President Barack Obama and NATO allies declared Sunday that the end of the long and unpopular Afghanistan war is in sight even as they struggled to hold their fighting force together in the face of dwindling patience and shaky unity.
SANT' AGOSTINO, Italy (Reuters) - A strong earthquake in northern Italy killed at least six people, injured dozens and damaged historic buildings including a famed mediaeval castle early on Sunday, waking terrified citizens and sending thousands running into the streets. The quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey recorded at magnitude 6.0, struck at 4:04 a.m. (0204 GMT) and was followed by a series of jolting aftershocks. At least two of them reached magnitude 5.1, sowing fresh panic, further damaging already weakened buildings and causing more structures to collapse. ...
On paper at least, European leaders agree: They need stronger growth measures to help their economies expand out of their 2½-year-old government debt crisis. Figuring out exactly what those new steps might be will be the hard part.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The chief executives of Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd are used to running the show at their global tech empires, but they will be in for a different experience when they arrive at a San Francisco federal courthouse on Monday. Apple's Tim Cook and Samsung's Choi Gee-sung, whose companies are embroiled in bitter patent litigation, have been instructed by a federal judge to appear for court-supervised mediation. A joint court filing in April said that "as directed by the Court, Apple and Samsung are both willing to participate" in the discussions. ...
He was the embodiment of one of modern Libya's darkest chapters — a man synonymous with horrifying scenes of wreckage, broken families and a plane that fell out of the sky a generation ago. His name, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, was little known compared to the single word that his deeds represented: Lockerbie.
Pakistan restored access to Twitter Sunday after briefly blocking the microblog over posts that Islamabad said promoted a Facebook contest involving caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
A boy contorts his face as he participates in a parlor game where he needs to slide a coin from his forehead to his mouth in order to win during the annual Feast Day of St. Rita of Cascia in suburban Manila.
Nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolic won the Serbian presidency on Sunday, a result that adds to the political turmoil in the Balkan country and could slow down its attempts to join the European Union.
The Cincinnati Reds discovered a new, winning way to wrap up their extended stay in New York.
Montpellier claimed the first French league title in their history after winning 2-1 at Auxerre on an extraordinary final day of the season on Sunday, after a game twice delayed due to protests by the home fans.
Max Scherzer headed off the mound and toward the dugout, where manager Jim Leyland was waiting to offer a congratulatory handshake.
Thousands of NATO protesters demanding an end to costly and destructive wars marched in Chicago Sunday where the leaders of more than 50 nations were discussing the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Parts of eastern Asia were being treated to a solar spectacle as the moon slid across the sun, creating a "ring of fire." Sky-watchers in the western U.S. awaited their turns as the rare phenomenon was due to move over the Pacific and toward them later Sunday.
An Israeli settler holding an Israeli flag is seen in the reflection of a man's sun glasses during a cycling demonstration from the northern West Bank town of Hebron to Jerusalem to celebrate Jerusalem Day.
I'll Have Another poked his head out of his stall, started nibbling on his nameplate tacked to a wall and looked up at all the people watching his every move.
Three young men were arraigned Sunday in the assault and carjacking of popular Detroit pastor and gospel singing icon Marvin Winans.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - NATO leaders charting a path out of Afghanistan sought on Sunday to dispel fears of a rush for the exits in the unpopular war even as France's new president vowed to stick by his pledge to withdraw French troops by year's end. President Barack Obama, who once called the Afghan conflict a "war of necessity" but is now looking for an orderly way out, hosted the NATO summit in his home town, Chicago, a day after major industrialized nations tackled a European debt crisis that threatens the global economy. ...
Tropical Storm Alberto hovered off the South Carolina and Georgia coasts on Sunday, canceling tourist cruises, producing showers along the coast and serving as a reminder that the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season is just around the corner.
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, died of cancer on Sunday aged 60, leaving many questions on the attack and its aftermath unanswered. Megrahi, who said he was not responsible for bringing the jumbo jet down on the Scottish town and killing 270 people, was found guilty in 2001 but was freed in 2009 and returned to Libya because he had terminal cancer and was not expected to live long. ...
Strikes brought widespread violence to Nepal's largest two cities on Sunday, just a week ahead of a deadline for the impoverished Himalayan nation to complete its first peace-time constitution.
Thousands of demonstrators upset with the war in Afghanistan, climate change and the erosion of union rights marched through downtown Chicago on Sunday, taking their discontent on a wide range of world issues to leaders assembled for a NATO summit.
Serb nationalist Tomislav Nikolic upset the odds to defeat incumbent Boris Tadic in a presidential run-off Sunday but vowed to pursue his predecessor's drive for the Balkans nation to join the EU.
More than 100 Egyptians held since a mass arrest over two weeks ago began an open-ended hunger strike Sunday to protest their continued detention and the possibility they will face military prosecution, activists said.
Chelsea can plan its future from an unexpected position of strength as champion of Europe following its dramatic upset of Bayern Munich.
Stephen Strasburg hit his first major league home run and struck out eight in five innings to carry the Washington Nationals past the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 Sunday.
The NATO alliance that has fought for a decade in Afghanistan is helping that nation shift toward stability and peace, but there will be "hard days ahead," President Barack Obama said Sunday as alliance leaders insisted the fighting coalition will remain effective despite France's plans to yank combat troops out early.
Russia battled from a goal down to win the world championship on Sunday, beating 2002 champions Slovakia 6-2 in the final.
"The Avengers" continues to muscle out everything else Hollywood throws at it, easily sinking naval rival "Battleship" and other new releases.
