Nation & World News / South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Swiss officials say tourist taken hostage in North Africa has been freed

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:42:00 -0400

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — A Swiss tourist taken hostage in North Africa in January has been released to authorities in Mali, officials said Sunday.

Sudanese official says kidnapped aid workers speak to families and are in good health

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:40:00 -0400

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Two foreign aid workers kidnapped by gunmen in Sudan's restive Darfur region are in good health and have been allowed to speak to their relatives, a government official said Sunday.

Iraq lashed by sandstorms and drought, dealing blow to hopes for economic recovery

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:10:00 -0400

BAGHDAD (AP) — Below-average rainfall and insufficient water in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers have left Iraq bone dry for a second straight year, wrecking swaths of farm land, threatening drinking water supplies and intensifying fierce sandstorms that have coated the country in brown dust.

Opposition claims irregularities in Republic of Congo presidential election

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:30:00 -0400

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo — Opposition calls for a voter boycott in the Republic of Congo's presidential election appeared to be cutting into the turnout Sunday, but it was unclear how this would affect longtime President Denis Sassou-Nguesso's bid for another term.

Israel's Netanyahu invites Abbas to talk peace; Palestinians say all issues must be tabled

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:13:00 -0400

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday invited the Palestinians to sit down immediately to talk peace, but the Palestinian leader rebuffed the call, saying that Israel must first halt all West Bank settlement construction.

Turkmenistan's new Caspian Sea resort seen as open door by some, boondoggle by others

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:49:00 -0400

TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan (AP) — Four white-marble hotels opened here in June on a spit of sand by a landlocked sea — the beginnings of what is billed as Central Asia's answer to Las Vegas, an opulent $5 billion oasis of seaside villas, casinos, an artificial island and a ski center.

Shards of stories and blank spaces: Israel's intelligence memorial hides more than it reveals

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:44:00 -0400

GLILOT JUNCTION, Israel (AP) — Near a multiplex cinema and a nondescript highway junction outside Tel Aviv is the place where Israel's secrets go when they get old.

Obama: British help in Afghan war effort vital as UK casualties rise in fierce fighting

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:13:00 -0400

LONDON (AP) — President Barack Obama waded into Britain's debate over the war in Afghanistan, calling Britain's contribution critically important in the struggle to prevent terrorists from establishing a stronghold in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Spain in heated debate over proposed teenage abortion without parental consent

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:31:00 -0400

MADRID (AP) — Spain's Socialist prime minister has irked his natural enemies on the right and in the Catholic church by legalizing gay marriage and instituting fast-track divorce. Now he has hit a raw nerve even among his supporters with a proposal to let 16-year-olds get abortions without parental consent.

5 Iranian officials suspected by US of militant activity in Iraq return to Tehran

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:25:00 -0400

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Five Iranian officials held in Iraq for more than two years by U.S. forces returned home Sunday after the U.S. released them under pressure from the Iraqi government.