DAKAR (AP) ― President Abdoulaye Wade conceded defeat to his former protege Macky Sall late Sunday, congratulating him several hours after polls closed when preliminary results showed the opposition candidate had trounced the 85-year-old incumbent.Wade called Sall around 9:30 p.m. Sunday to congratulate him on his victory, state television reported. The move alleviated fears that Wade would attempt to stay in office after 12 years or would challenge the runoff results.Even before Wade conceded,

BAGHDAD (AFP) ― This week’s Arab summit in Baghdad will be very different from the one that met two years ago, with many long-time autocrats swept away by the political tsunami that has struck across the region.Instead, new Islamist leaders will sit alongside long-serving hereditary rulers, while one country returns having lost much its territory to a newly created state, and all in meetings led for the first time by a Kurd.On March 28, 2010, leaders of the 22-member Arab League met in Sirte, th

TOKYO (AP) ― Another Japanese nuclear reactor was taken off line for maintenance on Monday, leaving the country with only one of its 54 reactors operational following last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.The last reactor is expected to be shut down by early May, raising the possibility of power shortages across the nation as demand increases in the hot summer months.The No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex was taken off line early Monday by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. The u

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The monumental fight over a health care law that touches all Americans and divides them sharply comes before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. The justices will decide whether to kill or keep the largest expansion in the nation’s social safety net in more than four decades.Two years and three days after President Barack Obama signed into law a health care overhaul aimed at extending medical insurance to more than 30 million Americans, the high court begins three days of hearing

In a direct challenge to North Korean leaders, President Barack Obama implored them ``to have the courage to pursue peace'' while warning of the wrath of world if they don't. Failure, he said, would mean a future without dignity, respect or hope for its people.Obama stood by his pledge for a globe w

Twenty-three students at Fuyang Normal College in China were hospitalized after eating at the same restaurant, authorities said Sunday.The students of Fuyang Normal College in China's Anhui province showed symptoms of cyanosis -- a blue discoloration of the skin from lack of oxygen in the tissues --

U.S. President Barack Obama said he and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev agreed Monday to support diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed in Syria and ensure a "legitimate" government there.Syria was one of the top priority issues discussed during a 90-minute meeting between the two leaders in So