Chinese protest factory even after official pledge

NINGBO, China (AP) — Protests against the expansion of a factory are resuming in an eastern China city despite a local governmentpledge to halt the project. About 200 protesters gathered outside Ningbo government offices Monday for a fourth straight day of protests. Police channeled the crowd from the front of the building off to a side street. The protests have occasionally featured violent...

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China wants to stop profiteering at temple sites

BEIJING (AP) — China is telling tourist-favored Buddhist temples: Don't let money be your mantra. Authorities announced a ban this week on temples selling shares to investors after leaders of several popular temples planned to pursue stock market listings for them as commercial entities. Even the Shaolin Temple of kung fu movie fame was once rumored to be planning a stock market debut — and critics...

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Man in Afghan uniform kills 2 British troops

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A man wearing an Afghan police uniform shot and killed two British soldiers at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, international military officials said. The assault appeared to the be the latest in a string of insider attacks that have threatened the partnership between international troops and the Afghan forces they are trying to train to take over responsibility...

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Moscow rally urges release of opposition activists

MOSCOW (AP) — Several hundred demonstrators rallied inMoscow on Tuesday to press for the release of opposition activists on the same day that Russia commemorated the victims of Soviet-era repression. Protesters demanded that authorities free more than a dozen people who are in jail facing accusations over their role in a May protest that turned violent, among other charges. The opposition calls them "political prisoners." President...

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US, EU hopeful of new Iran nuke talks

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The U.S. and the European Union said Tuesday they'll press on with sanctions against Iran, even as they hope the promise of new negotiations could lead to a diplomatic solution ending the nuclear standoff. Appearing together at a news conference in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo before continuing a joint tour of the Balkans in Serbia and Kosovo, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary...

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Regional elections foretell turmoil in Italy

ROME (AP) — Italy risks heading into political turmoil after a regional election showed a huge level of voter distrust in mainstream political parties, a result that could also rattle financial markets that have no small role in deciding the fate of the economically troubled nation. A protest party candidate from a movement launched by a TV comic made a strong showing in Sicilian elections Sunday, a vote seen as a test of popular...

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Disarray, millions without power in Sandy's wake

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The most devastating storm in decades to hit the country's most densely populated region upended man and nature as it rolled back the clock on 21st-century lives, cutting off modern communication and leaving millions without power Tuesday as thousands who fled their water-menaced homes wondered when — if — life would return to normal. A weakening Sandy, the hurricane turned fearsome superstorm, killed at least 48 people,...

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Windows 8 inspires computer makers to creativity

NEW YORK (AP) — Can't decide if you want a PC or tablet? Now you won't have to. With the release of Windows 8, computer makers are doing their best to blur the boundaries with an array of devices that mash keyboards and touch screens together in different ways. Some of these configurations are new, while others have appeared and disappeared on the market since at least 2002, when Microsoft Corp. released Windows XP Tablet...

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Facebook used to kidnap, traffic Indonesian girls

DEPOK, Indonesia (AP) — When a 14-year-old girl received aFacebook friend request from an older man she didn't know, she accepted it out of curiosity. It's a click she will forever regret, leading to a brutal story that has repeated itself as sexual predators find new ways to exploit Indonesia's growing obsession with social media. The junior high student was quickly smitten by the man's smooth online flattery. They exchanged...

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