Security scare delays Musharraf trial

The start of former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf's trial for treason was delayed over security fears on Tuesday after explosives were found near the road he was to take to court.

Towns win big in Spain's lottery

Lottery ticket holders in two Spanish towns - a working-class suburb outside Madrid and a town recently hit by layoffs in the Basque country - were the big winners of the El Gordo Christmas draw on Sunday.

Santa Clauses coming to town for Texas race

Ever seen Santas running on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico? Come to this coastal city, where thousands of runners dressed as Santas hit the streets on Sunday to celebrate the fast-approaching Christmas holiday.

Vast store of water lies under Greenland

A vast store of water equivalent in area to Ireland lies beneath Greenland's ice sheet, and may provide answers to one of the biggest riddles about climate change, scientists said on Sunday.

Santana reunites with homeless ex-bandmate

A news reporter for a San Francisco television station has reunited rock guitarist Carlos Santana with a former bandmate he hadn't seen in decades and who now lives on the streets of Oakland.

Immigrants target racism in Italy

Seven years ago, Dagmawi Yimer was "between life and death" when Italian navy officers rescued him from a skiff in heavy seas between Libya and the Italian island of Lampedusa.

US has options if foreign troops quit Afghanistan

US officials have warned of the potential for catastrophe if Afghan President Hamid Karzai fails to sign a security pact to allow foreign forces to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

Military force last resort for Sharif govt as Taliban refuse to negotiate

The refusal of the Pakistani Taliban to start talks with the government, and its unabated attacks on security forces, could force the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resort to the use of force as an option to finally resolve the insurgency problem that has plagued Pakistan for many years.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

S. Sudan army set for offensive

South Sudan's army said on Monday it was poised for a major offensive against rebel forces, as the country slid toward civil war despite international peace efforts.

Dialogue urged to end fighting

China said on Monday that it is mediating with South Sudan's feuding parties in its "own way".

Many foreign nationals are trapped amid rising conflicts

Civilian helicopters have evacuated US citizens from the South Sudanese city of Bor, which has seen small arms and heavy machine gun fire in recent days, but 3,000 citizens from countries including Canada, Britain and Kenya remain trapped there, a top UN official said on Monday.