AP - Investors were falling in love with Yahoo Inc. again until the Internet icon's disheartening first-quarter results ruined the mood.

AP - A desperate move by a desperate coach breathed some life into the Minnesota Wild. Jacques Lemaire's decision to put his top three scorers — Brian Rolston, Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra — on one line generated the kind of offense the Anaheim Ducks had stifled in the first three games of this series.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean intelligence official said on Wednesday that increased activity had been spotted at North Korea's nuclear reactor, which local media has said could suggest it is being closed down.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's army will 'cut off the hand' of any attacker and is at the ready to fulfill its defensive duties, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday during an annual military parade.

AP - Virginia Tech students and supporters lifted thousands of candles to a sapphire sky to remember the 32 people killed by a campus gunman.

AP - Last year, New Jersey law officers ticketed 271,182 people for not wearing seat belts in violation of state law.

Reuters - A South Korean intelligence official said on Wednesday that increased activity had been spotted at North Korea's nuclear reactor, which local media has said could suggest it is being closed down.

Reuters - Iran's army will "cut off the hand" of any attacker and is at the ready to fulfill its defensive duties, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday during an annual military parade.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - Police pored over the writings of a student who massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech university as they searched on Wednesday for further clues to why he went on the worst shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.

AMARA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq plans to take security control of all its provinces from foreign forces by the end of the year, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a speech read out by a senior official on Wednesday.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad said in an interview published on Wednesday he was hopeful the United States would ease banking sanctions that have paralyzed the Palestinian government for more than a year.

SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban rejected as totally baseless on Wednesday a report by a U.S.-based rights group that accused them of war crimes for targeting civilians.

MANILA (Reuters) - A U.S. Peace Corps volunteer was feared murdered in the Philippines after her body was found in a shallow grave in a remote, mountainous area on Wednesday, the police said.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A Pakistani man whose family says was abducted as part of the U.S.-led war on terror is in custody in Pakistan after 18 months of secret detention, human rights group Amnesty International said.

AP - Gun control has been treated with a mix of silence and discomfort in the presidential campaign, a stance that may become insupportable once the nation finds its voice in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech mass murder.

AP - U.S. troops killed five suspects and captured 30 others Wednesday in a raid in Iraq's western Anbar province, a day after police uncovered 17 decomposing corpses beneath two school yards in the provincial capital.

AP - During the first U.N. Security Council debate on climate change, Britain argued that global conflicts are ignited over the issue, while developing nations said the topic didn't belong on the council's agenda.

Reuters - Police pored over the writings of a student who massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech university as they searched on Wednesday for further clues to why he went on the worst shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.

Reuters - Afghanistan's Taliban rejected as totally baseless on Wednesday a report by a U.S.-based rights group that accused them of war crimes for targeting civilians.

Reuters - Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad said in an interview published on Wednesday he was hopeful the United States would ease banking sanctions that have paralyzed the Palestinian government for more than a year.

Reuters - A U.S. Peace Corps volunteer was feared murdered in the Philippines after her body was found in a shallow grave in a remote, mountainous area on Wednesday, the police said.

Reuters - A Pakistani man whose family says was abducted as part of the U.S.-led war on terror is in custody in Pakistan after 18 months of secret detention, human rights group Amnesty International said.

AFP - Investigators and witnesses and Wednesday pieced together a South Korean student's path to mass murder on a US university campus, as details emerged of possible missteps in the early hunt for the killer.

AFP - Nigerian opposition parties have threatened to boycott Saturday's presidential election, adding to the turmoil that has surrounded one of the most closely watched elections here since independence.

AMARA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq plans to take security control of the whole country from foreign forces by the end of the year, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Wednesday after British forces handed over control of a southern province.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean intelligence official said on Wednesday that increased activity had been spotted at North Korea's nuclear reactor, which local media has said could suggest it is being closed down.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States will seek to deflate Russian anger and dispel European skepticism about its anti-missile shield system at NATO-hosted talks on Thursday which it hopes will ease a months-long controversy.

AP - Two explosions rocked Baghdad at midday Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and wounding 19, police said.

AP - Street battles in the Somali capital overnight left at least 11 people dead and dozens others injured, witnesses and health officials said Wednesday.

