UN: About 200 staff to be pulled from Afghanistan

The U.N. says hundreds of its staffers will be temporarily pulled out of Afghanistan in the wake of an Oct. 28 attack that killed five of its workers, but it's still determining exactly how many.

Nov 07, 2009 | 6:15 am

Pakistan: 12 militants killed in offensive

Pakistani soldiers killed 12 militants in gunbattles over the past day, officials said Saturday, as government forces pressed on with their offensive in the mountainous Taliban sanctuary of South Waziristan.

Nov 07, 2009 | 6:00 am

Venezuelans struggling with water shortages

While a drought has put Caracas under widespread water rationing for the first time in years, for Venezuelans in this hillside slum it's just more of the same.

Nov 07, 2009 | 5:05 am

Afghan Defense Ministry says mistaken NATO airstrike kills 4 Afghan soldiers, 3 police.

Nov 07, 2009 | 4:35 am

Obama to meet Myanmar, other ASEAN leaders

President Barack Obama will meet leaders of Southeast Asian nations, including Myanmar, in a high-level affirmation of Washington's new policy of engaging the military-ruled country despite its dismal human rights record.

Nov 07, 2009 | 4:15 am

Tens of thousands of homes flooded in Mexico

A week of torrential rain has flooded the homes of more than 200,000 people along Mexico's Gulf coast, officials said Friday. Residents in some towns complained that no help had arrived.

Nov 06, 2009 | 11:50 pm

Thaksin on a mission to humiliate Thai government

Thailand's fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has spent much of the past three years roaming the globe, shopping for diamonds in Africa, golfing at Asian resorts _ and humiliating the government from a distance.

Nov 06, 2009 | 11:30 pm

Cuban blogger says she is briefly detained

A Cuban blogger who has gained international attention for her searing commentary about life on the communist island said she was briefly detained Friday and warned by state security agents about her opposition activity.

Nov 06, 2009 | 10:50 pm

Iraq again seeks international bombing probe

Iraq's foreign minister has reiterated his country's request for a high-level international envoy to investigate the extent of foreign involvement in recent bombings of government institutions.

Nov 06, 2009 | 5:35 pm

In Europe, most swine flu shots by invitation only

In Britain, there are no long lines of people seeking swine flu vaccine. Doctor's offices aren't swamped with desperate calls. And there are no cries of injustice that the vaccine is going to wealthy corporations or healthy people who don't really need it.

Nov 06, 2009 | 4:50 pm

Honduras leadership in limbo as accord dissolves

They can't both be right. Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya says a deal that could have returned him to power is defunct. Roberto Micheletti, who took power after a coup, says the same deal has been successfully accomplished.

Nov 06, 2009 | 2:30 pm

Berlin inaugurates repainted Wall section

The Berlin Wall's longest remaining stretch has been restored to its state of nearly two decades ago after artists repainted the colorful murals they created in the aftermath of the notorious barrier's opening.

Nov 06, 2009 | 1:35 pm

Saudi: Airstrikes near Yemen targeted infiltrators

Saudi Arabia said Friday it carried out airstrikes against "infiltrators" from Yemen that were limited to areas inside Saudi territory, and vowed to press on with the military action until the border with its restive neighbor was secure.

Nov 06, 2009 | 12:10 pm

Dalai Lama visit highlights India-China tensions

This remote town in the Himalayan foothills spruced up its monasteries Friday to prepare for the Dalai Lama's arrival, a trip highlighting the growing friction between China and India _ two nuclear-armed giants vying for economic and political power in the region.

Nov 06, 2009 | 10:40 am

Bus plunges down gorge in north India, killing 32

A crowded bus plunged down a steep mountain gorge in northern India on Friday, killing 32 people, a local official said.

Nov 06, 2009 | 5:10 am

Gunman wounds 3 near Tokyo in gang violence

A gunman wounded three men near Tokyo on Friday before hiding in a building and apparently killing himself _ a rare shooting spree that police said was gang-related.

Nov 06, 2009 | 3:40 am

Remote Indian state readies for Dalai Lama visit

Buddhist monks and nuns spruced up their monasteries and hung up welcome banners Friday in anticipation of the Dalai Lama's contentious visit to this remote Indian town near the Tibetan frontier.

