Comoros crash spotlights 3rd-world air travel risk

Comoros crash survivor welcomed back home in Paris

By (AP)

A battered young girl believed to be the only survivor of an Indian Ocean plane crash flew back to Paris on Thursday to be embraced gently by her father, who tried to lift her spirits with a joke.

Bahia Bakari, 14, returned to France from the Comoros Islands on a French government plane. The Falcon-900 jet with medical facilities left the archipelago nation, a former French colony, and arrived at Le Bourget airport just north of Paris.

Yemenia Flight 626 crashed Tuesday morning off Comoros amid heavy winds, and Bahia, described by her father as a fragile girl who could barely...

Marines suffer first casualties in Afghan campaign

By David Guttenfelder (AP)

U.S. Marines suffered their first casualties of a massive new military campaign Thursday as they engaged in sporadic gunbattles along 55 miles of Taliban-controlled heartland in southern Afghanistan.

One Marine was killed and several others were injured or wounded on the first full day of the assault, the largest military operation in Afghanistan since the fall of Taliban government in 2001.

The offensive will test the Obama administration\'s new strategy of holding territory and letting the Afghan government sink roots in Helmand province. The insurgency has proven...

Canada court upholds Jehovahs Witness transfusion

By (AP)

Canada\'s top court on Friday dismissed the case of a young Jehovah\'s Witness who claimed that her rights were violated when she was forced to get a blood transfusion against her wishes because she was a minor.

In a 6-1 ruling, the Supreme Court decided that such court-ordered medical interventions are not unconstitutional.

However, the court also said the maturity and decision-making capacity of minors must be taken into account before ruling in favor of enforced treatment. The judges awarded the girl her court case costs as part of the ruling Friday.

The 14-year-old...

EU urges Iran to release British Embassy staff

By HENRIK MONTGOMERY / SCANPIX (AP)

The European Union demanded on Thursday that Iran release all detained British Embassy staff amid disagreement over how many there were and discussion of a British proposal for the bloc to jointly withdraw all 27 of its ambassadors from the country.

Recalling the diplomats would be an extraordinary move and a powerful signal of EU unity in the wake of Tehran\'s postelection crackdown.

But punishing the regime too harshly also risks spoiling chances of making headway on the critical issue of Iran\'s disputed nuclear program.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt suggested...

US envoy returns to post in Venezuela

By Ariana Cubillos (AP)

A U.S. envoy who was expelled last year by President Hugo Chavez said Thursday he hopes to re-establish dialogue after resuming his post in Venezuela.

Ambassador Patrick Duddy also praised the response from governments across the Americas and international bodies such as the Organization of American States in criticizing the coup in Honduras.

\"We\'ve seen the United States, Venezuela and the rest of the democratic countries of our hemisphere work intensely in the OAS to search for a peaceful and democratic outcome that will re-establish constitutional order in Honduras,\"...

FBI notes Saddam Hussein sought familiar refuge

By (AP)

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein stayed in Baghdad until he saw \"the city was about to fall.\" Months later, he was caught hiding at the same farm where he had fled in 1959 after taking part in an attempt to kill the country\'s prime minister.

Unclassified FBI interviews conducted during his incarceration at a U.S. detention center offered new details Thursday about the late Iraqi dictator\'s life on the run _ both before and after he was ousted.

The documents also confirm previous reports that Saddam falsely allowed the world to believe Iraq had weapons of...