 Historic backdrop for Obama speech
 Associated Press
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, and Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit jokingly pump their fists after Obama was presented with a porcelain bear, the symbol of Berlin. Obama will deliver his keenly-awaited Berlin speech in front of the Victory Column – one of the capital's best-known monuments.
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Olympics-China says breaks up international terrorist cell
BEIJING, 6:15 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Shanghai police have broken up an international terrorist group that had planned to attack an Olympic football preliminary match in the city, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday.
'We have staged raids and cracked a group of terrorists,' Xinhua quoted Cheng Jiulong, Shanghai Public Security Bureau deputy director and head of the Shanghai security office for the Olympics, as saying.
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TRIPOLI, 12:53 p.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Libya, Italy to sign compensation deal-Gaddafi son: Liyba and Italy will soon seal a deal worth 'billions' to compensate for the European country's three-decade colonial rule, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's influential son said on Thursday.
CAIRO, Egypt, 12:53 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Publisher: Book critical of President Mubarak's regime banned in Egypt: The publisher of a book critical of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime says the book has been banned in Egypt.
LIMA, Peru, 12:50 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Dancer faces criminal complaint for sitting atop Peru's flag in nude photo: A Peruvian model and showgirl is facing a criminal investigation for posing naked sitting atop the country's red-and-white flag.
BELGRADE, Serbia, 12:37 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Serbia IDs man behind Karadzic's false identity: The real Dragan Dabic has emerged – and the 66-year construction worker was shocked Thursday to discover his identity had apparently been stolen by one of the world's most notorious war crimes suspects.
MILAN, Italy, 10:17 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Italian officials say Dutch man and his 3 children killed in fall near Mont Blanc: A Dutch man, his son and two daughters fell to their deaths Thursday while climbing near Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak, Italian rescuers said.
TRIPOLI, Libya, 10:14 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Libya halts oil shipments to Switzerland to protest arrest of Gadhafi's son: Libya has halted all of its oil deliveries to Switzerland and barred Swiss ships from its ports to protest the arrest of Moammar Gadhafi's son in Geneva, a state-run shipping company said Thursday.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, 10:06 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Police: Insurgents attack Afghan military convoy: Insurgents attacked an Afghan military convoy Thursday in southern Afghanistan and dozens of militants were killed after the army called for assistance from the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan police, a police official said.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, 10:04 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Sri Lankan forces say they capture rebel territory as battles kill 50 rebels, 4 soldiers: Sri Lankan forces battled rebel gunmen deep inside the nation's northern jungles Thursday, killing 25 guerrilla fighters and seizing new territory, the military said. Other battles killed 25 rebels and four soldiers, the military said.
LONDON, 9:01 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Scientists urge Britain to preserve famed wartime code-breaking center as museum: Cramped into makeshift wooden huts on the grounds of a swank Victorian mansion, Britain's sharpest mathematical minds waged a secret war against Nazi Germany – cracking Adolf Hitler's supposedly unbreakable codes.
PERTH, Australia, 8:40 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Rice says U.S.-India nuclear deal good for the world: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that a proposed U.S.-India nuclear energy deal is good for both countries and for global efforts to reduce the spread of atomic technology and greenhouse gas emissions.
KABUL, Afghanistan, 7:50 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Report: Taliban using sophisticated media network: The Taliban have created a sophisticated media network to undermine support for the Afghan government, sending threats by text message and spreading the militia's views through songs available as ring tones, according to a report released Thursday.
HAVANA,, 7:50 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
PREVIEW-Castro to speak at birthplace of Cuba revolution: President Raul Castro returns to the birthplace of the Cuban revolution this week for a speech that will be watched for news on what some consider another, quieter revolution now taking place on the socialist island.
BAGHDAD, 7:45 a.m. July 24 (AP)
U.S. envoy doubts Iraqis will revert to violence: Iraqis, having lived through years of sectarian warfare, are unlikely to revert to mass violence as they sort out their future, the top U.S. diplomat to Baghdad told The Associated Press on Thursday.
MOSCOW, 7:37 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Russia plans no military bases abroad – reports: Russia said on Thursday it had no plans to open any military bases abroad and denied a newspaper report that it might deploy nuclear-capable bombers in Cuba in retaliation to a planned U.S. missile shield in Europe.
KABUL, 7:28 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Afghan army says kills 'dozens' of insurgents: Afghan soldiers killed 'dozens' of militants, including foreigners, in a clash on a highway in southern Zabul province on Thursday, the defence ministry said.
