SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian shares slumped on Wednesday, tracking heavy losses on Wall Street on fears about an intensifying crisis in U.S. mortgage lending.

BEIJING (Reuters) - South Korea said on Wednesday it saw no signs that North Korea has begun shutting the reactor at the heart of its nuclear weapons ambitions, as diplomats headed to Beijing to push forward a nascent disarmament deal.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Six major powers hope on Wednesday to put finishing touches on a draft text imposing sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, which can be used in a bomb or for peaceful ends.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Conrad Black, who once presided over one of the world's largest media empires, goes to court on Wednesday to determine if he and his associates stole millions of dollars as his conglomerate crumbled.

AP - Asian stocks plunged Wednesday after Wall Street chalked its second-biggest point drop in four years and rattled already nervous markets worldwide.

AP - The chief U.N. nuclear inspector, in Pyongyang for talks on how North Korea will close its main atomic reactor, was unable to meet with the country's top nuclear negotiator Wednesday, the agency's spokeswoman said.

Reuters - Asian shares slumped on Wednesday, tracking heavy losses on Wall Street on fears about an intensifying crisis in U.S. mortgage lending.

Reuters - South Korea said on Wednesday it saw no signs that North Korea has begun shutting the reactor at the heart of its nuclear weapons ambitions, as diplomats headed to Beijing to push forward a nascent disarmament deal.

Reuters - Six major powers hope on Wednesday to put finishing touches on a draft text imposing sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, which can be used in a bomb or for peaceful ends.

Reuters - Conrad Black, who once presided over one of the world's largest media empires, goes to court on Wednesday to determine if he and his associates stole millions of dollars as his conglomerate crumbled.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian shares slumped on Wednesday, tracking heavy losses on Wall Street amid fears a crisis in U.S. mortgage lending is spreading to the wider economy.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog held the agency's first talks with North Korea in more than four years in Pyongyang on Wednesday but the North's top nuclear negotiator said he was too busy to attend.

MERIDA, Mexico (Reuters) - President Bush wraps up a five-nation Latin America tour on Wednesday that has increased pressure on him to make changes in American immigration policy.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president voiced defiance on Wednesday as world powers hoped to put the finishing touches on a draft text imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic, saying the country would not surrender.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - At least eight people were killed during a mortar bomb attack on Somalia's presidential palace, hospital officials said on Wednesday.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Wednesday kicked off four-way talks aimed at working toward peace in the Middle East, part of efforts to raise its political profile in the volatile region and ensure a stable energy supply.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, recovering from injuries he says were inflicted by police, has been released from custody and is due to appear in court later on Wednesday, his lawyer said.

AP - President Bush sent a long-distance message to Congress from the southeast tip of Mexico: The future of U.S. relations south of the border hinges on immigration reform.

Reuters - Asian shares slumped on Wednesday, tracking heavy losses on Wall Street amid fears a crisis in U.S. mortgage lending is spreading to the wider economy.

Reuters - The chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog held the agency's first talks with North Korea in more than four years in Pyongyang on Wednesday but the North's top nuclear negotiator said he was too busy to attend.

Reuters - President Bush wraps up a five-nation Latin America tour on Wednesday that has increased pressure on him to make changes in American immigration policy.

Reuters - Iran's president voiced defiance on Wednesday as world powers hoped to put the finishing touches on a draft text imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic, saying the country would not surrender.

Reuters - At least eight people were killed during a mortar bomb attack on Somalia's presidential palace, hospital officials said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Japan on Wednesday kicked off four-way talks aimed at working toward peace in the Middle East, part of efforts to raise its political profile in the volatile region and ensure a stable energy supply.

AFP - North Korea's top nuclear negotiator was reportedly "too busy" Wednesday to meet the head of the UN atomic watchdog, who was in Pyongyang seeking action on the Stalinist state's nuclear pledges.

LONDON (Reuters) - Global stocks tumbled on Wednesday on fears of financial contagion spreading from troubled U.S. subprime lenders, while safe-haven government bonds and the yen firmed as risk appetite faded.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in intensive care with a broken skull on Wednesday following what he says was a brutal police attack while in custody, his spokesman said.

AP - Asian stocks plunged Wednesday and European shares opened sharply lower after Wall Street chalked its second-biggest point drop in four years and rattled already nervous markets worldwide.

