Powerful Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is widely expected to extend a ceasefire by his Mehdi Army militia on Friday, a decision Washington says is important to maintain security gains. U.S. officials say the ceasefire, in operation for the past

Colombia said on Thursday military intelligence had pinpointed the location of four hostages soon to be freed by FARC guerrillas and demanded rebels release them quickly because of one captive's health. The FARC said earlier this month they planned to

election violence. By David Lewis NAIVASHA, Kenya (Reuters) - The drive into Kenya's Rift Valley is a breathtaking climb up over the escarpment followed by a precarious, winding descent down into Naivasha. Set amid the yellow fever-trees on the shore

Britain and France said on Thursday they hope the U.N. Security Council will vote next week on a revised sanctions resolution against Iran over its atomic program, which the West fears is aimed at making bombs. Tehran denies wanting nuclear

President George W. Bush promised steadfast U.S. support for Liberia's recovery from its crippling civil war as he wrapped up a tour of Africa with a visit to a friendly ally on Thursday. At the end of what he called

A strong earthquake in northeastern Nevada badly damaged the historic center of a remote town and injured several people at dawn on Thursday, but nearby mining operations were only briefly disrupted. The 6.0 magnitude quake near the town of Wells

A Venezuelan commercial plane carrying up to 46 people went missing on Thursday soon after taking off from an Andean mountain city just before dusk, authorities said. The plane of the local airline Santa Barbara flew out of the high-altitude

Republican presidential front-runner John McCain on Thursday dismissed as untrue a New York Times report suggesting he had a close and possibly romantic relationship with a female lobbyist nine years ago, a potentially embarrassing conflict of interest. "Obviously I'm very

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused surging rival Barack Obama of having a weak resume and using borrowed rhetoric in his speeches as she tried to slow Obama's momentum at a crucial debate on Thursday. Clinton, her political life on

British rock band Coldplay will release its new album through EMI Group this summer, the band's manager was quoted as saying on Thursday, a month after he threatened to withhold the record in protest of major cost-cutting by the beleaguered

Britney Spears' self-styled manager Sam Lutfi was served with a restraining order on Thursday ordering him to stay at least 250 yards (meters) away from the singer and barring him from communicating with her, according to court documents. Lawyers for

Celebrities Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Madonna are among hundreds of patrons of a New York bar being urged by New York health officials on Thursday to get a Hepatitis A vaccination after a bartender was found to be infected.

The Pentagon said on Thursday it was very confident that a spectacular and unprecedented missile strike from a U.S. Navy warship had destroyed the toxic fuel tank of a defunct U.S. spy satellite. The 1,000 pound (450 kg) fuel tank

A commercial plane carrying up to 46 people crashed in eastern Venezuela on Thursday, CNN's Spanish television news channel said. Local media said the plane crashed in the state of Merida. The state capital, also named Merida, is 680 km

Serb protesters ransacked and set fire to the U.S. embassy in Belgrade on Thursday, venting anger at U.S. support for Kosovo's declaration of independence. A charred body was later found inside, but all American personnel had been accounted for and

Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, in a crucial debate, differed on Thursday on how quickly to hold talks with Cuba now that Fidel Castro has resigned. Cuba was an early topic at the CNN/Univision debate at the