world

Kerry says Bush has been 'ineffective' in foreign policy

By Mike Glover · Monday, April 19,2004 12:11 a.m.

MIAMI -- Democrat John Kerry accused President Bush Sunday of being "stunningly ineffective" at foreign policy and stuck by his argument that the war against terrorism isn't primarily a military struggle. Kerry, in a wide-ranging interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," also stood by his promise to create 10 million jobs and halve the deficit in his first term if elected, though he conceded soaring red ink could squeeze some proposals.

Iraqi captors free 2 Japanese hostages after video released

By Alyson Brodsy and Louis Meixler · Monday, April 19,2004 12:11 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents freed two Japanese hostages unharmed Saturday, a day after gunmen released a video of a kidnapped U.S. soldier and offered to swap him for prisoners detained by Americans.

No motive found yet in shooting at Kosovo prison

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, April 19,2004 12:10 a.m.

PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro -- Investigators searched for evidence and interviewed eyewitnesses Sunday in an attempt to find out why a Jordanian U.N. police officer opened fire on U.S. correctional officers in Kosovo, killing two.

Hamas vows revenge for leader's assassination

By Alyson Brodsy and Lara Sukhtian · Monday, April 19,2004 12:09 a.m.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Hamas threatened "100 unique reprisals" against Israel for killing its leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, as hundreds of thousands of mourners flooded the streets Sunday in a show of strength and fury.

Bremer: Iraq will not be ready for security by deadline

By Alyson Brodsy and Lee Keath · Monday, April 19,2004 12:08 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi security forces will not be ready to protect the country against insurgents by the June 30 handover of power, the top U.S. administrator said Sunday -- an assessment aimed at defending the continued heavy presence of U.S. troops here even after an Iraqi goverment takes over. The unusually blunt comments from L. Paul Bremer came amid a weekend of new fighting that pushed the death toll for U.S. troops in April to 99, already the record for a single month in Iraq and approaching the number killed during the entire war.

Diplomat killed in Iraq; 3 freed

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 16,2004 1:59 a.m.

NAJAF, Iraq -- Gunmen assassinated an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday just as Iran, with tacit U.S. approval, attempted to mediate with a radical Shiite cleric defying American forces in this southern Iraqi city. Meanwhile, three Japanese were freed by their captors, a day after other kidnappers executed an Italian -- the first-known killing of a hostage in Iraq's wave of kidnappings. The freed Japanese hostages -- two aid workers and a journalist -- were handed over to Islamic clerics in Baghdad after being held for a week. They were later brought to the Japanese Embassy.

Europe rejects purported Bin Laden truce

By Alyson Brodsy and Jill Lawless · Friday, April 16,2004 1:57 a.m.

LONDON -- Key European nations, including Iraq war opponents Germany and France, vigorously rejected a truce offer purportedly from Osama bin Laden Thursday, saying there could be no negotiating with his al Qaeda terrorist network.

Lecture addresses Islamic studies in U.S.

By Obaid Khawaja · Friday, April 16,2004 1:04 a.m.

Noted Islamic studies scholar Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr spoke to a room of more than 100 about religious and Islamic studies in America Thursday in Woodburn Hall. The lecture was the second Victor Danner memorial lecture in Islamic studies and was sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, the Middle Eastern and Islamic studies program and funded by the College of Arts and Sciences.

Israel West Bank plan endorsed by Bush, rejected by Palestinians

By Alyson Brodsy and Barry Schweid · Thursday, April 15,2004 1:11 a.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Breaking with long-standing U.S. policy Wednesday, President Bush endorsed Israel's retention of part of the West Bank in any final peace settlement with the Palestinians. In a show of support for Israel's leader that brought immediate condemnation from the Palestinians, Bush also ruled out Palestinian refugees ever returning to Israel.

Election setback for Indonesian president

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 15,2004 12:28 a.m.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- The leader of the party once led by Indonesian dictator Suharto claimed victory Wednesday in parliamentary elections that were a major setback to President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Around The Nation

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 15,2004 12:20 a.m.

