Pakistan captures five more al-Qaida suspects

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Armed with intelligence from newly arrested al-Qaida suspects, Pakistan has nabbed five more members of Osama bin Laden's network in the past 48 hours and a leader of a militant group accused in an attack on a Pakistani general, officials said Thursday. The arrests are the latest in a monthlong terror crackdown that has netted about 30 fugitives, including a Pakistani computer expert for al-Qaida and a Tanzanian indicted in the deadly 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in East Africa. These successes have boosted the credentials of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf as an ally of the United States in the war on terror -- a cause given added urgency at home by recent attacks on Musharraf and prime minister-designate Shaukat Aziz.

Angry Palestinians take over office in Gaza

RAFAH, Gaza Strip -- Dozens of homeless Palestinians led by gunmen occupied a government office in this Gaza refugee camp Thursday, forcing officials to leave and lashing out at the Palestinian Authority. The demonstration came just after Israeli troops raided the camp, destroying buildings as they searched for arms-smuggling tunnels and weapons. The four-hour standoff, which ended after Yasser Arafat intervened, was the latest blow to the Palestinian leader's prestige and part of the growing chaos in Gaza ahead of Israel's planned withdrawal from the territory next year. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says continued Israeli control of Gaza, where 8,000 Jewish settlers live among 1.3 million Palestinians, is unsustainable. Israel captured Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war.

Typhoon Rananim kills 63 on Chinese coast

SHANGHAI, China -- The death toll from Typhoon Rananim rose to 63 early today with more than 1,800 injured, after the strongest storm of the season slammed into China's southeastern coast, official news reports said. Another 15 people were missing in Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai, where the storm roared ashore late Thursday, the Web site of the main Communist Party newspaper People's Daily and other outlets reported. Power in the major city of Taizhou was knocked out and millions of people lost water and phone service, the reports said. They didn't cite any source for the information but gave identical casualty figures. Many of the injuries were caused by collapsing homes, they said.

U.S. copter crashes in Afghanistan, killing one

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A Black Hawk helicopter loaded with U.S. troops crashed in a troubled Afghan province on Thursday, killing one crew member and injuring 12, the military said. Officials ruled out rebel fire. But the incident highlights the dangers for troops still hunting Taliban and al-Qaida militants nearly three years after the start of America's war on terror. "The helicopter was destroyed in the crash, but did not burn," the military said in a statement. "Hostile fire was not involved. The cause of the crash is under investigation." The injured troops -- three soldiers and nine Marines -- were taken to Camp Salerno, an American base near Khost city, 90 miles south of Kabul, for treatment.

-- From wire reports