The State Department said on Tuesday it was investigating allegations of sexual misconduct by overseas staff including a report that an ambassador patronized prostitutes after a leaked memo said the agency had ignored the misbehavior. CBS News this week reported it had obtained an internal State Department inspector general's memo that said several investigations into possible cases of misconduct were influenced, manipulated or called off.

Pope Francis lamented that a “gay lobby” was at work at the Vatican in private remarks to the leadership of a key Latin American church group — a stunning acknowledgment that appears to confirm earlier reports about corruption and dysfunction in the Holy See.

The United States' best known civil rights group lodged a lawsuit on Tuesday alleging that a massive seizure of private phone records by government agents breached the constitution.

Eight Senators left angry by the breadth of secret U.S. surveillance programs introduced a bipartisan bill Tuesday aimed at helping Americans know more about the government's spy efforts.

Three of the largest U.S. Internet companies called on the U.S. government to provide greater transparency on national security requests on Tuesday, as they sought to distance themselves from reports that portrayed the companies as willing partners in supplying mass user data to security agencies.

As many as 10.5 million children worldwide work as domestic servants, in what can be hazardous and even slave-like conditions, the International Labour Organization said Wednesday.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday unveiled a US$19.5 billion plan to boost the city's defenses against climate change, seven months after Hurricane Sandy devastated the U.S. East Coast.

Using voice commands to send text messages and emails from behind the wheel, which is marketed as a safer alternative for drivers, actually is more distracting and dangerous than simply talking on a cellphone, a study by travel organization AAA found.

At least four major wildfires fueled by hot, gusty weather Tuesday burned along the front of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, including two that together destroyed dozens of structures and chased people from hundreds of homes.

Whistle-blower Edward Snowden was acclaimed Tuesday by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as a “hero” defending personal liberty, but U.S. lawmakers clamored for the National Security Agency (NSA) contractor's immediate expulsion from his Hong Kong hideout to face justice at home.