Vatican researcher says faint writing on Shroud of Turin proves its authenticity
ROME (AP) -- A Vatican researcher has rekindled the age-old debate over the Shroud of Turin, saying that faint writing on the linen proves it was the burial cloth of Jesus....

Argentina's Congress approves forced extraction of DNA from suspected dirty war orphans
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Valuing truth over the right to privacy, Argentina's Congress has authorized the forced extraction of DNA from people who may have been born to political prisoners slain a quarter-century ago - even when they don't want to know their birth parents....

Kidnapped Britons say Somali pirates are losing patience, could kill them within a week
LONDON (AP) -- A retired British couple snatched from their yacht by Somali pirates said in an interview broadcast Friday they fear they could be killed within a week or handed to a terrorist group if a ransom demand is not paid....

'Rompuy-pumpy' and Cathy Who?: Critics underwhelmed by EU's choice for new top jobs
LONDON (AP) -- Catherine Ashton: International woman of mystery....

Police are weak link in Afghanistan's goal for its forces take lead on security in 5 years
KABUL (AP) -- Underpaid, under-equipped and under-trained, Afghanistan's 93,000-member police force is the weak link in an ambitious security strategy to hand over defense of the country to Afghans so American and other foreign troops can go home....

Diplomats from 6 world powers urge Iran to accept UN nuclear plan
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Representatives of six world powers urged Iran on Friday to accept a U.N. plan aimed at delaying its ability to build a nuclear weapon, as the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency warned Tehran not to miss the opportunity to resolve the dispute....

Kidnapped Britons say Somali pirates are losing patience over ransom demand, may kill them
LONDON (AP) -- A British couple being held hostage by Somali pirates said in an interview broadcast Friday that they fear they will be killed or handed to a terrorist group if a ransom is not paid soon....

Florence museum: lost Galileo relics, a tooth and 2 of astronomer's fingers, found again
ROME (AP) -- Two fingers and a tooth removed from Galileo Galilei's corpse in a Florentine basilica in the 18th century and given up for lost have been found again and will soon be put on display, an Italian museum director said Friday....

UN children's convention at 20: Indian boy embodies the plight of millions of downtrodden kids
NEW DELHI (AP) -- Arun Kumar was born to disabled parents, beaten by his grandparents, ran away from home, got a job in a garment factory and had all his savings stolen by the police....

Floods batter UK's Lake District, policeman dies, hundreds rescued; Ireland also hard hit
COCKERMOUTH, England (AP) -- Raging floods engulfed northern England's picturesque Lake District on Friday following the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in Britain, killing a police officer and trapping dozens in their swamped homes....