Japanese Emperor Akihito hospitalized
An agency official says Emperor Akihito was admitted to University of Tokyo Hospital on Saturday for testing, but that the visit was not an emergency.

Italy's leader says Obama exceeded expectations
Italian Premier Mario Monti says President Barack Obama went far beyond his expectations in backing the economic reforms he instituted to lead the country out of its financial quagmire.

Satellite spots tanks in Syrian city
Satellite image provider DigitalGlobe Inc. has released photos that it says show Syrian army tanks and other armored vehicles in the city of Homs.

DEA: Mexican governor got millions in drug cash
A court document says U.S. agents have evidence that drug cartel leaders paid millions to the governor of a Mexican border state and other members of the country's former ruling party to gain political influence.

Greek PM says default would lead to 'chaos'
Greece's future in the eurozone came under renewed threat Friday as popular protests again turned violent and dissent grew among its lawmakers after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts.

Italy: Wrecked cruise ship moves in rough seas
Italian officials say rough seas have increased movements of the crippled Costa Concordia and are thwarting the start of fuel removal a month after the cruise ship capsized off a Tuscan island.

Hamas leader visits Iran after outreach to Gulf
The Fars news agency says Ismail Haniyeh will meet Iranian leaders, despite what the agency claimed were efforts by Gulf countries like Qatar and Kuwait to stop the visit.

Frozen river costing businesses millions
Shippers say they are losing money in trade because a lengthy stretch of the River Danube in Europe is stuck in the longest freeze in its recent history.

Russia will keep shielding Assad at U.N.
A senior Russian diplomat says Moscow will again use its veto power at the United Nations to block any resolution aimed at ousting Syrian President Bashar Assad from power.  

Spain: Suspects in Serbia's PM slaying arrested
Spanish police say they have detained two men involved in the assassination of Serbia's premier in 2003.

Israel successfully tests missile defense system
An Israeli defense official says the country has successfully tested an upgraded radar for the Arrow missile defense system, developed with the United States and designed to intercept projectiles that might be fired from Iran.

Legal challenge launched to Suu Kyi's candidacy
Aung San Suu Kyi's bid for a seat in Myanmar's Parliament has been challenged by a rival candidate.

Ex-Croat official goes on trial for war crimes
A former senior Croatian official has pleaded not guilty to charges that he ordered the abduction, torture and killing of Serb civilians during the nation's war in 1991-95.

Russian officer convicted of spying
A security agency in the country says a military officer has been convicted of passing missile secrets to the CIA and sentenced to 13 years in prison. 

Woman not allowed to leave Egypt
A British woman has been barred from leaving the country because she is on a list of foreigners under investigation over ties to foreign nonprofit groups accused of fomenting unrest in the country.

Boat capsizes off Somalia coast
The U.N. refugee agency says at least 11 people have drowned and 34 are missing after a smuggling boat headed for Yemen sank.

German leaders set Greek vote
A senior lawmaker says the German Parliament will likely hold a special session on February 27th to vote on the second bailout for Greece. 

Pakistan court rejects PM's plea in contempt case
The Supreme Court says it will charge Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani unless he obeys its order to reopen a corruption case against the country's president.

Afghan private security handover looking messy
The push by Afghanistan's president to nationalize legions of private security guards before the end of March is encouraging corruption and jeopardizing multibillion-dollar aid projects.

SKorean lawmakers in NKorea
A delegation of South Korean lawmakers has crossed the tense border with North Korea to visit a joint factory park seen as the last major symbol of reconciliation between the rivals.

Police issue warrant for Maldives ex-president
A court in the Maldives issued an arrest warrant Thursday for former President Mohamed Nasheed, a day after his supporters rampaged in the capital.

Eurozone pushes for separate Greek debt account
The European Union's economic affairs commissioner says the eurozone is seriously considering forcing Greece to set up a separate fiscal account that would be dedicated to repay its debts as part of a new bailout.

Noriega leaves hospital in Panama, returns to jail
Medical authorities in Panama say former dictator Manuel Noriega has left a hospital four days after fainting in the prison where he is serving time for murder, embezzlement and corruption.

Karzai claims airstrike killed children
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is claiming that a coalition airstrike has killed eight children in eastern Afghanistan.

Hamas drifting away from Iran
Hamas appears to be drifting away from its longtime patron Iran — part of a shift that began with last year's Arab Spring and accelerated over Tehran's backing of the pariah regime in Syria.

