Pakistan's military continued its assault Thursday on militants in Taliban-held areas, its chief spokesman told reporters. So far, 14 militants have been killed in the past 24 hours, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said. The operation is still ongoing in the districts of Dir and Buner, which was recently seized by the Taliban in violation of an agreement with Pakistan's government. Pakistani forces have completely secured Daggar, the main town in Buner and the scene of heavy fighting on Wednesday, Abbas ...

A man charged this month with killing two Los Angeles women more than three decades ago may be linked to as many as 30 unsolved murders and "numerous sexual assaults," Los Angeles police said. Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton called a Thursday news conference to reveal the suspect's name and details of the cases against him. The man, who was arrested April 2, "has been linked by DNA evidence to two LAPD cold case murders and three others in ...

On the tape, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan appears to burn with rage. Believing he was cheated in a business deal, the member of the United Arab Emirates ruling family was trying to extract a confession from an Afghan grain dealer. With a private security officer assisting, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan is seen stuffing sand in the Afghan's mouth. As the grain dealer pleads and whimpers, he is beaten with a nailed board, burned in the genitals ...

A court in Saudi Arabia has granted an 8-year-old girl a divorce from her 47-year-old husband, after twice denying the divorce request previously, local media reported Thursday. Biden made the remarks on NBC's "Today Show," after he was asked what he would tell a family member about traveling to Mexico, where the first cases of the virus -- technically known as 2009 H1N1 -- were detected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, is advising people to ...

Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday morning he has advised his family to avoid "confined places" such as aircraft, subways and classrooms because of the swine flu risk. Biden made the remarks on NBC's "Today Show," after he was asked what he would tell a family member about traveling to Mexico, where the first cases of the virus -- technically known as 2009 H1N1 -- were detected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, is advising people ...

Britain officially handed over authority of Basra to Iraq on Thursday, marking the end of combat operations in the country after six years. The 4,000 British forces in the southern city now will begin rapidly withdrawing over the next month, leaving just 400 who will lead specialist training with the Iraqi army and navy, a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defence told CNN. It means British combat troops will be out of Iraq before the announced deadline of July ...

Fear and skepticism on the streets of Mexico have led to panic buying and deep suspicions about the government. Can officials handle a deadly swine flu epidemic, many people are asking, and are authorities lying about what's really going on The nervousness and distrust are not limited to Mexico City, where government officials said most of the 159 deaths suspected of coming from the 2009 H1N1 flu strain have occurred. Villahermosa, in Tabasco state, is 567 miles ...

Two people were killed and 12 wounded when a car careered into a crowd of people watching the Dutch royal family riding past in an open-top bus Thursday. The accident occurred during Queen's Day, a national holiday celebrated every April 30 to mark the queen's birthday. Queen Beatrix's, the current monarch, birthday is actually January 31. The celebrations are a reflection of how widely popular members of the royal family remain in the country as national figureheads. They have no ...

Over the past week, I've been inundated with questions about swine flu, via Facebook, Twitter, CNN blogs and e-mail. So this week I'm empowering people with information about swine flu: how to protect yourself, what all the numbers mean and why you shouldn't freak out. 1. Hasn't swine flu been around for a while Yes. Swine flu was first identified in 1930 when researchers isolated the virus in a pig. In 1976, more than 200 soldiers at Fort ...

NATO intends to expel two Russian diplomats from its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Activists in the East African nation are urging women to withhold sex for a week to protest the growing divide in Kenya's coalition government. "We are asking even sex workers to join the cause, even if we have to pay them ourselves," said Patricia Nyaundi, executive director of the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya. The campaign was organized by G-10, ...