BUENOS AIRES: Argentine president blames U.S. for economic crisis
Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde told foreign reporters Tuesday that his insolvent nation is a step away from anarchy and Argentina "came to the end of the century dominated" by foreign powers because it spent the last decade following U.S.-backed economic policies.
He repeatedly warned that Argentina, with unemployment in the 20 percent range and sure to get worse, is "on the edge of a bloodbath."
Some analysts have dismissed the talk of anarchy as an attempt to lower expectations so that anything resembling order would be seen as a victory for Duhalde, who has little public support and was selected by Congress on Jan. 2 to be Argentina's fifth president in less than a month.
Washington, D.C.: Alabama wife says spouse kidnapped in Afghanistan
An Alabama man was kidnapped for ransom in Afghanistan while delivering medical supplies last week, his wife told government officials.
A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the report was being investigated but would not identify the man because of privacy laws.
A staffer for a friend of the family, U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrbacher, R-Calif., identified the man as Clark Russell Bowers, 37, of Harvest, Ala.
The Los Angeles Times said Bowers called his wife, Amanda, on Wednesday from Afghanistan to report he had been stopped and robbed of his belongings, including cash and a satellite phone.
UNITED NATIONS: Report: Afghan recovery will cost $15 billion
Reconstruction of Afghanistan will cost $15 billion over the next 10 years, according to an assessment issued Tuesday by the U.N. Development Program, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
The estimate of Afghanistan's reconstruction needs following more than two decades of war was issued ahead of next week's donors conference in Tokyo. The meeting is aimed at securing funds to provide a new start for the country following the rout of the Taliban.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Secretary of State Colin Powell and representatives from Japan, the European Union, Saudi Arabia and a host of other countries are expected to attend the gathering.
Washington: Memorial service honors Marine who filled in on plane
Family and friends gathered Tuesday at a memorial service for a 21-year-old Marine who died when a military plane he wasn't supposed to be aboard crashed in Pakistan.
Marine Sgt. Nathan Hays had volunteered to fill in for a fellow flight mechanic aboard the KC-130 that crashed last week, killing him and six others. The fellow mechanic's family recently called Hays' parents to thank them and express their grief.
Tuesday's service at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Spokane was private. Hays grew up in the nearby community of Wilbur.
Although six bodies have been recovered, the Marines have not indicated when the remains will be returned to the family.
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