• Philippines' Arroyo pleads not guilty to fraud (AP)
    AP - Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pleaded not guilty to an electoral fraud charge Thursday at the opening of a landmark trial that is seen as a key test of her reformist successor's campaign to stamp out corruption.
  • Indonesian police surround Bali prison after riot (AP)

    Prison inmates occupy the guard's watch tower inside the Kerobokan prison in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 during a negotiation process after soldiers and policemen controlled most of the prison following a raid. Security forces stormed the prison on Wednesday after rioting inmates temporarily took control of the facility, setting fires and throwing rocks at guards. (AP Photo)AP - Hundreds of security forces surrounded a prison on the resort island of Bali on Thursday, firing warning shots and tear gas to quell inmates after a second night of rioting.


  • Mazda shares dive on plan to raise $2 billion (AP)
    AP - Mazda stock dived nearly 7 percent Thursday after the struggling car maker said it will raise about $2 billion from selling new shares to invest in assembly plants and developing new vehicle technologies.
  • Avalanches hit Indian Kashmir; 3 soldiers killed (AP)
    AP - Indian army officials say two avalanches in snowbound regions of Indian-controlled Kashmir have killed at least three soldiers. Several more are feared trapped in a military camp that was partially buried under snow.
  • Australian PM calls party vote as challenger rises (AP)
    AP - Prime Minister Julia Gillard put her job on the line Thursday, announcing a leadership ballot in hopes of quashing a comeback by the premier she ousted in a Labor Party coup. But Kevin Rudd's supporters said that even if Gillard survives Monday's vote, the turmoil surrounding her unpopular government will continue until she is out.
  • U.S. wants more talks on Japan bid to join Pacific trade group (Reuters)
    Reuters - The United States said on Wednesday it was still considering whether to support Japan's bid to join talks on a trans-Pacific regional free trade agreement, three months after Tokyo announced interest in the negotiations.
  • Japan cuts in Iran crude imports could be over 20 percent (Reuters)
    Reuters - Japan is in final talks with Washington on an agreement on cuts in Iranian crude oil imports that could amount to a higher-than-expected 20 percent or more a year, a newspaper reported on Thursday, as Tokyo seeks to win waivers from U.S. sanctions.
  • US, NKorea nuclear envoys set to meet (AP)

    A paramilitary policeman stands guard in front of the North Korean embassy ahead of bilateral talks between North Korea and the U.S., in Beijing February 23, 2012. North Korea and U.S. officials will meet in Beijing on Thursday for a third round of bilateral talks aimed at restarting the regional six-party nuclear talks which broke down in 2009. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS)AP - U.S. and North Korea envoys reopen nuclear talks Thursday, seeking ways for Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear programs in return for much-needed aid.


  • Japan royal heir suggests easier load for emperor (AP)
    AP - Japan's crown prince believes efforts should be made to reduce the burden on his ailing father, Emperor Akihito, as the 78-year-old monarch recovers from heart bypass surgery.
  • SEC files fraud charges against 2 Chinese execs (AP)
    AP - Federal regulators have filed civil fraud charges against the chairman and the former CEO of a Chinese company, accusing them of duping people to invest in a coal company that was an empty shell.
  • Australian PM calls party leadership ballot (AP)
    AP - Prime Minister Julia Gillard is announcing that her party will vote next week on its leadership.
  • (AP)
    AP - Prime Minister Julia Gillard announces party leadership ballot next week.
  • Quran burning incites deadly riots in Afghanistan (AP)

    Afghan policemen march towards protesters during a protest near a U.S. military base in Kabul February 22, 2012. REUTERS/Ahmad MasoodAP - Clashes between Afghan troops and protesters angry over the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. military base left at least seven people dead and dozens wounded Wednesday as anger spread despite U.S. apologies over what it said was a mistake.


  • Commonwealth urges early election in Maldives (AP)
    AP - The Commonwealth called Wednesday for early presidential elections in the Maldives, along with an international investigation into the ouster of the Indian Ocean archipelago's president earlier this month.
  • Afghans, US may defer issues in strategic deal (AP)

    FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2011 file photo, President Barack Obama meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in New York. President Barack Obama has spoken to Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss efforts to reconcile with elements of the Taliban, including his meeting last week with Pakistani and Iranian leaders. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)AP - The U.S. and the Afghan governments are considering pushing through a long-delayed partnership agreement by moving the contentious issues of night raids and control over detainees to separate negotiations, officials from both countries said.


  • Thai detention of Iranian bomb suspect extended (AP)

    In this photo taken Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, an Iranian bomb suspect Mohammad Kharzei, right, listens to a Thai police officer as he is taken to verify the house where he and other Iranian compatriots rented in Bangkok, Thailand. One week after three Iranians were arrested in an apparently botched terror plot allegedly aimed against Israeli diplomats, profound questions remain unanswered about who was behind it. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)AP - A Thai court on Wednesday allowed police to continue to detain one of five Iranian suspects in an alleged terror plot that was exposed by an accidental blast in a residential Bangkok neighborhood.


  • Pakistan lashes out at US congressman's resolution (AP)
    AP - A U.S. congressman has sparked outrage in Pakistan by calling for the secession of the country's largest province, further complicating Washington's efforts to resuscitate its vital anti-terrorism alliance with Islamabad.
  • Festival banned 20 years returns to Myanmar pagoda (AP)

    Myanmar's women in ancient dresses take part in the 2,600th anniversary celebrations of Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. Gongs chimed as thousands of people in ceremonial costumes walked barefoot Wednesday through the marble walkways of Myanmar's most sacred Buddhist shrine in an annual festival that was banned for more than 20 years under the former military government. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)AP - Amid the towering golden spires of Myanmar's grandest Buddhist shrine there was talk of politics and hope for the future as thousands came Wednesday for the return of an annual festival that was banned for more than 20 years by the former military regime.


  • Pakistan health workers linked to CIA scheme fired (AP)

    Boys recite verses from the Koran at Madrassa Arabia Taleem-ul-Quran, a religious seminary, in Lahore on February 22, 2012. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza (PAKISTAN - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION)AP - A Pakistani government official says 17 health workers have been fired for allegedly participating in a CIA scheme to confirm the presence of Osama bin Laden in a northwestern town.


  • As China clamps down, Tibet struggle grows radical (AP)

    In this photo taken Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, police officers patrol after a religious ceremony at a monastery in Jiuzhaigou, in northwestern China's Sichuan province. Smothering security has become an intrusive fact of life in China's Tibetan areas, from police stationed around monasteries to document checks at roadblocks. The Intense security is one reason Tibet's exiled government in India called on Tibetans this year to shun celebrations for their traditional new year, which started Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. Instead, Tibetans are urged to pray for those living under Chinese rule. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)AP - Police don't travel far to monitor the goings-on at the Gami Temple at the edge of the Tibetan plateau. The police station sits inside the monastery, just outside the gates to the main prayer hall.