US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton disembarks from her plane upon her arrival in Athens, as she continues her regional diplomatic tour, Saturday, July 16, 2011. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has begun a visit to Greece after telling officials in Turkey she wants to see an early solution to the Cyprus dispute. Clinton’s talks with Greek officials... 

Britain is to cut its army by 17,000 while boosting territorial units who will be called on for dangerous missions. The Army is to be cut in size by 17,000 soldiers in a radical overhaul of the armed forces to be announced on Monday. The reorganisation will see the Army shrink to its smallest size since the Boer War, while Britain’s reserve forces will benefit from... 

The Arab Spring may be a great source of inspiration for popular movements around the world. However, a study assessing social, political and economic freedoms points to a steady, global shift towards authoritarianism. Above, Red Shirt anti-government protesters gather in Bangkok in April 2010. Over the past six months, the world has watched as the Middle East, a region... 

China has accused the United States of “grossly” interfering in its internal affairs and damaging relations after President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama at the White House. Barack Obama met the Nobel Prize laureate for about 45 minutes on Saturday, praising him for embracing non-violence while reiterating that the US did not support independence for Tibet. China,... 

At least 41 protesters were killed today and another 120 wounded as security forces opened fire on marchers in several areas around Syria. The deaths were the highest single day toll in weeks. But so too was it the biggest march yet, with estimates that around one million Syrians took part in demonstrations nationwide. The largest rally was in Hama, where 500,000 took... 

Yesterday’s report that the US killed eight in a combined drone and warplane attack on a Yemeni police station in the southern town of Wadyia has been dramatically revised upwards, with reports now putting the death toll at 50. Yemeni reports say that the police station, which had been taken over by an opposition faction (which controls much of that province) and some... 

Under its leader Heinz-Christian Strache, the right-wing populist Freedom Party has become a force to be reckoned with in Austrian politics. It is currently neck and neck with the country’s two largest mainstream parties in the polls. Meanwhile the governing Social Democrats are struggling to reconnect with ordinary voters. They aren’t actually that far apart,... 

The false positives scandal arose during President Alvaro Uribe's campaign to crush left-wing rebels. A Colombian army colonel has admitted his unit murdered 57 civilians, then dressed them in uniforms and claimed they were rebels killed in combat. Colonel Luis Fernando Borja was sentenced to 21 years, reduced from 42 years for accepting responsibility. In a typical... 

Speaking today in Seoul, South Korea, Admiral Michael Mullen declared North Korea a ‘very real threat’ to peace, and pressed for China to move into a “leadership role” against the North Korean government. “North Korea shows no signs of relenting in pursuit of its nuclear capabilities,” insisted Mullen, who was visiting as Gen. James Thurman took over command... 

Conflict and chaos in Libya: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. will recognize the rebels’ Transitional National Council, allowing them access to some frozen Libyan assets. The United States granted Libyan rebel leaders full diplomatic recognition as the governing authority of Libya on Friday, a move that could give the cash-strapped rebels access... 

A drug cartel mass grave. Nearly 1,300 children and teenagers have died in Mexico since the beginning of the drug war in December 2006, the Network for the Rights of Children (Redim) said on Wednesday. CNN reported that the children have died as a result of the fight against organized crime that began when Felipe Calderón became president in December 2006. The 1,300... 

Turkish relations with the European Union “will freeze” if Cyprus takes over the EU presidency in July 2012 without a solution to the divided island, Turkey’s foreign minister said Wednesday. Ahmet Davutoglu made his comments as the European Union’s enlargement chief said in a visit to Ankara that he wanted to see “a new momentum” in Turkey’s membership... 

Belarusian policemen in plainclothes detain a man in Minsk. Police in Belarus on Wednesday beat up and arrested dozens of anti-government protesters during a banned rally in the capital of the authoritarian former Soviet nation calling for the ouster of President Alexander Lukashenko. Dozens of plainclothes police reportedly rounded up the protesters during the rally,... 

Syrian pro-democracy activists report that security forces opened fire on a demonstration in the Damascus suburb of Qatana today, killing at least 20 people, while another seven were reported killed not far from the Turkish border. The killings, if confirmed, would make today the deadliest day in over a month, as the Syrian regime has increasingly avoided massive killings... 

As War Drags On, Growing NATO Acceptance that Bombing Won’t Produce ‘Victory’. In the latest shift by a NATO member nation about the war in Libya, the Obama Administration has today issued a statement saying it endorses the Russian efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Libya, provided it ends with Moammar Gadhafi stepping down. The move follows a pair of...