WSJ

Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pleaded not guilty to an electoral fraud charge at the opening of a landmark trial that is seen as a key test of her reformist successor's campaign to stamp out corruption.

New uncertainties about Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's health are threatening to spur a power struggle to succeed him among the factions that make up his political movement, and boosting the hopes of a rejuvenated opposition planning for the presidential election this fall.

Iranian filmmakers hoped that accolades for the film 'A Separation' would give them more breathing room. Instead, they have come under greater pressure from Tehran ahead of parliamentary elections.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would move ahead with its nuclear program—which he said is for peaceful purposes—despite growing international pressure.

European stocks finished lower, as investors remained uninspired by Greece's latest bailout deal and expressed disappointment about data showing that business activity in the region unexpectedly slowed.

World financial markets may have breathed a collective sigh of relief over the rescue package for Greece, but European bank stocks have fallen since the announcement. This year is likely to be one of retrenchment as lenders work to meet strict capital requirements.

The Pentagon's top lawyer on Wednesday defended the use of targeted killings to eliminate suspected terrorists and militants, in an expansion of the Obama administration's public justification for its primary counterterrorism tool.

Members of the Group of 20 advanced and developing economies plan to renew pressure on Europeans in coming days to expand their Continent-wide bailout funds, despite the latest rescue deal for Greece.

Ethiopian and Somali troops captured one of the last strongholds of al Shabaab, the militant Islamist group that has held much of Somalia in its violent grip for six years—the latest advance in a pan-African campaign that has left the group facing defeat.

Italian prosecutors have placed seven more employees of Costa Crociere, operator of the shipwrecked Concordia cruise ship, under formal investigation in connection with the ship's ill-fated journey, the company and investigators said.

China could face an economic crisis unless it implements deep reforms, including to state-owned enterprises, according to a report likely to shape debate among the nation's incoming leaders.

Turkey has that most scarce, yet highly sought-after, attribute among European economies: growth. With this rising tide, is now the time for investors to be contemplating Turkey's growing Internet economy?

The detention of two Italian naval officers over the fatal shooting last week of two Indians at sea has caused a diplomatic rift that deepened Wednesday, exposing the risks countries run by increasing the use of arms on commercial vessels to deter piracy.

South Sudan expelled the head of Petrodar, the country's largest oil producer and pipeline operator, accusing him of covering up the theft of oil by Sudan.

Asian companies are tapping bond markets at a record pace, worried that the euro-zone crisis may deepen and make it impossible for them to secure funds later in the year, say bankers who arrange borrowing.

Indonesia needs to move quickly to expand and modernize its ports to keep up with a recent increase in exports and imports generated by the archipelago's sustained growth, the country's trade minister said.

Pumping has been halted at Colombia's second-longest pipeline, the Cano Limon, after several bombings by leftist guerrillas in recent days, according to an official at national oil company Ecopetrol.

A commuter train that had apparently lost its brakes barreled into a station in Buenos Aires, killing some passengers and injuring hundreds, officials said.

The European Commission is referring the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to the European Union's top court for legal guidance on whether it clashes with the regional bloc's fundamental rights.

An online posting for a job at a Tesco supermarket has sparked a national controversy over whether a government program created to help tackle the U.K.'s youth-unemployment crisis is exploiting young, out-of-work Britons.