Back to news index
Blind Chinese activist prepares to leave for US
A blind Chinese activist whose escape from a rural village set off a diplomatic tussle between Beijing and Washington said Saturday that he was at an airport waiting to leave for the United States.
Sri Lanka rejects call to pull troops in ex-war zone
Sri Lanka's president on Saturday rejected international calls to withdraw troops from the island's former war zone as he marked the third anniversary of crushing Tamil rebels.
India bus crash inferno kills 16
Some 16 people died when a bus carrying Muslim pilgrims exploded in a ball of fire after colliding head-on with a truck in northern India, according to officials.
Electric car network gets first test in Israel
Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi has begun rolling out the world's first nationwide electric car network. Now, will the drivers come?
Blind Chinese activist Chen says is at Beijing airport
BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday he has left a hospital in Beijing, where he has been for the past three weeks since he sought refuge in the U.S. embassy, and was waiting at the airport. Chen said he believes he will be headed on a flight to the United States, but added he was still uncertain of it. The departure of Chen and his family would mark the removal of a sticking point in already difficult U.S.-China relations that have been marred by China's handling of human rights. The U.S. embassy was not immediately available for comment. ...
Kobe leads Lakers past Thunder in 99-96 thriller
Kobe Bryant's perfection at the free-throw line was big for the desperate Lakers. His poise in the fourth quarter was even bigger, and it got Los Angeles back into its second-round series with Oklahoma City.
China activist Chen Guangcheng says at Beijing airport
Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday he was at Beijing's international airport and that he believed he would be flying to New York.
Japan ready to help in euro crisis at G8 talks
Japan said that it stood ready to extend help in stemming the eurozone's debt crisis as the Group of Eight major industrialized nations opened crisis talks.
Motorola Mobility smartphones face US import ban
A US commission sided with Microsoft by moving to ban the import of Android-powered Motorola smartphones based on patent infringement complaints by the software colossus.
Blind China activist preparing to head to US
A blind Chinese activist whose escape from a rural village set off a diplomatic tussle between Beijing and Washington says he is at an airport waiting to leave for the United States.
LA Police: 2 arrests in Chinese student killings
Two young men were arrested Friday in the killings of two University of Southern California graduate students from China who were shot in an apparent robbery attempt last month near campus, police said.
Blind Chinese activist leaves hospital, says he expects to leave for the U.S. later Saturday.
73-year-old Japanese woman scales Mount Everest
A 73-year-old Japanese woman has climbed Mount Everest, smashing her own record to again become the oldest woman to scale the world's highest mountain.
SpaceX readies for ambitious ISS launch
California-based company SpaceX was poised to launch its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station Saturday in what may be a historic mission for private spaceflight.
Feds say Colorado wildfire started on camp stove
Warm, dry weather hindered hundreds of firefighters battling a blaze in northern Colorado that federal officials say started with a camp stove.
Divided but peaceful 2 years after Thai violence
Just two years ago, Thailand was at war with itself. Rifle shots and exploding grenades rang out in Bangkok as troops crushed through barricades to disperse a nine-week-old insurrection. A retired nurse was the last to capitulate.
Obama opens up Camp David for rustic VIP sleepover
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - Eight of the world's most powerful people spent Friday night in the woods. In a sort of VIP sleepover, G8 leaders bedded down in rustic cabins in rural Maryland, where the U.S. presidential retreat known as Camp David is hosting by far the largest international summit in its 70-year history. President Barack Obama welcomed his peers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and Canada to the verdant compound on Friday evening, describing the weather as "perfect" with clear skies visible through tall oak and poplar trees. ...
76ers stun Celtics 92-83 in Game 4 to even series
Andre Iguodala squared up for a 3-pointer from the wing like he had hundreds of times in his career.
Chicago protesters break away from nurses' rally
Hundreds of protesters broke away from a large rally and began marching through Chicago streets Friday, taunting police and shouting about everything from bank bailouts to nuclear power — a prelude to even bigger demonstrations expected after the start of a NATO summit.
Obama presses ailing Europe to focus on growth
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - A growing chorus of world leaders on Friday pushed for a shift toward more pro-growth policies to help ease a European crisis that threatens to oust Greece from the euro zone and reverberate throughout the global economy. Setting the tone for a weekend G8 summit, President Barack Obama aligned himself with the new French president's drive for more economic stimulus in recession-plagued Europe, in a swipe at the tough austerity programs that have been spearheaded by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ...