Greek leaders agree to new cuts
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and his coalition partners have struck a deal on new cuts demanded by creditors to secure a vital €130 billion bailout.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood wants government sacked
The group is calling says the current military-appointed government has failed to manage the deteriorating security and economic situation in the country.

EU threatens new sanctions on Syria
The European Union will impose harsher sanctions on Syria, a senior EU official has said, as Russia tried to broker talks between the vice president and the opposition to calm violence.

French airports face day four of disruptive strike
Passengers are facing another day of cancellations and delays at French airports because of a strike over labor rights.

Uganda government distances itself from anti-gay bill
The African nation's government says it does not support a parliamentarian's decision to reintroduce a bill that originally proposed the death penalty for some homosexual acts.

15 tons of pure methamphetamine found in Mexico
Mexican troops have made an historic seizure in the western state of Jalisco.

Bank of England backs money injection
The Bank of England is injecting another 50 billion pounds into the British economy, which contracted in the last three months of 2011.

Karzai postpones handover of U.S. prison
The Afghan president has extended by one month the deadline for the transfer of the main American military prison in the country.

Sarkozy refuses to shutter aging nuclear plant
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is refusing to shut down an aging nuclear plant that has become a symbol of growing resistance to nuclear energy in France.

Thai prime minister's party seeks charter change
Thailand's ruling party has proposed a controversial plan to amend the country's constitution, which was drafted after a 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra from power.

Gorbachev: Putin 'exhausted himself' as president
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has "exhausted himself" as Russia's leader and his inability to change the Kremlin's political system might prompt more massive protests.

US missiles kill suspected militants in Pakistan
Pakistani intelligence officials say a U.S. drone fired two missiles at a house in northwest Pakistan, killing three suspected militants.

Amnesty: imported arms fueling Darfur conflict
Amnesty International says weapons from China, Russia and Belarus are fueling the nine-year-old conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

UN chief: Joint Syria mission, envoy discussed
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon says he's been talking with the head of the Arab League about the possibility of a joint observer mission and a joint special envoy to Syria.

Latest Monti austerity: no official entertainment
Italian Premier Mario Monti is applying his national austerity drive to his own staff, telling them to cut out entertainment expenses and avoid organizing events unless they are indispensable.

New discoveries raise Dominican migrant toll to 41
Authorities in the Dominican Republic say the death toll from the sinking of a boat carrying migrants has risen to 41.

Czech president to be elected in public vote
The Czech Parliament has approved changing the constitution to let the public elect the country's presidents instead of lawmakers.

Lawyer for cruise ship survivors pushes for change
A U.S. lawyer representing 70 survivors of the Costa Concordia capsizing says he will push for changes in maritime regulations and laws to make the cruise ship industry safer.

Egypt outlines evidence in case against Americans
Judges say the evidence collected in the case against 19 Americans referred to court for their alleged involvement in banned political activity through nonprofit groups includes maps, cash and videos taken of churches and military facilities.

Scores killed in shelling of Syrian city
Troops bombed residential neighborhoods in the central city of Homs for the fifth straight day, killing scores of people in what activists say is the regime's final push to retake areas controlled by the rebels.

Ahmadinejad seeks rebound in Iranian elections
The voting March 2nd should momentarily shift attention from Iran's international standoffs over its nuclear program back to the country's internal power plays.

Ex-spymaster says Israel's survival not at risk
A former Israeli spymaster who has accused the country's leaders of barreling toward a rash military strike in Iran says Israel's survival is not at risk.

Murdoch's company settles nine lawsuits
A lawyer says Rupert Murdoch's News International has settled some of its lawsuits over phone hacking.

Poland says cold weather kills more people
The Interior Ministry says that six more people have died as a result of the freezing weather that is keeping the rest of Europe in its icy grip.

Russia reaches lake under Antarctica
Researchers say they have reached Antarctica's largest icebound freshwater lake hidden for million of years under miles of ice.

Deadly car bomb attack in Somali capital
Officials in Mogadishu say a car bomb attack has killed eight people and wounded two members of parliament.

Hopes fade for dozens buried in Philippines quake
Philippine rescue officials say they are losing hope of finding anyone alive among 71 people still buried in landslides set off by a powerful earthquake.

Vatican says no Iran trip planned
The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI receives many invitations and that a trip to Lebanon is under consideration but that there are no plans for a visit to Iran.

