Leaving Afghanistan is West's priority: think-tank

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• Leaving Afghanistan is West's priority: think-tank
• North Carolina PG Marshall out for Midwest final
• Bubble craft
• Day in the park
• Senegal president, ex-protege face off in 2nd vote
• James Cameron begins dive to deepest spot on Earth
• House GOP budget plan heats up as campaign issue
• Sri Lanka ups prices for England Test
• Pope calls for Christian faith, not violence, in Mexico
• James Cameron heads to deepest spot on Earth
• Syrian forces on offensive, Moscow says peace takes time
• U.S. negotiation efforts with Taliban have failed: group
• 'Hunger Games' battles to $155M opening weekend
• Hugo Chavez begins radiation therapy in Cuba
• Russia says Annan offers last chance for Syria
• STORY REMOVED: Gaza-Power Cuts
• Financial struggles common among military families
• Doctors doubt favoritism in Cheney transplant
• Pope celebrates Mass for Mexicans looking for hope
• Key question in Penn State case: Who is Victim 2?
• Ultey to miss Phils' opener for 2nd straight year
• Senators ask feds to probe requests for passwords
• Obama gets personal over killing of black Florida teenager
• Afghan gun massacre families paid compensation
• Taking care
• Beijing loyalist to lead Hong Kong after fraught election
• French gunman's brother charged, denies role
• Exclusive: Shell scrambles to pay huge bill for Iran oil
• Chavez starts radiation therapy, may meet Pope
• Pope condemns corruption, drug trade in Mexico
• Pope's trip sparks hopes for change in Cuba
• Kuwait names new central bank governor
• Pope meets victims of drug violence on Mexico trip
• Baseballs, beer, masks: Cuba's patron saint ready for pope
• AP Enterprise: Vegas rail: a gamble or good thing?
• Terrapins rally past Aggies 81-74 in NCAAs
• Lawyer: Frenchman's brother knew nothing of plot
• Armed Libyans hand airport to police, ready or not
• Parishioners comfort relatives of WV fire victims
• Battle over Obama health law reaches high court

Leaving Afghanistan is West's priority: think-tank Posted: The West wants to pull out of Afghanistan "with or without a settlement" and attempts to negotiate with the Taliban are unlikely to lead to lasting peace, a report by a respected think-tank said Monday.

North Carolina PG Marshall out for Midwest final Posted: North Carolina will be without point guard Kendall Marshall for the Midwest Regional final against Kansas.

Bubble craft Posted: Andrew Ang makes a huge bubble at the Luneta Park in Manila. Ang creates a secret bubble formula, a liquid solution, and sells it to passers-by at the park.

Day in the park Posted: A boy jumps towards a huge bubble created by Andrew Ang at the Luneta Park in Manila. Ang creates a secret bubble formula and sells it to passers-by at the park.

Senegal president, ex-protege face off in 2nd vote Posted: Senegal's president pumped his fists confidently in the air outside his polling station Sunday, as voters cast their ballots in a runoff election that could oust the 85-year-old leader after 12 years in power.

James Cameron begins dive to deepest spot on Earth Posted: Director James Cameron began his journey Sunday to someplace only two men have gone before — to the Earth's deepest point.

House GOP budget plan heats up as campaign issue Posted: The new debt-slashing budget plan pushed by House Republicans heated up as a presidential campaign issue Sunday as the proposal's architect, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, sparred with top Democrats over its political fallout and downplayed the possibility he could be tapped as a vice presidential candidate.

Sri Lanka ups prices for England Test Posted: Sri Lanka's cricket chiefs have angered fans by adopting a 10-fold increase in ticket prices for the Test series against England starting on Monday.

Pope calls for Christian faith, not violence, in Mexico Posted: Pope Benedict XVI said at a vast mass to tens of thousands in central Mexico Sunday that violence and the "power of armies" would not save people, pointing instead to the "higher power" of God.

James Cameron heads to deepest spot on Earth Posted: Director James Cameron has begun his journey to someplace only two men have gone before — to the Earth's deepest point.

Syrian forces on offensive, Moscow says peace takes time Posted: MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia offered "full support" for peace envoy Kofi Annan's efforts to end fighting in Syria on Sunday but said his mission would need more time as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad attacked Homs and other rebel strongholds. Moscow also suggested foreign support for the Syrian opposition was the main obstacle to peace while U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan discussed how to get non-lethal aid to the opposition. Western and Arab states have urged Assad to step aside to end violence which the U.N. says has cost 8,000 lives. ...

