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CHICAGO – Diversified manufacturer 3M Co. (MMM) on Tuesday posted a stronger-than-expected 10 percent increase in third-quarter profit on strong demand for its safety and security, and industrial products. The company, whose shares rose 2.2 percent in premarket trading, also forecast a full-year profit in line with Wall Street’s expectations …

BANGKOK, Thailand – A woman in a northern suburb of Bangkok has been diagnosed with bird flu (search), Thailand’s 20th victim of the disease since 2003, a health official said Monday. The 50-year-old woman is in stable condition in Bangkok’s (search) Siriraj hospital, Deputy Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said. …

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine troops captured seven suspected Muslim militants Wednesday, including the leader of a group of Islamic converts linked to the kidnappings of foreigners and an alleged plot to bomb the U.S. Embassy (search), officials said. Hilarion del Rosario Santos III (search), the alleged leader of the Rajah …

CANCUN, Mexico – Tourists camped out at the airport in hopes of grabbing a precious seat on flights leaving Mexico’s hurricane-ravaged Caribbean coast, and some residents of Cancun’s poorer neighborhoods armed themselves with machetes and erected barricades to ward off looters. Authorities reported Hurricane Wilma (search) caused “significant damage” to …

KABUL, Afghanistan – A 27-year-old women’s rights worker who dared to denounce powerful warlords is among the first winners in the election for Afghanistan’s National Assembly (search), according to unofficial results announced Thursday. The joint U.N.-Afghan election body declared provisional winners from national and provincial assembly seats in two of …

LOS ANGELES – The air traffic controller responsible for a near crash at Los Angeles International Airport (search) last year told investigators he was tired and had worked several busy stations before the incident happened, according to a federal report. The report released this week by the National Transportation Safety …

SAN DIEGO – A former Navy intelligence officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to illegally exporting military aircraft parts overseas, saying he acted on behalf of a convicted Pakistani arms dealer. George Charles Budenz II, (search) a retired commander, said he shipped engine parts for F-5 fighters (search), T-38 military trainers (search) …

RAMALLAH, West Bank – A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (search) and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has been postponed until the end of the month, Palestinian official Nabil Abu Rdeneh said Monday. The meeting, which would be the first between the two since Israel’s Gaza Strip (search) pullout …

WASHINGTON – Conservatives continue to criticize President Bush’s nomination of Harriet Miers (search) to the Supreme Court although no senators have joined the opposition yet. Still the president is defending his nominee, saying she is being criticized because she was chosen from outside the “judicial monastery.” Interviewed on a network …

NEW ORLEANS – The government’s head of Hurricane Katrina (search) relief efforts made a surprise visit to a newly built trailer park Saturday and said hundreds of similar makeshift towns are planned to house residents displaced by the storm. U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen (search) called the construction …