Afghanistan

Insurgents, U.S. Marines killed during fighting

Insurgents trying to escape U.S. Marines took refuge in a cave and killed two Americans during a five-hour battle in eastern Afghanistan that left an estimated 23 rebels dead, the U.S. military said Monday.

The clash, which also involved American attack planes, was the latest in a string of battles that the military says has inflicted heavy losses on militants who have intensified attacks since winter snows melted.

A U.S. statement said Sunday’s battle began when a Marine unit checked on a tip about insurgents operating in Laghman, an opium-producing area 60 miles east of the capital, Kabul.

Insurgents opened fire with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades and then split into two groups, one of which fled to a village and the other to a cave on a nearby ridge, the statement said.

Kenya

Stray dog retrieves abandoned baby

A stray dog saved the life of a newborn baby after finding the abandoned infant in a forest and apparently carrying it across a busy road and through some barbed wire to her litter of puppies, witnesses said.

The stray dog found the infant in a poor neighborhood near the Ngong Forests in the capital of Nairobi, Stephen Thoya told the Daily Nation newspaper.

The dog apparently found the baby Friday in the plastic bag in which the infant had been abandoned, said Aggrey Mwalimu, owner of the shed where the animal was guarding its puppies. The seven-pound, four-ounce infant was taken to the hospital for treatment on Saturday.

Kenya’s media often report the abandonment of newborns by mothers.

The child, whom hospital workers have nicknamed Angel, has not yet been claimed.

Spain

Palace announces princess’ pregnancy

Spain rejoiced Monday in the news that Princess Letizia was pregnant, but a key question was unanswered: Will it be a boy or a girl?

A boy would be second in line for the throne, after 37-year-old Felipe, who is King Juan Carlos’ third and only son. If the baby is a girl, however, she would inherit the throne after any sons Felipe and Letizia might have in the future, as the Spanish constitution allows a female heir to the throne only if she has no brothers.

The Spanish Royal Palace announced Sunday that the 32-year-old princess, a former anchorwoman for Spanish television, was due in November.

Many Spanish newspapers suggested the royal succession rule of boy before girl was unfair and old-fashioned. TV programs aired images of the royal couple, who married a year ago in a lavish ceremony in Madrid.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero reiterated his plan to reform the constitution and remove the gender rules on hereditary succession. The reform is being studied by the country’s State Council.

Brazil

South American, Arab leaders to join forces

South American and Arab leaders gathering for a summit are expected to overwhelmingly adopt a declaration condemning Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, according to a draft of the document approved by ministers Monday.

The draft declaration to be signed during the first Summit of South American-Arab Countries demands that Israel disband settlements “including those in East Jerusalem” and retreat to its 1967 borders before the Mideast war.

The draft lashes out at U.S. economic sanctions against Syria and denounces terrorism. But it asserts the right of people “to resist foreign occupation in accordance with the principles of international legality and in compliance with international humanitarian law.”

In the two-day summit starting today, leaders and top government officials from 34 South American, Arab and North African countries will also support sweeping political and economic efforts to tighten links between the regions, the draft says.