Russian opposition groups will defy a ban on a protest planned for the day after the March 2 presidential election, an activist said on Thursday. City officials earlier refused to give permission for the rally by the Other Russia opposition

A botched bomb attack aimed at a Mexico City security chief looks more like a vendetta by small-time drug peddlers than the start of a wider bombing campaign by big cartels, experts say. Friday's intended attack, which backfired when the

A tribunal will rule on Tuesday on whether the election of Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua was valid, a decision that could enshrine the status quo or plunge Africa's most populous nation into turmoil. Yar'Adua's two main rivals in last April's

People indigenous to Siberia have strong genetic links to native peoples in the Americas, according to a study further supporting the theory that humans first entered the Americas over a land bridge across the Bering Strait. Scientists at Stanford University

Britain, France and Germany have revised a sanctions resolution against Iran over its nuclear program and diplomats said on Thursday they hoped the U.N. Security Council would vote on the draft next week. The new resolution, obtained by Reuters, was

Stokes MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) - Tiger Woods stayed on course for an eighth title in nine starts worldwide in Thursday's second round at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship as second seed Phil Mickelson was knocked out. World number one Woods

Poet and author Charles Bukowski is gone but the bungalow where he penned his first novel still stands, as bedraggled as the writer himself, and city leaders say they will save it as a literary landmark in a city better

Who is Jesus? According to spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, there are three interpretations. In his book "The Third Jesus," published this week, Chopra says there is a "sketchy historical figure," a second "abstract theological creation" and a third Jesus with

British actress and singer-songwriter Minnie Driver has won critical acclaim for her Oscar-nominated performance in the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting" and her role in the U.S. TV series "The Riches." She also is a long-time supporter of Oxfam's fair

When the producers of "Ratatouille" started making their movie, they wondered who in their right mind would pay to see an animated tale about a rat cooking in a high-class French restaurant. "We are still wondering," said producer Brad Lewis,

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.

U.S. regulators have granted priority review to a closely watched drug for preventing blood clots being developed by Eli Lilly and Co and Daiichi Sankyo, the companies said on Thursday. The pill is widely considered the most important experimental medicine

Cuba's rubber-stamp National Assembly will meet on Sunday to name retiring Cuban leader Fidel Castro's successor, and few people are placing bets on anyone other than his brother Raul Castro. The younger Castro has provisionally held power since his brother

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

Days after the largest meat recall in U.S. history, the head of the Agriculture Department said officials are reviewing why a California plant processed unfit cattle, and that it was too early to determine whether it was an incident specific

Democrat Hillary Clinton on Thursday questioned rival Barack Obama's readiness to serve as commander in chief and his ability to win the White House as the two presidential contenders prepared for a crucial debate. The Thursday night showdown in Austin,

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

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Thursday he would not compromise with the Democratic-led Congress on his demand that phone companies that took part in his warrantless domestic spying program be shielded from lawsuits. Bush has demanded Congress protect

Scores of protesters smashed their way into the U.S. embassy in Belgrade on Thursday in anger at Kosovo's independence, ransacking rooms and setting fires before riot police dispersed the crowd. Washington reacted with anger. "I'm outraged by the mob attack,"