Police bust baby trafficking ring in eastern China

BEIJING (AP) _ Police in eastern China have busted a human trafficking ring involving poor migrant couples who were selling their babies, a state-run newspaper reported Friday.Police in Shandong province's Zoucheng city found last month that 17 infants had been sold in the city to Chinese buyers, th

Nov. 4, 2011

Girl, 3, eats leftovers for 2 days after mom dies

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) _ A 3-year-old girl comforted herself with her favorite toy and ate cheese, leftover lasagna and milk for two days after her mother died unexpectedly in their New Zealand home.The girl's uncle, Pete Silbery, told The Associated Press on Friday that Shylah Silbery managed

Nov. 4, 2011

Syrian tanks fire despite Arab League deal; 4 dead

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian tanks mounted with machine-guns fired Thursday on a city at the heart of the country's uprising, killing at least four people one day after Damascus agreed to an Arab League plan calling on the government to pull the military out of cities, activists said.The violence does

Nov. 3, 2011

Gadhafi son said to be in vast Sahara

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A fugitive wanted by the International Criminal Court, Moammar Gadhafi's one-time heir apparent appears to have disappeared in the Sahara Desert's ocean of dunes and could remain hidden for months in an area more than twice the size of Texas.Seif al-Islam Gadhafi may be plo

Nov. 3, 2011

[Urgent] Cuba legalizes sale, purchase of private property

Havana, (AP) _ Cuba announced Thursday it will allow real estate to be bought and sold for the first time since the early days of the revolution, the most important reform yet in a series of free-market changes under President Raul Castro.   The law, which takes effect Nov. 10, applies to

Nov. 3, 2011

Greece: Emergency cabinet meeting as government totters

ATHENS (AP) ― Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has called an emergency cabinet meeting for Thursday as his governing Socialist lawmakers revolt against a referendum plan.A statement from Papandreou’s office says the meeting will be held at noon and comes after Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos broke ranks with the prime minister on the referendum proposal.Earlier Thursday, Socialist lawmaker Eva Kaili also said she would not support the government in Friday’s confidence vote.Kaili urged

Nov. 3, 2011

Macau’s youth flock to gambling school

MACAU (AFP) ― In a big, garishly decorated room, dealers deftly lay out cards for baccarat while an eager crowd watches a roulette wheel spin. But the money changing hands is fake, while the punters are scribbling down notes on casino mathematics, because this isn’t a casino but a classroom.Thousands of students aged from 18 upwards pass through the mock casino run by the Macau Polytechnic Institute each year, training to work in the enormous gambling venues that dominate the world’s biggest gam

Nov. 3, 2011

Europe has few options over Greek vote

BRUSSELS (AP) ― Eurozone leaders have insisted for months that there is no Plan B ― the currency bloc simply will not break up. But now that their grand strategy to save the 17-nation currency, hatched just a week ago, is in jeopardy, they had better start working on one.The trouble is their options are limited. If Greek voters reject the deal negotiated last week in Brussels, Greece could have to leave the euro, whether or not its European partners are ready for the devastating consequences of

Nov. 3, 2011

Israel sending signals of Iranian attack

Netanyahu says a nuclear-armed Tehran would pose ‘dire threat’ to the world JERUSALEM (AP) -- An Israeli official said Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to persuade his Cabinet to authorize a military strike against Iran‘s suspected nuclear weapons program _ a discussion that comes as Israel successfully tests a missile believed capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Iran.It remained unclear whether Israel was genuinely poised to strike or if it was saber-rattling to p

Nov. 3, 2011

Libya struggles to secure loose weapons

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) -- More than two months after the fall of Tripoli, Libya‘s new leaders are still struggling to secure massive weapons depots, stop the smuggling of munitions out of the country and disarm thousands of fighters who brought down Moammar Gadhafi’s regime.The international community has offered to help, but also expects Libyans to step up. However, the interim leadership _ in limbo until the formation of a new government mid-month _ may not be up to the task. Libya‘s temporary le

Nov. 3, 2011

Cain scandal deepens as 3rd woman emerges

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The sexual harassment scandal surrounding Herman Cain, a leading Republican presidential candidate, deepened Wednesday as another woman accused him of inappropriate behavior when he headed a restaurant industry lobbying group in the 1990s.The woman’s account, told to the Associated Press, came as Cain tried unsuccessfully to divert attention from the controversy, responding testily to reporters who had pressed him about the original accusations.The scandal has jolted the contes

Nov. 3, 2011

America’s fifth busiest port ‘occupied’

Anti-wall street protesters shutdown Oakland portOAKLAND, California (AP) -- Occupy Wall Street protesters declared victory after thousands of demonstrators shut down one of the nation’s busiest shipping ports, escalating a movement whose tactics had largely been limited to marches, rallies and tent encampments since it began in September.As a voice over a bullhorn said “The night is not over, yet,” protest organizers told demonstrators to head back to the downtown plaza where the Oakland moveme

Nov. 3, 2011

Greek vote in early Dec: yes or no to eurozone

CANNES, France (AP) _ European leaders heaped pressure on Greece over its decision to hold a referendum on its latest bailout deal, calling it a vote on whether it wants to stay in the eurozone and vowing Athens would not get new rescue loans until the result was in.The acknowledgment that the vote

Nov. 3, 2011

Greek P.M. toughs out referendum pledge

ATHENS (AP) ― Greece’s prime minister held firm early Wednesday to his shock decision to call for a referendum on a hard-fought European debt deal, despite anger from abroad, market turmoil across the world and dissent from within his own party.George Papandreou’s government still faced a battle for survival, with a vote of confidence scheduled for Friday and a grilling from frustrated European leaders expected later in the day ahead of the Group of 20 summit in the French Riviera.After a grueli

Nov. 2, 2011