France threatens Google with privacy fines
PARIS (AP) -- France is giving Google three months to be more upfront about the data it collects from users - or be fined.... 6/20/2013 5:45 AM

Jewish educator who survived Soviet Gulag dies
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Rabbi Moshe Greenberg, a religious educator who survived a brutal Gulag in Siberia and secretly taught Judaism under an oppressive Soviet regime, has died in Israel. He was 84.... 6/20/2013 5:43 AM

Markets roiled by Bernanke's exit strategy
LONDON (AP) -- Markets were roiled Thursday by a suggestion from U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that the central bank may be done with its monetary stimulus next year. While stocks and commodities took a pounding on the news, the dollar surged.... 6/20/2013 5:42 AM

Tropical Storm Barry bears down on Mexico's coast
VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) -- Tropical Storm Barry bore down on Mexico's Gulf Coast early Thursday as civil defense workers readied emergency shelters and forecasters warned of the possibility of deadly flash floods and mudslides.... 6/20/2013 5:40 AM

Fire from JFK's eternal flame arrives in Ireland
DUBLIN (AP) -- A torch lit from the eternal flame at President John F. Kennedy's graveside has arrived in Ireland ahead of ceremonies planned to mark the 50th anniversary of his 1963 visit.... 6/20/2013 5:40 AM

Saudi to expel Hezbollah supporters over Syria war
BEIRUT (AP) -- The Saudi envoy to Lebanon says the kingdom will deport Lebanese citizens who support the militant Hezbollah group because of its role in the Syrian civil war.... 6/20/2013 5:38 AM

Iraqis vote in 2 Sunni-dominated provinces
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqis in two Sunni-dominated provinces voted Thursday in provincial elections marked by tight security measures that left streets in former insurgent strongholds largely deserted.... 6/20/2013 5:34 AM

Russia to fulfill Syria missile system contract
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia will honor its controversial contract to deliver S-300 air defense missile systems to Syria, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.... 6/20/2013 5:33 AM

ABN Amro chief says Dutch bank ready to privatize
AMSTERDAM (AP) -- The chief executive of ABN Amro says the Dutch bank is ready to be privatized.... 6/20/2013 5:31 AM

Hong Kong firm to buy 60 single-aisle Airbus jets
LE BOURGET, France (AP) -- A Hong Kong aircraft leasing company has agreed to buy 60 Airbus single-aisle jets, which have been selling well at this week at the Paris Air Show.... 6/20/2013 5:24 AM

Police detain 13 more in raids in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's state-run agency says police have detained 13 more demonstrators suspected of involvement in violence during protests that have swept the country.... 6/20/2013 5:19 AM

China sex tape official: I'm a lecher but no crook
BEIJING (AP) -- Call me a lecher but don't call me a crook, an ex-city official at the heart of a sex tape scandal has said in his unusually spirited courtroom defense against corruption charges.... 6/20/2013 5:19 AM

Regulators order lenders to raise more capital
LONDON (AP) -- British regulators are ordering some of the country's biggest banks to bolster their balance sheets by 27. 1 billion pounds ($42.1 billion) to prevent a repeat of the 2008 banking crisis.... 6/20/2013 5:18 AM

Stampede over Beckham injures 5 in Shanghai
BEIJING (AP) -- At least five people have been injured in a stampede after fans stormed a stadium gate upon the arrival of superstar David Beckham at a Chinese university Thursday afternoon.... 6/20/2013 5:10 AM

China, Vietnam talk amid South China Sea tensions
BEIJING (AP) -- Vietnam's president was being feted by China's leaders on a visit through Friday as Beijing continues to shun another rival for South China Sea territory that has challenged its claims on legal grounds, the Philippines.... 6/20/2013 5:08 AM

12 Indonesian soldiers on trial over prison attack
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Soldiers from Indonesia's elite special forces have gone before a military court charged with storming a prison and killing four detainees on the main Java island.... 6/20/2013 4:53 AM

Fire blazes at Dutch firelighting block factory
AMSTERDAM (AP) -- Authorities in the Dutch city of Oisterwijk say a fire has broken out at a factory that makes firelighting blocks for barbecues and campfires.... 6/20/2013 4:46 AM

Singapore haze at worst yet, Malaysia schools shut
SINGAPORE (AP) -- Singapore urged people to remain indoors amid unprecedented levels of air pollution Thursday as a smoky haze wrought by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia worsened dramatically. Nearby Malaysia closed 200 schools and banned open burning in some areas.... 6/20/2013 4:40 AM

Italy film fest dedicates homage to Gandolfini
ROME (AP) -- Organizers of the Taormina, Sicily, Film Festival are scrambling to put together a tribute to U.S. actor James Gandolfini, who had been expected to attend the festival's closing ceremony this weekend.... 6/20/2013 4:32 AM

AP EXCLUSIVE: Taliban offer to free US soldier
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- The Afghan Taliban are ready to free a U.S. army soldier held captive since 2009 in exchange for five of their senior operatives imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay as a conciliatory gesture, a senior spokesman for the group said Thursday.... 6/20/2013 4:32 AM