U.S. to Seek Rare Meeting With Iran on Nuclear Program

GENEVA, Sept. 30 -- U.S. officials signaled Wednesday that they would seek a rare one-on-one meeting with Iranian diplomats during talks here on Thursday between Iran and other major powers on Tehran's nuclear program.

Relief Supplies Arrive in American Samoa After Tsunami

President Obama issued a major disaster declaration for the territory of American Samoa Tuesday evening, and the first U.S. relief flight to the tsunami-whipped Pacific islands touched down Wednesday, U.S. emergency officials said.

National Day Parade Shows Off China's Military Hardware

BEIJING, Oct. 1 -- China's military brought its latest weaponry to the National Day parade through Tiananmen Square on Thursday, including medium- and long-range missiles, fighter planes and armored vehicles, alongside goose-stepping troops.

U.N. Official Fired After Clashing With Boss Over Afghanistan Election

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 30 -- Peter Galbraith, a former American diplomat who served as the second-highest-ranking U.N. official in Afghanistan, was fired from his job Wednesday after clashing with his boss over the outcome of the country's disputed election.

Probe Finds Georgia Violated Law, Provoked War With Russia

MOSCOW, Sept. 30 -- An independent inquiry ordered by the European Union has concluded that Georgia violated international law and triggered last year's war with Russia by attacking the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Kidnapped Israeli Soldier Shown Alive in Traded Videotape

JERUSALEM, Sept. 30 -- Kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is alive, according to a newly recorded videotape that will be provided to Israel by the Islamist Hamas movement in return for Israel's release of 20 Palestinian women prisoners, government officials said.

Ketsana leaves more than 300 dead across SE Asia

MANILA, Philippines -- One of the most destructive storms in years extended its deadly path across Southeast Asia, blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides after submerging much of the Philippine capital.

Former Reagan Aide Robert McFarlane's Dealings With Sudan Raise Questions

The government of Sudan, eager to curry favor with a U.S. government that accused it of genocide, sought help last fall from an unlikely source: a former Reagan administration official known for his role in the Iran-contra scandal.

New Jewish Outreach Center in Mumbai Keeps Address Private

MUMBAI, Sept. 29 -- The only clue to what's inside this secret location is a small mezuza, a door ornament that traditionally marks a Jewish home. Nearby, Indian police officers with assault rifles stand guard near high iron gates.

Oil and Ideology Keep China From Joining Effort to Press Iran

In its effort to muster support for sterner action against Iran, the Obama administration will have to overcome China's reluctance to punish a country that is one of its top oil suppliers and a major beneficiary of its energy-related investments.

As Iraq Elections Loom, Maliki Seeks Out Unlikely Allies

BAGHDAD, Sept. 29 -- Four years ago, Iraq's electoral landscape looked something like this: Shiite Arab parties were joined in a disparate coalition bent on dominating the government; the main Kurdish parties were allied; and Sunni Arabs and secular voters were fractured, motivated largely by a fear...

U.N. Chief Says Iran Must Prove Sincerity on Nuclear Issue

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 -- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that Iran's construction of the Qom uranium-enrichment facility violates U.N. resolutions requiring it to halt all nuclear enrichment activities, adding that Tehran must prove to the world that it has no intention of deve...