Ugandan state lawyers sought on Thursday to dismiss a petition by activists at the constitutional court seeking to overturn tough anti-gay laws that have been condemned by rights groups as draconian.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak appealed Thursday for an "immediate cessation" of fighting between Ukraine government forces and rebels around the crash site of flight MH17 near the Russian border.
Full StoryAfghanistan's floundering attempts to declare a winner of its presidential election inched forward Thursday with a deal allowing an audit of all votes to restart, but the United Nations warned of the risk of further delays.
Alleged fraud during the June 14 election has plunged the country into a crisis as U.S.-led troops wind down their war against Taliban insurgents and President Hamid Karzai prepares to step down after ruling since 2001.
Full StoryU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry voiced optimism Thursday about working with India's new right-wing government as he paid a first visit aimed at reviving a relationship clouded by mistrust.
The United States and India have described each other as natural allies with common concerns about a rising China and Islamic extremism, but the world's largest democracies have weathered an unusually large number of disputes in the past year.
Full StoryMembers of Germany's large Turkish community started casting ballots Thursday for the August presidential election, the first time they can vote abroad for a poll in their country of origin.
Germany is home to some three million people of Turkish descent, the world's largest Turkish expatriate community, and 1.4 million of these are eligible voters with Turkish nationality.
Full StoryThe French government is seeking to disband a radical Jewish group involved in recent clashes with pro-Palestinian activists during rallies against the Gaza offensive, a source told AFP Thursday.
News of the mooted ban came as France's main Jewish group prepared to stage a pro-Israel gathering in Paris, in response to weeks of protests marred by clashes, arrests and allegations of anti-Semitism.
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A Thai army general has been arrested on suspicion of extortion in a notorious Bangkok red light district, officials said Thursday, in a rare case of authorities prosecuting a member of the military.
Full StoryAt least 25 people in Indonesia, including six children, have died and 13 are missing in two separate boat sinkings, officials said Thursday, as millions travel across the country for the Eid holiday season.
The week of Eid, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, is the busiest travel period of the year in the world's most-populous Muslim country, when most people abandon big cities and return to their hometowns to celebrate with family.
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Australia's human rights commissioner said Thursday the government must come clean about conditions at offshore asylum-seeker camps after an inquiry heard of an alleged cover-up of mental health problems.
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Five South Korean soldiers have been arrested on manslaughter charges for an assault that led to the death of a young conscript they had repeatedly bullied, the military said Thursday.
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