BRUSSELS – The European Union fought Thursday to live up to its self-proclaimed leadership on combating climate change, with the 27 EU leaders at odds over how much to offer poorer nations to join the global battle. EU nations failed to agree on a figure for climate change funding for …

BAGHDAD – A series of bombings killed at least 19 people and wounded 60 Sunday in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, said police and hospital officials, a worrying sign that violence may be on the rise in this former hotbed of the insurgency. The first explosion occurred in a …

BERLIN – A debate over two different swine flu vaccines overshadowed Germany’s launch of a public inoculation program against the pandemic on Monday. Critics warned the vaccinations campaign could be a “million-euro flop” as many people might refuse to participate after learning they would receive a different shot than one …

GIRIFUSHI, Maldives – Members of the Maldives’ Cabinet donned scuba gear and used hand signals Saturday at an underwater meeting staged to highlight the threat of global warming to the lowest-lying nation on earth. President Mohammed Nasheed and 13 other government officials submerged and took their seats at a table …

Choosing a condom can have you feeling like a kid in a candy store. Between size, texture, material, types and special features, what’s a guy or gal to choose? Which one is the “perfect condom”? Here’s what every condom connoisseur needs to know. Selecting a condom used to be easy; …

DETROIT – An 88-year-old retired auto engineer told a judge Tuesday that he never shot Jews while serving in a Nazi-controlled police force during World War II, during an initial hearing over whether the government can deport him. Speaking through his lawyer, John Kalymon, of suburban Detroit, denied the U.S. …

MOSCOW – Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Tuesday won a defamation lawsuit against a rights activist who blamed him for the killing of a colleague whose murder sparked international outrage. Moscow’s Tverskoi district court ordered Memorial rights group chairman Oleg Orlov to retract his statement that Kadyrov was responsible …

BOCA RATON, Fla. – South Florida authorities are searching for what they are calling a serial bank robber. A Palm Beach Sheriff’s release said a suspect struck robbed a Boca Raton bank Friday. He walked up to a teller and demanded money. He’s described as being in his mid 30s …

TRIESTE, Italy – The U.S. is shifting its strategy against Afghanistan’s drug trade, phasing out funding for opium eradication while boosting efforts to fight trafficking and promote alternate crops, according to the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan. The aim of the new policy: to deprive the Taliban of the tens of …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it had formed a task force to look for ways to make its decisions regarding medicine and public health matters more transparent. “While the agency cannot disclose all types of information, I believe the agency can do a better job of …