Europe

Pope Benedict has ended his first trip abroad, during which he celebrated World Youth Day. He also visited a synagogue, and reached out to Muslims and members of other Christian Churches.

Event was high point of the Benedict XVI's visit to his native Germany, the first since he became pope.

Pope Benedict said that Muslim leaders had a great responsibility in properly educating their younger generations.

On his first official visit abroad, Pope Benedict underscores Roman Catholic Church's goal of full Christian unity.

Highlight of four-day visit by Pope Benedict will be open-air mass for youth who have come from all corners of the world.

Uzbek officials have formally terminated an agreement allowing the United States to use an air base in southeastern Uzbekistan, ending a nearly four-year-old deal under which the United States was able to provide support for U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

The Moscow District Prosecutor's Office is investigating Russian Jewry on charges of racist incitement and distribution of anti-Russian material for having published an abridged translation of a 16th Century Hebrew text on Jewish law.

Dutch PM Jan Peter Balkenende says despite defeat of constitution in both his country and in France, the ratification process should go on.

The first of the exit polls suggest that 63% of Dutch voters have rejected the European Constitution.

French President Jacques Chirac vowed Tuesday his reshuffled government will respond to French concerns, two days after voters rejected the European constitution in a referendum.

President Jacques Chirac of France has accepted the resignation of prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and has named Dominique de Villepin in his place.

Supporters of Mikhail Khodorkovsky say prosecution was politically motivated.

With the airline industry predicting losses this year totaling $6 billion, the association representing nearly all of the world's air carriers is calling for governments to take a friendlier approach.

The rejection by French voters of the European Constitution Sunday has plunged France into a political crisis. The no vote has hurt both the ruling conservative party of French President Jacques Chirac and the opposition Socialists.

Turkish leaders played down France's rejection of a proposed European Union constitution Monday saying it would not affect Turkey's efforts to join the European bloc.