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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – Women clutching children ran into the darkened streets, crying and praying. Some held onto a fence to steady themselves, chanting “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is Great.” Other people grabbed small bags of clothes and fled their tents and homes for higher ground. The shaking and swaying …

KABUL, Afghanistan – A car exploded in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad Wednesday, just hours before first lady Laura Bush (search) was due in the country. The driver was killed but no one else was hurt. Investigators suspect the driver had been planning a suicide attack but the bomb …

OSH, Kyrgyzstan – Thousands of opposition activists stormed three government buildings in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh on Monday, forcing security forces to flee in the latest in a wave of protests to demand President Askar Akayev’s (search) resignation. An initial group of about 1,000 protesters, armed with clubs …

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court (search) said Monday it will use a renters’ lawsuit claiming personal injury from toxic mold in apartments to clarify when plaintiffs can sue in federal or state court. The question is a hot political topic, since consumers often pursue claims in state courts, where large …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A video released Friday showed two missing Indonesian journalists flanked by masked gunmen. The pair had been missing since Tuesday after they were seen being stopped by unidentified men in military uniforms in the turbulent Iraqi city of Ramadi (search). The video, delivered anonymously to Associated Press …

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran (search) on Thursday warned of a fast, crushing response to any attack on its nuclear facilities and said an explosion heard in the south a day earlier that sparked fears of foreign military activity was the result of construction work. Wednesday’s explosion near the Gulf port …

GREEN, Ohio – Akron-Canton Airport (search) and some other small to midsize airports are taking business from larger hubs with a formula for success that starts with a discount airline. Add in proximity to a big metro area, light traffic and short lines and the passengers seem to follow. “I …

GENEVA – Novartis AG (NVS) announced a major push into the U.S. and German generic drug markets Monday by buying Eon Labs Inc. (ELAB) of the United States and Hexal AG of Germany for $8.3 billion in cash. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant said integrating the two companies into its Sandoz …

TOKYO – The marshlands of southern Iraq, said to be the inspiration for the biblical Garden of Eden (search), have recovered rapidly since the fall of Saddam Hussein, whose regime turned much of the lush waterscape into arid salt flats, the United Nations said Wednesday. New satellite imagery shows a …

OMAHA, Neb. – Ameritrade executive Pete Ricketts (search), describing himself as anti-abortion conservative, launched an election campaign Saturday to unseat U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (search), the only Democrat in Nebraska’s congressional delegation. “I grew up with great values and tremendous opportunities,” said Ricketts, Ameritrade’s chief operating officer and son of …