March 15, 2010
BANGKOK – Thailand's prime minister, backed by a formidable military force, rejected an ultimatum to dissolve Parliament on Monday as tens of thousands of red-shirted protesters vowed to continue their push to oust the government.
They later set another deadline, threatening to pour more than 2,000 pints (1 million cubic centimeters) of blood drawn from their ranks at Government House, the seat of government, if their renewed demand was rejected by 6 p.m. Tuesday (7 a.m. EDT, 1100 GMT).
International
March 15, 2010
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – Suspected drug gang hit men separately ambushed two cars carrying families with ties to the U.S. consulate in this violent border city, killing an American couple and a Mexican man. Three young children survived, although two suffered wounds.
The slayings came amid a surge in bloodshed along Mexico's border with Texas and drew condemnation from the White House. Mexico's president expressed outrage and promised a fast investigation to find those responsible.
International
March 15, 2010
KABUL – An early morning rocket attack on the largest U.S. military hub in Afghanistan killed one person Monday, NATO said. In the east, meanwhile, Afghan authorities thwarted three would-be suicide bombers from attacking a security post.
The attack targeted the sprawling Bagram Air Field, north of the capital of Kabul. A NATO spokesman would not say whether the victim was a service member or a civilian.
International
March 15, 2010
JERUSALEM – The U.S. is pressing Israel to scrap a contentious east Jerusalem building project whose approval has touched off the most serious diplomatic feud with Washington in years, said Israeli officials Monday.
Tensions in the city at the center of the spat were high, with police out in large numbers in Jerusalem's volatile Old City in expectation of renewed clashes and Palestinian shopkeepers shuttering their stores for several hours to protest Israel's actions in the city.
International
March 15, 2010
US drone crashes in southern AfghanistanKABUL: The U.S. Air Force says a remote-piloted drone crashed on takeoff in southern Afghanistan on Monday.
The U.S. Air Forces Central Command said the aircraft _ an MQ-1Predator was not shot down by hostile fire. An air force statement released Tuesday said there were no reports of injuries or property damage. An investigation into the crash is under way.
The Air Force says the primary mission of the aircraft is to conduct armed reconnaissance. No other details were provided.
International
March 15, 2010
TRENTON: Hundreds of people in northern New Jersey have been evacuated from their homes as swollen rivers continue overflow their banks.
About 700 Bound Brook residents were staying in shelters Sunday after the Somerset County community declared a state of emergency and ordered some mandatory evacuations due to the rising level of the Raritan River.
International
March 15, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians to shun next week's Persian fire festival as an un-Islamic event which causes "a lot of harm."
Seven people have already been reported killed in the run-up to the festival, a local news agency said, quoting a police chief.
Charshanbe Soori, an ancient pagan festival, is held on the eve of the last Wednesday of the Persian calendar year. This year, the ritual falls on the night of March 16.
International
March 15, 2010
CAIRO – A letter purportedly from one of Osama bin Laden's sons is calling on Iran's supreme leader to release members of his family believed to be under house arrest there since they fled Afghanistan in 2001.
Khalid bin Laden's statement was posted on militant Web sites Monday. The letter itself dates back to early January, shortly after news reports surfaced about the escape of one of his sisters to the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
Khalid's statement called on the Iranian authorities to release his siblings and some 25 other family members. Iran didn't confirm the reports.
International
March 15, 2010
ADELAIDE, Australia – A government routine of acknowledging Australia's indigenous people was criticized as mere political correctness Monday by the federal opposition leader, offending some Aborigines and sparking a political debate.
Since the government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd came to power in late 2007, nearly every official government function has begun with the speaker acknowledging the traditional owners of the land where the meeting is held.
Tony Abbott, leader of the Liberal party, said the practice has been used so often that it has become an empty gesture.
International
March 15, 2010
LAGOS, Nigeria – Twin car bombs exploded outside a government building where amnesty talks were underway Monday in Nigeria's restive and oil-rich region, wounding two people and causing panic, a government spokesman said.
International
