GAZA -- A senior Hamas leader in Gaza said Wednesday on the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel that the group has beaten the Jewish notion "of invincibility."Mahmoud al-Zahar said in Gaza that "the right of return is closer than ever" adding "the Zionist legend of invincibility has been destroyed," Ynetnews.com reported."Now more than ever I tell you -- (we) will never recognize Israel ... We will form the Palestinian state on all of ... [full story]

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber detonated a charge after walking up to a police convoy Thursday, killing 12 people at a western Afghanistan market, authorities said.Afghan authorities said five of the dead were police officers while 26 others were injured in the explosion, CNN reported. The report said the Taliban claimed responsibility but there were conflicting reports over the identity of the bomber. The local police chief said the bomber was woman, while the ... [full story]

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. General Assembly in New York elected 15 members to the organization's Human Rights Council, including nations opposed by human rights groups.Sri Lanka, with a record of human rights abuses, lost its bid for re-election to the panel, The Washington Post reported Thursday. However, Pakistan, Bahrain, Gabon and Zambia -- all with alleged poor human rights records -- won three-year terms."Sri Lanka's defeat is a victory for the Human Rights Council," ... [full story]

QUEBEC CITY -- Safety concerns have led officials in the Canadian province of Quebec to order the retrieval of a 50-year-old plane wreck containing four bodies from a lake.Nine provincial police divers were ordered to begin the extrication next Monday from Lac Simon, 60 miles north of Ottawa, in order to prevent recreational divers from trying to reach it, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., reported Friday.The amphibious Republic RC-3 SeaBee went missing on Nov. 21, 1957, ... [full story]

As I prepare to travel to Israel this June - my second mission for the American-Israeli Friendship League and the Israel Finance Ministry - I also will be participating in the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Israel's historic independence. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians are protesting what they call the "nakba," or the catastrophe, of Israel's birth. Historically and politically, I agree with Winston Churchill, who said on March 29, 1929, in a tree-planting ceremony ... [full story]

Q: I have some questions regarding my mortarless stone wall. All of the wall stones are the same size. For the 6-inch layer of rock (gravel) underneath the bottom stones, is it OK to use rock that is the size of a half-dollar, or is that too large?   How do you smooth out the layer of gravel before placing the first layer of stones on it? Do you put a layer of small rocks, or ... [full story]

Welfare as we knew it ended years ago across the nation. But not for farmers. Congress has passed wasteful legislation that will set farm policy on the wrong course for five more years. The $290 billion farm bill, which passed the House on Wednesday and sailed through the Senate on Thursday, comes as farm income hits an all-time high. Yet this bill does almost nothing to curb subsidies. Indeed, as Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., pointed ... [full story]

When I was narrowly elected to Congress in 1962, the good folk of La Mesa, Calif., were not jumping for joy. I lost that suburban city by 1,200 votes, the most lopsided margin in my entire San Diego County district against sending a Democrat to Washington. I reasoned that my chances in the next election might well turn on changing minds in La Mesa. A group that ran the local Helix Irrigation District persuaded me ... [full story]

JERUSALEM -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday the "time has come" for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.Speaking in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Nakba, or catastrophe, as the Palestinians refer to the founding of the state of Israel and the displacement of its Arab population, Abbas also warned the continued building of Jewish settlements on the West Bank would undermine chances for peace, the Jerusalem ... [full story]

A few years ago, we employed a baby sitter who was obese, smoked and loved all the wrong foods. She routinely brought buns and cookies to our house to share with our children. She rarely exercised other than walking to and from her car. We read in the newspaper recently that she had died - in her 50s. Henrietta could have been a poster child for the latest report from the National Center for Health ... [full story]