News

AFP - Thousands of Hong Kong residents are expected to take to the streets to demand full democracy for the former British colony, on the anniversary of its handover to China.

Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice on Friday authorized a reward of up to $5 million to
anyone providing information leading to Abu Ayyub al-Masri, a
senior al Qaeda leader in Iraq.

Reuters - Palestinian militant factions who captured
an Israeli soldier demanded on Saturday that Israel free 1,000
prisoners from its jails and end an assault on Gaza launched to
win the soldier's release.

Reuters - For Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi, a devout fan of Elvis Presley, it was the chance of a
lifetime. President George W. Bush called it an "unusual
experience."

Reuters - While foam falling from
the space shuttle's fuel tank has garnered the lion's share of
NASA's attention, the space agency's chief said on Friday it
was far from being the only risk facing Discovery, which is set
for liftoff from Florida on Saturday.

AFP - The UN war crimes court sentenced the former commander of Bosnian Muslim forces in Srebrenica to two years for war crimes, but ordered his immediate release due to time served.

Reuters - Democrats see the Supreme Court's
Guantanamo ruling as repudiation of a power-hungry White House.
Republicans say it shows how tough President George W. Bush is
on terrorists and voters will eat it up.

Reuters - U.S. soldiers may have raped an Iraqi
woman and then murdered her and three members of her family,
including a child, U.S. army officers said on Friday.

AP - A 12-year-old boy died after riding a roller coaster Thursday at the Disney MGM theme park, the latest in a string of tragedies that have stung Walt Disney World in recent years.

AP - The U.S. military claimed an advantage in the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq on Thursday, saying raids since the death of its leader have forced many of its foreign fighters out into the open to be captured or killed.

AP - The Supreme Court rebuked President Bush and his anti-terror policies Thursday, ruling that his plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violates U.S. and international law.

AP - China’s Internet regulators are stepping up controls on blogs and search engines to block material it considers unlawful or immoral, the government said Friday.