Taliban rule was a dark period for women in Afghanistan, and they want to make sure their fears are not forgotten as the new government in Kabul tries to find ways to make peace with the fighters.

Haiti's small business elite sees January's earthquake as an opportunity, but not just to make money. They say it's a chance to refashion the corrupt, inefficient way things are done in Haiti, while marshaling international support to boost the country's industries.

The lifestyle and business relationships of Julius Malema, an official of the ruling African National Congress, are coming under intense scrutiny. His dealings, among others, are prompting calls for "lifestyle audits" to help root out corruption.

U.S. Marines are now trying to build relationships with local people after gaining ground in the southern Afghanistan area of Marjah. But after two years of Taliban control, the group's presence is still deeply felt — especially the threats sent in "night letters" to those who cooperate with foreigners.

At University of the People, students from across the globe have access to free online classes in business administration and computer science. The school has attracted about 380 students from 81 countries. But in order to survive, the university needs more to enroll, its founder says.

Colleen R. LaRose is accused of using the Internet to recruit jihadist fighters and help terrorists overseas, even agreeing to move to Europe to try to kill a Swedish artist, prosecutors said Tuesday. She called herself JihadJane in a YouTube video in which she said she was "desperate" to ease the suffering of Muslims, the indictment said.

The law excludes anyone convicted by a court from participating in elections. The Nobel laureate, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention, was convicted last August of violating the terms of her house arrest by briefly sheltering an American who swam to her lakeside residence.

Following the massive earthquake that struck on Feb. 27, scientists have flocked to Chile with the goal of picking up enough clues to one day predict when the next big one will strike.

Pakistani security forces have arrested about half of the Afghan Taliban's leadership over the past few weeks, throwing the group's leadership into disarray. That could hamper the Taliban's operations against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, stall any potential peace negotiations and usher in more hard-line replacements.

The defense secretary aimed to show progress in the expanded war against insurgents in south Afghanistan. Now Zad was the scene of first significant military push following President Obama's announcement in early December that he would add 30,000 troops atop 17,000 reinforcements he had already sent into the flagging war.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited U.S. troops in Kandahar and Helmand provinces on Tuesday. He handed out Purple Hearts and Silver Stars, and toured an Afghan market.

Israel's Interior Ministry announced the plans for construction in disputed east Jerusalem just as the U.S. vice president was wrapping up a series of meetings with Israeli leaders. Biden said the timing of the announcement was especially troubling coming on the eve of a new round of peace talks.

Three men have been arrested over the theft of the body of former President Tassos Papadopoulos, which was found reburied in another grave three months after being dug up and held for ransom, police said.

UNICEF estimates that more than 20,000 children lost their parents in the Jan. 12 quake and its aftermath. Relatives or neighbors are caring for many of these children. Others, such as a group of boys in a Port-au-Prince park, are fending for themselves.

Mideast rivals Israel and Syria on Tuesday each announced ambitions to develop nuclear energy, with Israel facing the prospect that its plan could bring new attention to its secretive nuclear activities.