JERUSALEM - Police had to respond to violence that erupted at a Jerusalem landmark sacred to both Jews and Muslims. 
Israeli police stormed into a hotly disputed holy place in Jerusalem’s Old City to disperse Palestinian stone throwers near the Mosque of Al Aksa and golden Dome of the Rock.  The mosque compound is a flash […]

WASHINGTON - New U.S. government figures show the world’s biggest economy grew faster and stronger than first thought at the end of last year.
The U.S. Commerce Department Friday said the nation’s gross domestic product expanded at a 5.9 percent annual rate for the last three months of 2009, boosted by increased business spending.  That is […]

SANTIAGO - A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday killing at least 78 people, toppling buildings, and triggering a tsunami warning around the Pacific “rim of fire.”  Cell phone communication has been knocked out across much of the country and communication has been difficult in the area where the earthquake struck. 
A powerful earthquake […]

DAMASCUS - The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group has met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Syria.
Part of their Thursday evening meeting aired on Syrian television.
The Syrian Arab News Agency said the men met at a dinner hosted by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.  Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television says Mr. Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah […]

DAMASCUS - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in Damascus, where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledged to support Iran’s nuclear program. 
The Syrian and Iranian leaders knelt side by side during a celebration of the Muslim Prophet Mohammad’s birthday.
Earlier in the day, President Ahmadinejad stressed Iran and Syria share both common interests and common enemies.
Speaking in Damascus, […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Democratic and Republican lawmakers to bridge their differences on health care reform, at a special televised summit aimed at reviving legislation that has stalled in Congress.
Opening the meeting Thursday, President Obama said he hoped leaders on both sides would focus on issues of agreement, and avoid what […]

WASHINGTON - Akio Toyoda entered a packed congressional hearing room to deliver a simple message:
“I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced,” said Akio Toyoda.
The Toyota CEO acknowledged that the public’s confidence in the company that bears his family name has been shaken, and said he takes “full responsibility” for the […]

WASHINGTON - The head of the U.S. central bank has warned that the country’s economic recovery still needs help to overcome key obstacles, including a high unemployment rate.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told the House Financial Services Committee Wednesday that efforts to spark the economy have helped increase demand for products and consumer spending.  But […]

WASHINGTON - The United States Tuesday said an Iranian offer to trade its low-enriched uranium for more highly-processed fuel for a research reactor is unacceptable. The State Department said U.S. diplomats are aggressively pursuing the idea of additional sanctions against Tehran because of its non-cooperation on the nuclear issue.
The Iranian offer, in a letter to […]

WASHINGTON - Outraged U.S. lawmakers are questioning top Toyota executives about the recall of more than eight million vehicles over concerns the cars could accelerate suddenly, putting drivers and passengers in danger. Some even accuse the Japanese auto giant of ignoring the pleas of its customers to investigate problems with runaway cars.
Lawmakers wasted no time, […]

NEW YORK - An Afghan immigrant accused of conspiring to attack New York City with bombs has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support for a terrorist organization.  Najibullah Zazi entered the plea Monday in […]

PARIS - The European Union’s executive arm is calling for a ban on commercial fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna, giving a powerful push for an international treaty to that effect.  Such a move has drawn sharp protests, even as environmentalists applaud it.
The European Commission’s recommendation for its 27 member states to support a ban against […]

KABUL - The Afghan government says a NATO airstrike has killed at least 33 civilians in southern Afghanistan.
The Council of Ministers released a statement Monday condemning the incident as “unjustifiable.”
In a statement, NATO said its forces were targeting insurgents in Uruzgan province, and that an air strike accidentally killed and wounded civilians.  It did not […]

KABUL - NATO officials said Sunday the route clearance offensive by international forces is making progress in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, a Taliban outpost.
The alliance says Operation Moshtarak has improved freedom of movement in the area.  British, U.S. and Afghan forces began the ground offensive in the town of Marjah as part of an effort […]

WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, an adviser to three presidents, has died at the age of 85.  General Haig was known for his successful military career, his diplomatic skills, and one controversial comment.
Alexander Haig served a series of Republican presidents as a trusted advisor and an accomplished diplomat, as he rose […]

WASHINGTON - Golf pro Tiger Woods ended nearly three months of silence Friday to speak publicly for the first time about the marital infidelities that led to his public fall from grace.  In what many say was a scripted and highly managed appearance at PGA Headquarters in Florida, the world’s number one golfer apologized for […]

MOSCOW - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is calling for major police reforms, including a 50 percent reduction in the number of officials working at Interior Ministry headquarters and sub-units.  The Kremlin leader is also seeking to increase compensation for Interior Ministry police.
President Medvedev says there is a need to eliminate Interior Ministry functions that are […]

ISLAMABAD - Afghan officials say authorities in Pakistan have arrested two senior Taliban commanders, who were acting as “shadow governors” in northern Afghanistan. The reported arrests come days after U.S. and Pakistani officials revealed they have been interrogating the Taliban’s top operational commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani, also known as Mullah Baradar. 
Afghan officials say authorities captured […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that the Obama administration remains committed to the nuclear test ban treaty and efforts to stop the spread of atomic weapons.  But, Biden stressed that the United States will not disarm unilaterally.
Ten months ago, President Barack Obama called for international action to create a world without […]

CAIRO - The DNA testing of several prominent Egyptian mummies has revealed the identities of the mother and the father of famous boy king Tutankhamun.  Egypt’s head of antiquities, Zahi Hawass, says tests also revealed what killed Tut.
Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawass says the results of two years of tests on famous Egyptian mummies show […]

KABUL - Afghan intelligence officials are requesting that a recently captured top Taliban commander be turned over to Afghan authorities.
A spokesman for Afghanistan’s Intelligence Directorate told reporters Thursday that Pakistan or any other country holding Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar should hand him over to Afghanistan.
Pakistan and U.S. officials say the Afghan Taliban leader was arrested […]

MOSCOW - Russia is delaying delivery of its S-300 air-defense system to Iran and is also calling for Tehran to adhere to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines for enrichment of nuclear fuel.  The moves follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s two-day visit to Moscow.
The Interfax News Agency quotes the deputy director of Russia’s Federal […]

SANAA - In Yemen, the government controls the cities, sheiks control the countryside, and everybody it seems is connected to everybody.  For a month, about 300 people have been camping in the capital city, protesting what they say are human-rights abuses from a powerful sheik who rules their district. 
This is a situation that could be, […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama says the massive economic stimulus bill he signed one year ago has prevented another Great Depression and kept millions of Americans working. The president is celebrating the anniversary of the bill’s signing.
President Obama says the $787 billion Recovery Act is working.  “It is one of the main reasons the […]