Deaths from factory collapse in Pakistan rises
A senior rescue official says the death toll from a factory that collapsed in an eastern Pakistani city and trapped dozens has risen to 21.

Parents warned against Hong Kong birth tours
Authorities in south China's Guangdong province say parents can be fined or punished for having more than one child, even if the babies are born in Hong Kong.

Protesters ask Haiti leader to show travel docs
A small band of protesters in Haiti has called on President Michel Martelly to prove he's eligible for office.

Argentine going to UN in Falklands dispute
Argentina President Cristina Fernandez says she will formally complain to the U.N. Security Council about Britain sending one of its most modern warships to the Falkland Islands.

Death toll rises after boat accident near DomRep
The death toll has risen to 21 from the weekend capsizing of a boat overloaded with migrants near the Dominican Republic.

French strike grounds hundreds of flights
Hundreds of Air France flights were canceled Tuesday and the disruption is expected to get worse during a union strike over labor rights.

Russia suggests reforms in Syria
Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, is urging Syria's president to move ahead with reforms as a way to resolve a bloody 11-month uprising.

Hamas says ready to cede power to Abbas
A spokesman says Gaza's ruling Hamas movement is willing to cede power to an interim unity government led by its longtime rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Greece caves on civil service firings
The country's coalition government is announcing 15,000 positions would go this year amid mounting international pressure to agree on austerity measures needed to secure major new debt agreements.

Court keeps ship captain under house arrest
An Italian court has refused to lift an order of house arrest for Francesco Schettino, the captain of Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off a Tuscan island last month.

Suu Kyi hits the campaign trail in Myanmar
Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is hitting the campaign trail as an official candidate and traveling to the Irrawaddy delta for the first time in two decades.

Iraq's Sunni-backed ministers return to Cabinet
Ministers from Iraq's Sunni-backed bloc have ended their boycott of the Cabinet in a move that could restore some stability to the war-ravaged nation that has been mired in a security and political crisis.

Iran calls new U.S. sanctions 'psychological war'
The country's foreign ministry has dismissed the new sanctions on Tehran saying they are part of a "psychological war" meant to sow discontent among Iranians.

Last Briton to serve in WWI dies
Florence Green, Britain's last veteran of World War I, has died at the age of 110.

Chavez's opponents gear up for Venezuela vote
Outmatched time and again at the polls by President Hugo Chavez, opposition leaders are trying a new strategy to unseat the populist leader this year.

Pope may visit Lebanon
The Vatican is confirming that Pope Benedict XVI may travel to the country later this year.

Uganda's anti-gay bill reintroduced in parliament
A lawmaker is reintroducing an anti-gay bill that received wide condemnation, including from President Barack Obama.

Merkel blurs border in stumping for Sarkozy
While France's President Nicolas Sarkozy hasn't yet announced whether he'll seek a second term, he already has a big-name campaign backer lined up.

Thousands march against Senegal's president
People have marched in the country's capital to call for the departure of aging President Abdoulaye Wade.

New Romanian PM holds talks to form new government
Romania's newly appointed prime minister has begun talks to form a new government after the previous one collapsed following protests over austerity measures and declining living standards.

Death toll in 6.9 Philippines quake rises to 15
Rescuers digging for survivors among dozens of people buried by earthquake-triggered landslides on a central Philippine island have found only bodies.

Ex-Panama dictator Noriega 'stable' in hospital
Health Minister Franklin Vergara says Manuel Noriega is "conscious and well oriented," and will be kept for 48 hours for observation at Panama City's public Santo Tomas hospital.

China: Worker found dead in Sudan
State media say the body of a Chinese worker who went missing during a rebel attack on a work site in  has been found and that 29 others abducted in the assault would be freed soon.

French airports battle aviation strike
Air France and other airlines seek to limit the damage from a strike by aviation industry workers, a walkout prompted by rules that would limit the impact of future strikes.

Vatican cardinal: Pope merits thanks
The U.S. cardinal who leads the office overseeing cases of sexual abuse by clergy says Pope Benedict XVI should be thanked, not attacked, for his handling of the problem.

Brazil: Police and soldiers fighting
Striking state police and their supporters have clashed with Brazilian soldiers outside the state legislature in the northeastern city of Salvador.

IMF warns Europe downturn could cut China growth
The International Monetary Fund says Beijing should be ready to launch a multibillion-dollar stimulus to ward off a slump in the world's second-largest economy.

