US poised to seize Afghan town as Taliban dig in

U.S. and Afghan forces pushed Tuesday to the edge of the southern Afghan town of Marjah, poised to seize the major Taliban supply and drug-smuggling stronghold in hopes of building public support by providing aid and services once the insurgents are gone.

Feb 09, 2010 | 3:20 pm

Nigerian Vice President Goodluck Jonathan says he has assumed power as acting president.

Feb 09, 2010 | 3:05 pm

Irish abuse victims ask pope to replace bishops

Prominent Irish victims of Catholic sexual abuse have written to Pope Benedict XVI asking him to take responsibility for the church's concealment of child molestation by forcing out bishops implicated in the decades of cover-up.

Feb 09, 2010 | 2:30 pm

Canada to take injection site case to top court

Canada's government says it will appeal a British Columbia court ruling that sanctioned North America's first safe injection site for drug users.

Feb 09, 2010 | 2:15 pm

Iran sentences another activist to death

An Iranian court has convicted another opposition activist on charges related to the country's post-election turmoil and sentenced him to death, the judiciary said Tuesday.

Feb 09, 2010 | 2:00 pm

Russian military calls US missile defense a threat

U.S. missile defense plans are a threat to Russian national security and have slowed down progress on a new arms control treaty with Washington, Russia's top military officer said Tuesday.

Feb 09, 2010 | 1:30 pm

Sri Lankan parliament dissolved ahead of new vote

Sri Lanka's president dissolved parliament Tuesday to make way for spring elections a day after authorities arrested a key opposition leader, crippling the only serious threat to the ruling party's stifling grip on power.

Feb 09, 2010 | 1:15 pm

It's a wrap! Hospitals test new, more modest gown

The British government is getting behind a plan to replace drafty open-backed hospital gowns with versions that preserve patients' modesty.

Feb 09, 2010 | 1:00 pm

Netanyahu's government tries to save settler house

The Israeli government has stepped in to save a house built illegally by Jewish settlers in a volatile Palestinian neighborhood in east Jerusalem, complicating already troubled U.S. efforts to renew Mideast peacemaking.

Feb 09, 2010 | 12:45 pm

Dubai tower shut after visitors stuck in elevator

Visitors on the observation deck of the world's tallest tower heard a loud boom, then saw dust that looked like smoke seeping through a crack in an elevator door 124 floors above the ground. The 15 people inside were trapped for 45 frightening minutes until rescuers managed to pry open th…

Feb 09, 2010 | 12:35 pm

Over 60 feared dead, 400 hurt in Afghan avalanches

A series of avalanches engulfed a mountain pass in Afghanistan, trapping hundreds of people in their buried cars and killing as many as 64 people so far, authorities said Tuesday.

Feb 09, 2010 | 12:35 pm

Gates wants Iran sanctions in 'weeks, not months'

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to see the United Nations slap sanctions on Iran in "weeks, not months."

Feb 09, 2010 | 12:05 pm

A meal fit for a King? No, but the plate is!

A British woman says she's shocked that a dusty dish on her shelf has been identified as a very valuable 260-year-old antique made for the King of Prussia.

Feb 09, 2010 | 11:50 am

Ivory Coast opposition protests voter list probe

Protesters torched a police station in western Ivory Coast while claiming their names had been removed from voter rolls in advance of this year's presidential election.

Feb 09, 2010 | 11:35 am

Vatican intrigue hits new level with leak denial

The Vatican denied Tuesday that it leaked documents that led to the resignation of a prominent Catholic editor, intervening in a tale of ecclesiastical intrigue that has dominated Italian headlines for weeks.

Feb 09, 2010 | 11:20 am

Somali pirates release cargo ship with 26 crew

The European Union Naval Force says Somali pirates have freed a Panama-flagged cargo ship and its crew of 26 after a ransom was paid.

Feb 09, 2010 | 11:15 am

Nigeria footage: uniformed men shoot unarmed men

An international news channel is showing chilling footage of men in uniforms shooting unarmed men after they purportedly were arrested during clashes last year with Muslim militants in northern Nigeria.

Feb 09, 2010 | 11:10 am

China gives 5 years to activist who probed quake

A Chinese activist who investigated the deaths of thousands of children crushed in their schools during the Sichuan earthquake was sentenced Tuesday to five years, underscoring the government's determination to suppress questions about why the buildings fell.

Feb 09, 2010 | 10:55 am

Protesters burn library in southeastern S.Africa

Protesters have torched a library in an impoverished area of South Africa in what began as a march to call for more jobs.

Feb 09, 2010 | 10:30 am