Daily News

House committee probes medically unfit truckers (AP)

AP - It's so easy to fabricate the medical certificates required to operate commercial trucks on the nation's highways that there's almost no incentive for truckers to obtain a legitimate document, according to a congressional study.

AP IMPACT: Fatal MRAP accidents prompt warnings (AP)

AP - The towering trucks that give U.S. troops the best protection against roadside bombs and enemy bullets also make them vulnerable to routine hazards like sharp turns, rutted roads and rickety bridges.

Asia-Pacific eyes coordinated disaster relief work (AP)

AP - Asia-Pacific powers on Thursday put the finishing touches on an ambitious plan that calls for pooling their military and civilian resources to respond to disasters in a region beset by cyclones, earthquakes and floods.

Ecuador's draft charter favors leftist president (AP)

AP - A proposed new constitution grants Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa broad powers including the ability to dissolve Congress and set monetary policy, and would let him stay in office through 2017.

Visa survey shows foreign travel remains popular (AP)

AP - The weak U.S. dollar has not dissuaded Americans from planning trips abroad this year, but they may be heading to destinations closer to home, according to a survey released Thursday by Visa Inc.

Source: Swimmer Jessica Hardy tests positive (AP)

AP - Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games begin.

US calls for peaceful resolution of Thai-Cambodia flare-up (AFP)

AFP - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday called for a peaceful resolution to a dangerous border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia as Asia's main security talks were held here.

Obama speech expected to draw huge crowd in Berlin (Reuters)

Reuters - Presidential candidate Barack Obama travels to Berlin on Thursday to give the only public speech of a week-long foreign tour, an outdoor address on transatlantic ties that is likely to draw tens of thousands.

Obama keaves Israel for Germany (AFP)

AFP - US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama left Israel Thursday for Germany on the European leg of an international tour after paying a brief visit to the Wailing Wall.

NKorea, Thai-Cambodia flare-up dominate Asian security talks (AFP)

AFP - Foreign ministers from Asia and key world powers opened security talks here Thursday amid a simmering border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia and progress on North Korean denuclearisation.

Obama tells Israel he's committed to its security (AP)

AP - From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Wednesday professed "an unshakable commitment to the security" of Israel, whether the threat comes from terrorists, Iran or elsewhere.

Bin Laden driver trial shows interrogation video (Reuters)

Reuters - A black-and-white interrogation video of Osama bin Laden's driver showed Salim Hamdan denying under questioning in a dark cell that he worked for al Qaeda.

Top Israeli officer stresses Iran on first U.S. visit (Reuters)

Reuters - Israeli Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, on his first visit to Washington as Israel's top military officer, said on Wednesday it was crucial to block what he called "Iranian aggression" in the Middle East.

Obama pays visit to Jerusalem holy site (AP)

AP - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama paid a predawn visit to the holiest place in Judaism on Thursday, bowing his head in prayer at the Western Wall.

Obama promises Israel 'unshakeable' commitment (AFP)

AFP - Barack Obama was heading for Europe Thursday after vowing to forge an "unshakeable" bond with Israel if he becomes the next US president and warning a nuclear Iran would pose a "grave threat" which the world must forestall.

Japan hunts for injured after powerful quake (AFP)

AFP - Rescue teams searched under dense fog and rain Thursday for victims of a powerful earthquake in northern Japan that left more than 100 people injured, some of them seriously.

House OKs rescue for homeowners, Freddie, Fannie (AP)

AP - Rescue legislation sailed through the House on Wednesday aimed at helping 400,000 strapped homeowners avoid foreclosure and preventing the collapse of troubled mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Pittsburgh cancer center warns of cell phone risks (AP)

AP - The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge (AP)

AP - Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy in early 2007.

Al-Qaida leaving Iraq for Afghanistan, says Iraqi ambassador (AP)

AP - Al-Qaida's foreign fighters who have for years bedeviled Iraq are increasingly going to Afghanistan to fight instead, the Iraqi ambassador to the United States said Wednesday.

Minimum wage increase is little help as costs soar (AP)

AP - About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to consumers.

50 Cent sues Taco Bell in NY over ad campaign (AP)

AP - 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent.

Red Sox complete sweep of Mariners with 6-3 win (AP)

AP - Mike Lowell hit a two-run single off Sean Green in the 12th inning, and the Red Sox took advantage of two outfield errors to beat the lowly Mariners 6-3 on Wednesday and complete Boston's first series sweep at Seattle in 15 years.

Rice says North Korea must agree to strong verification (Reuters)

Reuters - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday after talks with North Korea that she believed Pyongyang was under no "illusions" it had to agree to a strong mechanism to verify its nuclear activities.

Hurricane Dolly slams South Texas, but levees hold (AP)

AP - Hurricane Dolly barreled into South Texas on Wednesday, lashing the coast with winds up to 100 mph and dumping heavy rain that threatened to flood low-lying areas but spared levees along the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley.

Pentagon to recommend more troops for Afghanistan (AP)

AP - Top Pentagon leaders are expected to recommend soon that Defense Secretary Robert Gates order hundreds of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan over the next month or so, according to a senior military official.

California woman attacked by bear while walking dogs (AP)

AP - A woman mauled by a bear in rural Kern County was recovering Wednesday in a Los Angeles hospital as game wardens sought to trap and kill the animal.

Pet rabbit credited with saving couple from fire (AP)

AP - A pet rabbit is credited with saving a couple from a fire that swept through their home in the southern city of Melbourne.

Obama leads McCain by 6 points: poll (Reuters)

Reuters - Democrat Barack Obama has a 6-point lead over Republican John McCain in the presidential race as a growing percentage of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday.

Hurricane Dolly hits South Texas, flooding feared (Reuters)

Reuters - Hurricane Dolly moved inland after tearing into the South Texas coast on Wednesday with 95 mph (150 kph) winds, pouring torrential rain on the U.S.-Mexico border area and threatening floods.