WORLD

On Wednesday, a military junta that seized power in Guinea-Bissau last month formally agreed to step down. A new transitional government is set to lead the nation for 12 months in the run-up to a new round of national elections.

An annual GDP growth rate of 8 percent would be an economic miracle in most of the world. In China, it has the government looking for ways to help the economy grow more -- but not by spending indiscriminately for stimulus plans.

The Russian missile carried a dummy warhead and was fired from a distance of 3730 miles.

Somali and African Union forces successfully expelled al-Shabab militants from villages around the rebel stronghold of Afgoye, but caused thousands of refugees to flee.

Thousands of university students in Montreal marked the 100th day of protests against tuition hikes Tuesday, joined by lawyers and labor unions, following the Quebec provincial government's passing of a controversial law last week designed to regulate public assemblies.

The recent multibillion-dollar trading loss suffered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), the country's largest bank by assets, has strengthened the case against letting bank executives serve as directors of Federal Reserve regional banks and thus regulating themselves, policy makers say.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the forces of President Bashar al-Assad pounded Rastan in the early morning, adding that at least six people have been killed in other parts of the country on Wednesday.

A report issued Tuesday from the International Rescue Committee finds that in countries recovering from war in West Africa, domestic violence is the biggest threat to women's safety.

About four in 10 voters choose not to vote for the president in the Democratic primary.

The American public is gradually embracing same-sex marriage, according to a new Washington Post/ABC poll that finds support for gay marriage reaching a new peak and opposition to same-sex marriage dropping to a new low.

Saudi Arabia has pledged $3.25 billion in aid to Yemen, which is trying to push back a powerful al Qaeda insurgency.

The election of Hollande earlier this month has fractured the traditional Franco-German alliance, with the French premier's desire to tackle the sovereign debt crisis through growth clashing with Chancellor Angela Merkel's predominantly austerity-led agenda.

The US hopes that Pakistan will agree to reopen the supply routes to NATO troops in Afghanistan as the Senate has threatened to link the aid to Pakistan with the country's cooperation on the issue.

Millions of Egyptians lined up at polling stations on Wednesday to vote in the first presidential elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak

Shares of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social network, rose nearly 5 percent Wednesday despite continuing fallout from its May 17 initial public offering.

Among other options being considered by senior officials in the UK government's National Security Council is the deployment of the Royal Navy in the Middle East.

Pakistan Imprisons Doctor Who Helped CIA Find Osama Bin Laden

The talks between representatives of the U.S., Russia, France, Britain, Germany, China and Iran are aimed at diffusing rising tension in the region, with Iran seeking a reprieve from crippling sanctions imposed on its energy and banking sectors.

The Indian rupee descended to the all-time-low of 56.04 per dollar Wednesday even as the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian government said that they were monitoring the situation closely and taking corrective measures.

Egypt went to polls Wednesday in country's first free election for a president after weeks of intense speculation and debate. The historic presidential election, contested by Islamists and secularists, heralds the setting up of a democratic system.

Japan reported Wednesday a rise in trade deficit in April compared to a year earlier as the nuclear energy crisis has resulted in the increase of oil and gas imports.

At least 10 people were killed in Pakistan on Tuesday when a rally in Sindh Province erupted in violence. Gatherers had been marching to protest the division of the province.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is propping up Greece with a secret infusion of ?100 billion ($126 billion) in emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) funds, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.

Good news out of Iran on Tuesday helped add to crude oil's price decline, already spurred by economic woes plaguing Europe.

Tunisia announced Tuesday that it intends to extradite former Libyan prime minister Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi back to his home country after detaining him for eight months.

Tanya Dixon-Neely, the North Carolina high school teacher who became an infamous YouTube sensation after she yelled at student Hunter Rogers over his critical questioning of President Barack Obama, has been suspended with pay over her shocking classroom antics.

NATO signed a $1.7 billion contract with U.S.-based defense contractor Northrup Grumman Sunday for five unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, that will be used by allied countries for a new ground-surveillance system.

In the likely event that no one candidate receives half of the vote, a run-off between the top two candidates will be held the following month.

A statement from North Korea on Tuesday declared that Pyongyang would 'expand and bolster' its nuclear deterrent program in response to Western hostilities, but denied that it had been engaging in nuclear tests.