TRIPOLI (AP) ― Final results released Tuesday placed a liberal alliance ahead of other parties in Libya’s first free nationwide vote in half a century, leaving Islamists far behind, but each side is already trying to build a coalition with independents. It appeared to be a rare Arab Spring setback for Islamists, who won elections in Egypt and Tunisia ― but the structure of the parliament, heavy with independent members, left the final outcome uncertain. The election is a major step for a country

CARACAS (AP) ― The concentration of power in the executive by President Hugo Chavez’s government and its removal of human rights safeguards have given Venezuelan officials free rein to intimidate, censor and prosecute critics and challengers, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.The independent advocacy group’s 134-page report, “Tightening the Grip: Concentration and Abuse of Power in Chavez’s Venezuela,” comes four years after its regional director and his deputy were forcibly expelled from Venezuel

NAYPYITAW (AP) ― Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi says she will accept an award in the United States in September, setting up a new round of international accolades for the Nobel Peace laureate and former political prisoner who was unable to leave her home country for more than two decades.Suu Kyi was greeted enthusiastically by world leaders and human rights activists during her recent trips to Thailand and Europe, and the U.S. trip announced Tuesday likely will garner the same level

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney was in a fighting mood Tuesday after being on the defensive for days, declaring that President Barack Obama had insulted the business community. A key Romney supporter questioned Obama’s patriotism.The former Massachusetts governor was intensifying attacks to counter blazing political assaults on his history as the head of a private equity firm and his refusal to release more of his tax returns, as other presidential candidates tra

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The International Monetary Fund stepped up its warnings Monday on risks to the global economy, mainly from the crisis-mired eurozone, as it trimmed its growth forecast for the rest of the year.IMF economists said that the frail situations in Spain and Italy especially could quickly turn worse amid market doubts over eurozone leaders’ resolve in implementing pledged reforms.But they also pointed to the U.S. “fiscal cliff” trajectory which, if not corrected, could crunch the U.S

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Microsoft is pulling out of the joint venture that owned MSNBC.com, freeing the world’s largest software maker to build its own online news service.The breakup announced late Sunday dissolves the final shreds of a 16-year marriage between Microsoft Corp. and NBC News, which is now owned by Comcast Corp. The relationship began to unwind in 2005 when Microsoft sold its stake in MSNBC’s cable TV channel to NBC.NBC is buying Microsoft’s 50 percent interest in the MSNBC website f

ROME (AFP) ― Italy’s new finance minister said the government could raise up to 20 billion euros a year in public asset sales, and accused the markets of failing to recognize Rome’s efforts to bring its finances in order.Vittorio Grilli, who was appointed just last week, also lashed out at rating agencies, in comments to the Corriere della Sera published Sunday in the wake of the decision by Moody’s to downgrade Italian debt.“The government wants to secure, through a multi-year program, the sale

China’s Premier Wen Jiabao warned the momentum for a recovery in economic growth isn’t yet in place and that “difficulties” may persist for a while, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Even so, the current pace of economic expansion is within the targeted range and government measures to stabilize growth are “bearing fruit,” the premier said during an inspection tour in southwest Sichuan province, according to a Chinese-language report from Xinhua Sunday. The article didn’t mention governm