Defense lawyers put a series of witnesses on the stand in Saddam Husseinр# trial Wednesday, and the ex-Iraqi leader attended the session after being kept out of the courtroom a day earlier. Read more…

Israel will reopen the countryр# main cargo border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, military officials said. Read more…

The Hamas-led Palestinian government said Wednesday it is activating a new security unit made up of militants, despite a veto by moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Read more…

China evacuated as many as 320,000 people as the strongest typhoon on record to enter the South China Sea in May bore down on the south coast on Wednesday, causing flight and shipping delays around the region. Read more…

Mount Merapi shot a large cloud of searing hot ash and gas into the sky Wednesday, ending two days of relative calm and underscoring the dangers still facing thousands of people living on the volcanoр# slopes. Read more…

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday rejected a possible European offer for incentives, including a light-water nuclear reactor, in return for quitting uranium enrichment. Read more…

Iraqi forces searched on Wednesday for a kidnapped United Arab Emirates diplomat, and a top official in the Persian Gulf country said the attack raised concerns about Iraqр# widespread insecurity. Read more…

A suspected suicide bomber killed seven people, including a police official, in a restive southern region of Russia on Wednesday. Read more…