Blair Agrees to Talks on Northern Ireland British Prime Minister Tony Blair has agreed to hold crisis talks on the Northern Ireland peace process to head off sectarian tensions and fears of new Irish Republican Army activity, officials said. Internet Cafe Fire Kills 24, Injures 13 in Beijing A fire at an Internet cafe in Beijing killed 24 people and injured 13, a fire official and state media said. Nation Marks 25 Years of Modern Democracy Spain celebrated the 25th anniversary of the birth of its democracy, which brought modernization and prosperity after 40 years of right-wing dictatorship under Francisco Franco. Iraq on the Capitalist Frontier Baghdad businessmen join the reconstruction gold rush and find new ways to make a quick dinar. But competition can be cutthroat. Sharon Vows to Stay Course Despite Raids Hours after five Israeli soldiers are killed by Palestinian gunmen, the premier faces a hostile Likud to insist the peace process will go forward. Paramilitaries' Infighting Batters Delicate Colombian Peace Process Infighting among Colombia's right-wing paramilitary commanders is threatening to undercut a fragile peace process begun by President Alvaro Uribe last year as part of an effort to end the nation's four-decade civil war. Journalist Jailed in China at Center of Bilateral Tussle The South Korean photographer was convicted of smuggling defectors from North. Poles, Voting to Join EU, Open "Window of Opportunity' Early results from a national referendum show a triumph over traditional voter apathy. Opponents fear loss of jobs, country's identity. S. Korea Reveals a Racy Past The opening of Seoul's Asian Eros Museum suggests a renewed recognition of sexuality in a changing Confucianist society. Iraqis Seek Answers in Newfound Grave Kin search for remains of reported political prisoners said to have been killed by Hussein's regime only days before Baghdad fell. Powell, Rice Steadfast on Iraq's Arms Despite increasing queries about whether the threat from Iraq was exaggerated, Bush administration officials stood resolute Sunday in their claim that Saddam Hussein possessed advanced weapons of mass destruction ready for use — a key U.S. justification for military intervention there. Kabul Peacekeepers Had Been Warned of Suicide Bombings peacekeepers had received numerous warnings of suicide bombing attacks like the one that killed four German soldiers Saturday, and they expect more to come, officials said Sunday. Control Unclear in Coup Attempt Heavy explosions and machine-gun fire shook the capital, Nouakchott, as the nation's pro-Western leader battled a coup attempt by rebel soldiers. The army chief was reported killed in the fighting, which followed a crackdown on Islamic activists. Government Declares Coup Attempt Foiled Mauritanian Information Minister Hamoud Ould M'Hamed said a coup attempt had been defeated. "The last of the putschists have given themselves up,“ M'Hamed said by phone from Nouakchott, the capital. There was no independent confirmation, although gunfire appeared to have died down. North Korea Suspends Ferry Service North Korea suspended the only regular ferry service between it and Japan after Tokyo announced stricter searches and security measures around the ship, which is suspected of smuggling missile parts to the Communist nation. $3-Million Ransom Sought for U.N. Team Unknown gunmen who kidnapped three U.N. observers and their Georgian interpreter in a remote gorge between Georgia and separatist Abkhazia demanded $3 million for their release, a Georgian official said. SARS Causes 2 More Fatalities in Toronto Toronto reported two more deaths from severe acute respiratory syndrome, raising the Canadian toll to 33. The Ministry of Health in Ontario said a 66-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man had died. Toronto is the only place outside Asia where the virus has claimed lives. President's Troops Say Rebels Beaten Back Liberian President Charles Taylor's ragtag soldiers claimed to have beaten back a rebel advance into Monrovia, driving insurgents deeper into the swamps behind the St. Paul River bridge marking the capital's western entrance. Thousands of civilians took flight for the second time in three days. Cash Raised to Rebuild Sri Lanka International donors pledged more than $2 billion in aid as a conference on rebuilding war-torn Sri Lanka opened in Tokyo. Host nation Japan kicked off the conference of 47 nations and 20 financial institutions by pledging $1 billion in assistance. 11 Police Trainees Slain in Street Attack Two men on motorcycles fired machine guns at a truck full of police trainees in Quetta, Pakistan, killing at least 11 and wounding nine, police said. Most of the trainees were members of the minority Shiite sect of Islam, a Shiite leader in the southwestern town of Quetta said, suggesting that the attack may have been carried out by Sunnis. The gunmen fled, and no arrests had been made. Major Cocaine Source Wanes The U.S.