AP Worldstream back issues from Tuesday, July 8:
In Morocco, a festival where tolerance is traditional and Jews pray together with Muslims
Jul 08, 2008; ... It's an uncommon sight for an Arab country: hundreds of joyous Jewish pilgrims gathering without fear around a rabbi's tomb, greeted by local Muslim officials who share a prayer with them at a synagogue. Yet most of the 400 Jews who converged on the Moroccan coastal town of Safi _ ...
French 1-2 at Tour de France on stage 3, where favorites take it easy ahead of time trial
Jul 08, 2008; ... France celebrated a double success on the third stage of the Tour de France, while race favorites Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans kept their strength for Tuesday's crucial time trial. Samuel Dumoulin of France won a closely contested sprint finish, and countryman Romain Feillu gave ...
European rocket with 2 satellites successfully launches from French Guiana
Jul 08, 2008 ... The commercial arm of the European Space Agency says a rocket loaded with two satellites has blasted off from a launch pad in South America. Arianespace says the Ariane-5 rocket took off Monday from the Kourou launch center and cruised through clear skies powered by two boosters and ...
Agency could approve nuclear rules for India within weeks, say diplomats
Jul 08, 2008; ... The International Atomic Energy Agency's 35 board nations could approve nuclear rules for India within weeks, diplomats said, in an important step for attempts by New Delhi and Washington to breathe life into their landmark nuclear deal. Without so-called IAEA safeguards, India cannot ...
McCain, Obama duel on economic fix-it plans
Jul 08, 2008 ... Democrat Barack Obama sought to link Republican rival John McCain to President George W. Bush's economic policies as the two presidential candidates maneuvered for the upper hand on an issue that is of key concern of voters. The economy, and especially its impact on the middle class, ...
Time is running out, but hurdler Felicien is still holding out hope for Beijing Games
Jul 08, 2008 ... Perdita Felicien stood out amid Canada's top track and field athletes at the Olympic team unveiling on Monday as the only one not wearing the black team jacket. Instead the former world champion wore a white Nike T-shirt with "CAN" in big red letters. It was a short form for ...
EU foreign policey chief Solana hoping to meet with Iranian negotiator by end of month
Jul 08, 2008; ... Europe's negotiator with Iran, the French foreign minister and the U.S. State Department all reacted guardedly to a new response from Tehran in the long crisis over its uranium enrichment program. Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, called the Iranian letter difficult and ...
Suicide bomber hits Indian Embassy in Kabul, kills 41; Afghanistan lays blame on Pakistan
Jul 08, 2008; ... A suicide bomb ripped through the gates of the Indian Embassy, killing 41 people and scattering bodies and blood across some of Kabul's most protected streets. Afghanistan quickly blamed India's archrival Pakistan, while Pakistan condemned the attack. The suicide car bomber followed a ...
Billionaire Warren Buffett gives $2.05B worth of stock to charities
Jul 08, 2008 ... Billionaire Warren Buffett has given away 512,169 Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. stock to three charitable foundations in keeping with his plan to give away the bulk of his fortune. The gifts were revealed in paperwork filed Monday with the Securities and Exchange ...
Fabian Cancellara out for the yellow jersey in the first time trial of the Tour de France
Jul 08, 2008; ... A year ago, Fabian Cancellara took yellow on day one of the Tour de France. This year he's got a lot more work to do. The time trial world champion goes into Tuesday's fourth stage as the favorite to win the 29.5-kilometer (18.3-mile) time trial around the town of Cholet. But to take ...
Simon Mann sentenced to 34 years for botched coup in African state
Jul 08, 2008; ... A court in Equatorial Guinea convicted former British officer Simon Mann of being the key player in a failed 2004 coup plot in this Central African nation and sentenced him to 34 years and four months in prison. Judge Carlos Mangue upbraided the 55-year-old Briton, saying he "had ...
Suicide bomber hits Indian Embassy in Kabul, kills 41; Afghanistan lays blame on Pakistan
Jul 08, 2008; ... A suicide bomb ripped through the gates of the Indian Embassy, killing 41 people and scattering bodies and blood across some of Kabul's most protected streets. Afghanistan quickly blamed India's archrival Pakistan, while Pakistan condemned the attack. The suicide car bomber followed a ...
Obama will hold acceptance speech at football stadium with more seats
Jul 08, 2008; ... In a break with tradition, Barack Obama will officially accept the Democratic presidential nomination at a Denver sports stadium that can seat 76,000 people, rather than at the smaller site that is hosting the party's national convention across town. Separately, one official confirmed ...
