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London - Britain will withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq in the "coming months," aiming to cut its force to below 5,000 by late summer if Iraqi forces can secure the southern part of the country, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday.

British troops will stay in Iraq until at least 2008 and work to secure the Iran-Iraq border and maintain supply routes to U.S. and coalition troops in central Iraq, Blair told the House of Commons.

"The actual reduction in forces will be from the present 7,100 - itself down from over 9,000 two years ago and 40,000 at the time of the conflict - to roughly 5,500," Blair said.

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A suicide bomber killed up to 10 people outside the main U.S. military base in an attack aimed at visiting Vice President Dick Cheney.Tuesday, February 27, 2007

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed up to 10 people outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan in an attack aimed at visiting Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday, but Cheney was not hurt in the blast.

An American soldier and a South Korean who was part of the U.S.-led coalition were killed, as was a U.S. government contractor whose nationality was unknown, officials said. NATO put the toll at four, including the bomber, and 27 wounded.

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DALLAS ? Directors of TXU Corp., the largest electric producer in Texas, gave tentative approval Sunday to sell the electric company to two private-equity firms that would abandon plans to build eight new coal-fired power plants, according to people close to the situation.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group were offering about $32 billion plus the assumption of more than $12 billion in TXU debt, which would make it the largest private buyout in U.S. corporate history.

Final details were still being worked out late Sunday, and TXU was expected to announce a deal early Monday, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the companies had not officially announced the deal.

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ROCK HILL, S.C. — Who is Winthrop University named for?

"I have no clue," guard Torrell Martin says, "but it has 'win' in it, so that's a good thing."

Winthrop has 25 wins, the last 15 in a row, second-longest streak in the nation to Memphis' 17.

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February 27, 2007STUART ? Second-grade teacher Rhonda Daily has been away from her students for more than a month, but Martin County School Board members said Monday they hope she'll be back in her Pinewood Elementary classroom soon.

At a special board meeting Monday morning, the board began the disciplinary process and defined the allegations against Daily, who took 12 consecutive days off to accompany her husband to Australia where he was in a boat racing competition. Only four of the 12 days were approved and authorized before she left for Australia.

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Pakistan on Monday to bluntly tell President Pervez Musharraf that his forces must markedly heighten their efforts to track down al-Qaida militants crossing the border into Afghanistan.

But Pakistan was defiant in its response to Cheney's message, blaming the increased violence in the region on lapses in security on the Afghan side of the border.

"Our reading is that there are security failures inside Afghanistan ...," said Nadeem Kiani, a spokesman for the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. "It doesn't have much to do with Pakistan."

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KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed up to 10 people outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan in an attack aimed at visiting Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday, but Cheney was not hurt in the blast.

An American soldier and a South Korean who was part of the U.S.-led coalition were killed, as was a U.S. government contractor whose nationality was unknown, officials said. NATO put the toll at four, including the bomber, and 27 wounded.

Local police said 10 people died.

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Responding to a trend in which airlines are taking international flights to newer airports, Los Angeles city officials said today that they will build new parking spots to accommodate larger aircraft at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

At a news conference heralding the groundbreaking of a $732-million renovation at the 22-year-old terminal, officials vowed to uphold the airport's status as the No. 1 gateway to the Pacific Rim.

"Our friends in Northern California are stealing some customers away from us," said Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "We remain committed to being a leader in international travel."

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Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - PGA TOUR - HONDA CLASSIC, PGA National Resort and Spa - Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida - The first weekend of March means the PGA Tour has moved east and begins its countdown for the Masters.

First up this year, with the schedule rearranged from last year, is the Honda Classic. After opening with an even-par 72 last year, Luke Donald carded three straight rounds in the 60s to down Geoff Ogilvy by two strokes.

Donald is on hand to defend his crown this week against a field that includes newly crowned WGC - Accenture Match Play champion Henrik Stenson. Stenson managed to defeat Ogilvy, who won the Match Play crown last year.

