Seawater radiation may be spreading in Japan

TOKYO (AP) ― Workers at Japan’s damaged nuclear plant raced to pump out contaminated water suspected of sending radioactivity levels soaring as officials warned Monday that radiation seeping from the complex was spreading to seawater and soil. Mounting obstacles, missteps and confusion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex have stymied emergency workers struggling to cool down the overheating p

March 28, 2011

Matchmaking sites offer new take on ‘arranged’ marriages in Morocco

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AFP) ― Marriage in Morocco has an increasingly changing face these days as young men and women in search of lifetime partners head for the souk, in this case a “cyber” marriage souk.In a country where many marriages are still arranged, a click of a computer mouse will take the Internaut to Soukzouaj, a free site where thousands of lonely hearted young Moroccans look for their soul mates“This marriage site was created in June 2010,” Yasser Nejjar, founder of soukzouaj.ma, tol

March 28, 2011

(urgent) Yemen ammo factory blast kills 40

ADEN, Yemen (AFP) - A blast at an ammunition factory killed at least 40 people and wounded 90 others near the south Yemeni town of Jaar on Monday, a day after the plant was looted by Al-Qaeda, a local official said.

March 28, 2011

Syrian government: 12 killed in seaside city

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - The Syrian government says 12 people were killed in violence rocking a seaside Mediterranean city.Syria's state-run news agency said unknown armed elements on Saturday attacked neighborhoods in Latakia, shooting from rooftops and terrorizing people.Ten people, including security forces, residents as well as two members of the shadowy ``armed elements'' died in the violence.S

March 27, 2011

Libyan rebels sweep west through key oil centers

AL-EGILA, Libya (AP) - Libyan rebels took back a key oil town and pushed westward Sunday toward the capital, seizing momentum from the international airstrikes that tipped the balance away from Moammar Gadhafi's military.Brega, a main oil export terminal in eastern Libya, fell after a skirmish late Saturday and rebel forces moved swiftly west, seizing the tiny desert town of Al-Egila _ a collectio

March 27, 2011

Suspected al-Qaida gunmen kill 7 soldiers

   SANAA, Yemen (AP) _ Yemeni security officials say suspected al-Qaida gunmen have killed seven soldiers and wounded seven others in an attack on a military post.   The officials said the attack Sunday took place at Ubaida area in the in the central Marib province, an al-Qaida stronghold and one of several areas where the central government has little authority.   The officials, speaking on condi

March 27, 2011

Libyan rebels retake strategic town

BENGHAZI, Libya (AFP) ― Libyan rebels were pushing their advance on Sunday after recapturing two key towns from Moammar Gadhafi’s forces in their first major victories since the launch of Western-led air strikes.The rebels, who were in danger of losing their eastern stronghold city of Benghazi before the strikes were launched on March 19, on Saturday seized back Ajdabiya and Brega, 160 and 240 kil

March 27, 2011

Japan nuclear plant situation 'unpredictable': PM

 OSAKA (AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Friday the situation at the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant was still "very unpredictable" and thanked those "risking their lives" to handle the crisis.   The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan's northeast coast two weeks ago knocked out the crucial reactor cooling systems at the plant, located 250 kilometres (155

March 25, 2011

Targets deep within Libya hit; fewer U.S. jets used

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) ― French fighter jets hit aircraft and a crossroads military base deep inside Libya as the U.S. reduced its combat role in the international operation that is working to thwart Moammar Gadhafi’s forces by land, sea and air.Explosions could be heard in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, before daybreak Friday, apparently from airstrikes.Libya’s air force has been effectively neutrali

March 25, 2011

Gadhafi forces roll back as rebels try to organize

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) ― NATO ships began patrolling off Libya’s coast Wednesday as airstrikes, missiles and energized rebels forced Moammar Gadhafi’s tanks to roll back from two key western cities, including one that was the hometown of army officers who tried to overthrow him in 1993. Libya’s opposition took haphazard steps to form a government in the east, as they and the U.S.-led force protectin

March 24, 2011

U.S. warns Libya of ‘all options’

Defiant Gadhafi vows victoryTRIPOLI (AP) ― Moammar Gadhafi’s snipers and tanks are terrorizing civilians in the coastal city of Misrata, a resident said, and the U.S. military warned Tuesday it was “considering all options” in response to dire conditions there that have left people cowering in darkened homes and scrounging for food and rainwater.The U.S. is days away from turning over control of t

March 23, 2011

Power lines up in Japan nuclear plant

FUKUSHIMA, Japan (AP) -- Workers at a leaking nuclear complex hooked up power lines to all six of its reactor units, but other repercussions from a massive earthquake and tsunami still rippled across Japan as economic losses mounted at three flagship companies.The progress on the electrical lines at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was a welcome and significant advance Tuesday after days

March 23, 2011