U.S. levies new sanctions on Iranian banks
In a letter to Congress, President Obama said the tougher sanctions are warranted "particularly in light of the deceptive practices of the Central Bank of Iran and other banks."

France, Germany want closer control of Greek funds
Both countries seek to impose tighter controls on Greece's finances, warning political leaders in Athens to agree on new austerity measures soon if they don't want to see their country go bankrupt.

U.S. closes embassy in Syria
The Obama administration has closed the U.S. Embassy in Damascus and pulled all American diplomats out as the U.S. stepped up pressure on President Bashar Assad to leave power.

Egypt to try Americans in case straining ties
Ignoring a U.S. threat to cut off aid, Egypt has referred 19 Americans and 24 other employees of nonprofit groups to trial before a criminal court on accusations they illegally used foreign funds to foment unrest in the country.

Romanian PM announces government resignation
Emil Boc says he and his government will resign immediately to protect the stability of the country.

Panel says Suu Kyi can run for Parliament
Myanmar's Election Commission has given opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi the green light to run for parliamentary by-elections, which are seen as a key test of the long-repressed country's commitment to democratic reforms.

Aussie PM says she will lead government to victory
Embattled Prime Minister Julia Gillard insists she will lead her unpopular government to victory at elections next year despite persistent media reports that Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd is plotting to overthrow her in an internal power struggle.

Norway mass killer faces last hearing before trial
The right-wing extremist who confessed to a bombing and mass shooting that killed 77 people goes before a Norwegian court in the last scheduled detention hearing before his trial starts.

Serbia and Bosnia struggle under record cold snap
The two countries closed down schools and struggled to continue public transport and garbage pick-up as authorities are focusing on trying to help thousands trapped in the region's remote mountain villages.

China defends its veto of U.N. measure on Syria
The country says it was forced to veto the vote because it was called before differences in the proposal were bridged but says it wants to play a constructive role in ending violence there.

Chile on alert as prison rats spread hantavirus
The country has declared a public health alert with a hantavirus outbreak killing three people and infecting 10 others.

Putin promises Russians bigger say in politics
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is running for a third term as president, says the government must turn around its institutions to accommodate the increasingly vocal civil society.

Iraqi lawmaker says immunity lift sought
A lawmaker in Iraq's Sunni-backed bloc says the Shiite-led government is seeking to lift his parliamentary immunity, a step which may extend the country's political crisis.

Queen Elizabeth II marks Accession Day
It has been 60 years to the day since Britain was shocked by the bulletins: The King is dead; long live the Queen!

17 dead and 13 rescued after migrant boat capsizes
Rescuers scouring the white-capped waters off the Dominican Republic's coast have found 17 bodies and 13 survivors from a boat overloaded with migrants that capsized almost two days ago.

Conservatives take second powerful post in Finland
The victory for Finland's conservatives in the presidential runoff marks a political watershed in the Nordic country.

Talks on Greek bailout hang in the balance
Representatives of Greece's creditors are to meet again with Prime Minister Lucas Papademos to press their demands for tougher austerity measures and private sector pay cuts.

Israel's premier to visit United States
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says he will visit the U.S. next month for the annual conference of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby.

Violence escalates after police strike in Brazil
Brazilian media report 78 people have been murdered in and around the northeastern city of Salvador since the start of a state police strike there five days ago.

Queen prepares to mark 60 years on throne
Queen Elizabeth II braved the cold and snow to attend church on the eve of her Diamond Jubilee anniversary.

China, Russia vetoes blasted
Arab and Turkish officials heaped criticism on both countries for their veto of a U.N. resolution aimed at ending Syria's bloodshed.

U.S., Australian filmmakers killed in helicopter crash
"National Geographic" says award-winning American cinematographer Mike deGruy and Australian television writer-producer Andrew Wight have died in a helicopter crash in eastern Australia.

Protesters attack Syrian embassies around world
Protesters angry at the brutal crackdown on dissent in Syria, including the bloodiest one ever yesterday, have attacked seven of that country's embassies around the world.

Gas pipeline attacked in Egypt
An Egyptian security official says attackers have set off explosives along a gas pipeline in the country's Sinai peninsula, halting exports to neighboring Israel and Jordan.

Saudi women push challenge to driving ban
Women leading a campaign against the kingdom's ban on female driving are calling on the courts to take up their lawsuits demanding the right to drive.

