Alphiniqia News Agency

Dutch bishops launch child abuse probe
Catholic bishops in the Netherlands have announced an independent investigation into allegations of child abuse by clergy, widening a scandal that already touches countries including the United States... more...

'Tuscan Sun' author on Italy's pleasures
Many authors can move readers with their words, but Frances Mayes has the power to actually make readers move. ... more...

Gates: Early pullout reliant on 'conditions' in Afghanistan
After surveying training camps in eastern Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates hinted Wednesday that U.S. troops could be leaving earlier than the announced July 2011 troop withdrawal date. ... more...

U.S. hikers held in Iran allowed to call home, families say
Three U.S. hikers who were detained in Iran have spoken by phone with their relatives for the first time since authorities jailed them more than seven months ago, the hikers' families said Wednesday. ... more...

Women fliers honored 65 years after war efforts
Some 65 years after their service, a group of former civilian women pilots whose unheralded work was key to helping the U.S. effort in World War II are being honored Wednesday with the Congressional G... more...

Anti-Whitman Web site turns to public for dirt
Democrats opposed to Meg Whitman's gubernatorial campaign are hoping to get an assist from the public in their latest bid to push voters away from the Republican candidate. ... more...

Ferguson confused by Beckham's role in Milan showdown
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson says David Beckham will offer a "threat" to his side's Champions League ambitions but admits he has no idea if his former midfield star will feature in the AC M... more...

Russian magnate wins libel case over poisoning report
Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky has won his libel case against a Russian broadcaster in London, his spokeswoman told CNN on Wednesday. ... more...

Gates vows friendship with Afghans
America's defense chief thanked Afghanistan's soldiers for their service during a tour of a training camp Wednesday as Iran's hardline president arrived in Kabul with a pledge to purge "occupying forc... more...

Answers demanded in bulldozer death
A-23-year-old American activist stands in front of an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza. The bulldozer drives over her, crushing her to death. These are the facts. ... more...

Church: Excluding lesbians' kids correct
The archdiocese of Denver, Colorado, is defending its decision not to re-enroll two children in a Catholic school in Boulder next year because their parents are lesbians. ... more...

Brown says UK to maintain AAA credit rating
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday he believed Britain would maintain its coveted top credit rating and announced a pay freeze for top civil servants to help tame a recor... more...

Bomber's death fresh blow to Indonesia militants
CANBERRA/JAKARTA (Reuters) - A suspected mastermind of the Bali bombings was killed in a police raid in Indonesia in the latest blow to an Islamist militant movement in the world's most populous Musli... more...

Hundreds protest to demand Nigeria leader appears
ABUJA (Reuters) - Hundreds of Nigerians gathered in the capital Abuja on Wednesday for a march to the presidency to demand the appearance of ailing leader Umaru Yar'Adua, two weeks after he returned f... more...

Dalai Lama risks Chinese ire to back Uighurs
DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama voiced his support on Wednesday for an ethnic minority in China's troubled Xinjiang province, risking worsening further his... more...

U.S. and UK patent offices plan work sharing deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. and British patent offices are working on a plan to have patent examiners in the two countries share research as a way to reduce a several-years backlog of applications... more...

U.S. watchdog says Kazakhstan violating OSCE values
ALMATY (Reuters) - A U.S. media group has criticized Kazakhstan for effectively banning an opposition newspaper, saying the move violated the core values of Europe's main democracy watchdog, chaired b... more...

Parents demand answers from Israel in bulldozer death
A 23-year-old American activist stands in front of an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza. The bulldozer drives over her, crushing her to death. These are the facts. ... more...

Afghanistan gets vows of friendship from U.S. and Iran
America's defense chief thanked Afghanistan's soldiers for their service during a tour of a training camp Wednesday as Iran's hardline president arrived in Kabul with a pledge to purge "occupying forc... more...

Archdiocese defends decision to deny children because of lesbian parents
The archdiocese of Denver, Colorado, is defending its decision not to re-enroll two children in a Catholic school in Boulder next year because their parents are lesbians. ... more...