Bush calls Zimbabwe election a 'sham' as G-8 summit opens with focus on Africa
Jul 08, 2008; ... U.S. President George W. Bush labeled Zimbabwe's election a sham as activists accused leaders of the Group of Eight economic powers of falling behind on delivering promised aid to Africa. G-8 leaders kicked their annual summit, where climate change and the global food crisis were high ...
APNewsBreak: Under pressure, Pentagon to build cluster bombs posing fewer civilian risks
Jul 08, 2008; ... Faced with growing international pressure, the Pentagon is changing its policy on cluster bombs and plans to reduce the danger of unexploded munitions in the deadly explosives. The policy shift, which is outlined in a three-page memo signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, would ...
Ex-hostage Betancourt tastes freedom with same drive that kept her alive
Jul 08, 2008; ... Freedom tastes sweet and Ingrid Betancourt is lapping it up, with the same drive and determination that kept her alive in the Colombian jungle for six years, sometimes chained to a tree. Five days after being rescued along with three Americans and 11 Colombians and three days after ...
US hostage freed after years of captivity in Colombia denounces revolutionary group
Jul 08, 2008; ... Among the smiles and hugs shared by three American hostages freed last week from rebels in Colombia and their families, one of the men on Monday angrily denounced their captors as "terrorists with a capital 'T.'" Marc Gonsalves said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of ...
New Zealand Treasury warns economy may have slipped into recession
Jul 08, 2008 ... New Zealand's Treasury department joined economists Tuesday in warning that the country's economy may have slipped into recession, after recording negative growth in the three months ended March 31. "It is possible that the economy has experienced a technical recession in the ...
Grenada prime minister seeks 4th term in election focused on Caribbean island's economy
Jul 08, 2008; ... Prime Minister Keith Mitchell is courting a new generation of voters as he seeks an unprecedented fourth term in Tuesday's parliamentary elections. The main opposition party, which narrowly lost in 2004, is promising to create jobs, lower the cost of living for struggling families, ...
Miami-bound cargo plane crashes in Colombia, killing 2 people on ground but sparing crew
Jul 08, 2008; ... A rose-laden U.S. cargo plane headed for Miami crashed before dawn Monday near Colombia's capital, killing a father and son in their home on the ground, Colombian aviation officials said. None of the plane's eight U.S. crew members were reported dead, although a hospital director said ...
Police nab Mercedes-climbing goat, dog comes along for the ride
Jul 08, 2008 ... The goat was arrested, the Mercedes-Benz was assaulted and the dog came along for the ride. It happened Sunday when a woman driving the Mercedes saw a goat and dog playing on U.S. 72 in northern Alabama, Sheriff Mike Blakely said. She stopped, afraid they would get hit, ...
Digital downloads' threat to DVDs prompts Lehman analyst to downgrade entertainment industry
Jul 08, 2008; ... A Lehman Brothers analyst downgraded the entertainment industry Monday and slashed forecasts for its five major companies, saying digital downloads of movies and TV shows posed a huge threat to profits from DVD sales that the companies rely on. The stocks of The Walt Disney Co., News ...
Nicaraguan attorney general accuses opposition leader, 38 others of fraud
Jul 08, 2008 ... A special prosecutor on Monday charged a top opposition leader, a newspaper publisher and 37 other people with fraud and influence trafficking. Former presidential candidate Eduardo Montealegre and several other former government officials are among those accused of profiting off of a ...
St. Louis diocese settles 6 sexual abuse cases for $312,500, allegations date back to '60s
Jul 08, 2008; ... The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis reached a financial settlement with six men who claimed they were sexually molested by five priests as far back as the 1960s, a victims' advocacy group said Monday. The men will be paid $312,500, with settlements ranging from $90,000 to ...
Paying Up: Africans and aid groups call for new rules to make sure G-8 pays up on pledges
Jul 08, 2008; ... Top industrialized countries have been in a generous mood when hosting African countries at recent annual summits, pledging billions of dollars for everything from AIDS drugs and tuberculosis treatment to training peacekeepers. But the Africans and their allies say they haven't been ...
Climate change strategy isolates US at summit of industrialized nations
Jul 08, 2008; ... Leaders at the Group of Eight summit struggled to agree on how to combat climate change as they try to move forward U.N.-led talks aimed at forging a new global warming accord by the end of 2009. A rift over climate change widened Monday as the head of the European Commission urged ...
