Latest News

Pakistan fires national security adviser

A spokesman for Pakistan's prime minister has announced that the country's national security adviser has been fired.Spokesman Imran Gardaizi says Mahood Durrani was ...

Colombian coffee growers to sue over US cartoon

Colombian coffee growers are brewing up a lawsuit over a U.S. comic strip joking that violence is so rampant there, maybe "there's a little bit of Juan Valdez in every can"...

Israel orders brief halt, then Gaza fight resumes, Ibrahim Barzak And Matti Friedman

Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rockets resumed on Wednesday after a brief lull to allow food and fuel to reach Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where an Israeli warplane droppe...

AP NewsBreak: No trial for Nazi hit man in Germany, David Rising

A German court ruled Wednesday that an elderly former Nazi hit squad member is medically unfit to stand trial for the World War II reprisal killings of three Dutch civilian...

Handlers on phone ordered Mumbai gunmen to kill, Sam Dolnick

"Keep your phone switched on," a handler instructs a gunman by phone in the midst of the Mumbai siege, "so that we can hear the gunfire."The ruthless commands come f...

US soldier avoiding Iraq ordered to leave Canada

The first woman soldier to flee the U.S. military for Canada to avoid the Iraq war said Wednesday that Canadian authorities have ordered that she be deported this month alo...

12 deaths blamed on snow and cold across Europe, Colleen Barry

Freezing temperatures and exceptional snowfall caused travel delays Wednesday across Europe and were blamed for at least 12 deaths, including that of a man in Milan who was...

Gulp! Mexico tells citizens to swallow their gum, Mark Stevenson

The country that gave the world chewing gum is getting gummed up: The average square yard (meter) of Mexico City sidewalk has 70 blobs of discarded chew.Now Mexico i...

Cambodia marks Khmer Rouge fall, Denis D. Gray

Thirty years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the specter of the murderous regime still haunted Cambodia on Wednesday as victims remembered the countless dead and the cou...

US soldier referred to court-martial

A U.S. soldier charged with murder in the deaths of four bound and blindfolded Iraqis will be court-martialed, the U.S. Army said Wednesday.Sgt. John E. Hatley was c...

Iraq: Cleric urges 'revenge operations' over Gaza

Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on the Iraqi resistance Wednesday to stage "revenge operations" against American forces to protest Israel's Gaza offensive.Th...

NKorea sets March date for parliamentary elections, Jean H. Lee

North Korea announced Wednesday it will hold long overdue elections in March amid indications the impoverished regime plans to fill parliament with finance-savvy legislator...

AP Gaza reporter finds hometown in rubble, Ibrahim Barzak

I live alone in my office. My wife and two young children moved in with her father after our apartment was shattered. The neighborhood mosque, where I have prayed since I w...

Report: Uganda rebels kill 8 in Congo park attack, Todd Pitman

Ugandan rebels waging one of Africa's longest and most brutal wars killed two wildlife rangers and six other people in a remote national park in northeastern Congo, a conse...

UN proposes Green Zone-style base in Somalia, Tom Maliti

Three masked gunmen fatally shot a Somali aid worker Tuesday, as the U.N. envoy to Somalia said the United Nations should create a Baghdad-style Green Zone in the African c...

Ghana president takes office after tense election, Francis Kokutse

Ghana's new president took office Wednesday vowing to "heal wounds and unite our dear nation" following a peaceful but tense election that secured the country's status as o...

7 Zimbabwe opposition members charged in bomb plot

Seven members of Zimbabwe's main opposition party were the first of dozens of jailed dissidents to be formally charged Wednesday, and they pleaded not guilty in a bombing p...

Rocket fire defines life in southern Israeli town, Amy Teibel

Few residents of the Israeli town of Sderot are on the streets these days. They prefer to sit out the war in safer parts of the country or barricade themselves at home as P...

Europe copes with cold and snow, Colleen Barry

Subfreezing temperatures and exceptional snowfall caused travel woes around Europe on Wednesday, and in Rome's zoo it was so cold the chimpanzees got cookies for extra calo...

German polar bear Flocke gets zoo company

Nuremberg's celebrity polar bear cub, Flocke, has a new friend: a Russian bear.The city's zoo says it introduced the male polar bear Wednesday to 1-year-old Flocke, ...

