world

Japanese voters pick Koizumi's party

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, April 26,2004 12:57 a.m.

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's ruling party snapped up all three parliamentary seats in by-elections Sunday, marking a solid victory for the leader in the first electoral test since a hostage crisis cast a shadow over Japan's role in Iraq. The voting for three vacancies in the 480-seat lower house of Parliament was considered a preview of a major electoral battle looming in July in the legislature's upper chamber.

Turkish Cypriots hope for better future

By Alyson Brodsy and Susan Sevareid · Monday, April 26,2004 12:57 a.m.

KYRENIA, Cyprus -- Hasan Beydola, a Turkish Cypriot textile exporter near bankruptcy, was glum Sunday a day after Greek Cypriots sank a U.N. plan to reunify Cyprus -- and with it, hopes that his business would get a boost when the island enters the European Union.

Pro-choice supporters march in Washington

By Alyson Brodsy and Elizabeth Wolfe · Monday, April 26,2004 12:55 a.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Abortion-rights supporters marched in huge numbers Sunday, roused in this election year by what they see as an erosion of reproductive freedoms under President Bush and foreign policies they say hurt women worldwide.

Tibetan peace riders greet Dalai Lama in Toronto

By Rami Chami · Monday, April 26,2004 12:54 a.m.

Their journey began two weeks ago and ended during the weekend with a peace rally and an address by the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled leader. On April 10, 16 young men, including two Bloomington residents, set off from Washington, D.C., on a bicycle trek to Toronto to protest China's 45-year occupation of Tibet. Prior to setting off on their journey, the riders had participated in a demonstration in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. On the way to Toronto, the cyclists were forced to battle Mother Nature, often riding amidst pouring rain, sleet and hail.

Peace riders to rally Saturday

By Hina Alam · Friday, April 23,2004 2:15 a.m.

To spread the message of non-violence and peace, 16 bike riders have undertaken a journey through treacherous mountains, temperatures of 30 degrees Fahrenheit, pouring rain and winds reaching up to 35 miles per hour. "The conditions in Tibet are horrible. There are human rights violations that have left people homeless.

N. Korean train crash kills up to 3,000

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 23,2004 2:10 a.m.

SEOUL, South Korea -- Two fuel trains collided at a North Korean railroad station near the Chinese border Thursday, igniting a deafening explosion that rained debris for more than 10 miles around, South Korean media reported. One television channel said as many as 3,000 people might have been killed or injured.

Jackson indicted for molestation

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 23,2004 2:03 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Michael Jackson's secret indictment on child molestation charges sets the stage for a unique defense challenge on grounds that extraordinary security measures may have intimidated witnesses and grand jurors. Authorities blocked sidewalks, hid witnesses and delivered grand jurors to secret locations in buses with blacked-out windows to keep the proceedings secret.

Marines urge weapons handover in Fallujah

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 23,2004 1:45 a.m.

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- U.S. Marines warned guerrillas in this violence-wracked city Thursday they have only days to hand over their heavy weapons or face a possible American attack. So far, the insurgents have turned in mainly dud rockets, rusty mortar shells and grenades labeled "inert."

Militias warn of more violence

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 23,2004 1:45 a.m.

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Rival militias threatened Thursday to escalate a simmering ethnic conflict in Nigeria's oil delta, where 10 people were killed this week in an attack on a boat full of market vendors. Nigerian military spokesman Said Ahmed said Itsekiri militants were suspected in the Tuesday evening attack on the boat traveling from the oil city of Warri to the village of Burutu, 30 miles to the southeast.

Arafat expels 20 militants

By Alyson Brodsy and Ravi Nessman · Friday, April 23,2004 1:35 a.m.

JERUSALEM -- Yasser Arafat expelled 20 wanted militants from his compound Thursday in an apparent bid to forestall an Israeli raid, a further sign the Palestinian leader fears he might become a target himself. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, backed away from a promise to honor an upcoming vote by his Likud party on a proposal to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, senior government officials said. A new poll showed shrinking support for the plan.

Retired admiral reflects on Iraq

By Aishah Hasnie · Friday, April 23,2004 1:28 a.m.

