BEIRUT -- Clashes between pro- and anti-Syria gunmen in a northern Lebanese city left two people dead and 12 wounded Saturday in the latest skirmish between Lebanese factions over the crisis in neighboring Syria, security officials said. Lebanese fa ... full story
VATICAN CITY -- Money laundering at the Vatican bank. Corruption in the awarding of Vatican contracts. Even a purported plot to kill Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican is being besieged by near-daily leaks of confidential documents and tabloid-style rep ... full story
LONDON -- Britain's biggest-selling newspaper was fighting to contain the damage after five employees at The Sun tabloid were arrested Saturday in an inquiry into the alleged payment of bribes to police and other officials. The Sun's deputy editor G ... full story
ALEPPO, Syria -- Two suicide car bombers struck security compounds in Aleppo on Friday, killing 28 people, Syrian officials said, bringing significant violence for the first time to an industrial center that has largely stood by President Bashar Ass ... full story
ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's future in the eurozone came under renewed threat Friday as popular protests again turned violent and dissent grew among its lawmakers after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts. The country's beleaguered coalitio ... full story
LONDON -- The first phase of Britain's media ethics inquiry ended this week after 40 days of dramatic hearings that heard from 184 witnesses -- celebrities, journalists, editors, academics and lawyers -- and revealed wildly differing perspectives on ... full story
GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- The historic seizure of 15 tons of pure methamphetamine in western Mexico, equal to half of all meth seizures worldwide in 2009, feeds growing speculation that the country could become a world platform for meth production, not ... full story
ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's private creditors signaled progress late Tuesday in a bond-swap deal but crucial debt negotiations over another round of austerity measures dragged into another day. The talks came after more than 20,000 protesters marched ... full story
BEIRUT -- Between blasts of rockets and mortar fire, Syrians used loudspeakers to call for blood donations and medical supplies Thursday in the stricken city of Homs, where a weeklong government offensive has created a deepening humanitarian crisis. ... full story
LONDON -- Researchers have encouraging news for women who find themselves in a very frightening situation: having cancer while pregnant. Studies suggest that these women can be treated almost the same as other cancer patients are, with minimal risk ... full story
MAFRAQ, Jordan -- Every day, rockets and mortars fired by regime forces rattle the streets of Homs. Armed rebels ambush government military checkpoints. Hatreds brew on either side of the avenues that divide the bloodstained Syrian city.Homs has beco ... full story
MOSCOW -- Opening a scientific frontier miles under the Antarctic ice, Russian experts drilled down and finally reached the surface of a gigantic freshwater lake, an achievement the mission chief likened to placing a man on the moon. Lake Vostok cou ... full story
MOSCOW -- After more than two decades of drilling, Russian scientists have reached the surface of a gigantic freshwater lake in Antarctica that had been hidden under miles of ice for 20 million years, potentially holding life from the distant past a ... full story
BEIJING -- A mother in central China has given birth to a 15.52 pound baby, possibly the largest newborn on record since the country's founding in 1949. The state-run Tianjin Post said Tuesday that the 29-year-old mother in Henan province gave birth ... full story
BEIRUT -- Days after blocking a U.S.-backed peace plan at the U.N., senior Russian officials pushed for reforms Tuesday during an emergency meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, promoting a settlement to end the uprising without removing him f ... full story