AP - Two people who allegedly sold the suitcases used to make bombs that ignited deadly fires on a train linking India and Pakistan have been arrested, police said Wednesday, announcing the first arrests in the attack that killed 68 people.

AP - Angelina Jolie was expected to arrive in Vietnam late Wednesday night to adopt a 3-year-old boy, adoption officials said.

Reuters - Global stocks tumbled on Wednesday on fears of financial contagion spreading from troubled U.S. subprime lenders, while safe-haven government bonds and the yen firmed as risk appetite faded.

Reuters - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in intensive care with a broken skull on Wednesday following what he says was a brutal police attack while in custody, his spokesman said.

AFP - Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, arrested and beaten after police crushed an anti-government rally, went home Wednesday after prosecution lawyers failed to turn up at court.

LONDON (Reuters) - Global stocks tumbled on Wednesday as fears about the impact of U.S. home owners falling behind with mortgage payments hit financial shares, prompting money to flow into safe-haven government bonds.

MERIDA, Mexico (Reuters) - A tour of Latin America has provided President George W. Bush little respite from a drumbeat of bad news back in Washington, which experts say adds up to the second-term blues.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran would respond militarily if the United States attacks the country to disrupt its nuclear program, Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted a senior official as saying on Wednesday.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in intensive care with a suspected skull fracture on Wednesday following what he says was a brutal police attack while in custody, his spokesman said.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's prime minister appealed on Wednesday for $32.6 million to fund a national reconciliation meeting in Mogadishu and said the next two weeks would prove if it could secure the violent capital in time.

AP - Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Wednesday it's up to President Bush whether he remains in the administration and said he wants to stay and explain to Congress the circumstances surrounding the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

AP - General Motors Corp. reported a net profit on Wednesday of $950 million for the fourth quarter of 2006 due in large part to cost cuts and revenue increases worldwide.

AP - The father of paparazzi magnet and actress Lindsay Lohan has been released from prison after serving almost two years for driving while intoxicated and other charges, according to news reports.

AP - A man told police not to blame him for crashing his truck into a light post — it was that unicorn behind the wheel. Prosecutor Ingrid Rosenquist said Phillip C. Holliday Jr. initially denied driving the truck involved in the March 7 crash in Billings. He told officers at the scene that a unicorn was driving, she said.

AP - Clif Brown scored 32 points and made a career-high six 3-pointers Tuesday night, leading the Niagara Purple Eagles to a 77-69 victory over Florida A&M in the NCAA tournament play-in game.

Reuters - Global stocks tumbled on Wednesday as fears about the impact of U.S. home owners falling behind with mortgage payments hit financial shares, prompting money to flow into safe-haven government bonds.

Reuters - Iran would respond militarily if the United States attacks the country to disrupt its nuclear program, Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted a senior official as saying on Wednesday.

Reuters - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in intensive care with a suspected skull fracture on Wednesday following what he says was a brutal police attack while in custody, his spokesman said.

Reuters - Somalia's prime minister appealed on Wednesday for $32.6 million to fund a national reconciliation meeting in Mogadishu and said the next two weeks would prove if it could secure the violent capital in time.

AFP - Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in intensive care after undergoing a brain scan on Wednesday for a suspected fractured skull, sustained while in police custody.

AFP - Stock markets in Asia and Europe fell heavily again on Wednesday after an overnight slump on Wall Street over signs of trouble in the US housing sector.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks opened higher on Wednesday, bouncing back after the prior session's sell-off, as investors snapped up beaten-down financial shares.

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea is committed to a disarmament pact reached in February but wants sanctions against it lifted first, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday on his return from a trip he said had cleared the air.

HARARE (Reuters) - Morgan Tsvangirai, who heads the opposition to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's rule, was in intensive care with a suspected skull fracture on Wednesday after what he says was a brutal police attack three days ago.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles fertility clinic has launched what it says is the first dedicated program for gay men wanting to become parents.

AP - Wall Street fluctuated in early trading Wednesday a day after concerns about faltering subprime mortgage lenders sparked a broad selloff in stocks.

AP - The Russian state-run company building a nuclear plant in Iran warned Wednesday that Iranian payment delays may cause 'irreversible' damage to the project — another strong signal of Moscow's annoyance with Tehran.

