Brussels

BRUSSELS - The biggest Hindu temple complex in Europe - consisting of three temples, residential areas and tourist spots - is going to be built in the Dutch city of The Hague.

OSLO, Norway - The defection of a third Iranian diplomat in Europe hints at widening fissures within Iran's government over its crackdown on protesters after the disputed 2009 election that kept hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.

TEHRAN, Iran - The European Union on Tuesday condemned the stoning to death sentence passed against an Iranian woman convicted for adultery, saying it was "barbaric." In his first State of the Union address to the European parliament in Strasbourg, France, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he was "appalled" by the news of the sentencing, and called it "barbaric beyond words." The sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was put on hold in July after an international outcry over the brutality of the punishment, and it is now being reviewed by Iran's supreme court.

BRUSSELS - The top commander in Afghanistan says the crucial effort to secure the Kandahar region will take longer than planned.

BRUSSELS - The lower house of the Belgian parliament approved a draft law Thursday banning the wearing of burqa in public and other types of Islamic veils, the Belga news agency reported.