Afghan President Hamid Karzai summoned the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan on Thursday to demand an explanation for continuing civilian casualties caused by coalition troops. The commander, Army General David McKiernan, expressed deep regret...
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has become a multi-million dollar business as armed Somali gunmen attack all sorts of vessels - from small pleasure crafts to giant oil supertankers - transiting the region. The pirates are not interested in the cargo...
President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon have pledged to overhaul their countries' bilateral relationship to confront urgent challenges ranging from security threats to environmental dangers. The two leaders spoke at Mexico's pre...
The recent rescue of an American cargo ship captain held hostage for five days by pirates off the coast of Somalia has heightened awareness of the piracy issue throughout the world. An 11 Apr 2009 French Defense Ministry photo of armed pirates and t...
Fiji's military ruler accuses judges of trying to force him to call elections. But since the judiciary was dismissed and the constitution was scrapped by the government last week, the country's weak economy has suffered more. Fiji's military chief C...
Pakistan's Supreme Court has granted bail to the hard-line cleric who led Islamabad's Red Mosque - a former hub for the country's militant groups. The military's deadly assault on gunmen barricaded inside Abdul Aziz's mosque in 2007 sparked a surge...
Voting begins Thursday in India's five-phase national election. The world's largest exercise in democracy, with 714 million eligible voters, is conducted over a month-long period. A key swing state is Andhra Pradesh, in the south, which has several...
U.S. charter companies are readying for a surge in the numbers of Cuban-Americans seeking to travel to the Cuba, now that President Obama has dropped restrictions on family visits. Supporters of the decision say ending the 2004 restrictions may help...
U.S. President Barack Obama travels Friday to Trinidad and Tobago to attend the fifth Summit of the Americas, a gathering of all hemispheric leaders minus Cuba. U.S. officials say the summit is an opportunity to forge a regional response to the glob...
The United States is taking action against three Mexican drug cartels. The news comes as President Barack Obama prepares to travel to Mexico on Thursday for talks with President Felipe Calderon. The drug-related violence plaguing Mexico, particularl...
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told an audience in the town of Kerman that Tehran is preparing a new package of proposals for the West, aimed at resolving a lengthy international dispute over its nuclear program. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahm...
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on Wednesday a multi-pronged U.S. effort to curb Somali-based maritime piracy. Among other things, the United States will move to track and freeze assets of pirate gangs, and press Somali authorities to s...
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday urged more international assistance for Haiti, saying the impoverished Caribbean state is in jeopardy because of the global recession and hurricane damage. Clinton is scheduled to visit Haiti and th...
Pakistan's president has signed a controversial agreement approving Islamic courts in part of the country's troubled northwest. While lawmakers supported the measure in a unanimous vote, there are concerns it allows the Taliban to expand its influen...
Ethiopia is considering legal action against coffee exporters who withheld beans from the market in response to unfavorable market conditions, causing a drop in the country's revenue. Officials are hoping prosecution of a few big exporters will send...
