German elections end with close vote

German electionsend with close vote
BERLIN -- Conservative challenger Angela Merkel, above, claimed a mandate to form a new German government Sunday, but Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder refused to concede after his party's strong finish in surprisingly close parliamentary elections. The vote centered on varied visions of Germany's role in the world and how to fix its sputtering economy. Schroeder touted the country's role as a European leader and counterbalance to America, while Merkel pledged to reform the economy and strengthen relations with Washington. Preliminary vote tallies and exit polls showed Merkel's Christian Democrats leading Schroeder's Social Democrats but failing to win the majority needed to govern, even when combined with her preferred coalition partner, the pro-business Free Democrats.
Voters defy Taliban
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Trooping into schools, mosques and tents, millions of Afghans defied a Taliban boycott call and militant attacks to vote for a new parliament Sunday, taking the last formal step in starting a democracy aimed at ending decades of rule by the gun. Officials hailed the polls as a major success, although initial estimates suggested voter turnout was lower than hoped for because of security fears and frustrations over the inclusion of several warlords on the ballot. Results were not expected for more than a week. Many people looked to a big vote to marginalize renegade loyalists of the ousted Taliban regime by demonstrating public support for an elected government built up under the protection of 20,000 soldiers in the American-led coalition and 11,000 NATO peacekeepers. Washington and other governments have poured in billions of dollars trying to foster a civic system that encourages Afghanistan's fractious ethnic groups to work together peacefully and ensure the nation is never again a staging post for al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.
Putting pressure on Syria
NEW YORK -- The United States is using the largest gathering of world leaders to try to keep up international pressure on Syria by branding it a meddlesome neighbor and a holdout against democratic advances in the Middle East. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice takes up the charge in meetings with other diplomats this week. After a week of international meetings at the United Nations, Rice concludes her participation with a high-level meeting on Lebanon and a separate gathering of the nations and organizations helping to steer Israel and the Palestinians back to the peace table.
Driver subdued at airport
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- A man drove his truck across two active runways at the Palm Springs International Airport on Sunday, broke a lock on a plane door and tried to run over an officer before he was arrested. Even after the man, dressed only in underwear and a shirt, crashed his truck in the yard of a nearby home and had been shot multiple times by police, he still refused to surrender until a police dog subdued him, police spokesman Sgt. John Booth said. The suspect, identified as Michael Broderick, was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for gunshot wounds.
Hurricane watch in Keys
MIAMI -- Tourists were told to evacuate the lower Florida Keys on Sunday as a new tropical depression strengthened over the Bahamas and moved toward the vulnerable, low-lying island chain. A hurricane watch was posted for the entire Florida Keys. "It does look like that there is the potential for it to become a hurricane, near or just before it reaches the Florida Keys," said Daniel Brown, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center. The watch means that hurricane conditions with sustained wind of at least 74 mph are possible by late today, according to the Miami-based hurricane center.
Book to tell Schiavo's side
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. -- Michael Schiavo is co-writing a book with author Michael Hirsh to tell his side of the end-of-life case that divided much of the country. Schiavo's wife, Terri, suffered a brain injury in 1990 that left her in what some doctors called a "persistent vegetative state." She died March 31 after a bitter court battle between her husband and her parents. Hirsh expects the 280-page book, "Terri: the Truth," to be available just before the first anniversary of Terri's death.
Sentencing in Tyco case
NEW YORK -- Two former Tyco International Ltd. executives convicted of stealing millions of dollars from the company have the misfortune of being sentenced at a time of low public tolerance for white-collar crime, legal experts say. Tyco's former CEO, L. Dennis Kozlowski, and Mark H. Swartz, the company's former finance chief, were convicted on grand larceny, securities fraud and other charges in June. They each face up to 30 years in prison when they are sentenced today.
Associated Press