Australian national taken hostage in Iraq - videotape
Forbes - 1 hour ago LONDON (AFX) - An Australian national has been taken hostage in Iraq, according to a videotape broadcast by Britain's Sky News television on Sunday. The tape shows an ashen-faced man in his 60s who identifies

Battling On Benefits
TIME - 3 hours ago George Bush is trying to call the bluff of Democrats, who have been so unified in their opposition to his plan to revamp Social Security. After months of ducking specifics about the hard benefits cuts that

North Korean missile fired towards Japan
Guardian Unlimited - 1 hour ago International efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons programme were in danger of unravelling yesterday amid reports that it has launched a short-range conventional missile into the Sea of Japan.

Five held over Hassan murder
Telegraph.co.uk - 1 hour ago By Oliver Poole. Five suspected members of the terrorist group that murdered Margaret Hassan, the British aid worker kidnapped in Iraq last year, were captured yesterday. American and Iraqi troops raided a

Buffett Says Gates Will Help Berkshire
Washington Post - 46 minutes ago By JOE RUFF. OMAHA, Neb. -- Investment wizard Warren Buffett said Sunday that adding fellow billionaire Bill Gates to the board of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. will help ensure Berkshire's success, even after Buffett is gone.

Morgan Stanley Board Backs Embattled Chief
Washington Post - 39 minutes ago NEW YORK -- Morgan Stanley's board gave a vote of confidence for embattled Chief Executive Philip Purcell on Sunday, saying any "suggestions for management changes or a corporate reorganization beyond the proposed spinoff of its Discover Card business

Egypt Detains More Than 200 in Attacks on Tourist Industry
New York Times - 1 hour ago By MONA EL-NAGGAR. CAIRO, May 1 - Egyptian authorities swept through villages on the outskirts of Cairo on Sunday, detaining more than 200 people after attacks on Saturday that left seven people wounded and three attackers dead.

Pyongyang tests missile on eve of UN nuclear talks
Independent - 43 minutes ago By Rupert Cornwell in Washington. Talks on curbing nuclear proliferation which open today in New York seem doomed to failure, threatened by deadlock over two proposals and overshadowed by new threats from Iran

Runaway Bride Could Face Legal Charges
ABC News - 4 hours ago Police officers escort a blanket covered Jennifer Wilbanks through the Albuquerque Sunport, Saturday, April 30, 2005, as she is taken to her flight and back to Atlanta. Wilbanks turned up in Albuquerque late

First Lady's Comedy Skill Well-Kept Secret
Washington Post - 4 hours ago By DEB RIECHMANN. WASHINGTON -- Laura Bush's knack for comedy may have been the best-kept secret in Washington. It turns out that the former librarian, the sweet smiling political wife, can let loose one-liners with the timing of a standup comic.