Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov says development of his country's strategic nuclear forces will be the government's top military procurement priority in 2009. Ivanov's statement was made while Russia faces a budget deficit and its defens...
Somali Islamic scholars have condemned Islamist insurgents for launching an attack on pro-government forces and African Union peacekeepers Tuesday in Mogadishu. The fighting is the heaviest of its kind since Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia la...
Iranian and Russian officials began a test run of Iran's first nuclear plant on Wednesday, after repeated delays in making the plant operational. An Iranian official says the test run was done with computers and uranium was not used. The pilot opera...
Bangladesh's government is granting amnesty to mutinous border guards in exchange for them agreeing to peacefully return to their barracks. Bangladeshi media say several civilians were killed and two army colonels died in the early stage of the muti...
This week top Pakistani, Afghan and U.S. officials are meeting in Washington to discuss how to counter al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, who now threaten both U.S.-backed governments in the region. In Pakistan, officials are moving forward with a contr...
A U.N. representative on extrajudicial killings has called for the dismissal of Kenya's police commissioner and attorney general over the country's failure to address widespread killings by the police. The representative also called for widespread j...
Thousands of Mauritanians called for the return of the country's toppled civilian president in the biggest pro-democracy rally since last August's military coup. Mauritania's military rulers lifted a ban on demonstrations ahead of a meeting in Paris...
West Africa's second-largest rainforest is under threat from illicit mining and hunting according to one of Liberia's top environmental officials. More than 20,000 people are thought to be living illegally in Liberia's Sapo National Park. As part of...
Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has asked South Africa for short-term financial assistance to get his government and the public service working again. Mr. Tsvangirai first unsuccessfully sought assistance from Western donor nations. Morgan...
Sri Lanka's war has devastated much of the country's north. As the conflict appears to be winding down, projects for reconstruction and development are gearing up. And that includes services like emergency medical care. An ambulance service and a 24...
The State Department confirmed Friday U.S. diplomats have received a letter to President Obama from the militant Islamic group Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip. The letter was passed to U.S. Senator John Kerry when he visited Gaza Thursday. U.S....
State Department officials say they are still skeptical about whether a U.N.-sponsored conference against racism set for April in Geneva can be a constructive exercise. The United States walked out of the initial conference on the subject in South A...
Scientists in Los Angeles have uncovered a treasure trove of Ice Age animal bones, including the nearly complete fossil of a huge Columbian mammoth. The discovery at the La Brea Tar Pits should reveal more about life in the region up to 40,000 years...
United Nations member states met informally on Thursday to begin talks on key issues of reforming the body's powerful Security Council. Many countries want to see the 15-member council expanded to include broader regional representation and addition...
One year after the signing of a power-sharing agreement in Kenya, a new survey indicates a sharp decline in public confidence in the country's coalition government. The poll comes as corruption scandals and a proposed electoral commission widen the...
