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12 Chinese sailors killed near Golden Triangle

BEIJING (AP) — Twelve Chinese crew members on two boats plying the Mekong River were killed by suspected drug traffickers who hijacked their ships to smuggle speed pills, news reports said Monday.

APNewsBreak: US man to plead to Thai royal insult

BANGKOK (AP) — A detained U.S. citizen facing up to 15 years in prison for allegedly insulting Thailand's royal family was to plead guilty in the case Monday in hopes of receiving a lenient sentence, his lawyer said....

Japan political strongman Ozawa goes on trial

One of Japan's most influential political powerbrokers, former ruling party leader Ichiro Ozawa, went on trial Thursday over a funding scandal that has gripped the nation....

358-yr-old Taj Mahal 'in danger of collapsing within 5 years'

London, Oct 5 (ANI): The Taj Mahal will collapse within five years unless urgent action is taken to fix its rotting foundations, campaigners warn. ...

17 Indian officials convicted of raping villagers

NEW DELHI (AP) — Seventeen Indian police and forest officials have been convicted of gang raping a group of tribal villagers in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in 1992....

Myanmar to stop construction of controversial dam

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's president on Friday called for a controversial Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam project to be halted in the country's north, a rare and surprising concession to opponents that was welcomed by the nation's pro-democracy movement and environmentalists....

Australian women to take front-line military roles

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia will remove all gender barriers in its military over the next five years, opening up positions that had previously been considered too dangerous for women, including front-line combat roles, a minister said Tuesday....

Special report: Matriarch puts Gandhi dynasty at crossroads

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Rahul Gandhi, heir to the family dynasty that has dominated politics in the world's biggest democracy for generations, was trying to make himself heard in the uproar of India's parliament....

Putin to run for Russian presidency in 2012

MOSCOW (AP) — Vladimir Putin's decision to reclaim the presidency next year sets up the possibility that he could rule Russia until 2024 and foreshadows a continuation of the strongman rule that many in the West have called a retreat from democracy....

Rival Koreas met, but no progress on nuclear talks

BEIJING (AP) — Representatives of North and South Korea met Wednesday, but showed no sign of bridging their differences to resume negotiations on ending Pyongyang's nuclear program after it walked out two years ago. ...