world

Teen opens fire in class

By Juergen Voelkerling · Wednesday, July 2,2003 9:05 p.m.

COBURG, Germany -- A 16-year-old student armed with a pistol and a revolver opened fire in his classroom Wednesday, wounding a school psychologist and fatally shooting himself. Two students were slightly injured in the rush to flee the public school in this Bavarian town at about 9 a.m., state police said. One pupil jumped from a first-floor window but landed unhurt.

Supreme Court makes ruling in many historic cases at end of term

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, June 29,2003 9:28 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled last week on two historic civil rights cases -- one striking down bans on what some states have called deviate sex acts and the other mandating public libraries make it harder for Internet surfers to look at pornography or risk losing government funding.

Conservative court steps back in term marked by affirmative action, gay rights cases

By Alyson Brodsy and Anne Gearan · Sunday, June 29,2003 9:27 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- In blockbuster rulings on affirmative action and gay rights and in less heralded decisions this term, a Supreme Court dominated by conservative jurists looked less conservative than it has in years.

U.S. forces launch massive new operation to stem insurgency

By Borzou Daragahi · Sunday, June 29,2003 8:42 p.m.

CAMP BOOM, Iraq -- U.S. forces launched a massive operation early Sunday to crush insurgents and capture senior figures from Saddam Hussein's ousted regime, arresting mored to last several days, military officials said. More than 20 raids involving air and ground forces were carried out, military officials said. The region has become "the nexus of paramilitary activity in central Iraq," the military said in a statement.

Syria asks for return of guards

By Sam F. Ghattas · Sunday, June 29,2003 8:42 p.m.

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syria's foreign minister said Sunday that Damascus wants to avoid escalating tensions with Washington and is quietly seeking the return of five Syrian border guards wounded and taken by U.S. forces during a battle on the Iraqi border. The June 18 border clash, during which U.S. forces attacked what they suspected were fleeing officials of Saddam Hussein's deposed regime, threatened to stoke already strained relations between Washington and Damascus.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah declare suspension

By Ibrahim Barzak · Sunday, June 29,2003 8:41 p.m.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups and Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement declared immediate suspensions of attacks against Israel on Sunday. Israel began pulling troops out of Gaza, in breakthrough attempts to end almost three years of fighting. The militant groups announced three-month truces and Fatah's cease-fire was for six months.

British demand killers of U.K. troops to surrender

By Bassem Mroue · Wednesday, June 25,2003 9:09 p.m.

MAJAR AL-KABIR, Iraq -- British forces gave civilian leaders in this town 48 hours to hand over gunmen who killed six military policemen after a violent demonstration that left four Iraqi civilians dead, a municipal official said Wednesday. The ultimatum came a day after Iraqi gunmen -- enraged by the deaths of their countrymen at the hands of British soldiers -- killed two British military policemen during the demonstration and then stormed a police station, killing four more, local police and witnesses said.

Tattoos new escape route for draft-dodgers in South Korea

Wednesday, June 25,2003 8:32 p.m.

SEOUL, South Korea -- Koreans have a curse -- "You should be tattooed!" -- that reflects the ancient practice of using tattoos to brand thieves and slaves.

India, China agree to reopen Himalayan border

By Joe McDonald · Wednesday, June 25,2003 8:31 p.m.

BEIJING -- India and China have agreed to take a key step toward warmer ties by reopening a section of their Himalayan border where the Asian giants fought a 1962 war, India's foreign minister announced Tuesday.

Journalists released in Afghanistan face trial

By Todd Pitman · Wednesday, June 25,2003 8:30 p.m.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Two journalists accused of publishing articles that defamed Islam were released Wednesday after a week in prison but will still face trial, President Hamid Karzai said. The weekly newspaper Aftab printed an article June 11 saying the Muslim world had not seen progress in 1,400 years and accused leaders in Afghanistan's north of building palaces with "bloody hands."

Officials question Irish cargo ship

By Theodora Tongas · Wednesday, June 25,2003 8:29 p.m.

MESSOLONGI, Greece -- A ship captain whose huge cargo of explosives raised fears of a terrorist plot claimed Wednesday he had expected to sail to Sudan, but the vessel's Irish owners ordered him to an obscure Greek port.

Federal Reserve ready to cut interest rates to all-time low

By Martin Crutsinger · Sunday, June 22,2003 9:35 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve is prepared this week to drop a key interest rate to its lowest level since President Eisenhower's second term. The central bank would be aiming to stave off an economic threat absent since the Great Depression -- deflation, a prolonged and widespread decline in prices.

Suspects in Saudi terror plot include many teens

By Faiza Saleh Ambah · Sunday, June 22,2003 8:56 p.m.

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi security forces unraveling an alleged plot to attack the holiest city in the Islamic world say many of the suspects were teenagers -- one as young as 15, whose boyish features and hairless cheeks may have helped mask a violent assignment.

Iraq exports first crude oil since war

By Selcan Hacaoglu · Sunday, June 22,2003 8:55 p.m.

CEYHAN OIL TERMINAL, Turkey -- Iraq returned to the world oil market Sunday, exporting its first crude oil since the U.S.-led invasion, a step crucial for paying for the country's reconstruction. The loading of tankers at this Mediterranean port caps two months of efforts since the fall of Saddam Hussein to restart the flow of oil revenues.

Powell concerned about attack

By George Gedda · Sunday, June 22,2003 8:29 p.m.

SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday the killing of a Hamas leader by Israel could set back the U.S.-backed peace initiative for the region. Powell said he was concerned about Saturday's shooting by the Israeli army of Abdullah Kawasme in the West Bank town of Hebron, but the U.S. official stopped short of condemning the act because he lacked details.

Two Iranian women set selves on fire in protest

By Jocelyn Gecker · Wednesday, June 18,2003 8:58 p.m.

PARIS -- Two Iranian women set themselves on fire Wednesday during a protest in Paris against a major raid at the offices of an Iranian opposition group, police said.

Cease-fire accord takes hold in Liberia

Wednesday, June 18,2003 8:57 p.m.

MONROVIA, Liberia -- A cease-fire took effect in Liberia Wednesday with Washington and West Africa pressing President Charles Taylor and rebels to carry out in full their pledge to end their three-year-old war.

Violence erupts in Iraq after capture of Hussein aide

By Arthur Max · Wednesday, June 18,2003 8:56 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen killed an American soldier and wounded another in a hit-and-run shooting at a Baghdad propane gas station Wednesday. U.S. troops also opened fire on a demonstration outside coalition headquarters in the capital, killing two protesters.

U.S. forces seize weapons

By Chris Tomlinson · Sunday, June 15,2003 9:18 p.m.

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- With a deadline passed for Iraqis to hand in heavy weapons, U.S. forces fanned out across Iraq Sunday to seize arms and put down potential foes -- and tried to soothe the sting with deliveries of food, fuel, medical supplies and even teddy bears.

Iranian police keep rioting protestors at bay

By Ali Akbar Dareini · Sunday, June 15,2003 9:01 p.m.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Police patrolled Tehran dormitories Sunday to prevent attacks by pro-clerical militants, and President Bush said a week of anti-government protests by Iranian students showed a yearning for freedom. As clashes in the capital eased, sporadic violence elsewhere claimed the first reported fatality. Ali Moini, an anti-government protester, was killed Friday night in Shiraz, 550 miles south of Tehran, the daily Nasim-e-Saba reported Sunday.