Retired Admiral William Crowe Jr. spoke Thursday about the U.S. intervention in Iraq and highlighted, in his view, the main problems needing attention. With the escalating violence unfolding in Iraq, Crowe also emphasized the need to keep peace. "You don't win the war if you lose the peace," said Crowe. "This is the number one lesson of bureaucracy."

Around The World

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 22,2004 12:42 a.m.

German fighter jets collide; 2 dead GARDING, Germany -- Two German fighter jets collided and crashed Wednesday morning in the country's north, police said. The two-person crew of one plane died and the other crew parachuted to safety. German air traffic control said the two Tornados had just finished maneuvering through a curve at 15,000 feet when they collided.

8 found dead day after Illinois tornado disaster

By Alyson Brodsy and Don Babwin · Thursday, April 22,2004 12:39 a.m.

UTICA, Ill. -- Searchers pulled eight bodies from the rubble of a tornado-flattened tavern Wednesday, a day after dozens of twisters tore through the Midwest. Mayor Fred Esmond said several people from a nearby trailer park had gone to the basement of the Milestone Tap to seek refuge from the storm.

China: North Korea agrees to push nuke talks

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 22,2004 12:38 a.m.

BEIJING -- North Korea's leader told Chinese officials he is committed to ending a nuclear dispute through dialogue, China said Wednesday, in what observers saw as a sign of progress in resolving the standoff. After top-level meetings in Beijing, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il agreed to continue six-nation talks over defusing the crisis, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Suicide bombers' rush hour attack leaves 68 dead

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 22,2004 12:37 a.m.

BASRA, Iraq -- Five suicide attackers detonated car bombs against police buildings during rush hour Wednesday in the British-controlled southern Iraqi city Basra, killing 68 people, including 16 children burned to death in their passing school buses. Meanwhile, an agreement aimed at bringing peace to Fallujah, Iraq, met troubles only a day after its implementation. U.S Marines backed by warplanes and helicopter gunships battled insurgents, killing 20.

4 killed in Saudi car bombing

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 22,2004 12:36 a.m.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- A suicide bomber attacked a security police building in the Saudi capital Wednesday, killing at least four other people and wounding 148, just days after the United States warned of a terrorist attack. Facades were torn off buildings revealing rooms still ablaze. Cars parked nearby were smashed by debris. Clouds of dust and black smoke rose from the seven-story building and settled over the neighborhood.

Insurgents kill 22, injure 92 in Baghdad

By Alyson Brodsy and Louis Meixler · Wednesday, April 21,2004 1:44 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Guerrillas fired a barrage of mortar rounds at Iraq's largest prison in Baghdad Tuesday, killing 22 prisoners in an attack a U.S. general said may have been an attempt to spark an uprising against their American guards. A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in the northern city of Mosul, Iraq, the 100th American combat death in April, the deadliest month since the U.S.-led invasion began in March 2003.

Insurgents ordered to surrender

By Alyson Brodsy and Jim Krane · Tuesday, April 20,2004 2:25 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Fallujah, Iraq's civic leaders joined American officials BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Fallujah, Iraq's civic leaders joined American officials Monday in calling for insurgents battling Marines to surrender heavy weapons in return for a promise not to resume the U.S. offensive against the city, according to a U.S. spokesman. The commitments appeared to be the first fruits of direct negotiations between U.S. officials and a group of civic leaders and professionals representing Fallujah residents. They have influence with Sunni insurgents who have been fighting Marines and have besieged the city.

Families mark Okla. bombing anniversary

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, April 20,2004 12:30 a.m.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Children of Oklahoma City bombing victims -- hailed as "portraits of our survival" -- read victims' names Monday as survivors and relatives marked nine years since the devastating blast. The solemn observation at the Oklahoma City National Memorial began at 9:02 a.m., the minute the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed by a fuel oil and fertilizer bomb April 19, 1995.

Around The Nation

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, April 19,2004 12:15 a.m.

Iowa State campus festival turns violent AMES, Iowa -- A yearly festival near the Iowa State University campus turned riotous early Sunday when more than 1,000 people vandalized cars, broke storefront windows and tore down street lights, police said.