ELON MORAH, West Bank -- A Palestinian captured Monday by Israeli soldiers planned to attack a West Bank settlement by exploding a bomb in a dead sheep, it was reported. The 88-pound bomb was found inside the sheep on a road near Elon Morah, Ynetnews reported. Sunday night, an Israeli soldier was wounded near Nablus in a clash with Palestinian gunmen and eight wanted Palestinian terrorist suspects were arrested in separate captures in Nablus, Ramallah ... [full story]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Fears of gridlock in the wake of last week's bridge collapse in Minneapolis evaporated Monday as investigators worked to determine why the structure failed. The Interstate 35W bridge, which served as a main traffic artery over the Mississippi River, collapsed Wednesday during the evening rush hour, killing at least five people and injuring 100 others. "Overall, I'm pretty encouraged by this morning's commute," Don Zenanko, a state transportation specialist who works in the ... [full story]

PHILADELPHIA -- Some scientists are blaming pollution and hormone-scrambling chemicals for a drop in the ratio of male babies born in the United States and Japan. Throughout history women all over the world have given birth to an average of 105 boys for every 100 girls, but that gap has been declining in the two countries, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday. University of Pittsburg epidemiologist Devra Davis writes in the June issue of Environmental Health ... [full story]

PIRBRIGHT, England -- Britain’s prime minister is assuring tourists his country is open for business even as new cattle are being culled to curb an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. “While there is a national ban on the movement of pigs, cattle and sheep, people are free, outside the protected zone, to continue with their holidays,” Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sunday. British leaders fear significant damage to tourism and farming if the outbreak is not ... [full story]

INDIANAPOLIS -- The fight over dress codes and uniforms for U.S. public school children is moving from local school board meetings to the courthouse. An Indiana couple, Laura and Scott Bell of Anderson, has filed suit in federal court against a uniform plan that begins when students return to classes later this month, USA Today reported Monday. The Bells’ suit charges the plan violates their children’s constitutional right of free expression and the guarantee of ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George Bush said Monday it remains to be seen whether Iran is a positive force in Afghanistan. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeared at a joint news conference following two days of talks at Camp David, Md., focusing on the level of civilian casualties as U.S. and NATO forces attempt to track down members of the Taliban. “The burden of proof is on the Iranian government to show us they’re ... [full story]

YOUSIFIYA, Iraq -- U.S. forces in the Iraqi town of Yousifiya reportedly have witnessed a real transformation since they first arrived in the Sunni triangle last September. Lt. Col. Michael Infanti, who commands the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Army Regiment, says the Iraqi army battalion in Yousifiya is the best he has seen, The Los Angeles Times said Monday. Infanti is hoping to turn over two of the six U.S.-controlled battle positions to Iraqi forces ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering a formal ban on lead in children’s jewelry rather than having to issue one recall after another. Since it first proposed enacting an all-out ban, only the government of China has sent a letter to the commission opposing the move, The New York Times reported Monday. Federal officials say of the nearly 18 million pieces of children’s jewelry items pulled off the market since 2005, ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The Washington-area home of a former Justice Department lawyer was raided by FBI agents looking into who leaked security news to the media. Using a classified warrant, agents seized the computer of Thomas Tamm, along with two of his children's laptop computers, Newsweek reported Monday. Tamm worked with the department's of Intelligence Policy and Review, which oversees surveillance of terrorist and espionage targets. Two sources who asked not to be identified told the ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The failure of Congress to pass a U.S. immigration reform measure has sparked action on the issue in state legislatures across the country. The National Conference of State Legislatures says there has been an unprecedented surge in state-level lawmaking on the immigration issue, The New York Times reported Monday. According to the conference, 170 immigration bills were enacted by state legislatures in 2006 representing double the number that passed the previous year. The ... [full story]