Owner: Chinese boat's captain beaten by NKoreans
BEIJING (AP) -- Gunmen wearing North Korean military uniforms released a Chinese fishing boat after holding its crew for two weeks, beating up the captain and stealing the vessel's fuel, the boat's owner said. He added that the hijackers did not get the 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom they had demanded.... 5/21/2013 10:47 PM

North Korean leader sends 'special envoy' to China
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- A "special envoy" for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang on Wednesday for China, the North's only major political and economic benefactor. State media released few details, but the trip comes at a rocky time in ties between the allies.... 5/21/2013 10:19 PM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea says that a "special envoy" for leader Kim Jong Un has left for China.... 5/21/2013 9:47 PM

Venezuela parliament resumes 3 weeks after brawl
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's parliament roared back to life Tuesday with fractious debates between government and opposition lawmakers after a three-week paralysis following a brawl on the assembly floor.... 5/21/2013 9:23 PM

Protesters hurl firebombs as Chile leader speaks
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Bands of young people hurling firebombs and stones clashed with police outside Chile's congress Tuesday after thousands of students and workers staged a protest march before President Sebastian Pinera's final state of the nation speech.... 5/21/2013 8:11 PM

UN: Poaching threatens central Africa peace
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The illegal trade in elephant ivory may constitute an important source of funding for armed groups, including the Lord's Resistance Army, threatening peace and security in central Africa, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the Security Council.... 5/21/2013 7:37 PM

Guatemala ruling could keep ex-leader from prison
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) -- The decision to annul the genocide conviction of Guatemala's former U.S-backed dictator and restart his trial could spawn interminable delays in the effort to see him jailed for the massacre of thousands of Mayans, victims' advocates said Tuesday.... 5/21/2013 7:31 PM

Toronto mayor avoids questions about crack video
TORONTO (AP) -- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford continued to duck questions Tuesday about a video that purportedly shows him smoking crack cocaine despite calls by allies and rivals for further comment.... 5/21/2013 7:24 PM

UN urges action to end child soldiers in Myanmar
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Myanmar's government has made progress in reducing the recruitment of children into the armed forces but still needs to stamp out the practice.... 5/21/2013 7:16 PM

Ex-Ford execs charged in Argentine torture cases
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Three former Ford Motor Co. executives were charged Tuesday with crimes against humanity for allegedly targeting Argentine union workers for kidnapping and torture after the country's 1976 military coup.... 5/21/2013 7:06 PM

The pope and the devil: Is Francis an exorcist?
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis' fascination with the devil took on remarkable new twists Tuesday, with a well-known exorcist insisting Francis helped "liberate" a Mexican man possessed by four different demons despite the Vatican's insistence that no such papal exorcism took place.... 5/21/2013 6:31 PM

Egypt troops in Sinai sweep mistakenly hit funeral
CAIRO (AP) -- Egyptian troops and police mistakenly fired on a Bedouin funeral in the Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday, security officials said, in the opening salvo of a sweep searching for security personnel kidnapped by suspected militants.... 5/21/2013 6:08 PM

Suicide at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
PARIS (AP) -- Some 1,500 visitors were cleared out of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after a man put a letter on the altar of the 850-year-old monument Tuesday, pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head.... 5/21/2013 5:50 PM

Bolivia lashes at Sean Penn over jailed American
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- Bolivia's culture minister calls it actor-activist Sean Penn's "worst performance" ever. He isn't talking about a movie.... 5/21/2013 5:50 PM

Brazil party challenges ruling on gay marriage
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- A conservative party is challenging a judicial ruling that requires all of Brazil's notary publics to register same-sex civil unions as marriages if couples request it.... 5/21/2013 5:41 PM

Puma to sell gasoline-ethanol mix in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- A Swiss oil company says it will start selling regular gasoline mixed with ethanol as part of a pilot program in Puerto Rico.... 5/21/2013 5:29 PM

Cuba lifts ban on energy-hogging appliances
HAVANA (AP) -- Cuba has authorized individual imports of appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and microwave ovens, lifting a ban imposed in 2005 amid a wave of energy shortages and blackouts.... 5/21/2013 5:27 PM

Harry Potter book with author notes sold for $228K
LONDON (AP) -- For fans of the boy wizard, this could be the most coveted copy of all the "Harry Potter" books in the world.... 5/21/2013 5:23 PM

Soldiers flood western Mexico to protect towns
COALCOMAN, Mexico (AP) -- Mexico's top security officials promised Tuesday that a new federal offensive to rescue towns besieged by the Knights Templar drug cartel in western Michoacan state would stay "until there is security and peace for all state residents."... 5/21/2013 5:21 PM

UN: Drop in Syrians reaching Jordan, unclear why
GENEVA (AP) -- U.N. officials said Tuesday that the number of Syrian refugees arriving in Jordan has suddenly fallen from an average of 2,500 a day to fewer than 20, and they are trying to quickly figure out why.... 5/21/2013 5:09 PM