MEXICO CITY (AP) ― President Felipe Calderon said Saturday the loss of Mexico’s No. 2 official in a helicopter crash won’t weaken the offensive against drug cartels and, if anything, will toughen it.Speaking at a memorial service, Calderon said the best way to pay tribute to Interior Secretary Francisco Blake Mora and the seven others killed Friday when their aircraft smashed into a mountainside south of Mexico City is “to keep fighting with greater conviction for the things they fought for.”Bla

Tsunami-hit nuke plant revealed to outsiders for first time since tragedyOKUMA, Japan (AP) ― Two reactor buildings once painted in a cheery sky blue loom over the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Their roofs are blasted away, their crumbled concrete walls reduced to steel frames.In their shadow, plumbers, electricians and truck drivers, sometimes numbering in the thousands, go dutifully about their work, all clad from head to toe in white hazmat suits. Their job ― cleaning up the worst nu

ROME (AFP) - Italy starts forming a new government Sunday after the momentous resignation of Silvio Berlusconi, with economist Mario Monti tipped as the man to lead the country through its debt crisis.In this July 17, 2002 file photo, European Union Commissioner for Competition Mario Monti speaking

ATHENS (AP) ― Europe’s financial crisis eased as Greece installed a respected economist to replace its prime minister and Italy appeared poised to do the same ― both hoping that monetary experts can do better than the politicians who drove their nations so deeply into debt.The announcement Thursday in Athens ― coupled with the prospect that volatile Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will be ushered out soon ― quieted market fears, at least for now, that turmoil in Europe could threaten th

After 18-year effort, Moscow finally gets go-ahead to join WTOGENEVA (AP) ― Russia cleared a major hurdle toward opening up its huge oil-driven economy Thursday, with negotiators agreeing to final terms that would allow it to join the World Trade Organization after an 18-year effort.The deal is expected to quickly inject 4 billion ($5.45 billion) euros a year into the ailing European economy by boosting European Union exports.The 27-nation bloc is Russia’s biggest trading partner for its agricul

SYDNEY (AP) ― Tiger Woods walked off the golf course to see his name atop the leaderboard Friday in the Australian Open. Even more pleasing to him was the way he got there.With control of his shots and comfortable over the putter, Woods put together his best back-to-back rounds of the year with a 5-under 67 that gave him a one-shot lead among the early starters in the second round.If it holds up at the end of the day, it would be his first time in the lead after any round since the third day of