PARIS, 7:26 a.m. July 24 (AP)
France eases up on the 35-hour work week, allows companies to negotiate longer hours: French lawmakers took a step toward ending the country's decade-long experiment with a 35-hour work week, passing a bill that gives companies greater latitude to extend working hours.
BAGHDAD, 7:21 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
U.S. to give thousands of Iraqis visas -embassy: Thousands of Iraqis who fear being killed because they worked for the American government or military in Iraq will be awarded visas allowing them to settle permanently in the United States, the U.S. embassy said.
KIEV, Ukraine, 6:58 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Ukrainian president believes former ally involved in his near lethal poisoning: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Thursday he believes a former ally and friend was involved in his near fatal poisoning four years ago.
BEIRUT, 6:37 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Obama's pro-Israel stance no surprise to Arabs: Barack Obama has convinced Arabs and Iranians he will put Israel's interests first if he becomes U.S. president, after a Middle East tour that ended on Thursday.
BEIJING, 6:15 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Olympics-China says breaks up international terrorist cell: Shanghai police have broken up an international terrorist group that had planned to attack an Olympic football preliminary match in the city, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday.
VIENNA, Austria, 5:54 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Iran says it will no longer cooperate with the IAEA investigation: Iran will no longer cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency in its investigation of allegations that its government has tried to make nuclear arms, Iran's vice president said Thursday.
BARCELONA, Spain, 5:40 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Bale asks for privacy in assault allegations: “Dark Knight” star Christian Bale has asked for privacy following allegations he assaulted his mother and sister in a London hotel.
TOKYO, 5:13 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Japanese, Mongolian scientists recover complete skeleton of young dinosaur: Japanese and Mongolian scientists have successfully recovered the complete skeleton of a 70-million-year-old young dinosaur, a nature museum announced Thursday.
SINGAPORE, 3:49 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Asia-Pacific nations to urge that IAEA verify North Korean nuclear programs: The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency should play a leading role in verifying North Korea's declaration of its nuclear programs, according to a draft of a statement to be issued Thursday by Asia-Pacific nations.
JERUSALEM, 1:58 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Israel to build new settlement in West Bank: A key committee has approved construction of the first new Jewish settlement in the West Bank in a decade, an Israeli official said Thursday. The news infuriated Palestinians, who said the decision could cripple peace efforts.
ANKARA, Turkey, 12:27 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Turkish warplanes bomb Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq: Turkish warplanes bombed 13 Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq, the military said Thursday.
MANILA, Philippines, 12:06 a.m. July 24 (AP)
27 hurt in explosion aboard Philippine bus: A homemade bomb ripped through a commuter bus in the southern Philippines on Thursday, wounding 27 people, police said.
SINGAPORE, 7:51 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Rice pushes top North Korean diplomat on nukes: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is pushing North Korea hard to accept terms to verify the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program after breaking a four-year hiatus in Cabinet-level talks with the communist state.
BELGRADE, Serbia, 8:53 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Karadzic's secret life enthralls his fellow Serbs: Radovan Karadzic sent word he plans to defend himself against U.N. genocide charges, but his fellow Serbs were more enthralled with details that emerged Wednesday about his secret life: a mistress, a bogus family in the U.S., and regular visits to the Madhouse bar and its photo of his beardless days as wartime leader of Bosnian Serbs.
KATMANDU, Nepal, 8:45 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Nepal ex-rebels won't form government: Nepal's ex-communists should head the new government, political opponents said Wednesday, a day after the Maoists abandoned plans for leadership because their choice for president had been rejected.
TOKYO, 8:32 p.m. July 23 (AP)Powerful earthquake hits Japan, dozens injured: A powerful earthquake rattled parts of northern Japanese early Thursday, injuring nearly 100 people, triggering landslides and cutting power to thousands of people, officials said.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, 8:19 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Canadian teen dies after being shot with Taser: A teenager wielding a knife died after police shot him with a Taser, the latest in a string of deaths linked to the stun guns, officials said Wednesday.
UNITED NATIONS, 7:55 p.m. July 23 (AP)
U.N. to take up Thai-Cambodian border dispute: With some 4,000 troops massed along the Thai-Cambodian border, United Nations Security Council members say they will try to keep a standoff from escalating into war.
HAVANA, 7:53 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Castro cryptic on Russian bomber report: Ailing Fidel Castro said Wednesday that Cuba's president was right to adopt a “dignified silence” over a Moscow newspaper report that Russia may send nuclear bombers to the island, and said Cuba doesn't owe any explanation to Washington about the story.
