Pakistan's fashionistas defy Taliban

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.

Nov 07, 2009 | 6:35 am | Loading…

UN: About 200 staff to be pulled from Afghanistan

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.

Nov 07, 2009 | 6:15 am | Loading…

Ministry: NATO airstrike kills Afghan soldiers

Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said Saturday that a NATO airstrike in the western province of Badghis mistakenly hit a joint base housing coalition troops and Afghan security forces, killing four Afghan soldiers and three policemen.

Nov 07, 2009 | 6:05 am | Loading…

Pakistan: 12 militants killed in offensive

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.

Nov 07, 2009 | 6:00 am | Loading…

Afghan gov't says UN representative out of line

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.

Nov 07, 2009 | 5:30 am | Loading…

Afghan Defense Ministry says mistaken NATO airstrike kills 4 Afghan soldiers, 3 police.

Nov 07, 2009 | 4:35 am | Loading…

Madagascar political rivals reach government deal

Madagascar's political rivals have agreed on posts within a transitional government that will hold power until next year's elections.

Nov 07, 2009 | 4:30 am | Loading…

Obama to meet Myanmar, other ASEAN leaders

President Barack Obama will meet leaders of Southeast Asian nations, including Myanmar, in a high-level affirmation of Washington's new policy of engaging the military-ruled country despite its dismal human rights record.

Nov 07, 2009 | 4:15 am | Loading…

Thaksin on a mission to humiliate Thai government

Thailand's fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has spent much of the past three years roaming the globe, shopping for diamonds in Africa, golfing at Asian resorts _ and humiliating the government from a distance.

Nov 06, 2009 | 11:30 pm | Loading…

Dalai Lama visit highlights India-China tensions

This remote town in the Himalayan foothills spruced up its monasteries Friday to prepare for the Dalai Lama's arrival, a trip highlighting the growing friction between China and India _ two nuclear-armed giants vying for economic and political power in the region.

Nov 06, 2009 | 10:40 am | Loading…

Diamond watchdog gives Zimbabwe time to comply

Investigators for the world's diamond control body say the gems were mined by virtual slaves who had been told to dig or die, and were smuggled out by soldiers who rape and beat civilians.

Nov 06, 2009 | 10:40 am | Loading…

Losing teams' title gear a hit with world’s poor

SEATTLE -- Rich Stearns works and lives just outside Seattle. He grew up in New York state. He lived in Philadelphia for 10 years. So he was torn as a fan watching the Yankees and Phillies in the just-completed World Series.

Nov 06, 2009 | 9:00 am | Loading…

• Related: World Series ratings rebound from '08 record low
• Related: NYC to host ticker-tape parade for Yankees

Bus plunges down gorge in north India, killing 32

A crowded bus plunged down a steep mountain gorge in northern India on Friday, killing 32 people, a local official said.

Nov 06, 2009 | 5:10 am | Loading…

Gunman wounds 3 near Tokyo in gang violence

A gunman wounded three men near Tokyo on Friday before hiding in a building and apparently killing himself _ a rare shooting spree that police said was gang-related.

Nov 06, 2009 | 3:40 am | Loading…

Remote Indian state readies for Dalai Lama visit

Buddhist monks and nuns spruced up their monasteries and hung up welcome banners Friday in anticipation of the Dalai Lama's contentious visit to this remote Indian town near the Tibetan frontier.

Nov 06, 2009 | 2:50 am | Loading…

Zimbabwe's premier counting on South Africa

Zimbabwe's prime minister says assurances South Africa will be watching persuaded him to end his boycott of his country's troubled unity Cabinet.

Nov 06, 2009 | 2:40 am | Loading…

Man spends 3 days in tree during Vietnam storm

The 69-year-old watchman couldn't swim so when Tropical Storm Mirinae sparked a flash flood he ran, shimmied up a tree and hung on _ for three nights and two days.

Nov 06, 2009 | 12:45 am | Loading…

Gang leader executed in China

A former gang leader who was the son of a high-ranking politician was executed this week in northern China after being convicted of murder, kidnapping, and extortion, state media reported.

Nov 06, 2009 | 12:45 am | Loading…

Zimbabwe's prime minister says he's ending boycott of unity Cabinet.

Nov 05, 2009 | 3:30 pm | Loading…

South Africa track chief suspended in Semenya case

The South African track chief who lied about his role in runner Caster Semenya's gender tests was suspended Thursday.

Nov 05, 2009 | 1:50 pm | Loading…

ICC prosecutor wants to investigate Kenya violence

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said Thursday that Kenya's postelection violence that killed more than 1,000 people was a crime against humanity and pledged to initiate proceedings that could result in top officials facing trial.

Nov 05, 2009 | 1:30 pm | Loading…

Medical aid group raises alarm about AIDS funding

The global recession and pressure to divert funds to other health crises are hurting the fight against AIDS, a medical group warned Thursday, with one health worker saying he feared a return to the days when the AIDS virus was a death sentence in Africa.

Nov 05, 2009 | 11:45 am | Loading…

Chinese activist risks jail with letter to Obama

Thousands of people will send letters to President Barack Obama this year. Few besides Yang Zili are likely to risk jail by doing so.

Nov 05, 2009 | 11:30 am | Loading…

China air force much improved though still lagging

China's rapidly modernizing air force is planning a display of its new military might for its 60th anniversary, showcasing a wide-ranging technical upgrade that has boosted its capabilities, though it still lags far behind its main rival, the United States.

Nov 05, 2009 | 11:20 am | Loading…

India restricts coverage of Dalai Lama's trip

India effectively barred foreign journalists Thursday from covering a rare visit by the Dalai Lama to a Buddhist monastery close to Tibet in an apparent effort to ease Chinese anger by reducing news coverage of the trip.

Nov 05, 2009 | 11:15 am | Loading…

43 Somalis rescued by EU warship handed to UNHCR

The EU Naval Force says it has handed over 43 Somalis abandoned at sea by their human smugglers to the United Nations refugee agency in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti.

Nov 05, 2009 | 10:40 am | Loading…

South Africa cancels Airbus contract

South Africa's government says it has canceled a contract to buy eight Airbus military aircraft that had set off a debate about public spending.

Nov 05, 2009 | 10:30 am | Loading…

German Red Cross worker shot in Indonesia's Aceh

Officials say a German working for the Red Cross has been shot by men on a motorcycle in Indonesia's Aceh province.

Nov 05, 2009 | 10:25 am | Loading…

Former senior Rwandan executive jailed for 8 years

A United Nations war crimes tribunal sentenced on Thursday a former chief of Rwanda's tea processing and marketing agency to eight years in prison for his role in the country's 1994 genocide.

Nov 05, 2009 | 9:50 am | Loading…