Woman alleges rape by policemen, sparks mob anger (Third Lead)

NEW DELHI - An angry mob Tuesday hurled bricks and stones at a Delhi police station after a woman accused the station house officer and four constables of raping her.

AP ENTERPRISE: Hundreds of Africans turn to US hoop teams in hopes of a better life

MARIETTA, Ga. — Growing up in Nigeria, Robert Ojeah fretted over the demands of everyday life, the sort of things that shouldn’t be a burden to a child.

A lion task: second home for Gir’s big cats remains mired

NEW DELHI - India’s Asiatic lions are the most vulnerable of all the big cats as they live in a single area in Gujarat, making them prone to diseases as well as other threats, and yet calls for creating a second home by the scientific community have been repeatedly ignored, say experts.

Bernanke urges community development firms to take steps to emerge from crisis stronger

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday urged financial institutions that specialize in community development and banking to the poor to take steps to ensure they emerge from the financial crisis stronger.

A look at the world’s flu pandemics: 3 in the 20th century, 1 in the 21st century

Flu pandemics — epidemics on a global scale — have struck three times in the 20th century and once in the 21st century, varying widely in their severity. Here’s a look at the world’s flu pandemics.

Analysis: Impact of new UN sanctions could mainly pinch North Korean weapons exports

WASHINGTON — The United Nations’ newly toughened penalties on North Korea for its nuclear defiance could hit hardest in an area that worries American officials the most: the North’s illicit exports of nuclear and missile technologies.

Families start burying tiny coffins of 38 children killed in Mexican day care fire

HERMOSILLO, Mexico — Grieving parents buried their children Sunday after a devastating daycare fire killed 38 infants and toddlers in a tragedy that stunned Mexico and prompted its president to promise a thorough investigation.

Mexico day care fire kills 35 children; father rams pickup through to reach babies, toddlers

HERMOSILLO, Mexico — Sobbing relatives waited outside a morgue Saturday to claim the bodies of 35 children killed in a day care fire in northern Mexico despite desperate attempts to evacuate babies and toddlers through the building’s only working exit. One father crashed his pickup truck through the wall to rescue his child.

Tibetan protest in 2008, the result of genuine grievances against China: Report

NEW YORK - The Tibetan riots and protests of March 2008 were the result of genuine grievances brought about by failed Chinese Government policies, and not through a plot of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

Pakistani army set for long haul in northwest: Editorial

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani army might have the Taliban on the run in the country’s restive northwest but it is in for a long haul as the true battle will begin once peace is restored, an editorial in a leading English daily said Saturday.

Obama arrives in Paris for D-Day commemorations, reunion with wife and daughters

PARIS — President Barack Obama has arrived in Paris.

Obama calls for redoubling efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace, says ‘the moment is now’

WEIMAR, Germany — President Barack Obama toured a World War II concentration camp Friday after prodding the international community to redouble efforts toward separate Israeli and Palestinian states in hopes of resolving a conflict fueled by the Jewish nation’s post-Holocaust creation.

India threatened by changes to the monsoon: Greenpeace

Mumbai, June 4, 2009 (IANS) The Indian monsoon, the country’s lifeline, will be significantly affected by climate change, says a report released by the NGO Greenpeace on the eve of World Environment Day.

In ancient seat of Islamic learning, Obama seeks new beginning in US ties with Muslims

CAIRO — President Barack Obama called for a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims” Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.

Netanyahu rejects US calls for West Bank settlement freeze as ‘unreasonable’

HAVAT GILAD, West Bank — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday rejected President Barack Obama’s demand for a freeze on West Bank Jewish settlement construction, but his government’s move to dismantle some squatter camps set off a rampage by Jewish settlers against Palestinians.

Political solution should follow Swat offensive: Pakistani PM

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Friday called for a political solution to restore peace in the country’s restive northwest after the military concludes its operations to eliminate the Taliban in the area.

US wants to seize Pakistan’s atomic program: Riaz Khokhar

LAHORE - Former Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar has said that US can never be Pakistan’s friend as it wants is to seize the atomic program by creating unrest here and proving that Pakistan is a failed state.

Study: Swine flu may be up to 23,000 in Mexico; Castro blasts Mexico for slow response

MEXICO CITY — The swine flu virus spread to more countries Tuesday as scientists estimated the new strain could have sickened 23,000 people in Mexico alone before anyone realized it was an epidemic.

Special security arranged ahead of polls in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE - With a view to ensure free and fair polling during the fifth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13, over 1,500 policemen took out a flag march in Coimbatore.

Pope kicks off trip to Israel, Palestinian areas in bid to improve interfaith relations

TEL AVIV, Israel — Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Israel on an emotion-charged visit to the Holy Land hoping to improve relations with Jews and Muslims.

Religious adviser to Jordan’s king thanks pope for conveying regret after controversial speech

AMMAN, Jordan — The top religious adviser to Jordan’s king thanked Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday for expressing regret after a speech three years ago that many Muslims deemed insulting to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

The day the Universe froze

WASHINGTON - A new model for dark energy has suggested that the Universe froze about 11.5 billion years ago, when it was a quarter of the size it is today.

Top flu expert says contagious swine flu could mix with deadly bird flu

vMEXICO CITY — Bird flu kills more than 60 percent of its human victims, but doesn’t easily pass from person to person. Swine flu can be spread with a sneeze or handshake, but kills only a small fraction of the people it infects.

California’s Santa Barbara imperiled by wildfire again; Gov. says dozens of homes destroyed

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Paradise is not lost, but it’s in flames — again. The seasonal wildfires that menace this idyllic coastal city roared to life earlier than usual but with all-too-familiar ferocity, burning mansions to their foundations and forcing more than 13,000 to flee. Dozens of homes were destroyed, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said.

Slow, smooth start to voting in Delhi

NEW DELHI - Voting got off to a quiet start across the national capital’s seven parliamentary seats with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit among the early birds and officials optimistic that the not-so-hot weather would see more people coming out as the day passed.

Heritage sites in China under termite threat

NEW DELHI - Reports indicate that more than 70 percent of ancient buildings in Xi’an in China are under attack from termites, posing a long-term risk to the city’s heritage.

AP Interview: CEO says GM can still avoid bankruptcy despite daunting restructuring list

DETROIT — With just a month left to check off an almost insurmountable list of restructuring moves, General Motors Corp.’s new CEO says it’s still possible that the company can finish everything and avoid following Chrysler into bankruptcy.

CDC optimistic new flu not as dangerous as first feared, but ‘we’re not out of the woods yet’

WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are cautiously optimistic that the new swine flu isn’t as dangerous as first feared, but urged people to keep taking commonsense precautions — and they can’t predict if it will roar back in the fall.

Mexico swine flu deaths jump to 19, experts say virus can mutate and warn against complacency

MEXICO CITY — Mexico reported three new deaths from the swine flu epidemic Saturday and urged citizens not to let their guard down against a virus that has killed 19 in people in Mexico and is spreading across Asia and Europe.

UN-WTO: No need for anti-pork trade measures since swine flu not transmitted by food

ROME — The U.N. and World Trade Organization said Saturday there is no justification for anti-pork trade measures as a result of the swine flu epidemic since there is no evidence the virus is spread by food.