Ex-Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla dies at 87

Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, who presided over that country's so-called dirty war in which up to 30,000 dissidents were murdered or disappeared, died Friday while serving a 50-year prison sentence. He was 87. | 05/17/13 22:46:02 By - By ANDRES D'ALESSANDRO AND CHRIS KRAUL

OAS study says countries should consider decriminalizing drug use

The Organization of American States said Friday that countries should consider decriminalizing drug use, a shift backed by several Latin American leaders but opposed by the United States. | 05/17/13 18:11:01 By - By CHRIS KRAUL

Geza Vermes, scholar who wrote about Dead Sea Scrolls, dies at 88

Geza Vermes was a graduate student in Belgium in the late 1940s when he was captivated by news sweeping the globe about a remarkable discovery in the desert east of Jerusalem. He quickly switched gears, penning his doctoral thesis on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the ancient manuscript fragments that would become a focus of his life's work. | 05/17/13 17:16:02 By - By REBECCA TROUNSON

Myanmar's president releases some political prisoners ahead of visit with Obama

Myanmar President Thein Sein released some 20 political prisoners Friday, just days before a historic summit with President Barack Obama in Washington early next week, according to officials and prisoner rights groups. | 05/17/13 16:36:04 By - By MARK MAGNIER

Three U.N. observers released unharmed between Syria and Israel

Three United Nations observers posted in the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights were seized by armed anti-government forces and held for five hours this week before being released unharmed, the U.N. said. | 05/17/13 15:29:46 By - By PATRICK J. MCDONNELL

Bombings at 2 Pakistan mosques kill 10

Bomb blasts tore through two village mosques in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 25, local authorities said. | 05/17/13 13:44:46 By - By ZULFIQAR ALI AND ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Nigeria launches airstrikes against Islamist militants

Security forces in Nigeria have launched airstrikes against encampments of the Islamist militia Boko Haram as part of a major military operation in the country's northeast, military officials said Friday. | 05/17/13 13:39:45 By - By ROBYN DIXON

Russia defends weapons shipments to Syria

Russian officials on Friday defended the country's weapons sales to Syria, saying the country is primarily providing defense systems that are in line with international treaties. | 05/17/13 13:39:45 By - By SERGEI L. LOIKO

Jorge Rafael Videla, former Argentine dictator, dies at 87

Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla died in jail Friday at the age of 87, prison authorities confirmed. | 05/17/13 13:29:46 By -

Mexico names public security chief for Michoacan state

MEXICO CITY - Responding to mounting concern about disorder in the Mexican state of Michoacan, officials announced Thursday that an army general would take over as its public security chief, overseeing state and federal security forces. | 05/16/13 21:04:45 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET AND CECILIA SANCHEZ

2 more Guantanamo prisoners join hunger strike, military says

MIAMI - U.S. military medical providers counted 102 Guantanamo prisoners as hunger strikers on Thursday, the first increase after three weeks when the number seemed to plateau at 100. | 05/16/13 20:39:45 By - By CAROL ROSENBERG

Iran delays election lineup

Iranians must wait until next week to find out who will be on the ballot in next month's presidential election, a key electoral panel said Thursday, as it continued to mull the fate of two prospective candidates who have shaken up the race. | 05/16/13 20:29:46 By - By RAMIN MOSTAGHIM AND PATRICK J. MCDONNELL

Obama says US won't act alone against Syria

President Barack Obama Thursday ruled out unilateral U.S. military action in Syria even if there is proof that Syrian forces used lethal chemical weapons in the nation's civil war. | 05/16/13 19:29:47 By - By PAUL RICHTER

Ultra-Orthodox protest military draft in Israel

Thousands of young ultra-Orthodox men protested Thursday night against a government proposal to, for the first time, draft them into the military. | 05/16/13 18:29:45 By - By EDMUND SANDERS

6 Americans among at least 15 killed as car bomber hits NATO convoy in Kabul

A militant group said its attack on a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital Thursday marked a stepped-up campaign against the foreign presence in Afghanistan, and promised more such assaults. The suicide bombing killed six Americans, including four civilian contractors, and at least nine Afghan civilians, including two children, according to local and coalition officials. | 05/16/13 16:24:45 By - By HASHMAT BAKTASH AND MARK MAGNIER

