US family leaves Singapore frustrated with inquest
SINGAPORE (AP) -- The parents of an American software engineer found dead in his Singapore apartment last year have left the city-state before the end of a coroner's inquest. They say they have lost faith in the process and their lawyer says they will push for a U.S. congressional investigation.... 5/23/2013 6:44 AM

Markets roiled by Nikkei's 7.3 percent slide
LONDON (AP) -- Financial markets around the world were roiled Thursday after Japanese stocks suffered their biggest slide since the country was hit by a devastating tsunami more than two years ago.... 5/23/2013 6:43 AM

Japanese climber, 80, becomes oldest atop Everest
KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- An 80-year-old Japanese man became the oldest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest on Thursday - although his record may last only a few days. An 81-year-old Nepalese man, who held the previous record, plans his own ascent next week.... 5/23/2013 6:35 AM

Simultaneous car bomb attacks in Niger
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) -- Attackers in Niger detonated two car bombs at dawn on Thursday, one in the city of Agadez where a military barracks was targeted and one in Arlit where a French company operates a uranium mine, injuring more than a dozen people.... 5/23/2013 6:31 AM

Pakistan arrested American who was killed by drone
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistani authorities once arrested an American citizen now known to have been killed in a U.S. drone strike in the country, but he escaped after being released on bail.... 5/23/2013 6:29 AM

Brave woman tried to reason with London attackers
LONDON (AP) -- A brave scout leader who may have prevented further violence has emerged as an unlikely hero in the apparent terror attack that left one man dead on the streets of London.... 5/23/2013 6:19 AM

UK emergency committee meets after attack
LONDON (AP) -- The British government's emergency committee met Thursday after two attackers butchered a British soldier in a daylight attack in London that raised fears terrorism had returned to the capital.... 5/23/2013 6:16 AM

Japan gyrations underline economy's vulnerability
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's financial markets gyrated wildly Thursday, underscoring the vulnerability of its economy to a loss of investor confidence as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attempts shock monetary easing to end two decades of stagnation.... 5/23/2013 6:08 AM

Stricken Japan nuke plant struggles to keep staff
TOKYO (AP) -- Keeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely decommission it.... 5/23/2013 5:49 AM

UN chief arrives in Goma, Congo
GOMA, Congo (AP) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Goma, eastern Congo, hours after a rebel group fighting government forces nearby said they would impose a cease-fire to permit the visit to proceed.... 5/23/2013 5:47 AM

Report: Rafsanjani blasts Iran's rulers
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- An Iranian pro-reform website is reporting that former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has strongly criticized the policies of the country's ruling clerical establishment, days after a constitutional watchdog disqualified him from running in the June 14 elections.... 5/23/2013 5:46 AM

North Korea envoy awaits chat with China's leader
BEIJING (AP) -- While a North Korean envoy waits for an expected meeting with China's Communist Party chief, his Chinese hosts are taking him touring in Beijing.... 5/23/2013 5:45 AM

Father of Afghanistan cricket captain abducted
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Gunmen kidnapped the father of Afghanistan's national cricket team captain near his home in an eastern city, officials said Thursday.... 5/23/2013 5:17 AM

Heat wave causes power outages, anger in India
LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- A blistering heat wave has swept across most parts of north and western India, causing massive electricity cuts and leading angry residents to protest and even attack power company officials and property.... 5/23/2013 5:13 AM

Czech police seek US man suspected of 4 murders
PRAGUE (AP) -- Czech police are searching for an American man suspected of killing four people and say they believe he is on the run and armed.... 5/23/2013 5:04 AM

Paul McCartney writes in support of Pussy Riot
MOSCOW (AP) -- Beatles frontman Paul McCartney has asked a Russian judge to release members of the Pussy Riot punk group from prison.... 5/23/2013 5:04 AM

Oil falls below $93 as China manufacturing weakens
BANGKOK (AP) -- The price of oil fell below $93 per barrel Thursday after a survey showed manufacturing activity in China falling to its lowest level in seven months, a sign that the recovery in the world's No. 2 economy is fading.... 5/23/2013 4:59 AM

IMF head Lagarde in court in fraud probe
PARIS (AP) -- International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is facing questions at a special Paris court Thursday over a controversial financial deal that she oversaw as French finance minister.... 5/23/2013 4:45 AM

Crane accident cuts power to one-third of Vietnam
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- One mistake by a clumsy crane operator caused a 10-hour blackout over about a third of Vietnam, exposing the fragility of the nation's power grid.... 5/23/2013 4:45 AM

US, Israel raise hopes for Mideast peace restart
JERUSALEM (AP) -- The United States and Israel raised hopes Thursday for a restart of the Middle East peace process, despite little tangible progress so far from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's two-month-old effort to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.... 5/23/2013 4:37 AM