TRIPOLI/ROME - Libya's top oil official became the latest leading figure to desert Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday, complaining of "unbearable" violence and adding political momentum to a revolt against the leader's long rule.
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SANAA - Renewed fighting in Yemen's capital between a powerful tribal group and President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces has killed at least 19 people this week and rocked Sanaa with explosions, officials said on Wednesday.
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THE HAGUE - Former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic used his power to commit atrocities that tore a nation apart and destroyed communities, and he must be held to account, a U.N. war crimes prosecutor said on Wednesday.
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MANAMA - Bahrain lifted martial law on Wednesday in what the government hopes will be a sign to tourists and business of a return to normal, but the opposition fears repression will continue in the Gulf island kingdom.
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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama warned Republicans on Wednesday of "dire" consequences if they do not raise the U.S. debt limit, but a White House meeting did little to end a political standoff over federal spending cuts.
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NEW YORK - U.S. companies hired far fewer workers than expected in May and output in the manufacturing sector slowed to its lowest level since 2009, adding to concerns that the U.S. recovery is running out of steam.
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TEHRAN - Iran's parliament said on Wednesday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad acted illegally by declaring himself caretaker oil minister and referred the case to the judiciary, increasing pressure on him to quit the post.
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ISLAMABAD - Speculation that Pakistan's military spy agency had a hand in the death of a prominent journalist has further discredited the organisation already facing one of its worst crises after the killing of Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil.
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BEIRUT - A Syrian boy, who activists say was tortured and killed by security forces, has emerged as a powerful symbol in protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad which have been met with a bloody crackdown.
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ATHENS - Greece should complete talks by the end of the week with EU and IMF inspectors on a medium-term budget plan plus a vital next slice of international aid, sources close to the negotiations said on Wednesday.
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MONTERREY, Mexico - Mario Ramos thought it was a bad joke when he received an anonymous email at the start of this year demanding ${esc.dollar}15,000 a month to keep his industrial tubing business operating in Monterrey, Mexico's richest city and a symbol of progress in Latin America.
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MOSCOW - Vladimir Putin's tightly controlled political system is so weakened by corruption that Russia's paramount leader could face a revolt within five years, the country's most prominent whistleblower told Reuters.
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LOS ANGELES - Google Inc revealed on Wednesday that unknown hackers likely originating from central China tried to hack into the Gmail accounts of hundreds of users, including senior U.S. government officials, Chinese activists and journalists.
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