British court sentences 4 hackers in cyberattacks

Four hackers who pleaded guilty to a series of high-profile cyberattacks on computers in the U.S. and Britain, including those of the CIA and Sony Pictures, were sentenced Thursday to up to 32 months in prison. | 05/16/13 14:23:50 By - By HENRY CHU

Pakistan's incoming prime minister turns pragmatic

After a resounding victory in Pakistan's national elections, presumptive new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could have pressed his populist, hard-line approach that paints the U.S. as hopelessly malevolent and self-interested. | 05/16/13 08:14:09 By - By ALEX RODRIGUEZ

In a disputed reef, Philippines sees face of Chinese domination

The fishermen were sailing the azure waters off the Philippine coast when Richard Caneda saw the morning sunlight glinting off a vessel "bigger than the biggest ship in the Philippine navy." | 05/16/13 08:14:09 By - By BARBARA DEMICK

12 killed as suicide car bomber hits NATO convoy in Kabul

A powerful suicide car bomb rocked the Afghan capital of Kabul on Thursday morning, killing six foreigners and at least six Afghan civilians, according to local officials. | 05/16/13 08:14:09 By - By HASHMAT BAKTASH AND MARK MAGNIER

Mistaken Benghazi claim came from CIA, emails show

Career CIA officers were responsible for administration claims that the armed attack in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead last fall grew out of a protest of an anti-Islamic video, an incorrect assertion that became a flash point for critics who say the Obama administration deliberately misled the public for political reasons, according to e-mails released by the White House on Wednesday. | 05/15/13 23:03:51 By - By KEN DILANIAN AND CHRISTI PARSONS

Mistaken Benghazi claim came from CIA, e-mails show

Chinese military unit said to resume cyber spying

WASHINGTON-A Chinese military unit that a private U.S. computer security company accused of launching more than 115 cyber attacks against American companies over seven years has resumed hacking after a three-month hiatus, the company's chief security officer said Wednesday. | 05/15/13 21:23:53 By - By KEN DILANIAN

Mexico president fires agency head over restaurant scandal

He's got to be wishing that his daughter had just ordered takeout and gone home. | 05/15/13 21:23:53 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET

Obama administration to tighten pressure on Iran, aide says

The Obama administration said Wednesday that it would add more sanctions on Iran in an effort to dissuade Tehran from continuing its nuclear program, but stopped short of backing tough new penalties that lawmakers are considering. | 05/15/13 21:13:50 By - By PAUL RICHTER

Turkey's leader to press Obama for greater US role on Syria

President Barack Obama faces a fresh test Thursday of his determination to steer clear of the civil war in Syria when he considers a desperate plea from a longtime U.S. ally. | 05/15/13 18:23:51 By - By PAUL RICHTER

Expulsion of U.S. embassy official in espionage case was second such incident, Russian TV says

MOSCOW-The arrest and expulsion of a U.S. embassy official this week for allegedly attempting, in a ham-handed way, to recruit a Russian intelligence officer was the second such case this year, Russian state television reported Wednesday. | 05/15/13 18:03:51 By - By SERGEI L. LOIKO

Cyclone takes aim for coast of Bangladesh coast

The cyclone Mahasen is expected to make landfall on Bangladesh's coast midday Thursday as a slightly weaker tropical storm, meteorological department in Dhaka said in a revised forecast. | 05/15/13 18:03:51 By - By NAZRUL ISLAM

18 killed in series of bombings in Iraq

Eighteen people were killed Wednesday in explosions that hit the Iraqi capital Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk. | 05/15/13 17:53:51 By -

6 reported dead in Rwanda building collapse

Police said Wednesday that the death toll in a building collapse in northeastern Rwanda has risen to six, as rescue operations came to an end. | 05/15/13 17:53:51 By - By SAUL BUTERA

Guantanamo: 30 of the 100 hunger strikers now being tube-fed

Guantanamo prison staff members were tube-feeding 30 of the 100 hunger-striking captives on Wednesday, the detention center said, reporting an all-time high last reached in 2005. | 05/15/13 15:58:50 By - By CAROL ROSENBERG

Tijuana's creative youth breathing new life into La Sexta, beyond

On a recent Friday night along Avenida Revolucion, dense crowds of club kids, college students and stylishly dressed maquiladora workers wandered past boisterous new bars, nouvelle restaurants, mod clothing shops and funky art galleries. | 05/15/13 08:14:04 By - By REED JOHNSON

