Kennedy called 'singular figure' in America's life

HYANNIS PORT, Mass. - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the last surviving brother in an enduring political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in history, died at his home on Cape Cod after a yearlong struggle with brain cancer. He was 77.

In nearly 50 years in the Senate, Kennedy, a liberal Democrat, served alongside 10 presidents - his brother John Fitzgerald Kennedy among them - compiling an impressive list of legislative achievements on health care, civil rights, education, immigration and more.

Speaking briefly to reporters at his rented vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., President Barack Obama eulogized Kennedy as one of the "most accomplished Americans" in history - and a man whose work in Congress helped give millions new opportunities.

"Including myself," added the nation's first black president.

A source, speaking on grounds of anonymity because plans were still under way, told The Associated Press that Kennedy, who died Tuesday night, will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. At the eternal flame rests four Kennedy family members, including the former president, Jacqueline Kennedy, their baby son, Patrick, who died after two days, and a still-born child. Former Sen. Robert Kennedy F. Kennedy is buried a short distance away.readmore

New interrogation unit set; Bush policy changing

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has approved creation of a new, special terrorism-era interrogation unit to be supervised by the White House, a top aide said Monday, further distancing his administration from President George W. Bush's detainee policies.

The administration has also decided that all U.S. interrogators will follow the rules for detainees laid out by the Army Field Manual, according to senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the decision. That decision aims to end years of fierce debate over how rough U.S. personnel can get with terror suspects in custody.

The new unit does not mean the CIA is now out of the interrogation business, deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton told reporters covering the vacationing Obama at Oak Bluffs, Mass.

Burton said the unit will include "all these different elements under one group," and it said that it will be situated at the FBI headquarters in Washington.readmore

Major wildfire breaks out northeast of Athens

ATHENS, Greece - Greek authorities declared a state of emergency Saturday as a major wildfire burned unchecked northeast of Athens, threatening homes and villages. Scores of residents fled on foot or by motorbike.

Flames raced toward the villages of Grammatiko, Kalentzi and Varnavas near the town of Marathon, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of the Greek capital, cutting them off from the road. Residents and volunteers desperately tried to prevent the blaze from engulfing houses.

Authorities warned residents in nearby towns to leave immediately. People were evacuating in cars, on motorbikes or on foot. Some were seen running down the road away from the flames.

The wildfire was spread by gale-force winds earlier in the day. By afternoon, winds had slowed to a strong breeze but were shifting so much it was difficult to contain the fire. Authorities were concerned it could spread west and threaten the northern suburbs of Athens.

Nine airplanes, five helicopters and 35 vehicles worked to contain the fire, which is burning in a pine forest in the hills above Marathon. It has already torched nearby olive groves.readmore

Submarines stop search for Air France black boxes

:: Reuters :: PARIS - French submarines have halted their search for the flight recorders of an Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic on June 1, killing all 228 people aboard, investigators said on Thursday.

"The search has not been able to locate the wreck of the plane," France's BEA air investigators said in a statement.

However, the BEA indicated it had not lost all hope of finding the so-called black boxes and said a team of international experts would meet in the coming weeks to decide how best to continue the search process.

Despite the fact the flight recorders have not been found, investigators have stitched together information gleaned from a final burst of automated messages sent by the plane just before disaster struck, and from debris recovered in the sea.

The Air France plane was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean not far from the equator after hitting a powerful storm.readmore

Hurricane Bill on Atlantic track toward Bermuda

MIAMI (Reuters) - Hurricane Bill, the first hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic season, gained strength quickly as it churned across open ocean on Monday in the direction of Bermuda, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Two other tropical cyclones, Ana and Claudette, were fading; Ana in the Caribbean Sea just south of Puerto Rico, and Claudette in the southern United States after slogging ashore on the Florida panhandle.

Bill's top winds reached 90 miles per hour (145 kilometers per hour), just below Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, the Miami-based hurricane center said. Forecasters expected it to hit Category 3, with winds of more than 110 mph by late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

Category 3, 4 and 5 storms are considered "major" hurricanes, the most destructive type.

Bill was about 1,080 miles east of the Lesser Antilles at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) and was charging to the west-northwest at 16 mph, the hurricane center said.readmore

Tropical Storm Claudette forms off the Fla. coast

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. - Forecasters say Tropical Storm Claudette has formed off the northern Gulf Coast of Florida and is expected to bring heavy rain to the area.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was expected to make landfall Sunday evening. Forecasters say the storm's winds have increased to 40 mph, just above the threshold to become a named storm.

Residents were urged to prepare for the storm that popped up early Sunday with batteries, flashlights and water. Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches was expected, with some isolated areas to get up to 10 inches.

