Latest world news
South African doctor sees drug-resistant HIV
It's 8 a.m. and Dr. Theresa Rossouw is already drowning behind a cluttered desk of handwritten HIV charts -- new, perplexing cases of patients whose lifesaving drugs have turned against them. (Associated Press Writers, 9:41 p.m.)
US appeals court nixes Vatican Bank Holocaust suit
An American appeals court on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by Holocaust survivors who alleged the Vatican bank accepted millions of dollars of their valuables stolen by Nazi sympathizers. (Associated Press Writer, 7:51 p.m.)
Yemeni link to airline plot complicates Gitmo plan
The alleged Yemeni roots of the attack on a Detroit-bound airliner threaten to complicate U.S. efforts to empty Guantanamo, where nearly half the remaining detainees are from Yemen. (Associated Press Writer, 7:01 p.m.)
Canada has limitations in sharing terror info
Canada's top counterterrorism official says Canada has significant limitations in its ability to share information about potential terrorist suspects with other countries. (Associated Press Writer, 6:41 p.m.)
JetBlue flight in DomRep delayed after threat
Officials say an anonymous bomb threat briefly grounded a JetBlue flight that was departing the Dominican Republic for Puerto Rico. (AP, 6:21 p.m.)
Mexico City enacts region's 1st gay marriage law
Mexico City enacted Latin America's first law recognizing gay marriage Tuesday and said it hopes to attract same-sex couples from around the world to wed. (Associated Press Writer, 6:01 p.m.)
Mexico suspends 6 over photos of slain drug lord
Six forensics workers in Mexico have been suspended for altering a crime scene in which slain drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva was photographed with bloodstained money laid out across his bullet-ridden body, an official said Tuesday. (Associated Press Writer, 4:21 p.m.)
Colombia says coca crop eradication down in 2009
Colombia said Tuesday it has fallen short of its goal for eradicating coca crops this year, blaming it on violent reactions from drug traffickers and budget problems despite having received billions of dollars in U.S. aid. (AP, 3:41 p.m.)
Haqqani network challenges US-Pakistan relations
The bodies kept surfacing -- hanged, shot, beheaded -- and always with a note alleging the victims were anti-Taliban spies. "Learn a lesson from the fate of this man," warned one message found on a corpse in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region. (Associated Press Writer, 3:21 p.m.)
Piracy-related events in the past year
Somali pirates have hijacked more than 80 ships in the past two years. Tuesday's hijackings brought the number of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia to 214 this year, with 47 vessels hijacked. (AP, 3:11 p.m.)
US congressmen press Afghanistan to delay election
U.S. Congressmen said Tuesday they are urging Afghan President Hamid Karzai to delay the next parliamentary ballot until electoral reforms are in place or risk American financial support for his government. (Associated Press Writer, 3:51 p.m.)
Intel report: Iran seeking to smuggle raw uranium
Iran is close to clinching a deal to clandestinely import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan, according to an intelligence report obtained by The Associated Press. Diplomats said the assessment was heightening international concern about Tehran's nuclear activities. (Associated Press Writer, 9:22 p.m.)
Robber takes euro100,000 in jewels from Paris shop
French police say an armed robber has burst into a jewelry store in southern Paris and made off with euro100,000 ($144,330) worth of watches and jewels. (AP, 1:31 p.m.)
Cuba gives US diplomat access to arrested American
The Cuban government has given a U.S. diplomat access to a jailed American citizen accused of providing communications equipment to dissident groups while working as a government contractor, a U.S. official in Havana said Tuesday. (Associated Press Writer, 2:01 p.m.)
Poland turns to Sweden in probe of Auschwitz theft
Poland will formally seek Sweden's help in investigating the theft of the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from the Auschwitz memorial, confirming that Polish authorities suspect a Swedish link in the crime. (AP, 12:41 p.m.)
Cyprus seeks euro500 million boost to state coffers
Cyprus' finance minister said Tuesday that he's seeking a euro500 million ($722 million) injection into state coffers to stave off a burgeoning deficit projected to hover at around 6 percent of GDP over the next two years. (AP, 11:45 a.m.)
