China campaigning against international probe of possible war crimes in Burma

The Chinese government has launched a high-octane diplomatic campaign during the past two months aimed at thwarting the Obama administration's plan to back an international probe into possible war crimes by Burma's military rulers.

Russian corruption takes on a life of its own

Russian corruption is a monster fostered by the strong hand of Putin, but now has grown beyond the ability of the Kremlin to control it. It's more brazen than ever, and it threatens to throw a wrench into plans to develop deeper economic ties with the West.

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Iran starts loading uranium fuel rods into nuclear reactor

TEHRAN - Iran started to fully load fuel into its only nuclear reactor Tuesday, after a leak in the Russian-built reactor's basin delayed the process for months, state media reported.

Armed with new treaty, Europe amplifies objections to U.S. data-sharing demands

BRUSSELS - The Obama administration has encountered mounting resistance in Europe to its demands for broad sharing of airline passenger data and other personal information designed to spot would-be terrorists before they strike.

Saddam Hussein's foreign minister Tariq Aziz sentenced to death for persecution of Shiites

BAGHDAD - An Iraqi court on Tuesday sentenced Tariq Aziz, a senior member in Saddam Hussein's government, to death by hanging for the persecution of Shiites after the Gulf War, officials said.

Anti-Muslim feelings propel right wing in Europe

STOCKHOLM - On the heels of elections that stunned many in this famously progressive land, Kent Ekeroth and his peers marched through the castle-like parliament doors this month on a mission to combat what they call Sweden's greatest problem: Muslim immigration.

Stryker unit sought to defend killing at heart of Afghan murder probe

Three days after they killed an Afghan cleric named Mullah Adahdad, members of a U.S. Army platoon returned to his village. Tribal elders had complained to Army officers that the cleric had been unarmed and that the May 2 shooting was a setup. The soldiers tried to convince them otherwise.

U.S. operations in Kandahar push out Taliban

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - With 2,000-pound bombs, 12,000 troops, and one illiterate but charismatic Afghan border police commander, the American military has forced insurgents to retreat from key parts of this strategically vital region, according to U.S. and Afghan commanders.

Iran stops fully refueling British planes in retaliation against oil agreement

TEHRAN - In retaliation for an agreement between the United States and European oil companies that has made it impossible for Iran's national airline to refuel its planes in most of Europe, the Islamic Republic has stopped fully providing the only British airline flying to Tehran with fuel.

Karzai again blasts security firms' role in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - The confrontation between President Hamid Karzai and the NATO coalition over the fate of private security companies accelerated Monday as Karzai lashed out again about the damaging role the hired guns play in Afghanistan.