Officials say no to rebuilding in tornado-ravaged Okla. town

Fla. wildfires hit 100 homes arsonists sought

By Michael R. Brown (AP)

Investigators searched Tuesday for one or more arsonists behind a string of stubborn wildfires that have destroyed or damaged about 100 homes on Florida\'s Atlantic coast.

Firefighters in Brevard County were trying for the third day to contain fires that have scorched about 3,800 acres, or 6 square miles, in Palm Bay and neighboring Malabar.

Though the high winds fueling the flames Monday had slowed significantly, officials worried about the flames spreading quickly in the dry conditions.

\"We desperately need rain,\" said Palm Bay Fire Marshal Mike Couture. \"We don\'t...

China moves quickly to deal with quake

By Chen Xie (AP)

Within 24 hours of China\'s deadly quake, some 20,000 troops converged on the disaster area to help dig out the dead and injured, and military planes and trucks ferried in another 30,000 reinforcements.

The rapid mobilization to stricken Sichuan province reflected the priority that China\'s leadership places on delivering efficient disaster relief while showing the world it stands ready for anything that may come during the Olympics in August.

Following Monday\'s 7.9-magnitude earthquake, Beijing\'s Olympics organizers will scale down Wednesday\'s torch relay in the...

Senate votes to halt oil reserve shipments

By Brendan Hoffman (AP)

The Senate, in a direct challenge to President Bush, voted Tuesday to temporarily halt the shipment of thousands of barrels of oil a day into the government\'s emergency reserve. Both Democrats and Republicans said such shipments make no sense when oil is costing more than $120 a barrel and could better be used to add supplies to a tight market and possibly lower prices.

\"We are buying the most expensive crude oil in the history of the world and storing it,\" said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. \"When American consumers are burning at the stake by high energy prices, the government...