U.S. negotiation efforts with Taliban have failed: group Posted: KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. negotiation efforts with the Taliban have failed and the United Nations should take the lead to optimize the chances of ending almost 11 years of war, a think tank said on Monday. In a blow to hopes of a negotiated end to the war, the Taliban suspended talks with the United States two weeks ago after the alleged massacre of 17 Afghan civilians by a lone U.S. soldier and the burning of Korans at a NATO base last month. "U.S. ...

'Hunger Games' battles to $155M opening weekend Posted: "The Hunger Games" has filled fan appetites with a $155 million opening weekend that puts it near the top of the domestic record book.

Hugo Chavez begins radiation therapy in Cuba Posted: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he has begun radiation therapy in Cuba as part of cancer treatment one month after undergoing an operation that removed a tumor.

Russia says Annan offers last chance for Syria Posted: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Sunday that Kofi Annan represented the last chance for avoiding a civil war in Syria and offered the UN-Arab League envoy Moscow's full support.

STORY REMOVED: Gaza-Power Cuts Posted: The Associated Press has withdrawn its story about a 5-month-old baby who was said to have died Friday after the generator powering his respirator ran out of fuel, the first known death linked to the territory's energy crisis. The timing and reason for the death were confirmed to the AP by a man identified as the baby's father and a Gaza health official, but the report has been called into question after it was learned that a local newspaper carried news of the baby's death on March 4.

Financial struggles common among military families Posted: Military families aren't surprised when they hear about the financial struggles that Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, his wife and children faced at home. It's part of their lives, too.

Doctors doubt favoritism in Cheney transplant Posted: Doctors say it is unlikely that former Vice President Dick Cheney got special treatment when he was given a new heart that thousands of younger people also were in line to receive.

Pope celebrates Mass for Mexicans looking for hope Posted: Pope Benedict XVI urged Mexicans to wield their faith against poverty and drug violence, telling hundreds of thousands of worshippers in an open-air Mass on Sunday that they would find hope if they purify their hearts.

Key question in Penn State case: Who is Victim 2? Posted: The case is highly emotional, with accusations delving deep back in time and numerous alleged victims. But for all its breadth, one chapter in the Penn State abuse saga outpaces the others: the alleged sexual assault in a team shower by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky of a boy known only as Victim 2.

Ultey to miss Phils' opener for 2nd straight year Posted: Chase Utley will miss the entire exhibition schedule for the second straight year and will not be in the Philadelphia Phillies' opening-day lineup due to his injured knees.

Senators ask feds to probe requests for passwords Posted: Two U.S. senators are asking Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate whether employers asking for Facebook passwords during job interviews are violating federal law, their offices announced Sunday.

Obama gets personal over killing of black Florida teenager Posted: WASHINGTON/SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - President Barack Obama weighed into the controversial killing of a black teenager in Florida in very personal terms on Friday, comparing the boy to a son he doesn't have and calling for American "soul searching" over how the incident occurred. Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin, dressed in a "hoodie" hooded sweatshirt, was shot dead a month ago in Sanford, Florida by a 28-year-old white Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer who said he was acting in self-defense. ...

Afghan gun massacre families paid compensation Posted: KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - U.S. authorities have given cash compensation to the families of Afghans killed in a shooting rampage allegedly carried out by an American soldier in Kandahar province, a family member and a tribal elder said on Sunday. The families received around $50,000 for each person killed and about $10,000 for each wounded in the shootings in two villages in Panjwai district earlier this month. Afghan officials say 16 people, including nine children and women, were killed in the attacks. ...

Taking care Posted: Asha Foundation animal shelter and hospital founder Harmesh Bhatt attends to recently hatched orphaned Alexandrine parakeets at his residence in Ahmedabad.

Beijing loyalist to lead Hong Kong after fraught election Posted: HONG KONG (Reuters) - An election committee of about 1,200 Hong Kong notables picked Beijing-loyalist Leung Chun-ying as the city's next leader on Sunday, after a fraught campaign which will intensify pressure on China to keeps its promise to allow Hong Kong a direct leadership election in 2017. Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, is a freewheeling capitalist hub which enjoys a high degree of autonomy and freedom, but Beijing's Communist Party leaders have resisted public pressure for full democracy. ...

French gunman's brother charged, denies role Posted: A Frenchman suspected of helping his brother plot attacks against Jewish schoolchildren and paratroopers was handed preliminary murder and terrorism charges Sunday.

