Panetta apologizes for photos, 'not who we are'
1:02
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is apologizing for newly published photos depicting American soldiers posing with body parts of Afghans militants. At a news conference after a meeting of NATO foreign and defense...
Montenegrin journalist given prison term for libel
12:39
BELGRADE (Reuters) - A court in Montenegro ordered a journalist to serve four months in prison for libel on Wednesday in a case that could damage the country's reputation for media freedom as it prepares for talks
NATO says concrete plans emerging for Afghanistan after 2014
12:39
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday he saw an "emerging agreement" among the alliance's members on what role they would play in Afghanistan once that country's forces
Vatican, breakaway traditionalists near agreement
12:38
The Vatican and a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics appear to be nearing an agreement that could bring the group back into Rome's fold and end a quarter-century of schism. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev....
Pakistani army says talks needed with India
12:38
Pakistan's powerful army chief on Wednesday called for the peaceful resolution of a Himalayan glacier dispute with rival nuclear power India, and suggested his country should spend less on defense and more on...
Clashes hit Bahrain Formula One exhibit
12:35
Security forces fired stun grenades Wednesday at anti-government protesters who swarmed into a cultural exhibition for Bahrain's Formula One race, setting off street battles and sending visitors fleeing for cover. It...
NATO chief condemns Afghan corpse photos
12:35
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is condemning published photos that purport to show U.S. troops posing with the bodies of Afghan militants. He says he hopes it is an isolated case, and he promised a...
Russia says only UN can judge Annan's plan
12:22
Russia's foreign minister insisted Wednesday that only the United Nations can assess how well international envoy Kofi Annan's cease-fire plan is being implemented in Syria, ruling out other groups with an interest in...
Iraq lawyer predicts Hezbollah prisoner to go free
12:19
A Hezbollah commander accused of targeting U.S. soldiers in Iraq may be released from prison within weeks, his lawyer predicted Wednesday, claiming that flimsy American evidence has kept his client behind bars for...
Video circulates of girl being raped in S.Africa
12:03
When a 17-year-old girl said to have the mental capacity of a 5-year-old was reported missing four weeks ago in the sprawling South African township of Soweto, police distributed her photo and asked neighborhood...
Barred Islamist says Egypt army wants to keep power
11:53
By Edmund Blair and Shaimaa Fayed CAIRO (Reuters) - A leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said on Wednesday his removal from the presidential ballot showed the army wanted to cling to power, a charge that t
Iran starts feed grain imports as sanctions bite
11:49
By Sarah McFarlane and Michael Hogan LONDON (Reuters) - Iran's state feed agency SLAL is tendering to buy corn and soybean meal, European traders said on Wednesday, needed to feed the country's large livesto
Zimbabwe president: 'Bury violence in the past'
11:41
Zimbabwe's president, appearing uncharacteristically conciliatory, said Wednesday that political violence must be "buried in the past" to move the nation toward free and unhindered elections. In a rare departure from...
ICC prosecutor goes to Libya on Gaddafi son case
11:39
By Taha Zargoun and Hadeel Al Shalchi TRIPOLI (Reuters) - War crimes prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday as part of an investigation into charges against Muammar Gaddafi's detained
West aims to agree on Afghan financing in May: NATO chief
11:39
By Sebastian Moffett and Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO should be able to nail down plans next month on the size and cost of Afghan security forces needed after most foreign troops leave in 2014, t
Bin Laden family deportation hits more snags
11:31
The plan to deport Osama bin Laden's three widows and their nine children from Pakistan ran into more bureaucratic hurdles on Wednesday, making it uncertain when they would leave, their lawyer said. The family was...
India defers long-range missile test launch
11:31
By Jatindra Dash BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - India on Wednesday postponed the test-launch of its first long-range missile capable of reaching deep into China and as far as Europe due to bad weather, a gov
Sudan, South Sudan clash on new front as U.N. mulls sanctions
11:25
By Alexander Dziadosz and Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan and South Sudan accused each other on Wednesday of launching attacks on a new front near their contested border, stoking fears of a retur
Correction: BC-EU--Macedonia-Clashes story
11:22
In an April 17 story, The Associated Press erroneously reported that five lake fishermen found shot dead last week in Macedonia were ethnic Albanians. The Interior Ministry has identified the five victims, who all have...
US expedition targets unexplored Puerto Rico reef
11:20
U.S. scientists using sonar and submersibles to map a reefs off Puerto Rico's northeast coast say they have found a 12-foot (3.6-meter) hammerhead shark, an undersea canyon that suddenly plunges 900 feet (280 meters)...
Swiss to limit immigration from eastern Europe
11:14
ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland Said on Wednesday it was reimposing quotas on workers from central and eastern Europe as it faces criticism over soaring immigration to an economy that is holding up better than most
French centrist Bayrou cagey as Sarkozy woos him
11:14
By Alexandria Sage PARIS (Reuters) - The lone centrist in France's presidential election, Francois Bayrou, is weighing whether to hitch his wagon to a struggling conservative Nicolas Sarkozy before the secon
Britain releases previously secret files on empire
11:14
Long-forgotten files carrying secret documents from the waning days of the British Empire were opened to the public Wednesday, the first of several releases that promise new insights to a world power that stretched from...
Ex-Libyan rebel in legal bid against UK politician
11:08
Lawyers for a Libyan military commander said Wednesday they are taking civil legal action against Britain's former foreign secretary over claims he approved the Libyan's rendition to face imprisonment and torture by...