GENEVA, 7:29 p.m. July 23 (AP)
WTO powers cite some progress in marathon meeting: A marathon meeting of the world's top commercial powers ended early in the morning in Geneva with negotiators citing some progress in talks on a new global trade pact.
CARACAS, Venezuela, 6:42 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Venezuela denies report that Chavez invited Russia to open military base in Venezuela: Venezuela's government denied on Wednesday that President Hugo Chavez invited Russia to open a military base in his country, disputing a report by Russia's Interfax saying that Russian troops were welcome in the South American nation.
KIEV, Ukraine, 4:51 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Ukraine Jews want graves building halted: A Jewish group asked the Ukrainian government on Wednesday to stop construction on the site of a grave containing the remains of an estimated 26,000 victims of the Holocaust.
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba, 4:48 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Bin Laden driver denied al-Qaeda ties in early interrogation video: U.S. military prosecutors on Wednesday played an interrogation video that shows a driver for Osama bin Laden denying any connection to al-Qaeda but also fretting that he is “finished.”
LONDON, 4:09 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Britain tries to thwart forced marriage: Britain's Home Office says it is raising the age at which someone can bring a foreign spouse to Britain in an attempt to reduce forced marriages.
GUATEMALA CITY, 3:55 p.m. July 23 (AP)
DNA tests provide first confirmation of stolen baby in troubled Guatemalan adoption system: Adoption officials said Wednesday that DNA tests indicate a Guatemalan baby reported stolen from her mother was being adopted by a U.S. couple, the first strong sign that the Central American nation's troubled adoption system relied in part on abducted children.
LONDON, 3:15 p.m. July 23 (AP)
British Royal Marine who dived on hand grenade to receive bravery award: A Royal Marine who dived on a live hand grenade to save his comrades in Afghanistan and escaped with minor wounds will be given Britain's highest award for bravery, the Ministry of Defense said Wednesday.
MINSK, Belarus, 3:06 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Venezuela, Belarus sign oil deal: Venezuela signed over three more oil fields to a joint venture with Belarus on Wednesday, with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez declaring that the two nations were strongly united in their resistance to “U.S. imperialism” and Washington's “lackeys.”
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, 2:57 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Woman charged with bludgeoning toddlers to death: A German woman was charged Wednesday with bludgeoning two toddlers to death with a hammer and seriously injuring their mother in a rampage in Sweden spurred by jealousy over an ex-boyfriend.
PARIS, 2:33 p.m. July 23 (AP)
French electric company says 100 employees 'slightly contaminated' at nuclear reactor site: Radioactive particles spewed from a pipe at a French nuclear reactor on Wednesday, slightly contaminating 100 employees, a spokeswoman for the national electric company said.
DUBLIN, Ireland, 2:31 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Drug smugglers get record sentences in Ireland: A trio of English cocaine smugglers who were caught after putting the wrong fuel into their boat received the longest drug-related prison sentences in Irish history Wednesday.
NYALA, Sudan, 2:16 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Sudan's president pays defiant visit to Darfur: Sudan's president made a defiant visit to Darfur just a week after being charged with genocide in the war-ravaged region, vowing not to be intimidated by the indictment and then breaking into a tribal dance on a parched field to the delight of cheering supporters.
BEIJING, 1:44 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Beijing to set up special Olympic protest zones: China will allow a modicum of dissent at the Olympics, setting up special protest zones far from the main sports venues, in a shift that supporters and detractors said Wednesday is meant to safely channel criticism and avoid disrupting the games.
VIENNA, Austria, 1:10 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Pakistan warns of new nuclear arms race with India: Pakistan has warned a deal leading to increased Indian access to nuclear fuel could accelerate the atomic arms race between the rivals, according to a letter obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
HONOLULU, 12:15 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Air Force says no survivors of B-52 crash off Guam: The Air Force says all six crew members aboard a B-52 bomber that crashed Monday off Guam were killed.
BELGRADE, Serbia, 11:29 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Karadzic's capture signals big shift for Serbia: Just a few months ago, thugs outraged at Kosovo's independence set part of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on fire, and ultranationalists prepared to seize power.
KIEV, Ukraine, 10:56 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Ukraine officially blames Soviet leaders for 1932-33 famine that killed millions: Ukraine on Wednesday blamed Soviet leaders for a famine that killed millions of people in 1932-33 and published documents it said “unequivocally” proved its case – part of its campaign to get the tragedy recognized as genocide.
