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This edition was generated on Fri Apr 18 08:45:01 EDT 2008
WASHINGTON - After a dramatic three days in which he put the country's clergy sexual abuse scandal front and center, Pope Benedict XVI turned his attention Friday to the original purpose of his first U.S. visit as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
SAN ANGELO, Texas - After hours of lawyers popping up with similar objections and questions, a custody hearing for 416 children seized from a polygamist sect finally turned to whether they were abused: A child welfare worker said some women at the sect's ranch may have had children when they were minors, some as young as 13.
JERUSALEM - Israel closed off the West Bank and Gaza for the Jewish Passover holiday on Friday, a day after Gaza militants attacked a vital crossing, raising the possibility of a large-scale Israeli offensive within weeks.
CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida's No. 2 said in an audiotape released Friday that the United States will lose whether it stays in Iraq or withdraws, and he sneered that President Bush just wants to pass the problem on to his successor.
NEW YORK - The tragic sinking of the Titanic nearly a century ago can be blamed on low grade rivets that the ship's builders used on some parts of the ill-fated liner, two experts on metals conclude in a new book.
SAN DIEGO - Let's play 2 1/2! Colorado and San Diego did just that Thursday night and into Friday morning, slogging through a 22-inning game that was the longest in the majors in nearly 15 years.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri said in an audio message to mark five years since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that Washington's war had brought nothing but failure and defeat.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 5.2 magnitude earthquake rattled eastern Illinois before dawn on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and television reports showed some minor damage.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pope Benedict turns to world issues on Friday when he addresses the United Nations in New York after three days in Washington overshadowed by the scandal of sexual abuse of minors by U.S. Catholic priests.
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter arrived in Damascus on Friday for talks with exiled leaders of Hamas, the Islamist group which he argues should be included in international efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - The U.S. military will televise the Guantanamo trial of accused September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and five other suspects so relatives of those killed in the attacks can watch on the U.S. mainland.
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe bitterly attacked former colonial ruler Britain on Friday in his first major speech since disputed elections, saying London was paying the population to turn against him.
MANILA (Reuters) - Galloping world rice prices should start to calm in the next month as fresh crops hit markets, but they will not return to 2007 levels anytime soon due to soaring production costs and rising demand, a top expert said.
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea on Friday agreed to open up to U.S. beef imports after Washington pledged to raise safety standards, boosting prospects for a sweeping trade deal ahead of a summit between leaders of the allies later in the day.
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe came out fighting on Friday in his first major speech since disputed polls, fending off criticism over his rights record and accusing Britain of stirring up unrest.
NEW YORK (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI turned to diplomacy Friday with a scheduled speech at the United Nations to champion human rights, as the highlight of a US visit marked so far by his unprecedented attention to the pedophile priest scandal.
TOKYO (AFP) - Monks at an ancient Japanese Buddhist temple on Friday pulled out of hosting a ceremony for the protest-marred Olympic torch relay because of China's crackdown in Tibet.
CHICAGO (AFP) - A new bird flu vaccine being developed by US researchers could provide broader protection, last longer and be easier to mass produce than existing vaccines.
PARIS (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday told the world's biggest carbon polluters that global warming was becoming a driver of hunger, unrest and conflict, with the war in Darfur a concrete example.
NEW YORK (AFP) - US banking giant Citigroup reported Friday a first-quarter net loss of 5.1 billion dollars, hurt by at least 12 billion dollars in write-downs amid soured subprime investments and rising credit costs.
LONDON (AFP) - Britain's Royal Bank of Scotland is set to raise between five and 12 billion pounds (6-15 billion euros, 10-24 billion dollars) to improve its finances by issuing shares, reports said Friday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 300,000 U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, but about half receive no care, an independent study said on Thursday.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter called the blockade of Gaza a crime and an atrocity on Thursday and said U.S. attempts to undermine the Islamist movement Hamas had been counterproductive.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vitamin D may protect against an artery disease in which fatty deposits restrict blood flow to the limbs, researchers said on Wednesday.
SAN DIEGO - Let's play 2 1/2! Colorado and San Diego did just that Thursday night and into Friday morning, slogging through a 22-inning game that was the longest in the majors in nearly 15 years.
NEW YORK - Citigroup Inc. lost $5.1 billion during the first quarter as poor bets on mortgages and leveraged loans lopped billions of dollars from its investment portfolio.