KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - Three suicide bombers struck at Kurdish security forces and the local headquarters of a Kurdish political party in the disputed area of Iraq on Wednesday, killing three people, police and medics said. Tensions between Iraq's Sunni, Shi'ite and ethnic Kurdish communities have increased since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in December 2011. Wednesday's attacks took place in a band of oil-rich territory over which both the central government in Baghdad and the Kurds, who run their own administration in the north, claim jurisdiction. ...

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — At first, the Islamic extremists in Nigeria's dusty northeast rode on the backs of motorcycles, firing on government officials and other perceived enemies with worn Kalashnikov assault rifles hidden beneath their flowing robes. Now, they come prepared for war.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's prime minister has decided to ban the use of air conditioners by government offices to help cope with the country's pervasive energy shortages.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — From the privacy of their bedrooms to the public bustle of busy hospital wards, families and friends are struggling with the heartbreak of losing five loved ones, all nurses, killed Saturday in a burning limousine.

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan's military spokesman says a rebel force has overrun part of a town in the country's east near the border with Ethiopia.

BAGHDAD (AP) — At least eight people were killed and nearly 40 were wounded in separate attacks across Iraq on Wednesday, officials said.

MADRID (AP) — Spain's National Court has ruled against extraditing a former HSBC employee to Switzerland, where he faces charges of stealing and revealing client information.

ROME (AP) — Rescue workers in diving gear found seven bodies Wednesday in the wreckage after a cargo ship slammed into the dock at Genoa, toppling the busy Italian port's control tower into the harbor.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Disney Enterprises has dropped an effort to trademark "Dia de los Muertos," the name of the traditional "Day of the Dead" holiday celebrated by millions in Mexico and the U.S.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials and witnesses say police have shot dead eight people at a demonstration in the south of the country, but accounts differed as to whether the dead were unarmed protesters or militants.

MARANELLO, Italy (AP) — Ferrari says it will limit sales of its high-performance street cars this year to below 7,000 units to protect the brand's aura of exclusivity.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordanian lawmakers have denounced Israel's arrest of a top Palestinian cleric and in a symbolic gesture, voted that the Israeli ambassador to the kingdom be expelled.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — In a story of political redemption, Mark Sanford is headed back to Congress after his career was derailed by scandal four years ago.

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel's challenger in September's election is trying to avoid a political speed bump.

The price of oil slipped closer to $95 a barrel Wednesday as investors weighed a rise in China's trade data against expectations of another increase in U.S. crude supplies.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The mother of one of the three women held captive for about a decade at an Ohio home says she hasn't spoken to her daughter yet, but she hopes she knows she loves her and missed her the whole time.

NEW YORK (AP) — Parsons The New School of Design in New York City has canceled a four-day workshop by the controversial fashion designer John Galliano.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures are rising for the third consecutive day and markets at home and abroad appear to be heading for fresh record highs.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's highest appeals court has upheld the acquittal of 24 loyalists of ousted President Hosni Mubarak tried for organizing the 'Battle of the Camel,' an attack on protesters that was a pivotal moment in the country's 2011 uprising.

LONDON (AP) — The British government announced a modest, austerity-sensitive program of legislation intended to tighten immigration controls, reform pensions and reduce red tape for business as Queen Elizabeth II laid out plans for the next year at the ceremonial state opening of Parliament Wednesday.