KABUL, Afghanistan, 10:53 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Suspicion, terrain are foes for U.S. in Afghan surge: As violence in Afghanistan escalates, the U.S. is responding by scrambling to get in more troops. But it's far from clear how the strategy will work in a vast, rugged land where hiding places are many and suspicion of foreign forces is deep.
GENEVA, 10:40 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
Eat bananas for negotiating success – WTO chief: The World Trade Organisation's marathon-running chief has urged his staff to eat bananas to sustain themselves through long negotiating sessions – in which tariffs on the fruit are among the most contentious issues.
BRUSSELS, Belgium, 10:09 a.m. July 23 (AP)
EU freezes hundreds of millions in assistance to Bulgaria, citing corruption, organized crime: The European Commission froze almost euro500 million ($800 million) in aid to Bulgaria on Wednesday, citing corruption, organized crime, severe spending irregularities and alleged vote-buying in a country that only joined the EU last year.
TOKYO, 9:18 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
Strong quake jolts northern Japan: A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 jolted northern Japan early on Thursday, but there was no threat of a tsunami from the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
BUENOS AIRES, 9:14 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
Argentine president replaces cabinet chief: Argentina's embattled President Cristina Fernandez replaced her cabinet chief on Wednesday after suffering a crushing defeat last week over farm policy.
LONDON, 8:39 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Happy to be stuck with you: Glue-handed activist claims audience with UK leader: A climate change activist assured himself a captive audience – by gluing himself to the prime minister of Britain.
ROME, 8:34 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Storm delays helicopter rescue for stricken Italian expedition on Pakistani peak: Organizers of a Himalayan climb say bad weather has delayed a helicopter rescue for two Italians descending a mountain in Pakistan following the death of a fellow climber.
BERLIN, 8:20 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Berlin police arrest man for driving car through barricade around Obama speech venue: German police have arrested a man who drove his car through a security barricade and tried to pour red paint around the site where Barack Obama is giving a speech Thursday.
LONDON, 8:15 a.m. July 23 (AP)
British couple jailed for fraud after 'dead' canoeist husband returns home: A British judge sentenced both a husband and wife to more than six years in jail Wednesday for faking the man's drowning death in a US$500,000 insurance scam.
BEIJING, 8:08 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Last town in China's Three Gorges reservoir area relocated ahead of rise in water level: Residents in the last township to be moved to make way for the rising waters of the Three Gorges Dam reservoir have been relocated, a state news agency reported Wednesday.
GENEVA, 7:34 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
India warms to U.S. farm offer, hopes for WTO deal: India welcomed on Wednesday an offer by the United States to limit its farm subsidies as part of efforts to save a global trade deal.
ROME, 7:27 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
Berlusconi's immigrant crackdown becomes law: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi won parliamentary approval on Wednesday for a law-and-order package of reforms that takes aim at illegal immigrants whom his government blames for much of Italy's crime.
PARIS, 7:24 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
Iran tells British AFP journalist to leave: The Iranian authorities have told a British journalist working for AFP in Iran to leave without giving an explanation, the French news agency said in a report.
LAGOS, Nigeria, 7:17 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Militants say they will destroy Nigeria's major oil pipelines within 30 days: Nigeria's main militant group threatened on Wednesday to launch a new wave of attacks on the volatile West African nation's oil pipelines within 30 days to counter allegations the group had taken money to protect them.
SINGAPORE, 7:16 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
Japan wants more action on North Korea abduction row: Japan wants to move from mere promises to action in its bilateral talks with North Korea on the decades-old issue of abductees, a spokesman from the Japanese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
DUBLIN, Ireland, 7:11 a.m. July 23 (AP)
IRA dissidents threaten to target Northern Ireland civil servants who work with police: Irish Republican Army dissidents have threatened to attack civil servants who work with the Northern Ireland police force.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 7:09 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Pakistan government pressed on missing persons: An international rights group pressed Pakistan's new government on Wednesday to quickly investigate the disappearance of hundreds of people allegedly rounded up by security agencies as part of the anti-terror campaign.
TOKYO, 7:03 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Toyota's global sales rose 2 percent in 1st-half: Toyota sold more than 4.8 million vehicles worldwide in the first half, up 2 percent from the same period a year earlier, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday.
BERLIN, 6:48 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Germany to test aspiring citizens on customs and history: Germany is to introduce a test on German customs and history for would-be citizens in September after Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet approved the plan on Wednesday.
