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Drunken passengers force flight to land in Germany
- Two drunken British women went on a rampage on a charter plane, hitting one flight attendant with a bottle of vodka and trying to open a cabin door as the aircraft was cruising over Austria at 10,000 meters (32,800 feet), police said Saturday.The staff on the flight from Greece to England eventually forced the women back to their seats and the pilot made an emergency in Frankfurt on Thursday, police told The Associated Press, confirming a statement they had issued on Friday.
Big change for welfarist Sweden: School choice
- Schools run by private enterprise? Free iPods and laptop computers to attract students?It may sound out of place in Sweden, that paragon of taxpayer-funded cradle-to-grave welfare. But a sweeping reform of the school system has survived the critics and 16 years later is spreading and attracting interest abroad.
Ukrainian president wants national church
- The Ukrainian president on Saturday asked the world's Orthodox spiritual leader to bless the creation of a Ukrainian church that would be independent of the powerful Moscow patriarchate.The request to Bartholomew I of Constantinople is part of Viktor Yushchenko's drive to assert Ukraine's independence and shake off centuries of Russian influence. It is certain to anger the Russian Orthodox church, which is trying to maintain its influence over this Orthodox country of 46 million.
- The Ukrainian president on Saturday asked the world's Orthodox spiritual leader to bless the creation of a Ukrainian church that would be independent of the powerful Moscow patriarchate.The request to Bartholomew I of Constantinople is part of Viktor Yushchenko's drive to assert Ukraine's independence and shake off centuries of Russian influence. It is certain to anger the Russian Orthodox church, which is trying to maintain its influence over this Orthodox country of 46 million.
Obama defends overseas trip, says it'll help US
- Presidential contender Barack Obama defended his decision to travel to Europe and the Middle East on Saturday, saying that problems encountered by Americans at home are often best dealt with by working with allies overseas.Obama, who spoke to reporters after wrapping up talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, said he wasn't sure if there would be any immediate political impact from the trip.
- Presidential contender Barack Obama defended his decision to travel to Europe and the Middle East on Saturday, saying that problems encountered by Americans at home are often best dealt with by working with allies overseas.Obama, who spoke to reporters after wrapping up talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, said he wasn't sure if there would be any immediate political impact from the trip.
Obama urges Iran to accept EU nuclear proposal
- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, nearing the end of a fast-paced international campaign trip, warned Iran on Friday, "don't wait for the next president" to take office before yielding to Western demands to dismantle its nuclear weapons program."The pressure, I think, is only going to build," he said at a news conference as he stood beside French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, nearing the end of a fast-paced international campaign trip, warned Iran on Friday, "don't wait for the next president" to take office before yielding to Western demands to dismantle its nuclear weapons program."The pressure, I think, is only going to build," he said at a news conference as he stood beside French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Cyprus reunification talks on Sept 3
- Rival Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders said Friday they will start historic reunification talks on Sept. 3, ending years of deadlock and sparking hope that the island's 34-year division could finally end.President Dimitris Christofias, who is Greek Cypriot, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed on the date after meeting in the buffer zone dividing the two communities.
- Rival Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders said Friday they will start historic reunification talks on Sept. 3, ending years of deadlock and sparking hope that the island's 34-year division could finally end.President Dimitris Christofias, who is Greek Cypriot, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed on the date after meeting in the buffer zone dividing the two communities.
Poland says no to DNA testing of Chopin's heart
- Like a religious relic, the heart of composer Frederic Chopin rests in a Warsaw church, untouched since it was preserved in alcohol after his death in 1849 at age 39. And that's how the Polish government wants to keep it.Scientists want to remove the heart for DNA tests to see if Chopin actually died from cystic fibrosis and not tuberculosis as his death certificate stated. But the government says that's not a good reason to disturb the remains of a revered native son.
Fires force tourists from Greek island of Rhodes
- Raging forest fires sent smoke billowing into hotels on the island of Rhodes, prompting the evacuation of more than 2,000 tourists, the Fire Service and municipal officials said.Authorities said the measure was taken as a precaution and affected hotels in the Asklipios area, near the southeast coast of the island popular with British and other European vacationers.
Ex-ally denies Ukraine leader poisoning
- A former friend and ally of the Ukrainian president on Friday denied involvement in his nearly lethal poisoning four years ago and said that the leader's accusations were retribution for criticism.David Zhvania, a member of the pro-presidential faction in parliament and the godfather of one of President Viktor Yushchenko's children, said he was "absolutely" not involved.
Venezuela's Chavez renews warm ties with Spain
- Hugo Chavez laughed and smiled his way through a hug-and-make-up visit to Spain on Friday, his first since a now-infamous exchange in which Spain's normally reserved monarch told the voluble Venezuelan leader to "shut up" at a summit in Chile last year.Chavez arrived an hour late for an appointment at the king's summer residence on Mallorca where he was greeted by King Juan Carlos and Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos - and watched by a mass of photographers and TV crews.
- Hugo Chavez laughed and smiled his way through a hug-and-make-up visit to Spain on Friday, his first since a now-infamous exchange in which Spain's normally reserved monarch told the voluble Venezuelan leader to "shut up" at a summit in Chile last year.Chavez arrived an hour late for an appointment at the king's summer residence on Mallorca where he was greeted by King Juan Carlos and Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos - and watched by a mass of photographers and TV crews.
Catholics to pope: Lift the birth control ban
- More than 50 dissident Catholic groups from around the world have written an open letter asking Pope Benedict XVI to lift the church's ban on birth control.Taking a half-page ad in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the groups said Friday that the Church's ban on artificial birth control has had "catastrophic effects," particularly in the fight against AIDS.