Oregon tribes pursue first bison hunt in century

GARDINER, Mont. (AP) -- Knee deep in snow, Francis Marsh crouched behind a boulder and peered through the rifle scope at his target 40 yards away. He breathed in deeply to calm his racing heart.

Picturesque mountain peaks rose behind him. The sunlight glittered off the snow, and all was quiet and still.

Ever so slowly, he exhaled, waited, then pulled the trigger.

The bison dropped to its big belly. Francis gasped for air - and with that shot became one of the first members of an Oregon Indian tribe to hunt buffalo in more than a century.

Taking Diamond Engagement Rings

While you're Taking diamond engagement rings, take carefully as these ring is something that your future wife wish hopefully wear for the rest of her life. Not entirely diamond rings are engagement rings. Diamond engagement rings typicaly have one diamond bigger than the rest or consist of a single diamond. These types of diamond engagement rings are called a solitaire.

Long time ago, women wore diamond rings that were nammed cocktail rings. They were utilised for fancy dress and not worn all of the time. On the contrarily, diamond engagement rings are worn all of the time and numerous women ne'er take out them. Diamond engagement rings oftentimes attach to a wedding band in addition to, as part of a set.

New Wave of Protests Sweeps Middle East

Thousands of protesters gathered in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, Saturday, calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down a day after Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak resigned.

The protesters began marching toward the Egyptian Embassy but clashed with a group of pro-government demonstrators on the way.

The gathering points for protesters seemed to be at Sana'a University and the city's Tahrir Square, which bears the same name as the point of origin of the Cairo protests in Egypt.

Like Mr. Mubarak, President Ali has been in power for more than three decades - since 1978. In an effort to quell unrest, he has promised to step down at the end of his term in 2013.

Allentown, Pennsylvania, Neighborhood Rocked by Deadly Gas Explosion

A natural gas explosion and fire in Allentown, Pa., claimed the lives of at least five people, including a 4-month-old child, and 79-year-old. Investigators say there are still two people missing.

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski told reporters today, "This has been a very difficult, rough, 12 hour-period for the victims of this tragedy and their families. Their lives have been turned upside-down. Our thoughts, our prayers go out to the families affected by this horrible tragedy, especially the families of those who lost loved ones."

People who live in the area where the blast leveled two homes -- and damaged several others along a block of row houses -- describe the explosion as a thunderous roar that shook them from their beds and sent them running into the frigid streets. The raging inferno started around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday night and continued through early morning, as firefighters struggled to extinguish the flames. The weather also complicated things, as utility workers struggled to dig through ice and snow to shut down the ruptured gas line.

Pentagon Officials Warn of Impact of Big Budget Cuts

WASHINGTON -- Congress' failure to pass a 2011 defense budget bill is jeopardizing the military's effort to send more surveillance and attack drones into Afghanistan, as well as stymieing plans to buy a new Navy submarine, Army combat helicopters and other major weapons systems, defense leaders say.

As Pentagon officials fan out across Capitol Hill, pleading for lawmakers to approve the 2011 spending levels proposed by the Obama administration, they also are hitting lawmakers where it hurts -- in their congressional districts and states. Less money in the budget, the officials said, will put at risk thousands of jobs and construction projects nationwide.

US Envoy Says Time Running Out for Peaceful Departure for Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo

The U.S. ambassador to the Ivory Coast said Friday international pressure on defeated Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo is mounting, and that the "window" for his peaceful departure is closing. U.S. envoy Phillip Carter says the Obama administration is considering additional sanctions on Mr. Gbagbo.

The standoff between Mr. Gbagbo and the internationally recognized winner of the Ivory Coast election, Alassane Ouattara, has dragged on for more than two months, despite sanctions against the defeated leader and key associates.

Egypt Turmoil Threatens U.S. Economy

Rising prices for food and fuel helped drive the uprisings racking the Middle East, now those uprisings are pushing prices higher still and threatening America's economic recovery.

Prices had been on the rise for months around the world as increased demand following a long recession - especially driven by economic booms in China and India - squeezed available resources.

Massive increases in the cost of staples like flour and cooking fuel helped stoke popular anger in the poor countries in the Middle East and could do the same elsewhere. Note well that the ChiComs are heavily censoring the news on the Arab uprising lest their inflation-strained subjects get any funny ideas.

Russian police identify airport bomber

(CNN) -- The man who detonated a bomb at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow on Monday, killing 35 people, was a 20-year-old from the North Caucasus, the Russian Investigative Committee said Saturday.

The agency also said it was clear the bomb targeted foreigners.

"It was no accident that the terrorist attack took place in the international arrivals zone," the state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin as saying. "Investigators believe that it was directed against, in the first place, foreign nationals."

The bomb blew up in a crowded area of the international arrivals section, killing 35 people and wounding scores more.