Exclusive: Shell scrambles to pay huge bill for Iran oil Posted: LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell is struggling to pay off $1 billion that it owes Iran for crude oil because European Union and U.S. financial sanctions now make it almost impossible to process payments, industry sources said. Four sources said the oil major owes a large sum to the National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) for deliveries of crude, with one putting the figure at close to $1 billion. A debt of that size would equate to roughly four large tanker loads of Iranian crude or about 8 million barrels. ...

Chavez starts radiation therapy, may meet Pope Posted: CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez said on Sunday he had started radiation treatment in Cuba, where he could also meet Pope Benedict in the latest high profile development as the president tries to fight off cancer and win re-election. Chavez was back in Havana a month after he had surgery there to remove a second malignant tumor from his pelvis. The treatment will take him off the political stage just as his election rival gears up a nationwide campaign tour ahead of the October 7 vote. ...

Pope condemns corruption, drug trade in Mexico Posted: LEON, Mexico (Reuters) - Pope Benedict at a huge outdoor Mass on Sunday condemned drug trafficking and corruption in Mexico, urging people to put aside violence and revenge in the country where a murderous war between cartels has led to tens of thousands of deaths. On his last day in Mexico, the pope said Mass for a vibrant crowd that organizers estimated at 300,000 people at a sprawling park on the outskirts of Leon in central Mexico, the biggest turnout for his Latin American trip. ...

Pope's trip sparks hopes for change in Cuba Posted: HAVANA (Reuters) - For years at Havana's historic Cristobal Colon cemetery, Communist Party members refused to enter the Roman Catholic chapel there for funeral services. They stayed outside while others honored the dead because religious believers were banned from the party and being seen in a church, particularly a Catholic one, could bring trouble even for someone in mourning. But those days are gone and the Church has taken a bigger role in Cuban society since the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1998, said 68-year-old Erick Osio, who remembers standing outside the cemetery chapel. ...

Kuwait names new central bank governor Posted: Kuwait is promoting the central bank's deputy governor to the institution's top job following the resignation of its long-serving leader last month, the finance minister announced Sunday.

Pope meets victims of drug violence on Mexico trip Posted: LEON, Mexico (Reuters) - Pope Benedict met a small group of victims of Mexico's raging drug violence on Saturday after he spoke out strongly against the "evil" of narcotics on his first official visit to the world's second-most populous Roman Catholic country. Brutal clashes between drug cartels and the state have claimed more than 50,000 lives over the past five years, and President Felipe Calderon invited eight people swept up in the turmoil for a private audience with the pope, his office said. ...

Baseballs, beer, masks: Cuba's patron saint ready for pope Posted: EL COBRE, Cuba (Reuters) - Dressed in a billowing pink ball gown for her 15th birthday celebrations, Lisette Catanares smiles at the myriad offerings on a shrine to Cuba's patron saint, a doll-sized figurine that Pope Benedict will visit this week. A can of strong 'Bucanero' beer, a medal, carnival masks, signed baseballs, locks of hair: Cubans of all beliefs make offerings here when they ask for miracles and blessings from The Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, a symbol of nationalism that transcends religion. ...

AP Enterprise: Vegas rail: a gamble or good thing? Posted: On a dusty, rock-strewn expanse at the edge of the Mojave Desert, a company linked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to build a bullet train that would rocket tourists from the middle of nowhere to the gambling palaces of Las Vegas.

Terrapins rally past Aggies 81-74 in NCAAs Posted: Laurin Mincy had 21 points and 12 rebounds to help Maryland rally past Texas A&M 81-74 on Sunday in the semifinals of the Raleigh Regional of the NCAA tournament.

Lawyer: Frenchman's brother knew nothing of plot Posted: A lawyer says a Frenchman suspected of helping his brother plot attacks against Jewish schoolchildren and paratroopers knew nothing about what was going on.

Armed Libyans hand airport to police, ready or not Posted: A powerful Libyan militia said Sunday it has withdrawn from the country's main airport, leaving it unprotected with no government security force to take over.

Parishioners comfort relatives of WV fire victims Posted: As Talma Isabell coped with the crushing heartache of losing her daughter and five grandchildren in a house fire that killed nine people in all, several dozen people surrounded the woman and her family at church Sunday with their arms raised and their heads bowed in prayer.

Battle over Obama health law reaches high court Posted: The monumental fight over a health care law that touches all Americans and divides them sharply comes before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. The justices will decide whether to kill or keep the largest expansion in the nation's social safety net in more than four decades.

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