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BLACKBURN, England (CNN) -- One day after Condoleezza Rice said the United States made possibly "thousands" of tactical mistakes in the war against Iraq, the secretary of state says she was speaking "figuratively, not literally." About 300 protesters -- most of them upset about the war in Iraq -- and two dozen supporters greeted Rice outside the town hall in Blackburn, the home of her counterpart, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. The two faced reporters at midday after attendi ...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- Two people were missing two days after a cruise ship carrying 126 people capsized in the Persian Gulf off Bahrain during a party, killing 57, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said Saturday. Tariq Hassan said the consortium that chartered the boat for the Thursday night bash had reduced the numbers of missing and people aboard. Sixty-seven people were rescued. Nass-Murray & Roberts chartered the boat for a celebratory dinner cruise after complet ...

HAMILTON, Bermuda (Reuters) - A smoking ban in Bermuda's bars and restaurants began on Saturday with drinkers who sneak an illegal puff eventually facing fines of $250 (144 pounds). The ban also covers shops and other enclosed public places in the mid-Atlantic British territory, although there will be no prosecutions until October because of a six-month grace period to allow people to get used to ...

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- A plane carrying 19 people has crashed on a mountainous region outside Rio de Janeiro, killing all aboard, civil defense officials said Saturday. The small LET 410 double-propeller plane belonging to the local Team airline went missing Friday night about 20 minutes after leaving the city of Macae, 110 miles east of Rio de Janeiro, said Roni Alberto de Azevedo, a spo ...

A 15-year-old boy accused of punching an elderly publican during an alleged robbery at a County Tyrone bar has been released on bail at the High Court. The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, is alleged to have attacked the 84-year-old man at the Corner bar in Coagh nearly two weeks ago. He is also alleged to have poured beer over the pensioner's head. The court heard the teenager and a man distracted the publican while a second man stole alcohol and cigarettes. The prosecuting law ...

A 15-year-old boy arrested over the rape of a girl in a supermarket is also being questioning on a further four sex attacks in the region. The girl was attacked on 2 March at the Sainsbury's store on the Shires Retail Park in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Detectives have been given until Saturday night to question the youth they have been holding since Wednesday. Police said he has also been arrested in connection with four indecent assaults in the area. Given more time They said the incide ...

Bahrain's UK expat community is "in shock" but "rallying around" to help Britons who have lost loved ones and relatives in the Gulf boat tragedy. Rev Alan Hayday, Dean of St Christopher's Cathedral, also said he knew of at least two British children who had been orphaned by the disaster. Twelve Britons and three people with UK dual nationality were among 57 killed when a boat capsized off Bahrain. The British Embassy is providing counselling to the bereaved.  ...

Coach Duncan Fletcher has left England's tour of India temporarily to accompany his ill wife Marina back to their home in South Africa. England's next match is Monday's third one-day international against India in Goa, with Fletcher expected to return to the side hours before the start. His wife's condition was not immediately clear but the couple flew on Saturday from Delhi to Cape Town. Assistant coach Matthew Maynard will be in charge for Sunday's practice. Team spokesman James Avery sai ...

Iranian authorities are rushing to provide aid for thousands of people left homeless by Friday's earthquakes in western Lorestan province. More than 70 people were killed and about 1,200 hurt when quakes measuring up to 6.0 struck on Friday morning. Many people chose to spend the night in the open amid fears of aftershocks. The interior ministry said 15,000 homes had been affected. More tents and blankets were required but there was no need for foreign rescue workers. Russia had planned to s ...

By Gideon Long and Sue Pleming BLACKBURN (Reuters) - When Foreign Secretary Jack Straw welcomed Condoleezza Rice to his home town of Blackburn this weekend, he told her she was in "the centre of the world". As the U.S. Secretary of State winds up her trip, she might reflect that if Blackburn prides itself on being at its centre, the world must be a strange place. What did she make, for example, of the man who came to greet her wearing a Union Jack necktie and carrying a Stars and Stripes flag ...