Time needed for post-Sept. 11 changes WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Enormous intelligence and law enforcement gaps that contributed to the Sept. 11 attacks are being filled, but it will take years for America to build the systems needed to effectively combat terrorists, the heads of the FBI and CIA said Wednesday.

Bush vows to finish job in Iraq, is ready to send more troops

By Alyson Brodsy and Terence Hunt · Wednesday, April 14,2004 1:33 a.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Conceding a couple of "tough weeks in Iraq," President Bush signaled Tuesday night he is ready to increase American troop strength in the country, adding he intends to "finish the work of the fallen" and usher in a new era of democracy. At a combination speech and news conference at the White House, Bush rejected a suggestion that Iraq was becoming another Vietnam -- a quagmire without ready exit.

Kerry: College should be more affordable

By Andrew Welfe and Andrew Welfle · Wednesday, April 14,2004 1:33 a.m.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., spoke in depth about his plans to make college affordable in a difficult economy Tuesday in a teleconference for college media venues around the nation. His proposals included billions in tax breaks for college students and tuition assistance in exchange for military service.

Ashcroft: government 'blinded itself to enemies'

By Alyson Brodsy and Curt Anderson · Wednesday, April 14,2004 12:20 a.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a strong defense of the Bush administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Tuesday the nation was stunned by the Sept. 11 attacks because "for nearly a decade, our government had blinded itself to our enemies."

U.S. citizens missing; 7 hostages freed

By Alyson Brodsy and Hamza Hendawi · Tuesday, April 13,2004 2:17 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two U.S. troops and seven contractors were confirmed missing Monday following an attack on a convoy west of Baghdad, a U.S. commander said, amid a wave of abductions of foreigners in Iraq. More than 40 foreigners from at least 12 countries -- including a Mississippi man whose fate also was unclear -- have reportedly been kidnapped in recent days by insurgents.

Bush to address nation tonight

By Alyson Brodsy and Deb Riechmann · Tuesday, April 13,2004 12:24 a.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Bush will work to defuse two issues in his prime-time news conference Tuesday -- rising casualties in Iraq and his response in 2001 to a terrorism warning the White House had in hand before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Cease-fire holds Iraqi city

By Alyson Brodsy and Lee Keath · Tuesday, April 13,2004 12:23 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- As a tenuous cease-fire was held Monday in the restive Sunni city of Fallujah, Iraq, a radical Shiite cleric pulled his militiamen out of police stations in three southern cities in an attempt to ease a standoff with the United States. With all quiet on both fronts, the scale of Iraq's worst fighting since the fall of Saddam Hussein became clearer. The military reported about 70 coalition troops and 700 Iraqi insurgents killed so far this month.

9 killed in Kashmir explosions

By Abdullah AlShihri and Mujtaba Ali Ahmad · Monday, April 12,2004 9:47 a.m.

SRINAGAR, India -- A grenade explosion and gunfire at an election rally in Indian-held Kashmir killed nine people Thursday and wounded at least 56, including the state's tourism and finance ministers, police said.

Algerians vote in hopes of fair presidential elections

By Abdullah AlShihri and Jamey Keaten · Monday, April 12,2004 9:47 a.m.

ALGIERS, Algeria -- Rivals of Algeria's president said they feared fraud in Thursday's election, seen as a pivotal test for democracy in this North African nation emerging from more than a decade of Islamic-inspired bloodshed. Dozens of soldiers in riot gear lined a highway between the capital and the restive Berber region of Kabylie, east of Algiers, Algeria, in a sign the army was bracing for potential unrest after the vote.

Rebels hold 2 Iraqi cities

By Abdullah AlShihri and Lee Keath · Monday, April 12,2004 9:46 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Sunni guerrillas killed a U.S. Marine Thursday in the fourth day of the battle for Fallujah, Iraq, and militant Shiite militiamen held two southern cities. In an ominous new tactic, kidnappers seized foreign hostages, threatening to burn three Japanese captives alive if Tokyo did not withdraw troops.