Iraq calmer but copycat kidnappings spread
AP
Five years ago, retired Air Force intelligence officer Kirk von Ackermann became the first of 39 Americans to be kidnapped in Iraq. He's still missing, his wife fearing she'll never see him again.
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Blog on Kirk von AckermannGermany, France, U.K. launch major financial-rescue plans
Published on: 10/13/08 McClatchy NewspapersPARIS - With anxious markets looking for leadership, Britain, Germany and France unveiled massive financial-rescue plans Monday that will pump a startling $1 trillion into their troubled banking systems.
Nana weakens, new depression forms in Caribbean
Published on: 10/13/08 The Associated PressThe National Hurricane Center in Miami says a new tropical depression has formed over the eastern Caribbean even as what had been Tropical Storm Nana lost strength over the Atlantic.
Fire marshals: Manhattan blaze caused by fire play
AP Photo
New York City fire marshals say a blaze that claimed the lives of a couple and their three children in a Manhattan apartment was caused by a child playing with matches or a lighter.
2nd out-of-state teen abanonded at Neb. hospital
Published on: 10/13/08 The Associated PressNebraska officials say another teenager from outside the state has been left at an Omaha hospital under the state's safe haven law.
Last chance to see NY's manmade waterfalls Monday
Published on: 10/13/08 The Associated PressFour manmade waterfalls on New York's East River are about to dry up - much to the relief of critics who say salty water from the art installation has destroyed waterfront foliage.
UK university holds artificial intelligence test
Published on: 10/13/08 Associated Press WriterComputers argued, cracked jokes and parried trick questions, all part of an annual test of artificial intelligence carried out at the University of Reading.
Diplomats: N. Korea lifts ban on nuke inspections
AP Photo
North Korea has lifted its ban on U.N. nuclear inspectors and is again allowing them access to the plutonium-producing plant it used to set up an atomic test explosion, diplomats said Monday.
Winds whip up wildfire north of Los Angeles
AP Photo
Intense Santa Ana winds swept into Southern California Monday morning and whipped up a 3,000-acre wildfire, forcing the closure of a major freeway during rush hour and burning mobile homes and industrial buildings.
Car hits school bus in Louisiana and catches fire
Published on: 10/13/08 The Associated PressNine people are at a hospital after a car struck a school bus in Lafayette, La. and caught fire.
Czech author Kundera accused of informing on spy
Published on: 10/13/08 Associated Press WriterA document written by the Czech Communist police claims that author Milan Kundera informed on a purported Western spy in the 1950s, a state-sponsored institute said Monday.
Former global leaders in Iran to support moderate
AP Photo
Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan and several former European leaders attended a conference on religion in Tehran on Monday, offering what some saw as a gesture of support for the moderate opponent of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hosting the gathering.
Atlanta Jews remember 'bomb that healed'
AP Photo, File
The bombing of a prominent Atlanta synagogue in 1958 claimed no lives, but the community outrage that it prompted helped galvanize the city's nervous Jewish community to embrace the civil rights movement.
Winds whip up wildfire north of Los Angeles
AP Photo
Intense Santa Ana winds swept into Southern California Monday morning and whipped up a 2,000-acre wildfire, closing a major freeway.
Voters deal blow to Lithuania's leftist government
AP Photo
Voters dealt a major blow to Lithuania's leftist government by boosting the conservative opposition as well as some populist leaders - including an impeached ex-president - in weekend elections, according to official results released Monday.
Thai police used tear gas laced with explosive
AP Photo
Thai riot police used a cheap Chinese tear gas that contained an explosive powerful enough to rip craters in the ground to disperse crowds of anti-government protesters last week, an investigator said Monday.
EU nations divided over resuming talks with Russia
Published on: 10/13/08 Associated Press WriterEuropean Union nations were divided Monday over whether to resume talks on a political and economic pact with Russia that were frozen in protest at its war with Georgia.
Al-Maliki: British troops not necessary in Iraq
Published on: 10/13/08 The Associated PressIraq's prime minister said the 4,100 British troops in southern Iraq are no longer necessary to provide security, a newspaper reported Monday.
Iraq: Christian businessman killed in Mosul
AP Photo
A Christian music store owner was shot to death in Mosul, Iraqi police said Monday - the latest in a series of killings that has caused thousands of members of the religious minority to flee the northern city.
EU eases sanctions against top Belarus officials
AP Photo
The European Union has temporarily lifted a travel ban on the president of Belarus, a country regarded as Europe's last dictatorship, as relations with the country start to thaw, according to diplomats.
Cambodia warns Thailand to stop trespassing
AP Photo
Cambodia's prime minister warned Thailand on Monday that "armed clashes" will erupt if Thai troops continue to trespass over the border.
Columnist Paul Krugman wins Nobel economics prize
AP Photo
Paul Krugman, the Princeton University scholar and New York Times columnist, won the Nobel prize in economics Monday for his analysis of how economies of scale can affect trade patterns and the location of economic activity.
British banks to get cash infusion from government
AP Photo
The British government injected an unprecedented 37 billion pounds ($63 billion) into the country's leading banks Monday to avoid a full-scale collapse of the sector.
Kenya's elephants send text messages to rangers
AP Photo
The text message from the elephant flashed across Richard Lesowapir's screen: Kimani was heading for neighboring farms.
Dalai Lama to leave Indian hospital after surgery
AP Photo
The Dalai Lama was recovering Monday from surgery to remove gallstones and was likely to leave a New Delhi hospital early this week, a senior aide said.
Thabo Mbeki to Zimbabwe to mediate new crisis
Published on: 10/13/08 Associated Press WriterWith Zimbabwe's political power-sharing deal in jeopardy, South Africa's former president Thabo Mbeki planned crisis talks Monday with both sides in Harare.
India's PM blames wave of violence on extremists
AP Photo
The Indian prime minister warned Monday that a recent wave of bloodshed that has left scores dead across India threatens the "fundamental underpinnings" of the world's largest democracy.
China lawmaker quits beauty contest after outcry
Published on: 10/13/08 The Associated PressAn ambitious young Chinese politician has withdrawn from a Hong Kong beauty pageant following withering criticism from commentators online, state media reported Monday.
Italian police arrest 5 in anti-mob raids
Published on: 10/13/08 The Associated PressItalian police say they have arrested five people, including the mayor of a small town, for suspected ties to the local mob.
Swiss find melamine in Thai, Sri Lankan biscuits
Published on: 10/13/08 The Associated PressSwiss authorities say they have found high concentrations of melamine in biscuits from Thailand and Sri Lanka and have called on other European countries to withdraw the products.
