The statement, dated May 3, was signed by “the general leadership” of the group, the Associated Press said.

“We stress that the blood of the holy warrior sheik, Osama bin Laden, God bless him, is precious to us and to all Muslims” the statement said according to the A.P., adding that his death would not “go in vain.” The statement also said,

Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded on March 11. The magnitude-9.0 quake spawned a deadly tsunami that slammed into the small island nation, leaving a huge swath of devastation in its wake. Thousands of people are dead and many more are still missing or injured; almost half a million people are homeless.

Japan has often donated when other countries have experi

The total cost of the quake and tsunami on the Japanese economy could hit $235 billion and take five years for the nation to rebuild, according to a World Bank report released Monday.

“If history is any guide, real gross domestic product growth will be negatively affected through mid-2011,” the report said. “Growth should though pick up in subsequent quarters

French fighter jets soared over Libya on Saturday to counter Moammar Gadhafi's military forces who were intent on destroying the opposition as they pushed into the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

"Our air force will oppose any aggression by Colonel Gadhafi against the population of Benghazi," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking after an international, top-level meeting i

In these dark hours, Japan would do well to heed former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's memorable maxim that you never want a serious crisis to go to waste.

As the nation struggles to avert a nuclear catastrophe on the heels of a deadly earthquake and tsunami, it takes a huge leap of faith to foresee any positives emerging from the triple disaster for a stagnant, rapidly

The death toll in Japan's earthquake and tsunami will likely exceed 10,000 in one state alone, an official said Sunday, as millions of survivors were left without drinking water, electricity and proper food along the pulverized northeastern coast. Although the government doubled the number of soldiers deployed in the aid effort to 100,000, it seemed overwhelmed by what's turning out to be a t

As the threat of further unrest loomed in Egypt, the United States planned to begin charter flights to help Americans leave the country Monday.

Other governments and businesses have also said they plan to evacuate citizens amid escalating protests across the country.

Canada's government has said it will begin charter flights bound for Europe evacuating as many as 6,000 of

Business leaders in Davos welcomed the fact President Barack Obama was addressing the United States' gaping budget deficit but questioned whether he had gone far enough to give investors real confidence.

In a speech on Tuesday seen as moving toward the political center, Obama offered corporate tax cuts and a five-year partial federal spending freeze that he said would cut $400 billion