4 more going to prison in terror case involving Somali organization

U.S. District Judge Michael Davis sentenced four more men to prison on Tuesday for their roles in support of Al-Shabab, an organization in Somalia labeled a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department. | 05/14/13 22:23:51 By - By RANDY FURST

Venezuela's last major opposition TV station is sold

The sale of Globovision, Venezuela's last major television station critical of the government, raised concern Tuesday that no mass media platform may remain on which to challenge the Chavista administration of President Nicolas Maduro. | 05/14/13 21:18:51 By - By CHRIS KRAUL AND MERY MOGOLLON

US diplomat accused of recruiting for CIA in Russia

Russian authorities detained an American diplomat accused of attempting to recruit a Russian intelligence officer into the CIA, the Federal Security Service said Tuesday. | 05/14/13 19:33:50 By - By KHRISTINA NARIZHNAYA AND SERGEI L. LOIKO

US diplomat accused of recruiting for CIA in Russia

Climate change melting Mount Everest glaciers, research finds

A warming climate is melting the glaciers of Mount Everest, shrinking the frozen cloak of Earth's highest peak by 13 percent in the last 50 years, researchers have found. | 05/14/13 17:23:50 By - By GEOFFREY MOHAN

Human Rights Watch alleges rebel atrocities in Syria

Gruesome video footage purportedly showing a Syrian rebel commander mutilating the corpse of a dead soldier while shouting sectarian insults has drawn condemnation from Human Rights Watch and focused renewed attention on battlefield atrocities in Syria. | 05/14/13 16:03:51 By - By PATRICK J. MCDONNELL AND NABIH BULOS

3 service members killed in Kandahar, ISAF says

Three international service members were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, according to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. | 05/14/13 16:03:51 By - By DAVID ZUCCHINO AND HASHMAT BAKTASH

Aide to Japan's leader pays unannounced visit to North Korea

A senior aide to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived Tuesday in North Korea, but neither country gave a reason for the unannounced visit that followed weeks of high tension in the region over the North's nuclear and missile tests. | 05/14/13 16:03:51 By - By DON LEE

Top 5 lessons you'll learn in your first 'real world' job

Fresh out of college, you toss off your graduation cap, frame that hard-earned diploma and iron your most professional outfit for your first day at your very first post-college job. Everything you've accomplished thus far has prepared you for this moment. Or has it? | 05/14/13 15:13:57 By - By JESSICA LAWLOR

Israeli anger grows over Netanyahu expenses

Embarrassing disclosures about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's household spending habits are stoking public anger as Israelis brace for new government-approved austerity measures, including tax hikes and reduced social benefits. | 05/14/13 13:58:50 By - By EDMUND SANDERS

Russia says American was recruiting for CIA

MOSCOW- Russia detained an American citizen accused of attempting to recruit a local intelligence officer into the CIA, the Federal Security Service said. | 05/14/13 13:53:50 By - By SERGEI L. LOIKO AND KHRISTINA NARIZHNAYA

Prayer service remembers victims of Bangladesh building collapse

Thousands gathered Tuesday in the rubble of the collapsed Rana Plaza garment factory complex in Bangladesh to pray for the 1,127 victims who died in the ruins of the world's worst apparel industry disaster. | 05/14/13 12:53:50 By - By MARK MAGNIER

Boats evacuating refugees sink off Myanmar

Dozens of people were missing after boats sank off western Myanmar as they were carrying Rohingya refugees initially displaced by sectarian violence and then forced to flee an incoming cyclone, aid groups and the government said Tuesday. | 05/14/13 12:43:50 By - By KYAW YE LYNN AND NAZRUL ISLAM

Sword of division is poised over Iraq

Less than a year and a half after the last U.S. troops left, Iraq's political leaders are openly debating the prospect of two dangerous paths for their country: de facto division or civil war. Perhaps both. | 05/14/13 08:14:07 By - By NED PARKER

Afghans on US bases losing jobs after years of devoted service

Abdul Shakour was working the night shift at Bagram air base repairing American vehicles when he was called to an emergency meeting. | 05/14/13 08:14:07 By - By DAVID ZUCCHINO

Two suspects arrested in death of Malcolm Shabazz in Mexico

Two waiters at a downtown Mexico City bar have been arrested and identified by prosecutors here as the "likely killers" of Malcolm Shabazz. The grandson of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, Shabazz was beaten to death last week. | 05/13/13 21:13:50 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET

