Space shuttle Discovery gets red-carpet treatment at Air and Space Museum

Discovery, NASA’s hardest-working space shuttle, was welcomed to its new mission as a Smithsonian museum object on Thursday in a ceremony replete with Washington pageantry . But first, Discovery stood nose to nose with the shuttle Enterprise on a runway behind its new home at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the National Air and Space Museum’s Northern Virginia annex. The U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps played, fans...

Britain Resumes Efforts to Deport Radical Cleric

British authorities have re-arrested a radical Islamist cleric, accused of ties to late al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, in a fresh attempt to deport him to Jordan after more a than decade-long legal battle. Jordanian preacher Abu Qatada was detained Tuesday by U.K. Border Agency officers.  He was denied bail while awaiting the latest extradition attempt to Jordan, where he was convicted in 1998 in absentia of...

World economy fragile, faces "uneasy calm:" IMF

Global growth is slowly improving as the U.S. recovery gains traction and dangers from Europe recede, but risks remain high and the situation is very fragile, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. Another flare-up of the euro-zone sovereign debt crisis or sharp escalation in oil prices on geopolitical uncertainty could disrupt a world economy finding its feet once again after market turmoil over euro-zone...

Strong earthquake strikes Chile; no serious damage reported

A strong earthquake struck coastal Chile near the port city of Valparaiso late Monday, causing mudslides and some minor damage, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The 6.7-magnitude quake knocked out some power and phone lines in the region, authorities said. The temblor was felt in the capital city, Santiago, located 69 miles from the epicenter. A CNN en Español anchor held onto his desk as the quake rattled the...

Nuclear talks don't exempt Iran from attack: Barak

Israel's defense minister said on Tuesday that Israeli military action against Iran remains an option even while nuclear negotiations are under way, and voiced strong doubts whether the talks would succeed. Asked whether the negotiations, which began in Turkey on Saturday, could persuade Iran to halt uranium enrichment, Ehud Barak told Army Radio: "It does not look to me as if it is going to happen - not now, in the...