No sympathy for ‘runaway bride’
MSNBC - 27 minutes ago By Nina Bradley. As a fellow bride-to-be, I understand the pressures and stress related to getting married. My phone was ringing off the hook this weekend as my friends and family learned the news that Jennifer

Australia Seeks Release of Hostage in Iraq
ABC News - 1 hour ago Members of the media staking-out the Alamo, Calif. home of Douglas Wood, an Australian man allegedly kidnapped by Iraqi militants, try to ask his neighbors some questions Sunday, May 1, 2005. Iraqi militants

Japan, South Korea Play Down North Korea's Missile Launch
Voice of America - 4 hours ago By Steve Herman. Japan and South Korea are downplaying the seriousness of a reported missile launch on Sunday by North Korea. Tokyo and Seoul are portraying the reported short-range missile test into the Sea of Japan Sunday as nothing alarming.

Sharansky Resigns Israeli Cabinet Post
Washington Post - 2 hours ago By Molly Moore. JERUSALEM, May 2 -- Israeli cabinet member Natan Sharansky, praised by President Bush as an inspirational author, resigned Monday to protest Israel's planned removal of soldiers and Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip.

Abu Ghraib Guard England Pleads Guilty to Iraqi Prisoner Abuse
Bloomberg - 54 minutes ago May 2 (Bloomberg) -- Lynndie England, the US Army private who was photographed holding a nude Iraqi detainee on a leash, pleaded guilty to prisoner abuse and other charges today, said a military spokesman at Fort Hood, Texas.

Disclosures 'sensitized' insurers, Buffett says
International Herald Tribune - 3 hours ago OMAHA, Nebraska Insurers were "sensitized" by disclosures about unseemly practices and financial manipulation, and industry executives have substantially curtailed the practices that have drawn regulatory scrutiny, according to Warren Buffett, the

Annan Seeks Iran Nuclear Arms Restraint
ABC News - 1 hour ago UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan speaks during a conference to review the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Monday May 2, 2005 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. At a time of growing nuclear tensions

Bidding War Over MCI Accepts Higher Verizon Offer
E-Commerce Times - 49 minutes ago MCI's board of directors said today that it had found the new Verizon offer superior to the last bid from Qwest, citing a range of reasons but focusing largely on the belief that a combined Verizon/MCI is a stronger company than a Qwest/MCI combination.

Retirement dream sadly may be real
San Francisco Chronicle - 7 hours ago When people ask me about my retirement plans, I always give a stock wise-guy answer: I tell 'em I plan to buy a double-wide trailer, move it to Las Cruces, NM, and regard any varmints strolling about the premises as a potential fricasseed lunch.

First Lady's Ribbing Still Talk of DC
San Francisco Chronicle - 1 hour ago By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer. Laura Leno Bush That's the new nickname President Bush has given the first lady, whose comedy routine at a weekend dinner was still the talk in Washington on Monday.