WELLINGTON (Reuters) – A major earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hit New Zealand, 30 km (20 miles) west of Christchurch early Saturday morning, causing no immediate reports of casualties but widespread damage, authorities said. Excerpt from: Quake of 7.0 hits New Zealand near Christchurch  Read More →

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday urged Israel and the Palestinians to overcome the final obstacles to peace, saying their new talks may be a last chance to end the conflict. Excerpt from: Clinton: time ticking for Israel-Palestinian peace  Read More →

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Talks to form a right-leaning minority Dutch government collapsed Friday when a populist anti-Islam party pulled out of talks, dashing attempts to form an administration seven months after the last one collapsed. See the rest here: Dutch cabinet talks collapse 3 months after vote  Read More →

By VERONIKA OLEKSYN 2010-09-03T17:42:19Z VIENNA (AP) — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has asked Israel to consider signing up to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, according to a report made public Friday, in a boost to Arab-led pressure on the Jewish state to join the pact…. Originally posted here: UN nuclear chief asks Israel to join treaty  Read More →

By MARK WALSH 2010-09-03T17:32:28Z MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Mexican soldiers killed at least 30 suspected cartel members in two shootouts near the U.S. border in a region that has become one of biggest battlegrounds in the country’s drug war, authorities said Friday…. See original here: Mexico: Soldiers kill 30 in troubled border state  Read More →

DERA ISLAMIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistan’s Taliban on Friday threatened to launch attacks in the United States and Europe “very soon” and dismissed a move by Washington to add the group to its terrorism blacklist. Read the original here: Pakistan Taliban threaten attacks in U.S., Europe  Read More →

By KIMBERLY DOZIER 2010-09-03T17:18:23Z KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The new top commander in Afghanistan is talking up a weapon that has been kept in the shadows for years – special operations missions to kill or capture key insurgents – to try to convince skeptics the war can be won…. More: Analysis: Special-ops on show to woo war skeptics  Read More →

DUBAI (Reuters) – A cargo plane crashed near a busy highway in Dubai on Friday, causing a fire, Al Arabiya television reported. See the original post here: Cargo plane crashes near Dubai road, causes fire: TV  Read More →

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) – More women are working and dying for powerful drug cartels in Mexico’s most violent city as high unemployment along the U.S. border sucks desperate families into the lethal trade See more here: Mexican women work, die for gangs in drug war city  Read More →

By HYUNG-JIN KIM 2010-09-03T15:58:47Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is preparing its largest political meeting in 30 years, and leader Kim Jong Il is expected to appoint a son to a key Workers Party position in what would be the strongest sign yet of a succession movement in the secretive communist country…. Original post: Will heir be unveiled at North Korean convention?  Read More →