LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria’s military says it is battling audacious tribal militias in central Nigeria and denies charges by community leaders that its troops have killed dozens of civilians. A statement Monday from the Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said militias engaged troops during weekend raids by the …

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s official IRNA news agency is reporting that the Iranian government has released a Marshal Islands-flagged cargo ship today. According to a Thursday report by the agency, a source in the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization says that the organization will issue a statement later in the …

MANILA, Philippines – A powerful typhoon slammed into the northeastern tip of the Philippines on Sunday, as about 2,500 residents in two provinces huddled in shelters following warnings by officials to evacuate coastal and mountainous villages. Typhoon Noul, packing winds of 115 miles per hour and gusts of up to …

JERUSALEM – Israel’s parliament has approved a contentious legislation that expands the number of government ministers — clearing the way for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government to take office. Wednesday’s vote rolled back reforms made by the previous government that limited the number of ministers to 18. Proponents said …

VIENNA – Vienna’s gay-themed pedestrian traffic lights are here to stay. Instead of the usual stick man, the lights show couples — a man and a woman, two women or two men. Set up recently at 47 crossings, they were to be taken down in June, after the end of …

Three Oscar-ettes | Def Jam Lawsuit | Credit Comes and Goes Julianne, Holly, and Frances: The Three Oscar-ettes It’s not so easy to get three major stars together in one room, but it happened last night at Vince and Eddie’s restaurant on Manhattan’s West Side. That’s because Oscar winner Frances …

And now the most absorbing two minutes in television, the latest from the wartime grapevine: Schroeder Feeling A Bit Queasy German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (search)now says that calls from within his country for German troops to join any U.N. force in Iraq make him, “want to puke.” That comment, quoted …

FIRE ISLAND, N.Y. – The Coast Guard says a search is underway for a missing crew member after a tugboat sank off Fire Island in New York. Coast Guard Petty Officer Morgan Gallapis said the search began Saturday afternoon after a crew member reported the tugboat was sinking. She says …

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The wife of a man who authorities say faked his own death to defraud insurance companies out of millions appeared briefly in court on counts of insurance fraud. Daphne Simpson did not enter a plea Tuesday. She was appointed a public defender because her bank accounts and …

EMMITSBURG, Md. – A local elected official in Maryland who achieved instant Internet notoriety after he threatened to sue a newspaper for publishing his name now says he won’t sue after all. Frederick County Councilman Kirby Delauter (dee-LAW’-tur) said in a written statement Wednesday he was wrong when he told …