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NISEKO, Japan (AP) American skiers have the Rockies, Europeans the Alps. But for increasingly affluent Asia, Japan's powdery slopes are emerging as the top international draw from Shanghai to Sydney.

Even as skiing wanes in popularity at home, Japanese mountain villages like Niseko are trading on their fabulous snow, high-tech infrastructure and reasonable prices to thrive as snowbound boom towns.

International investors are also taking a keen interest in Japanese resorts as the region's skiers increasingly eschew the likes of Aspen and Davos for the pure powder next door.

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - European light bulb makers are close to an agreement in principle to work together on phasing out energy-wasting incandescent bulbs for the consumer market, the chief executive of Royal Philips Electronics NV's lighting division said Monday.

Philips is the largest lighting maker globally, followed by Siemens AG, known for the Osram-Sylvania brands. General Electric Co., whose founder Thomas Edison patented the incandescent bulb in 1880, is biggest in the United States.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Theo van Deursen said ``the tipping point is very close, to be frank, for the (European) lighting industry'' to agree on a phase-out of incandescent bulbs in the home. He said an announcement from a group of major producers could come as early as this week.

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Mildred C. Harvey, 84, of Grand Ledge passed away Feb. 19 in Lansing.

She was born in Chicago, Ill. July 28, 1922 the daughter of Gustaf and Gertrude (Johnson) Wanstrom. Mrs. Harvey was formerly of Chicago and enjoyed collecting plates.

Survivors include son, Richard Harvey of Watervliet; daughters, Marilyn (Sam) Garcia of Eaton Rapids, Alice Lougher of Coloma, Susan (Richard) Klimaszewski of Portage, Ind.; seven grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; sister Alice Galloway of Annadale, Va.

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — European light-bulb makers are close to an agreement in principle to work together on phasing out energy-wasting incandescent bulbs for the consumer market, the chief executive of Royal Philips Electronics' lighting division said Monday.

Philips is the largest lighting maker globally, followed by Siemens, known for the Osram-Sylvania brands. General Electric, whose founder Thomas Edison patented the incandescent bulb in 1880, is biggest in the United States.

In a telephone interview, Theo van Deursen said "the tipping point is very close, to be frank, for the [European] lighting industry" to agree on a phase-out of incandescent bulbs in the home. He said an announcement from a group of major producers could come as early as this week.

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The Academy Awards are Sunday night and, unfortunately, there will be no statuette awarded for Best Use of an Ice Ax.

So we decided to take matters into our own hands. The News Tribune created its own academy to determine the best adventure sport movies of all time.

OK, ?academy? might be a little strong. We e-mailed some of our most noted local adventurers and people in the outdoors industry for their thoughts and took it from there.

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DALLAS ? TXU Corp., Texas' largest electricity producer, is expected to announce Monday that it has agreed to be sold to a pair of private-equity firms in the largest private buyout in U.S. corporate history, according to people close to the deal.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group sought support for the buyout by agreeing to deep cuts in TXU's controversial $10 billion plan to build 11 new coal-fired power plants. Environmentalists and some Texas civic leaders oppose the plants, which would produce tons of new greenhouse gas emissions.

The two firms were offering about $32 billion plus the assumption of more than $12 billion in debt for TXU. Such a deal would eclipse the previous record private buyout, the $25.1 billion purchase of RJR Nabisco Inc. by KKR in 1988.

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Originally published 06:40 a.m., February 26, 2007

Updated 07:10 a.m., February 26, 2007

TXU Corp., Texas' largest electricity producer, said Monday it has agreed to be sold to a group of private-equity firms for about $32 billion in what would be the largest private buyout in U.S. corporate history if shareholders go along.

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SYDNEY, Australia - Lawyers for an Australian held at Guantanamo Bay went to court Monday in a bid to force his government to bring the 31-year-old alleged Taliban fighter home.

