TEHRAN, Iran – Iran is demanding the extradition of a suspected Iranian militant arrested in Pakistan. Wednesday’s report by the semi-official Fars news agency quotes Gen. Masoud Rezvani as saying that Tehran is asking Islamabad to hand over Abdulsattar Rigi, arrested over the weekend in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province. Rezvani …

YANGON, Myanmar – Scientists say a tiny bird long thought to be extinct has been rediscovered in Myanmar’s grasslands, but its fragmented habitat is threatened by human encroachment. The Jerdon’s babbler was first discovered in the 1860s but had not been reported in 74 years. A team of scientists from …

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The two leaders of the Dutch Security and Justice Ministry have quit amid a scandal over a deal made 15 years ago in which a convicted drug trafficker was paid millions of guilders by prosecutors who were actually trying to strip him of his criminal profits. …

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan official says a Taliban attack on members of the local police force in a central province in Afghanistan has killed seven policemen. Shafiq Nang, the spokesman for the provincial governor of Ghazni, says the attack took place on Friday morning when the insurgents opened fire …

YANGON, Myanmar – Buddhist monks who suffered severe burns during a police crackdown on protesters campaigning against a Chinese copper mine two years ago have launched a lawsuit against Myanmar’s home affairs minister. More than 100 Buddhist monks suffered severe burns from smoke bombs that reportedly contained white phosphorous when …

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela*s Supreme Court has ordered the release of a prominent student protester whose arrest has drawn strong international condemnation. The high court late Tuesday ordered that Christian Holdack remain on parole while on trial alongside opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez on charges that the two perpetrated violence at …

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Yemen. The U.N. spokesperson’s office in an email said the council will hold a closed session on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) for consultations on Yemen. On Saturday, Yemen’s Shiite …

STOCKHOLM – Sweden’s military says it has observed four Russian military planes in the Baltic Sea region, including two bombers, flying with shut-off transponders that are necessary for identifying aircraft on radar. The Swedish Armed Forces says it trailed the Russian planes on Tuesday in international skies. The planes included …

SYDNEY – A powerful earthquake struck near the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea on Monday, prompting officials to warn that hazardous tsunami waves could affect some coastlines in the Pacific. The magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Monday at a depth of 65 kilometers (40 miles), about 50 kilometers (30 miles) …

CHILPANCINGO, Mexico – Mexican authorities say 10 bodies and 11 severed heads have been discovered in clandestine graves in the troubled southern state of Guerrero. The remains were found Tuesday in the municipality of Chilapa de Alvarez. State prosecutor Miguel Angel Godinez Munoz said Wednesday that investigators were examining six …