Syria troops fight rebels near Shiite shrine
BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters clashed Wednesday with rebel forces south of a Damascus suburb that is home to a major Shiite Muslim shrine, in an attempt to secure the area surrounding the revered site, activists said.... 6/19/2013 9:50 AM

Obama in Berlin: "Our work is not yet done"
BERLIN (AP) -- President Barack Obama is challenging Americans and Europeans not to become complacent even though the Cold War is over.... 6/19/2013 9:49 AM

Al-Qaida-linked fighters attack UN base in Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Al-Qaida-linked militants detonated several bombs and breached the main U.N. compound in Somalia's capital Wednesday, sparking gun battles that killed at least 12 people. A U.N. official said at least three foreigners were believed to be among the dead.... 6/19/2013 9:49 AM

UK Girl Guides drop reference to God in pledge
LONDON (AP) -- Britain's Girl Guides have dropped a reference to God in their pledge.... 6/19/2013 9:41 AM

Flood damages Austrian UNESCO heritage site
VIENNA (AP) -- A flash flood unleashed by a major thunderstorm has inundated the Austrian village of Hallstatt, which has been awarded special status by the U.N. because of its unique beauty.... 6/19/2013 9:37 AM

Monsoon floods kill 102 in India, strand pilgrims
LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- India's prime minister said Wednesday that the death toll from flooding this week in the northern state of Uttrakhand had surpassed 100 and could rise substantially.... 6/19/2013 9:36 AM

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 9:31 AM

Iraq officials say suicide attack kills politician
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi officials say a suicide attack has killed a local political leader and four of his relatives in northern Iraq.... 6/19/2013 9:29 AM

EU fines pharma firms over generics delay
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union has fined Danish pharmaceuticals multinational Lundbeck and several other producers a combined 146 million euros ($195 million) for delaying the market entry of cheaper generic alternatives to a major antidepressant.... 6/19/2013 9:24 AM

Alcatel-Lucent plans overhaul, big cost cuts
PARIS (AP) -- Telecommunications equipment manufacturer Alcatel-Lucent launched a major effort Wednesday to boost its fortunes by shedding businesses and jobs as part of a deep cost cutting program.... 6/19/2013 9:23 AM

Obama warns EU over high youth unemployment
BERLIN (AP) -- President Barack Obama is suggesting Europe may need to adjust its economic policies to tackle high youth unemployment.... 6/19/2013 9:18 AM

Critics hail Daniel Radcliffe's latest stage turn
LONDON (AP) -- Daniel Radcliffe has won magical reviews for his latest stage role as a disabled Irish dreamer in Martin McDonagh's "The Cripple of Inishmaan."... 6/19/2013 9:17 AM

Palestinian party toughens line on Israel talks
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- An adviser to the Palestinian president says Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement wants him to stick to long-standing demands for resuming talks with Israel.... 6/19/2013 9:03 AM

Pope invites Down Syndrome teen on car for a spin
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis has given a 17-year-old boy with Down Syndrome the ride of his life - sort of.... 6/19/2013 9:00 AM

Egypt Islamists blame violence on opposition
CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt's most powerful Muslim group on Wednesday blamed the secular and liberal opposition for a wave of violence over the appointment of new Islamist governors.... 6/19/2013 9:00 AM

China's Xi harks back to Mao in party 'cleanup'
BEIJING (AP) -- China's new leader Xi Jinping is commanding wayward Communist Party cadres to purify themselves of corruption, and he's summed it up in a pithy slogan as Mao Zedong might have done: Look in the mirror, take a bath.... 6/19/2013 8:53 AM

Bulgaria parliament revokes security chief choice
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) -- Bulgaria's parliament has revoked the controversial appointment of a legislator and media mogul to head the country's security service, which led to several days of large protests.... 6/19/2013 8:42 AM

UAE charges 30 suspects with plotting coup
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A state security prosecutor in the United Arab Emirates says 30 Egyptian and UAE suspects have been charged with plotting a coup linked to a network of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, in a case likely to further strain relations with Cairo.... 6/19/2013 8:25 AM

Obama: 'Lives have been saved' by NSA programs
BERLIN (AP) -- Trying to tamp down concerns about government over-reach, President Barack Obama on Wednesday defended U.S. Internet and phone surveillance programs as narrowly targeted efforts that have saved lives and thwarted at least 50 terror threats.... 6/19/2013 8:11 AM

Greek government back in talks to end TV crisis
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greece's governing coalition parties are to meet for a second time in three days to try and end a political crisis triggered by the closure of state broadcaster ERT.... 6/19/2013 8:11 AM