AP - Texas lawmakers are fighting to block the governor's order requiring that sixth-grade girls be vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer, with the House giving key approval to a bill to make the shots strictly voluntary.

AP - Rivals Hamas and Fatah will present a national unity government to parliament for approval Saturday, in hopes of ending deadly internal fighting and leading the Palestinians out of international isolation.

AP - General Motors Corp. reported a net profit on Wednesday of $950 million for the fourth quarter of 2006 due to cost cuts, higher automotive revenues and a gain on the sale of its finance division.

AP - The estranged father of actress Lindsay Lohan has been released from a New York state prison after serving almost two years for driving while intoxicated and other charges.

Reuters - Stocks opened higher on Wednesday, bouncing back after the prior session's sell-off, as investors snapped up beaten-down financial shares.

Reuters - North Korea is committed to a disarmament pact reached in February but wants sanctions against it lifted first, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday on his return from a trip he said had cleared the air.

Reuters - A tour of Latin America has provided President George W. Bush little respite from a drumbeat of bad news back in Washington, which experts say adds up to the second-term blues.

Reuters - Morgan Tsvangirai, who heads the opposition to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's rule, was in intensive care with a suspected skull fracture on Wednesday after what he says was a brutal police attack three days ago.

Reuters - A Los Angeles fertility clinic has launched what it says is the first dedicated program for gay men wanting to become parents.

AFP - Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in intensive care after undergoing a brain scan on Wednesday for a suspected fractured skull, sustained while in police custody.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Wednesday as worries over the worsening subprime mortgage market fueled more caution, setting the Dow Jones industrial average on course to drop below the 12,000 level for the first time since November.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to consider a Democratic plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq after Republican opponents blocked two previous attempts at debating the unpopular war.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Major powers expect an embargo on weapons Iran can export and a call to nations to restrict loans to Tehran as part of a sanctions package against Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment work.

BERLIN (Reuters) - The top U.S. missile defense official is in Europe this week to try to convince skeptics like Germany that the plan will not provoke a new arms race between the West and Russia, U.S. and European officials said.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's government on Wednesday warned that the opposition would pay 'a heavy price' for what it called a campaign of violence to oust it from power.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Toppled media mogul Conrad Black snuck past reporters and entered the court from the basement on Wednesday for a trial to determine whether he and his associates stole millions of dollars as his conglomerate crumbled.

AP - Breaking a parliamentary roadblock, the Senate voted Wednesday to begin its first formal debate on the Iraq war since Democrats took control of Congress in January. The White House swiftly issued a veto threat.

AP - Key U.S. and Iraqi officials on Wednesday issued cautiously optimistic reports one month into the latest drive to curb sectarian bloodshed in Baghdad but warned that months would pass before the operation could be labeled a success.

AP - Stocks fell Wednesday, pulling the Dow Jones industrials through the psychological 12,000 barrier for the first time since Nov. 6 as concerns about faltering subprime mortgage lenders extended a broad selloff in stocks.

AP - All sleeping pills, including the blockbusters Ambien and Lunesta, may sometimes cause a bizarre but dangerous side effect — sleep-driving, the Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday.

AP - General Motors Corp. reported a profit on Wednesday of $950 million for the fourth quarter of 2006, a big turnaround from a loss of $6.6 billion a year ago due in part to cost cuts and higher automotive revenues.

AP - The Albany district attorney conducting a nationwide dragnet into the illicit sale of steroids and human growth hormone will forward the names of athletes linked to the inquiry to pro sports leagues.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Wednesday as worries over the worsening subprime mortgage market fueled more caution, setting the Dow Jones industrial average on course to drop below the 12,000 level for the first time since November.

Reuters - The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to consider a Democratic plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq after Republican opponents blocked two previous attempts at debating the unpopular war.

Reuters - Major powers expect an embargo on weapons Iran can export and a call to nations to restrict loans to Tehran as part of a sanctions package against Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment work.

Reuters - The top U.S. missile defense official is in Europe this week to try to convince skeptics like Germany that the plan will not provoke a new arms race between the West and Russia, U.S. and European officials said.

