North Korea sends leader's special envoy to China
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dispatched a high-profile official and close confidant to China on Wednesday as Beijing faces pressure to rein in its belligerent neighbor....
Young objector challenges Israeli army
JERUSALEM (AP) -- The Israeli military has jailed a young man for six months for refusing to serve because of his opposition to Israel's occupation of the West Bank, focusing attention on the longstanding conflict between the country's universal military service and divided political beliefs....
Octogenarians race to be oldest Everest climber
KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- An 80-year-old Japanese extreme skier who just missed becoming the oldest man to reach the summit of Mount Everest five years ago is back on the mountain to make another attempt at the title....
7 Egyptian security men kidnapped in Sinai freed
CAIRO (AP) -- Six Egyptian policemen and a border guard kidnapped by suspected militants in the volatile Sinai Peninsula last week were freed by their captors Wednesday after successful mediation, the country's military spokesman said....
Kerry praises $2.1 billion Raytheon deal in Oman
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Wednesday with officials in Oman to discuss their plans to buy a $2.1 billion air defense system from American manufacturer Raytheon....
Immigration bill heads to full Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A far-reaching bill to remake the nation's immigration system is headed to the full Senate, where tough battles are brewing on gay marriage, border security and other contentious issues, with the outcome impossible to predict....
Ai Weiwei uses music to mock state power in China
BEIJING (AP) -- Two emotionless prison guards watch Ai Weiwei as he eats, sleeps, paces, showers - and even sits on the toilet - in the Chinese artist's new obscenity-filled, metaphor-rich music video mocking state power....
Germany celebrates composer Wagner's 200th
BERLIN (AP) -- Germany is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner with the unveiling Wednesday of a monument in the composer's birthplace of Leipzig....
Iran's Ahmadinejad denounces election decision
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says a decision by election overseers to disqualify his top aide from an upcoming presidential race is an act of "oppression" and he will take the case to the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei....
Afghan students protest women's rights decree
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Hard-line Islamist students are protesting in the Afghan capital demanding the repeal of a presidential decree for women's rights that they say is un-Islamic....
