China panda-ing to archrival Taiwan
New Zealand Herald - 1 hour ago In a series of goodwill gestures at the end of a visit by Taiwan opposition leader Lien Chan, Beijing will lift restrictions on Chinese tourists crossing the strait, and offered to scrap tariffs on more than 10 kinds of fruit from Taiwan.

Not-Guilty Plea Entered for BTK Suspect
ABC News - 1 hour ago Dennis Rader, charged with 10 counts of murder in the BTK serial killings that terrorized Wichita since the 1970s, is led from Sedgwick County court in Wichita, Kan., Tuesday, May 3, 2005, after his arraignment.

US rate futures slip as Fed signals more hikes
Reuters - 19 minutes ago CHICAGO, May 3 (Reuters) - Short-term interest rate futures edged lower on Tuesday as the Federal Reserve said that US monetary policy remains accommodative, leaving traders to conclude that more rate hikes lie ahead.

Iraqi transitional government sworn in, seven posts undecided
Xinhua - 20 minutes ago BAGHDAD, May 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraq's newly approved transitional cabinet was formally sworn in on Tuesday, after three months of haggling over the allocation of governmental posts following the Jan. 30 landmark parliamentary elections.

Jilted Groom: I Still Want Her
CBS News - 4 hours ago (CBS/AP) The man whose jittery bride-to-be skipped town days before her lavish wedding and claimed she had been abducted says that his fiancée wants the "whole world to know she's very, very sorry.". John

Iran determined to pursue nuclear enrichment
Reuters - 1 hour ago By Louis Charbonneau. UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran vowed on Tuesday to press ahead with nuclear activities that could be used to develop weapons and accused the United States and Israel of threatening international peace with their own atomic arsenals.

Rival aims for MCI assets
Financial Times - 1 hour ago By Paul Taylor in New York. Qwest Communications, the US telecommunications group that abandoned a three-month takeover battle for MCI this week, will press regulators to scrutinise industry mergers closely

Berlusconi's US relationship becomes less special
Reuters - 1 hour ago By Phil Stewart. ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, long proud of having friends in high places, has seen the limitations of his rapport with Washington after a public falling-out over the killing of an Italian agent in Iraq.

Blair Campaigns Against Voter Apathy
Voice of America - 3 hours ago By Michael Drudge. The polls say British Prime Minister Tony Blair should win a third consecutive term in Thursday's election. But the prime minister is campaigning hard against voter apathy as the shadow of Iraq continues to hang over the election.

Laura Bush: First Lady Of Comedy
Bayou Buzz - 3 hours ago First Lady Laura Bush brought down the house at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington DC this weekend. She kidded her husband about his early bedtime and said she watched “Desperate Housewives”.