Reuters - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's government on Wednesday warned that the opposition would pay "a heavy price" for what it called a campaign of violence to oust it from power.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to consider a Democratic plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq after Republican opponents blocked two previous attempts at debating the unpopular war.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks slipped in a volatile session on Wednesday as worries over subprime mortgage losses kept investors on edge, halting a spurt of buying at session lows.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's government vowed to silence dissent on Wednesday, defying international outrage over an assault which left the opposition leader with a suspected fractured skull.

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore told a pensions conference on Wednesday that trustees must include the 'greatest challenge to mankind' in their thinking -- global warming.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Prospective jurors who would decide whether toppled media mogul Conrad Black and his associates stole millions of dollars were asked by a judge on Wednesday if they could be impartial in a case involving someone who amassed great wealth.

AP - Bomb deaths have gone down 30 percent in Baghdad since the U.S.-led security crackdown began a month ago. Execution-style slayings are down by nearly half.

AP - Breaking a parliamentary roadblock, the Senate on Wednesday began its first formal debate on the Iraq war since Democrats took control of Congress, taking up a measure calling for President Bush to withdraw combat troops by the end of next March. The White House swiftly issued a veto threat.

AP - President Bush said Wednesday he is troubled by the Justice Department's misleading explanations to Congress of why it fired eight U.S. attorneys and expected his attorney general to fix them.

AP - A federal judge said Wednesday that Sudan is responsible for the bombing of the USS Cole but he needs more time to determine damages for the families of the 17 sailors killed when terrorists bombed the ship in 2000.

AP - Wall Street turned mixed Wednesday, seeking direction a day after concerns about faltering subprime mortgage lenders sparked a broad selloff in stocks. The Dow Jones industrials briefly fell below the psychological 12,000 barrier for the first time since Nov. 6.

AP - A judge dropped charges Wednesday against former Hewlett-Packard Co. board Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, who was accused of orchestrating the boardroom spying scandal at the Silicon Valley computer company.

AP - A California woman whose doctor says marijuana is the only medicine keeping her alive is not immune from federal prosecution on drug charges, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

AP - Angelina Jolie arrived in Vietnam late Wednesday night, where she plans to adopt a 3-year-old boy.

AP - For some zookeepers in Amsterdam, Akili turned out to be the gorilla their dreams.

AP - Gary Matthews Jr. ended more than two weeks of silence on Wednesday after being linked to a steroids investigation, denying for the first time that he took human growth hormone.

Reuters - Stocks slipped in a volatile session on Wednesday as worries over subprime mortgage losses kept investors on edge, halting a spurt of buying at session lows.

Reuters - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's government vowed to silence dissent on Wednesday, defying international outrage over an assault which left the opposition leader with a suspected fractured skull.

Reuters - Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore told a pensions conference on Wednesday that trustees must include the "greatest challenge to mankind" in their thinking -- global warming.

AFP - A Palestinian unity government bringing together rival factions is ready and will be voted on by parliament on Saturday after weeks of wrangling, officials said on Wednesday.

AFP - The head of the UN's atomic watchdog said Wednesday his agency's first direct talks with North Korea in more than four years had been useful and the Stalinist nation remained committed to disarming.

NORFOLK, Virginia (Reuters) - A U.S. judge in Virginia ruled on Wednesday that Sudan should pay damages to the families of 17 sailors killed in the October 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole.

MERIDA, Mexico (Reuters) - President George W. Bush was pressured by Mexico on Wednesday to ease U.S. immigration laws, at the end of a Latin American tour marked by street protests and sniping from Venezuela's leftist leader.

NEW YORK (Reuters)- The U.S. bad loan crisis swept global markets to wide losses on Wednesday as it tainted the earnings of some of America's best-known companies and sparked moves in Washington to fight a spreading financial epidemic.

MERIDA, Mexico (Reuters) - President Bush gave a lukewarm endorsement on Wednesday to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying the firings of eight U.S. federal prosecutors had been mishandled.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Maha Ghosananda, a Buddhist monk and Nobel peace prize nominee known as the 'Gandhi of Cambodia,' has died in Massachusetts, a hospital spokeswoman said on Wednesday. He was believed to be about 80 years old.

KIEV (Reuters) - The United States hopes to persuade Russia to drop opposition to a proposed Europe-based anti-missile shield meant to counter attacks from rogue states, the top U.S. missile defense official said on Wednesday.