It was the first time that David Hicks has turned to the Australian legal system in his bid to end five years in custody at the U.S. naval base in Cuba.

A former kangaroo skinner, Hicks converted to Islam and is accused of fighting for the Taliban. He was captured in Afghanistan by the Northern Alliance during the U.S.-led invasion in December 2001.

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TXU Corp., Texas' largest electricity producer, said Monday it has agreed to be sold to a group of private-equity firms for about $32 billion in what would be the largest private buyout in U.S. corporate history if shareholders go along.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group led a group that included Goldman Sachs & Co. and three other Wall Street firms that will pay $69.25 per share for TXU. They will also assume about $13 billion in debt.

The firms won support for the buyout from some environmentalists who have criticized TXU by agreeing to sharply scale back TXU's controversial $10 billion plan to build 11 new coal-fired power plants that would produce tons of new greenhouse gas emissions.

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DALLAS (AP) -- TXU Corp., Texas' largest electricity producer, said Monday it has agreed to be sold to a group of private-equity firms for about $32 billion in what would be the largest private buyout in U.S. corporate history if shareholders go along. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group led a group that included Goldman Sachs & Co. and three other Wall Street firms that will pay $69.25 per share for TXU. They will also assume about $13 billion in debt. The firms won suppor...

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DALLAS -- Directors of TXU Corp., the largest electric producer in Texas, gave tentative approval Sunday to sell the electric company to two private-equity firms that would abandon plans to build eight new coal-fired power plants, according to people close to the situation.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. and Texas Pacific Group were offering about $32 billion plus the assumption of more than $12 billion in TXU debt, which would make it the largest private buyout in U.S. corporate history.

Final details were still being worked out late Sunday, and TXU was expected to announce a deal early Monday, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the companies had not officially announced the deal.

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Cheney visited Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday to discuss with officials there a planned spring offensive against the Taliban after the most violent year since the hard-line group was ousted in 2001.Monday, February 26, 2007

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KABUL (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney visited Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday to discuss with officials there a planned spring offensive against the Taliban after the most violent year since the hard-line group was ousted in 2001.

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Pakistan on Monday to press President Pervez Musharraf for help in combating a new Taliban offensive in Afghanistan and a resurgent al Qaeda.

Cheney was meeting with Musharraf at the presidential palace in Islamabad, an official told reporters traveling with the vice president. He arrived under tight security after spending the night in Oman.

The United States is bolstering its troop presence in Afghanistan by 3,200 to help repel fierce spring fighting anticipated by the United States and NATO after the bloodiest year there since the Taliban was ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001.

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JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia has temporarily closed its border with East Timor to prevent fugitives sneaking into Indonesian territory ahead of a tense lead-up to presidential elections, the military said on Monday.

Australia, which has 800 troops in East Timor, has warned of increased violence ahead of the April poll after clashes between its peacekeepers and East Timorese refugees left two civilians dead last week.

``We have closed the border to prevent infiltration from the other side. We are cooperating with East Timor security personnel,'' Indonesian military spokesman Muhammad Soenarto said.

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Pakistan Monday for talks with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan, an official said.

Cheney arrived on Monday morning and went straight to Musharraf's office in Rawalpindi, just south of the capital Islamabad, for talks on bilateral and international issues, a senior official in the president's office said on condition of anonymity because he is not an official spokesman.

It was unclear if Cheney joined the same talks held Monday between Musharraf and visiting British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

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DALLAS - TXU Corp., Texas' largest electricity producer, is expected to announce Monday that it has agreed to be sold to a pair of private-equity firms in the largest private buyout in U.S. corporate history, according to people close to the deal.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group sought support for the buyout by agreeing to deep cuts in TXU's controversial $10 billion plan to build 11 new coal-fired power plants. Environmentalists and some Texas civic leaders oppose the plants, which would produce tons of new greenhouse gas emissions.

