In the World

ATHENS, Greece - A second round of talks to form a coalition government collapsed Wednesday, with Greece's future in the euro and commitment to its international bailout deal in the balance and the specter of new elections looming ever larger.

Sunday's election threw the country's political scene into turmoil after voters angered by years of Europe's harshest austerity program - implemented to secure vital international bailouts and fend off bankruptcy - hammered mainstream politicians, but left no party with enough seats in Parliament to govern alone.

Alexis Tsipras, head of the runner-up Radical Left Coalition, or Syriza, met with heads of parties across the political spectrum as he tried and failed to win support for Greece's first left-wing-led government in four decades of democratic rule.

"We saw that our proposal enjoys broad social support, but weak parliamentary backing," Tsipras, 38, told a meeting of party lawmakers. "We can't make our dream come true, and form a left-wing government." - AP

ISTANBUL, Turkey - The government said Wednesday that it has no plans to send Iraq's vice president, who is currently in Turkey, back to Iraq for prosecution even after Interpol placed him on its most-wanted list.

Iraq has charged Tariq al-Hashemi with terrorism, accusing him of guiding and financing death squads. Hashemi, a Sunni, says the charges are false and motivated by the political enmity of the Shiite-led leadership.

Turkey's deputy prime minister, Bekir Bozdag, said that Hashemi is in Turkey for medical treatment and that Turkey had no plans to extradite him. The minister also noted that Turkey had not had enough cooperation from Iraq in its efforts to detain supporters of the Kurdish rebel group PKK, which carries out attacks inside Turkey from bases in northern Iraq.

- AP

HARARE, Zimbabwe - A Zimbabwean man was killed while trying to rescue his friend from crocodiles in northwest Zimbabwe, a fishing club said Wednesday.

The National Anglers' Union said that Frank Trott, who was in his 70s, died after trying to rescue a friend paddling along the shoreline at Charara fishing camp. His friend survived but suffered wounds to his midsection and buttocks.

Two crocodiles were shot dead by rangers after last week's attack. Partial remains of the victim were found along the shores of remote Lake Kariba. Trott was dragged away by a giant crocodile, said Mike Brennan, head of the fishing group. The friend, in his 40s, was a fellow farmer with wilderness experience. - AP

Any adults who want sex-change surgery or hormone therapy in Argentina will be able to demand that their private or public health-care companies provide it under a gender- rights law approved Wednesday by the congress. Argentina became Latin America's first nation to legalize gay marriage two years ago.