To defang Taliban, some look to private schools

By NAHAL TOOSI

The schoolhouse is so tiny that dozens of pupils have to sit outdoors. They're lucky if their teachers have more than a basic education. And the chanting of math equations and Quranic verses gets so loud that the children have a hard time hearing themselves.

Nov 07, 2009 | 9:35 am

Madagascar political rivals reach government deal

By SAMSON HAILEYESUS

Madagascar's political rivals have agreed on posts within a transitional government that will hold power until next year's elections following a power struggle that brought months of volatility to the country, an African Union statement said.

Nov 07, 2009 | 9:10 am

Afghan ministry: NATO strike kills Afghan soldiers

By ELENA BECATOROS

NATO and Afghan authorities were investigating Saturday whether an airstrike during the intensive search for two missing U.S. paratroopers mistakenly killed eight Afghans and wounded more than 20 Afghan and American forces.

Nov 07, 2009 | 8:45 am

UK foreign secretary: Obama critics miss the point

By DAVID STRINGER

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Saturday accused critics of U.S. President Barack Obama of foolishly expecting him to fix the world's woes single-handedly.

Nov 07, 2009 | 8:40 am

West Africa's last giraffes make surprise comeback

By TODD PITMAN

A crisp African dawn is breaking overhead, and Zibo Mounkaila is on the back of a pickup truck bounding across a sparse landscape of rocky orange soil.

Nov 07, 2009 | 8:25 am

Afghan gov't says UN representative out of line

By HEIDI VOGT

Pushing back against international criticism, Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the top U.N. official in the country overstepped his authority by giving instructions on how to rid the government of corruption and warlords.

Nov 07, 2009 | 8:20 am

Medvedev: Arms control deal with US can be reached

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

Russia and the United States have a good chance at signing a new nuclear arms reduction deal before year's end, but other nuclear powers must join disarmament efforts, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in remarks released Saturday.

Nov 07, 2009 | 7:20 am

Giant dominoes form tribute to Berlin Wall's fall

By DAVID RISING

Massive colorful dominoes painted by German students were placed Saturday along the former path of the Berlin Wall to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the barrier that divided the city for nearly three decades.

Nov 07, 2009 | 7:00 am

Unique homecoming to Vietnam for US commander

By BEN STOCKING

On the day his side lost the Vietnam War, Hung Ba Le fled his homeland at the age of 5 in a fishing trawler crammed with 400 refugees. Thirty-four years later, he made an unlikely homecoming _ as the commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer.

Nov 07, 2009 | 6:45 am

Lock and roll: Presley's hair for sale at auction

A British auction house says it's selling a strand of Elvis Presley's hair preserved for decades by a fan.

Nov 07, 2009 | 6:25 am

US: More foreign troops certain in new Afghan plan

By SLOBODAN LEKIC

A top Pentagon official says President Barack Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan will be certain to include reinforcements of foreign troops from both the United States and allied nations.

Nov 07, 2009 | 5:45 am

Pakistan's fashionistas defy Taliban

By CHRIS BRUMMITT

Some women strode the catwalk in vicious spiked bracelets and body armor. Others had their heads covered, burqa-style, but with shoulders _ and tattoos _ exposed. Male models wore long, Islamic robes as well as shorts and sequined T-shirts.

Nov 07, 2009 | 5:35 am

UN: About 200 staff to be pulled from Afghanistan

The U.N. says hundreds of its staffers will be temporarily pulled out of Afghanistan in the wake of an Oct. 28 attack that killed five of its workers, but it's still determining exactly how many.

Nov 07, 2009 | 5:15 am

Pakistan: 12 militants killed in offensive

By ASIF SHAHZAD

Pakistani soldiers killed 12 militants in gunbattles over the past day, officials said Saturday, as government forces pressed on with their offensive in the mountainous Taliban sanctuary of South Waziristan.

Nov 07, 2009 | 5:00 am

Russia's Medvedev: Sanctions against Iran possible

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

Russia could back sanctions against Iran if it fails to take a constructive stance in international talks over its nuclear program, President Dmitry Medvedev said in remarks released Saturday.

Nov 07, 2009 | 4:45 am

Afghan Defense Ministry says mistaken NATO airstrike kills 4 Afghan soldiers, 3 police.

Nov 07, 2009 | 3:35 am

2 tickets win UK's largest lottery payout

European lottery officials say two British ticketholders have shared a jackpot of 90 million pounds ($150 million) _ the largest lottery prizes ever paid out in the United Kingdom.

Nov 07, 2009 | 3:25 am

Obama to meet Myanmar, other ASEAN leaders

By JIM GOMEZ

President Barack Obama will meet leaders of Southeast Asian nations, including Myanmar, in a high-level affirmation of Washington's new policy of engaging the military-ruled country despite its dismal human rights record.

Nov 07, 2009 | 3:15 am

Thaksin on a mission to humiliate Thai government

By JOCELYN GECKER

Thailand's fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has spent much of the past three years roaming the globe, shopping for diamonds in Africa, golfing at Asian resorts _ and humiliating the government from a distance.

Nov 06, 2009 | 10:30 pm