France's foreign minister said "no French money" was paid to free hostages held by Colombian rebels. Meanwhile, former hostage Ingrid Betancourt got a clean bill of health from French military doctors.

Firefighters were hard at work Saturday trying to put out more than 330 wildfires still blazing throughout California. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said more resources were needed to fight a fire season that now lasts all year round.

The Colombian military released video footage of Ingrid Betancourt’s rescue in an attempt to dismiss reports that a ransom was paid for her liberation.

Former conservative U.S. lawmaker Jesse Helms, who served five terms as Senator for North Carolina, died on Friday.

On Iraq in particular, Barack Obama has had to tone down his rhetoric in the wake of his victory over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries.

The Bush administration admitted Friday to providing some assistance to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe despite an earlier declaration by Colombian Defence Minister that the operation was 100% Colombian.

U.S. President George Bush is to attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing next month, according to a White House spokesman. Activists have called for world leaders to boycott the event to protest China's human rights record.

Three US citizens who worked for defence contractor Northrop Gunnman were freed from FARC rebels in Thursday's Colombian military operation. Thomas Howes, Keith Stansell and Marc Gonsalves had been living in captivity since 2003.

Continental Airlines, two of its employees and three other people are to stand trial for manslaughter over the crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people outside Paris in 2000, according to French judicial officials.

Damning video for a Brooklyn hospital

The city of Quebec, founded in 1608 by French explorer Samuel de Champlains, is ready to celebrate its 400th birthday. A French delegation will be present Thursday for the celebrations of North America's largest French-speaking community.

In an unusual trip, Republican candidate John McCain visited Mexico and Colombia, where he spoke about free trade and foreign policy, and pushed Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on human rights issues.

The White House announced that it has dropped former South African president Nelson Mandela and his African National Congress party from its terror watch lists. Their original placement on the list occurred during the Reagan admininstration.

Seven presidents from the Mercosur trade bloc met in Argentina to discuss plans for regional integration and address the global food crisis. The South Amercian leaders are also expected to slam newly approved EU immigration rules.

Manuel Contreras, secret police chief under former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, was sentenced Monday for the murder of an army chief and his wife in Argentina. The 1973-1990 dictatorship saw thousands killed and tortured.

On a visit to China, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the country's leaders to tackle sensitive human rights issues, while welcoming Beijing's decision to hold fresh talks with envoys of the Dalai Lama.

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain clashed over immigration policies to win over support from Latino voters. Obama accused McCain of backing away from the U.S. immigration reform under pressure from his party. (Report: L.Kammourieh)

A millionaire couple from New York has been sentenced to 11 years and 40 months respectively after being found guilty of keeping their two Indonesian housekeepers in slave-like conditions.

Four people including Guatemalan Interior Minister Vinicio Gomez were killed in a plane crash north of the Guatemalan capital. Authorities say bad weather caused the crash.