Wipeout? High gas prices crimp style of laid-back surfers, thump industry
Jul 08, 2008; ... For years, Chris Mauro took a 10-mile (16-kilometer) detour on his way to work each morning to check out the swells at his favorite surf break and plot the best location for his afterwork wave-riding. But with gas now approaching $5 a gallon ($1.32 a liter), Mauro recently cut out his ...
6 charred bodies found in Tijuana after weekend of drug violence
Jul 08, 2008; ... Police on Monday found six charred bodies on a Tijuana street following a bloody weekend that left 14 people dead. Assistant Baja California state attorney Salvador Ortiz said the six unidentified men were shot dead early Monday morning and their corpses set on fire. The ...
Leave Constitution at the door: Rights like free speech don't extend to 'public' online spaces
Jul 08, 2008; ... Rant all you want in a public park. A police officer generally won't eject you for your remarks alone, however unpopular or provocative. Say it on the Internet, and you'll find that free speech and other constitutional rights are anything but guaranteed. Companies in charge ...
Dollar woes cramp economy, US consumers, but the government's options are limited
Jul 08, 2008; ... Things in the U.S. sure are tough. Brother, can you spare a euro? Brazilian Supermodel Gisele Bundchen no longer wants to be paid in dollars. Signs saying "We accept euros" are cropping up in the windows of some Manhattan retailers. A Belgium company is trying to gobble up ...
Iraqi prime minister says he wants timetable for withdrawal of American troops
Jul 08, 2008; ... Iraq's prime minister said Monday his country wants some type of timetable for a withdrawal of American troops included in the deal the two countries are negotiating. It was the first time that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has explicitly and publicly called for a withdrawal ...
900-year-old temple on disputed Thai-Cambodia border named world heritage site
Jul 08, 2008 ... An 11th-century temple that sits in a disputed border zone between Thailand and Cambodia has been named by U.N. officials as a world landmark. UNESCO spokeswoman Joanna Sullivan said Monday that Preah Vihear was designated a heritage site at a meeting in Quebec City. In ...
Allco Finance sells part of Singapore property group to reduce debt
Jul 08, 2008 ... Troubled Allco Finance Group Ltd. said Tuesday it sold part of its real estate arm in Singapore for 180 million Singapore dollars (US$132 million) to pay off debts. The sale to Singapore property developer Frasers Centrepoint Ltd. is comprised of Allco's 17.7 percent stake in Allco ...
Paying Up: Africans and aid groups call for new rules to make sure G-8 pays up on pledges
Jul 08, 2008; ... Top industrialized countries have been in a generous mood when hosting African countries at recent annual summits, pledging billions of dollars for everything from AIDS drugs and tuberculosis treatment to training peacekeepers. But the Africans and their allies say they haven't been ...
Tug-of-war, obstacle courses, live pigeon shooting: Reliving quirky sports in Olympic history
Jul 08, 2008; ... If you've been swimming, you probably tried it at least once: Dive into the water and see how far you can get without taking a stroke. Coast past 19 meters (62 feet) and you could have earned a gold medal at the 1904 Olympics. The tug-of-war you played with friends at school? That ...
Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia traded from Indians to Brewers
Jul 08, 2008; ... The Milwaukee Brewers obtained pitcher of the year CC Sabathia in a trade with the Cleveland Indians on Monday, giving up four prospects in a gamble that favors the present over the future. The Brewers hope to transform themselves from scrappy underdogs to a big, bad pitching ...
All Blacks make 2 changes for second Tri-Nations test against South Africa
Jul 08, 2008 ... All Blacks coach Graham Henry made two changes to his tight five for the second Tri-Nations rugby union test against South Africa at Dunedin on Saturday. Lock Antony Boric will make his starting debut in place of Brad Thorn, who is serving a one week suspension for a dangerous tackle ...
Church of England's governing body votes to allow women to be ordained as bishops
Jul 08, 2008; ... The Church of England's governing body voted on Monday to allow women to become bishops and agreed to set up a code to accommodate those who object to the concept. Both sides conceded that tradition of male-only bishops would be changed, and the lengthy debate centered on what ...
