Mbeki in Harare for crisis talks
South Africa's Thabo Mbeki is in Zimbabwe to meet President Robert Mugabe and leaders of a breakaway opposition faction.

Labour MSP joins by-election race
Labour MSP Margaret Curran says she will stand as a candidate for the Glasgow East by-election after the frontrunner drops out.

Man arrested over student murders
A man is arrested in connection with the murder of two French students who were stabbed and burned in a flat in London.

Tories under fire after Lewis quits
The Conservatives are in "disarray" after the resignation of London deputy mayor Ray Lewis, Labour says.

Waxwork Hitler beheaded in Berlin
A man is arrested after tearing the head off an Adolf Hitler figure, as a new Madame Tussauds branch opens in Berlin.

Ingrid Betancourt, the former hostage in Colombia, returns home to France
Two days after her rescue, Betancourt arrived in Paris to greet a joyful nation that had adopted her as one of its own, campaigning for her freedom and moved by her reunion with her children.

Bold Colombia rescue built on rebels' disarray
The military raid that duped FARC guerrillas and freed 15 hostages might help push the rebels to negotiate for peace.

Carefully planned Colombia rescue exploited FARC weaknesses
The rescue, described by commanders of the Colombian Army and officials in Washington and Bogotá, was almost exclusively a Colombian operation that highlighted the growth of a military that has benefited from $5.4 billion in aid from the United States since 2000.

European Commission rebukes Sarkozy on interest rates and trade
The European Commission delivered a sharp response Friday to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France over his recent comments on interest rates and trade policy, underlining European economic policy divisions before the coming Group of 8 summit meeting.

Bomb explodes in center of Belarus capital
A bomb exploded early Friday morning at an outdoor concert in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, wounding dozens of people, three critically, and a second device was found later in the same area, the authorities said.

Moussaoui Juror Falls Ill; Deliberations to Resume Friday
Jurors in the Zacarias Moussaoui case headed into a fourth day of deliberations Thursday but talks halted when one juror fell ill; deliberations to resume Friday

Iran Test-Fires Another 'Top Secret' Missile
Iran's state-run television says it successfully test-fired a "top secret" missile, the third in a week.

Duke Lacrosse Coach Resigns Amid Rape Flap
University cancels remainder of season after allegations that three players raped an exotic dancer at a party.

100 Homes Threatened by Weakened Dam in Northern California
About 100 homes were being evacuated Wednesday morning as a small earthen dam in Calaveras County in northern California weakened by an overnight thunderstorm threatened to break.

Video Claims to Show Insurgents Dragging Burning Body of U.S
A poor-quality video posted on the Internet Wednesday in the name of an extremist group claimed to show Iraqi insurgents dragging the burning body of a U.S. pilot on the ground after the crash of an Apache helicopter.