BRUSSELS – The European Union is protesting Saudi Arabia’s confirmation of a verdict against a liberal blogger who was publicly flogged, calling corporal punishment “unacceptable and contrary to human dignity.” The Saudi Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the sentence of Raif Badawi, a 31-year-old father who was lashed in January …

JERUSALEM – A new poll shows most Gaza residents are unhappy with the territory’s Hamas rulers and by its war with Israel last summer. The poll released Tuesday shows 50 percent of Gaza residents want to emigrate, compared to 25 percent in the West Bank. A majority, 63 percent, expressed …

COVINGTON, Ky. – The family of a 30-year-old amateur driver killed in a crash at Kentucky Speedway last year filed a lawsuit, alleging that the racecar’s steering wheel broke off in his hands as he roared around the track at more than 100 mph. Stephen D. Cox, a pharmacist from …

CHISINAU, Moldova – Moldova’s prime minister has resigned after questions arose about the authenticity of his high school and university degrees. Chiril Gaburuci, 38, announced his resignation Friday after he was questioned late Thursday by prosecutors about his studies. “I regret that questions about my studies have become an instrument …

A brain-dead 2-year-old Brooklyn girl’s organs will not be donated. A New York Organ Donor Network spokeswoman tells The New York Times ( http://nyti.ms/1BJT9Qs ) that organ and tissue donation “can only occur when there is agreement amongst family members.” The parents of Thaiya Spruill-Smith were in disagreement over whether …

South Korean officials said Monday that a North Korean soldier defected by crossing the heavily fortified border between the two countries. An official from South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense told the Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity that the soldier crossed the border near the town of Hwacheon …

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the national unity government he formed with Hamas last year will dissolve. Abbas did not make any mention of a timetable for resignation in his announcement Tuesday night. But it is expected within days. Abbas said the move was “because Hamas …

GREENSBURG, Pa. – A man who was arrested for robbing a western Pennsylvania bank when he stopped to eat biscuits at a nearby restaurant will spend two to four years in prison. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (http://bit.ly/1K0lDr8) reports 32-year-old Shane Lindsey, of Arnold, was sentenced by a Westmoreland County judge on …

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Qaddafi on Monday to “express deep concern at the escalating scale of violence.” But he and the United Nations as a whole has been criticized for being slow to condemn the brutal crackdown that began last week. “Where is the …

A Pennsylvania elementary school that allegedly prohibited a student from inviting classmates to a church Christmas party is now the focus of a discrimination lawsuit filed in federal court. The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed the suit against the Pocono Mountain School District on behalf of a fifth-grade student. The …