AP - Stocks pointed to a lower opening Wednesday as investors awaited another round of earnings data and prepared to take profits after two weeks of gains in the Dow Jones industrials.

AP - Kari Lehtonen didn't have the game to stop the New York Rangers. The rest of the Atlanta Thrashers failed to even slow them down.

Reuters - Iraq plans to take security control of the whole country from foreign forces by the end of the year, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Wednesday after British forces handed over control of a southern province.

Reuters - A South Korean intelligence official said on Wednesday that increased activity had been spotted at North Korea's nuclear reactor, which local media has said could suggest it is being closed down.

Reuters - The United States will seek to deflate Russian anger and dispel European skepticism about its anti-missile shield system at NATO-hosted talks on Thursday which it hopes will ease a months-long controversy.

AFP - Nigerian opposition parties threatened to boycott weekend presidential elections as turmoil Wednesday surrounded one of the most closely watched polls since independence.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - Police at Virginia Tech responded on Wednesday to a security alert at a campus building but found nothing untoward as the university reeled with grief two days after a student killed 32 people and then himself.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded in Baghdad's central Sadriya neighborhood on Wednesday and a Reuters photographer at the scene said there were dozens of bodies, including many women and children.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd. said on Wednesday its BlackBerry mobile e-mail network had an interruption, and gave no time frame for restoring service.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and top Democrats will discuss their feud over funding of the Iraq war at the White House on Wednesday but a breakthrough appeared unlikely amid hardened positions on both sides.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Following reports of abuse, the U.S. government on Tuesday temporarily barred college loan firms from accessing a database containing confidential personal information on millions of student borrowers.

CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Middle Eastern states on Wednesday to help stabilize Iraq, warning them that chaos in the country would harm the region well before it hurts the United States.

AP - Virginia Tech students still on edge after the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history got another scare Wednesday morning as police in SWAT gear with weapons drawn swarmed Burruss Hall, which houses the president's office.

AP - Four large bombs exploded across Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 127 people and wounding scores as violence climbed toward levels seen before the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital began two months ago.

AP - A California company that makes the popular TurboTax and ProSeries tax software said it expected to hear from the Internal Revenue Service Wednesday whether any taxpayers who used its e-filing system would be penalized for submitting late returns.

AP - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that U.N. sanctions slapped on his nation over its nuclear program had no effect on Iran's armed forces, claiming that his military was self-sufficient.

AP - A system failure of the BlackBerry wireless e-mail system has snarled use of the popular devices.

AP - Stocks pointed to a lower opening Wednesday, as a mixed batch of earnings reports led some traders to take profits after two weeks of gains in the Dow Jones industrials.

AP - Red hair and the big earrings are out for women Beijing cab drivers in the run-up to next summer's Olympic Games, a state-run newspaper reported Wednesday.

Reuters - Police at Virginia Tech responded on Wednesday to a security alert at a campus building but found nothing untoward as the university reeled with grief two days after a student killed 32 people and then himself.

Reuters - Iraq plans to take security control of the whole country from foreign forces by the year end, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Wednesday, after growing pressure to say when U.S. troops would leave.

Reuters - Research In Motion Ltd. said on Wednesday its BlackBerry mobile e-mail network had an interruption, and gave no time frame for restoring service.

Reuters - President George W. Bush and top Democrats will discuss their feud over funding of the Iraq war at the White House on Wednesday but a breakthrough appeared unlikely amid hardened positions on both sides.

Reuters - Following reports of abuse, the U.S. government on Tuesday temporarily barred college loan firms from accessing a database containing confidential personal information on millions of student borrowers.

AFP - The US university stricken by a mass murder faced tough questions Wednesday about how a South Korean student was able to press on with the massacre, after details emerged of possible missteps in the early hunt for the killer.