Wife of Yankees star Alex Rodriguez alleges infidelity in divorce papers; seeks custody
Jul 08, 2008; ... A tumultuous week for Alex Rodriguez, played out in tabloid headlines and carried on the whispers of a connection to Madonna, came to a head Monday when his wife filed for divorce. The more than 5-year marriage collapsed amid reports of a new friendship between the Yankee slugger and ...
Cruise ship with 51 people on board grounds near Glacier Bay in Alaska; no injuries reported
Jul 08, 2008; ... A Coast Guard spokesman says a cruise ship that grounded for about nine hours near Glacier Bay in Alaska has been towed to safety. A National Park Service vessel was transferring passengers and crew members to a nearby port before they were taken to Juneau. A spokesman for Cruise ...
Federal agent: Man charged with buying deadly fish toxin solicited someone to kill his wife
Jul 08, 2008; ... A man accused of buying a highly poisonous fish toxin while posing as a research doctor once solicited someone over the Internet to kill his wife in exchange for $8,000 and an AK-47 assault rifle, prosecutors said Monday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Karner also said that Edward F ....
Church of England heads for split on women bishops
Jul 08, 2008; ... The Church of England faced further division Monday after its ruling body voted to move ahead with steps that would permit women to become bishops without agreeing to compromises meant to accommodate traditionalists opposed to the idea. The decision came after hours of debate and ...
Buck hits 3-run homer in the 10th inning and the Royals snap Rays' 7-game winning streak
Jul 08, 2008 ... John Buck and Mike Aviles hit 10th-inning homers to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 7-4 victory that snapped the Tampa Bay Rays' seven-game winning streak in the American League on Monday. Carlos Pena hit a tying solo homer off Royals closer Joakim Soria in the ninth. ...
SKorea: North Korea nuclear talks to resume Thursday in Beijing; first meeting since October
Jul 08, 2008 ... South Korea's nuclear envoy says six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons will resume Thursday in Beijing. Kim Sook told reporters Tuesday before heading to the Chinese capital for preparatory meetings that Beijing officials were expected to make an official announcement ...
German leader upbeat on G-8, but progress on climate change slow
Jul 08, 2008; ... U.S. President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged Tuesday to keep working together on common problems, but progress appeared slow on a climate change consensus at a meeting of the Group of Eight major economies. Merkel expressed optimism as the two leaders met ...
Venezuelan new car sales fall 27 percent through June as economic growth stalls
Jul 08, 2008; ... Sales of new cars in Venezuela fell 27.4 percent in the first half of the year, reversing a recent upward trend as economic growth slowed and President Hugo Chavez capped foreign car imports in a bid to boost domestic production. Total vehicle sales dropped to 154,576 in the first six ...
Hotter, drier weather expected to hinder California firefighting efforts
Jul 08, 2008; ... As some residents whose homes were threatened by a vast Southern California wildfire were allowed to return home on Monday, forecasters warned that the cooler, damper conditions that have aided recent firefighting efforts would soon turn in favor of the flames. More than 2,000 ...
North Korea rejects any possibility of summit with South Korea
Jul 08, 2008 ... North Korea rejected any possibility of summit talks with South Korea on Tuesday, accusing Seoul's conservative president of overturning previous agreements made between his predecessors and leader Kim Jong Il. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said over the weekend he was willing ...
Abu-Jamal's lawyers ask federal appeals court to reconsider decision not to grant new trial
Jul 08, 2008 ... Lawyers for death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal on Monday asked a federal appeals court to reconsider its decision not to grant him a new trial. Abu-Jamal was convicted and sentenced to death in the slaying of a Philadelphia police officer more than 25 years ago, a case that gained ...
Like most 10-year-olds, Malia Obama says dads can be embarassing at times, even her famous one
Jul 08, 2008; ... Her father is famous but Malia Obama is like a lot of 10-year-olds: she sometimes finds him embarrassing. She recalled one time when a friend came over to their house in Chicago and her father, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, ever in campaign mode, shook the girl's ...
Mexican police rescue 115 migrants from sweltering cargo truck
Jul 08, 2008 ... A Mexican federal agent says police have rescued 115 Central American migrants who were hidden in a cage inside a sweltering cargo truck. Federal agent Pedro Arteaga says the migrants hid in a cage in the back of a sweltering cargo truck also carring snacks. He says federal ...
SKorea: North Korea nuclear talks to resume Thursday in Beijing; first meeting since October
Jul 08, 2008 ... Negotiations on North Korea's nuclear program will resume this week for the first time in nine months, South Korea's nuclear envoy said Tuesday. The talks had been on hold since October due to a dispute over North Korea's obligation to declare its nuclear programs. Host ...