Pakistan says surviving Mumbai gunman is Pakistani

Pakistan's information minister says an investigation has revealed that the lone surviving Mumbai gunman is a Pakistani citizen, as India has alleged.Up until now Pa...

Putin orders halt in gas supplies to Ukraine

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ordered Gazprom to stop all shipments of natural gas to Europe through Ukraine.Russian gas is already not getting through the pipel...

German polar bear Flocke gets company

Nuremberg's celebrity polar bear cub, Flocke, has a new friend: a Russian bear.The city's zoo says it introduced the male polar bear Wednesday to 1-year-old Flocke, ...

EU demands calls for resumption gas supplies, Robert Wielaard

The European Union accused Russia and Ukraine of holding their neighbors hostage with a cutoff of gas supplies and urged the countries' political leaders to settle their di...

China, US mark ties warmed by 'pingpong diplomacy', Tini Tran

A senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday that relations with China have deepened over the past decades and would strengthen further, as the countries played a friendly game of...

Israel conditionally welcomes cease-fire proposal

Israel tentatively welcomed a proposal Wednesday for a Gaza cease-fire and briefly halted its offensive to allow aid to reach Palestinian civilians, but also instructed the...

French leader: Israel, Palestinians OK Gaza plan

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed what he described Wednesday as "acceptance" by Israel and the Palestinian Authority of an Egyptian-French plan meant to end bloodshe...

7 Zimbabwe opposition members charged

Seven members of Zimbabwe's main opposition party were the first of dozens of jailed dissidents to be formally charged Wednesday, and they pleaded not guilty in a bombing p...

Ground war in Gaza drives up civilian casualties, Karin Laub

The rising civilian death toll in Israel's campaign in Gaza highlights the pitfalls of Israel's powerful army using lethal force against often invisible Hamas guerrillas ta...

Pope Benedict jokes about hoarse voice

A hoarse Pope Benedict XVI asked the faithful during a general audience Wednesday to bear with his weak voice.The thousands who packed into the Vatican's Paul VI Hal...

Hostages freed from pirates off Somalia, Nigeria, Angela Charlton

Pirates freed 20 hostages aboard a Turkish freighter commandeered off the Somali coast, as nine captives on a French boat were released off southern Nigeria, the boat owner...

Grand Canyon, Loch Ness compete as nature wonders, Eliane Engeler

The Grand Canyon, Mount Everest and Loch Ness will vie with more than 200 other spectacular places in the next phase of the global competition for the New 7 Wonders of Natu...

EU calls on resumption gas supplies

The European Union said Wednesday that Russia and Ukraine were taking the EU hostage to settle their gas dispute and demanded immediate resumption of supplies.Russia...

European stocks take a pause from New Year rally, Pan Pylas

European stock markets fell Wednesday after a mixed performance in Asia as investors took profits on solid New Year gains, though sentiment remains relatively upbeat as mar...

Israel halts campaign for 3 hours to let in aid, Ibrahim Barzak And Matti Friedman

Israel ordered a pause in its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to a...

Israel halts campaign for 3 hours for food aid, Ibrahim Barzak And Matti Friedman

Israel's military paused its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to ac...

EU calls for resumption gas supplies

The European Union has called on political leaders in Russia and Ukraine to restore gas supplies to EU member states.Russia has confirmed that gas shipments to Europ...

Greek interior minister survives Cabinet reshuffle, Derek Gatopoulos

Greece's embattled leader reshuffled his Cabinet on Wednesday but retained his interior minister, who has been sharply criticized for the government's handling of riots acr...

UN rights body to hold emergency meeting on Gaza

Officials say the U.N.'s top human rights body will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in crisis-hit Gaza.About two-thirds of the U.N. Human Rights C...

Israel to halt ops for 3 hours for food aid, Ibrahim Barzak And Matti Friedman

Israel was set to pause its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to acc...

MI5 chief: Terror plots against UK have fallen, David Stringer

Terrorists based in Britain have plotted fewer attacks against the U.K. over the last 18 months — but the overall threat from terrorism remains severe, the head of Britai...