NEW DELHI, 6:10 a.m. July 23 (AP)
U.S. wants quick approval of India nuclear pact: The U.S. ambassador to India said Wednesday he hoped a landmark deal on nuclear energy cooperation with the United States could be sent to Congress for approval in September, one day after India's government won a confidence vote that paves the way for the agreement to move forward.
LONDON, 5:04 a.m. July 23 (AP)
British court denies radical cleric Abu Hamza permission to appeal against extradition to U.S.: A British court ruled Wednesday that a radical Muslim preacher accused of helping to set up a terrorist training camp in rural Oregon cannot appeal against extradition to the United States to face terrorism charges.
GENEVA, 4:47 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Libya has reduced flights to Switzerland following arrest of Gadhafi's son: Libya has been taking “worrying retaliatory measures” against Switzerland since the arrest of the youngest son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for allegedly beating two of his servants, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, 3:42 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Thailand says Cambodia wants even more of its territory as land dispute enters 2nd week: Thailand accused Cambodia of eyeing even more of its land and leaflets appeared in the Cambodian capital calling for a boycott of Thai goods, as a military standoff over disputed border territory entered a second week Wednesday.
LONDON, 3:25 a.m. July 23 (AP)
5 men who plotted a bombing spree against British targets lose appeal against convictions: A British court has rejected an appeal by five men, serving life sentences for plotting a bombing spree, to overturn their convictions.
KABUL, Afghanistan, 3:17 a.m. July 23 (AP)
British soldier wounded in Afghan ambush dies: A British soldier died after being wounded in an ambush in southern Afghanistan, while U.S.-led coalition troops killed several militants near the capital, officials said Wednesday.
BRUSSELS, 3:07 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
EU executive moves to limit cruelty of seal hunts: The European Commission adopted proposals on Wednesday to ban the import of pelts from seals that have endured excessive suffering while being killed, risking possible trade conflicts with hunting nations.
ATHENS, Greece, 3:06 a.m. July 23 (AP)
3 hurt in ferry collision at Greek island port: Two ferryboats carrying more than 1,500 passengers collided at a Greek island port Wednesday, injuring three people, authorities said.
WARSAW, Poland, 2:10 a.m. July 23 (AP)
U.S., Poland holding talks on Warsaw's demands for defense aid in exchange for missile base: Polish and U.S. officials are holding talks on Warsaw's demands for defense aid in exchange for placing part of an American missile defense system in Poland.
MANILA, Philippines, 1:37 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Pirates seize ship with 20 Filipinos off Somalia: Pirates have seized a cargo ship with 20 Filipino sailors on board off the coast of Somalia, a Philippine government official said Wednesday.
JERUSALEM, 2:41 p.m. July 22 (AP)
Palestinian attacks using construction vehicle: A Palestinian attacker turned a construction vehicle into a fearsome weapon in downtown Jerusalem just hours before Barack Obama's visit Tuesday, ramming a bus, overturning a car and injuring five people before he was shot dead.
BERLIN, 12:05 p.m. July 22 (AP)Obama meets Obamamania in Europe eager for change: Barack Obama comes face to face this week with a constituency truly eager for change after eight years of George W. Bush: Europeans. AMMAN, Jordan, 3:12 p.m. July 22 (AP)
Obama begins Mideast visit, vows to work for peace: Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama stepped into the thicket of Mideast politics Tuesday, declaring in Jordan that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are strong enough internally to make the bold concessions necessary for peace. BELGRADE, Serbia, 2:02 p.m. July 22 (AP)
Angry nationalists protest Karadzic arrest: Serb nationalists skirmished with riot police in the capital Tuesday, lashing out against the new Western-leaning government that captured war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic. AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, 12:26 p.m. July 22 (AP)
Karadzic arrest puts spotlight on new tribunals: The former president of Liberia is on trial. A vice president of Congo is in custody. The former leaders of Cambodia are in the dock. And a key figure in the Bosnia war is now in custody. BELGRADE, Serbia, 5:41 p.m. July 22 (AP)
Karadzic hid in plain view to elude capture: For more than a decade, the world's most-wanted war crimes fugitive displayed a talent for eluding international justice. His secret? Hide in plain sight. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 11:56 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Zimbabwe president under pressure to share power: Europe turned up pressure on Zimbabwe's president to share power with the opposition, toughening sanctions Tuesday against Robert Mugabe just as his ruling party was to begin talks with its chief rival mediated by South Africa. NAIROBI, Kenya, 11:59 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Official: Aid workers might not be safe in Sudan if ICC issues arrest warrant for president: A senior Sudanese official warned on Tuesday that aid workers and peacekeepers might not be safe in Darfur if an arrest warrant is issued for the country's president on genocide charges.
