Flights begin from China to Taiwan In the latest breakthrough in cross-strait relations, the first regular weekend flights between China and Taiwan took place on Friday. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Ingrid Betancourt, the former hostage in Colombia, returns home to France Two days after her rescue, Betancourt arrived in Paris to greet a joyful nation that had adopted her as one of its own, campaigning for her freedom and moved by her reunion with her children. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Bold Colombia rescue built on rebels' disarray The military raid that duped FARC guerrillas and freed 15 hostages might help push the rebels to negotiate for peace. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:50:58 GMT Related Article »  Carefully planned Colombia rescue exploited FARC weaknesses The rescue, described by commanders of the Colombian Army and officials in Washington and Bogotá, was almost exclusively a Colombian operation that highlighted the growth of a military that has benefited from $5.4 billion in aid from the United States since 2000. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:54:32 GMT Related Article »  Changing dynamics in Iraq pose challenge for Obama Obama has been trying to retain flexibility as violence declines in Iraq without abandoning one promise of his campaign: that if elected he would end the war. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  McCain campaign seeks strategy to attack Obama Party operatives and McCain advisers see the Republican candidate running into some of the same problems that bedeviled Hillary Clinton's primary campaign against the Illinois Democrat. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:47:28 GMT Related Article »  McCain winds up Latin trip in Mexico Senator John McCain used his visit to appeal to residents of both sides of the border: Mexicans and, more urgently, Latinos in the United States. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:58:44 GMT Related Article »  Germany passes law aimed at reducing carbon emissions Germany on Friday passed new measures aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions by agreeing to double the amount of power from renewable energy sources. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Japan set to show off its expertise on energy frugality As it prepares to host next week's Group of 8 summit meeting, Japan is poised to assume a global leadership role in energy conservation. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  European Commission rebukes Sarkozy on interest rates and trade The European Commission delivered a sharp response Friday to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France over his recent comments on interest rates and trade policy, underlining European economic policy divisions before the coming Group of 8 summit meeting. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Jesse Helms, conservative force in U.S. Senate, dies The former North Carolina senator, whose courtly manner barely masked a hard-edged conservatism that opposed civil rights, foreign aid and modern art, died Friday. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Blast at concert injures dozens in Belarus A bomb exploded during an outdoor concert Minsk, the capital of Belarus, injuring dozens of people. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Iran responds to nuclear incentives package The response came in a letter for the EU foreign policy chief. Officials declined to discuss the contents. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Bush to attend opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics The decision is fraught with international political symbolism and quickly drew criticism from advocates for human rights. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Chinese security official warns of threats to Olympics The vice minister responsible for protecting the Games said the Beijing Olympics may be a target for unrest and sabotage by "hostile forces." Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:32:00 GMT Related Article »  U.S. pushes for UN sanctions on Zimbabwe The proposal before the Security Council includes an arms embargo and punitive measures against 14 people the United States deemed most responsible for undermining the presidential election through violence. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Bush asks for help, abroad and at home, in sending aid to Africa President George W. Bush called for Congress to renew his global AIDS initiative and urged other nations to live up to their promises to fight poverty and disease on the continent. Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:59:14 GMT Related Article »  For many troops in Iraq, July 4th is all business At smaller outposts close to the violence, the holiday comes with a can of meat, some cookies and a job not yet done. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  9 sentenced to prison in Austrian bank fraud case Judge Claudia Bandion-Ortner found the defendants responsible for causing losses of as much as €1.7 billion at Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft in Austria, or Bawag, through risky investments. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  A star anchorman in France is saying farewell Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, anchor of the nightly news on TF1, France's most-watched channel, is departing. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Full circle for a dancer at Brandenburg Gate When Dominique Rosales, the daughter of a black Cuban father and an East German mother, takes the stage with the other members of the Ailey II dance company, it will mark the end of an unlikely round-trip journey. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Familiar Wimbledon endings: Federer and Nadal and the Williams sisters The men's final, for the third straight year, will be between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and the women's final will be another family affair. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Friday Wimbledon Results Results Friday from Wimbledon, played on grass at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (seedings in parentheses): Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:00:13 GMT Related Article »  Kurdish oil deal with Texas company is questioned The oil deal with the regional Kurdistan government runs counter to U.S. policy and undercuts Iraq's central government, a congressional committee has concluded. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Questions for the candidates The next U.S. president will have to decide whether America will be an empire or a democracy. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  When peace talks undermine justice At events marking the International Criminal Court treaty's 10th anniversary, diplomats must align peace negotiations with the commitment to justice. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  What we learned in the war We recently witnessed a violation of the first rule of the political talking head: Speak softly when cable TV hosts are entering a summer slow-news week. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Small town's new federal agent turns out to be a fake Sergeant Bill, it turned out, was no federal agent, but Bill Jakob, an unemployed former trucking company owner, a former security guard and a former small-town cop. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  For Iraqi Christians, money bought survival Protection money paid to insurgents became a secret complication of life for Iraq's Christian population. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  On U.S. campuses, a generational shift to moderates A vast generational change is likely to profoundly alter the culture at American universities and colleges over the next decade. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Sworn to virginity and living as men in Albania In a ritual that is now vanishing, Albanian girls take an oath of celibacy in return for the right to live and rule their family as a man. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  Myanmar's new capital: Remote, lavish and off-limits The ruling military junta moved the capital of Myanmar - almost in secret - from the city of Yangon to a remote spot in the northern jungle. They named it Nyapyidaw. Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:02:29 GMT Related Article »  More woes in Myanmar: Oxen won't plow Donated oxen and water buffaloes are refusing to work because they are stressed, and planting must be done soon to take advantage of the next crop cycle. Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:26:43 GMT Related Article »