Alison Sheward/ For The Post Steve Kirit waits for his turn while watching the crucifix hold at the Strongman Competition yesterday afternoon during the Athens County Memorial Day Bash. Kirit ended up winning first place in the heavy weight division of the contest.

Sudanese president and main rebel leader to attend peace summit
by Andrew England / The Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya - Sudan's president and the main rebel leader will attend a regional peace summit aimed at ending the country's 18-year-old civil war, a rebel official said yesterday.... continued

Brothers help Korean War DNA research
by Jamie Stengle / The Associated Press
DALLAS - Hal and Ted Barker get about 3,000 visitors a day to their Web site to share memories about the Korean War and information about missing servicemen.... continued

'Yi Yi' Deserves More Attention
by Jason Zingale / For The Post
For moviegoers who need big stars, car chases and dramatic sexual posturing to stir their cinematic pulse, Yi Yi will seem like a long, boring waste of time. Is there another film that lingers forever on a cloudy sky and the sound of wind? The film is poetic, literary and serious; but also is crude, streetwise and funny.... continued

Loose scripts sink ships
by Ben Grabow / Staff Writer
The attack on Pearl Harbor has been called two hours that changed the world. Pearl Harbor the movie turns out to be three hours that ruined an otherwise exciting and realistic treatment of the infamous surprise attack.... continued

'Worst Case Scenarios' not practical, but humorous
by Jay Boehmer / For The Post
Have you ever tried to navigate a minefield or survive an airplane crash? Have you ever been abducted by UFOs or attempted to tame a runaway camel? If so, The Worst-Case Survival Handbook: Travel was written just for you. But for the rest of us, the book provides an interesting insight into the world of improbable disaster.... continued

County hosts Memorial Day Bash
by Hillary Copsey / Staff Writer
Despite threats of rain, many Athens residents headed to the fairgrounds this weekend to celebrate the beginning of summer and watch the first Ohio Valley Strongman Contest at the annual Memorial Day Bash this weekend.... continued

Bush salutes veterans
by Ron Fournier / The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush promised World War II veterans a Washington memorial that "will stand for the ages" and paid Memorial Day tribute to America's fallen soldiers before embarking on a three-day West Coast swing to ease his political problems in California.... continued

Tuition caps removed
by Ben Roode / For The Post
An Ohio General Assembly conference committee voted Sunday to eliminate tuition caps for all public Ohio universities and two-year colleges.... continued

Dragons breathe life into Dow Lake
About 80 to 100 Ohio University students and professors and Athens residents gathered Saturday at Strouds Run State Park to celebrate Duanwu Jie, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.... continued

Harsh tone emerged during budget debate
by John McCarthy / The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The first few hours of last Wednesday's floor debate in the Senate over the $45 billion state budget were partisan but peaceful. The last hour, however, was anything but placid.... continued

Muslim extremists claim kidnappings from resort in southern Philippines
by Paul Alexander / The Associated Press
MANILA, Philippines - A Muslim extremist group on yesterday issued a veiled threat to harm 20 kidnapped tourists - including three Americans - while the Philippines president said she would use everything in her power to "crush" the insurgents.... continued

Chad election marked with violence
by Abakar Saleh / The Associated Press
N'DJAMENA, Chad - Police briefly detained six opposition candidates and beat their supporters yesterday, hours after incumbent Idriss Deby was declared the winner of Chad's presidential election.... continued

BRIEFLY

Jean-Marc Bouju U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell speaks in front of AIDS posters at The Aids Support Organization at the Mulago hospital in Kampala on Sunday. Powell is in Uganda for the fourth and last leg of his Africa tour. After Africa trip, Powell ready to outline U.S. Balkans policy Canada moves to tolerate pot Fight brewing for law giving U.S. companies foreign money Plan may include missile buy Hearing continued until Thursday Legislators looking for prison alternatives New GSS execs eager to begin

Guard hopes to prove point next season
Q and A with Anthony Castrovince
Zach Kiekow, a 6 foot 1 point guard from Osseo, Minn., was Ohio men’s basketball coach Tim O’Shea's first signed recruit. Kiekow averaged 12 points, six assists and three steals per game for Osseo High School in his senior season; helping the team finish 30-1 with a top 25 national ranking. Kiekow sat down with The Post’s Anthony Castrovince to discuss his decision to join the Bobcats.... continued

Runner eyes a breakout year
by Paul Shugar / Staff Writer
Cross country is a battle of emotions between the mind and the body, as runners will themselves through pain, doubt and with hope – a victory.... continued

Reds fans have nothing to worry about
by Eric Pfahler / For The Post
OK Reds fans, so the team might not win the World Series this year, or get above .500 for that matter, but keep hope. Many bright spots remain in this injury-ridden season.... continued

Hard work, high hopes spells success for grapplers
by Joe Arnold / Staff Writer
Heading into each new season, athletes set goals for themselves and strive to accomplish them. For Ohio wrestler Luke Moore, lofty goals sometimes yield great success.... continued