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

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The family of an Indiana teenager filed a civil lawsuit against USA Swimming and others Thursday, saying officials didn’t do enough to protect the girl from the sexual assaults by her coach.The suit, filed in Marion County Superior Court, levels accusations against the umbrel

A civil servant who claimed he threw his ex-wifeto her death from a Hong Kong cruise ship to fulfill her wish for aburial at sea was Friday beginning a life sentence for murder.Chinese national Wang Weilie, 49, told police his wife YangWenjuan was suicidal and he thought she was dead when he threw h

GENEVA (AP) — The Western Black Rhino of Africa has been declared officially extinct, and two other subspecies of rhinoceros are close to meeting the same fate, a leading conservation group said Thursday.The International Union for Conservation of Nature said a recent reassessment of the Weste

Chinese couples flocked to registry offices to marry on Friday in the belief that the "11/11/11" date is the most auspicious in a century.November 11 has been celebrated as an unofficial "singles' day" in China since the 1990s -- as the date is composed of the number one -- and it is seen as a good