Australian wildfires burn; homemade bombs found

SYDNEY, Australia -- As blazes burned wildly around Australia's largest city for a 10th day and thousands fled their homes Thursday, police discovered the remains of what might have been two homemade bombs used by arsonists to set tinder-dry forests afire.

More than 100 bush fires raging out of control near Sydney and in its suburbs were being fanned by hot, dry and swirling winds. Smoke clouds towered above the city of 4 million people.

At Sussex Inlet, a coastal hamlet about 120 miles south of Sydney, about 5,000 residents and summer vacationers fled a massive fire storm that burned as many as 12 homes and damaged others.

That brought to almost 160 the number of houses lost since the "black Christmas" wildfire emergency began Christmas Eve.

New Argentine president critical of free markets

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Eduardo Duhalde, a veteran politician and critic of unbridled free-market economics, on Wednesday became Argentina's fifth president in two weeks as the country braced for the possible devaluation of its peso.

With the country in virtual bankruptcy, the 60-year-old stalwart of the Peronist Party's left-leaning, populist wing will have to work with international financial institutions to tackle the twin burdens of a restive public and a crushing $132 billion debt.

The Buenos Aires stock market signaled approval as trading resumed Wednesday with the index of shares climbing 9.6 percent at the close.

Judge dismisses lawsuit blocking Navy bombing

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge dismissed Puerto Rico's lawsuit to stop the Navy from resuming bombing exercises on the territory's island of Vieques. The Puerto Rican government said Wednesday it would appeal.

U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler said that while the political and policy issues surrounding the case were complex, "the legal issue, in contrast, is simple and straightforward."

President Bush has said the Navy should abondon its training on Vieques no later than May 2003. Many in Puerto Rico, however, fear that the U.S. war in Afghanistan will cause him to back away from the pledge.

Greece, Ireland suffer first major euro robberies

ATHENS, Greece -- Greece and Ireland on Wednesday suffered Europe's first major euro robberies since the currency went into circulation at the start of the year, with a gunman in Athens making off with nearly $70,000 worth of the new bills.

In the northern Athens suburb of Holargos, a man brandishing pistol forced a cashier in a post office savings branch to fill two bags with 76,000 euros, worth $68,400, before fleeing on foot. Police said he also stole a small amount of drachmas, which are still legal tender until the end of February. No shots were fired and no one was injured.

In Ireland, police said three robbers -- two of them armed with a hammer and a knife -- threatened staff at a branch of Allied Irish Banks before grabbing about $1,800 worth of euros from a till and escaping in a waiting car.

--From wire reports