An American who killed three people in a head-on collision after driving on the wrong side of the road in Britain was jailed for 20 months Friday. Read More

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II, who presided over a vast post-Soviet revival of faith but struggled against the influence of other churches, died Friday at age 79 Read More

Japan approved a law Friday that will grant citizenship to all children born out of wedlock to Japanese fathers who acknowledge them, regardless of the nationality of their mothers. Read More

The Dalai Lama says he thinks the struggle over Tibet can be resolved "within a few days" if China becomes a more open society. Read More

The leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan met Friday for Turkish-sponsored talks aimed at reducing tensions over militant attacks along the countries' lawless border. Read More

Thailand's ailing king, a pillar of stability during his six decades on the throne, failed to attend celebrations marking his 81st birthday Friday as many Thais feared his fading from the scene could deepen the turmoil that has plagued the country for three years. Read More

India's top law enforcement official admitted Friday there were government "lapses" in last week's terror attack on Mumbai, amid a public uproar over security and intelligence failures in the deadly siege. Read More

India and Russia signed a civilian nuclear deal Friday that would see Russia build four nuclear reactors for power-starved India. Read More

Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu, once jailed as a Romanian communist-era "enemy of the state," died Friday after years of fighting to reveal details of the country's troubled past, the prime minister said. He was 80. Read More

After more than 90 years, the Russian stars will no longer be all red. They'll be red, white and blue. Read More

Armed robbers _ some dressed in drag _ made off with euro80 million ($100 million) in loot from a lightning-fast jewelry store theft in central Paris, in what police Friday called one of France's costliest jewel heists. Read More

Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu, long-jailed as a Romanian communist-era "enemy of the state" manian anti-communist dissident Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu, who was jailed by the communists and later fought for the country's communist past to be revealed, died on Friday, the national news agency reported. He was 80. Read More

Amsterdam will fight national efforts to crack down on marijuana cafes _ arguing that the city's establishments are so strictly regulated that it is unnecessary to comply with a government ban on having them near schools. Read More

Russia's sole aircraft carrier and several accompanying ships set off Friday for the Atlantic and the Mediterranean _ the latest in a series of efforts aimed to demonstrate the Kremlin's global reach. Read More

Kyrgyzstan's national radio station has taken BBC programming off the airwaves, days after withdrawing broadcasting rights from U.S.-funded Radio Liberty's Kyrgyz Service. Read More

The editor of slain Russian investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya has testified at the trial of her suspected killers that one of them was a Federal Security Service agent. Read More

Iranian state radio says police are confirming that a militant group active in Iran has killed all 16 police officers it abducted in June. Read More

A security pact that sets a timetable for troops to leave Iraq requires a shift in how the U.S. carries out combat missions during its remaining time in the country, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq said Friday. Read More

Israel placed military and police forces on alert Friday to head off new violence after the evacuation of a disputed West Bank building brought tensions between the government, extremist settlers and Palestinians to a peak. Read More

A Chinese man who hijacked a plane 15 years ago and forced it to fly to Taiwan has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, state media said Friday. Read More