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Experts confirm that a cluster of trees found by a scientist hiking near Pine Mountain, Ga., are in fact American chestnut trees. But researchers say they have no idea how the trees escaped a blight in the early 1900s, which experts thought had wiped out the entire U.S. population of the trees.

Chevron and two other oil companies announce that they have successfully tested a new oil well deep in the Gulf of Mexico. An exploratory oil rig, drilling to a record-setting depth and pressure, flowed at a rate of 6,000 barrels of crude oil per day, and the find has the potential to be a significant new energy source.

NATO forces take control of security forces in southern Afghanistan, which has been plagued by terrorism and violence. A U.S.-led coalition had previously controlled the area. Some 8,500 troops will be in the area when the NATO contingent is at full force.

The Pentagon has publicly named two soldiers who have been missing in Iraq since Friday. An umbrella group of Iraqi insurgents claims that it is holding the two hostage. U.S. officials are trying to determine what happened.

The man who claimed responsibility for the bloody Beslan school siege is dead, according to the Russian government. Officials say Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev was killed as he was planning an attack to coincide with this week's G8 summit in St. Petersburg.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki calls for an Iraqi committee to meet with the U.S. military to establish ground rules for raids on Iraqi homes. He said Iraq "totally rejects" conduct such as the reported killing of 24 Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines last fall in Haditha.

Abu Bakar Bashir, a militant Islamic cleric, walks out of an Indonesian prison after serving 26 months for conspiracy in the deadly 2002 Bali bombings. Some consider him the most dangerous man in South Asia. Others say evidence against Bashir was weak.

In a stunning reversal of fortune, it now seems likely that Pluto will lose its title of planet. Scientists meeting in Prague were presented with a new definition of the word "planet" last week, which would have included Pluto as a planet. But the proposal met with fierce protests. Opponents say there are hundreds of objects like Pluto.

Thousands gather Sunday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., demanding an end to genocide in Sudan's Darfur region. Celebrities, politicians, religious leaders and demonstrators urge President Bush to use his office to strengthen the multinational force protecting Darfur civilians.

The U.S. soccer team scores its first goal of the 2006 World Cup in a losing effort against Ghana, missing a chance to advance to the tournament's second round. Italy's 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic meant the U.S.-Ghana winner was assured a spot in the Round of 16.