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Venus Williams Beats Sister Serena in Wimbledon Championship
July 5th, 2008WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — This time, big sister put little sister in her place. Advantage, Miss Venus Williams. She defeated Serena 7-5, 6-4 Saturday for her fifth Wimbledon title and second in a row. Venus avenged two previous losses to her younger sibling in the final at the All England Club and reasserted her dominance on her favorite court and favorite grass surface. "I can't believe that it's five," said Venus, who now also has seven Grand Slam championships. Read More
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Chestnut Beats Kobayashi in Hot Dog Eating Contest
July 4th, 2008NEW YORK (AP) — Joey Chestnut has reclaimed the top spot as winner of the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island after first tying with archrival Takeru Kobayashi in a 10-minute chow-down and then beating him in a five-dog eat-off. The men tied at 59 frankfurters in 10 minutes, before being made to gobble another five dogs in a last-minute tiebreaker. Kobayashi had hoped to reclaim the throne after suffering a disappointing loss last year. He had reigned for six years. Read More
Zimbabwe's Mugabe Sworn in After Discredited Vote
June 29th, 2008HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — President Robert Mugabe has been sworn in for a sixth term, just hours after electoral officials said he won a discredited runoff. As dignitaries watched under a red-carpeted tent on Sunday, Mugabe swore to uphold his nation's laws and then sat amid cheering to sign documents. African and other world leaders had condemned Friday's presidential runoff, in which Mugabe was the only candidate. Human rights groups say opposition supporters were the targets of brutal state-sponsored violence during the campaign, leaving more than 80 dead and forcing some 200,000 to flee their homes. Opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the race because of the violence. Read More
Afghan Civilian Deaths Up 60 Percent
June 29th, 2008KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A senior U.N. official says the number of civilians killed in fighting in Afghanistan has soared by nearly two-thirds. The top U.N. humanitarian official, John Holmes, said Sunday that the world body has recorded 698 civilian deaths for the first half of this year, compared to 430 in the first six months of 2007. Holmes said militants caused most of the civilian casualties this year and that the figures reflected efforts by foreign troops to reduce civilian deaths in military operations. Read More
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Supreme Court Affirms Gun Rights in Historic Decision
June 26th, 2008WASHINGTON (AP) — Silent on central questions of gun control for two centuries, the Supreme Court found its voice Thursday in a decision affirming the right to have guns for self-defense in the home and addressing a constitutional riddle almost as old as the republic over what it means to say the people may keep and bear arms. The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns and imperiled similar prohibitions in other cities, Chicago and San Francisco among them. Federal gun restrictions, however, were expected to remain largely intact. The court's historic awakening on the meaning of the Second Amendment brought a curiously mixed response, muted in some unexpected places. Read More
Bush Administration Lifts North Korea Sanctions
June 26th, 2008WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush on Thursday lifted trade sanctions against North Korea and moved to remove it from the U.S. terrorism blacklist, a remarkable turnaround in policy toward the communist regime he once branded as part of an "axis of evil." The announcement at the White House came after North Korea handed over a long-awaited accounting of its nuclear work to Chinese officials on Thursday, fulfilling a key step in the denuclearization process. Read More
Hamas Says it Will Not Police Truce with Israel
June 25th, 2008GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - The militant group Hamas said it remains committed to a cease-fire with Israel, but will not act as Israel's "police force" in confronting militants who breach the truce. The comments by Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya came shortly after Gaza militants fired three rockets into southern Israel Tuesday, lightly wounding two Israelis. It was the first attack since the truce took effect last Thursday. Israel responded by closing Gaza's border crossings, which are used to deliver food and basic supplies into the area. Read More
Housing Rescue Passes Key Test
June 24th, 2008WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive foreclosure rescue bill overwhelmingly cleared a key Senate test Tuesday, drawing broad support from Democrats and Republicans alike. The Senate voted 83-9 to speed up work on the $300 billion mortgage aid plan, putting it on track for a final vote as early as the end of the day. The resounding vote reflected a keen interest in both parties in claiming election-year credit for helping homeowners amid tough economic times. Still, the measure faces a veto threat from President Bush and disputes among Democrats about key details. Those challenges will probably delay any final deal until mid-July. Read More
Rockets Hit Israel, Which Says Truce Broken
June 24th, 2008JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian militants on Tuesday fired three homemade rockets into southern Israel, the first such attack since a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza militants took effect last week. Israel condemned the attack as a "gross violation" of the truce, but did not say whether it would retaliate. The barrage wounded two people and capped a day of violence that presented the truce with its first serious test. Just before midnight, Palestinian militants fired a mortar shell into an empty area in southern Israel. And in a pre-dawn raid, Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus. Read More
Forecaster: End is Near to Mississippi River Rise
June 23rd, 2008LOUISIANA, Mo. (AP) — The water is still well above the banks of the upper Mississippi River, but residents of both flooded towns and those protected by levees and sandbags can see an ending: The river is cresting. "It's quieter compared to earlier this week," said Louisiana emergency management director Mike Lesley, where sandbagging has largely ceased. This past weekend, he said, "I actually got some sleep." Read More