
UN: Over 2 million Afghans at risk this winter
More than 2 million Afghans are at risk from cold, disease and malnutrition this winter as an international appeal for funds to help one of the ...
A look at North Korea's missile arsenal
North Korea's missile program is a point of national pride, with state TV regularly broadcasting past liftoffs set to rousing military anthems.

Global corporate deals nearly halved in 5 years
The value of mergers and acquisitions deals around the world in 2012 was nearly half the amount made five years ago, when the financial crisis first ...
China revokes new Shanghai Catholic bishop's title
In a fresh challenge to Vatican authority, China has revoked the title of a new Catholic bishop in Shanghai who outraged Chinese officials by ...

NKorea rocket a gift to leaders, warning to world
Why would North Korea launch a rocket into space now? The act invites additional sanctions for a country where the U.N. says millions are going ...
China displeased over NKorea's rocket launch
China is expressing its unhappiness that Pyongyang tested a long-range rocket despite deep concerns over the launch among its neighbors.

Panetta: Obama weighing US presence in Afghanistan
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that President Barack Obama will decide in the next few weeks how many U.S. troops will stay in ...
US expert says NKorea rocket launches satellite
An American space expert said North Korea has succeeded in launching a satellite into space. Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for ...

NKorea springs surprise with rocket launch
North Korea's successful launch of a long-range rocket caught the world by surprise after the secretive regime in Pyongyang claimed technical issues ...
Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar dies
Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar has died. He was 92. The prime minister's office confirmed his death and called him a "national treasure." Shankar ...

Asia stocks gain, unfazed by NKorea rocket launch
Asian stock markets rose Wednesday as a German business confidence survey alleviated concerns that Europe's largest economy might fall into recession.
BHP sells Australia gas stake to PetroChina
BHP Billiton Ltd. said Wednesday it has agreed to sell its stake in a proposed Australian gas project to Chinese state-owned energy producer ...

Why efforts to stop factory fires have failed
About a year and a half before a fire at a clothing factory in Bangladesh killed 112 people in November, executives from Wal-Mart, Gap and other big ...

Mayan prophecy sparks dread, celebration worldwide
The clock is ticking down to Dec. 21, the supposed end of the Mayan calendar, and from China to California to Mexico, thousands are getting ready for ...

Taliban popular where US fought biggest battle
Nearly three years after U.S.-led forces launched the biggest operation of the war to clear insurgents, foster economic growth and set a model for the ...

US students far from first in math, science
American fourth-graders are performing better than they were four years ago in math and reading, but students four years older show no such progress, ...
US: Afghans resisting efforts to track cash exodus
A U.S. watchdog agency said Tuesday that Afghan officials were resisting U.S. efforts to help track billions of dollars being flown out of Kabul ...

US trade deficit grows to $42.2 billion in October
The U.S. trade deficit increased in October because exports fell by a larger margin than imports, a sign that slower global growth could weigh on the ...

Kazakh border guard convicted of killing comrades
The crime was grisly, the trial was bizarre and the defendant's confession was widely doubted — but border guard Vladislav Chelakh was convicted ...
China overtakes US in number of patent filings
GENEVA — The U.N. says the Chinese filed the most patent applications in the world last year, overtaking the U.S. for the first time. The U.N.'s World ...

UN: Despite law, Afghan women still suffer abuse
Afghan women are frequent victims of abuse, despite some success by authorities in prosecuting rape cases, forced marriages and domestic violence ...
Oil edges up as Germany seen dodging recession
The price of oil edged up to around $86 a barrel on Tuesday as markets got a boost from a survey indicating that German investors believe Europe's ...

Panetta says Syria chemical threat has slowed
The Syrian government seems to have slowed preparations for the possible use of chemical weapons against rebel targets, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon ...
Iran closes down consulate in Herat, Afghanistan
Iran's official news agency is reporting the country has closed its consular section in the western Afghan city of Herat, after anti-Iranian protests ...
Record number of reporters jailed globally: group
More journalists than ever are languishing in prisons across the world as countries like Turkey, Iran and China step up terror and other anti-state ...