Castro: Expect long recovery Fidel Castro sent Cubans a sober greeting on his 80th birthday Sunday, saying he faces a long recovery from surgery–and warning they should be prepared for “adverse news.” But he encouraged them to be optimistic, saying Cuba “will continue marching on perfectly well.” Castro’s brother Raul also made his first public appearance as acting president.
Car bombs kill at least 47
Car bombs and a rocket barrage struck a predominantly Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad late Sunday, killing at least 47 people and wounding 148, Iraqi officials said. The attack began with two car bombs and a barrage of an estimated nine rockets that appeared to have been fired from Dora, a mostly Sunni district, an official said.
Blackout hits much of Tokyo
A construction crane accidentally shorted out power lines around Tokyo on Monday, triggering a massive blackout that cut electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes and shut down train and subway lines. Power was restored before noon, Kyodo News agency reported.
Authorities said at least 103,000 people were affected by train delays.
Fighting kills 25 insurgents
Fighting in Afghanistan left at least 25 insurgents and five Afghan security forces dead, officials said Sunday. Rebel violence has soared during the past year, leading to the heaviest fighting since the 2001 ousting of the Taliban. In the country’s south and east, NATO- and U.S.-led troops are pursuing a campaign against insurgents to extend the reach of Afghanistan’s central government.
AND FINALLY
China has a cow over cartoons
D’oh! China has banished Homer Simpson, Pokemon and Mickey Mouse from prime time. Beginning Sept. 1, regulators have barred foreign cartoons from TV from 5 to 8 p.m. in an effort to protect China’s struggling animation studios, news reports said Sunday. The move allows the Monkey King and his Chinese pals to get the top TV viewing hours to themselves.
