Nato has promised a full investigation into an air strike on two fuel tankers that killed up to 90 people in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province. The alliance said many Taliban insurgents who had hijacked the tankers were killed but it admitted it had reports of many civilian casualties. The Nato-led forces said they regretted... More

Indonesia — A powerful earthquake struck the southern coast of Java on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and rocking buildings 120 miles away in the capital, Jakarta, government officials said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Weather Service said the 7.1 magnitude quake struck Java, Indonesia’s main island,... More

Taiwan’s president, trying to salvage his reputation after a deadly typhoon, is treading a delicate path as an upcoming visit by the Dalai Lama threatens to rock warming relations with China. WHY IS CHINA ANGRY ABOUT THE DALAI LAMA’S PROPOSED VISIT? A visit to Taiwan by the Dalai Lama brings into sharp focus two of China’s... More

South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, has given an upbeat assessment of Zimbabwe’s unity government, saying he believes the worst of the country’s troubles are over. Zuma held talks in Harare with President Robert Mugabe, who looked well despite speculation over his health, and the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai,... More

Activists launched what they called the world’s biggest campaign to combat global warming on Friday, urging governments to agree a tough U.N. climate pact at talks in Copenhagen starting in 100 days’ time. Environmental organisations, trade unions, religious groups, scientists, anti-poverty campaigners and others representing... More

An American service member died in a bomb blast in Afghanistan on Friday, making August the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. forces. The service member’s vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the east, NATO forces said. U.S. forces spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias confirmed the nationality but did not provide further... More

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at his chief political rivals on Friday, calling on judiciary officials to “decisively” and “mercilessly” prosecute them for challenging the legitimacy of his electoral victory and tarnishing the image of the state. The president’s remarks, in a speech prior to the nationally broadcast... More

Afghanistan’s Electoral Complaints Commission has received more than 2,000 complaints of fraud or abuse in last week’s disputed presidential election, with 270 now listed as serious enough to affect the result, it said on Friday. More than a week after the election, Afghanistan remains in a state of political limbo, with... More

Egypt’s foreign minister says east Jerusalem must be included in a freeze of Israeli settlement activity before Middle East peace talks can restart. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit told reporters in Stockholm on Friday that Jerusalem is Arab “and it will continue to be so.” He said the Arab world expects the area to be included... More

More than half a century of all but uncontested political leadership in Japan appears set to end this weekend, as voters elect new parliamentary representatives. Polls indicate a center-left party is set to topple conservatives who are viewed by many as out of touch with the average Japanese family. The election may recast how Japan... More

A report by the newspaper that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is close to a White House Middle East peace deal that would link a partial freeze on Israeli settlements to sweeping sanctions on Iran – is being met with deep skepticism. Most experts doubt the Obama team is ready to fuse the two crucial policies,... More

Rescuers are searching for survivors in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, a day after the deadliest bombing for a year killed at least 43 people. More than 60 were hurt as buildings collapsed in the city centre attack. Almost all those hit were civilians. Teams spent Wednesday sifting through rubble looking for more wounded. The... More

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Danny has formed in the open Atlantic off the Bahamas. Forecasters say the storm has top winds of 45 mph and is moving to the west-northwest at 18 mph. The storm could get stronger in the next two days. As of 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the storm’s center was about 445 miles (715 kilometers) east of Nassau,... More

The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy — announced early this morning by his family — brings to a close nearly five decades in which he stood atop the Democratic political world. The arc of Kennedy’s career — from his election to the Senate in 1962 as the youngest of a trio of political brothers to his pivotal endorsement... More

Greece — With a wildfire contained after raging for days near Athens, the Greek government faced a different kind of firestorm Tuesday as media lambasted its response to the blaze as inadequate. Firefighters patrolled smoldering areas north and east of the capital Tuesday, guarding against flareups while assessing the damage. At... More