Afghan government signals may join Taliban talks
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- An Afghan spokesman says President Hamid Karzai is willing to join peace talks with the Taliban if the U.S. follows through with promises he says were made by Secretary of State John Kerry in a phone call.... 6/20/2013 8:34 AM

Qatar convicted 5 in deadly mall fire in 2012
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Qatar has convicted five people, including one of the country's diplomats, over a mall fire last year that killed 19 people, including 13 children at a daycare center caught in the blaze.... 6/20/2013 8:32 AM

Italy hospital: Gandolfini died of cardiac arrest
ROME (AP) -- Organizers of the Taormina Film Festival scrambled Thursday to put together a last-minute tribute to U.S. actor James Gandolfini, after he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while in Italy to attend the festival's closing ceremony and receive an honor from the Sicilian resort city.... 6/20/2013 8:29 AM

UNESCO puts Syrian historical sites on danger list
PARIS (AP) -- The U.N. cultural agency says six historical sites in Syria are in imminent danger because of the country's civil war and is urging international support to protect them.... 6/20/2013 8:29 AM

Old liquor finds new life in Ghana cocktail scene
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- Ghana's traditional liquor akpeteshie tastes like fire to the uninitiated, burning all the way down the throat to a nervous stomach. But at The Republic, a bar in the nation's capital, it comes garnished with mint and brown sugar for young professionals just getting off work.... 6/20/2013 8:23 AM

Tropical Storm Barry bears down on Mexico's coast
VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) -- Tropical Storm Barry approached very close to Mexico's Gulf Coast on Thursday as civil defense workers readied emergency shelters and forecasters warned heavy rains could trigger potentially deadly flash floods or mudslides.... 6/20/2013 8:22 AM

Iran picks site for new nuclear research reactor
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's state TV says a site in southern Iran has been selected for a planned new nuclear research reactor.... 6/20/2013 8:20 AM

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. Other European countries aren't far behind.... 6/20/2013 8:16 AM

Airbus announces several orders of A320 jet family
LE BOURGET, France (AP) -- Airbus announced a series of orders for its smaller single-aisle jets Thursday, racking up 80 purchases for the A320 family of short- to medium-haul planes.... 6/20/2013 8:13 AM

Stampede over Beckham injures 7 in Shanghai
BEIJING (AP) -- Fans eager to see soccer superstar David Beckham stormed a police cordon Thursday in a stampede at a Shanghai university that injured seven people including five security personnel.... 6/20/2013 8:11 AM

Pirate Bay Swede sentenced for hacking, fraud
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A Swede who is in prison for involvement with file-sharing site Pirate Bay has been found guilty of fraud, hacking into Sweden's tax authority and a bank, and the attempted illegal transfer of money between accounts in Europe.... 6/20/2013 8:05 AM

UK gov't challenged over handling of Lawson case
LONDON (AP) -- A British lawmaker has questioned the way police treated Nigella Lawson's husband after he admitted assaulting the celebrity chef in a restaurant.... 6/20/2013 7:55 AM

Uganda gives protection to students fleeing Rwanda
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) -- Sixteen Rwandan students who fled to Uganda over alleged recruitment into a Congolese rebel group are now under police protection at a secret location, a Ugandan government official said Thursday.... 6/20/2013 7:54 AM

In northern Iraqi city, al-Qaida gathers strength
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Al-Qaida's Iraq arm is gathering strength in the restive northern city of Mosul, ramping up its fundraising through gangland-style shakedowns and feeding off anti-government anger as it increasingly carries out attacks with impunity, according to residents and officials.... 6/20/2013 7:50 AM

India floods strand thousands; more than 100 dead
LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- Days after floods killed more than 100 people - possibly many more - rescuers used helicopters and climbed through mountain paths to reach nearly 4,000 people trapped by landslides in a narrow valley near a Hindu shrine in the northern Himalayas, officials said Thursday.... 6/20/2013 7:49 AM

World Bank watchful as Fed signals tighter policy
BERLIN (AP) -- The head of the World Bank is pledging to ensure that financing for developing countries doesn't suffer when central banks in rich nations wind down monetary stimulus programs and raise interest rates.... 6/20/2013 7:26 AM

Israeli PM: EU should join US push on peace talks
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's prime minister says the European Union should join U.S. attempts to restart stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks... 6/20/2013 7:22 AM

South Sudan ministers face corruption probe
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) -- The president of South Sudan has suspended two of his ministers and ordered an investigation into corruption allegations against them.... 6/20/2013 7:09 AM

Norway opens Arctic border area to oil drilling
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Norway's Parliament has opened up a new area on the fringe of the Arctic Ocean to offshore oil drilling despite protests from opponents who fear catastrophic oil spills in the remote and icy region.... 6/20/2013 7:01 AM

ICC to probe abuse allegations against ex-staffer
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- The International Criminal Court has ordered an independent inquiry into allegations that a former staff member in Congo sexually assaulted four people in the court's victims and witness protection program.... 6/20/2013 6:50 AM