WTO rules China must open markets

The United States hailed a World Trade Organization ruling to open Chinese markets and ease controls on the import of U.S. films, DVDs, music downloads and books. “Today, a WTO panel handed a significant victory to America’s creative industries,” U.S

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8 dead as violence continues in Baghdad

A series of explosions hit a Shiite neighborhood in southeastern Baghdad Tuesday, killing eight people and wounding dozens of others, just a day after blasts across the country killed more than 50, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said. A ministry official said three explosions — two from car bombs and one from an improvised explosive device — hit a mosque, a coffee shop and gas station in Baghdad’s Ameen neighborhood.

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Drug cartel allegedly plotted to kill Mexican leader

A suspected drug cartel lieutenant was in charge of a plot to kill Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Mexican government officials said. Dimas Diaz Ramos, known as “El Dimas,” also is accused of being a top drug exporter to the United States, hiding the contraband in the tires of trucks taking produce across the border.

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Iran says it is holding American hikers

The United States has received official confirmation that three Americans have been detained in Iran, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday. Shane Bauer, 27; Sarah Shourd, 31; and Josh Fattal, 27, were picked up by Iranian authorities when they strayed across the border while hiking in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan.

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German court convicts ex-Nazi commander of murder

A German court has convicted a former army officer of 10 counts of murder in what could be one of the last trials of Nazi-era crimes. Munich’s state court found 90-year-old Josef Scheungraber guilty of giving the order to kill 10 Italian civilians in the central Italian town of Falzano di Cortona in 1944

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Ex-homeless woman leaves $150,000 to Hebrew University

A Jewish Holocaust survivor who later lived on the streets of New York City has left half of her $300,000 estate to Hebrew University, the school said Monday. The new plan is the first time the U.S. military has been directly involved in anti-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan, and commanders say it is an essential part of the overall plan to stabilize the country, which is under heavy Taliban influence.

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Report: Children’s DNA used to ID terror suspect

Indonesian authorities are reportedly conducting DNA tests to determine if a man killed in an 18-hour raid last week is the country’s most wanted terror suspect, Noordin Top. Police have been hunting for Noordin for the past six years, accusing him involvement in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing and attacks on the Marriott hotel in Jakarta in 2003 and Australian embassy in 2004. He is also the main suspect in last month’s twin hotel bombings in Jakarta which killed seven people and the two suspected bombers, and wounded more than 50.

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