Lonesome George, the last surviving Pinta Island giant tortoise, has died at his home in the Galapagos Islands. Scientists believe he was more than 100 years old.

A deep-sea expedition will launch from the shores of Honolulu on Tuesday in an attempt to solve the mystery of vanished aviator Amelia Earhart, according to the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery.

Iran wants a "win-win" outcome in its talks with world powers over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, the country's foreign minister said Monday, warning that the only other choice is confrontation.

The party that ruled Mexico with a tight grip for most of the last century has sailed back into power, promising a government that will be modern, responsible and open to criticism.

Militants from the Ansar Dine group, which controls much of northern Mali, have started to destroy Timbuktu's ancient tombs. In three days, half of the town's shrines have been destroyed in a display of fanaticism.

A Mali separatist movement on Sunday said it was prepared to act against Islamic militants following the destruction of three sacred tombs in Timbuktu, and called on the United States and France "to help us kill them."

Mexicans headed to the polls to vote Sunday in what officials have called "the largest and most complex election day" in the country's history.

Turkey scrambled fighter jets three separate times Saturday as Syrian helicopters neared the border between the two countries, Turkey's military said Sunday.

There is no guarantee that a sweeping new international agreement on Syria will succeed in ending the conflict there, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conceded, as opposition activists said the number of dead had skyrocketed in recent months.

A half-year after the U.S. military left Iraq, dire predictions seem to be coming true: The country is mired in violence and the government is on the verge of collapsing.

A Taliban emissary sat face-to-face this week with a senior Afghan government official responsible for peace talks in a rare high-level gathering between the bitter adversaries, an official said Saturday.

Explosions targeting two churches in Kenya near the Somali border killed at least 17 people, the Red Cross said, in the latest spate of attacks on the East African nation.

Yitzhak Shamir, a political hard-liner who served two terms as Israeli prime minster, died Saturday, the prime minister's office said.

At a book party in Beijing, American author Joy Chen offered dating advice for Chinese women.

The U.S. has been bashing Russia for shielding Assad, coddling an ally at the cost of human lives and arming the Syrian military. Some of this is true, some false, and much is exaggeration. But all is unhelpful if the goal is to oust Assad. Unless the U.S. intends to ask Iran for help, Russia is the only country with any influence with the Syrian regime.

The Australian-British dual citizen is swimming without a shark cage, snorkel, flippers or wet suit. Palfrey estimated the journey would cover 103 miles (166 kilometers), much of it through shark infested waters.

Mohamed Morsi was sworn in Saturday as Egypt's first democratically-elected president, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation that is economically strapped and lacks a working government.

A conference called by special envoy Kofi Annan to end the Syria crisis appeared on the brink of failure as it opened Saturday, with the U.S. and Russia still divided over a role for President Bashar Assad in a transition government.

Islamist Mohammed Morsi was sworn in Saturday before Egypt's highest court as the country's first freely elected president, succeeding Hosni Mubarak who was ousted 16 months ago.

An independent investigation into Nestlé's cocoa supply chain has found numerous child labor violations and kickstarted an ambitious plan to eventually eradicate forced labor and child labor in its production cycle.

In frank remarks Friday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the fact that discussions are even taking place to reopen Pakistan's supply routes into Afghanistan is a good sign.

The boy speaks little English and is not thought to be "street-wise," police say. Natnael Yemane went missing from his hotel in Nottingham on Thursday night, one of the 20 youths picked for the Games' "International Inspiration" program.

-- The death toll from a landslide that buried three villages in eastern Uganda stood at 18 Tuesday, and rescue officials fear the figure will rise.

While Western head bangers are most commonly associated with sneakers and band t-shirts, Botswana's fans have carved a unique image reminiscent of the 1970s New Wave British heavy metal scene.

Prince Charles' office at Clarence House released its annual review Friday, shedding light on how money is spent on the couple, as well as Princes William and Harry and, of course, the newest addition to the family, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.