International Top Stories from Associated Press (AP)

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services said Wednesday that the Egyptian military's ouster of Islamist President Mohammad Morsi is a "coup" that should trigger suspension of aid to Egypt. "I believe it is a coup, and I believe the aid should be suspended," Sen. Carl M. Levin said at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, noting that U.S.

Part of an ancient Egyptian king's sphinx was unveiled at a dig in northern Israel on Tuesday, and researchers are puzzled as to how it got there. The broken granite statue, including the paws and some of the forearms, is the first such find in the region, AFP reported.

An estimated 200 homeless dined at the Vatican on July 1, at the special invitation of Pope Francis. They were served by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, in the name of the pope, Catholic News Agency reported. "I welcome you in the name of the pope. As you know, this is your home and he is pleased that you are here," the cardinal said, in pre-dinner remarks, CNA reported.

Egyptian prosecutors on Wednesday ordered the arrest of senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders in a widening crackdown on Islamists following the ouster of the country's first democratically elected president last week.

Seventeen major U.S. retailers revealed details of a new five-year safety pact Wednesday that calls for inspecting every Bangladesh factory within a year, after the collapse of a garment plant in April killed 1,129 workers and a November factory fire killed another 112.

A former chancellor in Germany is so worried about the possibility of the European Union banning his particular brand of cigarettes that he's stockpiled 200 cartons in his home. Helmut Schmidt, 94, has hoarded roughly 38,000 cigarettes, or enough for a pack a day until his 100th birthday, United Press International reported.

American jihadist Adam Yahiye Gadahn appears in a new al Qaeda video urging Syrian rebels to reject Western help and turn their insurgency into a global jihad, like the one in Iraq against the U.S. occupation. The Oregon-born 34-year-old speaks in Arabic, with English subtitles, in the hourlong video that was released by al Qaeda's multimedia arm, as-Sahab, on Tuesday.

Rebel fighters in Syria said Tuesday a foreign power is to blame for destroying a stash of advanced Russian anti-ship missiles stored at one of the military's naval facilities near the port of Latakia. And topping that list of suspects: Israel, Reuters reported.

Judges with the European Court of Human Rights in essence kicked British law to the curb with a ruling that favored three convicted murderers , that mandatory life sentences are degrading and inhuman. The ruling means Britain's government will have to change its laws and bring them into line with the standards now set by the European court, Newsmax reported.

Ousted Egypt President Mohammed Morsi is safe and sound, and so far, no charges have been filed against him, said a top government head on Wednesday. "Morsi is in a safe place, for his safety, and he is being treated with dignity," said the foreign ministry's Badr Abdelatty, Agence France-Presse reported. "He is not charged with anything up till now."

Flooding has triggered mudslides in a western region of China, and emergency responders estimate about 40 have been buried. The mudslides also wrecked a memorial that was erected to mark the nation's devastating earthquake in 2008, The Associated Press reported.

A descendant of Col. Charles Beckwith, who in 1977 founded the Army's Delta Force that today hunts and kills Islamic terrorists, passed the test in May to become a member of the elite special operations forces. The graduate is not a burly Beckwith man, but the late colonel's 20-year-old granddaughter.

The deadly derailment and explosion of rail cars carrying crude oil through Quebec last weekend highlighted the dangers of the growing trend of shipping more fuel by rail in the U.S. and Canada, and analysts say it may add to pressure on President Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec , Canadian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into a deadly oil train derailment that killed at least 15 people over the weekend. Quebec police inspector Michel Forget told a news briefing Tuesday that investigators have "discovered elements" that have led to a criminal probe. Forget did not give details, but he ruled out terrorism.

A new report by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has found that Mexico has surpassed the United States as the world's fattest nation, with about 70 percent of its citizens being overweight or obese. The report found that Mexico has a 32.8 percent adult obesity rate, surpassing the U.S. rate of 31.8 percent.