AFP - A car bomb near a central Baghdad market killed 21 people Wednesday, a defence ministry official said, bringing to at least 66 the death toll from a spate of bombings in the capital.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - The gunman who went on a rampage at Virginia Tech had been confronted by university police in 2005 over complaints he was bothering women students and was sent to a mental health facility because of worries he was suicidal, police said on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Car bombs killed nearly 170 people in Baghdad on Wednesday in the deadliest attacks in the city since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown aimed at halting the country's slide into sectarian civil war.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A closely divided U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the first nationwide ban on a specific abortion procedure, restricting abortion rights in a ruling on one of the nation's most divisive and politically charged issues.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that President George W. Bush still had 'full confidence' in World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, who faces a storm of criticism for helping arrange a high-paying promotion for his girlfriend.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd. said on Wednesday that BlackBerry service has been restored to most users of the wireless e-mail device after a service interruption that affected customers in North America.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush warned Sudan's president on Wednesday that he has one last chance to stop violence in Darfur or else the United States will impose sanctions and consider other punitive options.

AP - The Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban on a controversial abortion procedure Wednesday, handing abortion opponents the long-awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench.

AP - Four large bombs exploded in mostly Shiite areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 160 people and wounding scores as violence climbed toward levels seen before the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital began two months ago.

AP - The gunman blamed for the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history had previously been accused of stalking two female students at Virginia Tech and had been taken to a mental health facility in 2005 after an acquaintance worried he might be suicidal, police said Wednesday.

AP - BlackBerry service was being restored Wednesday morning after an overnight outage that left millions of users without mobile access to their e-mail on the popular device.

AP - President Bush said Wednesday that the United States will tighten economic sanctions and impose new punishments if Sudan fails to take concrete action to stop the bloodshed in Darfur.

AP - Wall Street was mixed Wednesday as companies reported widely divergent earnings results that revived concerns about slowing profit growth. Bond prices extended their advance as investors grew optimistic that the Federal Reserve won't raise interest rates.

AP - The Warriors and Clippers are taking it to the limit in pursuit of an NBA playoff berth. Going into the final night of the season, Golden State leads Los Angeles by one game in the Western Conference race. The Warriors beat Dallas 111-82 Tuesday night and heads to Portland for its finale. The Clippers won 103-99 at Phoenix and finish at home against New Orleans.

Reuters - Car bombs killed nearly 170 people in Baghdad on Wednesday in the deadliest attacks in the city since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown aimed at halting the country's slide into sectarian civil war.

Reuters - A closely divided U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the first nationwide ban on a specific abortion procedure, restricting abortion rights in a ruling on one of the nation's most divisive and politically charged issues.

Reuters - The White House said on Wednesday that President George W. Bush still had "full confidence" in World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, who faces a storm of criticism for helping arrange a high-paying promotion for his girlfriend.

Reuters - Research In Motion Ltd. said on Wednesday that BlackBerry service has been restored to most users of the wireless e-mail device after a service interruption that affected customers in North America.

Reuters - President George W. Bush warned Sudan's president on Wednesday that he has one last chance to stop violence in Darfur or else the United States will impose sanctions and consider other punitive options.

AFP - The South Korean student who shot dead at least 30 people at Virginia Tech University here on Monday was investigated in late 2005 for allegedly stalking female students, police said Wednesday.

AFP - Stunned Japanese laid flowers and called for even tighter controls on guns after the mayor of Nagasaki was shot dead by a member of the nation's largest underworld gang.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - The gunman who went on a rampage at Virginia Tech had been confronted by university police in 2005 over complaints he was bothering women students and was sent to a mental health facility because of worries he was suicidal, police said on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Car bombs killed more than 170 people in Baghdad on Wednesday in the deadliest attacks in the city since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown aimed at halting the country's slide into civil war.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Two men from the Detroit area have been charged with spying for executed Iraq leader Saddam Hussein's intelligence service, according to federal court documents.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it is asking other countries to help find out what may have happened to a former FBI agent missing in Iran.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd. said on Wednesday that BlackBerry service had been restored to most users of the popular wireless e-mail device after an overnight service interruption hit customers across North America.

AP - The Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban on a controversial abortion procedure Wednesday, handing abortion opponents the long-awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench.

AP - Four large bombs exploded in mostly Shiite areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 178 people and wounding scores — the deadliest day in the city since the start of the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital two months ago.

AP - The Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday it would not penalize TurboTax and ProSeries users whose 11th-hour electronic returns were delayed by Intuit Inc.'s overloaded servers.