Mexico creates restricted zone around volcano as its activity increases

Mexico's giant Popocatepetl volcano may generate lava flows, explosions of "growing intensity" and rain ash that could reach miles away, the National Center for Disaster Prevention said Monday. | 05/13/13 21:03:50 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET AND CECILIA SANCHEZ

Bombings fuel opposition to Turkey's stand against Assad

ISTANBUL - Deadly weekend car bombings in a southern Turkish city have galvanized domestic opposition to the government's steadfast support for Syrian rebels amid fears that Turkey is being dragged into the bloody conflict across its border. | 05/13/13 20:48:50 By - By GLEN JOHNSON AND PATRICK J. MCDONNELL

Britain's Cameron under fire at home on EU

Prime Minister David Cameron moved Monday to beat back a brewing rebellion within his Conservative Party over Britain's membership of the European Union, rejecting demands for a speedy public vote on exiting the trading bloc but insisting that he would offer such a referendum by the end of 2017. | 05/13/13 17:53:50 By - By HENRY CHU

Mexico's 'Popo' volcano spews ash, molten rock

Mexican officials are preparing evacuation routes and shelters for tens of thousands of people who live in the shadow of Popocatepetl, a giant volcano 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. | 05/13/13 15:33:49 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET

In Bangladesh, search for bodies from factory collapse ends

The Bangladesh army announced Monday it would end its search for bodies in the rubble of a garment factory complex that collapsed nearly three weeks ago in a suburb of the capital, Dhaka. | 05/13/13 15:23:50 By - By MARK MAGNIER

Europe could drop interest rate below zero on excess bank deposits

The European Central Bank could reduce the interest rate it pays on excess bank deposits to below zero to boost growth in the recession-plagued region, a top official said. | 05/13/13 14:23:49 By - By JIM PUZZANGHERA

Internet revives a mysterious poisoning case in China

She was a promising student at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University, a talented musician who loved to swim and dreamed of studying German and computer science. | 05/13/13 14:03:49 By - By DON LEE

Britain's Cameron under fire at home on EU

As he met in Washington with President Barack Obama on Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron found himself on the defensive at home against members of his own party who want their country to withdraw from the 27-nation European Union as soon as possible. | 05/13/13 13:58:49 By - By HENRY CHU

Syria rejects link to bombings in Turkey

Syria on Sunday rejected Turkish charges that Damascus was behind a pair of devastating car bomb attacks in southern Turkey that killed 46 people and left scores injured. | 05/12/13 22:20:30 By - By PATRICK J. MCDONNELL

Syria rejects link to bombings in Turkey

Pakistan's Sharif is set up for further conflict with military

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's overwhelming victory in weekend parliamentary elections returns to power a seasoned politician who historically has had rocky ties with Pakistan's powerful military and is viewed by many as soft on militants and extremist groups. | 05/12/13 21:30:29 By - By ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Arrests of vacationing Americans in Turks and Caicos spark concern

Concerned about the recent arrests of two vacationing Americans in the Turks and Caicos Islands on gun-related charges, Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for authorities in the British-dependent territory to properly investigate the matter. | 05/12/13 20:30:32 By - By JACQUELINE CHARLES

Syria denies role in Turkey car bombings

Syria on Sunday rejected Turkish charges that Damascus was behind a pair of devastating car-bomb attacks in the southern Turkish town of Reyhanli that killed 46 people and left scores injured. | 05/12/13 20:30:32 By - By PATRICK J. MCDONNELL

Pakistan's Sharif is set up for further conflict with military

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections over the weekend returns to power a seasoned politician who historically has had rocky relations with Pakistan's powerful military and is viewed by many as soft on militants and extremist groups. | 05/12/13 20:30:32 By - By ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Israelis worried that U.N. may stop patrolling Syrian border

Israeli officials said Sunday they are watching the Syrian border in the Golan Heights area with growing concern after the reported release of four United Nations soldiers held by Syrian rebels for five days. | 05/12/13 20:30:32 By - By EDMUND SANDERS

High-ranking Chinese official investigated for corruption

SHANGHAI - China is investigating a senior economic policymaker for alleged "serious disciplinary violations." | 05/12/13 20:30:32 By - By DON LEE

Congress speaks with a loud, muddled voice on Syria

WASHINGTON - Sen. Dianne Feinstein made headlines recently by demanding a forceful U.S. response to Syria's use of chemical weapons against its population. | 05/12/13 17:05:29 By - By PAUL RICHTER

