Azores Summit Ends in Ultimatum to U.N. Bush and the leaders of Britain and Spain say the Security Council has one day to go along with the use of force or they'll wage war on Iraq alone. The Men Behind the French 'Non' Chirac and his aide, De Villepin, were expected to improve Franco-U.S. ties. Instead, they are fundamentally at odds with a centuries-old ally. Israeli Bulldozer Crushes U.S. Activist to Death While fellow protesters screamed in horror, a 23-year-old college student and activist from Washington state was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer Sunday as her group was trying to block the demolition of Palestinian homes in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, eyewitnesses said. Diplomacy Efforts on Iraq Meet a Dead End If, as expected, the U.N. does not approve the use of force against Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition's next ultimatum will be aimed at Saddam Hussein. Thailand Wages a Bloody War on Drugs As law enforcement crosses names off lists of suspected dealers, toll nears 1,500. Human rights groups and victims' relatives protest. One Minute We're Going, the Next Minute We Ain't The words stenciled on the barrel of Staff Sgt. Charles Wooten's M1A1 Abrams tank describe the attitude of his 3rd Infantry Division: carpe diem. German Rightists Retain Political Status High court judges fault prosecution for using informants in attempt at banning party. No Panic Buying of Gasoline as War Starts U.S. motorists and gasoline retailers were keeping a level head as war began in the oil-rich Gulf, with no reports of panic fuel-buying or price gouging, the American Automobile Assn. said. Five Detained, Suspected of Planning Attack German prosecutors said they had detained five people whom they suspected were planning an attack in Germany to coincide with the start of the U.S.-led war against Iraq. Johannesburg Is Trying to Lure Back Businesses South African city's developers work on cleaning up downtown crime to attract tenants. Fearing Panic, China Remains Quiet About Mystery Illness Beijing, which keeps an iron grip on news, views health as a politically sensitive issue. Revamped Patriot System Downs 2 Missiles Aimed at U.S. Forces The controversial Patriot antimissile system intercepted two short-range Iraqi missiles Thursday as they hurtled across the Iraqi border toward U.S. forces in northern Kuwait, military officials said. Paris Sweep Yields Poison French police on high alert for terrorist activity find traces of ricin stored in flasks in a locker at the city's Gare de Lyon train station. Sailors Are 'Watching the News to Find Out What's Coming Up' The order for readiness weighs especially heavy on morale and mental welfare aboard this aircraft carrier that has been at sea for eight months. I'm Just Going to Concentrate on Doing My Job The Black Hawk pilots and gunners of Alpha Company are still waiting for their helicopters to arrive from ships at port. That gives them plenty of time -- too much time, they say -- to sit and stew about what lies ahead. Hussein Rejects Ultimatum; U.S. Hones Its Plans for War White House warns that the conflict with Iraq could be a long one. Rumsfeld meets with Turkish counterpart to discuss cooperation. Civilian Team Poised to Move In, Rebuild Iraq U.S. specialists are to take over key institutions after troops secure them. Scores of Iraqi exiles are recruited to help in the effort. Court Orders Release of Chavez Opponent A Venezuelan appeals court ordered a prominent opponent of President Hugo Chavez released from house arrest. Businessman Carlos Fernandez was taken into custody in February for spearheading a strike against the leftist leader. Allied Troops Feel a Chill in the Desert Hours after President Bush's message to the Iraqi leader, the military's training exercises take on a new sense of urgency. Fear and Loathing in Baghdad An uneasy normality in the Iraqi capital is swept away and replaced by dread and suspicion. Pro-Hussein rallies are held around the city. Journalist, Democracy Activist Among 65 Held Cuban agents arrested a leading independent journalist and a democracy activist as a major crackdown on dissent began targeting the Communist government's best-known critics. At least 65 dissidents have been rounded up since Fidel Castro's government claimed that some opponents were conspiring with U.S. diplomats to undermine the island's leadership. Kurd Suspected of Ties to Al Qaeda Is Arrested Mullah Krekar, the leader of a Kurdish guerrilla group suspected of links to Al Qaeda, was arrested by Norwegian police on suspicion of kidnapping. U.S. Claims 90% Hit Rate in Missile Plan A defense