AP - Wall Street was narrowly mixed Wednesday, with investors hesitant about buying into the broader market after being rattled by disappointing earnings from technology leaders including Yahoo Inc. Bond prices extended their advance as investors grew optimistic that the Federal Reserve won't raise interest rates.

AP - We all know not to feed the animals when visiting the zoo. Now the Antwerp Zoo has urged visitors to, please, stop staring at the chimpanzees.

Reuters - The gunman who went on a rampage at Virginia Tech had been confronted by university police in 2005 over complaints he was bothering women students and was sent to a mental health facility because of worries he was suicidal, police said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Car bombs killed more than 170 people in Baghdad on Wednesday in the deadliest attacks in the city since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown aimed at halting the country's slide into civil war.

Reuters - A closely divided U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the first nationwide ban on a specific abortion procedure, restricting abortion rights in a ruling on one of the nation's most divisive and politically charged issues.

Reuters - Two men from the Detroit area have been charged with spying for executed Iraq leader Saddam Hussein's intelligence service, according to federal court documents.

Reuters - The United States said on Wednesday it is asking other countries to help find out what may have happened to a former FBI agent missing in Iran.

Reuters - Research In Motion Ltd. said on Wednesday that BlackBerry service had been restored to most users of the popular wireless e-mail device after an overnight service interruption hit customers across North America.

AFP - The South Korean student behind the deadly rampage at a university here was accused of stalking female students in 2005 and sent to a mental health facility amid fears he was suicidal, police said Wednesday.

AFP - US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates met with his Israeli counterpart Amir Peretz on Wednesday on the third leg of a Middle East tour aimed at countering Iran's influence in the region and shoring up support for Iraq.

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has begun making nuclear fuel in its underground uranium enrichment plant, a confidential U.N. atomic watchdog document said on Wednesday, in an apparent heightening of its defiance of the United Nations.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain, ratcheting up the pressure on Sudan, threatened it on Wednesday with sanctions and other punitive measures unless it agreed to accept a robust U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd. said on Wednesday that its BlackBerry service had been mostly restored after an overnight outage that left many of its North American customers without wireless email.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and Democrats will try to work through their feud on spending for the Iraq war at the White House on Wednesday but a breakthrough appeared unlikely amid tough talk by both sides.

AP - The Supreme Court's conservative majority handed anti-abortion forces a major victory Wednesday in a decision that bans a controversial abortion procedure and set the stage for further restrictions.

AP - Suspected Sunni insurgents penetrated the Baghdad security net Wednesday, hitting Shiite targets with four bomb attacks that killed 183 people — the bloodiest day since the U.S. troop surge began nine weeks ago.

AP - Taxpayers in the Northeast swamped by a powerful storm just before the filing deadline can delay filing their federal returns for another week, IRS Commissioner Mark Everson said Wednesday.

AP - Wall Street was mixed in lackluster trading Wednesday though investors pushed the Dow Jones industrials to a new trading high and past 12,800 for the first time. Stocks showed little overall movement as investors were hesitant about buying into the broader market following disappointing earnings from technology leaders including Yahoo Inc.

AP - An annoyed look from 'American Idol' judge Simon Cowell as a contestant expressed sadness over the Virginia Tech shootings was drastically misintrepreted, Cowell and the show said Wednesday.

AP - The Warriors and Clippers are taking it to the limit in pursuit of an NBA playoff berth. Going into the final night of the season, Golden State leads Los Angeles by one game in the Western Conference race. The Warriors beat Dallas 111-82 Tuesday night and heads to Portland for its finale. The Clippers won 103-99 at Phoenix and finish at home against New Orleans.

Reuters - Iran has begun making nuclear fuel in its underground uranium enrichment plant, a confidential U.N. atomic watchdog document said on Wednesday, in an apparent heightening of its defiance of the United Nations.

Reuters - The United States and Britain, ratcheting up the pressure on Sudan, threatened it on Wednesday with sanctions and other punitive measures unless it agreed to accept a robust U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur.

Reuters - Research In Motion Ltd. said on Wednesday that its BlackBerry service had been mostly restored after an overnight outage that left many of its North American customers without wireless email.