Mugabe urges peace ahead of Zimbabwe elections
10:54
By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday urged political parties to ensure a looming general election is peaceful, amid a rise in violence that he blamed on ambitious
Iran slams Gulf Arab "interference" over disputed islands
10:54
By Marcus George DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran accused its Gulf Arab neighbors on Wednesday of interfering in its internal affairs after they described a visit by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a tiny island - cl
European Jewish group fears Israel-Iran backlash
10:51
The head of a major European Jewish group warned Wednesday of a "dramatic increase" in anti-Semitic violence across the continent if Israel attacks Iran to stop its nuclear development program. The U.S. and its allies...
Romania hints at restitution rethink as US objects
10:49
Romania's government indicated Wednesday that it is open to revising its offer to owners of property confiscated by the Communists decades ago, as it faced criticism from the U.S. Ambassador to Bucharest. Romania has...
Czech government seeks majority after new crisis
10:40
PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said on Wednesday he would seek an early election in June if his government did not find a clear majority in parliament after a junior partner split just a week af
Chinese artifacts stolen from UK university museum
10:26
British police say 18 rare and mostly jade Chinese artifacts have been stolen from Cambridge University's Fitzwilliam Museum. Cambridgeshire Police on Wednesday described the stolen artifacts, which include a 14th...
Russia creates force to investigate police crimes
10:24
The head of Russia's top investigation agency has announced the creation of a task force that will investigate crimes committed by police officers. The move follows a perennial public outcry over cases of killings,...
Spanish king apologizes for elephant hunting trip
10:17
In an unprecedented act of royal contrition, Spain's king apologized Wednesday for having gone elephant-hunting in Africa while everyday people endure a severe economic crisis. "I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It...
Pakistani court decides 'forced conversion' case
10:16
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled that a Hindu woman who captured international attention because her family claimed her husband forced her to convert to Islam should be allowed to return to her partner. Police...
10:14
Pakistan's army chief says India and Pakistan should negotiate to end glacier dispute. ...
Ukraine's Tymoshenko refuses to attend opening of new trial
10:02
By Olzhas Auyezov KIEV (Reuters) - A new trial of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, already serving a seven-year prison term on abuse-of-office charges, is set to open in her absence this wee
ICC prosecutor goes to Libya on Gaddafi son case
9:54
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - War crimes prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday to continue investigating charges against Muammar Gaddafi's detained son, Saif al-Islam, sought for trial by the Internat
AP PHOTOS: Flower show celebrates N. Korea founder
9:44
North Korea's failed rocket has reappeared in a new form _ at an annual flower show that combines floral extravaganza with high praise for the country's founding father Kim Il Sung. To mark what would have been Kim's...
Mali junta defends arrests of politicians
9:40
Regional mediators urged Mali's junta leader on Wednesday to release politicians and high-ranking officers from the country's ousted government who have been detained by soldiers. The arrests have raised concerns about...
Exclusive: Japan cuts April Iran oil purchases 77 percent: trade
9:29
By Osamu Tsukimori LONDON (Reuters) - Japan will slash its crude purchases from Iran by almost 80 percent in April compared to the first two months of the year as buyers comply with Western sanctions, trade
No fans of Assad, Syria's Kurds distrust uprising
9:24
Syria's Kurds, who have long complained of discrimination under President Bashar Assad, would seem a natural fit to join the revolt against his rule. Instead, they are growing increasingly distrustful of an opposition...
Yemen airstrike kills six Qaeda-linked fighters: government
9:11
ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Yemeni warplanes killed at least six militants linked to al Qaeda on Wednesday, the government said as it pressed ahead with an offensive against insurgents in the south. Yemen has be
Who are the Knights Templar? A look at many groups
9:03
Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has claimed allegiance to the Knights Templar, which he described as a secret society created to carry out a crusade against Islam in Europe. Several unrelated organizations...
Spain seeks health care cuts as crisis deepens
8:54
By Paul Day MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's government met regional officials on Wednesday to agree ways to cut state healthcare, an attack on a treasured welfare system that will fuel anger among a population we
Maldives elections set for 2013 in blow to ousted president
8:54
By Zaheena Rasheed MALE (Reuters) - The Maldives on Wednesday chose July 2013 for a presidential election, spurning calls for early polls and risking more protests by supporters of former president Mohamed N
Socialist would hand France's unions more power
8:49
By Daniel Flynn PARIS (Reuters) - The Socialist frontrunner in France's presidential election would hand militant trade unions a bigger role in the economy if he wins power next month, gambling on transformi
China to move 20,000 people at risk from Three Gorges landslides
8:19
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will relocate 20,000 people living near the Three Gorges Dam by the end of this year and five times that number by 2017 because of landslide risks caused by the world's biggest hydropower
Rwandan court rules opposition case will continue
8:16
Rwanda's highest court says the case against a political opposition leader will proceed after she withdrew from the case. Wednesday's ruling means the prosecution will present its case Monday against Victoire Ingabire,...
Disqualified Islamist candidate: Egypt army wants to keep power
8:13
CAIRO (Reuters) - The Muslim Brotherhood's candidate who was disqualified from Egypt's first presidential race since Hosni Mubarak was ousted said on Wednesday his ejection was a "crime" that showed the ruling army
China rejects Manila claims over South China shoal
8:09
China said Wednesday that the Philippines is violating maritime law by claiming a shoal in the South China Sea and dismissed Manila's request to take the dispute to an international court. "We believe it runs counter...
Iran starts feed grain imports as sanctions bite
7:45
By Sarah McFarlane LONDON (Reuters) - Iran state feed agency SLAL is tendering to buy corn and soybean meal, European traders said on Wednesday, needed to feed the country's large livestock herds as private