The Hurricane Center says more details about Claudette will be released at 2 p.m. EDT. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - After getting off to a slow start, the Atlantic hurricane season got busy Sunday as a tropical depression formed off the northern Gulf Coast of Florida, threatening to bring heavy rain and possible flooding to the area.readmore

Taiwan races to save typhoon survivors

CISHAN, Taiwan - Hundreds of villagers scurried from their homes minutes before floodwaters burst an embankment Thursday, as the military airlifted survivors from remote villages devastated in mudslides during last weekend's typhoon.

The military sent 4,000 new troops to join more than 10,000 soldiers already working to save thousands of survivors stranded in several villages in the island's south, the Defense Ministry said. Rescue efforts have been slow because many bridges and roads to hard-hit villages collapsed or were washed out by raging floodwaters.

Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan over the weekend, dumping more than 80 inches (2 meters) of rain and unleashing the most devastating floods that the island has seen in 50 years.

The official death toll in Taiwan stands at 108, with 61 listed as missing. But several hundred more - nobody is sure how many - remain unaccounted for and are feared lost in the mudslides. The storm also killed 22 people in the Philippines and eight in China.readmore

Canada finds possible US Air Force plane lost in 1942

OTTAWA (AFP) - Canadian underwater archeologists accidentally discovered what they believe to be the wreck of a US Air Force airplane that sank in the Saint Lawrence seaway in 1942, the Parks Canada divers said Thursday.

The divers said in a statement that they were carrying out routine work in an adjacent area when they came across the wreck. It must still be confirmed that it is indeed the lost plane.

"This is a very significant discovery," Quebec region Minister Christian Paradis said. "This plane is a testament to the collaboration between Canada and the US during the Second World War."

The amphibious aircraft foundered in rough weather on November 2, 1942, in the waters surrounding what is now the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve in the eastern Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

The plane was based at Presqu'Ile, Maine, in the United States, and serviced an airfield in the village of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec, about 1,000 kilometers (641 miles) northeast of Montreal.readmore

'France requested terrorist's release'

French President Nicolas Sarkozy sent a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu requesting that Israel release a terrorist imprisoned for planning to assassinate Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Channel 2 reported Wednesday evening.

Salah Hassan Hamori, of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was arrested by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) for his part in the plot to kill Shas's spiritual leader in 2005.

Hamori holds an Israeli identity card and French citizenship, and there has been massive Palestinian pressure on Sarkozy to work toward Hamori's release from captivity, and to equate the status of the convicted terrorist to that of captive IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, who also holds French citizenship.

According to Channel 2, Hamori's mother recently met with Sarkozy on the matter. The Prime Minister's Office acknowledged receiving the French request, and said it was being considered, according to the report.

The PFLP cell of which Hamori was a member had planned to attack Yosef as he left his Jerusalem home. In January 2005, cell members studied the route leading to and from Yosef's home, spied on the security guards located outside his residence and monitored his movements. readmore

Raul Castro warns US, EU he will defend Cuba system

HAVANA (AFP) - Cuban President Raul Castro warned the United States and the European Union that the country's socialist political system was non-negotiable, adding he would not "restore capitalism" in Cuba.

In a speech Saturday marking the end of the annual parliamentary session, which has been dominated by Cuba's grave economic crisis, Castro said he would be willing to "discuss everything" except the island's political and social system.

The Cuban leader, who succeeded his ailing brother Fidel Castro as president three years ago, said he wanted to respond to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statements linking dialogue with Cuba to democratic reform in the country.

"With all due respect, in response to Mrs Clinton, but also to the European Union... I was not chosen as president to restore capitalism to Cuba or to renounce the revolution," he said to applause from lawmakers.

"I was chosen to defend, maintain and continue to perfect socialism, not to destroy it," said Castro.

The former army chief, 78, reiterated that he would be willing to conduct a "respectful dialogue, between equals" with the United States.readmore

Jimmy Carter confronts 'religious prejudice' against women

by Eric Young, Christian Post

Former president Jimmy Carter and The Elders group of global leaders are calling for a change to "the harmful and discriminatory practices against women and girls and give their full support to the equality of all".

"Religion and tradition are a great force for peace and progress around the world," said The Elders, a group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela, in statement to mark the launch of their latest initiative.

"However, as Elders, we believe that the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a higher authority, is unacceptable," added the 12-person organisation brought together by former South African president Nelson Mandela.

In an effort to bring change to and end religious and traditional practices that discriminate against women and girls, The Elders are using their latest initiative to reveal how the "deep-rooted belief that women are worth less than men has infected every aspect of our societies".readmore