Scotland's hunger for independence proves annoying in England
With relations at their uneasiest point in decades, there is even talk that unless the balance of power can somehow be renegotiated, the union is in danger of unraveling.

Brown makes unannounced Iraq trip
Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Saturday and held talks with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.

A Muslim woman too orthodox for France
A recent case has sharpened the focus on the delicate balance between the tradition of Republican secularism and the freedom of religion guaranteed under the French Constitution - and how that balance might be shifting.

Pope apologizes for sex abuse by Australian clergy
Pope Benedict XVI publicly apologized Saturday for the sexual abuse of children by clerics in Australia and called for the perpetrators to be "brought to justice."

U.S. attends Iran-EU talks
Iran and the European Union's chief negotiators agreed on Saturday to resume talks on suspending uranium enrichment in two weeks, after Tehran ruled out freezing its program in talks that included the United States for the first time.

Anglican bishops try to prevent schism
The world's Anglican bishops turned Saturday to the enormous task at the heart of their once-a-decade summit: trying to keep the Anglican family from breaking apart over the Bible and homosexuality.

Belgian prime minister stays on
The political chaos that has threatened the unity of the country continued on Friday when the prime minister, Yves Leterme, resumed the office he offered to quit three days earlier.

Bulgaria risks losing EU funds
The European Union could freeze about €1 billion in aid to Bulgaria, according to a leaked document that accuses Sofia of losing money through high-level corruption, organized crime and incompetence.

Abkhazia's separatists reject German plan to prevent conflict with Georgia
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany failed to convince Abkhazian separatist leaders after outlining his peace plan, which included returning Georgian refugees to Abkhazia.

Another nuclear leak in France
A leak of uranium-bearing liquid from a broken underground pipe at a nuclear plant in southeastern France was the second discovered at a French site this month, officials said.