SalemNews.com, Salem, MA--World News

Accident aboard Russian nuke sub suffocates 20

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:32:00 EST

MOSCOW (AP) — The fire safety system on a brand-new Russian nuclear submarine accidentally turned on as the sub was being tested in the Sea of Japan, spewing a gas that suffocated 20 people and sent 21 others to the hospital, officials said yesterday.

Barak: Israel considering Saudi peace plan

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:17:00 EDT

JERUSALEM — Israeli leaders are seriously considering a dormant Saudi plan offering a comprehensive peace between Israel and the Arab world in exchange for lands captured during the 1967 war, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said yesterday.

Shiite bloc holds off OK to US-Iraq pact

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:17:00 EDT

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ruling Shiite coalition withheld support yesterday for the proposed security pact that would keep U.S. troops here for three more years, dealing a setback to American hopes of a speedy approval of the agreement.

US enemies in Mideast gloat over crisis

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Egypt — America's opponents in the Middle East are gloating over the financial meltdown in the United States, painting it as divine retribution for past misdeeds against Muslims and the last gasps of a dying empire.

Hurricane Norbert weakens as it nears Mexico mainland

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EDT

PUERTO SAN CARLOS, Mexico — Hurricane Norbert swept across Mexico's southern Baja California peninsula yesterday, tearing off roofs and forcing hundreds of people to flee flooded homes.
It hit land near Puerto Charley on Baja's southwest coast as a Category 2 hurricane, but weakened to Category 1 after emerging over the Gulf of California, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Norbert was expected to reach mainland Mexico sometime before dawn today.

US controls bird flu vaccines over bioweapon fears

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:59:00 EDT

JAKARTA, Indonesia — When Indonesia's health minister stopped sending bird flu viruses to a research laboratory in the U.S. for fear Washington could use them to make biological weapons, Defense Secretary Robert Gates laughed and called it "the nuttiest thing" he'd ever heard.

Ambassador appeals for patience in Iraq

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:07:00 EDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker yesterday accused Iran of trying to interfere with a new security pact between Iraq and the United States, and said Americans need to view Iraq with "a sense of strategic patience" because the stakes in the region are so high.

U.S. destroyer watching hijacked ship off Somalia

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:12:00 EDT

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A U.S. destroyer off the coast of Somalia closed in Saturday on a hijacked Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and ammunition, watching it to ensure the pirates who seized it do not try to remove any cargo or crew.

No interim peace deal with Israel, Saudi says

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:10:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS — Arab nations will totally reject any partial or interim solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because historically such arrangements have become permanent, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said Saturday.

Pakistani army kills 60 in offensives

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:00:00 EDT

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships and artillery killed some 60 militants close to the Afghan border, officials said yesterday, underlining the government's intent to confront extremists after the Marriott hotel bombing.

Russian pilots proud of flights to foreign lands

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:09:00 EDT

ENGELS AIR BASE, Russia — The Russian long-range bombers that have resumed missions into the Western Hemisphere nearly 20 years after the end of the Cold War are delivering a clear message: Russia wants to be seen as a global superpower once again.

Pope urges pilgrims to cling to hope

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:01:00 EDT

LOURDES, France — People must cling to hope even in dire circumstances like injustice and torture, Pope Benedict XVI told the faithful at Sunday Mass in Lourdes, which has become a shrine for desperate causes and hope against all odds.

Roadside bombs kill 5 in Iraq

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:56:00 EDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Three roadside bombs planted in succession struck a police convoy in one of Iraq's most dangerous provinces yesterday, killing five policemen. In Baghdad, the leader of a Sunni group allied with the U.S. died when his booby-trapped car exploded.

Afghanistan: US killed civilians after false tip

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:55:00 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — An American bombing that killed up to 90 Afghan civilians last month was based on false information provided by a rival tribe and did not kill a single Taliban fighter, the president's spokesman said yesterday.

Ike gives Cuba final kick

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:06:00 EDT

HAVANA — Hurricane Ike moved into the warm waters of the Gulf and took aim at the U.S. and Mexican coasts yesterday after bringing down aging buildings in Havana and tearing through western Cuba's tobacco country.

Ike hits Cuba after lashing Bahamas, Haiti

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:47:00 EDT

CAMAGUEY, Cuba (AP) — Hurricane Ike roared into Cuba yesterday after destroying houses and crops on low-lying islands, and worsening floods in Haiti that have already killed more than 300 people.

Cheney offers US backing for Georgia's NATO bid

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:16:00 EDT

KIEV, Ukraine — Vice President Dick Cheney insisted that Georgia will join NATO and backed its attempts to rebuild from its war with Russia yesterday, using a trip to former Soviet republics as a show of U.S. support for their pro-Western leaders.

Iraqi police want bomb detection gear

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

TAL AFAR, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi police in this provincial backwater got a tip earlier this month that a suicide bomber was on the loose. They were even given his name, age and a descriptwion of his car. With all that, they still couldn't stop him.

Lights out? Experts fear fireflies are dwindling

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:59:00 EDT

<Caption>Associated Press
This 2006 photo released by firefly expert Anchana Thancharoen of Kasetsart Univercity in Bangkok, Thailand, shows the rare firefly species Luciola aquatilis, as it perches on a plant.</Caption>

Government wants slower ship speeds to aid whales

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:32:00 EDT

WASHINGTON — The government yesterday recommended a speed limit for commercial ships along the Atlantic coast, where collisions with the endangered right whale threaten its existence.
About 300-400 of the whales are left in the wild, and they migrate annually between their southeastern Atlantic breeding grounds to feeding areas off the Massachusetts coast, intersecting busy shipping lanes.