AP - Democratic-backed legislation to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq cleared an initial Senate hurdle Wednesday, but Republicans confidently predicted they had the votes to defeat it. President Bush backed them up with a veto threat.

AP - The family of Brad Delp, the lead singer for the band Boston, said his death was a suicide.

AP - Wall Street gyrated and then steadied itself Wednesday, closing with a respectable advance although the Dow Jones industrials fell as much as 136 points and briefly dropped below the 12,000 mark before recovering.

AP - A judge dropped all charges against former Hewlett-Packard Co. board Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, who was accused of fraud in the boardroom spying scheme that rocked one of Silicon Valley's most respected companies.

AP - Terry Stotts was fired Wednesday as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, who are struggling this season after injuries to key players.

Reuters - A U.S. judge in Virginia ruled on Wednesday that Sudan should pay damages to the families of 17 sailors killed in the October 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole.

Reuters - President George W. Bush was pressured by Mexico on Wednesday to ease U.S. immigration laws, at the end of a Latin American tour marked by street protests and sniping from Venezuela's leftist leader.

Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters)- The U.S. bad loan crisis swept global markets to wide losses on Wednesday as it tainted the earnings of some of America's best-known companies and sparked moves in Washington to fight a spreading financial epidemic.

Reuters - President Bush gave a lukewarm endorsement on Wednesday to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying the firings of eight U.S. federal prosecutors had been mishandled.

Reuters - Maha Ghosananda, a Buddhist monk and Nobel peace prize nominee known as the "Gandhi of Cambodia," has died in Massachusetts, a hospital spokeswoman said on Wednesday. He was believed to be about 80 years old.

AFP - The United States Wednesday cleared the way for the release of millions of dollars of North Korean money frozen in a Macau bank, a pivotal demand of the Stalinist state under a deal aimed at dismantling its nuclear arms program.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire on Wednesday became the first Republican in the U.S. Congress to urge President George W. Bush to oust U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton evoked memories of September 11 at a presidential candidates' forum on Wednesday, telling cheering firefighters it was 'an honor to stand with you' after the attacks.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies have found no strong links between al Qaeda and radical home-grown Islamist groups in the country and such groups appear incapable of September 11-scale attacks, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Major powers sought on Wednesday to negotiate final differences on a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing new sanctions on Iran, but the United States and China said they were not ready yet to approve a text.

AP - Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire on Wednesday became the first Republican in Congress to call for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' dismissal, hours after President Bush expressed confidence in his embattled Cabinet officer.

AP - Banana company Chiquita Brands International said Wednesday it has agreed to a $25 million fine and admit paying a Colombian terrorist group for protection in a volatile farming part of the country.

AP - Democratic-backed legislation to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq cleared an initial Senate hurdle Wednesday, but Republicans confidently predicted they had the votes to defeat it. President Bush backed them up with a veto threat.

AP - The U.S. military for the first time Wednesday said in a new report that some of the violence in Iraq can be described as a civil war. In its bleakest assessment of the war to date, a quarterly Pentagon report said that last October through December was the most violent three-month period since 2003.

AP - A jury decided Wednesday that a convicted sex offender should get the death penalty for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who was buried alive in trash bags just yards from her home.

AP - The family of Brad Delp, the lead singer for the band Boston, said his death was a suicide. 'He was a man who gave all he had to give to everyone around him, whether family, friends, fans or strangers,' the family said in a statement relayed by police Wednesday. 'He gave as long as he could, as best he could, and he was very tired. We take comfort in knowing that he is now, at last, at peace.'

AP - Wall Street gyrated and then steadied itself Wednesday, closing with a respectable advance although the Dow Jones industrials fell as much as 136 points and briefly dropped below the 12,000 mark before recovering.

Reuters - Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire on Wednesday became the first Republican in the U.S. Congress to urge President George W. Bush to oust U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Reuters - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton evoked memories of September 11 at a presidential candidates' forum on Wednesday, telling cheering firefighters it was "an honor to stand with you" after the attacks.

