Pakistani acid attack victim Fakhra Younus had endured more than three dozen surgeries over more than a decade to repair her severely damaged face and body when she finally decided life was no longer worth living.The 33-year-old former dancing girl -- who was allegedly attacked by her then-husband,

NEW DELHI (AP) -- Developing nations again seem unlikely to propel one of their own citizens to the World Bank presidency. It may not matter. A group of rising powers is mulling its own alternative to Western-dominated lending institutions.The proposal for a new development bank is one of many to be

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Wednesday faced a fresh barrage of allegations over its conduct, with an Australian newspaper claiming it had a secret unit that promoted pirating of pay-TV rivals.The Australian Financial Review said the company sabotaged its competitors by promoting high-tech piracy tha

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s ruling party completed its plan to double the nation’s consumption tax, clearing the way for the Cabinet to approve the legislation and submit it to parliament. The Democratic Party of Japan decided early this morning on the bill’s wording, which states the levy could be halted in the event of “drastic” economic changes. The Cabinet is scheduled on March 30 to approve the measure, which would raise the sales levy to 8 percent in April 2014 and 10 percent

BAGHDAD (AP) ― Drought and uprisings are threatening to undermine the Middle East’s economy, Arab officials said Tuesday as they discussed plans to boost the region’s stability at the start of a key summit in Baghdad.For the first time in a generation, leaders from 21 states gathered in Iraq for the Arab League’s annual summit. Iraq is hoping the summit will better integrate its Shiite-led government into the Sunni-dominated Arab world, and it has deployed thousands of soldiers and police across

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The U.S. Supreme Court’s more conservative justices sharply questioned a core provision of President Barack Obama’s historic health care reforms Tuesday, raising doubts about the fate of the requirement that all Americans must buy insurance coverage or face a penalty.The court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the law ― expected in June, during the heat of the presidential re-election campaign ― will affect the lives of nearly every American and stands to deepen already wide

Sony Corp.’s incoming President Kazuo Hirai put himself in charge of the company’s unprofitable TV unit, staking his reputation on ending eight years of losses. Sony abolished two divisions at its main electronics unit and promoted three executives, the company said in a statement Tuesday. The changes, effective April 1, when Hirai will take over as chief executive officer of the Tokyo-based company, are aimed at speeding up management decisions, said Satsuki Shinnaka, a spokeswoman for Japan’s

SEOUL (AP) ― Conceding strained ties, President Barack Obama on Tuesday welcomed Pakistan’s review of its relationship with the United States, saying it was important for the two countries to get their partnership right.Obama spoke alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani before the two men held private talks. The meeting came amid heightened tensions between their countries following a series of incidents that have marred trust.“There have been times ― I think we should be frank ―

MOSCOW (AFP) ― Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Mitt Romney on Tuesday to use his head and stop reverting to Hollywood stereotypes after the U.S. presidential hopeful branded Moscow as Washington’s top foe.“I recommend that all U.S. presidential candidates, including the candidate you mention (Romney), do at least two things,” Medvedev told Russian reporters on the sidelines of a nuclear security conference in Seoul.“That they use their head and consult their reason when they formulate the

Liberal and leftist parties have pulled out of a panel drafting Egypt‘s new constitution, they announced on Tuesday, accusing Islamists of monopolizing the process to deliver its post-revolution charter.The withdrawals from the panel will call its legitimacy into question, pushing the struggle between Islamists and secularists over the issue to crisis point.“We announce our rejection of the way the constituent assembly was formed,” Ahmed Said, the head of the liberal Free Egyptians party, told r

Syrian National Council: Annan plan must mean Assad goesDAMASCUS (AFP) ― Syria has accepted a proposal crafted by Kofi Annan designed to end the bloodshed in the country, the envoy’s spokesman said Tuesday, as opposition factions agreed to join forces against the regime.U.N.-Arab League envoy Annan, speaking from Beijing, cautioned that the key to peace was implementing his six-point plan, as monitors reported at least another 31 people killed in Syria on Tuesday.That brought the total to almost

China on Tuesday accused the Dalai Lama and his associates of planning the self-immolation by a Tibetan exile in India days before China’s president visits, repeating past assertions blaming the spiritual leader for dozens of such protests.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei offered no evidence linking the Tibetan spiritual leader to the exile who lit himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in New Delhi on Monday.He said the Dalai Lama and his associates have been instig