What a week! Mark Zuckerberg may never have another one like it.
The United States said Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi's death in Libya on Sunday ends an unfortunate chapter over his release, but relatives of American victims welcomed the news.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi, the only person convicted over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing which killed 270 people, died on Sunday, almost three years after being freed from jail on compassionate grounds.
Maria Sharapova successfully defended her Italian Open title Sunday, beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in a wild match in which play was twice interrupted by rain and the red clay turned to mud.
A powerful earthquake shook Italy's densely populated industrial northeast early Sunday, killing at least six people and reducing homes, factories and historic buildings to rubble.
Max Scherzer struck out 15 — the most by a Detroit pitcher in 40 years — and the Tigers rallied for him with three runs in the seventh inning to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Sunday.
With Pakistan so far unwilling to reopen supply routes to Afghanistan, NATO faces a potential logistical nightmare as it prepares for a costly withdrawal of military hardware over the next two years.
Three young men were arraigned Sunday in the assault and carjacking of popular Detroit pastor and gospel singing icon Marvin Winans.
Three young men were arraigned Sunday in the assault and carjacking of popular Detroit pastor and gospel singing icon Marvin Winans.
"The Avengers" continues to muscle out everything else Hollywood throws at it, easily sinking naval rival "Battleship" and other new releases.
"The Avengers" continues to muscle out everything else Hollywood throws at it, easily sinking naval rival "Battleship" and other new releases.
A French feminist group upset about the lack of female directors at this year's Cannes Film Festival staged a hairy protest on the red carpet Sunday.
Gerard Butler is at the Cannes Film Festival, but he's avoiding the famous red-carpeted stairs.
"The Hunt", a taut psychological thriller starring Danish heart-throb Mads Mikkelsen as a man falsely accused of molesting a child, emerged Sunday as a hot contender at Cannes.
Country music legend Loretta Lynn is three years older than she has led people to believe, an age change that undermines the story she told of being married at 13 in "Coal Miner's Daughter," documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
Country music legend Loretta Lynn is three years older than she has led people to believe, an age change that undermines the story she told of being married at 13 in "Coal Miner's Daughter," documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
Lady Gaga's Philippine concerts will go ahead as planned, organisers said Sunday, despite a series of protests from Christian groups and calls for the controversial singer to be banned.
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won this year's foreign-language picture Academy Award, claimed a prize at Cannes Sunday to help fund his next film, with fellow Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard.
A duo of octogenarian actors bowled Cannes over on Sunday as a devoted husband and his dying wife in a wrenching cinematic study of love at the bitter end by Palme d'Or winner Michael Haneke.
Thomas Vinterberg is aware his new movie, "The Hunt," may touch a raw nerve. Several, in fact.
Relatives of a slain Hamas operative seek to block the release of a movie being made in Israel about his 2010 assassination in a Dubai luxury hotel, a family member said Sunday.
It's 43 years since Jean-Louis Trintignant was named the Cannes Film Festival's best actor for "Z," and 14 years since the French performer all but gave up filmmaking to focus on the stage.
Kristen Wiig got a musical sendoff on the season finale of "Saturday Night Live" as the popular and versatile cast member made her exit after seven years.
The first-ever transgender contestant to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant strutted the runway Saturday night, making it to the penultimate round before losing her bid to win the title.
Jackie Chan is landing his last punch as an action star, but says he is stepping into retirement having made one of the most important films of his career.
Hollywood star Will Smith slapped a male television reporter who he said tried to kiss him on the lips as he walked down the red carpet for the Moscow premiere of "Men in Black III."
A modern art collection, including works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Salvador Dali, will be sold next week in London, Sotheby's said Saturday.
Pop singer Lady Gaga arrived in the Philippines on Saturday to cheers from fans and protests from young Christians calling for the cancellation of her upcoming concerts.
Hollywood star Will Smith has slapped a male television reporter who tried to kiss him before the Moscow premiere of "Men in Black III."
Christian young people in the Philippines protested Saturday against upcoming concerts by Lady Gaga despite organizers' assurances that her performances would not threaten morality.
Christian youths in the Philippines are continuing to protest against Lady Gaga's upcoming concerts despite organizers' assurances that her performances will not threaten morality.
Best-selling author Dan Brown made a rare public appearance in New Hampshire on Friday, saying very little about his next novel other than he's well into the writing process.
Country music legend Loretta Lynn is three years older than she has led people to believe, an age change that undermines the story she told of being married at 13 in "Coal Miner's Daughter," documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
George Clinton and the Black Eyed Peas have settled a lawsuit in which the funk pioneer accused the pop group of using his music without proper permission.
Country music legend Loretta Lynn is three years older than she has led people to believe, an age change that undermines the story she told of being married at 13 in "Coal Miner's Daughter," documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
The breakout performance at the Cannes Film Festival this year is Aniello Arena's turn as a Naples fishmonger who becomes obsessed with appearing on a "Big Brother"-style TV show in "Reality."
The Barnes Foundation is no longer the greatest art collection you'll never see.
A man charged with stalking Mila Kunis pleaded not guilty Friday to two felony charges and was denied a request to leave jail without having to post bail.
Grammy award-winning singer Chaka Khan will perform a tribute to the late Whitney Houston at the Apollo Theater's gala and awards ceremony.
Donna Summer's funeral will be a private one for family and close friends.
There's sun, sand and sex in Cannes Film Festival entry "Paradise: Love" — and they add up to a grim and unsettling holiday movie.
In Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom," the famously meticulous director takes his fastidiously fashioned world and flings it into the woods.
