Siemens chief is latest to be ousted amid scandals at German giant
Klaus Kleinfeld said he would step down as chief executive when his contract expired in September.

North Korea's nuclear identity on display in parade
Analysts say the 'army-first' policy of Kim Jong Il offers little reason to hope that Pyongyang will be persuaded to surrender its nuclear weapons.

EU Parliament passes piracy legislation
The legislation would impose stiff jail sentences and fines on counterfeiters of drugs, toys and other goods.

House panel seeks to force Rice to testify on Iraq claims
The vote to subpoena Rice reflected the new power of Democrats as they fulfilled their desire to subject the Bush administration to closer scrutiny.
- White House sees strident tone in Iraq debate
- A conversation with President Bush

Ethiopia opens search for abducted Chinese workers
The army searched Wednesday for Chinese and Ethiopian workers who were kidnapped in an attack on an oil facility in which rebels killed 74 people.
- Ethiopian rebels kill 70 at Chinese-run oil field

Dow passes 13,000 for first time
The Dow Jones industrial average shot past 13,000 for the first time Wednesday, powered by better-than-expected corporate earnings that boosted investors' confidence in the U.S. economy.

Royal Bank of Scotland begins bidding war for ABN AMRO
The offer, made together with Banco Santander Central Hispano and Fortis, is worth a total of $98.5 billion, exceeding the offer that Barclays made Monday by about 13 percent. Photo: From left to right, the chief executives of Fortis, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander, at a media briefing in Edinburgh.

Hindered by war views, McCain formally declares
As expected, Senator John McCain announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, a bid whose preliminary fund-raising has been hurt, analysts say, by his unswerving support for the war in Iraq.

Momentum for democratic reform wanes in Saudi Arabia
Factors including an economic boom driven by high oil prices and a more aggressive regional foreign policy have put democratic change on the back burner.

The money flows, the boy dies
How long can the aid industry continue to ignore the fundamental needs of countries like Uganda?

Hands across the ocean
There remains enormous untapped potential for the trans-Atlantic economy.

It's time to trade with Cuba
Since we have not succeeded in bullying the Cubans into submission, we should try to woo them by offering trade with the United States and integration into the international market system.

Soccer: Rooney crowns thrilling night
Wayne Rooney scored in the final minute to give Manchester United a 3-2 victory over AC Milan in the first leg of a Champions League semifinal that left 73,820 singing in the rain.
- Soccer: Cole gives Chelsea 1-0 win over Liverpool
- Soccer: Tired Barcelona hired for Cairo party

Cycling: Who needs races when the scandals are so good?
As the spring classics near their end and the Giro d'Italia approaches, the cycling action is raging in the hearing room, the media and the laboratory.
- Cycling: Landis angry at news of test result

Cricket: Sri Lanka shows depth of worthy finalist
There was a sense of shock when Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996, but as it faces New Zealand in the final Saturday, its qualities are well known.
- Cricket: First semifinal summons famous memories