NATO's secretary-general says he's confident that countries will soon increase their commitment to the alliance's mission in Afghanistan. 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

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

A 79-year-old Irish priest said he hiked through jungles, survived raging seas and slept in a swamp under a tarpaulin before his captors released him Thursday after a month, apparently without getting the ransom they demanded. Read More

The Australian government on Thursday approved the extradition of an alleged Nazi war criminal accused by Hungary of a World War II killing. Read More

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

A Jewish-American extremist has been charged with shooting to death two Palestinians and trying to kill others with explosive devices and poison. Read More

Kidnapping villagers who have traveled to Beijing to lodge complaints with China's central government and keeping them in unofficial jails to silence them has evolved into a lucrative cottage industry that police refuse to crack down on, a human rights group said Thursday. Read More

On the eve of President Barack Obama's first visit to Asia, China floated a potentially provocative comparison, likening serfdom in Tibet to slavery in the U.S. _ an apparent attempt to gain support for its policies in the Himalayan region. 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, has resigned from his post, an official said Thursday. Read More

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday vowed support for the Philippine fight against al-Qaida-linked militants and highlighted the U.S. military's role in helping the country recover from deadly typhoons. 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

Eleven suspected Islamic extremists of South Asian origin went on trial Thursday over an alleged plot to stage suicide attacks on the Barcelona subway system on orders from the Pakistan Taliban. Read More

Government leaders are defending the reliability of Brazil's power grid after a huge blackout left nearly 60 million people in the dark and raised concerns about its ability to guarantee electricity for a surging economy. Read More

Germany's defense minister said Wednesday that his country was committed to its mission in Afghanistan, where it has more than 4,000 troops, but that President Hamid Karzai's new administration must outline a clear plan for the future. Read More

Tens of thousands of communist demonstrators blocked the streets leading to the government headquarters in Nepal's capital and scuffled with police Thursday in one of the biggest protests against the president and administration in months. Read More

European stock markets rose modestly Thursday as investor optimism was dented by a subdued performance in Asia. Wall Street was expected to retreat after the Standard & Poor's 500 index failed to close above 1,100 the day before. 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

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

A Tanzanian government official says a landslide has killed 11 children and nine adults near Mt. Kilimanjaro. Read More