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KABUL, Afghanistan – Five Afghan aid workers, including three employed by a Swedish aid agency, were abducted in eastern Afghanistan, a police official said Sunday. The five — two doctors and an employee of the aid agency Swedish Committee for Afghanistan and two local government workers — were kidnapped on …

ATLANTA – Civil rights advocates urged Congress on Monday to quickly renew provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, saying the “heart and soul” of the act is under attack by Southern Republicans. “Martin Luther King’s bones must be rattling in his grave that in 2006, these Dixiecrats are …

RENO, Nev. – Judge Chuck Weller was told weeks ago that the man now suspected of shooting him had launched a campaign to ruin the judge’s career, a spokesman for Weller said. Police focused on Northern California Wednesday as they searched for Darren Mack, a wealthy Reno pawn shop owner …

NEW YORK – Complete list of 2006 Tony winners announced Sunday at Radio City Music Hall in New York: Play: “The History Boys.” Musical: “Jersey Boys.” Book-Musical: “The Drowsy Chaperone,” Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics): “The Drowsy Chaperone,” Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. Revival-Play: “Awake …

MERIDEN, Conn. – The father of a Marine being investigated in the deaths of two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq, said Monday he does not believe his son would have intentionally killed innocent people. “I just don’t believe that he would do something like that,” said Dave Wuterich, the father …

MANILA, Philippines – A U.S. Navy investigator testified Wednesday that a U.S. Marine accused of rape said he had consensual sex with his Filipino accuser while three other servicemen cheered him on. Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith “admitted he had sexual intercourse with the Filipino woman inside the van and that …

BERLIN – A German minister has advocated far-reaching restrictions on smoking in public places, pointing in an interview published Sunday to similar bans in other countries. Germany traditionally has been a haven for smokers. At the soccer World Cup, organizers have limited themselves to appealing to fans not to light …

TOKYO – A moderate earthquake registering magnitude 4.8 rattled the Tokyo area early Tuesday, but there was no danger of a tsunami, the nation’s meteorological agency said. The 6:47 a.m. quake occurred 50 miles underground in Chiba Prefecture, just southwest of Tokyo, and was felt in dozens of cities including …

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration lacks a comprehensive plan for testing and monitoring bird flu in commercial poultry, a federal audit says. The industry is testing every flock for bird flu, but the tests are voluntary and there is no method for reporting findings to the government, the Agriculture Department’s …

JERUSALEM – Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Tuesday that Israel was not responsible for a blast that killed eight Gaza beachgoers, rebuffing Palestinian accusations that blamed an Israeli artillery round. An Israeli inquiry concluded that the blast was caused by an explosive buried in the sand, not from Israeli shelling …