system expected to be set up in Alaska next year would intercept most rockets fired from North Korea, a Pentagon official says. Activist Cleared of Defaming Egypt Courtroom cheers as a third trial exonerates Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a prominent academic. |  A Key Iraqi Defector Vanishes in Denmark Top military figure who aspired to topple Hussein may have been kidnapped by Iraqi spies or spirited off by U.S. agents to help in war. Blair Wins Vote in Parliament to Join a U.S. Invasion of Iraq Prime Minister Tony Blair won a comfortable mandate from the British House of Commons on Tuesday, convincing reluctant legislators to endorse a motion backing 'all means necessary' to disarm Iraq's Saddam Hussein. The victory came without the political cover of the U.N. Security Council ultimatum that Blair had so desperately pursued but never managed to get. Israel Tells Its Citizens to Ready Their 'Sealed Rooms' Perched in stocking feet on her 8-year-old daughter's bed to reach the window, the red-haired mother of three struggled for a moment to secure a flapping sheet of plastic with heavy tape. Then she paused, moved aside a few stuffed animals and readjusted the Bart Simpson telephone on the shelf at her elbow. That made the going a little easier. Domino Theory for Mideast Is High-Risk During the Vietnam War, the United States insisted that if South Vietnam fell, its neighbors would tumble to communism one after another. Decades later, Washington is gambling on a new domino theory -- one in which a war to liberate Iraq unleashes broad change, including a wave of democracy in the Middle East. Strategy Boiled Down to Light vs. Heavy Civilian war planners hoped to use high-tech weapons and elite units. Army leaders preferred armor and infantry. A compromise was found. 30 Countries Listed as U.S. Allies in Conflict Few heavy hitters are on the official roster, although Washington says 15 more nations unwilling to be named would assist an invasion. Yemeni Kills Self After Slaying American, 2 Others A Yemeni man shot four oil company co-workers Tuesday -- killing an American, a Canadian and another Yemeni -- before shooting himself dead, the Interior Ministry said. A second Canadian was wounded. Mexico Increases Security Amid Threat of Terrorism Mexico said Tuesday that it had deployed about 18,000 troops to increase security on its border with the United States and protect strategic installations against terrorism as war in Iraq looms. Kuwait Is Hoping for Word on Its Missing The fate of 605 people remains unknown a dozen years after the Iraqi invasion. Baghdad denies any knowledge of the prisoners. U.S. Has Severe Image Problem in Much of Europe, Poll Finds Opinions toward Bush and his foreign policy remain negative even in nations whose governments back his stance on Iraq. Palestinians Ratify New Prime Minister Post The Palestinian parliament ratified the new post of prime minister 69 to 1, stripping Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat of the power to approve Cabinet members but leaving him in charge of security and peacemaking. Dissidents Arrested; U.S. Envoy Is Criticized Cuba rounded up several dozen dissidents and in a statement on state television accused the chief of Washington's diplomatic mission to Havana, James Cason, of trying 'to foment the internal counterrevolution.' Zivkovic Succeeds Assassinated Premier Serbian lawmakers elected Zoran Zivkovic prime minister, and he pledged to carry out the pro-Western reforms and anti-crime efforts spearheaded by assassinated predecessor Zoran Djindjic. 63 Arrested in Violent Protest Against Mugabe Zimbabwean police, backed by army helicopters and armored cars, arrested 63 demonstrators after an opposition protest against President Robert Mugabe turned violent. U.S. Forces Enter Iraq Allies Hold Back on Full Assault; 12 Die in Helicopter Crash With War, Africa Oil Beckons The U.S., trying to cut its dependence on Mideast crude, hopes a Chad-to-Cameroon pipeline will deliver. The project is also supposed to benefit nations' poor. Tens of Thousands Protest War More than 1,350 are arrested in San Francisco, while a tamer crowd turns out on L.A.'s Westside. In Athens, 100,000 march. Hitting Hussein: Would It End War? The U.S. targeted a compound where the Iraqi leader was believed to be with his sons. Intelligence from inside the country is surging. As Conflict Begins, Everyday Life Becomes an Unsettling Ride The train shuddered out of Washington on its three-hour northern arc, shielded from the driving rain by steel and glass, but penetrated by unsettling thoughts of war.  |
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