AP Top News at 8:35 a.m. EDT

AP Online
08-19-2005

Israeli Troops Clear Out Gaza Synagogue

In this photo made available by the Israeli goverment press office, Israeli security forces storm the Kfar Darom synagogue where settlers barricaded themselves to resist forced evacuation, in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005. Helmeted riot police stormed the roof top of the synagogue in this hardline settlement Thursday, battling dozens of protesters who threw acid, sand and buckets of green liquid and tried to hit officers with sticks. It was the most violent confrontation yet between protesters and troops during the Gaza pullout. (AP Photo/Moshe Milner, GPO)

GADID, Gaza Strip (AP) _ Israeli troops quickly cleared out a synagogue full of dozens of opponents to the Gaza pullout on Friday, avoiding a repeat of previous day's violence in which youths holed up on a rooftop pelted soldiers with acid, oil and sand. The smooth operation that cleared out the small settlement of Gadid was the latest sign of progress as Israel pushed forward with its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Attackers Fire Missiles at U.S. Navy Ship

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) _ Unknown attackers fired at least three missiles from Jordan early Friday, with one narrowly missing a U.S. Navy ship docked in a Jordanian port and killing a Jordanian soldier. Another fell close to a nearby airport in neighboring Israel, officials said. A group linked to al-Qaida claimed responsibility in an Internet statement. The statement purportedly from the Abdullah Azzam Brigades could not immediately be verified.

Pope Warns of Increase in Anti-Semitism

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he leaves German President Horst Koehler's official residence Villa Hammerschmidt in the former German capital Bonn Friday, Aug 19, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI arrived Thursday on his first foreign trip as pontiff to take part in the Roman Catholic Church's 20th World Youth Day in Cologne. (AP Photo/Arnd Wiegmann, pool)

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) _ Pope Benedict XVI warned Friday of rising anti-Semitism and hostility to foreigners, winning a standing ovation from members of Germany's oldest Jewish community during a visit to a rebuilt synagogue that had been destroyed by the Nazis. With the shrill sound of a ram's horn and a choir chanting in Hebrew "peace be with you," Benedict became only the second pope to visit a synagogue, praying and remembering Holocaust victims.

Victims' Relatives Confront Serial Killer

Beverly Plapp, center, looks at Dennis Rader as he makes a final statement Thursday afternoon, Aug. 18, 2005, during the sentencing phase of his trial in Wichita, Kan. Rader confessed to killing Plapp's sister Nancy Fox and nine other people from 1974 to 1991. Rader was sentenced to serve 10 consecutive life terms. (AP Photo/Pool, Bo Rader)

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ As the BTK serial killer, Dennis Rader thrived on having the last word during a 17-year slaying spree that claimed 10 lives. But as family members of the victims took their turn at the microphone Thursday to confront the killer during his sentencing hearing, Rader could do nothing but listen as they vented their anger. "I can think of nothing but savoring the bittersweet taste of revenge as justice is served upon this social sewage here before us today," said Jeff Davis, whose mother was strangled by Rader.

NASA Pushes Back Next Launch Date to 2006

In an image from NASA television, a silhoutte of one of the astronauts conducting a space walk is seen between two of the international space stations array panels, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005 in space. The two residents of the station, NASA Science Officer John Phillips and Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev floated outside and left their orbiting home vacant Thursday to retrieve a nearly lifesize space doll and other science experiments. (AP Photo/NASA TV)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) _ NASA said Thursday it is pushing the next shuttle flight into 2006 to give engineers time to understand dangerous fuel-tank foam loss and to avoid the string of unrealistic launch dates that preceded Discovery's just-completed mission. In stinging comments Wednesday, seven members of a return-to-flight oversight group said the best solutions for improving Discovery's safety were not always pursued because of "this false schedule pressure."

Virus Shuts Down Customs Computer System

MIAMI (AP) _ Travelers arriving in the United States from abroad were stuck in long lines at airports nationwide when a virus shut down a U.S. Customs computer system for several hours, officials said. Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said the virus impacted computer systems at a number of airports Thursday night, including those in New York, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas and Laredo, Texas.

AnnTaylor's 2Q Profit Plunges on Charge

NEW YORK (AP) _ Women's clothing retailer AnnTaylor Stores Corp. on Friday posted a sharp drop in second-quarter profit, hurt by weak sales at its flagship stores and one-time costs from moving its corporate headquarters. Quarterly income fell to $7.1 million, or 10 cents per share, from $30.1 million, or 41 cents, the year before. Setting aside relocation costs, adjusted earnings were 18 cents per share, a penny higher than the average estimate from analysts polled by Thomson Financial.

Eminem in Rehab for Sleep Medication

Rapper Eminem gestures as he arrives at the Roseland Ballroom for "The Shady National Convention" concert, in this file photo from Oct. 28, 2004 in New York. Jack and Betty Schmitt, Eminem's uncle and aunt, have filed a lawsuit aganist the rapper and are seeking more than $350,000 and possession of the home he had built for them. (AP Photo/Ramin Talaie-File)

DETROIT (AP) _ Eminem is undergoing treatment for dependency to sleep medication, his publicist said Thursday, two days after the Grammy-winning rapper canceled his European tour citing exhaustion. In a brief statement, Dennis Dennehy said Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, "is in the hospital under doctors' care."

'Stressed' Gator Makes Calif. Lake Home

Alligator wrangler Jay Young, owner of the Colorado Gator Farm and Reptile Park in Mosca, Colo., searches in a section of Machado Lake on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2005, to catch what is believed to be a seven to nine foot-long alligator living in Harbor Regional Park in Los Angeles. Authorities called in the $800-a-day specialist after failing to catch the animal for nearly a week. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Alligator wrangler Jay Young took a break Thursday and headed back to his native Colorado after several unsuccessful attempts to catch the mysterious gator discovered in a local lake Aug. 12. Los Angeles officials who contracted Young said they were giving the animal a breather in hopes that a more relaxed gator would be easier to catch. "The gator is stressed, and we don't want him scared or sick," Young said.

Angels Rock Red Sox 13-4 in Series Opener

Los Angeles Angels' Juan Rivera watches his second three-run home run of the night against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) _ Bartolo Colon shut down Boston's big hitters and Juan Rivera took care of the Angels' offense with two swings. Rivera hit a pair of three-run homers and Colon won his fifth straight decision as Los Angeles defeated the Red Sox 13-4 on Thursday night in a matchup of AL division leaders. Rivera isn't an everyday player, but he made the most of his at-bats, homering on the second pitch from Mike Myers after Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield got hit in the right ankle on a comebacker by Casey Kotchman and left the game in the fifth inning.

Copyright 2005, AP News All Rights Reserved