GNOOZ

Palestinian rivals set timetable for unity deal

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:14 PM

Officials from Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah say they agreed on a new timetable for a power-sharing deal that envisions elections in about six months.

Thousands begin NATO protest march through Chicago

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:11 PM

Thousands of demonstrators upset with the war in Afghanistan, climate change, the erosion of union rights — and dozens of other issues — have begun a two-mile protest march to the site of the NATO summit.

NATO chief: No "rush for the exits" in Afghan war

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:09 PM

CHICAGO (Reuters) - NATO leaders sought on Sunday to dispel fears of a rush for the exits in Afghanistan even as the Western alliance met to chart a path out of an unpopular war that has dragged on for more than a decade. President Barack Obama, who once called the Afghan conflict a "war of necessity" but is now looking for an orderly way out, hosted the NATO summit in his home town, Chicago, a day after major industrialized nations tackled a European debt crisis that threatens the global economy. ...

3 charged in carjacking of pastor Marvin Winans

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:09 PM

Three young men were arraigned Sunday in the assault and carjacking of popular Detroit pastor and gospel singing icon Marvin Winans.

Tortorella takes shots at Devils, defends Prust

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:08 PM

John Tortorella stood out again at a playoff news conference. Only this time it was because of his feistiness toward the New Jersey Devils and not for his brevity and contentiousness with the media.

LA's Old Chinatown ponders a future with Wal-Mart

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:08 PM

On the surface, a big Wal-Mart store might seem out of place in the midst of the old-fashioned curio shops, the little dim sum eateries and the colorful lanterns and pagodas that make up one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States.

US relatives pleased at Lockerbie bomber's death

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:55 PM

Several relatives of US citizens killed in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing said on Sunday they were pleased that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi, the only person ever convicted of the attack, had died.

U.N. nuclear chief hopeful on Iran deal before Baghdad meet

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:53 PM

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear supervisor flew to Tehran on Sunday voicing optimism he could reach a deal to investigate suspected atom bomb research - a possible breakthrough that Iran may hope could help ease Western sanctions pressure and deflect threats of war. "I really think this is the right time to reach agreement. Nothing is certain but I stay positive," Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said at Vienna airport, adding "good progress" had already been made. ...

Italian town's art heritage devastated by quake

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:51 PM

SAN FELICE SUL PANARO, Italy (Reuters) - Residents of the small Italian town may have all survived, but the strong earthquake that shook San Felice sul Panaro to its foundations early on Sunday reduced its artistic and architectural riches to rubble and dust. San Felice's three main churches were in ruins and the town's trademark Castle, La Rocca, was standing but wounded, perhaps fatally, by the 6.0 magnitude quake. "It's indescribable. There's a lot of pain. La Rocca was our pride and joy," resident Manuela Monelli said as she cast a mournful eye over what was left of the castle. ...

Green Bay marathon in Wis. halted because of heat

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:48 PM

A Wisconsin marathon was halted Sunday after several runners and walkers experienced heat-related problems and required medical attention.

Pakistan restores Twitter after block over Prophet cartoons

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:45 PM

Pakistan restored access to Twitter on Sunday, just hours after blocking the site over posts related to a contest involving caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, the telecoms authority said.

Pressel slow play helps Munoz in Sybase semi

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:37 PM

Azahara Munoz of Spain defeated Morgan Pressel 2 and 1 in the semifinals of the Sybase Match Play Championship Sunday after a slow-play penalty against the American on the 12th hole turned the match, casting a shadow on the $1.5 million event.

Bomb explodes during UN visit in Syria

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:36 PM

A roadside bomb exploded in a restive suburb of the Syrian capital as senior U.N. officials toured the area on Sunday, the latest incident in which the unarmed observer mission has nearly been caught up in the country's bloodshed.

2 more activists charged related to NATO summit

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:35 PM

Prosecutors charged two more activists Sunday with crimes tied to the two-day NATO summit, accusing one of saying he wanted to blow up a downtown Chicago bridge and a second with seeking to build pipe bombs.

U.S. trainer shot in Yemen, army advances on militants

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:31 PM

SANAA/ADEN (Reuters) - Unidentified assailants shot and seriously wounded a U.S. military instructor in Yemen on Sunday, while the army closed in on a town controlled by al Qaeda-linked fighters in heavy fighting that killed at least 27 people, local officials said. Four Americans - who were in the impoverished Arab state training its coastguard - were in the car that was attacked, a Yemeni coastguard officer said. "They were leaving their hotel in a Land Cruiser when militants in another car pulled up alongside and opened fire with rifles. ...

Obama: NATO shifting to help peace in Afghanistan

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:30 PM

The NATO alliance that has fought for a decade in Afghanistan is helping that nation shift toward stability and peace, but there will be "hard days ahead," President Barack Obama said Sunday as alliance leaders insisted the fighting coalition will remain effective despite France's plans to yank combat troops out early.

Profiles of Egypt's main presidential candidates

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:27 PM

Profiles of Egypt's main presidential candidates:

4 people found dead after boat crash on Iowa river

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:26 PM

The bodies of four people missing after a boat crash on the Mississippi River in Iowa were found Sunday within 100 yards of the crash site, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. None were wearing a life vest.

Former Yemen president hospitalized

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:26 PM

The party of Yemen's former president says the 69-year old Ali Abdullah Saleh has been admitted to a hospital for regular checkups and minor procedures.

