Israel, Hamas said to be near deal on prisoner swap

Expectations of a swap of hundreds of jailed Palestinian militants for an Israeli soldier held by Hamas soared Monday after some of the most...

At least 24 dead in Philippine election massacre

Reporting from Seoul and Zamboanga City, Philippines -- Twenty-four people were found dead in the southern Philippines after scores of...

Obama's Afghanistan announcement may be soon

The Obama administration's leading war planners and diplomats are preparing to testify before Congress about the conflict in Afghanistan,...

January election in Iraq? Doubtful

Hopes for a January election in Iraq faded Monday after Shiite Muslim and Kurdish legislators teamed up to vote for a new version of an...

China sentences activist to 3 years

An activist who was investigating the role shoddy school construction played in the deaths of more than 5,000 children in the 2008 Sichuan...

Rains ease in flood-stricken Britain, but more storms are forecast

Rain and wind that swept over Britain during the weekend eased enough Monday to allow residents forced out by flooding to return and...

In Afghanistan, a drive to lure Taliban with jobs, security

The Afghan government and the U.S. military have begun a fledgling drive to lure Taliban foot soldiers away from the battlefield by offering...

Egypt's Nile Delta: Fertile land, but not for jobs

The rice has been harvested, the chaff burned. It's time for planting winter wheat, seed sunk deep into new furrow, as white birds with...

Marines in Afghanistan hear a plea: Don't leave too soon

It was at the end of a recent after-lunch meeting, with the two sides sitting cross-legged on a tattered rug, exchanging pleasantries and...

U.S., Russia call for Iran to accept nuclear deal

Both President Obama and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday they are losing patience with Iran and want a commitment that would ease...

Madagascar's political turmoil takes toll on forests

She was the spy who was undone by a furry little creature with huge, hypnotic eyes.

Lula takes risk in welcoming Ahmadinejad to Brazil

Reporting from Bogota, Colombia Borzou Daragahi, and Beirut -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives today in Brazil on a Latin...

Iran begins air-defense drills to protect nuclear sites

Iran on Sunday launched what it described as its biggest air-defense drill ever with the aim of preparing to protect its nuclear sites...