Judge to make key ruling on soldier who killed clinic workers

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - The court-martial of Army Sgt. John Russell concluded Saturday with a military judge asked to decide whether the 14-year Army veteran was deluded by depression and despair as he shot five fellow service members in Iraq, or was executing a calculated plan of revenge against psychiatrists who had blocked his hopes for an early exit from the Army. | 05/11/13 22:50:29 By - By KIM MURPHY

Pakistanis vote in landmark election

Millions of Pakistanis braved threats from militants and voted Saturday in national elections that marked the country's first democratic transfer of governance and appeared to put former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on track for a potential return to power. | 05/11/13 22:20:29 By - By ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Egypt detains suspected terrorist group

Egypt has arrested three men suspected of forming a terrorist group to carry out suicide attacks in the country, Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said on Saturday. | 05/11/13 20:05:30 By -

U.S., Afghan diplomats work toward long-term agreement

Diplomats from the United States and Afghanistan met formally Saturday for just the second time since the two countries signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement a year ago as they sought to hammer out a pact defining Washington's 10-year commitment to the war-ravaged country. | 05/11/13 19:30:28 By - By DAVID ZUCCHINO

Astronauts end spacewalk after fixing coolant leak

Astronauts replaced a leaking component on the International Space Station after a five-hour, 30-minute spacewalk, NASA reported. | 05/11/13 18:20:29 By - By GEOFFREY MOHAN

West, Texas, paramedic 'vigorously denies' link to explosion

A paramedic arrested for possessing bomb-making materials after he responded to the massive fertilizer plant fire in West, Texas, has denied any connection between the fire and the charges he faces. | 05/11/13 18:05:28 By - By MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE

Pinning down the physics of bubbles

Bubbles are a serious business. While they're beloved as a childhood pastime and a bathtub luxury, the physics behind the delicate, iridescent clusters remains remarkably complex. | 05/11/13 17:50:29 By - By AMINA KHAN

Earthquake in southern Iran causes injuries, damages

An earthquake in southern Iran on Saturday caused heavy damages and several injuries, the Iranian Red Crescent told state media. | 05/11/13 04:00:00 By -

Administration emails raise new questions about attack on US diplomatic site in Libya

Email traffic exchanged during the drafting of talking points about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, last year shows that the State Department and White House were more involved in shaping the document than they previously let on. | 05/10/13 23:10:32 By - By CHRISTI PARSONS AND KEN DILANIAN

Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt guilty of genocide

Efrain Rios Montt, the former Guatemalan military dictator who ruled his country during one of the bloodiest phases of its civil war, was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity Friday for the systematic massacre of more than 1,700 Maya people. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison. | 05/10/13 22:20:28 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET

Authorities launch criminal investigation of West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion

Hours after a paramedic in West, Texas, was taken into federal custody on Friday for unlawful possession of a "destructive device," the Texas Department of Public Safety and the McLennan County sheriff said they are launching a criminal investigation into the fertilizer plant explosion there last month that killed 14 people. | 05/10/13 21:50:30 By - By ASHER PRICE, JEREMY SCHWARTZ AND BRENDA BELL

Visiting King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia of Sweden create buzz in Philadelphia

It should have been an awkward moment. | 05/10/13 21:25:28 By - By ALFRED LUBRANO

Former Guatemala dictator Rios Montt found guilty of genocide

MEXICO CITY-Efrain Rios Montt, the former Guatemalan military dictator who ruled his country during one of the bloodiest phases of its civil war, was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity Friday for the systematic massacre and displacement of ethnic Mayan people. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison. | 05/10/13 20:25:30 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET

Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of Malcolm X, is slain in Mexico

Malcolm Shabazz, the grandson of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, has been beaten to death in Mexico City, his battered body dumped near the famed Plaza Garibaldi, in what may have been a robbery gone wrong, police said Friday. | 05/10/13 18:25:29 By - By TRACY WILKINSON AND CECILIA SANCHEZ

Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of Malcolm X, is slain in Mexico

Malcolm Shabazz, the grandson of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, has been beaten to death in Mexico City, his battered body dumped near the famed Plaza Garibaldi, in what may have been a robbery gone wrong, police said Friday. | 05/10/13 17:30:29 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET AND TRACY WILKINSON

