's shared bonds with Jews and other Christians and promised followers Sunday he would not ignore their voices in leading the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.

Car bombings in Iraq kill at least 21 people

By Alyson Brodsy and Thomas Wagner · Monday, April 25,2005 12:21 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- An emboldened Iraqi insurgency staged carefully coordinated dual bombings in Saddam Hussein's hometown and a Shiite neighborhood of the capital Sunday, killing at least 21 people. An American soldier was killed in a separate attack.

Sergeant convicted of murder in Kuwait

By Alyson Brodsy and Estes Thompson · Friday, April 22,2005 12:19 a.m.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- An Army sergeant was convicted Thursday by a military jury of premeditated murder and attempted murder in a grenade and rifle attack that killed two of his comrades and wounded 14 others in Kuwait during the opening days of the Iraq war. Hasan Akbar, 34, now faces a possible death penalty, which the 15-member jury will consider at a hearing that begins Monday.

Brazil grants former Ecuadorean leader asylum

By Alyson Brodsy and Monte Hayes · Friday, April 22,2005 12:17 a.m.

QUITO, Ecuador -- Brazil has granted asylum to former President Lucio Gutierrez, who was ousted by Congress amid street protests calling for his removal for abuse of power. But many Ecuadoreans were outraged Thursday by his escape into exile.

Helicopter accident in Iraq kills 11

By Alyson Brodsy and Jamie Tarabay · Friday, April 22,2005 12:10 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A commercial helicopter was shot down by missile fire north of the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing 11 people, including six American contractors, officials said. Bulgaria's Defense Ministry said the Russian-made helicopter was downed by missile fire and the victims included a three-member Bulgarian crew.

Benedict XVI pledges to rally Catholics

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 21,2005 12:48 a.m.

VATICAN CITY -- Charting a papacy in the tradition of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI pledged Wednesday to work for unity among Christians and to seek "an open and sincere dialogue" with other faiths.

Iraqi president: Over 50 bodies found in Tigris River identified

By Alyson Brodsy and Sameer N. Yacoub · Thursday, April 21,2005 12:10 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The bodies of more than 50 people have been recovered from the Tigris River and have been identified, President Jalal Talabani said Wednesday. He said the bodies were believed to have been those of hostages seized in a region south of Baghdad earlier this month.

House ethics panel to open Delay investigation

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 21,2005 12:08 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Retreating under pressure, Republicans on the House ethics committee said Wednesday they were ready to open an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing against Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Rice, Putin discuss common needs, prepare for Bush visit

By Alyson Brodsy and George Gedda · Thursday, April 21,2005 12:07 a.m.

MOSCOW -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian President Vladimir Putin praised their nations' cooperation on common worries, including terrorism and regional conflicts, in a meeting Wednesday.

Ecuador's Congress removes president

By Alyson Brodsy and Monte Hayes · Thursday, April 21,2005 12:06 a.m.

QUITO, Ecuador -- Lawmakers in Ecuador voted Wednesday to remove embattled President Lucio Gutierrez from office after a week of escalating street protests demanding his ouster, and they swore in Vice President Alfredo Palacio to replace him.

Joseph Ratzinger served as long-time aide to John Paul II

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 20,2005 2:22 a.m.

VATICAN CITY -- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, the Roman Catholic Church's leading hard-liner, was elected pope Tuesday in the first conclave of the new millennium. He chose the name Benedict XVI and called himself "a simple, humble worker." Ratzinger, the first German pope in centuries, emerged onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, where he waved to a wildly cheering crowd of tens of thousands and gave his first blessing.

Iraqi officials walk out of session in protest

By Alyson Brodsy and Thomas Wagner · Wednesday, April 20,2005 1:01 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi lawmakers adjourned in protest Tuesday and demanded an apology after a Shiite legislator linked to a radical anti-American cleric tearfully said he was handcuffed and humiliated at a U.S. checkpoint. It was the third consecutive day that Iraq's interim parliament was sidetracked from its job of setting up a government and writing a constitution.

Oklahoma bombing victims remembered

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 20,2005 1 a.m.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- With 168 moments of silence and the message that good can overcome evil, victims of the worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history were remembered Tuesday at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. About 1,600 people inside the First United Methodist Church fell silent for 168 seconds at 9:02 a.m., the moment the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed exactly 10 years earlier. Some brought teddy bears and flowers to be placed at the memorial, which includes 168 empty chairs symbolizing the human cost.

New pope elected

By Abdullah AlShihri · Tuesday, April 19,2005 2:55 p.m.

VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, the church's leading hard-liner, was elected the new pope Tuesday evening in the first conclave of the new millennium. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI and called himself "a simple, humble worker."

Slime-mold beetle recieves presidential honor

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, April 19,2005 12:47 a.m.

ITHACA, New York -- Not just anybody can say he has a slime-mold beetle named in his honor. But George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald H. Rumsfeld can.

Particles

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, April 19,2005 12:45 a.m.

HONOLULU -- The only whale-dolphin mix in captivity has given birth to a playful female calf, officials at Sea Life Park Hawaii said Thursday.

Around The World

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, April 19,2005 12:29 a.m.

BEIJING -- Japan and China considered on Monday whether their leaders should meet this weekend to try to defuse the worst dispute in decades between the Asian powers, but at the same time they traded more angry words over anti-Japanese protests and Tokyo's wartime history.