PARIS - French customs officials have seized 1.39 tonnes of cocaine worth $99 million, the biggest haul of its kind in the country, near Martinique, an island in the Caribbean under France’s rule, authorities said.

Oregon families to settle lawsuits over firefighting helicopter crash in California

Hezbollah chief describes Israel as ’state of terror’

BEIRUT - Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has described Israel as a “state of terror”, referring to the attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine activists died.

Army says soldier charged with murder in 3 Afghan civilian deaths

Storms, landslides kill 13 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Storms lashed many areas in Pakistan’s Punjab province, killing at least 13 people and causing disruption of power supply, media reports said.

Sharing locals’ frustration as oil crisis deepens, Obama makes third Gulf trek, lays into BP

President Barack Obama, daughter Sasha Obama and wife

NOAA opens 16K square miles of fishing area in Gulf after no oil spotted

Part of federal fishing area in Gulf reopens

Natural gas, drilling fluids spew from blown-out Pa. well for 16 hours, but no one injured

US President Barack Obama welcomes Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

Obama, touring Gulf oil spill, visits with locals at bait shop

Malaria cases shoot up in Venezuela, epidemic grips region where miners venture into jungle

Malaria epidemic hits southern Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela — Malaria cases have doubled in Venezuela so far this year as health officials confront an epidemic in a vast southern region where wildcat gold miners are often infected in remote jungle camps.

BP announces 2nd round of payments to Gulf fishermen, businesses with oil spill losses

Returning to Gulf, Obama sees progress on spill response, criticizes BP for spending on ads

Anger grows as BP disaster reaches Florida Panhandle’s beaches; BP pins its hopes on well cap

Obama sees progress on spill response, criticizes BP for spending on ads, shareholder dividend

APNewsBreak: Scientists say lab tests confirm underwater plumes of Gulf oil

Lab tests confirm underwater layers of Gulf oil

Pressure rising, Obama arrives for third Gulf trip to hear updates, encourage residents

APNewsBreak: Expert panel OKs use of oil dispersant in Gulf, despite harm to sea creatures

Panel recommends continued use of oil dispersant

‘Dine out for the Gulf Coast’ initiative aims to serve fishing industry hit by oil spill

Fundraiser puts Gulf seafood on the menu

BERKELEY, Calif. — BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Eat a shrimp, support a Gulf of Mexico fisherman. That’s the thinking behind the “Dine Out for the Gulf Coast” campaign in which restaurants across the country will be putting a little fish philanthropy on the menu.

Obama arrives in Gulf for oil spill updates, meetings with residents and local officials

Owner of pick-up van used by Gyaneshwari saboteurs arrested

KOLKATA - The owner of the pick up van allegedly used to ferry men, who

Make people feel safe, Dikshit tells Delhi Police

NEW DELHI - Pointing out that law and order in Delhi remains a concern till all residents do not feel safe, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Friday said the Delhi Police should not just go by a decline in the crime graph.

Marines return to roots with Calif. beach-storming drill amid questions about tactic

Marines return to roots with Calif. beach-storming

2 more Japanese theaters cancel screenings of film critical of dolphin hunt

2 more Japan theaters cancel dolphin hunt film

Virgin sacks 20 staff members for swapping porn

MELBOURNE - More than 20 staff, including those at managerial level, of Virgin Blue airline have been sacked for repeatedly using office computers to view and swap pornographic materials.

Mobile shop owner shot dead in Delhi

NEW DELHI - An owner of mobile phones shop was shot dead by two unidentified men in the national capital, police said Friday.

Fire races through apartment buildings in Bangladesh capital, killing at least 117

Bangladesh fire races through buildings, kills 117

Over Rs.7 crore paid to Mangalore crash victims’ kin

MUMBAI - Air India has, till Friday, disbursed Rs.7.56 crore to 84 families as part of the interim relief to survivors and relatives of victims of the Air India Express IX-812 crash in Mangalore May 22, an airline official said.

Low-cost airline easyJet unveils plan to test new infrared ash detectors on planes

EasyJet to test infrared ash detectors on planes

Cap collects some of the Gulf oil gusher, unclear how much; crude washes into Fla.

Obama postpones trip to Indonesia, Australia for second time as oil spill crisis rages

Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama

Some oil spill events from Friday, June 4, 2010

Four labourers electrocuted

LUCKNOW - Four labourers were electrocuted when they accidentally came in contact with a high tension wire in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district Friday, police said.

20 wild animal skins seized in Uttarakhand

DEHRA DUN - Skins of 20 wild animals were seized in Uttarakhand’s Uttar Kashi district Friday, an NGO said. One person has been arrested.

Storm kills four, damages many houses in Tripura

AGARTALA - At least four people were killed and over 10 injured as a cyclonic storm accompanied by heavy rains Friday lashed several parts of Tripura, leaving behind a trail of destruction, officials here said.

Bail plea of former MCI chief rejected

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Friday rejected the bail plea of former Medical Council of India (MCI) chief Ketan Desai, arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April for allegedly accepting a bribe.

Building tilts in Bangladesh, national mourning for blaze dead Saturday

DHAKA - A six-storeyed building dangerously tilted Friday in the Bangladesh capital where an overnight blaze claimed over 100 lives. National mourning would be observed Saturday for the fire victims, it was announced.

CBI raids residences of coal traders, officials

RANCHI - Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials Friday raided seven places in Dhanbad and Ranchi in connection with irregularities in the sale of coal to traders, informed sources said.

BSP leader’s son arrested for car crash, out on bail

NEW DELHI - A Bahujan Samaj Party leader’s son, whose Mercedez coupe rammed into a taxi early Thursday morning, killing a woman and injuing the taxi driver, was Friday released on bail, police said.

BP CEO tells investors that cleanup, containment costs for Gulf oil spill will be ’severe’

BP: cleanup costs for oil spill will be ’severe’

Cap collects some of the Gulf oil gusher, unclear how much; should know later Fri.

Coast Guard: oil being collected by Gulf oil cap, should know later Fri. how much

Another air disaster averted in Mumbai (Second Lead)

MUMBAI - An air disaster was averted at the airport here early Friday when a flight was cleared for landing while another plane was waiting to take off on the same runway, airport sources said.

5.3-magnitude quake shakes Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck central and northern Pakistan Friday, meteorological officials in Islamabad reported.

Three lynched in West Bengal

KOLKATA - Three people, earlier associated with the Trinamool Congress, were lynched Friday in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, police said.

Tar balls washing up in growing numbers on Fla. Panhandle, Ala. beaches; as many as 1 per foot

Waves of oil tar mount on Fla. Panhandle beaches

Goa scribes shocked after links with drug mafia surface

PANAJI - The journalist community here has reacted with shock and called for soul-searching after interrogation of an Israeli drug dealer exposed the involvement of mediapersons in the police-politician-drug mafia nexus in Goa.

Tar balls washing up in growing numbers on Fla. Panhandle beaches; as many as 1 per foot

Blobs of oil tar stain Fla. national seashore

Fax from Ansari’s wife for Vaishno Devi darshan a fake: Cops

NEW DELHI - A letter Vice President Hamid Ansari’s wife sent to Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra to arrange for her a special “darshan” at the Vaishno Devi temple was fake, Delhi Police said Friday.