Malawi police arrest 2 men for engagement ceremony
Officials in Malawi say they have arrested two men for celebrating their engagement to each other in the conservative southern African country. (AP, 11:41 a.m.)
Web posts suggest lonely, depressed terror suspect
Internet postings purportedly written by a Nigerian charged with trying to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day suggest a fervently religious and lonely young man who fantasized about becoming a Muslim holy warrior. (Associated Press Writer, 6:31 p.m.)
Court lets Palestinians use major Israeli highway
Israel's Supreme Court ordered the military on Tuesday to allow Palestinians to travel on the part of a major highway that runs through the West Bank, handing Palestinians their biggest victory yet against Israel's practice of reserving some roads for Jews. (Associated Press Writer, 5:31 p.m.)
Canada bans most US-bound carry-on bags
Canadian officials have banned most carry-on luggage for U.S.-bound passengers following a failed Christmas Day plot to blow up a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit. (Associated Press Writer, 11:01 a.m.)
Brazilian family wants to bring boy back from US
The Brazilian family of a 9-year-old boy returned by court order to his U.S. father said Tuesday it will fight to regain custody. (Associated Press Writer, 6:31 p.m.)
UK's O2 apologizes for smartphone problems
The head of mobile phone operator O2 has apologized to customers in the British capital who were unable to make calls after the group's network was swamped by people using smartphones. (AP, 10:25 a.m.)
Doctors leave 9 needles in Brazilian boy's body
Brazilian doctors have decided not to immediately remove nine of the 31 needles found in a toddler's body because his life is no longer in danger. (AP, 10:41 a.m.)
Serbia makes second draw from IMF loan
Serbia has withdrawn an additional euro350 million ($505 million) from a euro2.9 billion emergency loan made available by the International Monetary Fund, the National Bank governor said Tuesday. (AP, 10:10 a.m.)
Fire at India's nuclear research facility kills 2
A fire broke out in a chemical laboratory at India's main nuclear research facility Tuesday, killing at least two people, an official said. (Associated Press Writer, 10:41 a.m.)
Ukraine front-runner questions democratic reforms
Ukraine has paid too high a price for the democratic reforms ushered in by the 2004 Orange Revolution, according to the pro-Russian front-runner in the country's presidential race, who pledges to bring back the "rule of law" if elected next month. (Associated Press Writers, 1:01 p.m.)
Patient cleared of defaming hospital in Indonesia
An Indonesian housewife who was arrested after she publicized her complaints about bad treatment at a private hospital was acquitted of criminal defamation charges Tuesday by a court. (AP, 9:21 a.m.)
Egypt encouraged during Israeli PM's visit
Israel's prime minister on Tuesday presented Egypt with ideas for restarting Mideast peace talks, impressing his hosts with proposals that go further than past Israeli positions, Egypt's top diplomat said. (Associated Press Writer, 1:31 p.m.)
Reports: Suspicious package detonated in Milan
Bomb experts detonated a suspicious package found Tuesday at Milan's Malpensa airport, an airport spokeswoman said. (AP, 9:31 a.m.)
Lebanese troops fire on Israeli jets over south
The Lebanese military says its troops have fired on Israeli warplanes flying low over south Lebanon but no hits were reported. (AP, 9:01 a.m.)
Russian president bans tax crime suspects' jailing
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a bill banning the jailing of people suspected of tax crimes and has fired another senior prison official following the death in custody of a tax lawyer in November. (Associated Press Writer, 8:31 a.m.)
Somali pirates seize tanker, cargo ship
Striking into the heavily patrolled Gulf of Aden, Somali pirates seized a British-flagged chemical tanker -- the first merchant vessel to be hijacked there in nearly six months, the same day that a ship was taken by brigands in the Indian Ocean, officials said Tuesday. (Associated Press Writer, 12:51 p.m.)
Russia, Ukraine resolve oil transit dispute
A spokesman for the Ukrainian energy company says Russia has agreed to increase fees for transit of its oil to Europe by one third. (AP, 8:05 a.m.)
Serbian official quits over failure to get Mladic
A Serbian official in charge of capturing war criminals resigned Tuesday because his team has failed to arrest Ratko Mladic, who allegedly orchestrated the massacre of more than 7,000 Muslims in Bosnia. (Associated Press Writer, 9:01 a.m.)
