Eric Linton

U.S. Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, accused of the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history, deferred a plea in a military court arraignment Thursday, marking the first step in a court-martial that could land him in prison for life.

Western and Arab nations will demand that Syrian forces call an immediate ceasefire to allow relief supplies to reach desperate civilians in bombarded cities such as Homs when they meet in Tunis Friday.

The United States said Thursday it was making progress with its African allies in its push against Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army, but gave no clear end date for the shadowy U.S. military operation unfolding in Central Africa.

Seven states, Catholic groups and individuals Thursday filed the first major lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's new contraceptive regulations, arguing that the policy violated the constitutional rights to religious freedom.

Greece took its first step toward reaping urgently needed funds agreed in a 130-billion-euro rescue package Thursday as its parliament endorsed a bond swap for private holders of its debt.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces rained rockets and bombs down on opposition-held neighborhoods of the city of Homs, reducing buildings to rubble and killing more than 80 people, including two Western journalists.

Three members of Congress have received threatening mail over the last two days and law enforcement officials Wednesday warned that more may be coming.

Euro zone finance ministers inched toward approving a second bailout for debt-laden Greece Monday night that would resolve Athens' immediate repayment needs but seems unlikely to revive the nation's shattered economy.

Asian markets rose across the board Monday as policy easing by China and expectations that Greece will secure a second bailout buoyed investor appetite for riskier assets, sending U.S. crude up nearly 2 percent and copper nearly 3 percent higher.

Markets jumped Monday as policy easing by China and prospects for Greece to clinch a second bailout fund buoyed investor appetite for riskier assets, sending U.S. crude up nearly $2 a barrel and Asian shares up nearly 1 percent.

After a year of protests, diplomatic wrangling and an assassination attempt, Yemenis will draw a line under Ali Abdullah Saleh's three-decade rule Tuesday by voting in an uncontested election to install his deputy as president.

Senegal security forces clashed with protesters in Dakar and surrounding suburbs Sunday in the fifth straight day of demonstrations against President Abdoulaye Wade's candidacy in a Feb. 26 election.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel bowed to pressure Sunday and agreed to dupport popular opposition candidate Joachim Gauck to become president, averting a political fight that might have distracted her government from solving the euro zone crisis.

A suicide car bomber killed 19 Iraqi police officers and cadets Sunday in an attack on a crowd outside a Baghdad police academy, police and hospital sources said.

U.N. nuclear inspectors headed to Iran Sunday for talks aimed at getting Tehran to start addressing their mounting concerns that it may be seeking to develop atomic bombs.

Police and regime militia patrols fanned out in Damascus' Mezze district Sunday to prevent a repeat of protests against President Bashar al-Assad that have threatened his grip on the capital, opposition activists said.

The House of Representatives passed an energy bill Thursday that would wrest control of a permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline away from President Barack Obama, who has put the project on hold.

A report this week showing rampant foreclosure abuse in San Francisco reflects similar levels of lender fraud and faulty documentation across the United States, say experts and officials who have done studies in other parts of the country.

Gold prices held steady on Friday, after optimism that Greece may soon secure an urgently needed bailout helped the metal recover from a one-week low hit in the previous session.

A planned March 1 debate of Republican presidential candidates in Atlanta was canceled Thursday after Mitt Romney and Ron Paul dropped out of it and the campaign for Rick Santorum expressed doubt he would attend.

The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly ratcheted up the pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday by overwhelmingly approving a resolution that endorses an Arab League plan calling for him to step aside.

A deal to renew a payroll tax cut for 160 million U.S. workers through 2012 headed on Thursday toward congressional approval as Democratic and Republican leaders rallied support for the bipartisan agreement.

The New Jersey Assembly passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage on Thursday, sending the bill to Republican Gov. Chris Christie, a possible vice-presidential candidate who has promised to veto the measure.

Asian shares and the euro fell Thursday as another delay in cementing a crucial bailout for stricken Greece underscored how far Europe is from resolving a debt crisis that threatens the stability of the financial system.

Greece expressed hope Wednesday that it can secure its second EU/IMF bailout in as many years and a deal on easing its debt burden next week, but its euro zone peers made clear the months of increasingly ill-tempered argument are not quite over yet.

Negotiators Wednesday evening reached a sweeping tax cut deal that provides a victory to President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats in Congress and frees Republicans of an issue that threatened to stalk them to the November elections.

Moody's Investor Service warned Thursday it could downgrade the credit ratings of 17 global banks and securities firms due to more fragile funding conditions, increased regulatory burdens and a more difficult operating environment.

Moody's said Wednesday it was taking ratings actions on 114 financial institutions in 16 European countries to reflect the impact of the continent's debt crisis and the deteriorating creditworthiness of governments in the region.

U.S. lawmakers Wednesday reached a sweeping tax cut deal that provides a victory to Democrats and frees Republicans of an issue that threatened to stalk them to the November elections.