Clinton in Moscow for Mideast, nuclear arms talks
MOSCOW (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday opened two days of talks with Russian leaders on nuclear arms control and other security issues, and separately with top international diplomats on the outlook for bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to peace talks. Clinton arrived in the Russian capital after an overnight flight from Washington and was to be joined by the Obama administration's special envoy for Mideast peace, George Mitchell, to participate in talks with diplomats from Russia, the European Union and the United Nations. They were discussing the crisis in U.S.-Israeli relations and stalled efforts to restart Mideast peace negotiations. More »
US commander says security bolstered in Kandahar
KABUL (AP) - Security and military intelligence operations are being reinforced around Kandahar, the largest city in southern Afghanistan and site of the next phase of the allied military offensive against the Taliban, the American commander for the country said. Afghan, U.S. and NATO forces are planning a major operation later this year in Kandahar province, which is next to Helmand province where thousands of troops just seized the district of Marjah from insurgents. The southern push is part of a new counterinsurgency strategy and follows President Barack Obama's decision to send 30,000 new American troops to Afghanistan to reverse insurgent gains. More »
Polar bear ban defeated at UN conservation meeting
DOHA, Qatar (AP) - A U.S.-backed proposal to ban the international trade of polar bear skins, teeth and claws was defeated Thursday at a U.N. wildlife meeting over concerns it would hurt indigenous economies and arguments the practice didn't pose a significant threat to the animals. The Americans argued at the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, that the sale of polar bears skins is compounding the loss of the animals' sea ice habitat due to climate change. There are projections that the bear's numbers, which are estimated at 20,000 to 25,000, could decline by two-thirds due by 2050 due to habitat loss in the Arctic. More »
Junta frees Myanmar-American to deport him
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - A U.S. citizen accused of subversion was released from prison in his native Myanmar and deported Thursday after serving part of a three-year prison sentence. The aunt of Kyaw Zaw Lwin, also known as Nyi Nyi Aung, said he was released after 6 1/2 months in prison and taken to Yangon's international airport for a flight to Thailand. More »
Expanding lake threatens thousands in Pakistan
ATTABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The water is rising day by day in this remote part of northern Pakistan, and with it, so is the fear among thousands who stand to lose their crops, their homes and maybe even their lives. A massive landslide early this year formed a natural dam in the Hunza River, creating a lake that is consuming upstream villages as it expands. If the dam breaks, a flash flood could threaten downstream villages too. The landslide also has blocked the Karakoram Highway, a vital trade link to China, cutting off 25,000 people in the Upper Hunza Valley. More »
US, British, French troops to march on Red Square
MOSCOW (AP) - The British Embassy says British, French and U.S. troops will march with Russian soldiers on Red Square to mark the 65th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. It said in a statement Thursday that the May 9 parade will include a Royal Air Force band and a detachment of Welsh Guards. More »