GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships surrounded Gaza's largest city and fought militants at close range Sunday, the first full day of an overwhelming ground offensive in the coastal territory.Is ... full story
BAGHDAD -- A woman hiding among Iranian pilgrims with a bomb strapped under her black robe killed more than three dozen people on Sunday outside a Baghdad mosque during ceremonies commemorating the death of one of Shiite Islam's most revered saints.T ... full story
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Thousands of Israeli troops backed by columns of tanks and helicopter gunships launched a ground offensive in Gaza on Saturday night, with officials saying they expected a lengthy fight in the densely populated territory aft ... full story
ACCRA, Ghana -- Opposition leader John Atta Mills was declared Ghana's next president Saturday in a peaceful ballot that secured the West African nation's place as a beacon of democracy on a volatile continent.The country is one of the few in Africa ... full story
LONDON -- Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in European cities on Saturday against Israel's bombardment of Gaza, including protesters who hurled shoes at the tall iron gates outside the British prime minister's residence in London.Shoe-throwin ... full story
EREZ CROSSING, Israel -- Israel allowed several hundred Palestinians with foreign passports to flee Gaza on Friday, even as its warplanes bombed a mosque it said was used to store weapons and destroyed homes of more than a dozen Hamas operatives.The ... full story
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lankan forces captured the Tamil Tigers' de facto capital Friday, winning a major victory in a decades-long battle to destroy the ethnic separatists and crush their dream of establishing an independent state.The rebels, who ... full story
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- An Israeli warplane dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the home of one of Hamas' top five decision-makers Thursday, instantly killing him and 18 others, while the Israeli army said troops massed on the Gaza border were ready for a ... full story
BAGHDAD -- The U.S. formally transferred control of the Green Zone to Iraqi authorities Thursday in a pair of ceremonies that also handed back Saddam Hussein's former palace. Iraq's prime minister said he would propose making Jan. 1 a holiday markin ... full story
MOSCOW -- Russia made good on its threat to cut off all natural gas supplies to Ukraine on Thursday -- but the two uneasy neighbors took great pains to make sure their contact dispute would not leave Europe short of gas just as winter set in.Oversha ... full story
BANGKOK, Thailand -- It was billed as a New Year's Eve blowout and a last-night celebration of the wildly popular, classy nightclub before it moved to a new location. "Goodbye Santika," the promotion poster read.Before the revelry was over, at least ... full story
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) -- Slovak banks did brisk business as they opened on New Year's Day for a very special occasion -- issuing euros to citizens eager to get their hands on the country's new currency.The small alpine nation on Thursday became t ... full story
SANTIAGO, Cuba (AP) -- Fifty years after triumphant armed rebels descended from the mountains, communist Cuba celebrated the revolution's anniversary Thursday with toned-down festivities following a trio of devastating hurricanes and under the enduri ... full story
GAUHATI, India (AP) -- Three bombs exploded in India's restive northeast Thursday, killing at least five people and wounding 50, about an hour before the nation's top security official arrived in the area.Senior police official P. Saloi said authorit ... full story
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Taliban militants ambushed a group of police while they were eating lunch in remote southern Afghanistan, killing 20 and fatally shooting the mother of one as she pleaded unsuccessfully for her son's life, an official sa ... full story
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- South African anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman, who won international acclaim as one of the few white lawmakers to fight against the injustices of racist rule, died Thursday. She was 91.Suzman, who was twice nomina ... full story
ROME (AP) -- Paul Hofmann, an Austrian who informed on his Nazi commanders in occupied Rome and later became a New York Times correspondent and author, has died, the newspaper reported Thursday. He was 96.Hofmann died in Rome on Tuesday, the Times qu ... full story
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israel sent more troops to the Gaza border Wednesday, rapidly moving forward with preparations for a possible ground offensive as the next stage of its military assault on the coastal territory's Hamas rulers.Israel rebuffed ... full story
BEIJING -- An executive of the dairy company at the heart of China's tainted-milk scandal admitted knowing of problems with Sanlu-brand products for months before she informed authorities and pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that could lead to th ... full story
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- A militant arrested in Pakistan has confessed involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks and is giving investigators details of the plot, a senior Pakistani government official said Wednesday.The revelation could add to pres ... full story
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- A fire raced through a two-story nightclub packed with hundreds of well-heeled New Year's revelers early Thursday, killing at least 61 people as they stampeded to escape the raging flames.More than 200 were injured, includin ... full story
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The Gaza Strip has lost its last lifeline after five days of Israeli bombing raids that destroyed dozens of smuggling tunnels under the sandy border with Egypt.The passages did not just supply Hamas with arms, but brought in ... full story
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israel, under international pressure, is considering a 48-hour halt to its punishing four-day air campaign on Hamas targets in Gaza to see if Palestinian militants will stop their rocket attacks on southern Israel, Israeli o ... full story
CAIRO, Egypt -- The Israeli bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip has unleashed outrage across the Middle East -- but the anger is being vented as much at Egypt as at Israel.Protesters have attacked Egyptian embassies, accusing Cairo of helping Israel's ... full story
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Ugandan rebels have killed more than 400 people in northeastern Congo since Christmas, an aid agency said Tuesday.The Catholic charity, Caritas, cited reports by its staff in the region."Caritas is shocked by its staff reports ... full story
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