The Iraqi parliament will vote Wednesday on a pact that would allow U.S. troops to stay in Iraq for three more years, but the government's hopes of winning a wide margin of approval to ensure the deal's legitimacy appeared to be fading. ...more

November 23, 2008

President Thabo Mbeki went on national television Sunday to formally announce his resignation and deny charges that he pressured prosecutors to go after his rival, Jacob Zuma, whose supporters forced the South African leader from office. ...more

September 22, 2008

A bill that would allow Iranian men to take additional wives without the consent of their first wife has angered women and the country's top justice official, who say it would undermine women's rights and could be a government attempt to more deeply enshrine its strict Islamic interpretation into law. ...more

September 5, 2008

Iraqi lawmakers failed Wednesday to agree on a provincial election law and adjourned for the month, casting doubt whether U.S.-backed balloting can be held this year in the country's 18 provinces. ...more

August 7, 2008

A Sudanese Airbus carrying 214 people veered off the runway in a thunderstorm and burst into flames late Tuesday, killing dozens unable to escape the inferno. Officials said more than 100 people fled the plane before it was engulfed by towering orange flames. ...more

June 11, 2008

A suicide attacker killed at least 32 men gathered in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday to mourn the death of a retired Iraqi army officer, a Shiite who was slain last week in a car bombing blamed on al-Qaida in Iraq. ...more

January 2, 2008