; test flights show no sign of ash damage
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Major airlines that sent test flights into European air space found no damage Sunday from the volcanic ash that has paralyzed aviation over the continent, raising pressure on governments to ease restrictions that have thrown global travel and commerce into chaos.
Is it safe to fly yet? Airline officials and some pilots say the passengerless test flights show that it is. Meteorologists warn that the skies over Europe remain unstable from an Icelandic volcano that continues to spew ash capable of knocking out jet engines.
European Union officials said air traffic could return to half its normal level on Monday if the dense cloud begins to dissipate. Germany allowed some flights to resume.
Eighty percent of European airspace remained closed for a devastating fourth day on Sunday, with only 4,000 of the normal 20,000-flight schedule in the air, said Brian Flynn, deputy head of operations for Eurocontrol, which supports the air traffic control network across the European Union's 27 states.
"Today it has been, I would say, the worst situation so far," Flynn said.
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AP Exclusive: Taliban commander says insurgents prepare for Kandahar showdown
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban are moving fighters into Kandahar, planting bombs and plotting attacks as NATO and Afghan forces prepare for a summer showdown with insurgents, according to a Taliban commander with close ties to senior insurgent leaders.
NATO and Afghan forces are stepping up operations to push Taliban fighters out of the city, which was the Islamist movement's headquarters during the years it ruled most of Afghanistan. The goal is to bolster the capability of the local government so that it can keep the Taliban from coming back.
The Taliban commander, who uses the pseudonym Mubeen, told The Associated Press that if military pressure on the insurgents becomes too great "we will just leave and come back after" the foreign forces leave.
Despite nightly raids by NATO and Afghan troops, Mubeen said his movements have not been restricted. He was interviewed last week in the center of Kandahar, seated with his legs crossed on a cushion in a room. His only concession to security was to lock the door.
He made no attempt to hide his face and said he felt comfortable because of widespread support among Kandahar's 500,000 residents, who like the Taliban are mostly Pashtuns, Afghanistan's biggest ethnic community.
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SEC fraud case damages Goldman's reputation, could undercut dominance
NEW YORK (AP) — While Goldman Sachs contends with the government's civil fraud charges, an equally serious problem looms: a damaged reputation that may cost it clients.
The Securities and Exchange Commission's bombshell civil fraud charge against Goldman has tarnished the Wall Street bank's already bruised image, analysts say. It could also hurt its ability to do business in an industry based largely on trust.
Damage from the case could hit other big banks as well. The SEC charges are expected to help the Obama administration as it seeks to more tightly police lucrative investment banking activities.
Goldman has denied the SEC's allegation that it sold risky mortgage investments without telling buyers that the securities were crafted in part by a billionaire hedge fund manager who was betting on them to fail. A 31-year-old Goldman employee is also accused in the civil suit that was announced Friday.
The charges could result in fines and restitution of more than $700 million, predicted Brad Hintz, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein. Yet, even if Goldman beats the charge, the hit to its reputation could carry a greater cost.
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Geithner says economy growing faster than expected; nation should see job growth
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the economy is growing faster than the Obama administration expected.
He tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that the country is on the way to sustained job creation. But he acknowledges that unemployment may remain high, close to 10 percent.
Geithner says there's more confidence in the business world, and he says the private sector is growing. He also says people are spending more.
He said he sees encouraging signs that should make Americans confident the country will emerge stronger.
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Pristine Delaware River watershed and water for 15M people are at issue in gas drilling clash
PLEASANT MOUNT, Pa. (AP) — A few hundred yards from Louis Matoushek's farmhouse is a well that could soon produce not only natural gas, but a drilling boom in the wild and scenic Delaware River watershed.
Energy companies have leased thousands of acres of land in Pennsylvania's unspoiled northeastern tip, hoping to tap vast stores of gas in a sprawling rock formation — the Marcellus shale — that some experts believe could become the nation's most productive gas field.
Plenty of folks like Matoushek are eager for the gas, and the royalty checks, to start flowing — including farmers who see Marcellus money as a way to keep their struggling operations afloat.
"It's a depressed area," Matoushek said. "This is going to mean new jobs, real jobs, not government jobs."
Standing in the way is a loose coalition of sporting groups, conservationists and anti-drilling neighbors. They contend that large-scale gas exploration so close to crucial waterways will threaten drinking water, ruin a renowned wild trout fishery, wreck property values, and transform a rural area popular with tourists into an industrial zone with constant noise and truck traffic.