Reuters - U.S. intelligence agencies have found no strong links between al Qaeda and radical home-grown Islamist groups in the country and such groups appear incapable of September 11-scale attacks, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

AFP - US President George W. Bush Wednesday pledged to push for changes on immigration and trade issues that rankle Mexico, where he concluded a goodwill tour of Latin America dogged by a week of violent protests.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the United States, has admitted responsibility for those and other major al Qaeda operations, according to the transcript of a hearing at Guantanamo Bay released on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Brushing aside a veto threat, the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to overturn a 2001 order by President George W. Bush that lets former presidents keep their papers secret indefinitely.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Firefighters, hailed as heroes on September 11, cheered Hillary Rodham Clinton when they gathered on Wednesday to size up U.S. presidential contenders minus Rudolph Giuliani.

AP - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, confessed to that attack and a string of others during a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a transcript released Wednesday by the Pentagon.

AP - Banana company Chiquita Brands International said Wednesday it has agreed to a $25 million fine after admitting it paid a Colombian terrorist group for protection in a volatile farming region.

AP - The U.S. military for the first time Wednesday said in a new report that some of the violence in Iraq can be described as a civil war.

AP - Paula Abdul says she and Simon Cowell, who torments her on the set of 'American Idol,' are chummy in real life. 'Simon and I actually get along great,' the 44-year-old 'Idol' judge says in an interview in TV Guide magazine's March 19 issue. 'We have cultivated a fun relationship. ... He's actually become a really good friend.'

AP - Google Inc. is adopting new privacy measures to make it more difficult to connect online search requests with the people making them — a thorny issue that provoked a showdown with the U.S. government last year.

Reuters - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the United States, has admitted responsibility for those and other major al Qaeda operations, according to the transcript of a hearing at Guantanamo Bay released on Wednesday.

Reuters - Brushing aside a veto threat, the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to overturn a 2001 order by President George W. Bush that lets former presidents keep their papers secret indefinitely.

Reuters - Firefighters, hailed as heroes on September 11, cheered Hillary Rodham Clinton when they gathered on Wednesday to size up U.S. presidential contenders minus Rudolph Giuliani.

AFP - A Pakistani man has confessed to plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States at a closed-door hearing at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a transcript released Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top al Qaeda suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has claimed he organized the September 11 attacks on the United States and other major attacks, according to the transcript of a hearing released on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she will visit the Middle East next week and spoke favorably of a Saudi peace plan, despite analysts' skepticism that it can work.

AP - U.N. ambassadors from six world powers agreed in principle Wednesday on a proposed new package of sanctions against Iran and were expected to introduce a resolution to the Security Council on Thursday if their governments approve it, the U.S. ambassador said.

Reuters - Top al Qaeda suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has claimed he organized the September 11 attacks on the United States and other major attacks, according to the transcript of a hearing released on Wednesday.

Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she will visit the Middle East next week and spoke favorably of a Saudi peace plan, despite analysts' skepticism that it can work.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Al Qaeda suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has claimed he organized the September 11 attacks on the United States and a string of others, according to the transcript of a military hearing at the U.S. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, released on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A struggle for power among sectarian groups and criminals is now the main feature of the Iraq war, the Pentagon said in a report released on Wednesday.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Negotiators seeking to persuade North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons program converged in Beijing on Thursday after Washington said it had ended a probe into Pyongyang's bank activities that had been blocking progress.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About half of U.S. college students binge drink or abuse drugs, and the number who abuse prescription medication such as painkillers is up sharply, a report released on Thursday found.

AP - Substance abuse on college campuses is nothing new, but it is taking a more extreme and dangerous form, with higher rates of frequent binge drinking and prescription drug abuse, and more negative consequences for students such as arrests and risky sexual behavior.

AP - Brandon Rogers, who forgot the words to his song on Tuesday's 'American Idol,' had a feeling he wouldn't last. He got confirmation Wednesday. Rogers, a former backup singer from Los Angeles, became the first of the final dozen to be voted off the top-rated Fox network sing-off.

AP - Steve Nash played like an MVP down the stretch and Amare Stoudemire had 41 points and 10 rebounds, carrying the Phoenix Suns to a 129-127 double-overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night in a tense, thrilling game between the NBA's top teams.

Reuters - Al Qaeda suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has claimed he organized the September 11 attacks on the United States and a string of others, according to the transcript of a military hearing at the U.S. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, released on Wednesday.

Reuters - A struggle for power among sectarian groups and criminals is now the main feature of the Iraq war, the Pentagon said in a report released on Wednesday.