Air France keeps long-haul flights during strike
The French airline says it expects to maintain more than 85 percent of its long-haul flights and 80 percent of European flights when pilots, cabin crew and other personnel begin a four-day walkout.

Swiss banks to outline steps in U.S. tax evasion row
Two of Switzerland's oldest banks will this week outline their response to growing pressure to give up tax-evading American customers and the bankers who helped them.

Kuwait PM resigns after opposition election surge
Sheik Jaber Al Hamad Al Sabah is stepping down to clear the way for a new government after parliamentary elections dominated by hard-line Islamists and other opposition groups.

Palestinian rivals hold unity talks in Qatar
An aide to President Mahmoud Abbas says discussions are underway with the head of rival Hamas over efforts to move along a reconciliation pact.

Iran vows to hit any country that stages attack
Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the elite Revolutionary Guard, is warning neighbors not to let their territory or airspace be used as a base for an attack.

Egypt: Police fire gas over protesters
Volleys of tear gas left a white cloud over Cairo's Tahrir Square and surrounding streets in the vicinity of Egypt's Interior Ministry, as security forces clash with protesters for the fourth day.

Clinton calls for friends of Syria to unite
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for the international community to come together and rally against President Bashar Assad's regime.

Vatican rejects corruption allegations
The administration of the Vatican City State is rejecting accusations of corruption in the Holy See's awarding of contracts.

Five killed at show in Mexico
Mexican authorities say a masked man opened fire on a band playing popular norteno music in a Chihuahua city dance hall, killing five musicians, four customers and injuring 10 others.

25 killed after truck slams into bus
Kenya Red Cross spokesman Fredrick Gori says the accident in Kisumu city happened after a truck hit a 14-seater minibus carrying excess passengers.

Violence escalates in Syria
Syrian forces unleashed a barrage of mortars and artillery on the battered city of Homs for hours, killing more than 200 people in what appeared to be the bloodiest episode in the nearly 11-month-old uprising.

Protesters rally against Putin
Tens of thousands of Russians flooded downtown Moscow to demand an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's rule, casting a strong challenge to his bid to reclaim the presidency in March.

Clinton: U.S., Europe must work to defeat tyrants
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling on Europe and the United States to do more together to fight tyrannies, promote democracy and repair the damage from the global financial crisis.

Iran begins exercises near Gulf strait
The country's Revolutionary Guard is starting naval exercises near the Strait of Hormuz, the critical Gulf oil tanker route that Tehran has threatened to close in retaliation for tougher Western sanctions.  

Afghan civilian deaths in war hits five-year high
A new U.N. report says last year was the deadliest on record for Afghanistan civilians, with 3,021 killed in the war. 

Snowstorm leads to canceled flights in London
The owner of Heathrow Airport says it has canceled 30 percent of its flights amid forecasts for snow and severe weather in Great Britain.

Tunisia expels Syrian ambassador over violence
A Tunisian official says the country has decided to expel Syria's ambassador in response to the "bloody massacre" in Homs.

Cuba's Raul Castro visits Venezuela's Chavez
Cuban President Raul Castro flew to Caracas on Friday to attend a meeting with other allies of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who was at the airport for the arrival.

UN council to meet Saturday on Syria
A Western diplomat says the Security Council will meet Saturday morning, when a much-negotiated resolution on Syria could reach a vote.

Sudan's president warns of possible war with south
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has warned of a war between Khartoum and South Sudan because their failure to settle a dispute over an oil export deal.

Extension denied in Guantanamo Sept. 11 trial
A Pentagon official is refusing to extend a deadline and delay the trial of five Guantanamo prisoners charged in the Sept. 11 attacks.

UN nuke agency pressures Iran
Diplomats say requests made by the U.N nuclear agency at talks this week with Iran have further raised the pressure on Tehran to address allegations of a secret arms program.

Canadian PM to visit China next week
Canada's prime minister is heading to China next week in a visit that will be dominated by discussion of Canada's vast oil reserves.

Rights group says Syrian forces target children
Human Rights Watch says soldiers have detained and tortured children as young as 13 as President Bashar Assad's regime tries to crush a nearly 11-month-old uprising. 

More leaks found at nuclear plant
The operator of Japan's crippled nuclear power plant says more radioactive water has leaked at the seaside complex. 

