Egypt swaps U.S.-Israeli citizen for 25 prisoners

JERUSALEM (AP) ― A U.S.-Israeli citizen arrested in Egypt as a suspected spy flew to freedom in Israel and into his mother’s arms on Thursday after more than four months in jail, after a prisoner swap deal that has eased friction between the two countries.A smiling Ilan Grapel, 27, looked fit after his one-hour flight from Cairo landed at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv. On the tarmac, his tearful mother, Irene, who had traveled to Israel from her home in Queens, New York, clas

Oct. 28, 2011

U.N. votes to lift Libya no-fly zone on Oct. 31

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ― The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to lift the no-fly zone over Libya on Oct. 31 and end military action to protect civilians, acting swiftly following the death of Moammar Gadhafi and the interim government’s declaration of the country’s liberation.The council authorized the actions on March 17 in response to an Arab League request to try to halt Moammar Gadhafi’s military, which was advancing against rebels and their civilian supporters. The NATO bombing

Oct. 28, 2011

Survivor emerges from quake rubble

ERCIS, Turkey (AP) ― Rescuers, working under floodlights, pulled a 13-year-old boy alive from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building early Friday, over 100 hours after a massive earthquake leveled many buildings in eastern Turkey, killing at least 550 people.A picture by the state-run Anatolia news agency showed a rescue team carrying, Ferhat Tokay, out of the debris, wearing a neck brace. In other pictures from a field hospital, he appeared conscious and looking at his rescuers.Tokay’s re

Oct. 28, 2011

Study: Japan nuke radiation higher than estimated

NEW YORK (AP) — The Fukushima nuclear disaster released twice as much of a dangerous radioactive substance into the atmosphere as Japanese authorities estimated, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl, a preliminary report says.The estimate of much higher levels of radioactive cesium-

Oct. 28, 2011

U.S. reaches out to Iranians, warns Iran government

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The Obama administration is setting up an Internet-based embassy to appeal to Iranians hoping to broaden their understanding of the United States, while at the same time studying new sanctions to raise the pressure on Iran’s government over its disputed nuclear program and alleged ties to terrorism.Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in interviews Wednesday with Persian-language media that the U.S. wanted to affirm its friendship to the Iranian people even at a time

Oct. 27, 2011

Fukushima plant may have emitted double estimated radiation

The wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan may have released more than twice the amount of radiation estimated by the government, a study by European and U.S.-based scientists said. Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima station, which was wrecked in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, may have emitted 35,800 terabecquerels of radioactive cesium 137 at the height of the disaster, according to a study in the Atmospherics Chemistry and Physics journal. Japan’s nuclear regulator in June said 15,00

Oct. 27, 2011

Israel and Palestinians to offer peace proposals

JERUSALEM (AP) ― International mediators on Wednesday failed to make any breakthroughs in their quest to bring Israeli and Palestinian officials back to the negotiating table, but in a small sign of progress, they announced that both sides would present “comprehensive proposals” for resolving key aspects of their conflict within three months.The “Quartet” of Mideast peace makers said Israel and the Palestinians agreed to submit proposals on “territory and security” in the coming months, as part

Oct. 27, 2011

‘World population may hit 15 billion by 2100’

LONDON (AFP) ― The world’s population of seven billion is set to rise to at least 10 billion by 2100, but could top 15 billion if birth rates are just slightly higher than expected, the United Nations said on Wednesday.In a report ahead of ceremonies on October 31 to mark the seven billionth human alive today, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) warned demographic pressure posed mighty challenges for easing poverty and conserving the environment.“This is a challenge and a call to action. The issue

Oct. 27, 2011

Police action unnerves ‘Occupy’ protesters

OAKLAND, California (AP) ― The display of police force in Oakland, California, and Atlanta has unnerved some anti-Wall Street protesters.While demonstrators in other cities have built a working relationship with police and city leaders, they wondered on Wednesday how long the good spirit would last and whether they could be next.Will they have to face riot gear-clad officers and tear gas that their counterparts in Oakland, California faced on Tuesday? Or will they be handcuffed and hauled away i

Oct. 27, 2011

Mass exodus from flood-ridden Bangkok

Thousands abandon Thai capital; government admits entire city could be floodedBANGKOK (AP) ― Residents poured out of the Thai capital by bus, plane and train Thursday, heeding government warnings to use a special five-day holiday to evacuate parts of the flood-threatened metropolis before a weekend deluge rushes through.The evacuation warning applied to only two of Bangkok’s 50 districts ― Don Muang and Bang Phlat ― but with the government acknowledging the entire city could flood in the coming

Oct. 27, 2011

2 Nebraska kids found caged in dog kennel

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) - Four children were removed from what authorities described as a filthy Nebraska trailer home where a 3-year-old boy and his 5-year-old brother were kept in a wire dog kennel, police said Tuesday.North Platte officers went to the home late Monday after receiving a call from

Oct. 27, 2011

US, Swedish researchers crack 250-year-old cipher

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scientists in California and Sweden said they have used computer translation techniques to solve a 250-year-old mystery by deciphering a coded manuscript written for a secret society.The University of Southern California announced Tuesday that researchers had broken the Copi

Oct. 27, 2011

Elusive luck lures Macau’s compulsive gamblers

MACAU (AFP) -- Stanley once spent two days and nights without sleep in a casino, and was eventually reduced to gambling away six-figure sums of other people’s money, but he still believed he was on the verge of a big win that would solve everything.Now 48, Stanley, who asked to be identified by only one name, was one of the growing number of gambling addicts in the Chinese territory of Macau, which has become the world’s biggest gaming hub. In just under two years, he saw his solvency, businesse

Oct. 26, 2011

Miracle baby emerges from quake rubble

Survival of 2-week-old brings tiny ray of light from tragedy; Ankara now accepting aid even from IsraelERCIS, Turkey (AP) ― After 48 hours, a miracle emerged from the rubble: a 2-week-old baby girl brought out half-naked but alive from the wreckage of an apartment building toppled by Turkey’s devastating earthquake.Rescue workers erupted in cheers and applause Tuesday at sight of the infant ― and again hours later when her mother and grandmother were pulled out, their survival a ray of joy on an

Oct. 26, 2011