Reuters - President George W. Bush and Democrats will try to work through their feud on spending for the Iraq war at the White House on Wednesday but a breakthrough appeared unlikely amid tough talk by both sides.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - The gunman who went on a rampage at Virginia Tech university sent a 'rambling' and 'disturbing' account of his grievances to NBC between the first killing, when two people died, and his slaughter of 30 others, the network said on Wednesday.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - The gunman who went on a deadly rampage at Virginia Tech had been accused of stalking women students and was taken to a psychiatric hospital in 2005 because of worries he was suicidal, university police said on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Car bombs killed nearly 200 people in Baghdad on Wednesday in the deadliest attacks since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown aimed at halting the country's slide into civil war.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow Jones industrial average closed at an all-time high on Wednesday as stronger-than-expected profits from JPMorgan Chase & Co. eased concerns about the subprime lending crisis for big financial companies.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and Democrats failed to resolve their feud over spending for the Iraq war at a White House meeting on Wednesday.

AP - Between his first and second bursts of gunfire, the Virginia Tech gunman mailed a package to NBC News containing what authorities said were images of him brandishing weapons and a video of him delivering a diatribe about getting even with rich people.

AP - The Supreme Court's conservative majority upheld a nationwide ban Wednesday on a controversial abortion procedure in a decision that sets the stage for additional restrictions on a woman's right to choose.

AP - President Bush and Democratic leaders of Congress failed to reconcile key differences Wednesday over a disputed war-funding bill facing a Bush veto because it would require the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

AP - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 12,800 for the first time Wednesday, signaling Wall Street's recovery from its steep decline in February as investors rewarded companies with strong earnings.

AP - Suspected Sunni insurgents penetrated the Baghdad security net Wednesday, hitting Shiite targets with four bomb attacks that killed 183 people — the bloodiest day since the U.S. troop surge began nine weeks ago.

AP - Democratic presidential contenders are scrambling for support in what's being dubbed the Al Sharpton primary. The civil rights leader livened up the 2004 Democratic primary with his pompadour hairdo and sharp, witty oratory. This election, the high-profile Sharpton, fresh from the fight over Don Imus' derogatory remarks, is attracting all the party's major candidates this week for his annual National Action Network convention.

AP - A preacher's wife testified at her murder trial Wednesday that her husband abused her physically and sexually, but she said the shotgun fired accidentally as she pointed it at him in their parsonage bedroom.

AP - New government numbers give some of the strongest evidence yet that menopause hormones can raise the risk of breast cancer. Rates of the disease leveled off in 2004 after plunging in 2003, the year after millions of women stopped taking hormones because a big study tied them to higher heart, stroke and breast cancer risks.

AP - Bobby Cox signed on for another season in Atlanta. The longtime Braves manager agreed to a one-year contract extension that runs through 2008, a deal the team announced on Wednesday. It could be Cox's final contract. He said before the season he plans to manage only two more years, but on Wednesday he indicated that plan could change.

Reuters - The gunman who killed 32 people in a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech sent photographs and some writings to NBC, Steven Flaherty, Virginia state police superintendent, said on Wednesday.

Reuters - The gunman who went on a deadly rampage at Virginia Tech had been accused of stalking women students and was taken to a psychiatric hospital in 2005 because of worries he was suicidal, university police said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Car bombs killed nearly 200 people in Baghdad on Wednesday in the deadliest attacks since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown aimed at halting the country's slide into civil war.

AFP - Isolation from his peers, easy access to guns, and Hollywood images of gun-toting machismo were all key factors in Cho Seung-Hui's transformation into a gruesome killer, sociologists say.

AFP - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday that Washington will persevere with a two-month-old security plan in Iraq despite an avalanche of car bombs that killed 190 people in Baghdad.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - The gunman who went on a rampage at Virginia Tech university this week paused during the bloodbath to mail a rambling manifesto of his grievances to NBC, the U.S. network said on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Suspected al Qaeda militants killed nearly 200 people in a wave of car bombings in Baghdad on Wednesday, including one that was the single deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and Democrats failed to settle their fight over funding for the Iraq war in talks on Wednesday where lawmakers pressed Bush to accept a withdrawal timetable for U.S. troops.

AP - Suspected Sunni insurgents penetrated the Baghdad security net Wednesday, hitting Shiite targets with four bomb attacks that killed 183 people — the bloodiest day since the U.S. troop increase began nine weeks ago.