Nov 06, 2009 | 2:50 am

Man spends 3 days in tree during Vietnam storm

The 69-year-old watchman couldn't swim so when Tropical Storm Mirinae sparked a flash flood he ran, shimmied up a tree and hung on _ for three nights and two days.

Nov 06, 2009 | 12:45 am

Gang leader executed in China

A former gang leader who was the son of a high-ranking politician was executed this week in northern China after being convicted of murder, kidnapping, and extortion, state media reported.

Nov 06, 2009 | 12:45 am

10 arrested in Mexican police chief's killing

Five police officers and five other suspects were arrested Thursday in the investigation into the assassination of an army general who had been appointed police chief of this northern Mexican town over the weekend.

Nov 06, 2009 | 12:20 am

Chinese activist risks jail with letter to Obama

Thousands of people will send letters to President Barack Obama this year. Few besides Yang Zili are likely to risk jail by doing so.

Nov 05, 2009 | 11:30 am

China air force much improved though still lagging

China's rapidly modernizing air force is planning a display of its new military might for its 60th anniversary, showcasing a wide-ranging technical upgrade that has boosted its capabilities, though it still lags far behind its main rival, the United States.

Nov 05, 2009 | 11:20 am

India restricts coverage of Dalai Lama's trip

India effectively barred foreign journalists Thursday from covering a rare visit by the Dalai Lama to a Buddhist monastery close to Tibet in an apparent effort to ease Chinese anger by reducing news coverage of the trip.

Nov 05, 2009 | 11:15 am

German Red Cross worker shot in Indonesia's Aceh

Officials say a German working for the Red Cross has been shot by men on a motorcycle in Indonesia's Aceh province.

Nov 05, 2009 | 10:25 am

European, British central banks leave rates alone

The European Central Bank and the Bank of England kept interest rates at record lows Thursday as their economies struggle to emerge from recession.

Nov 05, 2009 | 8:30 am

Activist: Chinese guard at black jail admits rape

A guard at an unofficial jail in the Chinese capital has pleaded guilty to raping a young detainee, an activist said Thursday, in a case that has put a spotlight on "black jails" where a growing number of people seeking justice from the government end up.

Nov 05, 2009 | 7:10 am

US will not lift Myanmar sanctions

The United States, although embarking on a new policy of engagement, will not lift its sanctions on Myanmar unless its ruling generals make concrete progress toward democratic reform, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday.

Nov 05, 2009 | 3:35 am

Japan to speed decision on relocation of US base

Japan will speed up its review of a deal to move a major U.S. military base on the southern island of Okinawa, officials said Thursday, but no final decision was expected in time for President Barack Obama's visit to Tokyo next week.

Nov 05, 2009 | 3:25 am

2 patients killed at Aussie psychiatric hospital

A psychiatric patient was charged Thursday with two counts of murder in the overnight stabbing deaths of two men who were also patients at an Australian hospital.

Nov 04, 2009 | 11:55 pm

US troops fight 4-hour battle at Afghan village

The villagers said they just wanted to be left alone. They claimed they had asked the Taliban to stay away, and wished the Americans would do the same.

Nov 04, 2009 | 11:20 pm

British deaths raise questions about Afghan police

The killing of five British troops by a rogue Afghan policeman underlines concerns about training and discipline within the ranks and possible insurgent infiltration of a police force that the U.S. hopes will be its ticket out of Afghanistan someday.

Nov 04, 2009 | 8:20 pm

8 children drown in Indian boat accident

At least eight children drowned Wednesday when a boat carrying at least 35 students capsized in southern India, police said.

Nov 04, 2009 | 8:05 am

Study: Fiddler crabs exchange sex for survival

In the world of fiddler crabs, the best form of protection for females is, apparently, having sex with the neighbors, according to an Australian study published Wednesday.

Nov 04, 2009 | 7:30 am

In Tokyo, Bush reminisces about baseball days

Exactly a year after Barack Obama was voted to replace him as president, George W. Bush was in Japan on Wednesday talking about his former life _ in sports.

