Women's Rights Bill Deemed Too Offensive in Afghanistan

Religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation today aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience. The law criminalizes, among other things, child marriage and forced marriage, and bans the traditional practice of exchanging girls and women to settle disputes. It...

Mayan Pyramid Crushed—for Gravel

Archeologists have been horrified to discover that one of the largest Mayan pyramids in Belize has been almost completely annihilated by road crews looking for an easy source of gravel. The 2,300-year-old temple at the heart of the Nohmul complex—at 60 feet, one of the country's tallest structures—...

No. 14: Gay Marriage Now Legal in France

French President Francois Hollande fulfilled a major campaign promise today by signing into law a measure legalizing gay marriage, reports Reuters . The first same-sex weddings can be held in 10 days, notes the BBC . Opponents in the heavily Catholic country aren't done protesting the move, however, and plan another demonstration...

North Korea Test-Fires Missiles Into Sea

North Korea apparently felt things were getting a little too calm of late and launched three short-range missiles into the sea off its eastern coast today, reports the BBC . Notably, those tests did not include the firing of the longer-range Musudan missile , which theoretically could hit the US. Generally, short-range...

Brazil's Ambitious Plan: Erect 10K-Mile Virtual Fence

Brazil's border is pretty mammoth (here's a visual reminder ), and a growing economy has made illegal activities (chief among them illegal immigration) an equally growing concern. But the country has a plan: a 10,000-mile fence ... except that this one is virtual. For reference, America's southern border is only...

Argentine Dictator Videla Dies in Prison

Former dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, who took power over Argentina in a 1976 coup and led a military junta that killed thousands of his fellow citizens in a dirty war to eliminate so-called "subversives," died quietly in his sleep today while serving life in prison for crimes against humanity. He...

New Suspects Found in McCann Case

And the search for Madeleine McCann is on again: Police have produced a new list of suspects in the case of the toddler who went missing in Portugal in 2007, following a lengthy and expensive new review, the Telegraph reports. "There is more than a handful of people of interest...

Women Dressed as Obama at Berlusconi's Parties

Silvio Berlusconi's notorious "bunga bunga" parties featured women dressed as sexy nuns, nurses and ... Barack Obama. That's according to Moroccan dancer Karima el-Mahroug—known better as "Ruby Heartstealer"—with whom the former Italian Prime Minister is accused of paying for sex when she was still underage. In court today, El-Mahroug...

Iran Vetoes Every Woman Running for President

A whole heck of a lot of people are running for president of Iran—and after today, they'll all be dudes. In a single pronouncement, Iran's ruling clerics struck all 30 women who had registered for the race from contention, with one telling a semi-official news agency that even putting...

World to Get Its Tallest Dam

The title of world's tallest dam may shift to a new country in a decade's time. Plans for a 1,030-foot dam—45 feet taller than the current title holder, Tajikistan's Nurek dam—have gotten the green light from China's environmental ministry. The $4.4 billion dam would enable a...

Cannes Hit With $1M Jewelry Heist

If the Cannes red carpet looks a little less fabulous this year, blame jewel thieves. Someone made off with more than $1 million worth of jewelry that was supposed to be lent out to the stars yesterday, smashing the security box where it was being kept in a Novotel Hotel...

Google Maps Reunites Boy With Family, 23 Years Later

A Chinese man who was abducted as a 5-year-old boy finally found his way home, 23 years later, thanks in part to Google Maps. After he was snatched on his way to kindergarten in a small town in Sichuan province, Luo Gang was raised by adoptive parents (no word on...

Video Claims to Show Toronto Mayor on Crack

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is trying to fend off the first reports of what could be a monumental scandal. Both the Toronto Star and Gawker say they've seen a video that purports to show Ford smoking crack cocaine. Two reporters from the Star watched the video three times and say...

Russia Sends Syria Ships— and 'Ship Killers'

Russia is reportedly sending military aid to Syria that seems designed to counter any attempt at military intervention from the US or other Western countries. US officials tell the New York Times that Russia has sent the regime new, radar-equipped anti-ship cruise missiles, weapons that could fend off an international...

Venezuela's Latest Shortage: Toilet Paper

Amid milk and coffee shortages, Venezuela is now facing a sanitary crisis: There's not enough toilet paper to go around. "I'm 71 years old, and this is the first time I've seen this," said one man shopping for the stuff. "This is the last straw." Another shopper said she'd "been...

Inside the Wild, 4-Hour Trek to Smuggle KFC Into Gaza

They say everybody needs a little KFC, and it seems they're right. Gaza residents don't have access to a local branch—so they're willing to pay more than twice the going price to get it delivered from Egypt in a highly complex process that takes some four hours. Sure, it's...

