The death toll from recent ethnic violence in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine has surpassed 100, an official said Friday, as the government warned that the strife risks harming the country's reputation as it seeks to install democratic rule.Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing said 112 people had been killed in clashes that began Sunday between members of the Buddhist Rakhine and the Muslim Rohingya communities. He said 72 people were reported injured, including 10 childrenThe government announ

TOKYO (AP) -- Tokyo’s outspoken and nationalistic governor said Thursday he is quitting after nearly 14 years in office to form a new political party ahead of expected national elections.　 Shintaro Ishihara, who recently played a key role in reviving a bitter territorial dispute with China, told a packed news conference that he wants to fix the nation’s fiscal and political problems. He blamed the central government and bureaucrats for obstructing policies he believes would benefit the country.　

JERUSALEM (AP) ― Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired dozens of rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel on Wednesday in the heaviest bombardment on the area in months, drawing ominous Israeli threats of retaliation and dangers of escalation. The violence came a day after a landmark visit to Gaza by the emir of Qatar. Israeli officials suggested the visit, the first by a head of state to the Hamas-ruled territory, emboldened the militant group. The rocket fire began shortly after the em

BANI WALID, Libya (AP) ― Libya’s government declared Wednesday that it had taken control of one of the last strongholds of deposed dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s loyalists, as its fighters in the heart of the city fired their guns into the air to celebrate victory after fierce battles that left dozens dead and thousands displaced. The capture of Bani Walid, some 140 kilometers southeast of Tripoli, was a triumph for the government that replaced Gadhafi’s regime. But the length of time it took the go

ROME (AFP) ― Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi said Wednesday that he would not run in elections early next year and hand his People of Freedom party over to a successor, ending months of uncertainty over his candidacy.“I will not be presenting my candidacy but I will remain at the side of younger people who can play and score goals,” said the media magnate, who founded the party in 2009 and is famous for talking politics in football terms.The 76-year-old tycoon, who owns AC Milan football club and thre

BEIRUT (AP) ― The U.N. Security Council gave unanimous backing Wednesday to a four-day truce proposed by the international mediator for Syria to mark a major Muslim holiday after he warned that the failure of yet another cease-fire plan would only worsen the fighting. Yet even this modest effort ― the international community’s only plan for scaling back the violence ― appears doomed. Previous cease-fire missions have failed, in part because neither Syrian President Bashar Assad nor rebels trying

A 2-inch chunk of a meteor that exploded dramatically over California struck the roof of the home of a minister, his wife said."It's wonderful. It's like the heavens coming down, and this thing probably came from an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. I mean, how cool is that?" said Lisa Webber of the rock that bounced off the roof of her husband's study Thursday night and onto the lawn of their Novato, Calif., home.Peter Webber is pastor of Presbyterian Church of Novato, the San Francisco C

ROME (AP) ― Four top Italian disaster experts quit their posts Tuesday, saying the manslaughter convictions of former colleagues for failing to adequately warn of a deadly 2009 earthquake means they can’t effectively perform their duties. A court in the quake-devastated town of L’Aquila convicted seven former members of Italy’s so-called “Great Risks Commission’’ and sentenced each of them to six years in prison, prompting predictions that experts would be discouraged from working in Italy for f

MOSCOW (AP) ― Russia’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday quickly rubber stamped a new bill widely expanding the definition of high treason. Critics alleged the legislation is part of a wider crackdown on dissent by President Vladimir Putin, who has already pushed through laws targeting street protests, aid organizations and opposition leaders. Current law describes high treason as espionage or other assistance to a foreign state damaging Russia’s external security. The new bill expands it to

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) ― President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney plunged into the final two weeks of an excruciatingly close race for the White House, with Obama accusing his Republican challenger of changing his positions so often he can’t be trusted. The two are neck-and-neck, and Romney presented a more centrist approach to foreign policy during a Monday night debate ― the last of three, and that one on foreign policy. The Republican’s performance, however, gave the Obama campaign more ammunition t