Where the sea used to be [Times photo: James Borchuck] MOYNAQ BAY, UZBEKISTAN -- The old kapitan walks across the sand where the Aral Sea used to be.

French president travels to Algeria
ALGIERS, Algeria -- Jacques Chirac condemned terrorism and praised Islam as a "religion of peace" Saturday during a tour of mostly Muslim former colonies in North Africa including Algeria, where he was the first French president to set foot in 12 years.

Base closings dispute imperils defense bill
WASHINGTON -- Congressional negotiators have hit an impasse over the Pentagon's proposal for a new round of military base closings, delaying action on critical defense legislation and raising the possibility of a veto fight with the Bush administration.

Negotiators make gains in forming government
KOENIGSWINTER, Germany -- Four Afghan factions negotiating the country's political future continued to inch toward an agreement after representatives of the Northern Alliance appeared to break a deadlock over nominating members to a new interim government.

Crew's day off on U.S. carrier: a swim, karaoke
ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT -- Worn-out sailors were treated to karaoke, ice cream and dips in the Arabian Sea on Saturday as the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt took a break from launching planes over Afghanistan.

Taliban justice cost man his hand, foot
KABUL, Afghanistan -- It took a doctor to impose the Taliban version's of God's law. He wore a blue surgical mask under a white hospital cap, which left a narrow slit for him to see through. The convict would know him only by his eyes.

Some Protestants decry interfaith services
The proliferation of interfaith services after Sept. 11 have unsettled some conservative Protestants, who feel joint worship violates their belief that Christianity is the only true faith.

Warriors circle Kandahar
Backed by U.S. bombs, southern tribes move toward the Taliban's final outpost.

Village hit, scores dead, Afghans say; U.S. denies it
JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- Villagers from the remote Afghan outpost of Kama Ado say they don't know how far it is to Tora Bora -- only that it's a 10-hour hike to the nest of caves and trenches that Osama bin Laden adopted as a hideout and headquarters.

Suicide attacks kill 10 Israelis
JERUSALEM -- A pair of Palestinian suicide bombers carried out a synchronized attack in the heart of Jerusalem late Saturday, killing at least 10 other people and injuring more than 100 mostly teenage revelers.

Bidding for oil amid superstition, security
At 9 a.m. Wednesday, in the burnished luxury of the Versailles Ballroom of the Riverfront Hilton in New Orleans, a few hundred oil men and women will gather to fidget, mop their brows, chew their pencils and generally break down with a bad case of the heebie-jeebies.