Palestinians hold off on UN agency membership
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The Palestinians have done all the legal work necessary to join 63 U.N. agencies, conventions and treaties but haven't applied yet mainly to give the latest U.S. peace effort a chance to succeed, the chief Palestinian negotiator said Monday.... 5/20/2013 6:32 PM

Venezuela opposition: Audio suggests Cuba meddling
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's opposition on Monday released an audio recording that it said contains a prominent member of the ruling party discussing political strategy with a Cuban intelligence officer.... 5/20/2013 6:29 PM

Ex-Arg. dictator Videla died after shower fall
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Preliminary autopsy results say former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla died from fractures and a hemorrhage suffered in a fall in the shower while he was serving a life sentence for human rights violations.... 5/20/2013 6:28 PM

Chile miner happy to be played by Banderas in film
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Antonio Banderas will star in a movie as one of the 33 Chilean miners trapped deep underground for more than two months in 2010, and the charismatic survivor he's playing couldn't be happier.... 5/20/2013 5:52 PM

Attacks kill 95 in Iraq, hint of Syrian spillover
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's wave of bloodshed sharply escalated Monday with more than a dozen car bombings across the country, part of attacks that killed at least 95 people and brought echoes of past sectarian carnage and fears of a dangerous spillover from Syria's civil war next door.... 5/20/2013 5:25 PM

Tunisian feminist arrested for alleged provocation
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) -- A Tunisian feminist who scandalized her country by posting topless photos of herself online has been arrested after allegedly sneaking into Tunisia's holiest city disguised in a veil, then trying to get undressed during a protest.... 5/20/2013 5:16 PM

Church of Scotland takes step to allow gay clergy
LONDON (AP) -- Senior members of the Church of Scotland voted Monday to let some congregations choose ministers who are in same-sex relationships - an important compromise that must still pass further hurdles before it can become church law.... 5/20/2013 5:02 PM

Deadliest attacks in Iraq since US troop pullout
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Here is a look at the deadliest attacks in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops on Dec. 18, 2011:... 5/20/2013 4:16 PM

Hezbollah pulled more deeply into Syria civil war
BEIRUT (AP) -- Hezbollah was pulled more deeply into Syria's civil war as 28 guerrillas from the Lebanese Shiite militant group were killed and dozens more wounded while fighting rebels, Syria activists said Monday.... 5/20/2013 3:45 PM

Egypt: Security beefed up in Sinai after abduction
CAIRO (AP) -- Dozens of Egyptian troops and armored vehicles moved into Sinai Monday as the government beefed up security in the volatile peninsula after the abduction of six policemen and a border guard by suspected Islamic militants.... 5/20/2013 3:30 PM

Pakistan's presumptive PM calls for Taliban talks
ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Pakistan's presumptive prime minister called for peace talks with Taliban militants at war with the government Monday, potentially charting a course that could put him at odds with the country's powerful army.... 5/20/2013 3:11 PM

Israel, Palestinians still arguing over epic image
JERUSALEM (AP) -- A new Israeli report into the death of a Palestinian boy during a fierce gunbattle in the Gaza Strip more than a dozen years ago has reignited an emotional debate over who killed him - and how the incident has shaped perspectives of the Mideast conflict.... 5/20/2013 3:02 PM

Israel gunman shoots 4 dead at bank, kills self
JERUSALEM (AP) -- A gunman stormed into a bank in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba Monday, killing four people in a gunfight and taking a hostage before killing himself, police said.... 5/20/2013 2:33 PM

Saudi Arabia reports latest death from new virus
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi Arabia says it has recorded another death from a new respiratory virus related to SARS, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 16.... 5/20/2013 2:03 PM

Algerian Islamist demands ill president appear
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) -- The head of Algeria's main Islamist political party has called for the country's ailing president to appear on television to dispel rumors over his health after a three week absence.... 5/20/2013 1:50 PM

Annotated 'Harry Potter' 1st edition on auction
LONDON (AP) -- A first edition copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" that contains author J.K. Rowling's notes and original illustrations is going on sale at a charity auction.... 5/20/2013 1:49 PM

South Africa: Mandela name pulled into politics
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Nelson Mandela, old and frail, lives in seclusion in his Johannesburg home. Beyond the high walls of the house, the fighting over his image and what he stood for has already begun.... 5/20/2013 1:38 PM

Barbra Streisand to receive honorary PhD in Israel
JERUSALEM (AP) -- A leading Israeli university says it will present singer Barbra Streisand with an honorary Ph.D. when she visits Israel next month.... 5/20/2013 1:33 PM

Russia claims to have foiled possible terror act
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's counterterrorism agency said Monday that its special forces killed two militants and detained a third believed to have been planning a terrorist act in Moscow.... 5/20/2013 1:20 PM

Czech president in dispute over gay rights
PRAGUE (AP) -- The Czech Republic's controversy-courting new president is under fire for refusing to grant a university professorship to one of his critics and hinting that it is because the man is a gay rights activist.... 5/20/2013 1:07 PM