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Polish president, first lady interred in Krakow amid new hopes for thaw with Russia
KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Tens of thousands of Poles bade farewell to President Lech Kaczynski on Sunday at a state funeral filled with pomp, pride and an outpouring of patriotism that his divisive and unpopular leadership had never generated.
Mourners applauded and chanted "We thank you!" as the caskets bearing Kaczynski and his wife, Maria, were carried slowly past pale-toned Renaissance buildings for burial among kings and poets in the ancient Wawel Cathedral.
"Poles finally appreciate him," said Ryszard Stolarski, 56, one of many weeping mourners. "I never imagined that Poland would honor Kaczynski in this way."
Many world leaders, including President Barack Obama, could not be there because their travel plans were wrecked by the enormous plume of volcanic ash that blanketed Europe.
The funeral came eight days after the Polish air force Tupolev 154 crashed on approach to Smolensk, Russia. The worst tragedy to strike Poland since World War II killed the first couple and 94 other people, including top civilian and military leaders.
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5 major US airlines won't charge for carryons, but other fees aren't going anywhere
ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. airlines never met a fee they didn't like. Until now, it seems.
Five major carriers on Sunday agreed not to follow the lead of a small Florida airline that plans to charge for carryon bags. Their commitment comes just in time to keep travelers from running for the exits during the peak summer flying season, but it is doubtful that it marks a change in strategy.
Airlines are going to tack on every fee they feel they can get away with because it bolsters their revenue stream while allowing them to keep base fares lower. They just don't feel like passengers will tolerate losing their sacred free carryons — at least not right now.
The promise to New York Sen. Charles Schumer from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways and JetBlue Airways comes despite the fact that some of those same airlines are expected to report first-quarter losses next week. They were stung by higher fuel prices and the heavy February snowstorms.
Ancillary fees for air travel — including baggage fees, reservation change fees and other miscellaneous operating revenue — have been piling up.
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Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift square off against the guys at ACM Awards; Lady A leads nods
LAS VEGAS (AP) — With all due respect to the leading men of country, this year's Academy of Country Music Awards looks like it's going to the gals.
Carrie Underwood can make history as the first woman to win two entertainer of the year awards when the stars turn out at the MGM Grand on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Also up for the fan-voted award is Taylor Swift, the 20-year-old sensation who brought her country music to a huge mainstream audience, making her one of pop music's biggest stars.
Men have long dominated the award. But ACM host Reba McEntire says while most of Sunday's awards are still voted on by members of the music industry, technology may give Underwood and Swift an advantage over the guys.
"Whoever's the most active on the Internet and stuff, to me that's the person who would have the advantage," said McEntire, hosting the show for the 12th time. "So we'll see how it turns out."
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Youngest person to complete solo trans-Atlantic row coped with iPods, chocolate, audiobooks
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio woman who became youngest person to row across the Atlantic Ocean alone says she got through the journey with four iPods, 300 chocolate bars and 100 audiobooks.
Katie Spotz spent more than two months alone at sea before completing her feat in March. The 22-year-old athlete spoke about the adventure at a welcome-home party Saturday in suburban Cleveland.
Spotz says her training included more than 100 hours meditating to help cope with the loneliness of rowing for 10 hours a day. She said the hardest part was sleeping in cramped quarters and battling sleep deprivation. She split the rowing into two-hour shifts and spent time sending e-mails and Twitter messages.
Spotz, from Mentor, set out from Dakar, Senegal, on Jan. 3 and finished March 14 in Georgetown, Guyana.
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Venezuelan police say former boxing champ Valero detained on suspicion of killing wife
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former lightweight champion Edwin Valero was detained Sunday on suspicion of killing his wife, the gravest in a string of problems that have threatened to derail his career.
Venezuelan Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores said Valero was arrested after police found the body of his 20-year-old wife in a hotel in Valencia. Valero left the hotel room around dawn on Sunday and allegedly told security that he had killed Jennifer Viera, Flores said.
Flores told state television that police found three stab wounds on Viera's body. He said Valero was transferred a local police precinct, "where we are headed to take samples needed for the investigation of the case" and to question the boxer.
Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.
The 28-year-old fighter is a household name in Venezuela and he has a huge image of President Hugo Chavez tattooed on his chest, along with the country's yellow, blue and red flag.