Africa loses benefit of billions of dollars annually, report says

Africa loses the benefit of billions of dollars each year through illegal tax evasion, money transfers and secretive business deals, more than all the money coming into the continent through aid and investment, according to a report released Friday. | 05/10/13 16:20:28 By - By ROBYN DIXON

Ottavio Missoni dies at 92; patriarch of Italian fashion brand

Ottavio Missoni, patriarch of the Italian luxury fashion brand built on zigzag-patterned knitwear, died Thursday at his home in Sumirago, Italy. He was 92. | 05/10/13 15:15:04 By - By ADAM TSCHORN

China, Taiwan protest fatal shooting of fisherman by Philippines

Beijing and Taipei united in their condemnation of the Philippines on Friday for the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters. | 05/10/13 14:40:03 By - By BARBARA DEMICK

Rescue lifts spirits after Bangladesh building collapse

In a development described as miraculous, a woman emerged alive Friday from the rubble of a collapsed building 17 days after it pancaked just outside the capital of Bangladesh. | 05/10/13 13:40:03 By - By MARK MAGNIER

Pope urges steps toward `full unity' with Coptic Orthodox Church

The Catholic and Coptic Orthodox churches are in a position to settle their historical rifts, Pope Francis said Friday as he welcomed his Coptic counterpart, Tawadros II. | 05/10/13 13:10:04 By - By ALVISE ARMELLINI

In Pakistan, clamor for change propels 2 parties

Even from his hospital bed, with a gash in his head and three broken vertebrae from a 15-foot fall, Imran Khan stumped for votes. | 05/10/13 08:20:03 By - By ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Women's prayer at Western Wall sparks protest

JERUSALEM - Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews flooded into the Old City's Western Wall Plaza early Friday in a boisterous and sometimes violent protest against a group of female activists exercising a newly court-affirmed right to pray at the holy site in a similar fashion as men do. | 05/10/13 08:10:05 By - By EDMUND SANDERS

U.S. reassures Syria rebels about its stance on Assad

The new U.S.-Russia peace initiative for Syria will inevitably lead to the departure of President Bashar Assad, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Thursday, moving to reassure Syrian rebels and their allies that the Obama administration had not backed down on its insistence that Assad must go. | 05/09/13 21:00:03 By - By PATRICK J. MCDONNELL AND NABIH BULOS

Tunisian man charged in terrorist case

NEW YORK - A Tunisian citizen who prosecutors say radicalized one of the men accused of plotting to derail a Toronto-to-New York passenger train tried to obtain a U.S. work visa so he could help carry out terrorist attacks in this country, law enforcement officials said Thursday. | 05/09/13 20:00:03 By - By TINA SUSMAN

Mexico rethinks cop test

Guadalajara police commander Juan Carlos Martinez took Mexico's national police vetting exam in April 2012. He failed. But no one in government would tell him why. | 05/09/13 19:40:03 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET

2 passengers missing from Carnival cruise ship off Australia

Authorities were searching Thursday for two passengers who were believed to have gone overboard while traveling on a cruise ship off the east coast of Australia. | 05/09/13 19:10:04 By - By ALEXANDRA ZAVIS

US seeks continued use of 9 Afghan bases, Karzai says

The United States has requested the use of nine large military bases in Afghanistan after international forces complete their combat mission here at the end of next year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday. | 05/09/13 17:00:03 By - By DAVID ZUCCHINO

Factory fire that killed 1,000 renews outcry in Bangladesh

A deadly fire at a garment factory in Bangladesh raised new cries for improvements to the country's industrial safety conditions Thursday, two weeks after a massive building collapse killed at least 950 people. | 05/09/13 16:35:03 By - By MARK MAGNIER

Bernardo Bertolucci to chair Venice Film Festival jury

LOS ANGELES - Oscar-winning Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, a self-described recluse who receded from the public eye a decade ago, will preside over the jury for the 70th annual Venice Film Festival. | 05/09/13 14:50:03 By - By CHRIS LEE

Thousands around the world applying for one-way ticket to Mars

Do you dream of living on Mars? Then turn on your webcam. You've got an application video to make. | 05/09/13 08:15:29 By - By DEBORAH NETBURN

Deadly factory fire renews outcry in Bangladesh

NEW DELHI - As Bangladesh struggles to improve its dismal industrial safety record after a massive building collapse last month, another garment industry disaster overnight has raised new cries for reform. | 05/09/13 08:05:10 By - By MARK MAGNIER

