Oil holds below $50 on high US stocks
Reuters - 1 hour ago By Joanne Collins. MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Oil prices held under $50 a barrel on Wednesday, ahead of data expected to show a sustained rise in crude stocks in the United States and as OPEC cranked up production.

China offers pandas, not talks, to Taiwan
Seattle Times - 1 hour ago After making the symbolic gesture of offering Taiwan two pandas, the Chinese government turned aside the idea of opening an official dialogue with the island yesterday, the day Taiwanese Nationalist party leader Lien Chan ended a historic mainland visit.

Key interest rate boosted by another quarter point
Miami Herald - 57 minutes ago The Federal Reserve increased the interest rate to 3 percent and signaled that further increases may be needed to reach a 'neutral' zone, where policy neither stimulates nor slows the economy. BY KEVIN G. HALL.

Iran lashes out at nuclear summit
Seattle Times - 1 hour ago By Seattle Times news services. UNITED NATIONS — A defiant Iran said yesterday that it is determined to hold on to all of its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, and lashed out at the United States for trying to limit its efforts.

Arbil Bombing Kills at Least 50, Wounds Many, Military Says
Bloomberg - 38 minutes ago May 4 (Bloomberg) -- At least 50 people were killed today and many others wounded in a suicide bombing in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil, the US military said, the biggest attack since the Jan. 30 election.

Men seethe over scorned groom
Kansas City Star - 2 hours ago By MARK SCHWED. Men, who usually don't get consumed by weddings, have strong feelings about the runaway bride. As of Tuesday Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, hadn't publicly apologized for temporarily turning her fiance into the next Scott Peterson.

US commander: Military unable to win new wars
Xinhua - 3 hours ago BEIJING, May 4 --A leaked classified report shows the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told congress that the US military may not be able to win any new wars as quickly as planned. A senior defence official

Florida's tough stand against child molesters
Christian Science Monitor - 12 hours ago By Richard Luscombe | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor. MIAMI – When convicted sex offender John Couey fled to Georgia in February after allegedly kidnapping, raping, and killing nine-year-old

Polls show UK Conservative Party on the retreat from last election
Forbes - 1 hour ago LONDON (AFX) - Opinion polls this morning ahead of tomorrow's UK general election have shown precious little evidence that the main Conservative Party opposition has made any headway since the last general election in 2001.

Jaafari faces first crisis
Middle East Online - 1 hour ago Analysts say new government feels strain as quest for credible Sunni leaders gives birth to incomplete cabinet. By Beth Potter - BAGHDAD. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari faces his first crisis as the seemingly