'Inexperience' of troops blamed in agent's death
Washington Times - 44 minutes ago By John Phillips. ROME -- Italy yesterday blamed "stress and inexperience" among US troops for the shooting death of its top intelligence agent in Baghdad but accepted that he was killed accidentally. In a

Frist embarks on fact-finding mission on trip to Middle East
Knoxville News Sentinel (subscription) - 54 minutes ago By KRISTEN STEVENS, Associated Press. JERUSALEM - Visiting US Senate Majority leader Bill Frist said Monday that Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank in the summer must allow for creation of a Palestinian state.

Verizon looks like MCI winner
News-Leader.com - 1 hour ago By Jon Van. Chicago — After more than two months of offers and counteroffers, Verizon Communications Inc. appears to have secured a deal to buy MCI Inc. as Qwest Communications International Inc. dropped out of the competition.

Could You, Too, Be Chairman of Morgan Stanley
Bloomberg - 47 minutes ago Since 1998, Sabia had been a fixture in the clubhouses of New York sports teams, as a beat reporter for something called Westchester Cable Services. The Knicks, Giants, Mets and Yankees provided him with media

Georgia City May Want Bride to Pay
New York Times - 2 hours ago DULUTH, Ga., May 2 - The runaway bride-to-be who led this Atlanta suburb on an expensive game of hide-and-seek last week may face charges after all, the authorities said, and the city was investigating whether to bill her for the search.

Fla. governor signs tougher sex offender bill
Kansas City Star - 20 minutes ago BY MARC CAPUTO. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - (KRT) - The parents of two murdered girls choked back tears and hugged Gov. Jeb Bush when he signed a law Monday that makes it easier for Florida to execute some future sex

Woman trooper pleads guilty to Iraq abuse
Scotsman - 4 hours ago US SOLDIER Lynndie England yesterday pleaded guilty to a string of charges relating to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. She said she had "assumed it was OK" when asked to pose holding a leash

Annan calls for nuclear disarmament
Xinhua - 1 hour ago BEIJING, May 3 --UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has challenged world leaders to breathe life into a key nuclear disarmament treaty. Annan opened a month-long conference on the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in New York on Monday.

Hostage crisis: Aus seeks UN help
NDTV.com - 1 hour ago Australia's Foreign Minister asked the UN Secretary General for help on Monday in securing the release of an Australian citizen being held hostage in Iraq. Alexander Downer's meeting with Kofi Annan came as

Stand up. Tongue update. Time travelers.
Houston Chronicle - 7 hours ago By KYRIE O'CONNOR. 1. I was, I confess, slightly disconcerted by Laura Bush's stand-up act at the White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday night. Now, I'm thrilled she'd have the gumption to take on that