Display Military Time? Yes No Doing a Number on Violators As Patrick Ball scrawled equations across a conference-room white board, his talk was of regression analysis, matching methodologies and capture probabilities. Bush, Cheney Press Israel to Ease Palestinian Offensive The Bush administration intensified its efforts Wednesday to stop the cycle of violence in , as President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney singled out Israel, calling on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to curtail his military operation against the Palestinians. Ramallah Residents See Dreams Crumble For Palestinians, this city of 60,000 residents--many of them affluent, well-traveled, schooled in the U.S.--was the de facto capital of Palestine. It was the bustling economic and political hub of what they assumed would one day soon be a sovereign state. U.S. and Afghans Savor Victory in Valley Shattered and empty, the mud-brick houses shone blood red in the sunlight. Beyond the village, a small truck sat twisted, black and bullet-riddled. On a hillside, two corpses of enemy fighters lay next to a clothing heap that was in fact the torso of a third--mute testament to the brutality of the battle. Mugabe Declared Victor in Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, a former Marxist freedom fighter who led Zimbabwe to independence, was declared the winner Wednesday of a bitterly contested election that critics said was marred by massive flaws, intimidation and violence. Two Minds in Yemen About U.S. Ties When it comes to helping the United States in its war on terror, Yemen is behaving somewhat like a suspect who confesses only because there is a gun pointed at his head. That, at least, is the picture painted by one of the country's most influential leaders. Russian Official Insists Terrorists Are in Georgia Russian Defense Minister Sergei B. Ivanov said Wednesday that his country will not ignore international terrorists who have infiltrated neighboring Georgia. Hindus to Take a Stand on Vigil Ban Hindu nationalists threatened Wednesday to defy a Supreme Court ban on holding a symbolic prayer ceremony near the bitterly disputed site of a mosque demolished by a mob nearly a decade ago. N. Korea Defiant on '94 Arms Pledge North Korea, angered by a Pentagon study naming the communist state as a potential target for nuclear strikes, threatened Wednesday to abandon a 1994 promise to freeze its nuclear research. Israeli Army Enters Heart of Ramallah Israeli forces penetrated the heart of the Palestinians' most important city Wednesday as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rejected myriad calls for restraint and pressed ahead with his nation's largest military operation in three decades. Detainee Dies in Afghanistan One of a small number of suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban detainees captured in a U.S.-led military operation in eastern Afghanistan has died of illness at a military detention facility, the U.S. Central Command said Wednesday. 20 N. Koreans Seek Asylum About 20 North Koreans who said they were fleeing persecution in their hard-line communist country rushed past Chinese guards and sought asylum today at the Spanish Embassy, threatening suicide if sent back. Six Children Feared Dead in Suspicious Fire Six children--nearly half the number of kids in the tiny, remote Pacific village of Quatsino--were feared dead in a suspicious fire. 35 Killed When Bus Crashes Into Gas Station A bus skidded off a fog-shrouded highway in Peru and slammed into a gas station, bursting into flames and killing at least 35 people while injuring 18, police said. Diplomats Say U.S. Will Regain Rights Panel Seat The U.S. is set to regain the seat it lost last spring on the U.N. Human Rights Commission, reversing a humiliating defeat that exacerbated already tense relations between the United Nations and the Bush administration, U.N. diplomats said. DNA Tests Identify Slain Man as Drug Lord DNA tests confirm that a man killed last month during a shootout with police was Ramon Arellano Felix, one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives and a suspected leader of Mexico's most brutal drug gang, prosecutors said. Central Bank Chief Sentenced for Graft A court sentenced the head of Indonesia's central bank to three years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar corruption and election campaign finance scam. Policeman Beaten, Painted by Vandals Teenage vandals who were spray-painting cars in London attacked a police officer when he tried to stop them, beating and spraying him in the face with paint, British authorities said. Israel Invades Ramallah in Show of Might The Israeli army took control of the West Bank city of Ramallah in a massive display of force Tuesday, battling gunmen, digging trenches across roads, searching homes and detaining hundreds of men in the nerve center of the Palestinian Authority. Controversy Over S. Korea's C-List The list of shame reads like a who's who of South Korean society. Cheney Takes Anti-Terror Message to Mideast As he arrived Tuesday in , Vice President Dick Cheney stepped from the shelter of his high-security jet, through the cordon of a kaffiyeh-clad honor guard and directly into what could be the toughest mission of his tenure. Zimbabwe Awaits Results of Election As vote-counting in Zimbabwe's bitterly contested presidential election got underway Tuesday, allegations of misconduct continued to undermine the credibility of the poll. Ties That Terrorism Transformed As a light snow fell at dusk, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell showed up at the busy subway station on Pushkin Square here to place a bouquet of red roses beneath a plaque marking the spot where a suitcase bomb killed 13 and injured dozens Aug. 8, 2000. Powell bowed his head as Russian TV cameras filmed the scene. Pearl Case Suspect Issues Threat to U.S. The defiant alleged mastermind of the kidnapping and slaying of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl warned Tuesday that Americans will suffer if he is sent to the United States, shouting to bystanders after a court appearance that "America will be finished soon." Afghan Declares Coalition Victory in High Valley A top commander of Afghan forces today declared a total victory in the battle at Shahi Kot, saying Afghan and U.S. troops had occupied the high mountain valley and were in full control on the ground. Warlords to Report on Alleged Killings Three powerful warlords have been asked to investigate claims that their troops committed acts of "ethnic cleansing" against Pushtuns in northern Afghanistan, a spokesman for the interim government said here Tuesday. Danger, Death Fill a Gaza Strip Camp The inhabitants of this teeming refugee camp cowered as Israeli tanks slammed through their rutted streets Tuesday. Most Palestinian gunmen had fled ahead of the Israeli incursion, but Bajhat Skheleh and a band of armed comrades put up a fight. Journalists Come Under Fire at West Bank Hotel Israeli forces fired for 10 to 15 minutes from tank-mounted machine guns on a hotel where journalists were photographing armor targeting the Al Amari refugee camp early Tuesday.

