Outgunned and out-financed, police in volatile northwestern Pakistan are fighting a losing battle against insurgents, dozens of interviews by The Associated Press show.

By the time all 25 hostages were released unharmed last week board a Greek cargo ship, the pirates even made one of the captives a startling offer: Would he like to join them?

Blackwater Worldwide guards involved in the deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting of Iraqi civilians could face mandatory 30-year prison sentences under an aggressive anti-drug law being considered.

In a landmark decision, Europe's top human rights court struck down a British law that allows the government to store DNA and fingerprints from people with no criminal record.