ATHENS(AP) ― Furious Greeks punished the two parties that have dominated politics for decades in the crisis-battered country Sunday, leaving its multibillion dollar international bailout ― and even its future in the euro currency ― hanging in the balance.With more than 83 percent of the vote counted, Greece appeared to be heading toward political stalemate. Nobody won enough votes to form a government, and the two parties that backed the bailout ― the conservative New Democracy and socialist PAS

BEIJING (AFP) ― Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, isolated in a Beijing hospital, on Sunday appealed for official help to leave the country after a U.S.-brokered diplomatic solution paved the way for his departure.Chen is at the centre of a major diplomatic wrangle between China and the United States after he dramatically escaped harsh house arrest in the eastern province of Shandong and sought refuge at the U.S. embassy in Beijing.He has been offered a fellowship from New York University but in

An elderly Massachusetts man who was accused of killing and eating part of his wife died at a Boston hospital, authorities said.Jiemieng Liu, 79, died of natural causes Saturday at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital under the supervision of corrections officers, the Boston Herald reported.Liu, who was charged with murder in the April 5 death of his wife, 73-year-old Yuee Zhou, was found next to her body in

About 8,000 people gathered in central Moscow to rally for fair elections, the day before Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is sworn in for a third term as Russia’s president, according to police estimates.That’s more than the 5,000 people that organizers and city officials agreed would participate in a deal was reached after protests peaked at tens of thousands in February.Putin, who has been prime m

BANGKOK (AP) -- Explosions and a fire in one of the world's largest petrochemical plants have killed 12 and injured more than 100 people in eastern Thailand.The blaze at a factory belonging to Bangkok Synthetics, a synthetic rubber manufacturer, forced an evacuation of workers and more than 1,000 residents Saturday in Rayong province, 180 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Bangkok.Rayong governor

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Two of the U.S. hikers imprisoned in Iran on spying charges after straying across the border in July 2009 are set to marry over the weekend, a lawyer and friend of the couple said Friday.Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd -- who became engaged during their time in captivity, with a ring Bauer made from the threads of his shirt -- plan to tie the knot on Saturday at an undisclosed location in California.The two will marry in a private ceremony with only friends and family present, a

ATHENS (AP) ― Greeks began voting at precisely 7 a.m. local time in their most critical ― and uncertain ― election in decades, with voters set to punish the two main parties that are being held responsible for the country’s dire economic straits.Thirty-two parties vie for the votes of nearly 10 million registered voters, many of whom, according to recent polls, were undecided on the eve of the election. Abstention, once projected to reach historic highs but seen rising in recent opinion surveys,

YEREVAN (AFP) -- Armenians voted for a new parliament Sunday in the biggest test of the ex-Soviet state‘s fragile democratic credentials since disputed presidential elections in 2008 ended in fatal clashes.The authorities promised an unprecedentedly clean contest for the 131-seat National Assembly in the hope of avoiding further turmoil after battles between riot police and opposition supporters four years ago left 10 people dead.“I am for change but without drastic upheavals. We need stability,

Boston's Chinatown has been on edge since a 57-year-old woman claimed three women used hypnosis to get her to fork over $160,000 in life savings, police say.Police say the victim was food shopping in Chinatown April 15 when the trio of women tapped her on the shoulder and began asking her questions. The victim says one of the suspects spoke and her henchwomen handed her a plastic bag. She was told

Japan switched off its last working nuclear reactor Saturday, leaving the country without atomic-generated electricity just over a year after the world's worst nuclear accident in a quarter of a century.As technicians closed down the No. 3 unit at Tomari in Hokkaido at 11:03 pm(1403 GMT), the debate over whether Japan needs nuclear power has been reignited, amid increasingly shrill warnings of sum