WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The White House on Saturday denied that any deal had been reached for one-on-one nuclear talks with Iran, as the New York Times reported, and said it was still working on a “diplomatic solution.”The report and subsequent denial come at a key point in the U.S. presidential campaign, with incumbent Barack Obama set to face Republican rival Mitt Romney on Monday in their last of three debates ― this one focused on foreign policy.Earlier, the New York Times ― citing unnamed offici

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) ― Kings, queens and commoners gathered Saturday to celebrate Luxembourg’s biggest royal event in decades, when heir-to-the-throne Prince Guillaume wed Belgian countess Stephanie de Lannoy.Following a somber religious ceremony, thousands crammed the centre of Luxembourg city to demand the newlyweds exchange their first public kiss as a married couple, belying the tiny country’s reputation for a lack of exuberance.“A kiss! A kiss!” flag-waving onlookers yelled as the couple appear

A naked woman who showed up at a party in Spring Hill, Fla., uninvited and with a weapon was killed after approaching two off-duty cops, authorities say.The woman, whose name and age were not released, was acting irrationally as she walked up to the off-duty officers, identified as Hernando County Sheriff's Deputy Rocky Howard, 31, and Tampa police officer William Mechler, 26, the Tampa Bay Times reported. It wasn't clear whether one or both off-duty officers shot the woman, and it wasn't disclo

Japan's Coast Guard Sunday saved all 64 Chinese seamen from their burning cargo ship, as the two nations remain locked in an acrimonious dispute over contested islands.The coast guard was alerted by Taiwan authorities late Saturday about a fire on the 12,703-ton Ming Yang and sent patrol vessels and aircraft to the scene, around 150 kilometers southeast of Okinawa.By 2:30 am Sunday a Japanese coast guard ship had saved 21 people who escaped on a life raft, while 43 others remained on the deck of

The White House on Saturday denied that any deal had been reached for one-on-one nuclear talks with Iran, as the New York Times reported, and said it was still working on a "diplomatic solution."The report and subsequent denial come at a key point in the U.S. presidential campaign, with incumbent Barack Obama set to face Republican rival Mitt Romney on Monday in their last of three debates -- this one focused on foreign policy.Earlier, the New York Times -- citing unnamed officials in the Obama

BEIRUT (AP) _ A powerful car bomb tore through the heart of Beirut's Christian sector Friday, killing a top security official and seven others in a devastating attack that threatened to bring the war in Syria directly to Lebanon's doorstep. The blast sheared the balconies off apartment buildings, upended cars and sent dazed rescue workers carrying bloodied children into the streets.Dozens of people were wounded in the blast, the worst the Lebanese capital has seen in more than four years. The st

HAVANA (AP) _ The rumor mill surrounding the health of Fidel Castro churned anew Friday despite a letter from the aging Cuban revolutionary published by state media and denials by relatives at home and in the United States that he is on death's door.Social media sites and some news organizations have reported allegations by a Venezuelan doctor that Castro, 86, suffered a massive stroke, was in a vegetative state and had only weeks to live, though the same doctor, Jose Rafael Marquina, has made s

BEIJING (AFP) ― China was set to dispatch naval vessels and aircraft to the East China Sea on Friday, flexing its muscles in exercises likely to further stoke a bristling territorial dispute with Japan.A fleet of 11 vessels, including some warships, along with eight aircraft were to be sent to waters off its east coast, China has said, in Beijing’s most confrontational act yet in a row that has chilled ties between the regional heavyweights.The one-day exercises were announced late Thursday in a

Syrian fighter jets blasted the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, killing at least 49 people including 23 children, rescuers said.U.N. peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi pressed for a truce during a key Muslim holiday later this month, while the U.N.’s human rights chief appealed to the Security Council for unity over the crisis.Rescuers said bombs destroyed two residential buildings and a mosque, where many women and children had been taking refuge, in the strategic northwestern town. Am