Significant progress has been made in removing land mines around the world, but the hidden devices killed more than 1,260 people last year, the International Campaign to Ban Land mines said Thursday. Read More

Denmark sent invitations Thursday to 191 world leaders to attend next month's U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, officials said. Read More

Bosnian Serb war criminal Biljana Plavsic said Thursday the success of Bosnia's Serb Republic helped her survive her years in jail, but she does not plan to return to politics. Read More

Tens of thousands of well-wishers lined the streets of Tokyo on Thursday for a parade on the 20th anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Akihito, who urged Japanese not to forget the lessons of World War II. Read More

Sri Lanka's top general, who led the battle to crush the Tamil Tiger rebels and ended the island's 30-year civil war, resigned from his post Thursday but declined to discuss his future plans. Read More

Three men of Pakistani origin denied any wrongdoing Thursday as they went on trial over an alleged plot to stage suicide attacks in Barcelona on orders from the Pakistan Taliban. Read More

Palestinian election officials on Thursday recommended calling off January's presidential election, clearing the way for embattled President Mahmoud Abbas to back off his threats to step down and remain in office. Read More

A Jewish-American extremist charged Thursday with shooting to death two Palestinians and trying to kill others with explosive devices and poison said he had no regrets and was sure God approved of his actions. Read More

Italy's parliament was considering a controversial bill Thursday that would limit the length of trials, with critics saying it was drafted to help Premier Silvio Berlusconi with his legal problems. Read More

Gunmen killed a Pakistani working at the Iranian Consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Thursday, adding to security fears in the country as it presses an offensive against the Taliban along the nearby Afghan border. Read More

A Norwegian freelance journalist kidnapped a week ago in eastern Afghanistan was released Thursday along with his Afghan interpreter, the Foreign Ministry said. Read More

Two Swiss businessmen arrested in Libya amid a spat with Switzerland involving leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, are to go on trial on accusations of tax evasion and violating residency laws, a Foreign Ministry official said Thursday. Read More

A police official says 15 people _ 13 of them women _ were killed when a gold mine caved in on them in western Ghana. Read More

Otty Sanchez got six weeks in a state mental hospital after she was found wandering around a drug store last year, shopping for an imaginary trip to China. Read More

Italy's top security official said Friday that authorities have smashed an international terror cell with the arrest in Italy and elsewhere in Europe of 17 Algerians who were raising money to finance terrorism. Read More

Allied countries are pledging to send more help to Afghanistan before a much anticipated decision from President Barack Obama on whether to send more troops, NATO's secretary-general said Thursday. Read More

A bomb-sniffing dog that disappeared during a fierce battle in Afghanistan between Australian troops and militant fighters has been found and returned to its unit after more than a year. Read More

An Iranian opposition leader said Thursday that the country is making sweeping changes to its security apparatus in an effort to consolidate the power of the elite Revolutionary Guard. Read More

Gunmen have killed a top Somali judge who had sentenced many pirates and human traffickers to long jail terms, the security minister for northern Somalia said Thursday. Read More

Palestinian election commission recommends postponing presidential vote, blames Hamas. Read More