Headlines News

By Miles Evans MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The strength of English amateur boxing was clear to see as their young fighters took a hat-trick of Commonwealth gold medals on the final day of action at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre on Saturday. Flyweight Don Broadhurst was the pick of the bunch with an astonishingly assured destruction of South Africa's Jackson Chauke in the 51-kilogram division. "It hasn't sunk in yet to be honest," said Broadhurst, who won after opening a 20-point advantage midway  ...

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- At least three crude bombs exploded and two others were disarmed Friday at the homes of people who work for a federal aviation contractor in Grand Junction, Colorado, prompting evacuation of the air traffic control tower at the city airport, officials said. No injuries were reported and there were no delays at the airport. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, ...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - U.S. forces were involved in heavy fighting with Taliban guerrillas in Afghanistan on Saturday but there was no immediate word on casualties, a provincial official said. Afghanistan has seen a surge in attacks by Taliban insurgents and their militant allies in recent months and the Taliban have vowed to launch a spring offensive against U.S.-led foreign forces an ...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- It all began when eighth-grader Tanya Kach skipped class in 1996. She spent the next 10 years living and having sex with the 37-year-old school security guard who caught her playing hooky, according to police reports. Kach, now 24, surfaced this week thanks to local deli owner Joseph Sparico, with whom she shared her story. Sparico called police. The Pennsylvania woman's family was not commenting Friday, while the man Kach claims she lived with for a decade will remain in ja ...

By Krista Hughes FRANKFURT (Reuters) - After a long, cold winter, the German fur industry is eyeing the catwalks of Paris and Milan and pinning its hopes on fur-friendly designers and a new breed of young consumers to lift it out of the doldrums. Strong demand from Russian and Chinese consumers and fashion gurus' declarations that fur is back have raised hopes that German and other European firm ...

By Claudia Parsons NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mighty Mike C, a veteran rapper at the age of 42, recalls the days when he used to tap electricity from street lights to set up the music for street parties in Harlem back in the early days of hip hop. These days he's got a day job working for the city and he takes tourists on a "Hip Hop Pioneers Tour" that passes by the landmarks of a genre now so mainstream it's getting a place in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. "All you needed was a str ...

TORONTO, Ontario (AP) -- The spring leg of Canada's seal hunt is set to begin at dawn Saturday by isolated Atlantic fishermen determined to maintain their way of life, as the government largely ignores pleas from protesters opposed to the slaughter. Paul McCartney and his wife, Heather, said in a video message from London, England, on Friday that they were stunned that the Canadian government has turned a blind eye to all the protests, boycotts and appeals to end the spring leg of the hunt in Q ...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As American troops moved toward Iraq, Saddam Hussein was receiving information about U.S. battle strategy and troop movements from a Russian ambassador, according to a Pentagon report released Friday. The Russians claimed they obtained the information from sources inside the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Doha, Qatar, and conveyed it to Hussein via the Russian ambassador to Iraq, the report states. Brig. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, one of the Pentagon officials who helped  ...

By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Rarely do Manchester United fans wish for a Manchester City victory, but they will make an exception on Saturday when the Sky Blues take on Chelsea. Mid-table City travel to Stamford Bridge trying to inflict a second straight league defeat on Jose Mourinho's side after Fulham beat the leaders 1-0 last Sunday. That defeat hardly triggered the alarm bells for Chelsea, who still hold a 12-point lead over second-placed United. Another slip, however, could breat ...

By Elisabeth O'Leary and Teresa Larraz BILBAO, Spain (Reuters) - Batasuna, the outlawed Basque political party, deserves credit for its role in the process which led to this week's ETA ceasefire, an Irish priest involved in the talks said on Friday. Father Alec Reid, a Roman Catholic priest who has been heavily involved in the Northern Irish peace process, said Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero should recognise Batasuna's contribution. "That party deserves credit from Zapate ...