Malaysian state may compel Muslim civil servants to pray 5 times a day
Jul 08, 2008 ... A Malaysian state governed by a conservative Islamic party plans to compel Muslim government workers to pray five times a day as required by their religion, an official said Tuesday. Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, the chief minister of northeastern Kelantan state, said Muslims who shirk ...
State media: Myanmar has approved 1,500 visas for foreign aid workers to help cyclone victims
Jul 08, 2008 ... Myanmar's military regime has approved visas for more than 1,500 international aid workers to help victims of Cyclone Nargis, with half of them involved in relief operations in storm-hit regions, the state-media said Tuesday. Foreign aid staffers were initially barred from ...
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Jul 08, 2008; ... With one month to go before the Olympics open on Aug. 8, Beijing was putting the final touches to its preparations Tuesday, although pollution worries and questions over media freedom remain. The final sprucing up appears to have started, with workers spray painting lampposts along ...
Venezuela's Roman Catholic Church condemns list barring candidates from running
Jul 08, 2008 ... Venezuela's Roman Catholic Church is condemning efforts to ban 400 potential candidates _ most from the opposition _ from running in upcoming elections. Church leaders are joining a chorus of critics who argue the ban imposed by Comptroller General Clodosbaldo Russian. They say his ...
Colorado beats Milwaukee 4-3
Jul 08, 2008 ... Ubaldo Jimenez allowed three hits over seven innings and Colorado beat Milwaukee 4-3 on Monday night, spoiling a daylong welcome party for CC Sabathia. Jimenez (4-8) has won three of his last four starts after beginning the season 1-7. All-Star Matt Holliday hit his 14th ...
Forensic experts search for 'dirty war' dead at former military base
Jul 08, 2008 ... Forensic experts are searching for remains of victims of Mexico's "dirty war" against suspected rebels and dissidents at a former military base in southern Mexico. About 30 police and forensic investigators from the federal attorney general's office began excavating Monday ...
European Union official warns that euro-zone inflation could spiral out of control
Jul 08, 2008; ... Euro nations are risking a price spiral as inflation hits record levels on soaring oil and food costs, the European Union's top economy official said. Yearly inflation in the 15 countries that share the euro spiked to an estimated 4 percent in June, the fastest prices have accelerated ...
Ringo Starr hands out cupcakes and throws up peace signs to celebrate his 68th birthday
Jul 08, 2008 ... Ringo Starr celebrated his 68th birthday in Chicago giving out messages of peace and love, along with dessert. Fans surrounded the former Beatles drummer Monday as he waited for the clock to strike noon the Hard Rock Hotel. Then he flashed peace signs with both hands in the air and ...
Troubles remain for US missile defense plan despite treaty with Czech Republic
Jul 08, 2008; ... U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Prague on Tuesday to sign an agreement to build a U.S. missile defense base near Prague, despite fierce Czech parliamentary opposition that could yet scupper the project. The U.S. and the Czech Republic announced in April they had ...
UN declares monarch butterfly reserve in Mexico a natural world heritage site
Jul 08, 2008 ... The Mexican government says UNESCO has added a Monarch butterfly reserve in southern Mexico to its list of World Heritage sites. Mexico's Foreign Relations Department says the reserve located in the states of Mexico and Michoacan was declared a natural heritage site by the U.N.'s ...
Cambodian PM calls world heritage status for disputed temple 'new pride for the country
Jul 08, 2008 ... Cambodia's prime minister on Tuesday hailed the designation of an 11th century Hindu temple as a world heritage landmark despite objections from groups in neighboring Thailand, which claims the land around the site. "This is a new pride for the people of Cambodia," Hun Sen ...
US exports to Iran rose even as Bush talked tough on sanctions over nuclear, terror activities
Jul 08, 2008; ... U.S. exports to Iran grew more than tenfold during President George W. Bush's years in office even as he accused Iran of nuclear ambitions and helping terrorists. America sent more cigarettes to Iran under Bush _ at least $158 million (euro101 million) worth _ than any other products. ...
Malaysia, Indonesia say food, oil crises are 'grave threats' to world economy
Jul 08, 2008; ... The leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia on Tuesday called for boosting world food production and finding a permanent solution to skyrocketing oil prices, saying the twin problems have become "grave threats" to the world economy. "We must identity the bold measures that we ...