Argentine train slams into station, killing 49 »

A train packed with morning commuters slammed into a downtown station on Wednesday, killing 49 people and injuring hundreds as passenger cars crumpled and windows exploded around them. It was Argentina's worst train accident in decades.

Two western journalists killed in Syria »

Died in Intense Shelling in Homs, Others Journalists Injured

7 killed in protests over Quran burning »

The Interior Ministry on Wednesday said seven people were killed in clashes between Afghan security forces and protesters demonstrating against the burning of Muslim holy books at a NATO military base.

UN inspectors in Iran throw up their hands »

It's official: The United Nations nuclear inspections many thought Iran wouldn't let happen, didn't happen.

US, NKorea to hold first post-Kim Jong Il talks »

The U.S. and North Korea reopen nuclear talks Thursday that will provide a glimpse into where Pyongyang's opaque government is heading after Kim Jong Il's death and test its readiness to dismantle nuclear programs for much-needed aid.

Assad forces try to bomb Homs into submission »

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces rained rockets and bombs down on opposition-held neighborhoods of the city of Homs on Wednesday, reducing buildings to rubble and killing more than 80 people, including two Western journalists. The barrages marked an intensification of a nearly three-week offensive to crush resistance in Homs, one of the focal points of a nationwide uprising against Assad's 11-year rule, and prompted further international condemnation. ...

U.S. and French journalists killed in Syria »

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - American correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday when rockets fired by government forces hit the house they were staying in, opposition activists and witnesses said. At least two other journalists and possibly more were wounded in the attack, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said. One of the wounded was named as British photographer Paul Conroy, the other as Edith Bouvier of France's Le Figaro newspaper. She was said to be in serious condition. ...

Iran defiant as U.N. nuclear talks fail »

VIENNA/TEHRAN (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog ended its latest mission to Iran after talks on Tehran's suspected secret atomic weapons research failed, a setback likely to increase the risk of confrontation with the West. The United States criticized Iran on Wednesday over the failure of the International Atomic Energy Agency's latest mission, saying it again showed Tehran's refusal to abide by its international obligations over its nuclear program. ...

Karzai urges calm as six die in Afghan Koran protests »

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai appealed for calm Wednesday after officials said six people were shot dead and dozens wounded in protests over the burning of copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, at NATO's main base in the country. The U.S. embassy said its staff were in "lockdown" and travel had been suspended as thousands of people expressed fury over the burning, in protests that flared for a second day in several cities. It was a public relations disaster for U.S. ...

Chavez surgery rocks Venezuela ahead of election »

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's imminent departure for more cancer surgery in Cuba has thrown his re-election campaign into uncertainty and once again shaken the socialist leader's passionate supporters. Though the 57-year-old former soldier looked stoic and played down the dangers of his latest condition, the announcement inevitably raises questions over his ability to stand for the October 7 presidential vote - or rule beyond it. Chavez, who has dominated Venezuela since taking office in 1999 and whose fierce anti-U.S. ...

Libya court orders civil trial for Gaddafi "loyalists" »

BENGHAZI (Reuters) - A Libyan military court ruled on Wednesday that 50 people accused of fighting for Muammar Gaddafi and helping a mass jail break by alleged supporters of the deposed leader should be freed and tried instead in a civilian court. Defense lawyers welcomed the ruling, saying most of the accused were civilians and that the military court on a base in the eastern city of Benghazi was struggling to try the case. "We feel this court is under pressure and... ...

Judge to rule on Mubarak case on June 2 »

CAIRO (Reuters) - The verdict in the trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, charged with ordering the killing of protesters in the uprising that swept him from power, will be delivered on June 2, the judge said on Wednesday. "We have vowed to speak the truth. We are committed to this vow," Judge Ahmed Refaat said. "It is a commitment that justice and truth will be our constitution. ...

Ethiopian troops seize key Somali rebel bastion »

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Ethiopian and Somali troops captured a key Islamist militant stronghold in Somalia on Wednesday, as the rebels left their positions, a regional government official and residents said. The loss of Baidoa in central Somalia is a major blow for the al Qaeda-backed al Shabaab rebel group which is also battling Kenyan troops to hold on to territory in southern Somalia and against African peacekeepers in pockets of the capital. "We have taken Baidoa. ...

Argentine commuter train crashes, killing 49 people »

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A packed commuter train plowed into the buffers at a Buenos Aires station during Wednesday's morning rush hour, killing at least 49 people and injuring more than 600 in Argentina's worst rail crash in three decades. Passengers said the force of the collision propelled the second train car inside the first carriage, trapping dozens of people in the wreckage alongside the busy platforms at Once station. Officials said faulty brakes were suspected of causing the accident and witnesses said the train hurtled into the buffers. "I said, 'Be careful, the train isn't braking' ...

Rome expands cruise ship probe as bodies found »

FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors placed four ship's officers and three company executives under investigation Wednesday in connection with the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster as divers found eight more bodies on the wreck including that of a 5-year-old girl. The officers and executives from Costa Cruises, the stricken vessel's operator, join the ship's captain Francesco Schettino and first officer Ciro Ambrosio who are being formally investigated. A spokesman for the company would not identify the new group of defendants. ...

Italy: Divers find 8 more bodies in ship wreckage »

Divers searching the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship found eight bodies Wednesday on one of the passenger decks, including that of a missing 5-year-old Italian girl, authorities said.

Venezuela's Chavez says his cancer is likely back »

President Hugo Chavez has raised serious doubts about whether he'll have the stamina for a successful re-election bid, revealing that he needs to return to Cuba to have a lesion removed that is probably malignant.

UK emergency services hold big Olympics test »

British police, fire and ambulance staff held a huge pre-Olympics security exercise Wednesday centering on a mock terrorist attack on the London subway system.

Microsoft hits Motorola, Google with EU complaint »

Microsoft on Wednesday lodged a formal complaint with the European Union's competition regulator against Motorola Mobility and its soon-to-be owner Google, saying Motorola's aggressive enforcement of patent rights against rivals breaks competition rules.

Greek lawmakers rush to clear promised austerity »

Greece scrambled Wednesday to push through a batch of emergency laws that will further cut incomes and state spending, a day after securing a new bailout and debt relief deal designed to stave off bankruptcy.