The two firms were offering about $32 billion plus the assumption of more than $12 billion in debt for TXU. Such a deal would eclipse the previous record private buyout, the $25.1 billion purchase of RJR Nabisco Inc. by KKR in 1988.

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DALLAS — TXU Corp. will announce Monday that it has agreed to be sold to a pair of private-equity firms who hope to complete the largest private buyout in U.S. corporate history partly by scaling back TXU's controversial plan to build new coal-fired power plants, according to people close to the situation.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group were offering about $32 billion plus the assumption of more than $12 billion in debt for TXU, the largest electricity producer in Texas.

In an unusual twist, the buyers agreed to abandon plans to build eight new coal-fired power plants if they take over the company. Environmentalists and civic leaders in Texas oppose the plants, which would produce tons of new greenhouse gas emissions.

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The United Arab Emirates became the third nation to choose the air tanker being developed by Northrop Grumman Corp. and Airbus for its next generation air-refueling tanker.

The UAE joins the United Kingdom and Australia in opting for the A330 Multi-Role Tanker/Transport over Boeing Co.?s KC-767. Northrop and Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., are developing the tanker primarily to compete with Boeing for a U.S. Air Force contract expected to be worth as much as $100 billion.

EADS said the two parties will now negotiate the purchase of the jets, which are expected to cost between $175 and $200 million each. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2011, the company said.

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SYDNEY, Australia Vice President Dick Cheney has left Australia and is heading home.Cheney was in Asia to thank Australia and Japan for their support in Iraq. He called the war a "remarkable achievement."In a series of blunt and sometimes biting statements, he not only defended the Iraq war, but attacked administration critics at home and warned the U-S would confront potential adversaries abroad.Cheney's support for the war did lead to protests in Sydney for two days. But the crowds were small ...

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DALLAS - Private-equity firms trying to buy TXU Corp. have agreed to drop plans for most of the utility's proposed new coal-fired power plants in Texas if the deal goes through, according to people familiar with the situation.

The new buyers would also support a mandatory national program to cap emissions of greenhouse gases and pledge not to build coal-fired plants outside Texas, the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the sale was not final.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group were in advanced talks Sunday to buy TXU for about $32 billion, or about $70 per share, plus the assumption of TXU debt. It would be the largest private-equity acquisition ever.

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SYDNEY — Vice President Dick Cheney, in a series of blunt and sometimes biting statements during a visit to Asia, defended the Iraq war, attacked administration critics at home and warned that the U.S. would confront potential adversaries abroad.

His visit was meant to thank Australia and Japan for their support in Iraq. But in a series of public appearances and media interviews, Cheney's tone was typically feisty.

Answering growing criticism in the U.S. and Australia, he defended the Iraq war as a "remarkable achievement" in one speech, and dismissed suggestions his influence in Washington is waning.

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Using the language of cancer, studded with words like "early detection" and "aggressive growth," environmental officials in Michigan are gearing up to battle hydrilla, a dreaded water weed that could show up soon in state lakes.

Michigan already is home to more than 140 invasive species, but this one is especially fearsome.

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's prime minister said Sunday that the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program should be resolved through negotiations, not force.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz made the remarks at the opening of a meeting of foreign ministers from seven Muslim nations meeting to discuss ways to resolve tensions in the Middle East, a statement by Aziz's office said.

Ministers from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, as well as Turkey's Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, a 57-member bloc of Islamic states, held the meeting in the capital Islamabad.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Vice President Dick Cheney landed in the U.S.-allied Arab monarchy of Oman on Sunday and went directly to talks with its foreign minister, Omani government officials said.

A U.S. embassy spokesman in Oman declined to detail Cheney's plans or the focus of his visit to the sparsely populated oil-producing state, which allows the United States use of four air bases. But an Omani government official said Cheney was to discuss regional security issues, including the U.S. standoff with Iran over its nuclear program. The official, in the capital Muscat, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to the press.

