Czechs to vote in first direct presidential election
Czechs vote Friday and Saturday in their country's first direct presidential election, with recession, austerity and graft weighing heavily on the nation as it turns the page on a decade under ardent eurosceptic Vaclav Klaus.
Passions rise in France ahead of anti gay marriage protest
Passions and tensions are rising in France ahead of an expected giant weekend rally against the government's plan to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption that has angered influential Catholic and Muslim groups.
Egypt's Morsi to urge Obama to free blind sheikh
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has said he will urge US President Barack Obama to free the blind sheikh jailed for the 1993 World Trade Center attack.
09 January 2013 10:01
Honduras leader regrets embassy orgy
Honduran President Porfirio Lobo said Monday that a pre-Christmas party at the country's embassy in Colombia that included prostitutes was a "sad incident."
08 January 2013 17:11
Pentagon nominee vows 'total support' for Israel
Chuck Hagel, bracing for a bruising Senate confirmation as the next US defense secretary, pledged "total support" for Israel on Monday after lawmakers criticized his Middle East views.
08 January 2013 16:08
Obama to host Afghan president Friday at White House
US President Barack Obama will host Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House on Friday for talks centered on the long-term security compact between the two countries.
08 January 2013 14:36
Clinton returns to applause and a football helmet
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received a standing ovation from her staff and an American football helmet to protect her from Washington's hard knocks as she returned to work after a health scare.
08 January 2013 14:11
China celebrities back censorship protest
China's blogosphere and celebrities -- many with millions of followers -- Tuesday backed journalists at a newspaper embroiled in a censorship row after hundreds of people held a rare protest demanding greater press freedom.
08 January 2013 13:22
Venezuelan regime calls for massive Chavez rally
Venezuela's leftist leadership has called for a massive show of support for ailing President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on Thursday -- the day he is supposed to be sworn in to a new six year term in office.
08 January 2013 13:00
Japan summons China envoy for first time under PM Abe
Tokyo summoned the Chinese ambassador Tuesday for the first time under the new nationalist government to "strongly protest" against the presence of official ships in waters around disputed islands.
08 January 2013 11:31
Obama picks new CIA, Pentagon chiefs
US President Barack Obama on Monday nominated controversial former Republican senator Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon and proposed that hard-nosed counterterrorism czar John Brennan to head the CIA.
