Monsoon floods kill 102 in India, strand pilgrims
LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- India's prime minister said Wednesday that the death toll from flooding this week in the northern state of Uttrakhand had surpassed 100 and could rise substantially....

Afghan leader backs away from Taliban talks
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Afghanistan's president said Wednesday he will not pursue peace talks with the Taliban unless the United States steps out of the negotiations, while also insisting the militant group stop its violent attacks on the ground after it claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that killed four Americans....

16 dead: Militants infiltrate UN's Somalia office
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Seven al-Qaida-linked gunmen detonated a pick-up truck rigged with explosives at the gate of the U.N. compound in Somalia's capital Wednesday, launching a bombs-and-gunfire assault that saw militants pour into the complex, killing at least nine people, including three foreigners, officials said....

Obama renews calls for nuclear reductions
BERLIN (AP) -- Appealing for a new citizen activism in the free world, President Barack Obama renewed his call Wednesday to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles and to confront climate change, a danger he called "the global threat of our time."...

Protesters out again in Brazil's biggest city
SAO PAULO (AP) -- Scattered street demonstrations popped up around Brazil early Wednesday as protesters continued their collective cry against the low-quality public services they receive in exchange for high taxes and high prices....

Death threats greet Italy's first back minister
ROME (AP) -- Italy's first black Cabinet minister is facing Internet death threats before a visit to a region known for its anti-immigrant political base....

Iran's electoral watchdog approves election result
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's state TV is reporting the country's election overseer, the Guardian Council, has approved Friday's presidential election result, affirming a first-round victory by a relative moderate....

Comparison of mass protests in Brazil and Turkey
Large-scale protests have engulfed Turkey and Brazil, which are thousands of miles apart, but share some traits such as being new democracies with a growing middle class. Here's a look at the protests in both countries, highlighting the similarities and differences in how they started and developed:...

Turkey's 'standing man' to join ranks of icons?
The image was stark: a silent, solitary figure standing in passive defiance to the Turkish prime minister's demand for protesters to clear Taksim Square in central Istanbul....

Elizabeth Taylor's first wedding dress up for sale
LONDON (AP) -- The gown Elizabeth Taylor wore at the first of her eight weddings is for sale. You'll need at least 30,000 pounds ($47,000) to buy it and a tiny waist to wear it....