-backed effort to eradicate Colombian coca plants is working, killing 38% of the crop. Farmers and guerrillas are feeling the pinch. Map of Uncharted Territory Palestinians and Israelis confront practical problems not addressed in the peace plan, and which threaten to derail the fragile deal. |  Bikes Get a Boost From SARS as Fearful Chinese Shun Buses Yang Yongfang used to take the bus to her job as a switchboard operator at a Shanghai elevator factory. But when Yang looks at the bus these days, she sees "a big box stuffed with people. They're all breathing in there. It seems very unsafe.“ Keeping Order in a Serene, Severe Place Camel-mounted desert police in Jordan -- Bedouins with ties to the land -- endure despite the loss of traditions. U.N. Group Visits Iraqi Nuclear Compound Representatives of the U.N. nuclear agency got a firsthand look Saturday at the postwar damage to Iraq's main nuclear facility, peering through broken windows and roaming the grounds to assess the extent of looting and disarray. Germans Blame Terrorists for Attack Germany on Saturday blamed terrorists for killing four of its soldiers and wounding 29 others in a suicide attack in Afghanistan. New Hunt for Iraqi Arms Resembles Old U.S., British and Australian teams will rely heavily on military intelligence but also use many of the U.N. inspectors' techniques. Rastafarians Struggling to Hold On to African Dream Repatriates had hoped for a homecoming on a slice of Ethiopian land. But hard times persist. N. Korea Makes Explicit Threat Regime warns of "immediate physical' retaliation in the event of a U.S. blockade. Powell appears to shrug off the statement. FBI Joins Probe of Bombing in Pakistan U.S. federal agents joined Pakistani police Saturday as the investigation into a bombing outside the American Consulate here in Pakistan's largest city intensified and the death toll from the attack rose to 11. Iran Says U.N. Report Shows Compliance Iran argued on Saturday that a U.N. watchdog report, accusing it of failing to comply with safeguards to curb the spread of nuclear weapons, showed that Tehran was in fact cooperating with the agency. Regime's Meddling in Personal Lives of Iranians Fuels Unrest During protests last weekend across Tehran, angry young Iranians chanted slogans against the country's Islamic system and called on the president to resign. But they also blasted pop music from their car stereos and danced between lanes of stalled traffic. U.S. to Create New Iraq Central Court The 10-judge tribunal will ease overloaded judicial system and hear cases involving Baath Party members, among others. Peru Truth Panel Raises Estimate of Deaths in Civil War An estimated 40,000 to 60,000 Peruvians — far more than previously thought — died or disappeared in the two decades in which government forces battled a brutal insurgency by Shining Path guerrillas, the president of a Peruvian truth commission said Tuesday. Paris Raid Targets Iran Group Masked and heavily armed French police raided the compound of an Iranian opposition group Tuesday, detaining activists on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks in France. Canada Plans to Legalize Gay Marriage Canada will change its law to allow homosexual marriage, joining Belgium and the Netherlands as the only countries where same-sex couples can legally wed, Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced Tuesday. Girl, 7, Shot Dead Near West Bank Shots apparently fired by Palestinian gunmen killed a 7-year-old Israeli girl on a road near the West Bank on Tuesday in an attack that also wounded her 5-year-old sister and her father. Trial to Test Zimbabwe's Media Law A U.S. journalist accused of publishing a false story was scheduled to go on trial today in a test of Zimbabwe's tough new media law. EU Referendum Hangs on Turnout Poland's two-day referendum on joining the European Union looked set to go down to the wire after turnout on day one fell far short of the 50% needed to make the result binding. Coup Attempt Is Reported Heavy gunfire erupted around the presidential and army headquarters in Nouakchott, the capital of the northwest African country of Mauritania, witnesses said. Japan's Leader Plans to Send Troops to Iraq Japan's ruling coalition will draft legislation allowing the government to send troops to Iraq to help rebuild the country, Japanese media reported Saturday. Sea Route to Rival Silk Road Found Archeology: Spices, textiles and remains of ships show that Egyptian port of Berenike was a key link between India and the Middle East. 1st Yugoslav War Crimes Trial Opens A former Yugoslav soldier went on trial Tuesday on charges of killing two ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, in the first war crimes case to be tried in a Yugoslav court.  |
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