world

4 people injured in shooting

By Alyson Brodsy and Alexandra Olson · Wednesday, Feb. 5,2003 12:11 a.m.

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Supporters of President Hugo Chavez opened fire Tuesday on the offices of Caracas' opposition mayor Tuesday, injuring four people in an attack that marred the government's commemoration of the 11th anniversary of a failed coup led by Chavez.

Powell to present evidence

By Alyson Brodsy and Barry Schweid · Wednesday, Feb. 5,2003 12:10 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, bidding for U.N. support, is set to present evidence that Iraq has hidden large caches of weapons of mass destruction from international inspectors and defied calls on it to disarm.

Faculty perspectives on North Korean crisis differ

By Christina Galoozis · Tuesday, Feb. 4,2003 11:50 p.m.

Military tension is rising on the Korean peninsula as the U.S. military reports it may order 2,900 soldiers to remain in South Korea an extra six months.Tension has been high between the U.S. and North Korea since October when North Korea announced possession of a second nuclear weapons program, which is in direct violation of the 1994 Nonproliferation Treaty.

Explosion kills 40 in Nigeria

Tuesday, Feb. 4,2003 12:41 a.m.

LAGOS, Nigeria -- An explosion destroyed a bank and dozens of apartments above it in Nigeria's biggest city, killing at least 40 people and trapping many more in the rubble. Hundreds of young men swarmed the area in a grab for money that littered the debris.

Shuttle's loss adds to Bush's burden

By Scott Lindlaw · Monday, Feb. 3,2003 11:38 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The loss of the space shuttle Columbia adds a new element to President Bush's already bulging portfolio of issues, including rallying a divided nation and world behind war with Iraq and promoting a budget facing certain challenges. Bush juggled his schedule to make time for a meeting with NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and to fly to a memorial service in Houston, but aides denied any link between the Columbia catastrophe and the other items on the president's agenda this week.

Families of Columbia crew mourn together

By John K. Wiley · Monday, Feb. 3,2003 11:36 p.m.

The families of Columbia's crew urged the nation Monday to go beyond their grief and pursue "the bold exploration of space" to improve life on Earth for future generations. The families had a private meeting Sunday, a day after Columbia disintegrated as it prepared to land following a 16-day science mission. "They are doing remarkably well," Evelyn Husband, wife of Cmdr. Rick Husband, told NBC's "Today" show Monday. "We've gotten strength from each other, and it was great to see them yesterday. We just cried and laughed and hugged each other, and it was very helpful."

Iraq will not turn 'other cheek'

By Hamza Hendawi · Monday, Feb. 3,2003 11:19 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq will inflict massive casualties on American troops if the United States launches an invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, a senior Iraqi legislator declared Monday. Iraqi parliament speaker Saadoun Hammadi told a group of legislators from the European Parliament that Iraq "will not turn the other cheek" should the United States use force to make Saddam's regime give up banned weapons programs.

Rain hampers search for debris

By Pauline Arrillaga · Monday, Feb. 3,2003 11:03 a.m.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Under rain clouds that threatened to hamper their search, authorities returned to the forests of East Texas on Monday to hunt for more debris from the space shuttle Columbia and remains of its seven astronauts.

FALLEN HEROES

By Alyson Brodsy and Paul Recer · Monday, Feb. 3,2003 12:43 a.m.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Just before it disintegrated, space shuttle Columbia experienced an abnormal rise in temperature and wind resistance that forced the craft's automatic pilot to make rapid changes to its flight path -- possible evidence that some heat-protection tiles were missing or damaged, NASA said Sunday.

Iraq says it will comply with UN inspectors

By Alyson Brodsy and Charles J. Hanley · Sunday, Feb. 2,2003 11:39 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Just days before a crucial round of talks with chief inspectors, a senior Iraqi official said Sunday that Baghdad is "keen to resolve any pending issues" in the U.N. search for banned weapons, but didn't immediately offer new concessions.

Russian ship launched

By Alyson Brodsy and Steve Gutterman · Sunday, Feb. 2,2003 11:37 p.m.

MOSCOW -- Russia launched an unmanned cargo ship to the international space station Sunday, a day after the loss of the space shuttle Columbia threw into doubt future missions to the orbiting complex.

India mourns death of woman aboard Columbia space shuttle

By Alyson Brodsy and Tim Sullivan · Sunday, Feb. 2,2003 11:36 p.m.

KARNAL, India -- When Kalpana Chawla left home more than 20 years ago, small town India expected its young women to get married, have babies and settle into lives dictated by generations of tradition.

Briton interviews Hussein

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, Feb. 2,2003 11:34 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- President Saddam Hussein met with a retired British legislator Sunday and their conversation will be broadcast within the next day or two, the former legislator said.

Train wreck kills 46

By Alyson Brodsy and Angus Shaw · Sunday, Feb. 2,2003 11:33 p.m.

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- The death toll in the head-on collision between a packed passenger train and a freight train in northwestern Zimbabwe rose to 46, police said Sunday.

NASA loses contact with shuttle

By Adrian Sainz and Marcia Dunn · Saturday, Feb. 1,2003 11:13 a.m.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Columbia apparently disintegrated in flames over Texas minutes before it was to land Saturday in Florida. TV video showed what appeared to be falling debris, as NASA declared an emergency and sent search teams to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In north Texas, several residents reported hearing "a big bang" at about 9 a.m., the same time all radio and data communication with the shuttle and its crew of seven was lost.

Miami police surround mail truck after 90-minute chase through city streets

Saturday, Feb. 1,2003 10:53 a.m.

MIAMI -- Dozens of heavily armed police officers surrounded what appeared to be a hijacked mail truck after a 90-minute slow-speed chase through the city's streets Friday. Television station WFOR-TV reported that an armed man was holding a female mail carrier during the pursuit, but police refused to confirm the report. A television helicopter shot showed two guns in a mail bin on the passenger's seat.

Chopper crashes in Afghanistan

By Robert Burns · Thursday, Jan. 30,2003 11:48 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Army helicopter with several Americans aboard crashed near the Bagram air base in Afghanistan on Thursday, and some casualties were reported, a senior American official said.

8 European states publish support of US

By Pablo Gorondi · Thursday, Jan. 30,2003 11:47 p.m.

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Eight European leaders voiced deep gratitude to the United States on Thursday and wrote that U.S.-European ties "must not become a casualty" of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's attempts to "threaten world security."

Bush says diplomacy has only "weeks, not months"

By Jennifer Loven · Thursday, Jan. 30,2003 1:42 p.m.

WASHINGTON - President Bush, moving toward a decision on war with Iraq, said Thursday he will give diplomacy "weeks not months" and said the United States would welcome Saddam Hussein going into exile. "For the sake of peace, this issue must be resolved," the president said amid intensified administration efforts to increase pressure on reluctant U.S. allies to disarm Saddam.

Sharon plans for troubled second term

By Alyson Brodsy and Karin Laub · Thursday, Jan. 30,2003 12:39 a.m.

JERUSALEM -- Bolstered by a resounding election victory, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Wednesday called for national unity against "the murderous hatred" of Palestinian militants, but his efforts to form a broad coalition government are likely to be thwarted by the defeated Labor party.