AP - North Korea denied Wednesday that leader Kim Jong Il is seriously ill, granting a Japanese news outlet a rare chance to interview top officials who dismissed widespread reports questioning Kim's health.

Reuters - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il failed to appear at a triumphal military parade on Tuesday celebrating his state's 60th birthday, and a U.S. intelligence official said he may have suffered a stroke.

AFP - Angola's former rebel movement and main opposition party UNITA was Tuesday facing up to a crushing electoral defeat in a landmark peacetime poll for the oil-rich African nation.

AP - A performer with the famed Alvin Ailey dance troupe on Tuesday said he was twice forced to perform steps for Israeli airport security officers to prove his identity before he was permitted to enter the country.

AP - American worries about a suspected plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners in 2006 led to premature arrests and a weaker case at trial, British investigators said Tuesday, a day after a London jury failed to convict eight men of pursuing the alleged plan.

AP - Russia announced Tuesday it would keep 7,600 troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia for the foreseeable future, asserting power in the breakaway regions even as it began a pullout from positions deeper in Georgia.

AP - Repeatedly paying homage to his assassinated wife, new President Asif Ali Zardari declared Tuesday that he has a comprehensive plan to fight terrorism and said Pakistan's people are behind him.

AP - Hurricane Ike roared across Cuba west of the densely populated capital's aging buildings Tuesday after tearing down the length of the island nation, ravaging homes, killing at least four people and forcing 1.2 million to evacuate.

AP - Thailand's prime minister was forced out of office Tuesday after a court ruled that he had broken a conflict-of-interest law by hosting TV cooking shows.

AP - There was no sign of Kim Jong Il at a closely watched parade Tuesday marking the 60th anniversary of North Korea's founding, and Western officials said the all powerful leader — who has not appeared publicly for a month — may be gravely ill.

AP - North Korea marked the 60th anniversary of its founding Tuesday amid international doubts over its commitment to denuclearization, speculation about the health of its leader and a worsening food crisis.

AP - Russia's plan to deploy ships and warplanes to the Caribbean for joint military exercises with Venezuela is allowing President Hugo Chavez to capitalize on tensions between Moscow and the U.S. and showcase a growing military alliance.