Updated: 3:13 PM Ikea "deeply regrets" use of forced prison labor by suppliers in communist East Germany.

Posted: 5:48 PM Uruguay's president has canceled his trip to the Ibero-American Summit in Spain, saying doctors have ordered bed rest after a painful blood clot was found in his lower right leg.

Posted: 5:46 PM The search for three European hikers on a snowy volcano in southern Chile now has high-tech help and a fresh group of volunteers, but heavy clouds are setting them back.

Posted: 5:44 PM Southeast Asian leaders plan to adopt a human rights declaration aimed at fighting torture and illegal arrests in a region notorious for violations, despite calls for a postponement by the U.N. rights chief, who says the pact falls short of international standards.

Posted: 5:43 PM The second annual Solar Challenge has begun in Chile's Atacama desert, where 15 solar-powered cars rolled out of an old salt mine Thursday.

Posted: 5:40 PM Brazilian researchers are turning to cloning to help fight the perilous decline of several animal species.

Posted: 5:38 PM Press freedom groups are demanding that Mexico investigate the shooting death of a freelance journalist just after he reportedly witnessed a confrontation at a highway checkpoint.

Posted: 5:36 PM Israel has begun moving troops toward the Gaza Strip and authorized the call-up of reservists for a possible ground invasion of the Palestinian territory.

Posted: 9:18 AM Tel Aviv residents say they heard an explosion following an air-raid alert across the city, raising fears of a Gaza rocket strike on Israel's commercial capital.

Posted: 8:34 AM France's foreign minister raised the prospect Thursday of sending "defensive weapons" to Syrian rebels, saying his country will ask the European Union to consider lifting its arms embargo on the Middle East nation.

Posted: 10:28 PM Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has arrived in Bangkok for talks with senior Thai officials in advance of President Barack Obama's visit this weekend.

Posted: 10:07 AM Israel has been hitting dozens of targets in Gaza, in the most intense attack since an Israeli offensive four years ago.

Posted: 9:43 AM A senior Russian diplomat is urging convening of new talks over Iran's nuclear program to break a months-long standoff.

Posted: 9:32 AM A deadly snow storm in Chicago, power out in NYC and a solar eclipse on the other side of the world.

Posted: 9:23 AM The United Nations chief says a U.N. staffer was killed during unrest in the Abyei region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan.

Posted: 9:04 AM Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says the automaker will decide in coming months whether to join other luxury brands and expand into all-terrain sports utility vehicles.

Updated: 3:21 PM Police in South Africa say they've arrested a 25-year-old man who swallowed 220 polished diamonds in an attempt to smuggle them out of the country.

Updated: 8:32 AM The European Union, the 2012 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has decided to spend its 8 million kronor ($1.2 million) reward on projects helping children in war and conflict zones.

Posted: 5:47 AM The White House says President Barack Obama has talked to several foreign leaders about his re-election, including Russian President Vladimir Putin (POO'-tihn) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Posted: 5:42 AM Mikhail Gorbachev says he's feeling the effects of old age, but aims to stay active as long as he can.

Posted: 1:38 PM A border state in northern Mexico is trying something it hopes will be more effective than photos on milk cartons to help find missing women and children. It's using advertisements on tortilla wrappers.

Updated: 5:26 PM Mikhail Gorbachev says he's feeling the effects of old age, but aims to stay active as long as he can.

Updated: 8:54 AM Elephant calf raised by woman in Malawi dies.

Posted: 5:38 AM Nine decades after they became man and wife, Wu Conghan, 101, and Wu Songshi, 103, finally got around to getting their wedding photos taken.

Posted: 9:04 AM The head of Bahrain's main opposition group says envoys from the U.S. and other countries are acting as intermediaries with the Gulf nation's rulers, seeking to ease 21 months of unrest.