Oil price falls below $96 a barrel

The price of oil fell Monday ahead of the release later this week of economic data from the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies, and a speech by the Federal Reserve chief. 1369027908

Asian stocks rise on signs of steady US recovery

Evidence of a steady economic recovery in the U.S. helped push Asian stock markets higher Monday. 1369027908
Death sentence in Chinese underground bank case

A businesswoman in southern China has been sentenced to death on charges of defrauding investors as the government tightens controls on informal financing that is widely used by entrepreneurs. 1369028807
Tons of New Zealand meat stranded on Chinese docks

Hundreds of tons of frozen mutton, lamb and beef from New Zealand have been stranded on Chinese docks after China halted certain imports from the country due to a certification dispute. 1369025530
Top Libyan official: Benghazi explosion accident

Libya's deputy prime minister says an investigation has indicated that a deadly explosion in Benghazi last week was an accident and not an attack.
Drug charge for Virgin Islands environment officer

Federal agents have arrested the top enforcement officer for the U.S. Virgin Islands environment agency on drug trafficking charges after he was allegedly caught with a cache of cocaine on a government patrol boat.
Nigeria military: 17 killed during offensive

Nigeria's military says its offensive against insurgents in the country's restive northeast has killed at least 14 suspected Islamic extremists and three soldiers.
Israeli seeks interim deal with Palestinians

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's senior coalition partner says that reaching a final peace agreement with the Palestinians is unrealistic at the current time and the sides should instead pursue an interim arrangement.
Algerian editor accuses government of censorship

An editor has accused Algeria's government of censorship after it blocked the publication of his two newspapers.
Video shows kidnapped Egyptian security officers

Seven men purported to be the members of Egypt's security forces kidnapped by suspected militants last week appeared in a video posted online Sunday and urged the government to secure their release by meeting their captors' demands.
Pope: church should open up but follow teaching

Pope Francis is calling for renewal in the Catholic church as he wrapped up two days of mass gatherings in St. Peter's Square aimed at energizing the faithful.
Russian TV: American accused of spying flies out

The U.S. Embassy employee accused of spying in Moscow flew out of Russia on Sunday, five days after he was ordered to leave the country, NTV television reported.
Zimbabwe PM: We will end police, military abuse

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Sunday his party will end years of bias and abuse by the police, military and intelligence services and will make sure the services uphold the country's new constitution which demands impartiality in their duties.
Israel disputes French TV claim on boy's death

Israel on Sunday completed an investigation into a decade-old French TV report that claimed Israeli forces killed a Palestinian boy in a gunbattle with Palestinian militants, saying the video was misleading and unfairly blamed Israel.
More bodies recovered in collapsed Indonesia mine

Rescuers recovered five more bodies from a collapsed underground room at a giant U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in Indonesia, bringing the confirmed death toll to 14, police said Monday. Fourteen other workers were still missing and feared dead. 1369023146
Mice return from a month in space

A Russian capsule carrying mice, lizards and other small animals returned to Earth on Sunday after spending a month in space for what scientists said was the longest experiment of its kind.
'Britain's Obama' urges ties with West Africa

A rising star in Britain's Labour Party, described by some as the "British Barack Obama," Chuka Umunna urged the United Kingdom to more aggressively forge ties with West Africa's fast-growing economies.
Syrian troops push into strategic rebel-held town

Syrian troops pushed into a rebel-held town near the Lebanese border on Sunday, fighting house-to-house and bombing from the air as President Bashar Assad tried to strengthen his grip on a strategic strip of land running from the capital to the Mediterranean coast. 1369015945
Kenya police kill "terror couple"

Police shot dead a couple suspected to be terrorists after they threw four grenades, wounding five officers in an overnight stand-off, a police official said Sunday.
Factory owner barred from leaving Bangladesh

The High Court in Bangladesh's capital asked authorities Sunday to prevent the owner of a garment factory where 112 people died in a fire last year from leaving the country, a lawyer said.