National World

China child virus death toll up to 43

The death toll rose to 43 from the hand, foot and mouth disease virus that has sickened tens of thousands of children across China, a report said Friday.

Suicide blast kills 6, wounds 50 in Sri Lanka's capital

A bomb blast blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels killed six policemen and wounded 50 people, including civilians, in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo Friday, the military said.

Losing racehorses in Puerto Rico condemned to die

For thoroughbred racehorses in Puerto Rico, success can be a matter of life and death. Many losers don't make it off the racetrack grounds alive.

In Qatar, Muslim, Jewish clerics meet

More than a dozen Jewish rabbis, including two from Israel, were in attendance this week as this conservative Muslim sheikdom opened one of the Gulf's first scholarly centers dedicated to interfaith dialogue.

Red Cross: Clean water most urgent for Myanmar

The international Red Cross says a lack of clean water will be the biggest killer in Myanmar in the coming days.

Malaysia panel finds judicial conspiracy

Malaysia's law minister says a government inquiry has found evidence of a conspiracy to broker the appointment of top judges.

China tallies losses, costs from major earthquake

Cracked dams and buckled roads, collapsed buildings and toppled factories - China has begun tallying losses from the calamitous earthquake that struck earlier this week, with estimates ranging to over $20 billion.

Suicide blast kills 6, wounds 50 in Sri Lanka's capital

A bomb blast blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels killed six policemen and wounded 50 people, including civilians, in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo Friday, the military said.

3 militants killed in eastern Afghanistan

A police chief says Afghan and foreign troops have killed three militants in eastern Afghanistan.

US military: American marine in Japan sentenced

An American Marine was found guilty in a military court of abusive sexual conduct of a 14-year-old Japanese girl in Okinawa, southern Japan, the military said Friday.

Sri Lanka fighting kills 29

Sri Lankan fighter jets pounded two Tamil Tiger rebel bases deep in the northern jungles, and infantry clashes killed 27 rebels and two government soldiers, the military said Friday.

Chinese student rescued after 80 hours

A Chinese state news agency says rescuers have pulled a student to safety after being trapped for 80 hours in the debris of a school following this week's massive earthquake.

India issues sketches of 3 bomb suspects

Police released sketches of three men they believe were involved in bombings that ripped through this historic Indian city, killing 61 people.

Police: 9 killed in Philippine bank robbery

At least eight bank employees and a security guard were lined up and shot dead in the head Friday in a bloody Philippine bank robbery, police said. Another employee was in critical condition at a hospital.

UN: World economy to grow by 1.8 percent in 2008

The world economy is "teetering on the brink" of a severe downturn and is expected to grow only 1.8 percent in 2008, the United Nations said in its mid-year economic projections Thursday.

Venezuela weapons worry US, Colombia

The United States and Colombia have long been wary of Venezuela's peacetime military buildup, suspecting the weapons could end up in the hands of drug-trafficking Colombian rebels.

China OKs 4 foreign rescue teams for quake zone

After days of refusing foreign relief workers, China has accepted offers from four countries to send in rescue teams.

Interpol: Colombia has real rebel data

Interpol said Thursday that computer files suggesting Venezuela was arming and financing Colombian guerrillas came from a rebel camp and were not tampered with, discrediting Venezuela's assertions that Colombia faked them.

Interpol's report

Bush, Saudis to discuss soaring gas prices

President Bush is putting the finishing touch on his celebrate-and-be-celebrated Israel stay, leaving the Holy Land with no movement on Mideast peace but hoping to fare better in Saudi Arabia at obtaining help for soaring gas prices at home.

U.S. State Department: Israel

China: Quake death toll could reach 50,000

Troops dug burial pits in this quake-shattered town and black smoke poured from crematorium chimneys elsewhere in central China as priorities began shifting Thursday from the hunt for survivors to dealing with the dead. Officials said the final toll could more than double to 50,000.

Chinese student rescued after 80 hours

Security Council wants UN peacekeepers in Somalia

The Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday calling for a U.N. political presence in conflict-wracked Somalia for the first time in years and setting conditions for the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers.