National World

8 dead, 13 injured in China building collapse

China's state news agency says a four-story building under construction in the central part of the country collapsed and killed eight people.

14 dead after heavy rains in north India

Flooding, house collapses and lightning strikes caused by heavy rains killed at least 14 people in northern India, taking the reported death toll in the annual monsoon season to 79, officials said Sunday.

Panda moved after China quake gives birth to twins

A panda who was relocated after China's deadly earthquake damaged her home gave birth to twin cubs on Sunday, a state news agency said.

20 killed, wounded in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense says more than 20 militants have been killed and wounded during a battle with NATO-backed Afghan forces.

G-8 summit draws grab-bag of activists, causes

Battling maternal mortality, demanding clean water and urging the destruction of capitalism might not seem to have much in common - unless you're at a summit of the world's top industrialized nations.

16 trapped, 1 killed in China coal mine

A state news agency says one person has been killed and another 16 are trapped after an accident at a coal mine in northern China.

Myanmar junta dismisses Suu Kyi victory

The overwhelming election victory by Aung San Suu Kyi's party in 1990 has been nullified by the approval of a military-backed constitution and her National League for Democracy party should prepare for a new vote in 2010, Myanmar's state-run newspaper said Sunday.

Sri Lanka says 20 killed in new fighting

Nineteen Tamil Tiger rebels and a Sri Lankan soldier were killed in a new round of fighting in the island's restive north, the military said Sunday.

Bush, Fukuda lay out goals for G-8 summit in Japan

Before focusing on global challenges, President Bush sought on Sunday to address Tokyo's concerns that progress in ending a nuclear standoff with North Korea has not helped settled the sensitive issue of Japanese citizens kidnapped by the North.

Group of Eight summit

US soldier dies in Iraq

The U.S. military says an American soldier in Iraq has died of a noncombat cause.

Baghdad Observer: McClatchy Baghdad Bureau Chief

Round-up of daily violence in Iraq

3 freed US hostages give thanks for their rescue

The three American hostages rescued by Colombia's military said in their first public statement that they are doing fine and are thrilled to "return home to the country we love."

Analysis: Colombia's Uribe rides high after rescue

President Alvaro Uribe was master of ceremonies the night Colombian military intelligence agents disguised as humanitarian workers airlifted Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages to freedom.

AP Exclusive: US removes uranium from Iraq

The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program - a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium - reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.

Baghdad Observer: McClatchy Baghdad Bureau Chief

Inside Iraq: McClatchy Journalists

US checks Mexico for source of salmonella outbreak

Inspectors are collecting soil, water and produce samples, reviewing export logs and combing packing plants in three major tomato-growing states in Mexico.

Colombia army finds ton of explosives

Colombia's military says it has found more than a ton of explosives in a house in a rural area outside the capital.

Uribe eases tensions with Venezuela

Colombian leader Alvaro Uribe pledged closer ties with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez on Saturday after months of on-and-off tensions, but Ecuador's leftist president said problems remain and he isn't ready to re-establish relations with Colombia.

UK lawmakers to launch new rendition probe

Lawmakers pledged Sunday to study the movements of planes and ships traveling to the remote British outpost Diego Garcia amid persistent suspicion it is used by U.S. authorities to detain or transfer terrorism suspects.

Rescue video shows duped rebels, elated hostages

Military intelligence agents posing as aid workers and a film crew flew to the jungle aboard a white helicopter, staging a mock humanitarian mission that rebels were told would ferry their hostages to another camp for talks on a prisoner swap.

3 freed US hostages give thanks for their rescue

New book uses food to explore Mandela's life

A new book examining Nelson Mandela's life was launched Saturday with a feast that included everything from the spaghetti casserole he was brought in jail to the soured milk he longed for while living underground.

Iraqi boy's first swim hopeful sign of progress

Muntadhar al-Sharify stood shivering Saturday in Baghdad's searing heat, a smile on his young face.

Nigeria's first oil well is still source of woe

Three decades after pumping its last drop, the first oil well in Nigeria is marked by a decrepit signboard bearing what would seem an uncontroversial statement: