AFP - Colombian-French politician Ingrid Betancourt was Thursday tearfully reunited with her children for the first time in six years, a day after her dramatic jungle rescue from Marxist rebels.
Reuters - Some 2,200 U.S. Marines battling
insurgents in southern Afghanistan have had their tour of duty
extended by 30 days, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
AFP - US President George W. Bush will attend the August 8 opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games despite appeals from human rights activists that he boycott the gala, the White House said Thursday.
Reuters - A massive, out-of-control wildfire
bearing down on the scenic coastal town of Big Sur was
exhibiting "extreme fire behavior" that had authorities fearing
for nearly 1,800 homes and businesses in its path and ordering
residents to get out.
Reuters - U.S. employers cut workers for a
sixth straight month in June for the longest such streak since
2002 and the country's vast service sector unexpectedly
contracted, underscoring the economy's frailty.
Reuters - Ingrid Betancourt, the symbol of rebel
hostages in Colombia, hugged and wept with her children for the
first time in six years on Thursday after a military rescue
that dealt a severe blow to already weakened guerrillas.
Reuters - Britain has received new U.S. assurances
that the CIA did not secretly smuggle terrorist suspects
through its territory, but critics said on Thursday the
government had failed to ask Washington the right questions.
