Iceland forms center-right govt, halts EU talks
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) -- The leader of the center-right Progressive Party was chosen as Iceland's new prime minister Wednesday and promptly announced a halt to talks with the European Union about joining the 27-nation bloc.... 5/22/2013 11:13 AM

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 11:04 AM

Kerry: US, allies, ready to step up aid rebels
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and its Arab and European allies will step up their support for Syria's opposition to help them "fight for the freedom of their country" if President Bashar Assad's regime doesn't engage in peace talks in good faith.... 5/22/2013 11:01 AM

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 United States, officials said Wednesday.... 5/22/2013 10:57 AM

Stocks surge as Bernanke retains dovish ton
LONDON (AP) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's signal that monetary policy will remain loose gave stocks another lift Wednesday, paving the way for many indexes to advance to new record highs.... 5/22/2013 10:57 AM

Malawi finds buyer for presidential jet
BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) -- Malawi's cost-cutting president is selling her predecessor's jet.... 5/22/2013 10:50 AM

North Korean leader sends special envoy to China
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- After months of ignoring Chinese warnings to give up nuclear weapons, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a high-level confidant to Beijing on Wednesday, in a possible effort to mend strained ties with his country's most important ally and a sign that he may be giving diplomacy a chance.... 5/22/2013 10:47 AM

Chinese premier visits Pakistan, praises ties
ISLAMABAD (AP) -- China's premier began a two-day visit to Pakistan on Wednesday by signing economic agreements and praising Islamabad in glowing terms that underscored the importance of the longstanding alliance to the two Asian powers.... 5/22/2013 10:44 AM

Deputy mayor urges mayor to address crack video
TORONTO (AP) -- A close ally of Toronto mayor Rob Ford said Wednesday that Ford has followed legal advice in remaining silent about a purported video that appears to show him smoking crack cocaine.... 5/22/2013 11:18 AM

Pope issues first appeal for Chinese Catholics
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis has issued his first appeal directed at Catholics in China, long the source of concern for his predecessor Benedict XVI.... 5/22/2013 10:41 AM

Pakistani cricket star politician leaves hospital
ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Pakistani cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan left a hospital Wednesday, more than two weeks after he suffered serious back injuries in a fall from a forklift at a campaign event, a spokesman said.... 5/22/2013 10:39 AM

Monroe's photos for Prague exhibition stolen
PRAGUE (AP) -- A publicist for an upcoming Marilyn Monroe exhibition in Prague says that photographs of the star have been stolen.... 5/22/2013 10:36 AM

African Union celebrates 50th year
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- African nations this week mark the 50th year since the founding of a continentwide organization that spearheaded efforts to liberate Africa from colonial masters. Now leaders want to map out the next 50 years of political and economic integration.... 5/22/2013 10:35 AM

Irishman charged with 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombing
DUBLIN (AP) -- British prosecutors have charged a 61-year-old Irishman with the Irish Republican Army bombing of the queen's cavalry in Hyde Park in 1982, a strike at a top London tourist attraction that killed four soldiers and seven horses.... 5/22/2013 10:34 AM

Life-saving face transplant performed in Poland
WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- A 33-year-old Polish man received a life-saving total face transplant just three weeks after being disfigured in a workplace accident, in what his doctors said Wednesday is the fastest timeframe to date for such an operation.... 5/22/2013 10:33 AM

Iraqi premier orders army shake-up after attacks
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's prime minister has ordered a shake-up of his military command after a weeklong spike of militant attacks that has killed nearly 300 people, by far the highest toll since the U.S. withdrew its forces in late 2011, an official said Wednesday.... 5/22/2013 10:11 AM

Woods: Garcia comment hurtful, time to move on
VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) -- Sergio Garcia apologized to Tiger Woods on Wednesday for saying he would have "fried chicken" at dinner with his rival, a comment that Woods described as hurtful and inappropriate.... 5/22/2013 10:09 AM

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 9:51 AM

UK, Denmark eyes visas for Afghan interpreters
LONDON (AP) -- Britain and Denmark are proposing to give hundreds of Afghan interpreters who worked alongside their troops the right to settle in the U.K. and Denmark in recognition of the risks to their personal safety.... 5/22/2013 9:51 AM

Russian drunk driver who killed orphans sentenced
MOSCOW (AP) -- A Russian drunk driver who sparked a nationwide debate after killing seven, including five orphan children, in a road accident last year has been sentenced to prison.... 5/22/2013 9:40 AM