U.N. Council Endorses a State for Palestinians The Security Council approved a resolution Tuesday night endorsing a Palestinian state for the first time, supporting a U.S. measure that also calls for an immediate cease-fire in the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict. India Court Bars Prayer Vigil India's Supreme Court today ruled against Hindu nationalist demands to hold a symbolic prayer ceremony near the site of a razed 16th century mosque. Colombia Rebel Group 'Studying' Truce Proposal The rebel National Liberation Army said Tuesday that it was studying a truce accord, but a powerful car bomb that killed seven people showed other guerrillas intend to continue their attacks. White House Will Ask Congress for Help on Colombia The Bush administration will seek legislative changes to give it more flexibility in helping the Colombian government fight rebels, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Tuesday. Third World Still Fighting Malnutrition Although "spectacular gains" have been made against some nutritional deficiencies, one-third of children in the developing world are malnourished, according to a report released today. Transitional Rule Urged for Island Nation A group of African nations suggested that Madagascar's president and the main opposition leader set up a transitional government to end a standoff over disputed election results that has thrown the island nation into political chaos. Girls School Fire Leaves 14 Dead, Report Says A fire at a Mecca girls school that had no emergency exits led to panicked escape attempts in which 14 girls were killed and 50 injured, Saudi media reported. Regime Says Plot Won't Disrupt Talks on Reforms Myanmar's ruling junta said that reconciliation talks with pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi would not be derailed by the discovery of a coup plot led by the cronies of an elderly former dictator. Italian Police Stick It to Would-Be Gladiator An aspiring Italian actor who poses for tourists as a sword-toting gladiator outside Rome's Colosseum could face up to three years in jail for bearing illegal arms, police said. Fleeing to Culture Shock Kim Kang Chul steered past the clutter of fast-food restaurants that make up the bustling streetscape of this Seoul suburb. There are KFC restaurants and Dunkin' Donuts, and towering above them billboards advertising mobile telephones and yet more fast food. Death Toll Rises as Israel Presses Hunt for Militants Israeli army tanks smashed into the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip late Monday and drove to the heart of Ramallah in the West Bank as Israel intensified its hunt for militants. Palestinians reported at least 22 dead and 75 injured in heavy fighting in Jabaliya, the largest refugee camp in Gaza. Extradition of Drug Cartel Boss May Take Years Mexican officials cautioned Monday that any move to extradite notorious Tijuana drug cartel chief Benjamin Arellano Felix to face justice in the United States could take months, if not years. Chaotic Voting Closes in Zimbabwe The government closed the polls Monday in this country's chaotic presidential election, and a high court judge later rejected the main opposition party's petition to extend voting to a fourth day. Dutchman in Product Dispute Takes Hostages, Kills Himself A gunman upset with the quality of wide-screen television grabbed as many as 18 hostages Monday in the tallest building in the Dutch capital, then shot and killed himself after a seven-hour siege, authorities said. Pay Protest Jams French Gas Depots French truck drivers blocked refineries and oil depots Monday, snarling traffic and triggering a run on gasoline in some areas, unions said. Vintner Adds Color to S. Africa's Wine Industry A Congolese wine lover who has penetrated this country's exclusive wine industry wants to cultivate African palates while marketing what he hopes will be an outstanding product. China Goes After U.S. on Rights Responding to U.S. criticism of its human rights record, China returned fire in a blistering rebuttal Monday--a point-by-point dismantling of American society that depicts a nation beset by crime, violent media images, indifference to poverty and arrogant foreign policy. Cheney Steps Out on World Stage With Pledge to Britain Vice President Dick Cheney moved Monday to quiet British critics of possible military action against Iraq, as he set out on his first overseas trip as vice president, a 12-nation journey to round up support for the next phase in the war against terrorism. U.S., Saudis Block Assets of Charity U.S. authorities, working in conjunction with Saudi Arabia, blocked the assets of a Saudi charity's offices in Somalia and Bosnia on Monday, saying they had been linked to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. 800 Adoptees to Be Allowed in Hong Kong Eight hundred adopted Chinese children have been given permission by Beijing to live with their families in Hong Kong after a bitter struggle, the territory's Department of Immigration said Monday. Hindu-Muslim Violence Continues to Plague India Groups of Hindus attacked Muslims on Monday as religious violence that has killed hundreds in western India continued to smolder. At Least 6 Dead After Migrants' Boat Founders Six illegal immigrants were believed to have drowned and five more were missing off Italy's southeastern coast, just days after dozens of foreigners died in another boating tragedy. U.S. Spy Planes to Be Used in Joint Exercises The U.S. military has shipped unmanned spy planes to the Philippines to take part in joint anti-terrorism training exercises aimed at wiping out a group holding two Americans hostage, officials said. 9 Killed, 7 Injured in Blast at Fireworks Factory An explosion at a fireworks factory in southern China killed nine people and injured seven, a local official said. 5 Men Sent to Prison on Gay Sex Charges Five Egyptian men were sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor for engaging in gay sex, judicial officials said.