MEXICO CITY (AP) ― The Mexican army says it has found a 50-meter long tunnel starting under a building in the northern city of Nogales, which is across the border from Nogales, Arizona.The Defense Department says the tunnel two meters under the surface may have been used to cross the border into the United States. However, the department’s statement Sunday does not say whether the tunnel actually reaches into U.S. territory or whether any entrance on the U.S. side has been found.Such tunnels fou

ABIDJAN (AP) ― Ivory Coast’s second national poll in 11 years drew little voter interest, a stark contrast to last year’s massive presidential election which later sent the West African nation spiraling into violence.The parliamentary election, the first the country has had since 2000, saw voters trickling into polling stations in the commercial capital, the scene of months of violence after the former strongman refused to accept his loss in last year’s poll.Some 1,100 candidates vied for 255 le

TRIPOLI (AP) ― Revolutionary fighters clashed with national army troops near Tripoli’s airport, leaving one person dead, officials said Sunday. The violence reflects the difficulties Libya’s new leaders face as they try to stamp their authority on the disparate militias that overthrew Moammar Gadhafi.Army spokesman Sgt. Abdel-Razik el-Shibahy said fighters from the western mountain town of Zintan, who control Tripoli’s international airport, opened fire on two occasions on Saturday on the convoy

DAMASCUS (AFP) ― A general strike was observed on Sunday in several regions of Syria to step up the pressure on the regime, activists said, as fears grew of an “invasion” of the besieged protest hub of Homs.In the latest bloodshed, 12 civilians were killed by security forces across Syria on Sunday, including three children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.Five people, including two of the children, were killed by gunfire in Homs, the group said, adding that at least 46 were also

LONDON (AFP) ― NATO will withdraw its Iraq training mission at year-end after Baghdad refused to grant it legal immunity, Iraq’s top security adviser said on Sunday, mirroring the nearly-complete pullout of U.S. forces.But a NATO official in Brussels denied that any decision had been taken.Iraq said the end of the mission was a surprise, with NATO previously having agreed in principle to staying through to the end of 2013.“NATO surprised us with this decision,” National Security Adviser Falah al

WASHNGTON (AP) ― After a dreary summer marred by the fight over government borrowing, rank-and-file Democrats say they are growing more optimistic about President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects in 2012. They cite his tougher, more populist tone and what they view as a chaotic presidential primary fight among Republicans.Many Democrats acknowledged that high unemployment and economic uncertainty create formidable obstacles for the incumbent. But interviews with more than a dozen Democratic

ATLANTA (AP) _ In what's being called a landmark study, researchers used gene therapy to successfully treat six patients with severe hemophilia, a blood-clotting disorder.The study was preliminary and involved only six patients, and other promising early attempts to use gene therapy against hemophil

MOSCOW (AP) _ Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced on his Facebook page Sunday that he has ordered a probe into the allegations of electoral fraud during the country's Dec. 4 parliamentary vote.Medvedev's post generated over 2,200 mostly angry comments within one hour. ``Shame!'' and ``We don

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) ― A U.N. climate conference reached a hard-fought agreement Sunday on a complex and far-reaching program meant to set a new course for the global fight against climate change for the coming decades.The 194-party conference agreed to start negotiations on a new accord that would put all countries under the same legal regime enforcing commitments to control greenhouse gases. It would take effect by 2020 at the latest.The deal also set up the bodies that will collect, gove

HONG KONG (AFP) ― The sight of French President Nicolas Sarkozy running to Beijing to solicit funds to save the eurozone summed up what for some was the economic story of 2011 ― Asia’s boom versus the West’s gloom.Coming after some regional nations were forced to go cap-in-hand to the International Monetary Fund for bailouts amid the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, the irony was not lost on observers.As 2011 draws to a close with the U.S. recovery barely at a trot, Europe staring into an economi

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ― The deputy chief of the Pakistani Taliban announced Saturday that the militant group was in peace talks with the government and an agreement to end its brutal four-year insurgency was within striking distance.The statement by Malvi Faqir Mohammad, which appeared timed to exploit tensions between the Pakistan army and the U.S., will likely stoke further concerns in Washington over Pakistan’s reliability as a long-term partner in the fight against extremists.It represente