Ahmadinejad vows dramatic expansion of Iran's nuclear program

TEHRAN -- Iran's government will build 10 new sites to enrich uranium, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday, a dramatic expansion of the country's nuclear program and one that is bound to fuel fears that it is attempting to produce a nuclear weapon.

Switzerland votes to prohibit the building of mosque minarets

PARIS -- Voters in Switzerland decided Sunday to ban the building of minarets, in a referendum that showed an unexpected level of resentment against Muslim immigrants in a country long known for discretion and tolerance.

Obama offers new role for Pakistan

President Obama has offered Pakistan an expanded strategic partnership, including additional military and economic cooperation, while warning with unusual bluntness that its use of insurgent groups to pursue policy goals "cannot continue."

Iran's Revolutionary Guard increasing control of naval forces

Iran has reorganized its naval forces to give operational control of the strategic Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz to the naval component of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the paramilitary organization that is playing an increasingly central role not only in Iran's military but also its...

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Carbon-credit dispute threatens new climate deal

MOSCOW -- Russia is on track to far exceed its targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions under the Kyoto climate-change treaty, but its success could derail efforts to reach a new accord against global warming, according to officials and analysts following the negotiations.

United Arab Emirates' central bank offers aid to Dubai

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- The United Arab Emirates' central bank stepped in Sunday to head off pressure on banks and any potential capital flight as federal authorities tried to counter concerns over Dubai's debt problems.

Demjanjuk to stand trial in Germany

MUNICH -- John Demjanjuk, a former Nazi camp guard, is scheduled to appear Monday for what is likely to be Germany's last major trial from the Nazi era.

Novelist Arundhati Roy speaks out on democratic lapses in India

NEW DELHI -- In a new book, the award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy takes aim at India's self-image -- and reputation -- as the world's largest and most vibrant democracy. Indian democracy, she asserts, is not only not working, it is "used up" and "hollowed out and emptied of meaning."

Arundhati Roy

Background: Born in the Himalayan state of Meghalaya, 1961. Studied in southern India and graduated in architecture from New Delhi's prestigious School of Planning and Architecture.