Yemen investigates Nigerian's al-Qaida contacts
Officials in Yemen were investigating Tuesday whether the Nigerian suspected in the attempted Christmas Day attack on a U.S. airliner spent time with al-Qaida militants in the country in the months leading up to the botched bombing. (Associated Press Writers, 9:22 p.m.)
Officials: Gunmen kill 5 Sunni guards in Iraq
Gunmen killed five Sunni security guards -- including one by beheading -- in a gruesome pre-dawn slaying Tuesday at a village checkpoint in central Iraq, officials said. (Associated Press Writer, 11:51 a.m.)
UK mortgagees pay down debt for 6th quarter
U.K. homeowners paid off 4.9 billion pounds ($7.85 billion) in mortgage debt in the third quarter, the Bank of England said Tuesday, marking the sixth consecutive quarter in which consumers reined in spending to bolster their personal finances. (AP, 6 a.m.)
Nigeria: At least 38 dead in Islamic sect violence
Fighting between Islamic militants and security forces in northern Nigeria left at least 38 people dead as sect members armed with spears, knives, assault rifles and arrows ransacked a neighborhood and set homes ablaze, police officials said Tuesday. (AP, 12:11 p.m.)
Israeli police arrest nuclear whistleblower Vanunu
Nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu was ordered to be put under house arrest Tuesday after being charged with violating a condition of his 2004 release from an Israeli prison. (Associated Press Writer, 10:01 a.m.)
Somali pirates seize 2 ships
Pirates seized a British-flagged chemical tanker and a Panamanian-flagged carrier off Somalia's coast and were holding 45 crew members Tuesday, a maritime official said. (Associated Press Writer, 6:21 a.m.)
Putin urges US to share missile defense data
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia wants the U.S. to share detailed data about its planned missile shield under a new arms control treaty, signaling potential new difficulties in the ongoing negotiations between Moscow and Washington. (Associated Press Writer, 12:21 p.m.)
NKorea confirms it has detained an American
North Korea acknowledged Tuesday it had detained an American for illegally entering the reclusive country, news welcomed by relatives of an Arizona missionary who feared they would never hear from him again after he sneaked across the border. (Associated Press Writer, 9:22 p.m.)
US citizen in solitary confinement in Myanmar
An American jailed in Myanmar was placed in solitary confinement after ending a 12-day hunger strike, prompting the U.S. Embassy to request his return to a standard prison cell, an embassy official said Tuesday. (AP, 3:51 a.m.)
Iranian security forces intensify crackdown
Iranian security forces intensified their crackdown on anti-government supporters Tuesday, arresting relatives of the country's Nobel laureate and the main opposition leader, and limiting the movement of another top opposition leader. (Associated Press Writer, 9:22 p.m.)
Karzai, NATO clash over reports of civilian deaths
Afghan government and foreign military officials sparred Tuesday over reports that 10 civilians died during a military operation -- claims that further inflamed public sentiment against the international military presence as thousands more troops prepare to deploy. (Associated Press Writers, 1:21 p.m.)
Gay marriage in Argentina is 1st in Latin America
They had to travel to the ends of the Earth to do it, but two Argentine men succeeded in becoming Latin America's first same-sex married couple. (Associated Press Writer, 11:01 a.m.)
Standoff over US base closure sours US-Japan ties
When the U.S. took over a Japanese airfield here in the closing days of World War II, it was surrounded by sugarcane fields and the smoldering battlegrounds of Okinawa. It is now the focus of a deepening dispute that is testing Japan's security alliance with the United States and dividing its new government in Tokyo. (Associated Press Writer, 9:21 a.m.)
China executes Briton despite UK, family pleas
China brushed aside international appeals Tuesday and executed by lethal injection a British drug smuggler who relatives say was mentally unstable and unwittingly lured into crime. (Associated Press Writer, 2:01 p.m.)
Death toll from Karachi bombing reaches 43
Authorities appealed for calm Tuesday after a bombing against a Shiite Muslim procession killed 43 in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi, setting off riots and igniting fears of sectarian unrest. (Associated Press Writer, 10:01 a.m.)