World News

France and Britain plan to abstain from a Security Council vote on the Palestinians' bid for statehood, two U.N. diplomats said Thursday.

Financially-strapped Ireland announced its intent Thursday to close embassies in the Vatican and Iran, explaining it was not worthwhile to keep them open especially given its own dire economic straits.

A Buddhist nun in southwest China has died after setting herself on fire, the 11th Tibetan — and second nun — to self-immolate since March.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said a proposal to hold a referendum on an international bailout would not be necessary, if the opposition were to support tough austerity measures.

For the first time, the United States is publicly accusing China and Russia of being the top offenders in the theft of U.S. economic and technology information, according to an intelligence report released Thursday.

Violence left three people dead in northwest Syria on Thursday, activists said, a day after the government pledged to end its anti-regime crackdown and remove troops from the streets.

Veteran photographer Brian McCarty is bringing war and toys together in an art project to explore what children in a war zone endure every day.

Bedouin smugglers involved in people trafficking are also believed to be stealing organs from refugees who are unable to pay their demands for large amounts of cash to take them into Israel.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou called an emergency cabinet meeting Thursday after France and Germany warned that his country would have to leave the euro zone if voters rejected a bailout plan.

Syria has agreed to end its crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, pull troops from the streets and release prisoners jailed during months of protests, the Arab League announced Wednesday.