Iran's electoral watchdog approves election result
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's state TV is reporting the country's election overseer, the Guardian Council, has approved Friday's presidential election result, affirming a first-round victory by a relative moderate.... 6/19/2013 1:07 PM

Palace sheds some light on Kate's baby plans
LONDON (AP) -- With Prince William and the former Kate Middleton expecting their first child in mid-July - and much of the world interested in the birth of a future monarch - the royals' office has released some of the couple's plans, although many details are still being kept private. Kate has made several public appearances recently but is expected to keep a low profile in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Here is the latest news about the infant who will, upon entering the world, be ... 6/19/2013 1:04 PM

Japan formally OKs new nuclear safety requirements
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's nuclear watchdog formally approved a set of new safety requirements for atomic power plants on Wednesday, paving the way for the reopening of facilities shut down since the Fukushima disaster in a move critics charged was too hasty.... 6/19/2013 12:54 PM

John Paul II moves a step closer to sainthood
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope John Paul II has moved a step closer to sainthood.... 6/19/2013 12:48 PM

Palestinians toughen line on Israel talks
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- The Palestinian president and his Fatah movement on Wednesday signaled a tough line on talks with Israel, casting new doubt on U.S. efforts to revive long-stalled negotiations.... 6/19/2013 12:47 PM

China, Vietnam agree to set up hotline
BEIJING (AP) -- China and Vietnam agreed on Wednesday to set up a hotline to resolve fishing incidents in disputed South China Sea waters that have been a frequent source of tensions between the two ideological allies.... 6/19/2013 12:44 PM

Obama renews calls for nuclear reductions
BERLIN (AP) -- Appealing for a new citizen activism in the free world, President Barack Obama renewed his call Wednesday to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles and to confront climate change, a danger he called "the global threat of our time."... 6/19/2013 12:40 PM

Turkish official approves 'standing man' protest
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's deputy prime minister gave a nod of approval on Wednesday to a new form of peaceful resistance that is spreading through Turkey.... 6/19/2013 12:32 PM

Obama warns EU over high youth unemployment
BERLIN (AP) -- President Barack Obama raised the prospect Wednesday that Europe might need to adjust its economic policies to tackle high youth unemployment and make sure that some countries don't "lose a generation."... 6/19/2013 12:30 PM

Egypt top cleric: Protests against Morsi permitted
CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt's top Muslim cleric declared Wednesday that peaceful protests against the president are permitted, dismissing declarations by Islamist hard-liners that those behind protests planned for June 30 are heretics.... 6/19/2013 12:28 PM

Swiss lawmakers reject deal on banking secrecy
GENEVA (AP) -- Switzerland's lower house of parliament has for the second time rejected a government proposal on relaxing Swiss banking secrecy laws, a move that would have helped the country's banks avoid facing U.S. criminal charges for shielding tax cheats.... 6/19/2013 12:27 PM

Dolce and Gabbana convicted of tax evasion
MILAN (AP) -- A Milan court on Wednesday convicted the designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana of tax evasion.... 6/19/2013 12:26 PM

Death threats greet Italy's first back minister
ROME (AP) -- Italy's first black Cabinet minister is facing Internet death threats before a visit to a region known for its anti-immigrant political base.... 6/19/2013 12:12 PM

Unmanned aircraft struggle to shed 'drone' image
LE BOURGET, France (AP) -- Unmanned aircraft have helped rescue stranded hikers, worked to contain wildfires and gathered data at nuclear accidents. One helped a Russian tanker find its way through Arctic ice to bring oil to a stranded Alaskan community.... 6/19/2013 12:11 PM

Elizabeth Taylor's first wedding dress up for sale
LONDON (AP) -- The gown Elizabeth Taylor wore at the first of her eight weddings is for sale. You'll need at least 30,000 pounds ($47,000) to buy it and a tiny waist to wear it.... 6/19/2013 12:10 PM

Floods close Lourdes pilgrimage site in Pyrenees
LOURDES, France (AP) -- Heavy floods in southwest France have left two dead and forced the closure of the Catholic pilgrimage site in Lourdes and the evacuation of pilgrims from nearby hotels.... 6/19/2013 12:10 PM

Afghan leader backs away from Taliban talks
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Afghanistan's president said Wednesday he will not pursue peace talks with the Taliban unless the United States steps out of the negotiations, while also insisting the militant group stop its violent attacks on the ground after it claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that killed four Americans.... 6/19/2013 12:09 PM

Military: Thurayas banned in northeast Nigeria
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) -- Soldiers fighting to halt an insurgency by Islamic militants are banning the use of Thuraya satellite telephones by civilians in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state, throttling communications already made difficult by cut cell phone service.... 6/19/2013 12:05 PM

Protesters out again in Brazil's biggest city
SAO PAULO (AP) -- Scattered street demonstrations popped up around Brazil early Wednesday as protesters continued their collective cry against the low-quality public services they receive in exchange for high taxes and high prices.... 6/19/2013 12:05 PM

World powers to meet on Syrian rebel demands
PARIS (AP) -- A French diplomat says officials from the United States and other countries will meet in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday to decide how to respond to requests for help from the Free Syrian Army.... 6/19/2013 11:58 AM