world
French president signs gay marriage into law
France will see its first gay weddings within days, after French President Francois Hollande signed a law Saturday authorizing marriage and adoption by same-sex couples and ending months of nationwide protests and wrenching debate.
Suspected US drone in Yemen kills 4 militants
A suspected U.S. drone strike killed four al-Qaida militants Saturday in a southern Yemeni province once overrun by the group, according to security officials.
Assad: Syria transition talks are internal matter
Syrian President Bashar Assad said in a newspaper interview Saturday he won’t step down before elections and that the United States has no right to interfere in his country’s politics, raising new doubts about a U.S-Russian effort to get Assad and his opponents to negotiate an end to the country’s civil war.
Member of Pakistani cricket star’s party killed
Police say gunmen on a motorcycle have shot and killed a senior member of a leading Pakistani political party.
Egyptians targeted with blasphemy charges
The pale, young Christian woman sat handcuffed in the courtroom, accused of insulting Islam while teaching history of religions to fourth-graders. According to the parents, Abdel-Nour, 24, told the children that Pope Shenouda, who led the Egyptian Coptic Church until his death last year, was better than the Prophet Muhammad. There has been a surge in blasphemy cases in recent months, according to rights activists.
Pope leads pep rally at Vatican, meets with Merkel
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis toured St. Peter’s Square to greet tens of thousands of people attending a rally of prayer, music and speeches Saturday, and he embraced the brother of a Pakistani politician who was assassinated in his country after calling for greater religious freedom for Christians there.
Rescuers spot bodies at collapsed Indonesian mine
Rescuers searching for 23 trapped workers at a giant U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in Indonesia spotted six bodies Saturday but weren’t able to immediately retrieve them because of falling debris, a company official said.
Gunmen kill 9 in Iraq, 8 police kidnapped
Gunmen killed an anti-terrorism policeman and his family in Baghdad on Saturday, while kidnappers abducted eight policemen guarding a post on Iraq’s main highway to Jordan and Syria, the latest in a wave of violence to grip the country. Attackers also shot dead a Sunni cleric in the Shiite-majority south.
Afghan lawmakers block law on women’s rights
Conservative religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation Saturday aimed at strengthening provisions for women’s freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience.
South Korea: North Korea fired 3 short-range missiles
North Korea fired three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters on Saturday, a South Korean official said. It routinely tests such missiles, but the latest launches came during a period of tentative diplomacy aimed at easing tensions.
Bombs at mosques in northwest Pakistan kill 15
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Bombs that exploded outside two mosques in a village in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 15 people Friday, underlining the challenge of militant violence facing a new government set to take power under the leadership of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Tunisia bans conservative Islamist conference
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s Interior Ministry on Friday banned a conference by the North African country’s most prominent ultraconservative Islamic group, setting up the possibility of a confrontation over the weekend.
AP PHOTOS: Cuba’s LGBT community celebrates
HAVANA (AP) — A week of drag shows, colorful marches and social and cultural events in Havana culminates Friday with celebrations of the International Day Against Homophobia.
Bombs targeting Sunnis kill at least 76 in Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombs ripped through Sunni areas in Baghdad and surrounding areas Friday, killing at least 76 people in the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months. The major spike in sectarian bloodshed heightened fears the country could again be veering toward civil war.
Canada abuzz over purported crack video of mayor
TORONTO (AP) — A video purportedly of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack has caused an uproar in Canada. Ford on Friday called the allegations “ridiculous.”