Oman sits across the strategically important Strait of Hormuz from Iran, through which two-fifths of the world's oil passes.

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WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. would hold direct talks with Iran if Tehran suspended its nuclear program. Iran's president, however, pledged to move ahead with enrichment activity that Washington contends masks weapons development.

"I am prepared to meet my counterpart or an Iranian representative at any time if Iran will suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities. That should be a clear signal," Rice said in Washington.

Earlier Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comparing his nation's nuclear drive to a train without a reverse gear or brakes. "We dismantled the rear gear and brakes of the train and threw them away sometime ago," he was quoted on the radio as telling Islamic clerics.

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SINGAPORE ? Vice President Dick Cheney's plane landed at a military air base in Singapore on Sunday for a scheduled refueling stop after experiencing a minor mechanical problem.

The plane was expected to stay at Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base just long enough for refueling.

"The vice president is not scheduled to get off the plane and he has no scheduled meetings in Singapore," a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in keeping with embassy policy.

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What began as misgivings about Iraq by a dovecote of military officers, mostly retired, has expanded now -- with the Democratic takeover -- into a full-blown revolt of the generals in Congress.

New leadership at Defense and Central Command has failed to satisfy these congressional generals. Smelling blood, they want the neck of the commander-in-chief himself, whom they have bludgeoned relentlessly since his 2000 election.

On Iraq, most voted to support the U.S. going in. Now most say it was all a mistake. Many wanted different strategies and more troops. Now many oppose more troops, sanctimoniously contending that neither new troops inserted between the warring factions nor new strategies will work. The congressional generals in effect have joined Cindy Sheehan and Jane Fonda at the barricades. Nothing will satisfy but to declare defeat and bring the boys and girls home ahead of the advancing jihadists.

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SINGAPORE - Vice President Dick Cheney's plane landed at a military air base in Singapore on Sunday for a scheduled refueling stop after experiencing a minor mechanical problem.

The plane was expected to stay at Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base just long enough for refueling.

"The vice president is not scheduled to get off the plane and he has no scheduled meetings in Singapore," a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in keeping with embassy policy.

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WHITE HOUSE The White House says Vice President Dick Cheney's plane experienced a minor mechanical problem but is making a refueling stop in Singapore as planned.Australian Prime Minister John Howard said earlier that he'd received a report that Cheney's plane was being diverted after it took off from Sydney, but that he did not have any details.A White House spokeswoman confirmed late Saturday that the plane experienced an electrical problem involving a generator, but said the plane was not div...

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WHITE HOUSE Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns heads to London tomorrow to try to reach an allied agreement on tougher sanctions against Iran.The U-N's nuclear agency last week declared Iran had missed yet another deadline for satisfying the Security Council demand for it to stop its uranium enrichment program. Highly enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear weapons, although Iran insists it's only developing atomic energy.Vice President Cheney talked tough during his trip to Asia and Au...

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LAMBRIGG, England (AP) -- Investigators combed the wreckage of a high-speed train crash in remote countryside in northern England Saturday after one commuter died and five were seriously injured when the London to Scotland service derailed.

The Glasgow-bound Virgin train - packed with 120 passengers and staff - crashed Friday night in the county of Cumbria, near the Scottish border, 270 miles northwest of London, in driving rain.

Virgin Trains spokesman Lee West said the cause of the accident was unknown, but confirmed the train was traveling at 95 mph at the time of the derailment.

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama ridiculed Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday for saying Britain's decision to pull troops from Iraq is a good sign that fits with the strategy for stabilizing the country.

Obama, speaking at a massive outdoor rally in Austin, Texas, said British Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision this week to withdraw 1,600 troops is a recognition that Iraq's problems can't be solved militarily.

"Now if Tony Blair can understand that, then why can't George Bush and Dick Cheney understand that?" Obama asked thousands of supporters who gathered in the rain to hear him. "In fact, Dick Cheney said this is all part of the plan (and) it was a good thing that Tony Blair was withdrawing, even as the administration is preparing to put 20,000 more of our young men and women in.

