The US ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, is to step down this summer due to ill health after a year in his position, the state department says.

Egyptians prepare to head to the polls in their first free presidential election in their history, made possible by last year's Arab Spring uprising.

A Peruvian minister denies claims that explosions used in oil exploration are to blame for the deaths of hundreds of dolphins.

A man who beheaded a fellow bus passenger in Canada in 2008 has spoken out for the first time, saying he believed he was killing an alien.

Tens of thousands of protesters fill the streets of Montreal to mark 100 days since the start of protests against a rise in student tuition fees.

Seven aid agencies warn that Yemen is on the verge of a hunger catastrophe as a result of political instability and rising prices.

The US could tip into recession if the government does not avert year-end tax hikes and federal spending cuts, auditors say.

Australia says no deal was done to cut convicted drug trafficker Schapelle Corby's jail term in exchange for releasing Indonesian minors.