European migration evident in DNA patterns

The history of Europe is written in its people's DNA. | 05/09/13 04:00:00 By - By ERYN BROWN

Jurors in Texas deliberate in Zetas money-laundering trial

For more than two weeks, an Austin federal trial has delved into the mechanics of what prosecutors say was a plot devised by the ruthless Zetas cartel to move cocaine as far north as Chicago, eventually cleaning the proceeds by investing them in the U.S. quarter horse industry. | 05/08/13 22:15:10 By - By JAZMINE ULLOA

Senate bill aims to toughen Iran sanctions

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Wednesday that would sharply toughen U.S. economic sanctions on Iran despite administration calls for Congress to delay penalties that could disrupt diplomacy aimed at resolving the dispute over Iran's nuclear program. | 05/08/13 19:45:11 By - By PAUL RICHTER

Envoy describes night of Benghazi attack

Minutes after Greg Hicks learned that the perimeter of the U.S. mission in Benghazi had been breached by men with guns, he punched a cell phone number to reach Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, his immediate boss, who was at the scene. | 05/08/13 19:30:13 By - By KEN DILANIAN

US will increase aid for displaced Syrians

The Obama administration is providing an additional $100 million for humanitarian aid for displaced Syrians, officials said Wednesday, bringing to $510 million the total U.S. aid commitment since the civil war began more than two years ago. | 05/08/13 19:30:13 By - By PAUL RICHTER AND NABIH BULOS

Russia's deputy prime minister ousted

Vladislav Surkov, a masterful political operative and propagandist known as the "gray cardinal" of the Kremlin, was fired Wednesday in a move that was widely seen as a reflection of a deepening rift in the relationship between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. | 05/08/13 17:15:10 By - By SERGEI LOIKO

US to give $100 million more to aid displaced Syrians

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is providing an additional $100 million for humanitarian aid for displaced Syrians, officials said Wednesday, bringing to $510 million the total U.S. aid commitment since the civil war began more than two years ago. | 05/08/13 17:10:11 By - By PAUL RICHTER

Spanish court suspends Catalan independence plan

Spain's Constitutional Court on Wednesday declared illegal a sovereignty declaration by the northeastern region of Catalonia, which was designed to serve as a basis for a referendum on regional independence. | 05/08/13 15:55:13 By - By SINIKKA TARVAINEN

7 confirmed dead in Italian port accident

Seven people were confirmed dead on Wednesday after a container ship crashed into the control tower at the port of the northwestern Italian city of Genoa. | 05/08/13 15:55:13 By - By ALVISE ARMELLINI

2 women announce plans to run for Iranian presidency

Two Iranian women on Wednesday announced their candidacies for the presidency in elections on June 14. | 05/08/13 15:50:11 By - By FARSHID MOTAHARI

Berlusconi's tax fraud conviction upheld on appeal

A tax fraud conviction against former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was upheld by an appeals court on Wednesday, in a ruling that has the potential to destabilize the country's newly formed grand coalition government. | 05/08/13 15:37:27 By - By ALVISE ARMELLINI

31 arrested in Belgian diamond heist

Thirty-one people have been arrested in a three-country sweep tied to a spectacular $50 million diamond heist at a Belgian airport in February, officials said Wednesday. | 05/08/13 15:07:27 By - By HENRY CHU

Injuries will keep Khan off campaign trail ahead of Pakistan's elections

Imran Khan, the former cricket star who heads up one of the leading parties in national elections set for Saturday, suffered three fractured vertebrae and a broken rib in a fall in the eastern city of Lahore and likely will not be able to return to campaigning, doctors and party leaders said Wednesday. | 05/08/13 15:07:27 By - By ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Prosecution of a long-ago murder sets off a debate in China

The last time they saw their father, Hong Yunke, he was leaving home, hauling his wooden medicine chest, on a frigid December morning in 1967. | 05/08/13 08:12:45 By - By BARBARA DEMICK

State Department official says U.S. military might have stopped second Benghazi attack

The latest chapter in the political battle over the killing of four U.S personnel in Libya is unfolding this week, with Republicans pointing to the testimony of a State Department official as evidence that the U.S. military could have done more to disrupt the attack. | 05/07/13 23:07:28 By - By KEN DILANIAN