Another Factory Collapse Kills 2

Another factory collapse is in the headlines, this one in Cambodia. The ceiling caved in at a facility outside Phnom Penh that makes Asics sneakers, reports the AP . At least two workers are dead and seven injured. It's not even close to the scale of the disaster in Bangladesh three...

Kim Has 2 Daughters —by 2 Women: Source

Looks like one of the planet's craziest dynasties is ensuring that it'll be around to entertain/horrify future generations: Kim Jong Un, that baby-faced dictator who is said to have fathered a daughter late last year, reportedly has another kid on the ground. Chosun Ilbo reports by way of a Beijing...

Syrians Allege Chemical Attack: 'Suffocating Smell'

Government helicopters dropped chemical weapons last month on the Syrian town of Saraqeb, eyewitness testimony strongly suggests. A BBC correspondent visited the town, and was regaled with accounts and videos of box-like devices being dropped out of helicopters and emitting deadly gas. "It was a horrible, suffocating smell," said the...

Moscow Forbids Gay Rights Parade

Officials in Moscow have forbidden activists to hold a gay rights parade there, saying that it would conflict with a government-mandated campaign to promote patriotism in young people, the New York Times reports. The city noted that the Kremlin had been backing legislation banning "homosexual propaganda" in cities around the...

Vatican Sends Disgraced UK Cardinal Away for 'Penance'

The Vatican yesterday ordered a disgraced Scottish cardinal to leave Scotland for several months to pray and atone for sexual misconduct , issuing a rare public sanction against a "prince of the church" and the first such punishment meted out by Pope Francis. The Vatican said Keith O'Brien , once Britain's highest-ranking...

Kabul Suicide Attack on NATO Kills 6

A suicide bomber in Kabul launched an attack on NATO vehicles, killing at least six people and wounding 30 in the process, the AP reports. "It was a powerful explosion and some of the dead were badly burnt and cannot be recognized," says an Afghan official. Reports are conflicting, but...

Europe Raids Big Oil Firms, Looking for Price Rigging

European authorities raided the offices of BP, Shell, Statoil, and other companies involved in the oil business yesterday, as part of an investigation into what they suspect is a more than decade-old conspiracy to rig oil prices. The European Commission said it had launched "unannounced inspections" of oil company offices...

How to Measure Success of Arab Revolution: Leopards

Need a tangible way to gauge the success of the Arab Revolution in coming years? Thomas Friedman suggests keeping an eye on the Arabian leopard. He's visiting Yemen, where the government is trying to protect the fast-disappearing cat. "If you visit Yemen in five years and hear that the Arabian...

Lost 'White City' May Lie Hidden in Rainforest

A little of bit of high tech may have found what 16th-century conquistadors could not: the legendary Ciudad Blanca, or White City, of Honduras. Archeologists think they've spotted the ruins of some kind of metropolis hidden by the Mosquitia rainforests, reports LiveScience . They won't know for sure until they start...

Pilot's Bathroom Break Forces Landing

A sillier reason to ground a plane than a woman singing Whitney Houston songs ? How about the pilot locking himself out of the cockpit? An Air India flight was forced to divert and land after a pilot went for a bathroom break ... and couldn't get back to his seat,...

Nigeria Launches 'Massive' Crackdown on Boko Haram

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency ( again ; though last time it was just smaller local areas) and launched a "massive" crackdown on Boko Haram, following a series of recent attacks. "I hereby declare a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states," Jonathan announced...

Sanctions Slowing N. Korea Down: UN

International financial sanctions and an arms embargo on North Korea haven't stopped the Hermit Kingdom's nuclear arms program—but they have delayed it significantly, says a new UN report. The report, penned by a panel of experts for the UN Security Council, also recommends blacklisting a number of North Korean...

'CIA Agent' in Russia Likely After Boston Intel: Report

Was the alleged CIA agent nabbed by Russian authorities yesterday looking for information on the Boston Marathon bombing? The Kommersant , a daily Russian paper known for its connections to KGB-successor FSB, thinks that's likely. In a report spotted and translated by the AFP , the paper draws a connection between Ryan...

India Gang-Rape Suspect's Food Poisoned: Lawyer

One of the suspected attackers in the December gang-rape that rocked India has been poisoned and then assaulted in jail, his lawyer says. Vinay Sharma was taken to a New Delhi hospital yesterday with chest injuries after he was "beaten up and thrashed" by other inmates, his lawyer says; he...