G8 leaders broadly united on Iran and Syria: U.S. official
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - Group of Eight leaders agreed in their initial discussions at Camp David on Friday that Iran needs to disclose more about its nuclear ambitions and that it was time to focus on a political transition in Syria, a U.S. official said. The leaders, including newly elected French President Francois Hollande and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, also stressed North Korea needed to adhere to international norms on nuclear issues and said it would face more isolation if it "continues down the path of provocation," the official said. ...
'Adopted' French minister sparks Korean soul searching
The appointment of Fleur Pellerin as France's first South Korean-born minister has prompted soul searching over social values in the country of her birth where she was adopted at the age of six months.
Facebook stock finishes flat in debut
In the hours before Facebook's stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminded the company's 3,500 employees not to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding its long-awaited initial public offering.
Today in History
Today is Saturday, May 19, the 140th day of 2012. There are 226 days left in the year.
Canada pleased with Chinese smuggler's sentence
The Canadian government says it is pleased that a high-profile Chinese smuggler who had been extradited from Canada has received a life sentence, and not the death penalty.
CFTC opens probe into JPMorgan trading loss: source
(Reuters) - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has opened an investigation into possible wrongdoing at JPMorgan Chase & Co in connection with the bank's multi-billion-dollar trading loss, a source familiar with the probe told Reuters. The agency will soon disclose the existence of the investigation, the source said on Friday. Earlier on Friday, the New York Times reported that the CFTC had opened an enforcement case, quoting people briefed on the matter. The CFTC would join the FBI and the U.S. ...
Verlander nearly throws 3rd no-hitter for Tigers
Two outs were all that separated Justin Verlander from yet another rare achievement — and an exclusive club that includes Cy Young, Nolan Ryan and only three other pitchers.
Iran, Syria among top for G-8 and NATO
President Barack Obama and leaders of other major industrial powers grappled Friday with options to solidify world resolve against development of an Iranian nuclear bomb and encourage a more forceful response to worsening violence in Syria.
Kyle Busch captures pole for Sprint All-Star race
Kyle Busch has been a force on the NASCAR circuit for years, but of is 24 Sprint Cup victories, none have come at his favorite track — Charlotte Motor Speedway.
G8 leaders: Iran must disclose more about nuclear program
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - Group of Eight leaders agreed in their initial discussions at Camp David on Friday that Iran needs to disclose more about its nuclear ambitions and that it was time to focus on a political transition in Syria, a U.S. official said. The leaders also stressed the importance of having North Korea adhere to international norms with its nuclear program and said it would face more isolation if it "continues down the path of provocation," the official said. The Friday evening dinner, hosted by U.S. ...
Pettitte leads Yanks over Reds 4-0
Andy Pettitte gave the New York Yankees a Turn Back the Clock night.
'Da Vinci Code' author Dan Brown speaks in NH
Best-selling author Dan Brown made a rare public appearance in New Hampshire on Friday, saying very little about his next novel other than he's well into the writing process.
Lakers' Blake, wife target of attacks on Twitter
Lakers guard Steve Blake and his wife received multiple online threats after he missed a big shot late in Game 2 of Los Angeles' second-round playoff series with Oklahoma City.
Loretta Lynn married at 15, not 13
Country music legend Loretta Lynn is three years older than she has led people to believe, an age change that undermines the story she told of being married at 13 in "Coal Miner's Daughter," documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
Stabbed Ohio woman hits child with car, both dead
A woman allegedly stabbed by her best friend during an argument while sitting behind the wheel of a car tried to drive away and struck her attacker's 2-year-old daughter, authorities said Friday. The woman and the toddler both died.
Quebec passes law in effort to end daily protests
Quebec's provincial government passed an emergency law Friday that sets restrictions on demonstrations and shuts some universities as the government seeks to end three months of demonstrations against tuition hikes.
Feds say pilot tried to bring gun on plane in NY
An airline pilot is accused of trying to board a flight at Buffalo for New York City with a loaded revolver in his bag, and authorities believe he'd been flying with it for two days.
Driver who was hero in '76 Calif. bus kidnap dies
The nation called Ed Ray a hero when he led a terrified group of children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their school bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
Wake for Mary Kennedy held amid apparent rift
The two sides of Mary Richardson Kennedy's grieving family faced off in court Friday over custody of her body, just hours before she was mourned at a wake at the estate where she committed suicide.
Soldier faces murder charges in Iraq base deaths
Murder charges have been filed against a sergeant accused of killing four other soldiers and a Navy officer in May 2009 at a mental health clinic in Iraq, the Army said Friday.