Hackers: We intercepted FBI, Scotland Yard call
Anonymous has released a roughly 15-minute-long recording of what appears to be a conference call devoted to tracking and prosecuting members of the loose-knit hacking group.

Gas blast kills 11 coal miners in southwest China
The official Xinhua News Agency says the accident occurred at the Diaoyutai mine outside Yibin city in Sichuan province.

Surveillance drone crashes in Somali capital
Drones have been used by the U.S. to attack or observe al-Qaida-linked militants in the Horn of Africa nation.

World court upholds German immunity in Nazi cases
The United Nations' highest court has confirmed that Germany has legal immunity from being sued in foreign courts by victims of World War II atrocities.

NATO mulls paying for Afghan forces after 2014
Defense ministers are tackling the controversial issue of how to pay for Afghanistan's expanding security forces after they assume responsibility for the war.

Top security and defense officials meet in Munich
The 48th Security Conference begins with officials from more than 70 countries, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Death toll rises in cold spell
Ukrainian authorities have recorded 38 more deaths due to a severe cold spell, bringing the total over the past week to 101.

Militants kill soldiers in Pakistan
A government official says militants have killed seven Pakistani paramilitary soldiers in an attack near the Afghan border.

China criticizes Iran sanctions as Merkel visits
The country's main ruling party is bashing sanctions on Iran as German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with President Hu Jintao after urging Beijing to press Tehran to avoid developing nuclear weapons.

Train slams into bulldozer in India
A railway official says three people were killed and 16 people were hurt when nine coaches of the train derailed after the crash at an unmanned crossing in Assam state.

Khmer Rouge chief jailer gets life in prison
The Khmer Rouge tribunal's Supreme Court has ordered the regime's chief jailer to serve life imprisonment, a surprise ruling that stiffens a 19-year sentence imposed by a lower court.

North Korea opens door to talks with South Korea
North Korea is open to immediate talks with rival South Korea if Seoul responds to several preconditions for dialogue, a North Korean military official told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Nearly 250 saved from Papua New Guinea ship
Rescuers battling big waves and strong winds have pulled nearly 250 people from the sea off Papua New Guinea's east coast after a ferry sank, but more than 110 people remained missing Friday.

Sept. 11 trial at Guantanamo may face new delay
The trial of five Guantanamo Bay prisoners accused of planning the Sept. 11 attacks is facing another potential delay.

Panetta lets stand report Israel may attack Iran
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta won't dispute a report that he believes Israel may attack Iran this spring in an attempt to set back the Islamic republic's nuclear program.

EU official: Greece needs extra $20 billion
Greece already needs another big bailout, but now a European Union official says it needs to be $20 billion more than has been discussed.

Military blamed for deadly soccer riot
Egyptians ranging from soccer fans to lawmakers blamed the country's military rulers for a bloody post-match riot as anger mounted over the failure of police to stop the violence.

Diplomats consider revised Syria text
U.N. Security Council ambassadors are considering a revised resolution aimed at stopping the bloodshed in Syria that removes an explicit reference to President Bashar Assad stepping aside.

Chernobyl experts hopeful on Fukushima
Ukrainian nuclear experts say Japanese evacuated from around the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant should be able to return to their homes unlike the Chernobyl area.

Debt crisis threatens slow death for Portugal
The debt-crippled eurozone country is choking amid grinding austerity measures enacted in return for bailout package last April, a steep recession, an acute shortage of cash, and record unemployment.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi postpones planned political trip
Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has postponed a trip to central Myanmar because she could not get permission to hold a political gathering at a football stadium there.

Pakistani PM to be charged with contempt
The Supreme Court says it will charge Yousuf Raza Gilani with contempt for his failure to reopen an old corruption case against the president.

Prosecutor to probe Italian cruise grounding
The Paris prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation into the grounding of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the Italian coast.

Mexico sees remittances rebound
The country's central bank says the amount of money migrant workers sent home in 2011 increased in the first major rebound in remittances since the 2008 economic downturn.

Swiss voters to decide on mandatory army service
Switzerland's government says an advocacy group has collected enough signatures to prompt a vote on whether to end the nation's long tradition of compulsory army service.

Senegal president spends to lobby U.S.
Several months before a court was due to rule on one of the most divisive issues facing the nation, the country's aging president took extra care to ensure that his interpretation of the law would prevail not only in Senegal, but also in Washington.