Israel to briefly halt Gaza ops to allow aid

The Israeli military says it will briefly halt its operations in Gaza during the day to allow in humanitarian aid and fuel.Military spokesman Peter Lerner gave no sp...

US envoy in Beijing for 30th anniversary of ties, Tini Tran

It was the small game of pingpong that got the big ball of diplomacy moving on U.S.-China relations, and on Wednesday, the two countries commemorated 30 years of formal tie...

Iraq sends 30,000 troops to guard Karbala pilgrims

A female suicide bomber allegedly planning to blow herself up among Shiite pilgrims was arrested Wednesday in northern Iraq, as millions joined processions across the count...

World markets mixed as Indian stocks plunge, Jeremiah Marquez

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as Japan's key index rose for a seventh day but Indian shares tumbled after the chairman of major outsourcing company Satyam Computer adm...

Israel's top leaders mulling cease-fire offer

Israel's top leaders are meeting to discuss whether to accept a cease-fire plan or expand their military offensive in Gaza.The meeting of Israel's security Cabinet c...

NKorea to elect new rubber-stamp parliament, Jae-soon Chang

North Korea said Wednesday it would finally elect new members to its rubber stamp legislature — a move delayed for several months amid speculation about leader Kim Jong I...

UN wants probe of school shelling that killed 40

The United Nations agency dealing with Palestinian refugees says it's certain that Hamas militants were not using its school to attack Israeli troops.Israel said mil...

Israel ground war drives up civilian casualties, Karin Laub

The rising civilian death toll in Israel's campaign in Gaza highlights the pitfalls of Israel's powerful army using lethal force against often invisible Hamas guerrillas ta...

Report: Pakistan intel chief says no India war, Sebastian Abbot

Pakistan's intelligence chief said there will not be war with India over the Mumbai attacks and emphasized terrorism — not India — was the greatest threat to the countr...

Fighting continues as Israel considers peace plan, Ibrahim Barzak And Aron Heller

Plumes of smoke engulfed a neighborhood east of Gaza City on Wednesday as Israel's leaders considered a peace plan put forth by France and Egypt on the 12th day of their ca...

US: Troops kill 32 insurgents in east Afghanistan

U.S.-led forces raided a Taliban bomb-making cell in eastern Afghanistan, killing 32 insurgents in a battle with scores of armed militants who shot at them from rooftops an...

Ground war drives up civilian casualties, Karin Laub

The rising civilian death toll in Israel's campaign in Gaza highlights the pitfalls of Israel's powerful army using lethal force against often invisible Hamas guerrillas ta...

Oil dips as traders weigh demand signs, Gaza clash, Alex Kennedy

Oil prices dipped below $48 a barrel Wednesday in Asia as investors weighed tensions in the Middle East and more bad U.S. economic news suggesting slowing crude demand....

Ukraine: Russia stops sending gas to Europe, Maria Danilova

Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that Russia had cut off all gas supplies through pipelines crossing Ukrainian territory, the latest move in a devastating pricing dispute...

Most Asian markets extend New Year's rally, Jeremiah Marquez

Asian stocks extended their New Year's rally Wednesday, with Japan's index up nearly 2 percent, on hopes that stimulus measures from a new U.S. administration would help sp...

Ukraine says Russia stops sending gas to Europe

Ukraine says Russia has cut off all gas supplies to Europe amid a devastating gas dispute with its neighbor.Valentyn Zemlyansky, spokesman for state gas company Naft...

Transcript: Mumbai gunmen were commanded by phone, Sam Dolnick

"We have three foreigners, including women," the gunman said into the phone.The response was brutally simple: "Kill them." Gunshots then rang out inside the Mumbai h...

Japan's emperor marks 20th anniversary of reign, Shino Yuasa

Japanese Emperor Akihito commemorated the 20th anniversary of his reign Wednesday with a visit to the grave of his father, Hirohito.Akihito, 75, was joined by Empres...

Japan wants anti-whaling ship barred from ports, Kristen Gelineau

Radical conservationists who have been chasing Japanese whalers in the Antarctic Ocean said Wednesday they were heading to Australia to refuel their ship, a day after Japan...