World powers offered broader concessions than ever to Iran in attempts Wednesday to keep alive diplomatic channels that seek to rein in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and prevent it from building an atomic weapon.The offer was hailed by Saeed Jalili, Iran's top official at diplomatic talks in Kazakhstan, who said it represented a “turning point” by world powers to compromise on Tehran's uranium enrichment program after years of delicate negotiations that nearly dissolved last June.The pr

Slovenia's parliament ousted Prime Minister Janez Jansa and his conservative government Wednesday, while designating a financial expert from the opposition to try to form a new administration.The moves come amid corruption allegations against Jansa and growing public anger over the struggling economy and austerity measures that have seen living standards fall and unemployment rise.The 55-33 no-confidence vote named Alenka Bratusek as prime minister-designate. Bratusek, 42, would be the first fem

LAGOS (AFP) ― Six foreigners kidnapped on Feb. 17 by armed pirates from an oil service ship off Nigeria have been released unhurt without a ransom being paid, police said Tuesday.“All the six foreign hostages (were) released Monday evening unhurt. No ransom was paid before their release,” said the police commissioner in Bayelsa state, Kingsley Omire.Three Ukrainians, two Russians and an Indian working on the Armada Tuah vessel operated by the Lagos-based Century Group were seized by gunmen 40 na

CAIRO (AP) ― Egypt’s main opposition coalition said Tuesday it will boycott upcoming parliamentary elections, a decision likely to deepen the nation’s political crisis and worsen an already troubled economy.The announcement by the liberal, secular National Salvation Front was made in a televised news conference just hours ahead of the start of a “national dialogue” called for by President Mohammed Morsi to produce recommendations to ensure the “transparency” and “integrity” of the vote.Leading N

BEIJING (AP) ― China’s first aircraft carrier is headed for its permanent base in the northern port of Qingdao, where it will be responsible for operations in waters surrounding Japan and the Korean Peninsula, reports said Wednesday. Speculation has swirled over where the ship, christened the Liaoning, would call home since it officially entered service on Sept. 25 amid a series of maritime disputes between China and its neighbors, particularly Japan, with which it is engaged in a tense standoff

MEXICO CITY (AP) ― An official count shows at least 26,121 people were reported missing during the term of President Felipe Calderon, who launched the country’s offensive against drug cartels, Mexico’s new administration said Tuesday. Lia Limon, the Interior Department’s subsecretary for human rights, said the list used data from local prosecutors across Mexico, and includes people reported missing for any reason during the previous administration. It doesn’t include information collected after

A poll has found 58 percent of U.S. adults blame video games for violent behavior in teenagers but 33 percent allow their children to play whatever they want.A Harris Poll survey of 2,278 adults in the United States also found 38 percent were unaware of the ratings provided by the Entertainment Software Rating Board for computer and video games indicating the appropriate age group and content, Gamesport.com reported Tuesday.“The findings underscore the lack of awareness Americans have about the

A center-left group of parties appears to have the best shot at forming a coalition government in Italy after an inconclusive national election, but the challenge is steep and comes amid public anger over austerity measures. If Italian parties fail to form a governing coalition, new elections would be required, causing more uncertainty and a leadership vacuum, and that possibility has rattled financial markets across Europe. Pier Luigi Bersani and his center-left allies appeared on Tuesday to ha

Satellite images show that Iran's Arak heavy-water plan is operational, raising fears that it is trying to produce plutonium for a nuclear bomb, Britain's Daily Telegraph claimed on Tuesday.The newspaper published images on its website which appear to show steam rising from forced air coolers, suggesting heavy-water production at the plant, which has been closed to international inspectors for 18 months.Heavy water is required in plutonium-producing reactors and that raises alarms that Tehran is

Two pontiffs, each wearing white and each called “pope” living a few yards (meters) apart, with the same archbishop serving both.The Vatican's announcement Tuesday that Pope Benedict XVI will be known as “emeritus pope” in his retirement, called “Your Holiness” as an honorific and continue to wear the white cassock associated with the papacy fueled renewed questions about potential conflicts arising from the peculiar reality soon to face the Catholic Church: having one reigning and one retired p