France enthralled by first lady's battle with Hollande ex
France's Socialist President Francois Hollande hoped he could keep his love life private and distinguish himself from his showy predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
Decade on, Iraq to replace iconic Saddam statue
Nearly a decade after Saddam Hussein's statue was pulled down in an iconic moment seen globally, Baghdad will finally replace it with new artwork to mark its selection as the 2013 Arab Capital of Culture.
'Latino Barack Obama' enters national spotlight
A telegenic young Texas mayor billed as a Latino Barack Obama in the making, Julian Castro, bounded on to the world's brightest political stage Tuesday.
Kazakhstan brand estimated at $87 billion
British consulting company Brand Finance made a rating of Top 100 national brands of 2012.
Quebec separatist party wins poll: TV projections
Separatists in Canada's Quebec province scored an election win Tuesday, with Premier Jean Charest losing his seat as his unpopular Liberals were ousted from power.
China's Xi cancels Clinton meeting: US official
China's likely next president Xi Jinping has cancelled a meeting with the visiting US Secretary of State, a US official said Wednesday, amid friction between the two global powers.
Britain blocking efforts to freeze Mubarak assets: official
The Egyptian public investigator who led efforts to hunt down property belonging to the regime of toppled dictator Hosni Mubarak has accused Britain of being "one of the worst" countries for housing assets.
Torrential rain fails to sour mood at Obama fest
Braving bouts of torrential rain, tens of thousands of supporters of President Barack Obama took over downtown Charlotte Monday as Jeff Bridges and James Taylor kicked off festivities for the Democratic convention.
Armenia 'ready for war' after Azerbaijan axe-killer pardon
Armenia warned Azerbaijan it was ready for war as tensions soared Monday between the ex-Soviet foes after Baku pardoned and promoted an Azerbaijani officer who axed an Armenian soldier to death.