World Politics News

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Britain and France on Thursday placed a one-off "community" tax on bankers' bonuses at the heart of a bid to impose new social responsibilities on profitable financial firms. Full Story »

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday there are growing signs of religious freedom in Cuba and that there is an opportunity for reconciliation between the communist nation and the United States. Full Story »

GENEVA - Switzerland has ended a pioneering geothermal project, authorities said Thursday, three years after the deep drilling into the ground caused a series of earthquakes, scaring residents of the northwestern city of Basel. Full Story »

OSLO - President Barack Obama said Thursday that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, set to start in 19 months, will be gradual and U.S. aid to that nation will last for years. Full Story »

The prestigious Nobel Prizes are awarded annually on Dec. 10 in twin ceremonies in Stockholm and Oslo. Here is a look at this year's winners and their work: Full Story »

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States, Britain and France warned Iran on Thursday that it would face further sanctions if it continued to flout international demands that it halt sensitive nuclear activities. Full Story »

BRUSSELS - The European Union accused Israel on Thursday of trying to divide the 27-nation bloc to stop it passing a resolution calling for Jerusalem to be the shared capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state. Full Story »

DUBLIN - The Irish Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a gay man who donated his sperm to a lesbian couple should be permitted to see his 3-year-old son regularly — in part because Ireland's constitution doesn't recognize the lesbians as a valid family unit. Full Story »

STOCKHOLM - Scandinavian officials said Thursday that the Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma confiscated by Iran from laureate Shirin Ebadi have been returned, but that her situation remains a "serious concern." Full Story »

Excerpts from President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize address Thursday in Oslo, Norway: Full Story »

OSLO - President Barack Obama says lasting peace requires human rights and economic opportunity for individuals, and sanctions against regimes that violate international rules. Full Story »

MADRID - The Spanish government agreed to changes in its proposed abortion bill that will now require girls aged 16 and 17 to inform one of their parents if they seek to end their pregnancy, an opposition party said Thursday. Full Story »

MOSCOW - The death toll from last weekend's nightclub fire has risen to 136, officials said Thursday. Full Story »

LONDON - A judge has sentenced a London man to a minimum of 18 years in prison for his role in a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic passenger jets using liquid explosives. Full Story »

ROME - He has emerged from the fringes of a neo-Fascist party to position himself as the heir apparent to Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Full Story »

The text of President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, delivered Thursday in Oslo, Norway, as provided by the White House: Full Story »

OSLO - President Barack Obama, accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, says all nations must follow standards on the use of force. Full Story »

PARIS - French aviation investigators are examining an emergency distress call last month from an Air France plane flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Full Story »