NATIONAL NEWS
Tours of Hanford nuclear waste site draw interest
RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) -- In a cramped control room, a bright yellow sticker cautions workers about critical radiation alarms. Now a novelty stuck on a wall between dials that haven't spun in decades, the sign hints at the enormity of the plant's mission....
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- President Bush in Saudi Arabia to talk with King Abdullah about high gas prices and other issues....
Gay marriage opponents vow to fight Calif. ruling
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Even as same-sex couples across California begin making plans to tie the knot, opponents are redoubling their efforts to make sure wedding bells never ring for gay couples in the nation's most populous state....
Spree of jewel heists puts Houston dealers on edge
HOUSTON (AP) -- Brazen jewel thieves are robbing traveling dealers around Houston in a spree of heists that has jewelers on edge....
Arizona man charged in serial predator investigation
PHOENIX (AP) -- A suspected serial predator accused of sexually assaulting four women, killing two of them, was described by co-workers as a polite, soft-spoken car salesman who mostly kept to himself....
Ask AP: Global warming and the Earth's rotation
As the Earth warms, is it starting to feel a little slow?...
Wiretap victims grateful private eye is convicted
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The nine-week trial of Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano often had seamy plot lines and suspense worthy of a movie: death threats, offers of murder and extramarital affairs....
Ex-Army Corps consultant indicted in bribery case
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A former Army Corps of Engineers consultant and a dirt subcontractor were indicted Thursday on bribery charges stemming from an investigation into levee work after Hurricane Katrina....
Prosecutor: Landlord tried to kill man over rent
NEW YORK (AP) -- Prosecutors say a New York landlord who tried to kill a tenant with a bomb has been indicted on attempted murder and other charges. The tenant lost a leg in the blast....
Polygamist sect's finances are murky
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) -- In just five years, the West Texas polygamist sect transformed 1,700 acres of scrubland purchased for $700,000 into a bustling ranch with a blazing-white limestone temple, sprawling three-story log cabins, woodworking shops and a dairy....
Muskogee, Okla., teen ready for mayoral challenge
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) -- Nineteen-year-old John Tyler Hammons has a lot on his plate as he prepares to take over as mayor of this eastern Oklahoma city, but he's trying to keep his priorities straight....
SoCal fisherman who stabbed sea lion gets probation
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A fisherman who admitted stabbing a sea lion that apparently took bait from his fishing line was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation....
WORLD NEWS
Spokesman: Gunfire hits Iranian convoy in Baghdad
BAGHDAD (AP) -- An Iranian Embassy convoy came under fire in Baghdad, wounding four people, including three Iranians and an Iraqi, an embassy spokesman said Friday....
Bush in Saudi Arabia to discuss oil
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- President Bush, on a one-day visit to Saudi Arabia, is taking a second stab on Friday at getting the oil-rich nation to increase production and drive down the soaring gasoline prices hurting U.S. consumers....
Zimbabwe presidential runoff on June 27
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- A presidential election runoff between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will be held June 27, the electoral commission said in an announcement published Friday....
UN in dark about Myanmar cyclone disaster needs
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- The United Nations said Friday that severe restrictions by Myanmar's military junta have left aid agencies largely in the dark about the extent of survivors' suffering, two weeks after a killer cyclone left up to 2.5 million people destitute....
Militants kill soldier in Pakistan tribal area
KHAR, Pakistan (AP) -- Suspected Islamic militants have killed a Pakistani soldier in revenge for an alleged U.S. missile strike near the Afghan border, an official said Friday....
Al-Maliki offers amnesty in Mosul
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has offered members of armed groups in Mosul an amnesty in exchange for surrendering their weapons....
Religion in the news
TRAMOUNG CHRUM, Cambodia (AP) -- When residents of this poor, Cambodian village need something built, they call on the Lightmans....
Aftershocks spark landslides at quake epicenter
BEICHUAN, China (AP) -- A strong aftershock sparked landslides near the epicenter of this week's powerful earthquake Friday, burying vehicles and again cutting off ravaged areas of central China....
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- President Bush in Saudi Arabia to talk with King Abdullah about high gas prices and other issues....
Losing racehorses in Puerto Rico condemned to die
CANOVANAS, Puerto Rico (AP) -- For thoroughbred racehorses in Puerto Rico, success can be a matter of life and death. Many losers don't make it off the racetrack grounds alive....
In Qatar, Muslim, Jewish clerics meet
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- More than a dozen rabbis, including two from Israel, were in attendance this week as this conservative Muslim sheikdom opened one of the Gulf's first scholarly centers dedicated to interfaith dialogue....
Bin Laden: Palestinian cause fuels war
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Osama bin Laden said in a new audio recording released Friday that al-Qaida will continue its holy war against Israel and its allies until it liberates Palestine....
