Palestinians have little faith in Kerry effort
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Palestinians believe the U.S. effort to restart peace talks is doomed, and they're preparing instead to resume their campaign of seeking membership in key international organizations as soon as next month, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.... 5/22/2013 3:05 PM

Trial for captain in deadly shipwreck in Italy
ROME (AP) -- An Italian judge has ordered the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship to stand trial for manslaughter in the vessel's shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany, which killed 32 people.... 5/22/2013 3:04 PM

Irishman charged with 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombing
DUBLIN (AP) -- British prosecutors have charged a 61-year-old Irishman with the 1982 IRA attack on the queen's cavalry in Hyde Park, a nail-bombing at a top London tourist attraction that left four soldiers and seven horses dead.... 5/22/2013 3:03 PM

Kerry: US, allies, ready to step up aid rebels
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- The U.S. and several key allies sought Wednesday a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem the Assad regime's military gains and Washington still unwilling to join those providing the rebels with lethal military aid.... 5/22/2013 3:01 PM

EU steps up fight against tax evasion by end 2013
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union's leaders took a major step in tackling tax-dodgers Wednesday by pushing to end bank secrecy across the bloc's 27 members by the end of the year.... 5/22/2013 2:47 PM

Ousted premier seeks return to power in Cayman
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- A former Cayman Islands premier who faces 11 criminal charges and was ousted from leadership last year is heading into Thursday's general elections with an outside chance of returning to power in the British Overseas Territory.... 5/22/2013 2:30 PM

Toronto mayor's brother delivers defense of Ford
TORONTO (AP) -- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's brother said Wednesday that Ford has told him that reports of a purported video that appears to show the mayor smoking crack cocaine are untrue and that the media is trying to destroy his brother.... 5/22/2013 2:29 PM

Cameron: 'Indications' London attack terror
LONDON (AP) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron says there are "strong indications" that a brutal attack in London is terror-related.... 5/22/2013 2:24 PM

Redford swept away in shipwreck saga 'All Is Lost'
CANNES, France (AP) -- Robert Redford makes actions speak louder than words in shipwreck drama "All Is Lost."... 5/22/2013 2:19 PM

Iran expands nuke technology
VIENNA (AP) -- The U.N. atomic agency on Wednesday detailed rapid Iranian progress in two programs that the West fears are geared toward making nuclear weapons, saying Tehran has upgraded its uranium enrichment facilities and advanced in building a plutonium-producing reactor.... 5/22/2013 2:17 PM

Iran's Ahmadinejad looks to outsider options
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- By now, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is well-accustomed to enduring blows from Iran's ruling clerics as his reputation fell from favored son to political outcast. But their intended parting shot - barring his chief aid from the presidential race - may be just the opening act in Ahmadinejad's reinvention as a self-styled opposition force.... 5/22/2013 2:15 PM

Israeli air force chief warns of Syrian attacks
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's air force chief warned Wednesday that tensions with Syria could escalate into a "surprise war" and that Israel needs to be ready.... 5/22/2013 2:14 PM

UN: New reports of chemical weapons use in Syria
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N.'s top Mideast envoy says there are mounting reports of chemical weapons use in Syria.... 5/22/2013 1:53 PM

Costa Rican volcano spews ash, smoke
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) -- Scientists say one of Costa Rica's largest volcanos is spewing clouds of ash and gas, setting off a small-scale evacuation.... 5/22/2013 1:52 PM

Opposition in Burkina Faso vow to fight Senate law
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) -- Opposition parties walked out of a meeting in parliament this week in protest over the creation of a Senate. The opposition claims the Senate is a backhanded way for the ruling party to stay in power in the event of the death in office of President Blaise Compaore.... 5/22/2013 1:45 PM

EU bid to label Hezbollah wing terror group
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union is reassessing whether to declare the Lebanese party Hezbollah's military wing a terrorist organization, a move it has long shied from despite pressure from the U.S., officials said Wednesday.... 5/22/2013 1:42 PM

Syrian opposition urges rebels to join key battle
BEIRUT (AP) -- Syria's main opposition alliance on Wednesday urged fighters from around the country to reinforce a rebel-held town under attack by President Bashar Assad's troops and their allies from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group.... 5/22/2013 1:41 PM

Polish man gets quick face transplant after injury
WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- A 33-year-old Polish man received a face transplant just three weeks after being disfigured in a workplace accident, in what his doctors said Wednesday is the fastest time frame to date for such an operation. It was Poland's first face transplant.... 5/22/2013 1:32 PM

'Boom Town Baby': African stock markets see gains
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- The barrage of hourly tweets sent out by Aly-Khan Satchu - East Africa's version of CNBC's Mad Money host Jim Cramer - cheers on what Satchu says is a growing sentiment among investors: If you're not investing in Africa, you should be. Or as Satchu loudly proclaims on his Twitter feed or newspaper column: "ITS BOOM TOWN BABY."... 5/22/2013 1:23 PM

Beatles' lyrics headed for British Library
LONDON (AP) -- Shakespeare, the Magna Carta - and now some of John Lennon's finest lyrics.... 5/22/2013 1:23 PM