World News

Cruise passengers describe 'cheeky' pirate attack (AP)
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AP - Ordered to get inside and stay down, Oregon tourist Clyde Thornburg heard the pirates' rifle shots hit the side of the luxury cruise liner "Pop! Pop! Pop!" then felt the ship speed up to escape.
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Blair wants new Gaza strategy, fears for two-state solution (AFP)
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AFP - Middle East envoy Tony Blair called here Wednesday for a new strategy to bring the Gaza Strip back into the peace process and warned a proposed two-state solution risked slipping away.
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Somali pirates free Yemeni ship without ransom (AP)
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AP - A Somali minister in the semiautonomous northern region of Puntland says pirates have freed a Yemeni cargo ship and its eight crew members without receiving any ransom.
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Russia to send warship through Panama Canal (AP)
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AP - Russia said Wednesday it is sending a warship through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II, a short journey loaded with symbolic weight: the destroyer will dock at a former U.S. naval base, showcasing Russia's grow...
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Bombs found in Mumbai train station a week later (AP)
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AP - Police searching a mound of baggage abandoned amid the carnage of the attack on Mumbai's main train station found two bombs Wednesday nearly a week after they were left there by gunmen in a stunning new example of the botched securi...
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92 nations sign cluster-bomb ban; US, Russia don't (AP)
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AP - An Afghan teenager who lost both legs in a cluster bomb explosion helped persuade his country to change its stance and join nearly 100 nations in signing a treaty Wednesday banning the disputed weapons.
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US releases first part of drug aid for Mexico (AP)
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AP - The U.S. government finally released the first part of a $400 million aid package Wednesday to support Mexico's police and soldiers in their fight against drug cartels.
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Darfur genocide continues: ICC prosecutor (AFP)
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AFP - Sudan's government is still supporting genocide in Darfur, including through rape and holding up humanitarian aid, the International Criminal Court prosecutor said Wednesday.
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Bomb strikes minibus in Baghdad, killing 1 (AP)
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AP - Iraqi police say at least one civilian has been killed and five others wounded when a bomb attached to a minibus exploded in eastern Baghdad.
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US military chief in Pakistan amid tension with India (AFP)
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AFP - The chief of the United States military arrived here for talks to address simmering tensions between Pakistan and India over the Mumbai terror attacks, a diplomat said on Wednesday.
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Thai airports reopen after PM ousted by court (AP)
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AP - The first commercial flight in a week arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday as anti-government protesters ended their siege of the country's two main airports, declaring victory after Thailand's prime minister was ousted by a court ruling.
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Qantas will remain Aussie, despite BA merger talks (AFP)
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AFP - Qantas will remain a majority-owned Australian airline even if it merges with British Airways to create a global carrier to better cope with challenging market conditions, the Australian government said Wednesday.
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Large quake jolts Japan's north, no damage reported (Reuters)
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Reuters - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 jolted northern Japan at 8:17 a.m. (6:17 EST) on Thursday, a government agency said.
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Bodies of 24 migrants wash up on coast of Yemen (AP)
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AP - Authorities in Yemen say the bodies of 24 Somalis have washed ashore following an accident involving a boat trying to smuggle migrants.
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Iraq's president steps up row over PM's councils (AP)
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AP - Iraq's president is going to the country's federal court to try to stop Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from establishing tribal councils a move that major political parties fear is aimed at bolstering the Shiite leader's stature ahe...
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