Afghan gov't says UN representative out of line
KABUL (AP) -- Pushing back against international criticism, Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the top U.N. official in the country overstepped his authority by giving instructions on how to rid the government of corruption and warlords....
UK foreign secretary: Obama critics miss the point
LONDON (AP) -- British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Saturday accused critics of U.S. President Barack Obama of foolishly expecting him to fix the world's woes singlehandedly....
Afghan ministry: NATO strike kills Afghan soldiers
KABUL (AP) -- Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said Saturday that a NATO airstrike in the western province of Badghis the previous day mistakenly hit a joint base housing coalition troops and Afghan security forces, killing four Afghan soldiers and three policemen....
Medvedev: Arms control deal with US can be reached
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia and the United States have a good chance at signing a new nuclear arms reduction deal before year's end, but other nuclear powers must join disarmament efforts, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in remarks released Saturday....
Giant dominoes form tribute to Berlin Wall's fall
BERLIN (AP) -- Massive colorful dominoes painted by German students were placed Saturday along the former path of the Berlin Wall to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the barrier that divided the city for nearly three decades....
Unique homecoming to Vietnam for US commander
DANANG, Vietnam (AP) -- On the day his side lost the Vietnam War, Hung Ba Le fled his homeland at the age of 5 in a fishing trawler crammed with 400 refugees. Thirty-four years later, he made an unlikely homecoming - as the commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer....
Guard arrested for torture in Tijuana prison riots
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) -- Mexican police caught a prison official who spent a year on the run from charges of killing a 19-year-old inmate, whose beating death sparked riots that left nearly two dozen dead, including two American prisoners....
Prized mushroom collection returns to China
BEIJING (AP) -- A Chinese scholar persecuted during the Cultural Revolution for smuggling a rare collection of mushrooms out of China before World War II was honored Saturday when the collection was returned more than 70 years later....
Saudi says swine flu shots advised for pilgrims
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- The Saudi health minister said Saturday that the kingdom will not ban anyone considered high risk for swine flu from performing the hajj pilgrimage this year....
Madagascar political rivals reach government deal
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- Madagascar's political rivals have agreed on posts within a transitional government that will hold power until next year's elections following a power struggle that brought months of volatility to the country, an African Union statement said....
China offers Africa more trade, investment
BEIJING (AP) -- China is offering to abolish import duties on some commodities from Africa and make sure Chinese exports to the continent are safe as part of a package to boost already thriving economic ties, China's commerce minister said in an article published Saturday....
US: More foreign troops certain in new Afghan plan
BRUSSELS (AP) -- A top Pentagon official says President Barack Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan will be certain to include reinforcements of foreign troops from both the United States and allied nations....
Pakistan's fashionistas defy Taliban
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) -- Some women strode the catwalk in vicious spiked bracelets and body armor. Others had their heads covered, burqa-style, but with shoulders - and tattoos - exposed. Male models wore long, Islamic robes as well as shorts and sequined T-shirts....
Iran: 109 detained at opposition rally
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian police have detained 109 people for "disturbing public order" during an opposition rally this week, the official IRNA news agency reported Saturday....
UN: About 200 staff to be pulled from Afghanistan
KABUL (AP) -- The U.N. says hundreds of its staffers will be temporarily pulled out of Afghanistan in the wake of an Oct. 28 attack that killed five of its workers, but it's still determining exactly how many....
Pakistan: 12 militants killed in offensive
ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Pakistani soldiers killed 12 militants in gunbattles over the past day, officials said Saturday, as government forces pressed on with their offensive in the mountainous Taliban sanctuary of South Waziristan....
Rival Lebanon factions agree on unity government
BEIRUT (AP) -- Lebanon's Syrian-backed factions finally agreed on a unity government proposed by their pro-Western rivals on Saturday, ending a four-month deadlock in the deeply divided country....
Russia's Medvedev: Sanctions against Iran possible
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia could back sanctions against Iran if it fails to take a constructive stance in international talks over its nuclear program, President Dmitry Medvedev said in remarks released Saturday....
