WARSAW (AFP) ― A cold snap kept Europe in its icy grip Thursday, pushing the death toll to 163 as countries from Ukraine to Italy struggled with temperatures that plunged to record lows in some places.Entire villages were cut off in parts of eastern Europe, trapping thousands, while road, air and rail links were severed and gas consumption shot up during what has been the severest winter in decades in some regions.In Ukraine, tens of thousands headed to shelters to escape the freeze that emergen

Wen said Beijing might contribute to European bailout funds but made no financial commitmentBEIJING (AP) — China’s main ruling party newspaper criticized sanctions on Iran as German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Friday with President Hu Jintao after urging Beijing to press Tehran to avoid developing nuclear weapons.Western efforts to pressure Iran with an oil embargo are “casting a shadow over the global economy,” said People’s Daily, the main Communist Party mouthpiece. It appealed to other gove

ATLANTA (AP) ― Memphis had not won a game in Atlanta in more than six years.The Grizzlies took care of that skid in a big way. Rudy Gay scored 21 points, four other teammates were in double figures and Memphis blew out the listless Hawks 96-77 Thursday night.“It was outstanding defense from the start,” said coach Lionel Hollins, whose team came up with 13 steals. “We started executing and our defense just took over from that.”Memphis snapped a five-game losing streak at Philips Arena, winning fo

Superstar singer Madonna promised no wardrobe malfunctions for her Super Bowl 46 half-time show, saying she has never worked so hard on preparing for a performance. Singer Madonna gestures as she speaks at the podium during a press conference for the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI halftime show at

A cold snap kept Europe in its icy grip Thursday, pushing the death toll to 163 as countries from Ukraine to Italy struggled with temperatures that plunged to record lows in some places.A church stands frozen near Bayrischzell, southern Germany on Thursday. (AP-Yonhap News) A woman looks out of a wi

DALLAS (AP) ― The parent of American Airlines wants to eliminate about 13,000 jobs ― 15 percent of its workforce ― as the nation’s third-biggest airline remakes itself under bankruptcy protection.The company proposes to end its traditional pension plans, a move strongly opposed by the airline’s unions and the U.S. pension-insurance agency, and to stop paying for retiree health benefits.AMR Corp. said Wednesday that it must cut labor costs by 20 percent. It will soon begin negotiations with its t

ATHENS (AP) ― Greece and the IMF said Wednesday that negotiations for landmark debt deals will be concluded in a “matter of days,’’ raising hopes that the country will dodge a disastrous default in the spring.Greece is locked in two sets of talks― one with private creditors to have them take losses on their bondholdings and the other with its international bailout rescuers to receive new loans.“We are at a crucial point in developments. In the coming days, the agreements must be completed’’ for

WARSAW, Poland (AP) ― Poland’s 1996 Nobel Prize-winning poet Wislawa Szymborska, whose simple words and playful verse plucked threads of irony and empathy out of life, has died. She was 88.Szymborska, a heavy smoker, died in her sleep of lung cancer Wednesday evening at her home in the southern city of Krakow, her personal secretary Michal Rusinek said.She died surrounded by relatives and friends, said Katarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska, a journalist and a friend of the poet.The Nobel award committee’s c

CAIRO (AP) ― At least 74 people were killed and hundreds injured after soccer fans rushed the field in the seaside city of Port Said Wednesday following an upset victory by the home team over Egypt’s top club, setting off clashes and a stampede as riot police largely failed to intervene.It was a bloody reminder of the deteriorating security in the Arab world’s most populous country as instability continues nearly a year after former President Hosni Mubarak was swept out of power in a popular upr