Since its founding in 1948, McDonald's has grown from a family burger stand to a global fast-food behemoth, with more than 30,000 locations in 118 countries. Those nations, however, are about to have their ranks reduced by one: the Golden Arches are pulling up stakes in Iceland this week, and Icelanders pining for a Big Mac and large fries will soon be going hungry. The global chain says it is shuttering its three stores in the capital, ...

"We Muslims are one family even though we live under different governments and in various regions." Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of Iran's revolution "The real force of Islam is the feeling that you belong to a brotherhood with the obligation to serve that brotherhood and thereby serve God." Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Minister of Petroleum "Islam judges, Islam protects, Islam urges resistance when there is injustice." Anwar Gamall, Egyptian university student Those are only a few of the voices ...

Spying on Computer Spies Traces Data Theft to China Turning the tables on a China-based computer espionage gang, Canadian and United States computer security researchers have monitored a spying operation for the past eight months, observing while the intruders pilfered classified and restricted documents from the highest levels of the Indian Defense Ministry. In a report issued Monday night, the researchers, based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, provide a detailed account of how a spy ...

A man using a metal detector in a rural English field has uncovered the largest Anglo-Saxon gold hoard ever found -- an "unprecedented" treasure that sheds new light on history, archaeologists said Thursday. The hoard includes 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of gold and 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of silver. That is more than three times the amount of gold found at Sutton Hoo, one of Britain's most important Anglo-Saxon sites, Staffordshire County Council said. It's an "incredible collection of material ...

It's a common sight in the traffic-clogged streets of Istanbul, a city that straddles two continents. A taxi driver, enraged by perpetually gridlocked traffic, stepping out of his car and yelling "Maniac!" at the man driving the public bus behind him. For decades Istanbul has been growing at a breakneck speed; its population exceeding -- by some estimates -- 15 million people. Too bad traffic often moves at a snail's pace. Most residents are quick to tell visitors the city's ...

Easy tip number one, if you want to talk like a pirate: Add "me hearties" to the end of any sentence. The meaning is simple -- "my friends, my mates" -- said John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur, before offering as way of example, "Turn your head and cough, me hearties. Or, fill it up with regular, me hearties." Saturday marks "Talk Like a Pirate Day," an observance that has been recognized on all seven continents and beyond. It inspires dress and ...

Like many people, I have a "bucket list." It's something along the lines of the "top-10-things-to-see-or-do-before-you-die" lists published on travel Web sites. "Set foot on all seven continents" has always been on my list. This past February, after nearly six months of planning, I was fortunate to be able to knock off two -- the most amazing being Antarctica, the other South America. I chose an optimal time to go -- summer in the Southern Hemisphere -- and found a ...

Cosmetic adverts in Asia are targeting men with blunt campaigns aimed at skin color that one lawmaker labels racist. In one TV commercial, two men, one with dark skin, the other with light skin; stand on a balcony overlooking a neighborhood. The dark skin guy turns to his friend and says in Hindi, "I am unlucky because of my face." His light skin friend replies, "Not because of your face, because of the color of your face." Suddenly the light ...

A team of medical experts successfully separated Egyptian twin boys Hassan and Mahmoud on Saturday -- the 21st procedure of this type to be performed in the kingdom, the nation's leading surgeon said. "The twins, almost an hour ago, have been separated for the first time in their lives," said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who also is the Saudi minister of health. The boys are less than a year old and were brought to the kingdom on February 10. While the ...