Pakistan blocks Twitter over contentious tweets

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:22 PM

Pakistan blocked the social networking website Twitter for much of Sunday because it refused to remove tweets considered offensive to Islam, said one of the country's top telecommunications officials.

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi has died in Libya: brother

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:19 PM

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, died of cancer on Sunday aged 60, leaving many questions on the attack and its aftermath unanswered. Megrahi, who said he was not responsible for bringing the jumbo jet down on the Scottish town and killing 270 people, was found guilty in 2001 but was freed in 2009 and returned to Libya because he had terminal cancer and was not expected to live long. ...

Russia says West still considering military action on Iran

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:10 PM

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's deputy foreign minister said on Sunday that military action against Iran over its nuclear program was being considered in some Western countries. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was speaking to reporters on a plane on his way back from the G8 summit in Camp David, where the G8 leaders signaled their readiness to tap into emergency oil stockpiles quickly this summer if tougher new sanctions on Iran threatened to strain supplies. ...

4th body found after boat crash on Iowa river

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:09 PM

The body of a fourth missing person has been found after a boat crash on the Mississippi River in Iowa.

Italy quake kills six, damages historic buildings

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:00 PM

SANT' AGOSTINO, Italy (Reuters) - A strong earthquake in northern Italy killed at least six people, injured dozens and damaged historic buildings including a famed mediaeval castle early on Sunday, waking terrified citizens and sending thousands running into the streets. The quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey recorded at magnitude 6.0, struck at 4:04 a.m. (0204 GMT) and was followed by a series of jolting aftershocks. At least two of them reached magnitude 5.1, sowing fresh panic, further damaging already weakened buildings and causing more structures to collapse. ...

A debate: Should you jump in on Facebook debut?

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:59 PM

Facebook begins selling stock to the public Friday in the most talked-about market debut in years. Two Associated Press business writers are debating whether the stock is a smart buy.

New 1940 US census records show black undercount

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:58 PM

It was on the streets of her Harlem neighborhood in the 1940s that teenager Althea Gibson began working on the tennis skills that would take her all the way to winning Wimbledon.

3 bodies found after boat crash on Iowa river

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:53 PM

The bodies of three people missing after a boat crash on the Mississippi River in Iowa were found Sunday, and crews continued to search for a fourth boater.

Lawyer: Jailed Bahrain activist granted bail

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:49 PM

A court in Bahrain granted bail Sunday for a jailed rights activist, but he remained in detention to await another court hearing later this week, a defense lawyer said.

'Avengers' sinks 'Battleship" to remain No. 1

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:47 PM

"The Avengers" continues to muscle out everything else Hollywood throws at it, easily sinking naval rival "Battleship" and other new releases.

Lockerbie bombing convict dies in Libya

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:46 PM

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi, the only person convicted over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing which killed 270 people, died on Sunday, almost three years after being freed from jail on compassionate grounds.

'Coal Miner's Daughter' Lynn married at 15, not 13

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:44 PM

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.

Former Israeli PM: Jerusalem must be partitioned

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:43 PM

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday urged Israeli leaders to relinquish the idea of a unified Jerusalem if they truly want peace, contending in a pair of interviews that years of government neglect have kept the Jewish and Arab sectors irreparably divided.

Explosion near U.N. ceasefire monitor chief's convoy: Reuters witness

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:40 PM

DOUMA, Syria (Reuters) - A roadside bomb exploded on Sunday about 150 meters (yards) from a United Nations convoy carrying the head of a Syria ceasefire monitoring mission and a senior U.N. official in the town of Douma, a Reuters witness said. Major General Robert Mood's car was stopped at an army checkpoint when the bomb detonated in an nearby alleyway and the convoy left, the Reuters journalist said, adding that there were no reports of casualties. United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous, who is visiting Syria, was also part of the convoy. ...

Strong Italy quake kills at least six

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:36 PM

A powerful earthquake shook Italy's densely populated industrial northeast early Sunday, killing at least six people and reducing homes, factories and historic buildings to rubble.

Party leaders refuse to budge on debt positions

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:35 PM

Republicans and Democrats are refusing to budge when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation's debt.

For NY farmers, fracking means salvation _ or ruin

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:32 PM

When Dan Fitzsimmons looks across the Susquehanna River and sees the flares of Pennsylvania gas wells, he thinks bitterly of the riches beneath his own land locked up by the heated debate that has kept hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, out of New York.

Reports: Yahoo nears deal to sell stake in Alibaba

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:32 PM

Yahoo Inc. may finally be nearing a deal to sell a part of its prized stake in the major Chinese e-commerce provider Alibaba.

Obama pushes for post-2014 vision for Afghanistan

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:27 PM

President Barack Obama says the NATO alliance agrees on a vision for post-2014 Afghanistan and is pressing world leaders to implement that strategy following a decade of war.

Strong quake kills 4 in Italy cheese region

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:21 PM

A magnitude-6.0 earthquake shook several small towns in northeast Italy Sunday, killing four people, knocking down a clock tower and other centuries-old buildings and causing millions in losses to the region known for making Parmesan cheese.

Chelsea plans for future as European champion

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:20 PM

Chelsea can plot its future from an unexpected position of strength as champion of Europe following its dramatic upset of Bayern Munich.