world

Imminent government decision could reshape landscape of media

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, June 1,2003 9:40 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Rules governing ownership of newspapers, television and radio stations are on the verge of changes that could significantly alter who controls what people see, hear and read. In a vote set for today, the Republican majority on the five-member Federal Communications Commission was expected to allow companies to buy more television stations and, in some cases, own both a newspaper and a broadcast station in the same city.

Suspected bomber captured

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, June 1,2003 9:23 p.m.

MURPHY, N.C. -- Suspected Olympic park bomber Eric Rudolph remained under heavy guard in a county jail Sunday as federal agents in camouflage headed into the surrounding woods once again, this time hoping to figure out how he eluded them for five years.

Drug helps colon cancer victims

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, June 1,2003 9:23 p.m.

CHICAGO -- The fortunes of Erbitux, the experimental medicine that brought down the head of ImClone and ensnarled Martha Stewart in a Wall Street scandal, got a boost Sunday from a new study that concluded it helps terminally ill victims of colon cancer.

World leaders attempt to unite after Iraq differences

By Terence Hunt · Sunday, June 1,2003 8:35 p.m.

EVIAN, France -- World leaders clamped a harmonious face on a summit simmering with Iraq war disputes Sunday, striking a united front with pledges of billions of dollars to fight AIDS and hunger in poor nations.

Researchers unsure about origin of newly discovered virus

By Lindsey Tanner · Sunday, June 1,2003 8:34 p.m.

CHICAGO -- It isn't SARS, but infectious disease specialists are trying to learn more about a recently discovered virus that some think may be the culprit in many unexplained respiratory illnesses around the world.

Senate to decide on ethanol use

By H. Josef Hebert · Sunday, June 1,2003 8:31 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Politicians hail ethanol, the corn-based gasoline additive, as a boon to the environment and a way to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.

Senate to investigate pre-war intelligence

By Jesse J. Holland · Sunday, June 1,2003 8:30 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Two Senate committees want to investigate whether U.S. intelligence accurately pointed to banned weapons in Iraq as claimed by the Bush administration in going to war, senators said Sunday.

Bush, Middle East leaders to meet

By Mark Lavie · Wednesday, May 28,2003 8:50 p.m.

JERUSALEM -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas will ask Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon at their upcoming meeting for an explicit declaration accepting the Palestinians' right to statehood, Palestinian officials said Wednesday.

Peruvian police remove strikers

By Drew Benson · Wednesday, May 28,2003 8:49 p.m.

LIMA, Peru -- Faced with growing protests by farmers and government workers, President Alejandro Toledo declared a 30-day state of emergency and authorized the military to clear strikers from Peru's major highways. Early Wednesday, dozens of police in riot gear evicted hundreds of striking teachers -- many still groggy with sleep -- camped in front of Congress in the capital, Lima.

Chinese officials seize wildlife to halt SARS

By Christopher Bodeen · Wednesday, May 28,2003 8:47 p.m.

BEIJING -- Forestry officials in southern China seized pheasants, foxes and other game in raids on wildlife markets under new restrictions meant to control SARS, while hundreds of people in Canada were kept under quarantine following a renewed outbreak.

Rescuers hunt for survivors from aftershock

By Kim Housego · Wednesday, May 28,2003 8:45 p.m.

REGHAIA, Algeria -- Algerian and French rescuers with dogs searched Wednesday for survivors in the rubble of an apartment block that collapsed in a powerful aftershock to last week's earthquake. The 15-story building in Reghaia had been damaged in the May 21 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people and injured nearly 9,500 others.

Congress agrees on tax cut framework

By Mary Dalrymple · Wednesday, May 21,2003 9:54 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- House and Senate Republicans agreed on a framework for a $383 billion tax and spending package designed to give lift to an ailing economy.

US asks to run Iraq

By Edith M. Lederer · Wednesday, May 21,2003 9:53 p.m.

UNITED NATIONS -- The United States called for a vote Thursday on a U.N. resolution to let the U.S.-led coalition run Iraq until it has a recognized government and to lift sanctions so the country's oil wealth can be used for reconstruction.

Islamic leaders react to TV report

By Holly Johnson · Wednesday, May 21,2003 9:53 p.m.

A recent investigation by an Indianapolis television news station concerning a suspected al Qaeda operative with Bloomington ties has sparked local concern, leading area Islamic leaders to call for a "more informed analysis" of terrorist threats. The series, "Under Surveillance," concluded Wednesday night on NBC affiliate WTHR and has been seemed "sensational" by the Islamic Center of Bloomington, which issued a formal statement earlier this week.

China's students go back to school as SARS cases drop

By Christopher Bodeen · Wednesday, May 21,2003 8:34 p.m.

BEIJING -- With numbers of new SARS cases dropping, China's capital prepared Wednesday to send some students back to class, as gridlock -- and an increasing sense of normalcy -- returned to Beijing's streets.

US Marines, Afghan troops exchange fire

By Todd Pitman · Wednesday, May 21,2003 8:34 p.m.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- In a rare confrontation between U.S. forces and their Afghan allies, U.S. Marines guarding the American Embassy exchanged fire Wednesday with Afghan troops. Four Afghans were killed.

500 missing, 260 dead after record flooding in Sri Lanka

By Krishan Francis · Wednesday, May 21,2003 8:33 p.m.

RATNAPURA, Sri Lanka -- At least 500 people were still missing Wednesday in the worst flooding in Sri Lanka in decades while 260 others were confirmed dead, an official said.

Bin Laden's aide said to be on audiotape

Wednesday, May 21,2003 8:31 p.m.

CAIRO, Egypt -- The Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera aired excerpts Wednesday of what it said was an audiotape of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant calling on Muslims to imitate the Sept. 11 attacks in strikes on the United States and its allies in the war on Iraq.

NATO allows Poland to lead peace efforts

By Paul Ames · Wednesday, May 21,2003 8:30 p.m.

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- NATO's 19 nations agreed unanimously Wednesday to start planning to help Poland lead a multinational peacekeeping force in Iraq, a move that begins to heal the alliance's deep divisions over the war. Although the plans involve only modest technical assistance, the step also marks the possibility of a wider role for NATO in postwar Iraq.

17 found dead in Texas

By T. A. Badger · Wednesday, May 21,2003 7 p.m.

VICTORIA, Texas -- Sheriff's deputies found the bodies of 17 suspected illegal immigrants early Wednesday in and around a truck trailer that was packed with dozens of people and left at a South Texas truck stop. Another person who had been locked inside died at a hospital.