THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she backs Afghanistan's plans to conduct reconciliation talks with moderate Taliban members. In an address during an Afghan summit at The Hague, Netherlands, Clinton said, "(We) must support efforts by the government of Afghanistan to separate the extremists of al-Qaida and the Taliban from those who joined their ranks not out of conviction, but out of desperation." More than 80 countries and international organizations attended ... [full story]

EZULWINI, Swaziland -- The Southern African Development Community says it has suspended Madagascar for what it calls an unconstitutional change of government this month. In suspending Madagascar, SADC leaders, meeting Tuesday in Swaziland, called on its new president, Andry Rajoelina, to step down, the Voice of America reported Tuesday. The moves came after former President Marc Ravalomanana resigned under pressure and the island-nation's military handed power to opposition leader Rajoelina, who then took over as head of ... [full story]

GRENOBLE, France -- Workers at a Caterpillar plant in France said they were holding five executives hostage Tuesday in a dispute over severance packages. The executives, who were not harmed, were being held at a plant in Grenoble to pressure Caterpillar to restart negotiations, said Nicolas Benoit, a union representative. Officials at Caterpillar's headquarters in Peoria, Ill., said they could not immediately comment, CNN reported. It was at least the third time in recent weeks that French workers ... [full story]

BASRA, Iraq -- Britain turned over command in the Basra area of Iraq to the United States Tuesday, a prelude to the country withdrawing its remaining troops in the country. At one point, British military personnel in Iraq numbered greater than 40,000, The New York Times reported. Most British troops are scheduled to leave Iraq by July. At a ceremony in Basra, Maj. Gen. Andy Salmon of Britain's Royal Marines turned over control of forces in the ... [full story]

MANILA, Philippines -- Islamic militants holding three Red Cross workers hostage in the Philippines have extended a deadline they set to behead one of them, sources say. Militants belonging to the Abu Sayyaf group Tuesday lengthened the deadline by three hours for Philippine military authorities to remove troops from several villages in the southern island-province of Sulu, an unnamed government source told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The source said the extension was issued after Sulu Vice Governor ... [full story]

TEHRAN -- An Iranian official, responding to U.S. President Barack Obama's call for better relations, said the offer is promising, but old wounds must be treated, too. "Mr. Obama has talked about his commitment to creating constructive diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Iran," wrote Ali Akbar Javanfekr, presidential press adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a commentary published in the Los Angeles Times. "He must first begin dressing the deep and old wounds inflicted ... [full story]

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A 15-year-old Afghanistan boy was killed Tuesday in a military operation in Khost province, say NATO officials. U.S. troops and coalition soldiers were clearing a building when the boy appeared and soldiers said they thought he was reaching for a weapon, said a NATO statement. The troops detained one targeted militant and three suspected militants during the operation, KUNA, the Kuwait news agency, reported. Copyright © 2009, by United Press International. All Rights Reserved. [full story]

SANAA, Yemen -- Authorities in Yemen say two men convicted of spying for Iran were sentenced to death Tuesday in a court in Sanaa. Abdulkareem Ali Laliji, 33, and Hani Ahmed Din Mohammed, 31, were sentenced by Judge Mohsin Alwan, KUNA, the Kuwaiti news agency reported. A third man, Iskandar Abdullah Abdah, 57, was acquitted of spying charges. The three were arrested last year in Aden on charges they provided Iran with sensitive political, economic and security information, ... [full story]

NANYANG CITY, China -- Police in China say two children died and nine members of their family were injured when a relative allegedly stabbed them with a knife used to kill pigs. The injured nine were hospitalized in stable condition after the attack on five houses in Nanzhao County, Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, reported Tuesday. The alleged attacker, 36-year-old Du Fusheng, committed suicide by swallowing poison when police arrived, said Cheng Jiangong, chief of the Nanzhao ... [full story]

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- A group of Canadian Indian chiefs in northern Manitoba is asking for help at all levels to stem the flow of alcohol and drugs onto dry reservations. Among the requests made by the group of 30 reservations, 28 of which don't permit alcohol, is screening of passengers and baggage by a regional airline that services the area, the Winnipeg Free Press reported Monday. Grand Chief Sydney Garrioch said Perimeter Aviation has more than 200 ... [full story]

LONDON -- Leaders of the world's top 20 industrialized nations will try to develop a response to the global financial crisis when they meet in London this week. With discussions of stimulus spending and tougher, coordinated international regulation of markets expected to dominate the agenda, London's meeting is the latest effort of the Group of 20 financial and political leaders to deal with the crisis since they met in Washington in November, the EU Observer reported ... [full story]

BRUSSELS -- There won't be enough time between European parliamentary elections and a move to confirm a new European Commission president, Socialist critics say. Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, leader of the European Socialist Party and former Danish prime minister, told the French newspaper Le Monde over the weekend that a push by European Union heads of state to confirm a new EC president only a month after the June 4-7 elections doesn't allow enough time for debate, ... [full story]

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Authorities in Indonesia say the chairman of the Aceh Sabululssalam Party escaped injury Monday when a grenade tossed at his house failed to fully detonate. Alimuddin Jabat and his family were at their home in Indonesia's Aceh Province when the grenade hit, damaging the roof and several lamps, The Jakarta Post reported. Jabat's son, Mulyadi, chased two attackers who were riding a motorcycle but couldn't keep up with them, said Nurdin Ramli, the ... [full story]