VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The hollow remains of a 1,100-year-old red cedar tree landmark are a safety risk and will be cut down, the Vancouver, British Columbia, city council decided.At a packed council meeting Monday night, the vote was unanimous to bring down "The Hollow Tree," a landmark in the city's Stanley Park, the Globe and Mail reported.As far back as the 1800s, people and families posed for portraits inside the ancient tree but storm ... [full story]

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- A Tamil Tigers chief met with a suicide squad prior to a deadly attack on a Sri Lankan navy vessel, a government defense official said Tuesday.Velupillai Prabhakaran, or Thambi, met with an elite squad of suicide bombers prior to the March 22 attack. A Sri Lankan defense officials said 10 sailors listed as missing from the attack are "presumed dead," the Press Trust of India reported.Thambi is the leader of the ... [full story]

KIEV, Ukraine -- A planned missile defense system in Europe isn't a threat to Russia, U.S. President George Bush said Tuesday during a visit to Kiev, Ukraine."The missile defense system is not aimed at Russia," Bush said during a news conference after talks with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. "It's viewed as an anti-Russian device. Well, it's not."Russia opposes U.S. plans to install interceptor missiles and radar in Poland and the Czech Republic, respectively, CNN reported. ... [full story]

BASRA, Iraq -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday ordered government security forces to stop random raids and arrests in Basra after nearly a week of fighting.The U.S. military said a U.S. airstrike killed six and wounded an unknown number of people near the Sadr City area of Baghdad after a tank patrolling the area was fired upon, Alalam satellite television reported. Another three men were killed in a separate incident.The Iraqi military operation ... [full story]

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- North Korea Tuesday bitterly attacked South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's conservative government, calling it a U.S. sycophant.In a 2,100-word commentary, the Rodong Sinmun, the main organ of the country's communist government, said, "The Lee Myung-bak regime … is becoming undisguised in its sycophancy toward the United States and confrontation with (North Korea), blatantly swimming against the trend of the era of independent reunification."The commentary comes in the wake of recent aggressive ... [full story]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The new 24-member Pakistani Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani, is made up of mostly members of the country's two main parties.Of the total who received the oath of office Monday from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, 11 represent the Pakistan People's Party of slain Benazir Bhutto which won the most seats in the national assembly elections in February. Of the rest, nine belong to the other main party, a ... [full story]

Lessons learned will help shape cap and trade program in Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski began his business development mission today with a meeting with APM Terminals executives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to advance the container terminal development project in Coos Bay, and then traveled to Brussels to meet with European Union (EU) officials and industry representatives to discuss carbon cap and trade. “This meeting was a good opportunity to learn first hand the successes and challenges of ... [full story]

CLATSKANIE, Ore. -- Three people received non-life threatening injuries Monday morning after the driver lost control of her car which collided with a loaded logging truck on the icy road conditions of Highway 30 west of Clatskanie near the Gnat Creek Bridge, Oregon State Police (OSP) reported.   The driver and two passengers in the small Honda received only minor injuries after colliding with a logging truck - OSP photo According to Trooper Jim O'Connor, Mary Gump, ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. -- Five teenaged boys from Bend, Eugene, Elmira and Fall Creek were arrested early Sunday morning in connection with a spree of criminal mischief crimes which caused thousands of dollars in damage to vehicles and houses in the southern part of Bend over the weekend. Police believe the majority of the damage was caused by rocks thrown through windows, and while there is no evidence to suggest the teens may have been involved in ... [full story]

LA PINE, Ore. -- A La Pine man who was assigned by State court, Social Security Administration, and Senior & Disabled services to act as a conservator of finances for numerous senior and disabled citizens throughout Central Oregon who was arrested in July of last year has pleaded guilty to 32 counts of theft.   Oliver Lee Trussell - DCJ photo  Originally charged with three counts of first-degree aggravated theft, 14 counts of first-degree theft, 13 counts of ... [full story]