North Korea demands preconditions for talks' resumption
The country is taking a step back from earlier vows that it would never deal with South Korea's leader but it is demanding preconditions for resuming talks.

Swedish prosecutors to present Assange case
Prosecutors will press Britain's Supreme Court to send WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to Sweden to face questioning on sex charges.

Officials nix Olympic taxi fare increase
Transit officials have rejected a petition for London's black cab drivers to bump up fares by 20 percent during the Summer Olympics.

Congo leader's party loses 45 percent of its seats
Final election results show President Joseph Kabila's party losing a large percent of the legislative seats it held before elections in November that international bodies denounced as fraudulent and chaotic.

Colombia capital tries trial ban on guns in public
The only people authorized to carry weapons during the 90-day trial are active and retired police and soldiers, bodyguards of diplomats, politicians, judges and prosecutors, armored car guards, gun club members and hunters.

14 illegal immigrants drown in Malaysia boat sink
Malaysian authorities say at least 14 illegal immigrants have drowned when their boat capsized off the country's southern coast.

Germany's Merkel visits Beijing amid debt worries
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in China for talks amid efforts to reassure anxious Chinese leaders Europe is resolving its debt crisis.

More than 70 killed at Egypt soccer game
Witnesses say most of the people who were killed at an Egyptian soccer game today were caught in a stampede.

Two Americans found dead in northern Mexico
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico says two Americans have been slain outside the northern industrial city of Monterey, an area plagued by drug violence.

Syria opens new front against rebels
Heavy gunfire and shelling rattled towns in a mountain valley outside Damascus on Wednesday, as Syrian troops opened a new front in their campaign to crush rebels who have taken control of areas around the capital.

Panetta: US combat in Afghanistan to end next year
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the U.S. and its NATO partners intend to end their combat role in Afghanistan next year, while keeping troops there in a support role through 2014.

New U.N. trip to Iran planned
A senior U.N. nuclear expert has announced plans to revisit Tehran soon after a "good trip," indicating progress on his team's quest to probe suspicions that the Islamic Republic is secretly working on an atomic arms program.

Putin says he may face runoff
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made his first acknowledgment that he may not get enough support for an outright victory in March's presidential vote.

Assange in court over extradition fight
Julian Assange has taken his extradition battle to Britain's Supreme Court, arguing that sending him to Sweden would violate a fundamental legal principle.

Al-Qaida claims attack on Iraqi government center
An al-Qaida front group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for a bloody attack on a government compound in the Islamist militants' former stronghold west of Baghdad last month.

Men admit to London Stock Exchange bomb plot
Four British men have admitted involvement in an al-Qaida inspired plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange.

U.N. workers kidnapped in Yemen released
Yemen's electricity minister says he has secured the release of six United Nations workers who were kidnapped by armed tribesmen.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood criticizes protesters
The powerful group has issued a harsh denunciation of liberal and secular activists, echoing charges by the military rulers that they receive foreign funds to create chaos in Egypt.

Details about Prince Harry's Jubilee trip revealed
Palace officials say Prince Harry's upcoming Diamond Jubilee trip to the Caribbean and Brazil will include a few games of beach volleyball and some military exercises.

Nobel peace prize jury under investigation
The nomination deadline for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize has expired amid renewed criticism the award committee has drifted away from the selection criteria established by the prize's founder.

Building collapse and blasts spark worries about Rio
Accidents from the past year haven't just highlighted everyday dangers for the city's residents but are contributing to a growing concern about Rio de Janeiro's readiness to host the finals of the 2014 World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympics.

Syrians face crackdown with creativity and humor
The uprising against President Bashar Assad has unleashed a burst of blunt irreverence and black humor that would have been unthinkable before.

Zimbabwe president slams African leaders on Libya
State media says President Robert Mugabe has condemned the continentwide Africa Union for recognizing Libya's National Transitional Council at a recent summit.

Charles Taylor lawyers seek to reopen defense case
Lawyers for the former Liberian president say a recently published Security Council report could help clear him of charges he sent fighters to commit atrocities in Sierra Leone's civil war.

Death toll from cold spell in Ukraine rises
Officials say the death toll from a severe cold spell that has hit Eastern Europe has risen to 43 people, most of them homeless.

Spain says 'Mona Lisa' copy done along with original
The Prado Museum says it has a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece that was painted at the same time as the original in the same studio.