AFGHANISTAN

Pakistani security forces are routinely detaining, torturing and murdering hundreds of political activists in Balochistan in what some observers describe as a ?dirty war.?

Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the main hospital for injured soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, had a closing ceremony Wednesday. Authorities will move hundreds of patients to hospitals in Maryland and Virginia.

Missing US Army soldier Jason Abdo Nassar, who was arrested near Fort Hood with bomb-making materials, will face Federal charges on Thursday. Nassar was arrested in his hotel room near Fort Hood, Texas, and he was in possession of bomb-making materials, according to the FBI.

U.S. visa restrictions on Russian officials linked to the death of hedge fund lawyer Sergei Magnitsky could become a "serious irritant" in bilateral relations and provoke a response from Moscow, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Three soldiers connected to an alleged plot to plant explosives at Fort Hood in Texas were arrested on Wednesday, officials said.

Walter Reed, the Army medical center that was viewed as a top facility for wounded warriors before a 2007 investigation revealed widespread negligence, closed with a formal ceremony on Wednesday.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who escaped an attempt on his life by opponents, will only cede power through the ballot box and the country will descend into civil war if he is forced from office, his foreign minister said.

A suicide bomber killed the mayor of Afghanistan's Kandahar Wednesday, a further blow to stability in the southern city still reeling from the assassination two weeks ago of President Hamid Karzai's powerbroker half-brother.

Osama bin Laden's death and a relentless campaign of drone attacks have weakened al-Qaeda to the point that the terror organization may no longer be capable of planning and carrying out large-scale attacks.

Senate Democrats' legislation to reduce the U.S. deficit and increase borrowing authority would cut $2.2 trillion from deficits, about $500 billion less than Democrats claimed, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.

As central Oslo reeled from Norway's worst massacre in modern history, a blond man in the grieving crowd asked Iraqi-born Iman al-Kofi, wearing a headscarf, for a hug.

?We have told Pakistan we are willing to discuss all issues with an open mind,? a senior Indian government official told media.

While it may seem strange for a far-right Western European to praise India?s Hindus, it is actually nothing new.

Breivik apparently has found some ?common ground? with right-wing Hindu nationalists over their mutual contempt and fear of Muslims.

For years, war veterans have had to turn to traditional methods of therapy when the terrifying battlefield memories come rushing back. But now, new-age technology designed to assist with the coping of post-traumatic stress and brain injuries have been turned into mobile phone applications, or "apps."

Another impasse at the U.S. debt ceiling talks caused gold to touch new highs on Monday. Spot gold rose to a record $1,622.49 per ounce, an increase of 1.1 percent, as investors became nervous about the possibility of a U.S. rating downgrade. There are analysts who believe that irrespective of whether there will be a debt deal in the U.S. or not, gold will continue to rise higher, basically because of the residual weakness of the dollar.

Call it 'dueling debt plans': Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. announced Monday a $2.7 trillion spending reduction plan, while House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced a 2-stage spending cut plan, $1 trillion now, and $1.2 trillion next year. If the two sides can get down to negotiating, Monday will be a day of progress in the debt deal saga.

A right-wing zealot who has confessed to killing 93 people in Norway seemed a polite "city man" out of place in a small rural town where he leased a hideaway farm to plot his attacks.

The boy was kidnapped when his father refused to cooperate with the Taliban.

There are mixed opinions on whether the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy could have a negative impact on the US Military.

President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders have missed a self-imposed Sunday deadline reach a deal to raise the U.S. federal debt limit, bringing the default deadline for U.S. obligations even closer.