Naming of new Taliban chief seen dimming Obama's hopes for Afghan peace talks
WASHINGTON The selection of a hard-line cleric as the new Taliban chief on Wednesday all but dashes U.S. President Barack Obama's hopes for opening peace talks before he leaves office, one of his top foreign policy goals, current and former U.S. defense and intelligence officials said.
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French, Italian firms to help search for EgyptAir black boxes
CAIRO Egypt has asked European firms to help search for the black boxes of an EgyptAir plane that crashed on May 19 in deep water in the Mediterranean Sea, the airline's chairman and French diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.
Russia's Putin pardons Ukrainian pilot, sends her home in prisoner swap
MOSCOW/KIEV Ukrainian military pilot Nadiya Savchenko arrived home to scenes of jubilation on Wednesday after her release by Russia in a prisoner swap and she promptly offered to fight again for Kiev in its conflict with pro-Russian separatists. | Video
Top Shi'ite cleric urges restraint in assault on Iraq's Falluja
BAGHDAD Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric urged government and allied Shi'ite militia forces fighting to retake Falluja from Islamic State militants to spare trapped civilians amid reports of a budding humanitarian crisis in the city.
Japan PM protests Okinawa crime to Obama, who promises cooperation
ISE-SHIMA, Japan Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe protested to U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday about the killing of a young woman in Okinawa which has reignited resentment of the heavy U.S. military presence on the southern Japanese island. | Video
Calgary man found not criminally responsible in fatal stabbing of five
CALGARY, Alberta The 24-year-old son of a policeman who fatally stabbed five people at a Calgary house party in 2014 was not criminally responsible, a judge ruled on Wednesday, saying a mental disorder blocked him from knowing his actions were wrong.