MOGADISHU, Somalia, 8:04 a.m. July 22 (AP)
U.N. says 14 million in Horn of Africa need emergency food aid: Dahir Abdi Salah used to feed his children three meals a day – pancakes for breakfast, spaghetti for lunch and beans for dinner.
ROME, 12:06 p.m. July 22 (AP)Italian top court upholds sexual assault conviction, saying jeans would not prevent it: Italy's top criminal court has upheld the sexual assault conviction of a man who argued that the victim's jeans prevented the attack. The court provoked outrage a decade ago by ruling that it was impossible to rape a woman wearing jeans. WASHINGTON, 12:54 p.m. July 22 (AP)
Poll: Most in China expect Olympics to help image: Overwhelming numbers of Chinese say next month's Olympics will help their country's tattered image abroad, and they predict the Beijing Games will be successful, according to a poll released Tuesday. MARSEILLE, France, 3:24 p.m. July 22 (AP)
France lifts water ban from spill at nuclear site: Authorities in southern France have lifted a ban on water sports and fishing in two rivers that was imposed after a leak at a nearby nuclear site. ROME, 4:28 p.m. July 22 (AP)
Italy scales back Gypsy fingerprinting campaign: Italian officials carrying out a survey of the country's Gypsy population will only fingerprint those who don't have a valid ID, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday, apparently dropping plans to fingerprint all Gypsies after critics called it discriminatory.
SANTIAGO,, 8:33 a.m. July 22 (REUTERS)
Chilean mother kills daughter over homework-Police: A Chilean woman beat her daughter to death after she refused to do her homework, police said Tuesday.
AMSTERDAM, 8:16 a.m. July 22 (REUTERS)
Speedier Hague trial expected for Karadzic: With the arrest of Bosnian Serb wartime president Radovan Karadzic, U.N. prosecutors and judges are likely to seek a speedy trial to avoid the lengthy proceedings that have dogged the Hague tribunal n the past.
KIEV, Ukraine, 8:03 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Ukrainian president questioned in his poisoning probe: President Viktor Yushchenko was summoned for questioning Tuesday into his nearly lethal poisoning four years ago, and he said the ongoing investigation would produce some “very unpleasant” surprises.
BEIJING, 8:00 a.m. July 22 (REUTERS)
Beijing cracks down on fake guns for Games security: China has launched a one-month crackdown on the production and sale of replica guns as an added security measure in the lead-up to next month's Beijing Olympics, state media reported on Tuesday.
AMMAN, 7:48 a.m. July 22 (REUTERS)
Obama pledges to push Israel-Palestinian peace talks: U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged on Tuesday to work to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians from his first day in office but said it would be difficult.
BEIJING, 7:15 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Only 7 pandas remain at famed breeding center in SW China following May earthquake: Only seven pandas remain at China's most famous breeding center, after a final group of 13 animals were transferred from the earthquake-damaged facility, an official said Tuesday.
SINGAPORE, 7:05 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Rice set to meet North Korean envoy in Singapore: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that North Korea will hear from her and others this week that it must prove it is telling the truth about its nuclear programs if it is to be rewarded for abandoning atomic weapons.
BILBAO, Spain, 7:01 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Spanish police arrest in crackdown on active unit of armed Basque group ETA: The alleged leader of a Basque separatist cell believed responsible for a string of recent bomb attacks in Spain was arrested Tuesday along with eight other cell members, authorities said.
ATHENS, 6:12 a.m. July 22 (REUTERS)
Greek court rules lesbians are not just from Lesbos: A Greek court has dismissed a request by residents of the Aegean island of Lesbos to ban the use of the word lesbian to describe gay women, according to a court ruling made public on Tuesday.
KINSHASA, Congo, 4:59 a.m. July 22 (AP)
U.N. says 26 die of hunger in overcrowded Congo prison: At least 26 prisoners have died of hunger in a prison in Congo since the beginning of the year, U.N. officials said.
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba, 5:20 p.m. July 21 (AP)Guantanamo war crimes trial opens with exclusion of evidence from 'coercive' interrogations: The judge in the first American war crimes trial since World War II barred evidence on Monday that interrogators obtained from Osama bin Laden's driver, ruling he was subjected to “highly coercive” conditions in Afghanistan.