Nov 04, 2009 | 6:30 am

Malaysia rejects call to release 10,000 Bibles

The Malaysian government has refused to release 10,000 Bibles confiscated for using the word "Allah" to refer to God, a banned translation in Christian texts in this Muslim-majority country, an official said Wednesday.

Nov 04, 2009 | 6:20 am

Tokyo train stations use lights to stem suicides

Alarmed by a rise in people jumping to their deaths in front of trains, some Japanese railway operators are installing special blue lights above station platforms they hope will have a soothing effect and reduce suicides.

Nov 04, 2009 | 2:30 am

Pacific diplomatic row deepens

New Zealand and Australia expelled Fiji's top diplomats Wednesday after the military-ruled nation threw out their emissaries, and the Australian leader vowed to stay tough on Fiji to prevent a coup culture from spreading.

Nov 03, 2009 | 11:55 pm

Report: SKorean tycoon dead of apparent suicide

The ousted chairman of South Korea's oldest conglomerate, the Doosan Group, was found dead in an apparent suicide, a news report said Wednesday.

Nov 03, 2009 | 10:20 pm

Mexico mayor announces death before body is found

Mauricio Fernandez couldn't have been happier.

Nov 03, 2009 | 8:10 pm

NKorea claims to expand arsenal of atomic bombs

North Korea claimed Tuesday that it has successfully weaponized more plutonium for atomic bombs, a day after warning Washington to agree quickly to direct talks or face the prospect of a growing North Korean nuclear arsenal.

Nov 03, 2009 | 6:05 pm

Ex-Guantanamo detainees begin new lives in Palau

They've shaved off the long beards they wore at Guantanamo Bay, and they were angered at a local newspaper report that casually referred to them as terrorists.

Nov 03, 2009 | 12:25 pm

George W. Bush throws out first pitch in Japan

Former President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch Tuesday before Game 3 of the Japan Series between the Yomiuri Giants and Nippon Ham Fighters.

Nov 03, 2009 | 9:40 am

China launches crackdown in Muslim region

Police in China's far west have stepped up a hunt for people who took part in deadly ethnic riots there four months ago and other so-called terrorists, the regional public security ministry said Tuesday.

Nov 03, 2009 | 7:45 am

Philippine troops kill 5 al-Qaida-linked militants

Government troops attacked an Abu Sayyaf camp in the rebels' southern stronghold before dawn Tuesday, triggering a five-hour clash in which five of the al-Qaida-linked militants were killed and one government militiaman was wounded, the military said.

Nov 03, 2009 | 5:40 am

Beijing says Dalai Lama shows anti-China bias

China said it expressed grave concern to India about a visit by the Dalai Lama to a state in the country's northeast at the heart of a long-running border dispute, saying it showed an anti-China bias.

Nov 03, 2009 | 4:50 am

At least 10 killed in Pakistan train collision

A passenger train rammed into a cargo train outside of the southern city of Karachi on Tuesday after the driver apparently missed a signal to stop, killing 10 people including an infant, officials said.

Nov 03, 2009 | 4:50 am

`Grave fears' for those missing in boat disaster

Planes and ships searching a remote patch of the Indian Ocean found no signs Tuesday of additional survivors from the sinking of a suspected asylum-seeker boat. Eleven people were believed missing, while 27 were rescued.

Nov 02, 2009 | 9:30 pm

Latin American leaders move to extend their rule

Horrified by the excesses of dictatorship, Latin Americans discarded the strongman model at the end of the 20th century and limited politicians' time in power.

Nov 02, 2009 | 4:10 pm

Evangelical march in Brazil draws 1.5 million

More than 1.5 million evangelical Christians joined Brazil's annual "March for Jesus" on Monday, an event sponsored by a church whose leaders recently returned after being imprisoned in the U.S. for money smuggling.

Nov 02, 2009 | 1:55 pm

Knight's out: Stanford no longer 'sir' in Antigua

Disgraced Texas financier R. Allen Stanford is being stripped of his knighthood in the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, the head of the government panel that approves the awards said Monday.

Nov 02, 2009 | 1:10 pm