Europe

France's defense minister says the intelligence agent held hostage for more than three years by Islamic militants in Somalia was chained up, mistreated and constantly moved around by his captors ahead of a failed rescue operation.

A senior Vatican official says he is "truly surprised" by the Bank of Italy's decision to enforce the suspension of credit card payments in the tiny city-state and insists the Vatican has taken adequate measures to fight money laundering.

Delegates from than 130 nations have begun negotiating to create the world's first legally binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions.

Tourists waiting for their morning subway train to Madame Tussauds were treated to an unusual sight Sunday: a 19th- century steam engine chugging down the tracks.

Thousands marched through Moscow on Sunday to protest Russia's new law banning Americans from adopting Russian children, a far bigger number than expected in a sign that outrage over the ban has breathed some life into the dispirited anti-Kremlin opposition movement.

The head of Qatar Airways says the carrier has sold its entire 35 percent stake on the freight hauler Cargolux back to authorities in Luxembourg.

The frescoed walls of the Sistine Chapel are ringing with the wails and coos of newborns as Pope Benedict XVI presides over his annual Mass to baptize 20 babies.

Serbia has adopted a set of guidelines for reconciliation talks with the leaders of Kosovo in a strong first signal that it is loosening its claim to its former province.