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SYDNEY, Australia Another warning from the Bush administration to Iran, this time delivered by Vice President Cheney.At a news conference in Sydney with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Cheney said "all options" are available in dealing with Iran.Cheney says the U-S continues to work with allies in an effort to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear program. Tehran has insisted that the program is for peaceful purposes. But Cheney says it would be "a serious mistake" if Iran became a nuclear...

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SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney, in a series of blunt and sometimes biting statements during a visit to Asia, defended the Iraq war, attacked administration critics at home and warned that the U.S. would confront potential adversaries abroad. His visit was meant to thank Australia and Japan for their support in Iraq. But a series of public appearances and media interviews, Cheney's tone was typically feisty. Answering growing criticism in the U.S. and Australia, he ...

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AUSTIN, Texas ? Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama ridiculed Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday for saying Britain's decision to pull troops from Iraq is a good sign that fits with the strategy for stabilizing the country.

Obama, speaking at a massive outdoor rally in Austin, Texas, said British Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision this week to withdraw 1,600 troops is a recognition that Iraq's problems can't be solved militarily.

"Now if Tony Blair can understand that, then why can't George Bush and Dick Cheney understand that?" Obama asked thousands of supporters who gathered in the rain to hear him. "In fact, Dick Cheney said this is all part of the plan (and) it was a good thing that Tony Blair was withdrawing, even as the administration is preparing to put 20,000 more of our young men and women in.

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SYDNEY, Australia ? Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday renewed Washington's warning to Iran that "all options" are on the table if the country continues to defy U.N.-led efforts to end Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

At a joint news conference with Prime Minister John Howard during a visit to Australia, Cheney also said Washington was "comfortable" with Britain's decision to withdraw troops from Iraq and that it was up to Australia to decide if it would do the same.

Cheney said the United States was "deeply concerned" about Iran's activities, including the "aggressive" sponsoring of terrorist group Hezbollah and inflammatory statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Saturday the United States was not in a position to take military action against it and urged Washington and its allies to engage in dialogue.

"We do not see America in a position to impose another crisis on its tax payers inside America by starting another war in the region," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has prepared itself for any possibility, but insists on constructive cooperation, Mottaki said.

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DALLAS ? Private-buyout firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group were in advanced talks Friday to buy utility TXU Corp. in one of the largest private-equity deals ever, according to a person close to the situation.

The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal was not final, told The Associated Press that both private-equity firms were discussing a purchase of TXU. The person declined to give a likely price tag.

CNBC first reported that TXU's board was expected to vote on a sale to KKR over the weekend and an announcement could be made Monday morning. The Wall Street Journal reported that Texas Pacific was also involved, and that the firms were expected to bid at least $32 billion, or about $70 per share for TXU, the largest producer of electric power in Texas with some 2.3 million customers.

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LAMBRIGG, England ? Investigators combed the wreckage of a high-speed train crash in remote countryside in northern England Saturday after one commuter died and five were seriously injured when the London to Scotland service derailed.

The Glasgow-bound Virgin train ? packed with 120 passengers and staff ? crashed Friday night in the county of Cumbria, near the Scottish border, 270 miles northwest of London, in driving rain.

Virgin Trains spokesman Lee West said the cause of the accident was unknown, but confirmed the train was traveling at 95 mph at the time of the derailment.

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Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday renewed Washington's warning to Iran that "all options" are on the table if the country continues to defy U.N.-led efforts to end Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

At a joint news conference with Prime Minister John Howard during a visit to Australia, Cheney also said Washington was "comfortable" with Britain's decision to withdraw troops from Iraq and that it was up to Australia to decide if it would do the same.

Cheney said the United States was "deeply concerned" about Iran's activities, including the "aggressive" sponsoring of terrorist group Hezbollah and inflammatory statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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