MCI takes new Verizon offer; Qwest is out
Winston-Salem Journal - 1 hour ago MCI Inc., the No. 2 US long-distance phone company, accepted an increased takeover offer from Verizon Communications Inc., snubbing a bid from Qwest Communications International Inc. that is more than $1 billion higher.

US to blame for erosion of nonproliferation treaty
Houston Chronicle - 25 minutes ago By JIMMY CARTER. As the review conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty convenes in New York this month, we can only be appalled at the indifference of the United States and the other nuclear powers. This

Stand up. Tongue update. Time travelers.
Houston Chronicle - 8 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

Rice: US Can Deter North Korean Nuclear Ambitions
Voice of America - 6 hours ago By Meredith Buel. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a tough statement aimed at North Korea, says the United States has significant deterrent capability to thwart Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Secretary

Georgia City May Want Bride to Pay
New York Times - 3 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.

Prisoners abused for 'amusement'
Houston Chronicle - 25 minutes ago By JOHN W. GONZALEZ. FORT HOOD - A clique of US soldiers tormented Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison for "amusement," not for any authorized military mission, Pfc. Lynndie England testified Monday as she pleaded guilty to seven abuse-related charges.

Taiwan's opposition leader ends landmark visit to China
Radio Australia - 35 minutes ago China has presented two pandas to Taiwan as the island's opposition leader Lien Chan wraps up an historic tour of the country. Chen Yunlin, the director of the Cabinet-level Taiwan Affairs Office, has announced

Morgan Stanley fails to silence rebel campaign over Purcell
Independent - 2 hours ago By Katherine Griffiths in New York. Former executives at Morgan Stanley have refused to call off their campaign to oust the investment banking giant's chief executive Philip Purcell, despite concessions from the board.

Israeli cabinet member quits to protest pullback plan
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - 1 hour ago By Laura King, Los Angeles Times. JERUSALEM -- Natan Sharansky, the onetime symbol of oppressed Soviet Jewry, quit his Cabinet post yesterday to protest Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this summer.

Italy disputes account by US of agent's death
Financial Times - 5 hours ago By Tony Barber in Rome. The Italian government on Monday published a report disputing the official US account of how US forces in Iraq inadvertently killed Nicola Calipari, an Italian intelligence agent who had just rescued a kidnapped Italian journalist.