AP - FBI agents have searched the home of Republican Rep. John Doolittle, who is under scrutiny over his ties to convicted GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Doolittle's attorney said Wednesday.

AP - Democratic presidential contenders are scrambling for support in what's being dubbed the Al Sharpton primary. The civil rights leader livened up the 2004 Democratic primary with his pompadour hairdo and sharp, witty oratory. This election, the high-profile Sharpton, fresh from the fight over Don Imus' derogatory remarks, is attracting all the party's major candidates this week for his annual National Action Network convention.

Reuters - The gunman who went on a rampage at Virginia Tech university this week paused during the bloodbath to mail a rambling manifesto of his grievances to NBC, the U.S. network said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Suspected al Qaeda militants killed nearly 200 people in a wave of car bombings in Baghdad on Wednesday, including one that was the single deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Reuters - A deputy to Paul Wolfowitz urged the World Bank chief on Wednesday to resign in the interests of the institution during a meeting of the bank's management, sources who participated in the meeting said.

AFP - Virginia Tech University gunman Cho Seung-Hui sent photos, videos and a "rambling" message about his grievances to NBC News before going on the rampage at a university here, the US television network reported Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Users of the hand-held BlackBerry e-mail device, a communications lifeline for movers and shakers from the White House to Wall Street, endured hours of disrupted service before the system was restored on Wednesday.

AP - Midway through his murderous rampage, the Virginia Tech gunman went to the post office and mailed NBC a package containing photos and videos of him brandishing guns and delivering a snarling, profanity-laced tirade about rich 'brats' and their 'hedonistic needs.'

AP - Cell phone text messages. Loudspeakers on towers. Cameras that detect suspicious activity.

AP - A young whale that swam aimlessly for two days in a small bay off an industrial section of Brooklyn beached itself at an oil depot dock Wednesday and died suddenly. Animal activists said the minke whale, about a year old, was too young to survive on its own.

AP - In the wake of Don Imus' firing for his on-air slur about the Rutgers women's basketball team, a high-powered group of music-industry executives met privately Wednesday to discuss sexist and misogynistic rap lyrics.

AP - Dan Haren enjoyed watching his fellow Oakland pitchers succeed. He finally got a chance to join in the fun. Haren outpitched John Lackey for his first win of the season and Eric Chavez drove in two runs to help the Athletics beat the injury-depleted Angels 3-0 on Wednesday, handing Los Angeles its sixth straight loss.

Reuters - Users of the hand-held BlackBerry e-mail device, a communications lifeline for movers and shakers from the White House to Wall Street, endured hours of disrupted service before the system was restored on Wednesday.

AFP - "You have blood on your hands," ranted the South Korean gunman who killed at least 30 people at a Virginia campus, according to a video he made before the shooting and released Wednesday.

AP - Republican presidential candidate John McCain declared Wednesday he believes in 'no gun control,' making the strongest affirmation of support for gun rights in the GOP field since the Virginia Tech massacre.

AP - A jury on Wednesday sentenced a woman to life in prison without parole for kidnapping an acquaintance and hacking up her body with a chain saw. Daphne Wright, 43, smiled after the verdict was read. Wright was convicted last week of kidnapping and murdering Darlene VanderGiesen, 42, in February 2006.

AP - Sanjaya Malakar, the under-talented but unflappable singer who horrified and captivated millions in his improbable 'American Idol' run, was finally voted off the show Wednesday night. When the result was announced, Malakar wiped away tears and got a big hug from LaKisha Jones, the next lowest vote-getter. 'I'm fine,' he told Ryan Seacrest. 'It was an amazing experience.'

AP - The first witness in a lawsuit Wednesday between two neighbors was a real ass. Buddy the donkey walked to the bench and stared at the jury, the picture of a gentle, well-mannered creature and not the loud, aggressive animal he had been accused of being.

AP - Mark Buehrle pitched the first no-hitter of the season Wednesday night — and he was nearly perfect, too. The Chicago White Sox left-hander faced the minimum 27 batters in a 6-0 victory over the Texas Rangers, picking off the only runner he walked and throwing his team's first no-hitter since 1991.