Dalai Lama packs University of Maryland Comcast Center for address on compassion

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - He pulled on a University of Maryland Terrapins visor to the crowd's delight. He rubbed noses with Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. And the Dalai Lama was met Tuesday with rounds of applause from a crowd of 15,000 at Comcast Center. | 05/07/13 21:52:27 By - By JONATHAN PITTS

US, Russia will seek to bring Syria, rebels together for peace talks

The United States and Russia agreed Tuesday to try to bring together the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the opposition for peace talks, signaling a potential breakthrough in long-stalled diplomatic efforts to end a bloody conflict that threatens to destabilize the entire region. | 05/07/13 20:32:28 By - By SERGEI L. LOIKO AND PAUL RICHTER

Gas truck explosion kills at least 20 in Mexico City suburb

At least 20 people - including 10 children - were killed Tuesday morning when a massive explosion from a gas truck accident erupted in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, a local official said. | 05/07/13 19:37:26 By - By RICHARD FAUSSET

Obama, South Korean leader offer united front

President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye presented a united front in their warning to North Korea on Tuesday, saying they would not bend to confrontational behavior and welcomed international pressure on the North's young leader. | 05/07/13 17:57:27 By - By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY

More violence hits Pakistan campaign rallies; at least 15 killed in latest attacks

For the second day in a row, a bomb blast killed and maimed participants at a campaign rally being held by one of Pakistan's Islamist religious parties, suggesting a broadening of targets in the violence that has primarily taken aim at secular parties competing in parliamentary elections scheduled for Saturday. | 05/07/13 17:32:26 By - By ALEX RODRIGUEZ

China closes down North Korean bank account

China's largest state-owned bank has closed the account of a North Korean bank accused of funding the North's weapons programs in an apparent sign of Beijing's growing frustration with its ally. | 05/07/13 16:17:26 By - By BARBARA DEMICK

In China, Netanyahu avoids meeting with Abbas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured Shanghai on Tuesday, paying tribute to the city's role sheltering Jews during World War II and conveniently avoiding Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was visiting Beijing. | 05/07/13 15:07:26 By - By BARBARA DEMICK

Queen Elizabeth II won't attend Commonwealth meeting

Ending four decades of perfect attendance, Queen Elizabeth II will skip the biennial meeting of Commonwealth leaders later this year as part of a rethink by palace officials of long-distance travel and public events for the 87-year-old monarch. | 05/07/13 14:37:55 By - By HENRY CHU

5 dead as Philippine volcano spews ash, rocks

Four foreign tourists and a local guide were killed Tuesday when a Philippine volcano ejected ash and rocks in a sudden explosion as they trekked the peak, officials said. | 05/07/13 14:27:54 By - By GIRLIE LINAO

US turns over troubled dam project to Afghanistan

After struggling for more than a decade to upgrade a huge hydroelectric plant in a volatile region that saw heavy American losses in fighting with the Taliban, the United States is trying a new approach: Let the Afghans take charge. | 05/07/13 08:14:58 By - By SHASHANK BENGALI

Uganda priest ostracized for publicizing sexual abuse

He is a celebrity across eastern and central Africa, a gospel music star known to many as the "Dancing Priest." But for years he also was a keeper of painful secrets - his own and many others. | 05/07/13 08:14:58 By - By ROBYN DIXON

Thousands of anti-Putin protesters rally in Moscow

In the biggest show of opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin since last May, thousands of demonstrators gathered Monday near the Kremlin to demand an immediate release of all political prisoners and new presidential and parliamentary elections. | 05/06/13 19:19:43 By - By SERGEI L. LOIKO

Group says dozens killed in Israeli airstrikes on Syria

A Syrian opposition group said Monday that more than 42 soldiers were killed and 100 others remained unaccounted for in reported Israeli airstrikes Sunday outside Damascus, providing the first unofficial accounting of casualties in attacks that raised concerns about an escalation of the more-than-2-year-old Syrian conflict. | 05/06/13 18:24:43 By - By PATRICK J. MCDONNELL AND EDMUND SANDERS

Afghanistan files formal protest after Pakistan border clash

The Afghan government summoned Pakistan's charge d'affaires in Kabul to the Foreign Ministry on Monday to file a "strong protest" after another clash along the countries' troubled border. | 05/06/13 18:19:43 By - By HASHMAT BAKTASH AND ALEXANDRA ZAVIS