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Up to 70 Japanese lawmakers visited the notorious World War II-linked Yasukuni shrine on Tuesday, following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ritual offering.

Assailant kills soldier in bus station

An Arab attacker armed with a gun and a knife opened fire in a southern Israel bus station on Sunday, police said, killing an Israeli soldier and wounding 10 people in one of the boldest attacks yet in a monthlong wave of violence.

Storm kills 16 people; thousands stranded

A typhoon swept across the northern Philippines killing at least 16 people as trees, power lines and walls were toppled. But tens of thousands of people were evacuated as floodwaters engulfed large areas..

Separated families gather for rare reunion

Three hundred and ninety-four residents of the Republic of Korea, many of them elderly and nearly all in a state of fevered anticipation, gathered on Monday before crossing into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for a rare reunion with separated family members.

Campaigners call for two marine sanctuaries

Campaigners on Monday urged global leaders to put aside differences and create two vast marine sanctuaries in Antarctica to protect one of the world's last untouched wildernesses.

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Balkans pressed by desperate crowds

The Balkans faced a growing buildup of migrants on Monday, with thousands massing in the cold and dampness after the closure of Hungary's southern border diverted them to Slovenia.

Poll: Trudeau with big lead over Harper

Canadians began voting on Monday to decide whether to extend Conservative leader Stephen Harper's near-decade in power or return the country to its more liberal roots.

Three decades on, fan returns stolen Patti Smith items

Thirty-six years after her tour truck was stolen, rock legend Patti Smith was moved to tears as a fan returned a bandanna from her late brother and other items thought to have been inside the stolen truck.

Polio death revives world's attention

The recent death of a polio-stricken 8-year-old Laotian boy has refocused world attention on polio, an ailment now almost extinct in other parts of the world.

265-meter-long pie highlights 11th annual pumpkin festival

Eating a 265-meter-long pumpkin pie on Saturday was the culmination of the five-day Pumpkin Fest, which was held for the 11th consecutive year in the small Bulgarian town of Sevlievo.

Israel details stabbings by Palestinians

Palestinian assailants carried out five stabbing attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Saturday, authorities said, as a monthlong outburst of violence showed no signs of abating.