DILI, East Timor – Assailants burned at least half a dozen buildings near the airport of East Timor‘s capital on Sunday, and residents pleaded for a permanent police presence in their neighborhoods to stop the unrest. Violence has dwindled since foreign peacekeepers arrived in East Timor more than a week …

SAN FRANCISCO – Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW) CEO Jonathan Schwartz articulated his company’s first major strategy shift since taking the reins five weeks ago, announcing a plan to shave up to $590 million in annual costs with as many as 5,000 job cuts. The strategy doesn’t call for Sun to …

JERUSALEM – An Israeli Cabinet minister said Wednesday that Hamas‘ Syria-based leader, Khaled Mashaal, is a target for assassination for ordering the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip. “He is definitely in our sights … he is a target,” Justice Minister Haim Ramon told Army Radio. “Khaled …

WASHINGTON – The National Archives has brought in giant dehumidifiers to preserve historic documents in the wake of flooding that closed the building and other historic institutions and government structures in the nation’s capital. The Archives, several Smithsonian museums and some government office buildings have been closed since Monday, when …

BELGRADE, Serbia – Serbia’s parliament on Monday proclaimed the Balkan republic a sovereign state, following tiny Montenegro‘s decision to split from a joint union and dissolve what was left of Yugoslavia. The 126 lawmakers unanimously acknowledged that their state is the heir to the union of Serbia-Montenegro — the last …

OMAHA, Neb. – Billionaire investor Warren Buffett announced plans Sunday to give the bulk of his roughly $42 billion fortune to five foundations in annual gifts of stock starting next month. The decision represents a stark reversal for the world’s second-richest man, who for years had said his wealth would …

WASHINGTON – Sen. John McCain thought he had a deal when President Bush, faced with a veto-proof margin in Congress, agreed to sign a bill banning the torture of detainees. Not quite. While Bush signed the new law, he also quietly approved another document: a signing statement reserving his right …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The U.S. military on Thursday identified Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian operative with connections to an Usama bin Laden lieutenant, as the probable new leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell showed a photo of al-Masri at a Baghdad press conference, saying he is …

ALBANY, N.Y. – They were young and eager in the 1990s, these midlevel functionaries, hotshot lawyers and one Cabinet secretary in his father’s shadow, all inspired by the same boss: President Clinton. Today, Clinton administration alumni are taking their turn in the political spotlight while their former leader cheers from …

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A main ingredient in beer may help prevent prostate cancer and enlargement, according to a new study. But researchers say don’t rush out to stock the refrigerator because the ingredient is present in such small amounts that a person would have to drink more than 17 beers …